The fifth meeting of 2018 for NG Road Racing saw the next three championship rounds fought out over one of the hottest weekends in decades. With barometer busting 30 degrees heat it was a hard weekend with riders struggling for grip as track temperatures soared. The testing conditions meant that several riders made uncustomary errors…. several bikes cried enough in the heat…. and several stepped up taking wins and lap records.
The undoubted star of the weekend was Kayla Barrington, the 20-year-old who studies at Chichester University. Since switching from her unreliable 675 Triumph Daytona (…that took her to runner up spot in last years newcomers series) to a TKB Racing/Rock Oils R6 Yamaha her performances have been on a steep upward curve. She just missed her maiden 600 podium at Snetterton last time out, but this weekend she pulled out three great rides in the Inlay Management Services 600 Open. She qualified on the front row alongside former 600 Champ Sean Montgomery and early season championship leader Aaron Ridewood. Montgomery needed some points after scoring nothing at Snetterton due to a huge crash. However it was his first time at Pembrey for three years on a recently rebuild ZX6R. Monty set off with his usual aggression, but behind him Ridewood only managed two corners before his R6 cried enough (….that was the end his weekend !!). Barrington was second at the end of lap one. The lead went up to just over two seconds by lap 3 but as the leading two came round for lap 4 and half race distance Kayla was on Sean’s tail. He fully admitted he rolled it off too much but despite the pressure he crossed the line with a one second victory over Kayla and Alex Jones (….no not the one off the one show !!!). The second race saw Montgomery on pole, but he got a terrible start and was down in 6
th at the end of lap one. Barrington seized the race by the scruff of the neck and set a string of fast laps. Montgomery was on a charge though and was lapping 0.8 second of a lap faster with a 2.3-second gap to pull back in three laps. The gap was down to 1.3 with two to go but Montgomery tumbled out of the race at Hatchets handing second to Alex Jones. Kayla swept to her maiden 600cc win. To say that the pit wall went wild is an understatement with Kayla’s Mum in floods of joyful tears. Now she had a taste for victory and was on pole for the final outing and set off like a scalded cat knowing that Montgomery was starting from the back of the grid. Sean took twelve places in one lap….. by lap two he was up to sixth…. But then he raised a hand. In the hurry to get the bike prepped after the earlier crash they hadn’t tightened the twistgrip completely and Sean’s pace dropped, although he did limp across the line in seventh. Kayla however took another six second win (……more tears from Mum and family !!!)…. again leading home Alex Jones who with three podiums over the weekend left leading the championship. Kayla is now second just one point off the lead with Donington, her favourite track, next. Monty is just three point’s further back. The top five riders are covered by just 12 points….roll on Donington.
As I said Jones on his TKRC/WSC Performance/REPS R6 tops the points table, astonishingly on his Streetstock Spec Yamaha. He took all three 700 Streetstock finals each time over David Irons and Adam Grosch.
250GP and 125GP ACU National Championship.
Former two time 250 National Champ Phil Atkinson took all three finals to come away with another maximum points haul in the 2018 Dymag backed championship. He didn’t make it easy for himself in the first outing at his Declan’s TZ250 bogged on the line letting Thomas Lawlor, Simon Hunt and Paul Metcalfe get the jump on him. His worriers were short lived as he soon cut through to take the lead. Hunt had a commanding second place but as the race went on Metcalfe found a little something extra to grab second in the latter stages. Race two was all Atkinson with Lawlor and Hunt again squabbling over the podium places….that was until John Lewis got into his stride to take third away from Hunt. Simon was in no mood to miss out in the third outing and again took a fine third behind Lawlor with Atkinson taking the win. Hunt has a strong series lead in the NG Cup but Travis Vince is finding his feet and took three Cup class podiums. It was Gavin Mills all the way in the Hartsmere Logistics 125 GP Series with another three emphatic wins on his Mills Racing RS125 Honda, each time over Dean Hobson and fellow Mills Racing Teamster 13 year old Jake Hopper.
Gavin also took two wins in the Two stroke GP series with the third race going to Daniel Walling on his 250 TZ getting the better of Mills by just 0.13 of a second.
All the Pembrey action.
As per usual the Open and Powerbike classes saw Josh Day starting as favourite, but this weekend he had his local Gloucestershire rival Daniel Cooper to contend with. Josh on his Kendrick and Spalding ZX10R and Dan on his Impcross Engineering BMW. Both needed a good weekend Josh as he has been suffering intermittent and frustrating electrical gremlins and Dan who had for him a below par TT after being caught up in the now well-reported Course Car incident. In the Powerbikes Josh took two wins to Dan’s one with Jonathan Railton never too far adrift. Chris Pope too was having an impressive weekend never out of the top five, and James Kiff got his GSXR on the podium after a big rebuild since Snetterton. Josh had a return of the gremlins in the final outing that saw him stutter and splutter back to eighth at the flag. The Open had a win each for Dan, Josh and Jonathan Railton on his new GSXR Suzuki making the trip from St Neots well worth it. Josh again suffered bike issues, this time too severe to continue and he coasted down pit lane. Again Pope, Kiff, Allister Haynes and Nick Williamson headed to supporting cast.
The Suzuki Bandits saw a clean sweep for Matthew Baker on his Engenaire Suzuki. Defending champ James McHardy, Harley Prebble and John Bolsover were never far from the action but they had no answer for Baker at Pembrey. Tony Hart took a clean sweep in the Formula Prostock FP1’s on his stunning XR69 Suzuki. Phil Webber did the same on his 1980’s GSXR in the FP2’s whilst Lewis Rees on a 600F CBR and Andrew Howe shared the honours in FP3 with a pair of wins apiece.
Paul Wardell took the first two finals of the Mini Twins on his Bee Lighting SV in convincing style over William Holland. Then after pulling out a four second lead in their third outing Wardell fell at Hatchets and Holland needed no second asking as he swept to the win over Dean Ratcliffe and Newcomer Vinny Branch the exuberant newcomer. Holland on his JHS Racing SV Super Twin bike showed better form in that class taking two wins to Wardell’s one, but Wardell had the honour of setting a new class lap record.
Dave Mackay was robbed of a clean sweep in the Sound of Thunder on his True Heroes 959 Panigale as Ben Broadway sneaked underneath him at the final corner of the final lap of Sunday’s race on his JHP Ducati Coventry 959. Michael Russell took three podiums over the weekend on his 1098R.
Defending Supermono champ Jay Bellers Smith has been a late starter in this seasons campaign but is now racking up the points with two wins on the KTM Smith Bros 720 here, but Dave Hampton extended his series lead with three podiums including one win on the Tigcraft 450. Hampton doubles up on the 450 in the 500 Open and took two more wins to cement his title prospects. Paul Metcalfe took Saturdays win but he was a one-day entry only. Novice Bradley Richman had a great run of three podiums in the 500 open on his ZXR400. 15 year old Richman also took three runner up spots in the Formula 400 class behind the vastly experienced Tim Bradley….who remains unbeaten so far in 2018 on his FZR 400.
Mike Wilson was another three time winner with a hat full of points in the Formula 125 on his CLV Graham File Aprilia heading home Jay Able each time. Wilson now leads the title chase.
Andy Blomfield racked up two more wins in the Desmo Due 620cc class with Duncan Baillie and Scott Wilson having no reply. In their last outing of the weekend Scott Wilson found a little more pace and headed home reigning champ Blomfield by a couple of bike lengths. Peter Cooper and Rodney King took the Desmo B class 600 tight to James Robinson who was having a below par weekend to really close up the title chase, with King now on top of the table.
Owen Hunt extended his series lead in the 1300 Pre Injection class with two more wins on his Paul Bland R1 with Jon Wright the multiple 700 Pre Injection taking his second win of the year on the new-to-him Controls and Safety R1. Phil Webber who campaigns three different bikes kept his title hopes alive with three podiums. Regular Suzuki Bandit runner is running an R6 in the 700 Pre Injections with European Vacuum Drainage backing and took two wins on Sunday after Saturdays winner Daniel Jones was ruled out with a crash at Hatchets hairpin early on.
Richard Hughes has now racked up nine wins in the 1300 Streetstock class and leads the series by over 70 points on his Mam, Dad and Mugsy BMW S1000RR. That is no refection though of how close the racing is this year as the ever smiling Hughes battles bar end to bar end with Jason Hill and Gary Walters. Walters took his first win of the year this weekend but a massive jump start early Saturday saw him having to work hard to get through to eventually grab the final podium spot. The Streetstock classes have been a little flat over the last couple of years but this year they are both giving us some great racing….don’t forget Alex Jones and David Irons in the 700 series.
Lansdowne Classics.
NG hosted the next rounds of the Lansdowne Classics and despite a slightly lower grid than usual the racing didn’t disappoint as current series leader Sam Clews on his 500 Manx Norton raced bar to bar with Michael Russell. Russell took two wins to Clews one, but both of them now have a healthy advantage over the absent Dean Stimpson. Each race saw Mike Smith Chris Firmin, Chris Bassett and Peter Crew in the mix but not able to match the pace of the top two.
For full championship information and in depth reports on the Bonhams Championship for the 500’s, the WWR National Motorcycle Museum 500, The Avon Tyres 350 series and The TCM Classic Motrcylce Magazine sponsored pre 1954 class check out |
www.lansdowneclassic.co.uk
The Protect my income.com Newcomers.
Blake Shaw took his third open newcomers race win of the year on his On Two Wheels ZX6R Kawasaki but only after a race long tussle with James Welch as the top two dragged out a 13 second gap on the rest. It was a much tighter affair in the Mini Twins category with series leader Cameron Corfield, Christopher Sinanan and Liam Bassett in the mix. There was very little to choose between them but a last lap lunge through some backmarkers saw Bassett on his SV take the win. Bradley Richman is continuing to impress on his Scaff Racing ZXR 400 and took his maiden win in the 500 class.
Cameron Corfield suffered a crash in practice on the Sunday morning and was airlifted away from the circuit. He is currently stable and undergoing treatment. We all wish him a full and speedy recovery.
Wiz Sliders Performance of the Meeting.
At every NG round one lucky rider is selected for the Wiz Sliders Performance award. The chosen one gets a special set of one-off sliders made by the Wiz guy's in Somerset.
This meeting it was a fairly easy pick and was a unanimous decision. After a fantastic runner up placing on Saturday in the 600 open all eyes were on Kayla Barrington and she did no fail to deliver on Sunday by taking both races emphatically with two lights to flag wins……. Congratulations Kayla.
www.wizkneesliders.com... Wiz Sliders are made to be used and abused. Ride like you want to win them !
Words : Russ Gardner - NG Road Racing Media Officer
Images : EDP Photo News - www.edpphoto.co.uk
Web Info:
www.ngroadracing.org Next Round: Donington Park | 11th and 12th August.