After a long wait to get 2020 on track due the all the COVID restrictions, we finally got to start turning wheels in anger with two days at Cadwell Park. They turned out to be two very tricky days with Saturday welcoming the riders back with rain pretty much all day, Sunday saw the conditions gradually improve and although cloudy the track dried as the day went on.
Jon Wright mastered the conditions better that most as he took five wins from six starts. The Shrewsbury rider has a brace of Controls and Safety liveried R1 Yamaha’s that he rides in Streetstock and Pre-injection classes. Jon won all three 1300cc Pre-injections, each time after some great racing against class new boy James Welch. Things were just as tough and nail-biting for the team in the Stock class as his (…slightly long in the tooth!) R1 held of a field of much newer metal including the BMW S1000RR’s of Alex Henshaw and Charles Hardisty. Sunday saw two head-to-head races with Dave McKenzie resulting in a win each. Wright and McKenzie tested the timekeepers with the tightest finish of the day as they powered down the hill from Barn Corner, crossing the line 0.051 of a second apart, with Wright getting the nod.
All the Cadwell action.
It is well know in the racing world that NG runs classes for just about all types of bike. Everyone has the chance of a shot at glory. We will start our rattle though the classes (…. apologies for this as many of you will know I could not make it to Cadwell due to post covid work commitments!!) with the smallest machines…..
Oliver Sweet was a two-time winner on his RS 125 in the F125 class. Unusually for NG’s serial F400 front runner Tim Bradley he did not bag his usual unblemished 100% win record. He did take the wet race on Saturday by his custamary 25-second margin over Shaun Wynne and Ritchie Welch. Sunday’s dry conditions saw Welch take his Eden’s Experience FZR to two wins and two fastest laps, with Bradley second both times.
Richard Molnar took his immaculate 500 Molnar Manx to two wins from three starts as the 1960’s Manx proved a much better package than the modern machines with Richard at the helm. The wet race went the way of Jack Worth who tiptoed though the puddles on his RS125 Honda.
Mini Twins had a win in the wet for Dave Crampton over former 125 runner Gary Arden. Arden grabbed another podium on Sunday bur Scott Larkin was the man in the dry and was unbeaten over the day. Super Twin rain master was Hayden Rushton, now on an ER6, and in his first season without his novice jacket on. The dry though suited Joe Connolly with his ER6 who got the better of multiple Twins champ Paul Wardell. It was a Triumph Triple lock-out in the Sound of Thunder as the TL’s, Ducatis, and KTM were no match for the 675’s with wins going to Chris Lavisher, Mark Hughes and Ben Wotton.
Barnsley boy Adam Sheriff can always be counted on to grab a win or two at Cadwell, and this weekend was no different taking the first two Pre-injection 700 class wins on his CBR600 over Thomas Pickford. The third outing saw both Sheriff and Pickford exit on the final lap which saw Dean Ratcliffe take his first class win on his Roadrunner R6.
As I said Sheriff can normally be tipped for a win or two at Cadder’s and he also rewarded the team with an open 600 win in the wet on Saturday when he kept his trusty CBR ahead of Aaron Ridewood and the rest on much newer kit. Sunday and dry conditions saw two more podiums for Ridewood on the TCR/Louigi moto Yamaha as he pressed race winners Charlie Atkins and Ben Wotton who backed up his sound of Thunder win with a 600 open victory too.
Two times 700cc Streetstock champ Simon Bastable looks to be flying again in 2020 on his WSC/Wincanton R6 he took all three wins setting the fastest lap each time out. In fact the podium was the same for all three races with Shaun Wynne and Eddie Whitehurst joining Bastable on the podium. Wynner dug deep in the final outing of the Stockers to finish less that a second adrift of reigning champ Bastable.
Finally leaving the fastest to last we look at the Open and Powerbike and three-time NG 600 champ as well as ex-Superteen winner Max Symonds has finally…. at 6 foot and quite a lot tall! outgrown the 600 and the team have purchased a BMW S1000RR. Max got the perfect start taking two wins in the Open (one wet and one dry) over Cadwell lover Ricky Elder and BSB Supersport star Joe Sheldon-Shaw. He backed it up with another win in the Powerbike in the wet over Jim Hind (250cc National Champ and TT hot property) on his new GSXR Suzuki and Sean Montgomery. As Sunday progressed Sheldon-Shaw found his feet on his Via-moto ZX10 taking Open and Powerbike wins and setting the fastest lap of the weekend, just 0.6 of a second of Josh Day’s outright figures in not ideal conditions. Joe Thompson also proved he can rider a Superbike too with four podiums over the weekend on a GSXR backed by the Thompson families Fish and chip shop….. the team were rewarded with a “Plaice” on the podium and proving he can ride a motor “Pike”…….. sorry!!!! ….. See you all at Combe in September.
125/250GP ACU National Championship.
Honours were shared out in the National series for the former GP bikes with a win each for reigning champ Jim Hind, Lee Bamber and lover of Cadwell Jim Lea. It was great to see Bamber and Lea taking their maiden wins in the series. Former champ Philip Atkinson is again without a 250GP to campaign so he hooked his leg over the old 1980’s Rose MOT TZ350 to grab a couple of podiums.
Former 125 GP champ Gavin Mills is back on the grids for 2020 and after taking time out for most of 2019 he showed he is straight back to top form on the Mills Racing RS125 with three dominant wins.
The Phoenix Junior Supersport Championship.
Via Moto Team runner Cameron Hall took his 400 Kawasaki to a fin pair of wins after close battles with Lewis Jones on Sunday. Saturday’s very wet race went the way of young Finn-Smart-Weeden as he had to fend off a challenge from Jay Able.
Suzuki Bandits and Formula Prostocks.
It looks like 2020 will be another head to head for Suzuki Bandit silverware with the top two from the last couple of years continuing their scraps on track, and Cadwell had James McHardy the two time champ taking first blood with two wins to rival Harley Prebble’s one. All three races were tight affairs with never more than a bike length between them. Gary Cutts was easily the best of the rest with three runner-up spots.
In the other Formula Prostock classes Nick Allison took two wins to Richard Molnar’s one in FP1. FP2 had Nick Williamson head the field home twice but failed to pick un any points on Sunday on his SP1 leaving the way open for Lee Weston to take the 25 points. Three runner-up spots sees Paul Willis lead the championship though. Adam Sheriff was a two-time winner in the FP3’s setting a new lap record on Sunday as he recovered well after a DNF on Saturday when Matt Orford took honours.
To find out more about the Formula Prostock Series : www.formulaprostockracing.co.uk
Ducati Desmo Series.
Last years Desmo championship runner up made a great first round bid to take the 2020 series with two wins and a second place on his Notohashi-Jim Rodger 620 Monster. He was only thwarted in taking all three wins by multi Desmo champ Andy Blomfield.
In the 600cc class Austin Lachlan took two wins to get his campaign underway with Brian Tipple taking the flag in the very wet race on Saturday.
To find out more about the Desmo Due Series : www.ducatisportingclub.com
Newcomers.
Saturday saw some very tricky conditions with a soaking wet track and the ever present rain but Paul Mitchell headed home the Open runners, Jack worth dominated in the 500’s and Craig Harris was the pick of the Mini Twins runners.
Images
courtesy | EDP Photo News | www.edpphoto.co.uk
Words : Russ Gardner - NG Road
Racing Media Officer