Sam Burman got her eagerly awaited 2009 season underway last weekend, when the highly rated Thundersport GP3 Championship held it’s first round of the year at Leicestershire’s ‘Friendly Circuit’, Mallory Park.
Entering the weekend with no testing at Mallory Park under her belt, Burman would be at a slight disadvantage against some of her rivals, but nevertheless she came through Friday’s qualifying sessions with a reasonable degree of success.
She achieved 14th position on the grid after getting more into her stride during the final qualifying session, despite being a little unlucky with the weather, as it started to spot with rain in the final few minutes.
With a full grid of some 33 machines, Saturday’s 18 lap Superpole race got underway with Burman being immediately hampered by a slow start from a rider in front of her.
A few laps later whilst fighting her way through the field, she was clipped from the rear going into the hairpin, which unsettled her again. However, she got her head down and despite some discomfort suffered from a previously injured wrist, managed to battle to finish in 14th position.
Sunday’s two Championship races took place over 12 laps, the first race brought disappointment for Burman, as her problem with her wrist was forcing her to alter some of her lines, a strategy that seemed to work in the morning warm-up but wasn’t so rewarding in the race. She would finish down the field in 21st position, with some thinking to do before the final outing of the weekend.
The team decided to change the carburetion settings for the final race, in an attempt to make the bike easier to ride through the tight and twisty sections, which doesn’t entirely suit her riding style. Nevertheless, her lap times improved and she had a much better race with some good battles. She achieved 15th place at the finish, collecting a further championship point for her efforts.
"The first meeting of the year wasn't quite the start we were hoping for this season, but definitely an improvement on last year where we didn't even make the first race. I was disappointed with the results but with Mallory Park a circuit where we struggle behind us now, I'm moving on quickly and concentrating on our next meeting," said Sam.
Sam Burman is back in action over the coming weekend 21-22 March at Brands Hatch (Indy), competing in the first round of the North Gloucester Road Racing Championships onboard the Penrith Motorcycles Yamaha TZ 250.
The next Thundersport GB meeting takes place over the weekend of 11-13 April at Cadwell Park.
