2004 Season Review
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2004 Season Review |
| TEAM PREPARATIONS FOR NEW SEASON FULL OF PROBLEMS |
| Preparations for the the 2004 season were very problematic with the team experiencing engine problems with three of the team's four machines. A piston disintegrated on Phil's machine, Stu's engine bent a valve a new rider Bri's engine had head gasket problems. Stu and Bri's engines were once again rectified and the team's spare motor was installed into Phil's chassis in preparation for the first meeting of the season at Snetterton. Early season testing at Mallory Park took place in the interim to fully test and prepare the team's machines and riders with a few gremlins and problems being ironed out of the machines |
| SP Racing are proud to announce that they have recently received the backing of Keystone Sound Systems and welcome them to the fold with the team's other sponsors. Many thanks again to all those who continue to support the team. |
| SNETTERTON 27/03/04 | |
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SP Racing's
team riders Stu, Phil, Ady and new team novice Bri set out on their first
meeting of the season at Snetterton with high hopes for all members of the
team. With the team having attended a test session at the circuit the
previous day which went far from smoothly Stu, Ady and Phil prepared for
the first race with on row 3 with Bri taking his first grid position one
roe in front on row 2.
With rain throughout the morning making the track very wet the riders prepared for the first race scheduled for before the lunch interval and headed out to the grid only to be sent back to the paddock after an oil spill in the previous race. With the delay in cleaning up the spill the track had a little time to dry but still remained wet in the majority as the riders again took to their grid positions. With the starting procedure updated to the modern "go when the red goes out" the rider's turned their attentions to the lights. |
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RACE 1 The lights went out and Stu and Ady instantly emerged to the front of the pack to the first corner and settled in feeling their way around the partly wet track. A drying line was already forming and grip was plentiful on most corners as Stu and Ady made good their escape at the front as Phil embarked on his own battle with Andrew Bell midfield. Bri, settling into his first ever race, showed well and made safe and steady progress in the tricky conditions. Stu and Ady swapped positions at the front on lap 2 as Phil sensing a problem with Bell's machine smelling oil attempted to close the gap. Losing the rear end at Corams Curve, Bell went down and out of the race. Unbeknown to the rest of the field his machine had been leaking oil around the circuit and had left lethal near invisible oil slick at Corams to which would prove the undoing of more than one vastly experienced rider. Stu, in close company with Ady at the front began to close in on the first lapped backmarker towards the end of lap 4 when, suddenly, Stu went down hard and fast at Corams. Stu controlled his slide across the track and across 60 yards of grass but Stu's machine began tumbling hard crashing and smashing itself into the turf causing numerous irreparable damage. Ady, lucky to avoid the slick, continued on his way towards his first win of the season, but then new 2nd placed rider Jim Blackbourne then hit the Coram's oil slick and bestowed the same fate as Stu and watched in agony as his machine too tumbled at speed destroying itself in the process. |
| Numerous other riders also fell foul of the carnage at other corners on the track and the race soon became a war of attrition with only 16 of the 28 starters reaching the chequered flag. Bri came home a creditable 13th and picked up 4th place points in the Novice championship. Phil battled home to a safe and impressive 6th narrowly missing out on 5th to Darren Tritton aboard Dan Williams machine from last season. Ady claimed the win but was being hounded by the fast improving Dan Hegarty with class Stalwart Mark Jordan claiming the final spot on the podium. | |
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Between
races, Stu got checked over at the medical centre and returned ready for
race 2 to ride Phil's machine. Phil, not planning on contesting the full
campaign due to family commitments, generously relinquished his ride and
prepared his machine with Stu's race numbers.
RACE 2 Stu took his position amongst the other non finishers on the 5th and 6th rows of the grid as Ady took to his pole position and Bri to the 3rd row and all eagerly anticipated the lights. Ady headed off at the front hotly pursued by Dan Hegarty as Stu carved up the field to soon lie in 4th behind Mark Jordan who he quickly passed into Russell's Chicane. Bri again continued his steady learning curve and improved his race times further as Stu began to latch onto the tail of Ady and Dan Hegarty. Neil Plummer then spoilt Stu's progress as he powered past along the Revett's straight and held him up through the fast turns of the Bomb Hole and Coram's. Stu reclaimed 3rd at Russell's only to be out powered again and slotted into a safe 4th as Ady and Dan continued their scrap pulling away at the front. Things remained fairly static until on the final lap the leading duo came across back markers at Russell's where Dan Hegarty attempted to take advantage but fell out of the race losing the front on the final corner. Ady took another comfortable win ahead of Plummer's rapid Kawasaki and Stu an excellent 3rd after his disastrous start to the season. Bri came in a solid 12th and also claimed his first trophy taking 3rd Novice. |
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Results and Championship points (after Snetterton 27-3-2004) | |
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| With Stu's new race engine in his crashed machine feeling a lot stronger than the team's spare engine in Phil's machine, the boys set about changing motors on the Saturday night to bolster Stu's chances for Sunday's races around the super-fast circuit. The engine fired into life and ran OK that evening and the team retired until the next morning. | |
| SNETTERTON 28/03/04 | |
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Sunday morning saw the beginning of British Summer Time and the weather had perked up from the previous day's dreariness and offered much brighter conditions and little threat of rain. With potentially a much more competitive machine at Stu's disposal he and the team prepared and hoped for better luck than the previous day. RACE 1 Stu and Ady took up their front row positions and Bri advanced onto the third row ready for the action. As the lights changed Stu's motor bogged and lost him ground on the front runners early as Ady, Neil Plummer and Sam Bishop set the pace. Ady, content with running in 3rd early on, gave his tyres chance to warm then made his move and decisively hit the front. Stu, soon realising that his motor was not on top form after the crash from the previous day, set about a damage limitation exercise and nursed his machine around the circuit experiencing loss of power and too high a running temperature. Despite his problems he still managed to bring it home in 5th after an off track excursion to avoid running over the synchronised crashing team mates of Mark Jordan and Dan Hegarty at the Russell's chicane. Bri continued to impress and scored more points in the Novice Championship bringing his machine home 13th overall. Ady controlled matters at the front and upped his game when needed to take his 3rd win of the weekend ahead of Plummer and Bishop. |
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| Stu, disappointed with 5th, soon set about his machine removing the engine to replace again with the team's spare motor. With time limited before the second race the whole team 'mucked in' and the motor was dropped, swapped and running in 90 minutes. (Stu would like to express his thanks to everyone who gave a hand as this would not have been possible without the assistance). | |
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RACE 2 Ady again took to his familiar 'Pole Position' and Stu lined up directly behind on row 2 as Bri took to the head of the 4th row for the final race of the weekend. As the lights changed Ady grabbed the 'Holeshot' and defended his lead on the first lap as Plummer tried to apply the pressure. Stu muscled in on the action with Plummer and began a race long tussle of which Dan Hegarty joined on lap 4. Ady slowly stretched his advantage at the front as the action reached boiling point for 2nd. Meanwhile, Bri, after honing his race craft all weekend, began picking off his rivals and climbing the leader board. On lap 5 Hegarty slipped past Stu and began his challenge for 2nd on Plummer along the Revett's Straight slipstreaming the rapid Kawasaki and making his move on the inside at the Esses. But then the action spilled over and reached it's climax as disaster struck Hegarty as his machine seized whilst making the pass causing him to crash hard taking Plummer off the track. Stu, with his only piece of fortune all weekend emerged unscathed from the skirmish in a clear 2nd place behind Ady who took his 4th win of the weekend and the pair took the team's first 1 - 2. Plummer rejoined the circuit and finished a distant 3rd. Bri, now on top form, outsmarted previous novice winner from the weekend Carl Morgan on the final corner to snatch 10 position and another brilliant 3rd novice trophy and points. |
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Results and Championship points (after Snetterton 28-3-2004) |
| With the full extent of the damage to Stu's machine still unknown and Phil's family commitments, the team only expect to field Stu, Ady and Bri at the next meeting at Anglesey on May Bank Holiday weekend. |
| ANGLESEY 02/05/04 |
| As the team descended on the race circuit on the picturesque Isle of Anglesey they were greeted with warm sunny weather. As the forecast had predicted, light winds and broken clouds would prevail in complete contrast to the Derby Phoenix Club's meeting at the same venue during last year's May bank holiday. The team set up camp and prepared for the weekends racing. |
| Sunday morning practice turned eventful even if the weather did not, with Stu befalling bad luck again and having his front wheel cut from under him during the warm up session. Hitting the ground hard at the 'Hairpin' Stu sustained painful bruising and ligament damage to his right shoulder and back muscles which would plague him for the rest of the weekend. Stu's machine, still on loan from Phil, sustained light damage and was soon repaired for the team's first race of the weekend. |
| RACE 1 |
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Bri took his place on the front row of the grid with Ady slotted in behind on row 2 and Stu back on row 3. All attention was turned to the starting lights. Engines spinning, red lights on.... and off. Ady got away well, lifting the front wheel aloft and immediately set after early pace setters Alistair Bayley and Dan Hegarty. Stu began slicing through from row 3 and moved up to 7th on the first lap. Bri settling in on his first visit to the Welsh circuit was soon challenging for novice honours and improved lap on lap. Ady running in 3rd for much of the race then set about 2nd placed Dan Hobson and nipped past at the Douglas chicane. Stu moved up to 6th and pulled well clear of Dave Carbutt in 7th as Bri moved up to 2nd novice spot and 17th overall. Alistair Bayley took the win from Ady with Hobson 3rd and Hegarty 4th. Tim Bradley pipped Stu for 5th and Bri came home in 17th and bagged his eight 2nd novice points. |
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RACE 2 |
| With grid positions, as normal, allocated as per the finishing order of the previous race, Ady lined up on the front row after his 2nd placing and Stu moved up to row 2. Bri took up his slot on row 5 and all eagerly focused on the grid's starting lights. The front 2 rows all launched equally and jockeyed for position into the first corner. Again, Alistair Bayley, Dab Hegarty, Daniel Hobson and Tim Bradley posed the main challenge to Ady and Stu and the front six soon pulled clear of the remaining pack. Tim Bradley hit the front on lap 2 and Ady followed him through to challenge for top honours. Hegarty pushed his way past Bayley as Stu muscled past Hobson in pursuit of 4th position. Bri, eager not to lose touch with novice championship leader Andrew Bray, was keen to quickly pass his next nearest rival Carl Morgan. Closing fast on Carl, Bri made a move on the inside at 'School Corner' only to realise that his move was too hasty. Bri knocked of the throttle and turned his machine tighter to avoid hitting the rear end of Carl, only to lose the front and skittle off the track. Bri, luckily with no serious injury, recovered his damaged machine and rued on what might have been another trophy finishing position from the sidelines. The race's 7 laps soon flew past as the front 5 all put in 50 second laps and Bradley managed to withstand the pressure from Ady and Stu, despite the pain from his back and shoulder managed to cling onto the back of Hegarty and Bayley but could not make a move and had to settle for 5th. "There's no rest bite at this twisty little circuit and I was in a fair bit of pain whilst cornering right. The track is clockwise so there was not a lot of time I wasn't cornering right and not in pain. 5th is good considering though, and it's good points moving me back up the championship leader board after my nightmare start at Snetterton!" said an uncomfortable but contented Stu. "We've got our hands full for a few hours now getting Bri's machine repaired for tomorrow now though" he added. Bri's machine sustained fairly heavy damage but was repaired in time for the following days events. |
| ANGLESEY 03/05/04 |
| RACE 1 |
| Bri took up his grid position for the first of the second days races at the rear of the grid after failing to finish the previous race as Stu took to P5 on row 2 and Ady to P2 on the front row. The red lights went out and Stu slotted in directly behind Ady as Bradley and Bayley made an early break at the front. Dan Hegarty, acting as a thorn in Ady's side, began race long tussle, swapping places with Ady for the duration of the race. Stu, in close company, kept a watching brief on proceedings in 5th as, on lap 5, Hegarty made a desperate move on Ady at 'School Corner'. Bottoming his suspension and tucking the front of his machine on the infamous bump on the corners entrance he hit the ground hard and knocked himself unconscious for a short while. With safety in mind, the race was halted and declared a result to tend to the stricken Hegarty who fractured an ankle in the incident. Bradley was declared the victor with Bayley 2nd and Ady 3rd just in front of Stu in 4th. Bri, taking things a little more sedately to ensure a finish, battled through to 21st overall and 6th novice. |
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RACE 2 |
| Ady, with one eye on the next meeting at Cadwell Park on the 15th and 16th of May, was keen not to throw away any points over the course of the weekend but was beginning to hit top form. Stu, exercising a damage limitation process after his injuries in practice was again looking for more solid points to bolster his points challenge. Both riders took to the front row alongside one another with Bradley on Pole and Bayley on P2. Bri lined up on row 6 ready to improve his points tally in the novice series. The lights changed and Ady and Stu set off in formation chasing Bradley and Bayley. Ady, taking advantage of his rivals tangling up in their own battle soon passed the duo and hit the front. Getting his head down, and posting the fastest lap in the process, he broke his rivals and impressively pulled clear. Stu, going through the pain barrier, lost touch with Bradley and Bayley but pulled well clear of 5th positioned Ian Cross and set about bringing his machine home for more safe points. Bri battled with Carl Morgan but could not quite overturn his rival and had to settle for 5th novice position but brought his machine home safely in 20th overall. After slicing through nearly half the field, Ady and Stu consolidated their positions and Ady took the victory with Bradley 2nd and Bayley 3rd and Stu in 4th. |
| The next rounds of the series descend on the team's local circuit of Cadwell Park. Stu, having moved into 2nd in the series despite his run of bad luck, will look to challenge Ady's comfortable championship lead as the team head for the picturesque venue on the 15th and 16th of May. See you there! |
| CADWELL 15/05/04 | |
| After only a 2 week break since the last meeting at Anglesey the team soon readied themselves for the next installment of the championship at Cadwell Park. With a new chicane added to the circuit for 2004 the riders familiarised themselves with the new circuit layout in practice. Ady's machine, during practice, then suffered the final drive shaft bearing shifting inside the cases causing a severe oil leak. Ady's motor was then rendered useless and, with Stu already using the team's only spare motor and awaiting the return of his No1 engine from R&S Performance and Phil's motor also in a state of disrepair after it's early season problem, the team then managed to borrow a machine from rival and friend Tim Bradley for the course of the weekend. (Many thanks Tim for your sporting Generosity!) Ady quickly familiarised himself with the very different Honda machine in preparation for the first race. | |
| RACE 1 | |
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Bri assumed his familiar front row slot for the first race of the weekend as Ady lined up on row 2 on his borrowed machine and Stu directly behind on row 3. The red lights extinguished and the pack roared off the line. Stu immediately threaded through towards the front as Ady got away well just in front. Stu powered past around the outside into the first corner 'Coppice' in pursuit of the early leaders and soon hunted down Dan Hobson. Ady began to settle in on his unfamiliar machine as Bri again began to engage in his own battle mid pack with Carl Morgan. Tim Bradley began to make good progress through the field and was soon hot on the heels of Stu who in turn chased leader Michael Saunders. Bradley slipped past Stu down 'Park Straight' with superior power and continued to hound Saunders. Bri and Carl Morgan's antics then reached boiling point as Bri, attempting a pass around the fast 'Chris Curve', drew level on the inside unbeknown to Carl. Carl tipped into the corner and the two machines clashed exchanging paint and both riders recovered their machines only to run off the track. Tumbling on the grass, both riders emerged relatively unscathed although Carl did visit Louth General Hospital for checks on a very sore leg. Meanwhile, the pace hotted up at the front as Stu began to feel the heat from Jim Blackbourne on his rapid Yamaha. The Pair swapped places numerous times during the final few laps the laps with Stu outsmarting Jim for the final time on the brakes at the 'Hairpin' and holding onto the advantage. Bradley finally overcame Saunders also at the 'Hairpin' on the final lap and snatched the win as Stu came home a excellent third ahead of Blackbourne in fourth as the front four were covered only by just over one second. Stu also claimed the fastest lap during the ultra close race. Ady, riding very sensibly but with no less effort came home a credible 7th first time on the loaned Honda and claimed more points towards his championship defence. Bri, recovered from the scenery then set about repairing the damage to his machine ready for the next race. |
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| RACE 2 | |
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Stu assumed his front row position with Ady directly behind on row 2 as Bri, with his machine now repaired, took to the rear of the grid having not finished the previous race. The red lights go out and the field surge towards the first corner. The front row all fall into line onto 'Park Straight' for the first time and the beginnings of a very fast paced but static race unfurl. Stu tails Michael Saunders and keeps Jim Blackbourne at arms length as Tim Bradley leads. Ady continues to improve his race pace on the Honda and moves up to 6th as Bri fights his way through the field and moves up to 3rd novice position. The laps tick past and the positions remain the same until Bri, dogged by bad luck again, has his gear change linkage snap leaving him stranded trackside at the 'Woodlands' section. Tim Bradley goes on to take his second win of the day with Saunders in second and Stu again third. Jim Blackbourne leads home Alan Percival for 4th and 5th with Ady in close quarters in 6th. Bri looks to get his machine readied for the following days events and hopes for a change of fortune for Sundays races. |
| CADWELL 16/05/04 | |
| RACE 1 | |
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Sunday's first race would see Ady again aboard the loaned Honda of Tim Bradley lining up on row 2 of the grid behind Stu, still riding Phil's machine, on the front row and Bri again facing the daunting task of starting from the rear of the grid. The lights changed and Stu got a flier, going head to head with Tim Bradley into the first turn. Stu, giving way to Bradley early on, then lined him up for a pass on the run down 'Park Straight' and passed him firmly on the brakes at 'Park Corner'. Leading for the first time of the weekend Stu then got his head down in an attempt to break away and lead for the first two laps. Bradley, beginning to build up a pass on the end of the second lap tried to get the power down hard out of 'Barn Corner' and highsided spectacularly behind Stu and fell out of the race. Michael Saunders, now elevated to second, then began to use the superior power of his machine to try and reel in Stu at the front as Ady engaged in his own battle with similarly mounted Honda rider Dan Hobson. Stu again led over the start finish line for the third time and then saw the red flags emerge to halt the race. An incident at 'Park Corner' ended proceedings and as the leaders had completed half race distance the race was declared a result after three laps and Stu declared the winner, taking his first win of the season, ahead of Saunders in 2nd, Blackbourne in 3rd, Hobson in 4th and Ady in 5th. In the shortened race Bri managed to scramble up to 17th overall and set himself up for a more advantageous starting position for the second race. |
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| RACE 2 | |
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Stu took to his first pole position of the season after his first win in the previous race. Feeling buoyant and confident for Sundays second race he looked to claim more points to rescue his championship aspirations which took a beating after the first race of the season crash at Snetterton. Ady again lined up directly behind Stu on row 2 looking to improve his points tally further and Bri, up to row 5, looked to improve his 'Novice Championship' standings. The lights changed and Saunders lead the pack with Stu close behind into turn one with Jim Blackbourne again right on the pace bringing Dan Hobson with him. Blackbourne powered past Stu along 'Park Straight' to move up to second as the trio ran nose to tail for the first 4 laps. Ady continued to rescue his weekend with another excellent ride in 5th spot just out of touch with the leading quartet of riders as Bri, improving further, moved up the leader board and settled into 3rd novice position and 15th overall. On lap 4, the leaders then came across the first back marker at a great rate of knots into the woodland section. Saunders, approaching carefully, brought the race pace to a crawl and the leading quartet bunched. Blackbourne, seizing the slightest opportunity, swept past Saunders and the backmarker and Stu followed shadowing the move. But then the back marker swept across the track and he and Stu collided sending the backmarker to the floor. Saunders and Hobson picked their way past and Blackbourne headed Stu over the line for the penultimate time. The red flags then emerged once again to halt the race and the result was declared after 5 laps with a win for Blackbourne and Stu in second spot. Saunders emerged in 3rd with Hobson 4th and Ady once again 5th. Bri brought his machine home in 3rd novice spot and improved his standings position. |
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| With the next round of the series only another 2 weeks later on the 31st of May, the team have been busy changing engines and running in components in Stu's No1 engine. All will be ready for Mallory on Bank Holiday Monday. See you there....... | |
| MALLORY 31/05/04 |
| After only a 2 week break since the last meeting at Cadwell, and the third meeting of the month, the team completed preparations for the next of the championship rounds at Mallory Park. Ady's machine now equipped with Stu's spare motor and Stu's machine having received his No1 engine from R&S Performance and the required mileage to ready it for racing completed and with Bri's machine's plaguing misfire finally cured the team was back to something like full strength for the weekend. |
| RACE 1 |
| The first race of the day saw Bri lining up on Pole position for the first time and Ady also on the front row. Stu took to the second row and looked to tail Ady to the first corner and set up a good race for the honours. The lights changed and Ady grabbed the early holeshot. Stu launched his machine well but then, whilst trying to hook second gear, found neutral. Plummeting back down the field Stu finally found transmission and rejoined the pursuit way down the order. Immediately regaining places on the opening laps Stu was soon back up to 5th on lap 3 from around 27th at the first corner. Bri, with extra power at his disposal, found himself in unfamiliar surroundings in the top 15 early on. But caught out by his machines extra speed he misjudged his braking for the hairpin on lap 2 and crashed out whilst leading the novice section of the race. Meanwhile Ady was engaging in a race long tussle with Michael Saunders at the head of the field as Stu progressed up to 3rd and held the same pace as the leaders. Stu could not progress any further up the order and finished a contented 3rd as Ady just lost out to Saunders for the win in 2nd spot. Bri's machine was recovered and repaired once again ready for the second outing. |
| RACE 2 |
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The second race saw Stu wary of his 1st race gearbox problems and practiced a start on the warm up lap only to find it to have the same problem again. Lining up on the front row of the grid alongside Ady and Michael Saunders, Stu made every effort on the race start to find 2nd gear cleanly. The lights changed and Stu got his machine away safely as Ady and Michael Saunders resumed their battle from the first race with Saunders heading the way. Stu clung onto the pair and passed Ady into 'Edwina's' only to be repassed on the exit of the same turn. The trio tailed one another for 2 laps until Stu, making an uncharacteristic mistake, ran a little deep into 'Edwina's' on lap 3 losing the tow. Ady shadowed Saunders until the penultimate lap and made his move past. Saunders tried to respond but nearly crashed at 'Devils Elbow' on the same lap gifting Ady a safe and unassailable lead and went on to take the win. Stu, just out of touch in 3rd, could not quite capatalise on Saunders mistake and settled for 3rd behind Saunders in 2nd. Meanwhile Bri had come to grips with his new found speed and climbed through the leader board to finish an excellent 14th overall and 4th in the Novice table. Well done Bri for your perseverance! |
| MALLORY 4/07/04 |
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With Stu away at Pembrey for the KRC National Endurance Championship meeting, substituting for an injured rider, Phil stepped back into the arena on the 97 bike for a welcome return. Phil and Bri had tested at Mallory on the previous Wednesday to raise Phil back to race pace after a lengthy spell away from his machine. Ady's machine was finally reunited with it's motor after the vibration problems were cured, traced back to heavily worn cush drive and wheel bearings which had, in turn, damaged the final drive shaft bearing housing. Brien was, at last, enjoying a spell of good fortune, with very few problems and a fully functional bike which he had been keeping rubber side down, for a change! |
| With new tyres all round, the team completed morning practice getting to grips with the bikes and the track. Phil was enjoying being back and was eager to ride well in the races, and made the most of his last chance to build confidence and push himself and the machine up to race pace. Phil came in happy with his session but Brien and Ady both expressed concern of a lack of feel from the new Dunlop 208 front tyres. It was accepted that it was too late to change tyres and they decided the best solution was to ride around the problem. |
| RACE 1 |
| Ady lined up with Brien on the front row but Phil had to settle for Stu's usual mid-grid position 15th and fourth row. As the lights quickly changed, the race was underway. Ady launched well, and with his front wheel gently pawing at the air, he kept the perfect drive to the first turn. Brien followed Ady into Gerrards in 2nd place after a good start but unknown to them, the drama was all happening behind them. Phil’s bike, after an initially good launch off the line, decided to miss 2nd gear and found only neutral. Phil, stranded in the middle of the pack at slow speed with riders approaching rapidly from the rear, was lucky not to be swiped by Tim Bradley, who took last second evasive action, lightly glancing Phil’s ‘slow’ machine. Finally hooking 2nd gear, after first returning to 1st, Phil was at last running up to speed but was left with a mammoth task of catching his usual rivals now well in front. |
| At the front, Ady had already established a lead as Brien proved a ‘mobile chicane’ heading into 'Edwina’s' for the first time. The bulk of the championship contenders found their way through and things settled down at the front with Brien now slotted into 7th and impressing as riding as the leading Novice competitor. Phil, scything his way through the field, was quickly gaining places but was too far adrift to be challenging the leaders. However, despite his early race problems combined with a 4 month lay off from racing, he fought his way to a very creditable 16th place and a respectable grid position for the afternoon's second race. |
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Brien, losing ground on the leaders, was determined to be 1st Novice and kept pushing with some very experienced riders around him. Even after some had passed, he was able to hang on to their tails and ‘drag’ himself around to stay ahead of Novice challengers Mog Mosey and Andy Bray. Unfortunately, Mog caught Brien on the penultimate lap and passed him for 10th place overall and 1st Novice. Brien made a spirited fight back and almost retook the place around Gerrards on the final lap, nearly running out of tarmac on the exit of the corner and maturely decided to settle for an excellent 11th overall and 2nd Novice. Meanwhile, Ady had made the race his own and, without the presence of Stu and Michael Saunders, kept moving away at the front for a very comfortable win of over 15secs! |
| RACE 2 |
| The three riders returned again for the day's second race and with Ady on Pole position everyone expected another win from him. Brien started from row 3 lining up alongside Mog and was determined to beat his rival this time around. Phil on row 4 again had serious concerns about his gearbox and stated that he would be happy if he just made it safely off the line! |
| The lights went out and Ady made a great start and again and flew straight into the lead at the first corner. Brien, in his haste to get away, let the bike ‘bog’ down and needed a quick slip of the clutch to get away behind Mog , on his Aprilia250 and Chris Smith on an RGV250. Once again, Phil’s bike missed 2nd gear and left Phil behind again. Whilst he started better than in the previous race it left him towards the rear and behind his expected racing position. Heading into Edwina’s, on the first lap, disaster struck as Phil tried to make his way through the field. A rider in front slowed suddenly, as if he had missed a gear and Phil directly behind him, was left with nowhere to go. Phil grabbed at his front brake but the front tucked under spilling him to the tarmac in amongst a crowd of bikes. A following rider then collided with him as he slid along the track. Seemingly unhurt he made it off the circuit even though he was experiencing a lot of pain in his ribs and back. |
| Once again, Ady was out in front and continued his run of victories. Not as easy as the first race, he crossed the line 5 secs in front of Tim Bradley, who notched up an excellent 3rd and 2nd over the weekend. Shane Pearson equalled him with a 2nd and a 3rd but the question was all about where Stu would have finished had he ridden at this meeting. Brien kept fighting but was unable to make up the places that he lost on the startline and had to settle for another 2nd Novice and 13th overall. Far from a poor result, Brien was very happy to beat Novice Championship leader Andy Bray in both races and get some valuable championship points for the tail end of the season. Mog Mosey took two 1st Novices and Andy Bray collected a 3rd and a 4th place finish. |
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After being checked out at the circuit's medical centre, Phil was eventually taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary on a spinal board for some checks but was happily discharged and able to return home immediately afterwards with just bruising. Let’s hope his next comeback is a little less exciting! |
| CROFT 10/07/04 | |
| Stu returned to the fold for the next round of the series at the north Yorkshire circuit after his successful debut experience in the endurance championship at Pembrey the previous weekend. Phil's machine was repaired after it's spill at Mallory and Phil was well on his way to recovery also. A new format for grid positions was introduced after many comments by competitors and now would be determined by championship positions. | |
| RACE 1 | |
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With Ady leading and Stu in second in the championship the pair would form up alongside one another on the front row of the grid for the first race of the weekend. Stu, well aware of the gearbox problems bestowed upon the machine under him after Phil's antics at Mallory, would be especially cautious on the grid and picked a relatively safe position just in case. Bri lined up on row 2 ready to attempt to claw back more of the points deficit to novice championship leader Andy Bray. The lights changed and Ady made his customary good start to lead to the first corner. Stu, meaningfully positive with his machine's gear change, started with little problem and slotted into 3rd tailing Ady and Michael Saunders. Neil Plummer slipped past and chased the leaders as Stu found his rhythm only to watch Dan Hobson fly past on the brakes into 'Sunny' and see him run too deep and wide and slide off onto the grass. Local specialist Dave Alsop also joined the running at the head of the field as Stu began to find himself slightly detached on his least favourite circuit on the calendar. Bri held station mid pack and picked off some experienced rivals on his first visit to the circuit as Ady continued his battle up front with Michael Saunders. Dave Alsop joined the battle for the lead as Stu settled into a safe 5th spot. Saunders found his way to the front and Ady, with the championship in mind, let him go only to watch him collide with a backmarker on lap 5 taking the unlucky rider heavily to the ground. Saunders continued on but the race was halted to assist the stricken rider with medical attention and the result declared with Saunders winning from Ady and Alsop and with Stu in 5th. Bri claimed 3rd novice slot and began reeling in novice series leader Andy Bray who failed to score. |
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| RACE 2 | |
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The second F400 race of the day would see Ady on the front row and Stu just behind on row 2 again favouring a safe slot on the grid with the gearbox problems still in his forethought. The lights changed and Ady made a flying start and Stu was again successful at selecting 2nd gear on the charge to the first corner. Ady soon hit the front and Stu then slotted into fifth again as the race progressed thought the early stages. At the climax of lap 3, heading through the complex towards the 'Hairpin', Ady went down. Losing the front through the tight right hander he slid off unhurt and his machine suffered minimal damage. Stu, elevated to 4th, held station as the leading 3 made their escape in a static race seeing Saunders take his second win of the day. Bri continued his consistent riding to claim 16th overall and 4th in the novice category for more safe championship points again taking advantage of Bray's failure to score and moved to 2nd in the series in the process. Ady's machine was tended to by the team during the evening and repaired ready for the next days single race event with the borrowing of several parts from Stu's still stricken machine from the early season accident although it was now well on it's way to being repaired. |
| CROFT 11/07/04 | |
| With the local regulations restricting the time of which racing can commence on a Sunday, time restraints force the club to run one longer race instead of the two shorter races as at all other meetings. Stu would take to the front row with Bri lining up on row 4 and Ady taking his slot on row 7 after failing to finish the previous day's race. | |
| FEATURE RACE | |
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Sunday's feature race was soon upon the team with all preparations having taken place the previous evening and Ady's machine again race ready. Stu claimed his front row slot and in turn Bri and Ady claimed theirs as all attentions were focused to the starting lights. Stu made a brilliant start but then suffered the curse of the unpredictable gearbox as it refused 2nd gear finding neutral again. With a cool head Stu returned it to 1st then immediately found 2nd and continued on. But the with the time lost the approaching faster machines engulfed Stu and Bri and Ady both powered past before the first turn. The first time towards 'Tower Bend' Bri, Ady and Stu were line astern and Ady made his way past on the brakes. Stu powered past on the way out of the same corner and sat in Ady's slipstream as the pair homed in on the next bunch of victims as they carved up the field. Stu then made his pass on Ady in the 'Complex Hairpin' and began to set his sights on the next rider. Ady followed Stu and repassed at 'Tower Bend'. Bri, riding smoothly, was also picking up places as the laps ticked past and was looking in confident mood leading former race winner Mark Jordan on his first visit to the circuit. Meanwhile Stu and Ady continued their progress until Stu suffered more gearbox trouble on lap 4. Running into 'Clervaux' his machine lost all gears and the engine stalled. Fishing for gears, Stu eventually regained transmission and was able to bumpstart his machine and continue on, but not until after he had lost several places in the progress. |
| If that wasn't excitement enough, on lap 5 the weather turned and rain began to fall at the same part of the circuit. With excellent marshalling the 'loss of adhesion' striped red and yellow flags were displayed at the relevant parts of the circuit until the entire circuit was awash. Stu and Ady continued around at a safe race pace claiming more places and Stu reclaiming many of the places he lost through his machine's gearbox troubles and then more. Bri also continued cautiously holding station as many other riders began to fall by the wayside as the conditions worsened. Race direction decided to call a halt to proceedings on lap 9 and the race was declared a result after 8 laps with Dave Alsop taking the win from Mike Saunders and Ady in 3rd, Shane Pearson in 4th and Stu despite his machine troubles, an excellent and impressive 5th. Bri continued his climb up the novice table and claimed 4th place novice points in a very mature and consistent display of riding. | |
| CADWELL 3/08/04 | |
| After 4 months Stu's machine was finally rebuilt after it's mammoth crash in March at Snetterton and would turn a wheel on the track for the first time in practice. But Stu's number one engine would be rested in favour of Stu's spare motor considering it's gearbox trouble at Croft. Practice proved all was well with the machine but the extreme heat of the day was a minor problem with rejetting of the carburetion required. | |
| RACE 1 | |
| With Ady and Stu still first and second in the championship they would line up alongside one another on the front row of the grid and Bri would take to the 4th row ready to try and bolster his points tally in the novice championship. Lying 2nd, and fast catching under pressure Andy Bray, Bri had been briefed by his team partners that consistency was the way to go for the weekend. | |
| The team's riders took to their positions on the starting grid and looked towards the lights for the first of the weekends battles. The lights went out and Stu and Ady made a couple of flying starts, and equally well away was Tim Bradley aboard his Honda. Stu slotted into 3rd behind Bradley and Ady into the first corner and along 'Park Straight' for the first time. Stu then pounced for 2nd passing Bradley on the brakes into 'Park corner'. The team's pair, now riding in formation, then began to pull away from the rest of the field and Stu looked set to start pestering Ady for the lead. Meanwhile, Bri, engaging in his own battles down the field, made a slight mistake at the tight hairpin on lap one as was conscious not to repeat the error the following lap. But approaching the hairpin for the second time of asking Bri left his braking a fraction too late and lost the front. Slipping off at slow speed, Bri picked himself. Bradley, in 3rd, slowed suddenly with mechanical trouble and Mike Saunders in 4th befell the same fate a lap later. Ady and Stu, now some 6 seconds clear of the rest of the field on lap 3, continued their dominance. But then, noticing a fading clutch lever, Stu had to back off slightly to make running adjustments. The clutch's adjustment on the engine was becoming slack lap on lap causing problems changing down through the gearbox. Sensibly Stu decided to settle for 2nd as pressuring Ady with clutch trouble could only spell disaster for an excellent team result and a 1 - 2. | |
| RACE 2 | |
| With Ady and Stu dominant in race 1 the pair lined up alongside one another for the start of race 2 with Dan Hobson and Sam Bishop completing the 1st row. Bri after his misdemeanor in race 1 found himself at the rear of the grid with a mammoth task of clawing back his nearest rivals. The lights changed and Stua and Ady resumed their battle but were soon joined by surprise package in the race, Mark Jordan aboard his amazingly quick KR1S. Stu slotted to 3rd behind Ady and Jordan and as the laps ticked by could see Jordan planning a move at the new chicane. On the final lap after a close fought battle around the previous circuits, Jordan forced past on the inside kerb at the chicane pushing Ady of line. Stu, right on top of the action was waiting to pick up the pieces as the trio raged to the mountain section. Ady setting up a good drive line into the hairpin left the door wide open for Stu to cheekily slip past and chase Jordan to the line. Jordan just grabbed the win in front of fast finishing Stu with Ady settling for 3rd this time around. Sam Bishop and Michael Saunders completed the top 5. A battling Bri had impressively clawed his way back up to an excellent 3rd novice spot in front of Carl Morgan and Andy bray befell more problems and failed to finish. | |
| CADWELL 4/08/04 | |
| RACE 1 | |
| Stu and Ady again lined up on row 1 but winner of the previous race, Mark Jordan missed the announcement for the assembly and was conspicuous by his absence from pole position leaving Stu to head the grid. With Ady keen to make up for his mistake dropping from 1st to 3rd on the final lap and with the reemergence of Michael Saunders to the head of the field and Sam Bishop finding his form for the Lincolnshire circuit Stu would have his work cut out to keep in front. As the lights changed, Ady set of like a scalded cat and soon pulled an unassailable advantage at the head of the field. Michael Saunders and Sam Bishop both pushed past Stu who was struggling for straight line speed in the heat and in a relatively static race that's how things remained to the chequered flag. Another win for Ady and more good points for Stu to bolster the team's points tally. Bri again got the better of Carl Morgan to take 3rd Novice slot again and Andy Bray once again failed to score. | |
| RACE 2 | |
| After making some carburetion changes to his machine Stu hoped for more performance from his engine to allow him to fight with the likes of Saunders, Bishop and Ady in the final race of the weekend. Ady lined up on Pole position again and all attention focused on the starting lights. Stu's machine responded much better of the start and Stu was neck and neck with Bishop up to turn 1 of 'Coppice Corner'. Ady slotted to 4th behind Saunders and the quartet circulated at a blisteringly fast pace. With each rider on the ragged edge, despite the closeness of the race, none of the following 3 rivals could mount an attack on each other. In an incredibly close and exciting race which had the circuit commentator at boiling point that is how the positions remained with Stu claiming an excellent 2nd behind Bishop and Ady a hard fought 4th behind Saunders. In the Novice battle, Carl Morgan put one over on Bri to snatch 3rd Novice leaving Bri to claim 4th. Bray's points lead was again whittled away by his failure to score points as he increasingly began to feel the pressure from his rivals. | |
| MALLORY 22/08/04 |
| With only a 2 week break after the previous meeting at Cadwell the team completed preparations for the next round of the championship at Mallory Park. Stu was again aboard his own machine but still with his spare motor with his number one engine still plagued with gearbox trouble. Bri was in buoyant mood and brimming with confidence after a good meeting at Cadwell saw him close in within 25 points of novice championship leader Andy Bray and take joint 2nd place in the table. Ady and Stu looked to wrap up the top 2 spots of the main F400 championship with some impressive results and would start 1st and 2nd on the grid as championship leaders. |
| RACE 1 |
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Ady and Stu took to their front row positions with Tim Bradley and Dan Hobson, and Bri to his 3rd row slot in anticipation of the first of the days races. All attentions focused on the starting lights and Ady made his customary flying start with Stu alongside heading to 'Gerrards' for the first time. Bradley powered past and hit the front early as Stu was harassed by Shane Pearson and Mark Jordan and dropped to 5th on the first lap. Bri made good his escape from his following novice rivals and slotted into a safe 11th place in a dice for 10th with Ian Jenkins. Stu continued his scrap with Shane Pearson and Mark Jordan, swapping places lap on lap, but the trio began tripping one another up and lost touch with the fast escaping Ady and Tim Bradley. Ady made his move on lap 2 and began to pull away at the front with Bradley unable to match his blistering pace and set the fastest lap of 57.84 secs on lap 4. Stu, riding uncharacteristically raggedly, was making mistakes and was lucky not to throw his machine to the scenery when he saved a near highside on the power out of 'Edwina's'. Closing the gap on his rivals after losing a second in the excursion Stu was ready to pounce and move up to 3rd when he found the short end of the backmarker stick and was blocked through the 'Bus-stop Chicane' by a lapped rider allowing Jordan and Pearson to make a break and leaving him to claim 5th spot. Ady continued on his way to the win, entertaining the crowd in the process, and Bri finished strongly picking up his first novice category win and valuable points over his rivals. |
| RACE 2 |
| The second of the days races would again see Ady on the front row with Stu directly behind after his 5th spot in race one. The lights changed and Stu made a brilliant start keeping pace with the front row to first corner as Tim Bradley again hit the front early on. Stu made a fantastic pass on the brakes at 'Edwina's' passing Jordan, Pearson and Ady to slot into an early 2nd place and was riding much more smoothly. Keeping pace with Bradley Stu found his machine was lacking a bit of speed as he was out dragged into the 'Lake Esses' on lap 3 by Ady as the pair swept around the turn side by side with complete trust and confidence in each other. Mark Jordan again began to harass Stu as they again swapped places twice a lap with Stu being the sharper of the pair on the brakes. Ady moved into the lead on lap 4 passing Bradley as Stu and Jordan began to reel him in in turn. Bradley then made a mistake running into the 'Bus Stop Chicane' too fast and coming together with the tyre barriers letting Stu and Jordan past. Bradley remounted to finish 8th whilst Ady continued on to claim the double and Stu overcame the attentions of his old rival Jordan for a team 1-2. Bri put in another fine performance and hit the top 10 overall and claimed his own double by winning both the Novice category races. With his championship rivals having struck troubles Bri is closing in on novice series leader Andy Bray and has closed in to just 11 points adrift after having been some 63 points adrift after the previous Mallory event in July. All is to play for with another 40 points for the taking at the final 2 rounds of the series at Oulton Park and Donington Park! |
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Both Ady and Stu's results claimed the first 2 positions in the F400 championship as neither of them can now be caught despite another 4 races remaining. Can the team make a clean sweep...... watch this space!!! |
| OULTON PARK 25/09/04 |
| With only one week separating the penultimate and final rounds of the series the team looked for fortune to carry them through to the end of possibly the team's most successful season to date and possibly the most eventful too. Ady, forced to withdraw from the Cheshire based circuit meeting through ill health and Phil, absent due to 1st birthday celebrations of his Son (happy birthday Hallam!!) would miss the event and just Stu and Bri would be flying the team's vivid colours. With the novice championship going to the wire, Bri enlisted on a track testing day at Oulton for the Friday before the the races on Saturday. But disaster befell the team's novice competitor when exiting the fast 'Druids' right hand corner Bri lost control of his machine in a massive "tank slapper" and fell heavily. Seriously bruising his arm and banging himself about Bri emerged from the muddy scenery to find his machine badly damaged in the fall. The rear of the machine was all but destroyed and the prospects for the following day's races looked bleak. But team leader Stu, with his position in the championship safe, then donated his machine to Bri for race day and would ride Phil's machine with the minor gearbox trouble. |
| RACE 1 |
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Stu took to his pole position with Ady missing from action alongside Dan Hobson and Shane Pearson. Bri lined up on row 2 with his closest rival Carl Morgan. The drama then began to unfold as the novice series leader, Andy Bray, was then removed from the grid with machinery trouble and would take no further part in the race and again fail to score. The lights then changed, and Stu made a flying start, taking the holeshot and leading for part of the first lap. Still refamiliarisng himself with the circuit Stu dropped to third and followed the leaders. Bri, struggling to launch Stu's unfamiliar machine, dropped back from rival Morgan and began to regain his knocked confidence picking up places lap on lap. On lap 3 Stu ran into gearbox trouble at the 'Hairpin' and dropped to 6th before refinding transmission and continuing on his way to a safe finish. Bri moved up to a comfortable and consistent 5 points scoring 5th novice position as Morgan took the spoils and the 10 points along with it. Both closing the gap on the unfortunate Bray in the process. |
| RACE 2 |
| With the weather being changeable all day but remaining dry for both of the F400 races the grid formed for the second and final of the class's events. Stu took to P6 and Bri a couple of rows behind again looking to score safe points. The lights quickly extinguished and Stu made another flying start drawing level with the front row on the run to the first corner. Bri again struggled to launch Stu's machine but was soon into his stride and began a race long tussle with Bray who had this time made the start of the race. Stu scrapped with Shane Pearson and overhauled his rival with a brave move up the inside over 'Clay Hill' and pulled away to a comfortable 5th position and lapping 2 seconds faster than in the first race he was once again familiarised with the circuit. Morgan had again pulled away from Bri in the novice clash and Bri continued his scrap with Andy Bray and passed him once again onto the final lap. Bray then, in a make or break maneuver, went for a gap that wasn't there at the same spot that Stu passed Pearson and collided with another rival, narrowly missing Bri who had to take avoiding action to avoid running over him and his machine. Bray hit the scenery hard and was taken to the medical centre for observation but was later discharged despite a minor head injury. Bri continued on to claim another 5 points and Morgan again scooped 10 to close the championship right up. |
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Andy Bray now leads Bri by just 1 point with Carl Morgan just another 3 points adrift! There is all to play for at the final round on October 3rd at Donington Park with Bri's machine now fully rebuilt after himself and Stu having burnt the mid night oil in extensive preparations. For the first time since the very first race of the season back in March all 4 of the team's machines will be back in action at Donington with Ady returning for the final races and Phil back for a final fling. Bri will be gunning for the honours in the novice series and Stu, acting as Bri's mentor over the last few weeks, will be looking for some glory of his own to exorcise a few demons and end the season on a high after the disaster of the first race of the campaign. See you there!!! |
| DONINGTON PARK 03/10/04 |
| After a busy week rebuilding Bri's machine after it's heavy fall at Oulton in practice the previous weekend and preparing Stu's, Ady's and Phil's machines for action, all 4 riders would again be in action for one final time in 2004. With Stu's and Ady's championship positions already assured Bri looked to make it a full house in his attempt to win the novice championship. Trailing leader Andy Bray by just one point but with Carl Morgan breathing down his neck all was to play for in the final races. |
| RACE 1 |
| Ady and Stu took to their customary front row positions as Bri lined up with his adversaries a couple of row's further back. But just as the riders began to line up for their race rain began to fall lightly making the newly resurfaced Donington tarmac treacherously slippery. Ady took off on the warm up lap as Stu had a number of slides feeling his way around. He knew he was in for a tough time as his dry tyres were well worn and would be off little use in the conditions. The grid reformed and all eyes were on the starting lights for the penultimate time. The red lights went out and Ady made a flyer of a start and Stu was hot on his heels. Slipping his way way through 'Redgate' for the first time Stu relinquished a couple of positions as Ady made his escape finding grip from his tyres. Bri maintained his objective by clinging onto the coat tails of Carl Morgan and staying in front of Andy Bray. Meanwhile Ady, having built up a slight but comfortable lead, survived a huge moment when his machine slipped sideways from under him pitching him off the saddle but managed to scrape himself back onto the bike before the next corner and continue on his way. Bri, looking to finish the race knocked his pace off slightly but soon realised his mistake as he was passed by 3 riders, including Bray, and set about reclaiming the lost positions. Ady took the win comfortably from Gary Bradshaw with Stu coming home a safe 9th. Carl Morgan took the novice win with Bri in 3rd and Bray 4th. Making the championship points going into the last race very interesting indeed. Bri was now tied with Bray with on form Morgan only one point adrift. |
| RACE 2 |
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With all left to play for for the final race to decide the novice championship, Bri was keen to take to the track in dry conditions aware that Carl Morgan had enjoyed many practice laps in the wet conditions in a practice session the day previous. But the weather had other ideas and the rain began to fall consistently heavy to drench the relatively new tarmac. Taking to their respective grid positions the scene was set for the finale with Carl Morgan enjoying a slight advantage off of the grid. The lights changed and all the riders got away safely and cautiously felt their way around the first lap. Morgan made an excellent start and briefly passed Stu but was soon pegged back as Bri and Andy Bray circulated for the early laps together. But, with luck turning against Bri at the most inopportune moment, his machine began to misfire in protest to the extreme wet conditions. Circulating as best as he could with the lack of machine performance Bri could only manage 5th novice place as Morgan ran away with it near the front of the field. Stu and Ady's bikes also developed similar trouble in the conditions and both dropped to 5th and 3rd respectively but still showed well considering. Phil, enjoying his last ride out on the 400, despite the weather finished safely but the plaudits went to Carl Morgan for an excellent ride to wrap up the novice title at the last race after being headed all season long. Congratulations to Carl from all at SP Racing! |
| With the season over and the championships decided the team now look forward to a winter break and a few changes in the pipeline to come. And look forward to claiming their silverware at the annual presentation in late November. See you there! |
| DERBY PHOENIX PRESENTATION EVENING 2004 | ||||
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The annual Derby Phoenix Presentation evening took place again at Pride Park in Derby and with the biggest turn out ever the evening was enjoyed by all. Excellent food and equally good company, the team had time time to catch up with old friends and some new. The presentations themselves were made made former World Sidecar Champions Steve Abbott and Jamie Biggs. SP Racing claimed their largest ever haul of Trophies with Ady taking the F400 champion's spoils, Stu claiming runner up trophies and Bri having gained 3rd in the novice championship also collected his trophy. Andy Bray received his 2nd place novice trophy and Carl Morgan picked up the novice champion's shield, previously owned by Ady at the end of his novice season. |
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