Oulton Park & Rockingham Motor Speedway, RD's 5 & 6 Race Report's

Rounds five and six got under way at Oulton Park and Rockingham Motor Speedway, Oulton Park is known for its beautiful scenery and undulations where Rockingham is tight and twisty but fast and flowing. Both rounds had there tough points but also some amazing highs, this is how it went for me.

Oulton Park

Photo taken by Bikesport Photography

After a tough days testing and qualifying seeing me down on the fourth row in sixteenth position I definitely had my work cut out but I was up for the challenge. The first race being half wet and dry forced me to pick a wet set up. Taking an average start I maintained my position and sat in sixteenth position for the opening laps before I started to gain positions. I looked after my tyres throughout the race as the track begun to dry out and a fantastic race commenced between Sam Thompson and I, he is currently leading the Superstock 600 championship. Fortunately this time I was able to come out on top and finish third overall and second in class to Curtis Wright. A fantastic race and one I was very proud of as I did not give up and I fought very hard throughout the race.

Race 2 unfortunately didn’t go as planned having struggled with a dry set up all weekend I still could not get my head around the problem and I crossed the line in fifteenth place, my lowest finish of the season to date, but hey in this full grid of fast riders this was a blip, and still not too bad.

After Oulton Park I was heading to Rockingham in second place in the Superstock Championship and 18 points behind the leader Sam Thompson. After Oulton Park I decided I needed more track time and I booked two track days in between the race weekends at Snetterton and also Rockingham. This test day’s played out perfectly and I had a renewed confidence after adjusting and playing around with my riding style to suit the R6 a little more.

Photo Taken By Dave Jackson at Bike Insurer

Rockingham Motor Speedway

Rockingham, started of positively setting very good lap times on worn tyres and improving session by session and I felt very comfortable heading in to qualifying. I set my fastest time on lap four placing me fifth on the grid however I bought out the red flags to stop the session prematurely when I took a big crash. The medical team did a fantastic job before moving me from the track to the medical centre with severe lower back and pelvis pains. Fortunately the medical team were satisfied that I had not sustained injuries, and I was just very battered and bruised. They declared me fit to race.

Race one was approaching and I felt very second hand but I could not wait to get back out on circuit and back to what I knew I could do. Unfortunately it was not to be as I experienced another crash through the fastest turn on the circuit when I was forced to trail the brake a little longer due to the rider in front of me not carrying the same speed through the corner. This was a shame as I only had two laps to complete and was in third place and a safe podium at this point in time. 

Race 2 the following day and I was experiencing some pressure because thus far during the weekend I had ridden so well and also so near to lap record pace from the first time I got out on track, but this had not translated to any points so far this weekend. In fact all I had gained was bruises and a good imitation walking like John Wayne!

I experienced a miserable start, front wheel pawing the air and no chance of getting the power down whilst I battled for some control. My competitors streamed past leaving me in fifteenth place through the first corner not helped by the tight line required to enter this corner.

I found myself battling hard in the mid pack picking off places with hard moves. A few lap’s into the race and it was halted for a fallen rider and a full re start was the result. This time whilst my start was not particularly great it was not as bad this time around. Once more I settled in to put on some quality hard passes to keep an eye on the leading rider.

By two thirds distance I had elevated myself toward the first four riders and right behind my championship rival Sam Thompson, who took first in class to my second across the line. Grateful to be visiting the podium and further twenty points in the bag!

Race three, with another tentative race start which my dad thinks could have been his fault in the race to get the bike repaired, leaving the clutch lever not being adjusted as he knows I like it. I got the hammer down in the first couple of laps and was battling with another eight riders swarming all around me. It was tricky to pass a rider without being lined up by someone else and losing a place, but I did eventually get free of this pack and create some space to catch the leaders. With my rival Sam Thompson falling, fortunately with no injury I had gained another place and was now fighting for the lead. Eventually I crossed the line in second place, which equated to first in the ‘stock’ championship and another twenty five points.

After an eventful weekend I managed to remain in second place in the stock championship, but increase the buffer from third to 40 points, and also reduce the deficit to first place to only thirteen points. 

Consistency is now extremely important if I am going to achieve first place in the series, and we still have three rounds and nine races to go. 

Photo Taken By Dave Jackson at Bike Insurer