Cadwell Rd 4 Race Report

It’s that time again, my 4th race meeting of the season held at Cadwell Park known for its beautiful views and tight undulating tarmac. Having not been 100% fit for the week leading up to the weekend I knew I was on the back foot from the start, but I couldn’t wait to swing my leg over the bike to put some solid testing laps in.

Photo Taken by Larry Smith

My first test session of the weekend did not go well at all due to the pure shock of how fast and tight this circuit is on a big bike. I felt very sea sick I was just hoping it didn’t feel like this for the remainder of the weekend. Eventually by the closing stage of the test day I was able to deliver some good laps but I still did not feel 100% on the ball. Qualifying however went well with a ninth place on the grid.

Race 1 couldn’t have started any better with a flying launch off the line, and a good first lap saw myself in fifth place and quickly taking fourth place on the second lap. Setting a good pace early on in the race I was able to hang on to the leading pack. At quarter race distance I started to lose ground on the three-wheeled freight train ahead of me, subsequently I then also lost fourth place to British Supersport rider Craig Neave. I carried on posting fast lap times throughout the 14 lap race circulating on my own until about the tenth lap when I could see that I was closing swiftly on fourth placed Richard McNeil. I took chunks of 1.5 seconds each lap but unfortunately was not able to attempt to pass by the chequered flag. I am proud of this race and how I was able to keep my concentration for so long whilst posting consistent times all the way through the race. Not only was I able to finish fifth overall I had won the Superstock 600 class, my first win of the season and I couldn’t wait to get going for the second race on Monday morning.

Photo taken by Dave Jackson at The Bike Insurer

After a great race result I had a very relaxed evening checking the Yamaha R6 over and I felt very good for Race 2 the following day. This race was unfortunately red flagged on the second lap, due to an incident with another rider crashing quite badly. The restart saw me in to fourth place but I soon dropped back in to fifth but as before I was able to hang on to the leading pack right through the race, although I could not quite able to make my presence known to the group ahead. I was over the moon with another solid performance and again I was the first superstock rider across the line! Two races and two wins I was ecstatic. With a few tweaks the evening before on my suspension I am so near now to a great base setting. The icing on the cake would be a similar performance over the final race of the weekend.

Race three, and once again I dropped the clutch and was rewarded with a flying start off the line, but as the race unfolded I was not able to hang on to the leading pack. I was physically tired and the illness now telling on me. This said I still managed to cross the line in a solid seventh place overall, and second in Superstock class. I attained 70 points out of a possible 75 a really great reward and a brilliant weekend for the team!!

I could not have even imagined achieving these results during Saturday’s testing when I was
struggling very much. The progress my team and I made throughout the weekend was immense and I cannot thank them enough. I would like to make a point of saying thank you to my friends who made a big effort coming all the way up to Lincolnshire to watch me race. I am so glad I was able to put in a good performance for them to watch. I would also like to mention Chris Moore whose help is always second to none with regard to my suspension. Chris went out of his way to come to Cadwell when he had some serious university work to complete, because he knew I was struggling. Thank you Chris.

As always I would to say a massive thank you to all my sponsors and support team who make it possible for me to put a good performance when I step onto the bike. I am proud to have these people/organisations behind me!