Click here for Saturday's results
Click here for Sunday's results
20 year-old Freddie Nickless had the weekend of his racing career at Snetterton. Not only did he take both Team Spidey Sound of Thunder finals but also set a new NG class lap record. He also took two podium finishes in the George White 600 open and a top six in the main race of the club weekend the Phoenix Open, when he was up against much bigger bikes than his Chippenham Motorcycles backed 675 Triumph. He was deservedly named the rider putting up the “Performance of the weekend”.
After Brands Hatch Nickless’s 675 was not on top form, it just would not rev past 12000rpm, so the bike was taken to James Holland of JHS, who worked long and hard to get the bike back in top fettle. Eventually after hours of work on the dyno and a new wiring loom things were sorted and the team finally set off for Snetterton at 4:30am…. Yes a.m. for the circuit test day on Friday. After five faultless sessions they were ready for race day.
Freddie was the 125GP champion in ’07 and after a tough season last year again on the 125 the switch was made to the 675 for this years Thunder and 600 classes. Third in the Thunder going into this weekend, his two wins have lifted him right into series contention alongside Adam Tempest and Darryl Alexander. To say that the Thunder races were fast and furious would be an understatemant. Freddie, along with Greg Gibson and Duncan Gibson on 1098 JHP Ducatis and Darryl Alexander on his Monk Racing Aprilia fought out each and every lap with not only lead changes every lap but almost every other corner. After taking Saturday’s win Freddie was up for it on Sunday, and the race to be the best of the weekend. All four took turns at the front, and all four were lapping consistently under the previous lap record. It was only in the last to laps when Freddie popped in two blinding laps including another new lap record at 1:12.6 that he managed to stay infront to the flag although Greg Gibson was still just 0.4 seconds behind the flying Freddie. Alexander now leads the series with a 2nd and a 4th here.
Freddie was also in action in the George White 600 Open class and was more than happy with two top 3 placings behind British Supersport riders Josh Day and Leon Hunt on Saturday, with only series leader Day getting the better of him on Sunday. Day and Hunt had a great race on Saturday with it only being decided on the drag to the line from Russells….Day just getting the nod. Andy Lawrence went home happy with two fourth placings on his Vardy tuned ABC Tyres CBR.
It’s a full 12 years since Ian Drowne last took a double win (….although that does include a 10 year layoff !!). This weekend Drowne and passenger Ken Edwards on their Mick Robson/West End Precision 1000 Shellbourne Suzuki got that double, beating Paul Riley and Roy Farmer on Sunday, with this second place being their best ever result. Riley/Farmer almost pulled it off again on Sunday but had to settle for third after they were pipped by the hard charging Rod Robinson/Shelly Smithies outfit in the CSC Open Sidecar race. Top Century 2000 F2 outfit was all weekend the Belgian Pairing of Marc and Rick Vannieuwenhyse. They are contesting the full NG series this year after moving up from being Bemsee F2 champs in ’07. Birthday boy Miles Bennett with Kevin Perry in the chair of the Team Mad Cow 600 Honda had to settle for a couple of minor placings but did however close in on his championship aspirations.
Bradley Hughes and Tommy Mountain shared the wins in the Steve Lynham F125 races with a frustrated Thomas Williams having to settle for a second and third after leading each race early on. Lap times were over 75mph, not bad for a bike with a top speed of just 90-odd mph.
In the Refined Recruitment 125GP finals the top two in the series were both absent from the grid, Rowan Miller because of a broken arm and Corey Lewis due to the loss of his father recently due to illness. Corey defending 125 champion was at Snetterton along with his brother Jay who also stayed trackside. Both young men received a host of well wishes from the paddock as a whole. They are still undecided as to their racing future as their father was the driving force behind the team. This situation left the way open for a new name at the top of the table. That new name is Sam Burman, Sam finished a close second to race winner Dan Moreton on Saturday, but did not make it to the grid on Sunday after a qualifying crash at Richies. Moreton grabbed second on Sunday after a race long fight with the returning-from-injury, and former NG 125 champ, Alistair Ray. Things are now very tight at the top of the points table. And another Birthday boy Anthony Mulrine grabbed a fine third on the second day.
James Francis extended his lead in the NG 400 Streetstock series despite not taking a win for the first time this season. They went the way of Martin Parkhouse and Mark Ireland. Andrew “Roo” Cotton stole some points back on series leader Nicholas Andrews in the Metzeler/DTR 700 Streetstock after taking both wins. Andrews hopes to redress the balance as two of his favourite circuits, Cadwell and Thruxton are next on the calendar.
Adrian Shaw had a very eventful weekend on his Hennessey Builders GSXR 1000 Suzuki in the Metzeler/DTR 1300 Streestocks with a 10 second jump start penalty in the qualifier on Saturday….although he still started the final from pole, as he won the race by over 10 seconds. The final saw him and Hilary Philips fight it out for top honours with Shaw grabbing the win. Novice James Kiff had a great ride to third with Peter Carr fourth after coming through from 10th on lap one. Shaw looked set to dominate Sundays race too but two laps into the 9 lap final he parted company with his Suzuki at the Bombhole and had to watch Philips on his Fox Enterprises GSXR take the win. Kiff this time took the runner-up spot after a great fight through from a poor start. These rides along, with the Louigi Moto Open Newcomer win from Kevin Pepper and Marcus Williams saw Kiff named Newcomer of the meeting of the second time this year.
Scott Witts continued his winning run in the Gary Vardy 400 Newcomers making it three victories from three on his Suzuki.
Channel Island based rider Phil Guillou took Saturdays Dara Brady Racing 400 2 stroke win ahead of series leader Tony Davies on Saturday with Davies redressing the balance on Sunday to keep his title defence on track with his Stan Archer TZ250. Sam Nicholson grabbed two good podiums on his RS Honda to open his points account.
Mark Taylor won both Big C Mini Twin final despite pulling out of both qualification races….meaning a back row start in the main races. Taylor on the Lambro SV650 headed home Stephen Sweetman on Saturday and Rich Troth on Sunday. Sweetman was happy though despite not taking a win as he extends his series lead over Scott Witts and early pace setter Troth.
Reigning and defending champ in the A and R Racing F400 class Chris Beverley made an uncustomary error in Saturdays final as he fell from his France and Li Asia CBR 400 at Corams on lap 2 whilst fending off a challenge from Ben Marsden. Tony Meredith last years series runner up came through to take the win from Marsden and Ben Millard. Beverley was in no mood to lose out on Sunday with and emphatic lights to flag victory. However another top 3 from Marsden saw him go home much closer in the points table to Beverley than when he arrived at the circuit on Friday.
When it came to the big bike classes it was again a double-double for the Co-Ordit R1 riding Richard Cooper. Both Progressive Solutions wins and both Phoenix (Trowbridege) Open wins went his way. With just to hammer home the Co-Ordit team domination Phil Bevan taking runner-up spots on each outing. Cooper was the only rider in the 1:08 second bracket all day… and he racked up over a dozen of them, with the fastest at 1:08.19 or 103.5mph. Bevan was the only other rider under 1:10 with a best of 1:09.4. But it is safe to say that this weekend no one had an answer for Cooper who is still unbeaten in a championship final this year. The battle was always for third place with Lee Keeble grabbng two, Chris Pope one and Shaun Hennessey one. Hennessey could not repeat his Saturday Powerbike 3rd after taking a heavy tumble in the wet and windy morning warm-up at The Esses.
The all dominant Co-Ordit Team run by Pete Bradshaw put out no fewer than seven riders over the weekend on either R1 or R6’s. Cooper and Bevan were joined by BSB 600 riders Leon Hunt and Dave Hallet along with racing journalist Bruce Wilson and Novice rider Kevin Pepper who is under Phil Bevans tutelage this season. That’s six…. and they were joined by team boss Bradshaw in the Open on both days grabbing a best finish of sixth to prove he still has what it takes to produce on track despite also owning and running the team.
Co-Ordit are also running what is being called the Performance Relay series this year with NG, the winner of which will receive as a prize a highly coveted fully backed ride on a co-ordit R6 in the National Superstock 600 Championship at BSB for 2010. Josh Day is currently the rider at the top of that series with Freddie Nickless and Thomas Fisher in the hunt.
Next stop Cadwell Park on the 6th and 7th June.
