Cadwell Park gave a taste of everything in the way of weather for the seventh and eighth NG Road Racing championship rounds. Saturday was wet for pretty much all day, and it was only during the last couple of races that even a drying line started to appear. That was borne out by the fact that the fastest rider on Saturday was Jay Lewis who was having a fun weekend off, from the pressures of the ACU 125 British Championships. He lapped on his 125 Honda in the 1:37 bracket in the penultimate race of the day. Jay took both Refined Recruitment 125 GP finals on his Dave Bushby Plant RS125 Honda ahead of Luke Harvey on Saturday and Luke Hinton on Sunday. Although Jay is still only in his mid-teens it is his younger brother Corey that heads the series points table. Corey took two strong third placings to keep his points tally ticking over, and extend his series lead over Harvey, Hinton, and other year-long rivals Freddie Nickless and Sam Burman.
After Saturdays wet conditions the paddock woke to thick mist on Sunday morning, which luckily by the time practice got underway was burnt off by the strong sunshine. So with a bone dry track and no wind, conditions were perfect for good lap times. However it was not one of the Superbike riders that mastered the 2.17-mile circuit, but the 27 year-old Joiner from Winterton, Grahame Frear. He blasted his 5 year-old CBR 600RR to a new outright NG Cadwell Lap record at 1 min 33.66 (83.40mph). He dominated the 10 lap Phoenix Open final taking the win by over 17 seconds from none other than his R6 riding brother Daniel, who hustled his Yamaha past two-time champion Joe Symonds on the final lap. Symonds had taken Saturday’s win on his Greendays R1 to pull a few points back on series leader Michael Blank who was having a tough time after a wrong tyre choice. Mark “Reaper” Compton succumbed to some over-exuberant riding on both days, parting company from his Flipper Marine GSXR whilst challenging for the win on Saturday and a podium finish on Sunday. But as anyone who knows Mark will be aware he only ever rides on (….or just over !!!) the limit. Paul Shook and Darren Neal also mastered the mountain to take good points in the Phoenix Open.
Graham Frear also took Sundays George White 600cc final…. Again finishing ahead of younger brother Daniel, who was having a fantastic on track battle with Jonathon Dickson and Joshua Day. Day had taken his Corinium Construction R6 to a confident 13 second victory in Saturdays wet race, made all the more impressive when you realise that he had crashed twice in testing. Rich Bearcroft looked up for a good weekend after winning Saturdays qualifier but his Suzuki seemed a little outpaced by the CBR’s and R6’s in the final, and his weekend ended early on Sunday after he parted company from his FMS/REP’s GSXR.
Jay Lewis also took both Dara Brady Racing 400cc wins taking them by 13 seconds and 19 seconds on each day. With two solid third places though Tony Davies elevates himself to the top of the championship points table on his New Road Garage TZ250 Yamaha.
Sam Coventry picked up his second win of the year in the Steve Lynham Formula 125 class on day one on his Purbrook Garage RS125 Aprilia, with series leader Rowan Miller in very close company on his 80 Metrakit. Roles were reversed on Sunday with Birthday boy Thomas Williams and Lee Jackson sharing a pair of thirds.
Londoner Chris Beverley continued his dominance in the A and R Racing Formula 400 races with wins on both days. The results sheets certainly don’t tell the story of how hard he had to work to get that winning pair through. Tony Meredith and Josh Leaning on ZXR Kawasakis, Tim Bradley on his FZR Yam and Les Vallender and the RVF Honda along with Alan Armour and the very rapid RGV 250 2 stroke Suzuki all kept Berverley on his France and Li Asia CBR400 on his toes. Beverley likes to pile the pressure on in the first lap, making his opponents chase (and make mistakes !), but he couldn’t make that happen as the fight for points hotted up. At the flag it was the outcome that Beverley and the team were after through… two more wins and maximum points from the weekend.
Joe Symonds extended his series lead in the L and J Powerbike to a healthy 28 points by the end of the weekend with two good victories over first Chris Pope and then Paul Shook. Saturdays race was very eventful after Joe’s nearest championship rival Michael Blank pulled out with tyre issues then Darren Neal closed Symonds’ 4 second lead down to one bike length as they went into hall bends for the final time. Darren asked just a little too much of his Bladegroup CBR 1000 at Barn through, and although he caught it on his knee after the front went….. the back end let go soon after, to leave the part time rock band front man heading for the grass and no points for all his hard work. Joe had to work hard for the points on Sunday too after Paul Shook on his ZX10 and a now sorted Gemini Fire GSXR of Michael Blank were going at it, with Simmo just doing enough to hold off Shook who set the fastest lap on the last circuit.
This years Team Spidey Sound of Thunder class is being dominated by the 675 Daytonas. We haven’t been to a circuit yet that doesn’t seem perfectly suited to the bike. It has though thrown up a number of new race winners, and this weekend was no different with Justin Waite and Scott Rowbottom taking a win apiece. Waite on the STP 675 bagged the most points with a win and a second to see him rocket up the points table from staring the day eighth. Former champion Andy Peck, manfully continued with the Aprilia Mille, and although still in third in this seasons title chase the speed of the 675’s has left them musing over what 2009 will hold in the way of machinery. It was damage limitation for current title leader Greg Gibson after crashing out in Saturdays mixed conditions on his John Hackett 748/916/1098 hybrid Ducati as he salvaged a hard fought 6th place on Sunday.
Reigning Big C Mini Twin champion Nigel Wright is seeing his current series lead cut on each and every outing at the moment as Daryl Alexander on the Monk Racing Chrysler Jeep SV650 racked up his 5th and 6th wins this weekend to cut Wrights lead to just 4 points…. It was 26 over Alexander at one stage !!. Nigel on the lone 8000SS Ducati is still confident that it will be his name on the trophy once more come seasons end.
Saturday had Rich Troth adding a sixth win from seven starts on his Bunnie Layla 400 Honda in the Race Trader 400 Streetstocks and looked odds of for making it 7 from 8 on Sunday. Top 400 newcomer Ben Mardsen through, the only rider to have headed Troth so far this year had other ideas and set off at pace eeking out a slim advantage after 3 laps. But so hard was he trying that he and the CBR 400 parted company at Charlies leaving it to Troth to take yet another win, this time over Craig Neve who finished one better than his third on Saturday.
Dan Kift finally got his championship charge in the Metzeler DTR Streestocks back on track with two wins on the Protint UK CBR 1000 RR seeing him end the day at the top of the table. Both races saw Kift struggle off the line after his Honda suffered a day of Clutch problems (which I am told will be sorted by the time we get to Donington). However due to bitter misfortune striking Jon Harwood, who was leading both races into the last couple of laps ended the weekend with two no-scores. How come ? … well after getting the suspension sorted on his ZX10 R by Whitecross he was looking good with a 4 second lead going into the last lap, but was caught out by the mixed conditions at Chris Curve… dnf number 1. On Sunday it was again looking good for Harwood when once more he had to surrender the lead, this time though with a mechanical failure… dnf number 2. This dropped him from his points table topping position in the 1300cc class. Andy Hayes and Nick Andrews shared the 700cc class wins, Hayes on Saturday and Andrews on Sunday. Hayes was ruled out of Sundays race after a crash earlier in the day. This does however close things up between the top three, Hayes, Andrews and Marlon Butcher.
Phil Bell and James Neave took both CSC Racing Open Sidecar finals on their LCR Suzuki with Mick Robson/Ken Edwards on an SF Racing F2 LCR Suzuki grabbing second on Saturday, ahead of series leaders Matt Dix/Mark Hegarty. Gary Horspole and Scott Parnall came in for Sundays activities and held onto second in front of Rod Robinson and Shellie Smithies. The Dix/Hegarty pairing could have come away with better than a third and a fifth but the championship leaders in both CSC Open and Century 2000 F2 table went off onto the grass at Charlies on Sunday and the Chicane on Sunday to impede their rapid progression.
675 Triumph rider Duncan Knox was left gutted in the Gary Vardy Open Newcomers final after leading for the major part of the race had current series leader Martin Lowe on his Highway Services R1 outdrag him to the line to take it by half a wheel. In the smaller capacity Louigi Moto 400 Newcomers Ben Mardsen took another win to rack up more points despite a spirited challenge from Sian Brooks on her Spyre RS250 Honda.
The Open win on a 600 and a new outright lap record saw Grahame Frear awarded the Rider of the Meeting trophy. Young Rowan Miller lifted the Newcomer of the Meeting silverware after more good rides pitting his Metrakit 80 against the bigger RS125’s in the F125 and taking another race win.
Next stop is Donington Park on the 13th July
