Many clubs across the country have over the years dropped the sidecar class from their running order. NG Road Racing however have stuck with the three-wheelers, even through the lean years of the 80’s when on occasion there were as little as six outfits on the grid. During the ‘90’s a group of sidecar crews decided to drum up as much support for the NG series as possible and the grids started to increase. As a results we have been graced with much stronger and mainly full grids which have including many World class crews, notably Dave Molyneux, Steve Abbott, Stuart Muldoon, The Birchells, and even Tim Reeves/Patrick Farrance last year at Snetterton.
As I said many clubs no longer feature the sidecars, which is a shame because they can produce some fantastic entertainment…. This Thruxton round was one such meeting. World, European and British championship crews (and long time NG riders) Roger Lovelock/Rick Lawrence and Mark Edwards/Jamie Winn graced the grid, along with Ben Bygrave/Sam Ryder and Ben Holland/Ricky Stevens.
It was Lovelock and Lawrence that stole the show with an emphatic display at new outright circuit sidecar lap record pace, averaging over 103mph around the 2.356 mile circuit on their BB Bikeshop LCR Suzuki. Lovelock is a long time regular on NG Sidecar grids and in the early ‘90’s he was all dominant taking 8 Sidecar titles, and he along with passenger back then Frazer Suttcliffe, were the last sidecar crew to lift the overall club title. Now 20 years after his first race and having competed all over the World, the highlight of which being his 2006 European championship win, the Retained Fireman and internet bike parts trader (bbbikeshop.co.uk) is settling into his ’09 challenge in the British series. But the Wiltshire based crew still likes to come back to their roots to take in their local NG rounds when possible. This weekend was one such meeting.
Lovelock/Lawrence had attention from Edwards/Winn on a similar LCR Suzuki but in Solant Comarshals livery in the early laps of the CSC Racing Open Sidecar final. A couple of mistakes from Edwards, one of which at the Club Chicane almost saw his loose Jamie Winn sealed their fate. Lovelock eventually took the flag some 2.5 seconds ahead of Edwards who had to re-settle and re-group to stay ahead of Ben Holland/Ricky Stevens who closed right in on their SM Racing outfit due to a 102mph last lap. Lovelock’s passenger Rick Lawrence gave his usual display of strength and agility on the cool down lap as he treated the strong crowd to his trademark headstand-in–the-chair display….no mean feat at well over 50mph up Woodham Hill and through the Club Chicane.
The battle for the season long championship though is still between Ian Drowne and Rod Robinson. Drowne lost regular passenger Ken Edwards during a practice spill at Nobles so British level, and local to Thruxton resident John Allam raced home to grab his gear to assist Drowne in his bid for glory. 5th place was his reward, two places ahead of Robinson and Shelley Smithies who followed home former championship rivals Richard and Michael Swift who were having a one-off outing.
Miles Bennett and Kevin Perry continued their dominance in the Century 2000 F2 Sidecar series with another faultless display, which saw another win and a new lap record for the Mad Cow Racing Shellbourne 600 Honda team.
Thruxton’s high speed track always gives close racing and when you add that to a grid full of very evenly matched SV 650 Suzuki’s in the Big C Mini Twins, you end up with an almost race long 8 man battle for the lead. Ben Hopkins on his SDC Performance SV decided at mid race through to try and make a break for it and set new lap record figures for the last 3 laps eventually lowering the old figures by some 2.5 seconds. Sam Cox wasn’t to be outdone through and did all he could to hang on to Hopkins, also lapping well under the previous figures. Third place was still up for grabs though as we went into the final lap with former class champ Darren Fryer just taking it from Adam Molloy, Tom Blackwell, Scott Witts and series leader Stephen Sweetman. For his efforts and a fine win Hopkins was given performance of the day award.
In the bigger twins /triples class, the Team Spidey Sound of Thunder, Adam Tempest made his comeback after two months out with a broken shoulder that he sustained at Pembrey. Tempest on his 675 dominated from lap 1, building a 5 second lead by mid race. From then on in it was just a case of controlling the gap. The minor placings saw a 4-way scrap between RC8 KTM rider Peter Golden, defending class champ James Parry, young class hot-shot and former 125 champ Freddie Nickless, both on 675’s and 9 time NG champ Paul Willis with his Aprilia Mille. Despite Nickless setting new lap figures the order stayed the same to the flag.
Tempest carried his regained form across to the George White 600 class where once more he grabbed and controlled his lead. And to keep the pattern going he was chased by another hungry pack with James Parry, Danny Buchan, Chris Beverley, Jason Oakes and Freddie Nickless in pusuit. Nickless looked on for a top-3 but two laps from the end one of his rivals clipped a curb and lost a knee slider coming out or the 100mph+ Church, which flew back and hit Freddie square on the end of his two fingers, that were covering his brake lever. He managed for retain control of the bike but rode into pit lane in absolute agony with two suspected broken fingers. 16 year old Danny Bucham has now switched to a 600 after starting the season on an F400 but the lad is growing fast, and a move to a superbikes for the 6 footer must be on the cards soon as he already dwarfs his Seton Tuning R6.
Thomas Fisher grabbed maximum points in the Co-Ordit Performance Relay to close in the gap at the top of the points table to just 3, behind the absent series leader Josh Day. Day was at Snetterton for the Metzeler Superstock 600 BSB round.
Phil Bevan closed right in on series leader and Co-Ordit Yamaha team-mate Richard Cooper in both Progressive Solutions Powerbike and Phoenix Open Series with a pair of wins. Bevan headed home Lee Keeble with his Contract Services R1 and Scott Halliday on the Plant Movements GSXR in the Powerbike. The Open was a very Different story with once again Bevan and Keeble on the R1’s but this time Jason Davis and Andrew Sawford on their TZ250 GP bikes taking on the superbikes. There was nothing to choose between them as lap after lap they were covered by less that a second. Somehow Bevan managed to hold off the 250’s, even at the heavy uphill breaking zone at Club to take the win although did Sawford set the fastest lap on the last lap of the 10 lapper at just over 106mph in a final bid. Mark Compton was in a strong 5th place but two laps from the end his Team Reaper GSXR coughed to a halt at Church….. he was out of fuel !!!!.
12 year old Bradley Hughes extended his series lead in the Steve Lynham F125 class to 31 points on his Hallmark RS125 Aprilia despite being beaten to the flag by just 0.07sec by Sam Davis who took a first win of the year. Thomas Williams was in the fight whole race distance but just lost the tow from the top two on the last lap and had to settle for third at the line.
The Refined Recruitment 125GP class has in the shape of Alistair Ray it’s 5th different championship leader in 9 rounds. Corey Lewis, Rowan Miller, Sam Burman and Dan Moreton have all headed the series. Morton had lead going into Thruxton but he was sidelined with a broken arm, which he sustained at the recent BSB Thruxton visit, which left the way open. Corey Lewis, came to Thruxton rather than Snetterton for the 125 BSB for a more relaxed confidence boosting day. Although the reigning champ took pole after the qualifiers and led the first 3 laps of the final, a tumble at Nobles meant no points and a long walk back to the paddock. Ray the 2006 125 champ is now back on form after an 18 month injury layoff and took the win on his ASM Data Honda from Sam Burman and Anthony Mulrine and now leads the series.
Defending champ and run-away leader of the Dara Brady 400 2-stroke series Tony Davies couldn’t add to his 5 wins so far this year after his New Road Garage TZ250 started to tighten up on lap 4 of the final. To save a big repair bill Davies retired from the lead of the race. That left the way open for 2007 class winner Paul Lumb to take the win on his Ken White TZ from Dave Hampton and Daniel Jackson, although just 0.3sec covered to top 3 at the line.
Another defending champion from last season doing a repeat performance in ’09 is Chris Beverley in the A and R Racing F400 class. Chris on his France and Li Asia CBR 400 had to settle for second place in another fraction of a second race to the flag this weekend though after Steve Palmer hunted down Beverley in the second half of the race on his Race Lab ZXR. Former 3-time F400 champ Pete Thompson came through in third in what could be his final ride on his T-Sport CBR as he is due to become a father in September.
Andy Green made a winning return to the streetstock class after almost a year lay-off. Having ridden R1, and 675 Triumphs in the bigger classes over the last couple of years, he said this ride on an elderly AR Green ZXR400 made him realise once more how much fun racing could be. He took on and beat all the series regulars and headed home Nic Pullen in the NG 400 Streetstock class. Roo Cotton put his Cadwell Park mechanical gremlins behind him to grab victory on his R6 Yamaha from under the nose of series leader Nicholas Andrews on the last lap. Andrews missed out on the Metzeler/DTR 700 Streetstocks class on count-back last year after he and Andy Hayes finished equal on points, and there is no way he wants to give up any points this year….just in case.
As Cotton crossed the line Andrews, who was only a couple of bike lengths back was already berating himself despite extending his lead to 29 points as Shaun Wynne his nearest title rival failed to score. Hilary Phillips regained the points table topping position in the 1300 Metzeler/DTR Streetstock by winning here on his Fox Enterprises GSXR Suzuki. His close title rival Adrian Shaw was sidelined, still counting the financial cost of his Cadwell Park accident in which both Shaw and Phillips went down. Newcomer James Kiff continued to impress on his Flying Fox GSXR by grabbing second spot. Third went to Adam Jeffery who continues his resurgence as he proved the-older-he-gets-the-quicker-he-is (…..although he’s only 45). Revelling in his new-found form and enjoyment for racing on his JB Motorcycles Suzuki Jeffery had one of the broadest smiles in the paddock at the end of the day, as he was about to make his way over to the now famous Shaun Hennessey Racing Thruxton Venison BBQ.
So with racing done for the day and Dan Hopkins given the Performance of the day award it was just left to decide the newcomer of the meeting, and that went to Sam Davis for that first ever race win in the F125. Next stop Pembrey….followed by Angelsey, before the finale at Oulton Park.
