You’re once, twice, three times a lady…

What a star!
Stephanie Waddelow put in a world-beating performance at Brands Hatch in March, but she went one better in the MRO Superteens at Cadwell Park.
After qualifying on pole, Steph took three wins out of four, and picked up a third place in the final race, in the process producing a world record performance for a female racer.
And none of the wins came easily.
Steph had to fight off the close attentions of David Pearce, Matthew Paulo, Josh Harland, and championship leader, Jack Blake.
She was made to fight every inch of the way, and all this at a circuit where 7th was the best result she achieved, at her last visit, in 2007.
Jack Blake still leads the points table, having topped the podium in the only race that Stephanie didn’t win.
Go, girl!

Into the Valley of Louth rode the 600s…

John Cobbold arrived at Cadwell as the Rookie 600 championship leader, but the fact that he was racing at all is a minor miracle.
An horrific crash on his road bike resulted in severe injuries for John, and only extensive surgery saved his left arm.
Subsequent operations to repair damaged nerves mean that he still has only limited use of his arm, and rides in some pain, so you can just imagine the general wincing In the paddock, as he was seen sporting a sling, courtesy of a fall in his first race of the weekend.
He recovered brilliantly, to pick up two seconds and a third, but a stonking four-win race weekend for Max Hunt means that John’s championship lead is cut from twenty-seven points, to seven.

Pssst! Wanna buy a race-bike? No? Can’t afford it?
What about a whole grid, then?

MZ250s may not be the most glamorous bikes in the world, but they still represent one of the most cost-effective ways of going racing.
The entire grid would cost you less than most people spend on one season running in a British Championship, but the Mzers pack a real punch when it comes to bangs-for bucks.
This year they’ll get 40 races across a variety of circuits, from Brands to Silverstone, Donington to Cadwell, and Snetterton to Croix, in France.
And just because they don’t sport masses of multi-thousands of pounds-worth of highly developed techy kit doesn’t mean that they don’t produce top-notch, hardcore entertainment.
Far from it.
Still mourning the loss of stalwart MZ competitor, and all-round nice guy, John Welfare, who passed away just a month ago, the whole grid really turned it on in style at Cadwell Park.
Chris Rogers, Phil Belenkin, and Dean Stimpson were inseparable at the front, the lead swapping up to three times a lap on occasion.
Chris took three wins to Dean’s one, Phil got three second place finishes, and a third, and Dean left Cadwell with the fastest MZ lap of the weekend.
Well done, guys. John would have loved every moment of it.
What a Triumph, Toby!

Toby Glenn has, at the age of eighteen, experienced all the triumphs and disappointments that a competitor in bike racing can know.
Aged 15, he decided to try competitive bike racing, and started with Mini-motos.
He won the Southern Mini-moto championship.
The following year he gave the ACU Academy Cup a go, on a Honda125 GP.
He broke a collar-bone, but still managed to finish third in the championship.
This year he’s taken on the Triumph Triple Challenge.
In the first round, at Donington, he qualified second on the grid. A great effort, but there were heroes all around, as the whole grid tried desperately to combat rain, wind, hail, and snow, in the two sessions.
Saturday Superpole.
Points to be gained.
Pressure.
On the uncertain surface the bike lets go, down goes Toby, right wrist broken.
No racing on Sunday.
No points.
At Cadwell Park, the pain and the pressure are still there.
Late on Wednesday, the cast is off Toby’s wrist. On Saturday, he qualifies fifth on the Tec 11 racing Triumph, and takes third in the Superpole race.
Come raceday, the weather is fine, and at the head of the field there’s an eight-way battle for the lead.
With countless changes at the front, the race is a classic, and at the chequered flag Toby crosses in second, point three of a second down on local rider, Scott Rowbottam.
In the second race, Scott is an unfortunate faller at the Esses, right in front of Toby, who loses place after place as other riders skirt round the incident.
The shortened race is restarted, and Toby grabs a sixth, and more valuable points towards his target for 2008 – the Triumph Triple Challenge Championship.
Highlights of both races, together with action from the MZs and the 600s, will be broadcast on Motors TV, channel 413, next week.