Held Racer Report: Talan Racing - Donington Park Report, 11/12 May 2019

Talan Racing - Donington Park Report, 11/12 May 2019

The team joined North Gloucester Road Racing for a weekend race meet at Donington.
The usual club of BMCRC are racing the following weekend, but due to an International
Para-rowing race, Andy was unable to make the meeting and so the team decided to race
together with NGRR instead.

Andy Houghton #333 - Open and Powerbikes
It was clear it was going to be a busy weekend for Andy this week. Racing with NGRR
gave the opportunity to race in 2 classes, the Open and the Powerbikes. The Only problem
with this was that there was no time to test the rebuilt R1 since the crash at Cadwell Park 2 weeks prior. As it transpired, although as far as the running gear and bodywork went all
seemed fine when Andy got on track it became clear that the powershifter and autoblip
were not working. This meant Andy had adjust his riding to the old-school style of letting off the power to shift up the box and using the clutch on the way down.

Saturday's schedule consisted of a qualifying an a race in each group but given the issues
Andy only made it out with the Powerbikes on Day 1. Making a good start and picking of
riders 1 by 1 through the short 7 lap race Andy achieved a respectable finish in the mid
pack.

Sunday and day 2; In the sunshine Andy got all 4 races in without incident, A couple of
close calls with the same ride off of the start line where rider stalled getting away right in
front of Andy was the most nervous moment of the afternoon. Other than that 4 solid
performances were put on the card with the highlights being the most outrageous block
pass into the final chicane on the last lap of the first Powerbike race and a best lap time of 1.17.1 which is half a second off Andy's PB round the international circuit and not bad
considering the extra mental effort put into those gear changes!

Power bikes:

Qualifying - 23rd from 32
Race 1 - Start 27 Finish 17
Race 2 - Start 29 Finish 20
Race 3 - Start 21 Finish 14

Open

Qualifying - DNS
Race 1 - DNS
Race 2 - Start 35 Finish 29
Race 3 - Start 32 Finish 21

Talan Skeels-Piggins #83 - 600cc
Talan was fortunate to get three dry sessions on Saturday. Practice proved the newly
adjusted gear shifter was working well and meant he could focus on racing hard. Out in the qualifying session he steadily improved and finished 25th from the 40 racers out on track.

Due to a few BSB racers entered, he was able to see close up how fast they can corner
and get back on the power. In the afternoon, there was much deliberation about which
tyres to run. There had been a couple of short, but heavy, rain showers and the rain radar
was showing more heading towards the circuit. Luckily a race in the next garage went out
a race before and claimed that there was nearly a full dry line when they started and it was definitely time to move onto dry tyres. 

A choice was made to stick with the dry tyres and it proved to be the correct choice. During the race he began carefully, although still managed to pass six riders on the first lap, and then set about tracking down and overtaking the riders in front. During the penultimate lap, when lapping one of the back markers he lost contact with the racers he had chased down and so couldn't reel them in to improve the places made up. Even so, he had managed an improvement of nineteen places from starting, a very positive start to the races.

Sunday was dry throughout, so less sky watching took place! Both races followed a similar
format of a tricky first lap to get past five or six of the slower racers, followed by periods of; tracking down - passing - tracking down - passing, those in front. The final race being his better performance and also the race in which he began to relax and find better pace. It has been a long road back from losing the finger in October, but the races over the
weekend gave Talan the confidence boost he needed to enjoy the racing again. During the
last race he managed to get down in 1.17s and repeatedly improve on the times with the
last lap recording a 1.17.7 for a personal best by 1.1seconds. A wonderful way to finish the race weekend.

Thanks goes to the Team, supporters and sponsors who enable both racers to compete
and have such an incredible freedom.

Qualifying - 25th out of 40 racers
Race 1 - Start 41 Finish 22
Race 2 - Start 37 Finish 24
Race 3 - Start 31 Finish 19 (set personal best lap of 1.17.7 beating previous best by
1.1seconds)

The Team will be back racing with NGRR in Aug/Sep when Talan competes at Castle
Combe, the circuit which first helped him to get back on two wheels.

Talan continues to make plans for his participation in the 2019 Classic TT Parade Lap over
on the Isle Of Man. Ferry crossing and accommodation have been booked, which was a
huge concern due to the late confirmation of the entry. The opportunity will be used to
promote the team and to promote the charity which Talan founded - The Bike Experience.
The charity instructs and advises disabled people how to ride a motorcycle. In fact Andy
Houghton came through TBE and then joined the race team, so it really is grass roots for
disabled motorcyclists.

Held are very proud to be associated with 

and support Talan Racing. WWW.HELD-UK.CO.UK

Held Racer Report- British Supersport's Dan Stamper

Round 1 - Donington Park Weekend Report 

Dan's weekend started with an extremely cold and wet practice session. Determined not to waste a session it was a good opportunity to ensure the freshly built Supersport bike was running as it should and had the power to be competitive. After only a few laps, Dan decided he would be better off saving his ice-cold hands and retired back to the garage early. 

Whilst still wet, the second practice session on Friday afternoon was slightly warmer, and with qualifying fast approaching, Dan knew he had to get some laps in. In damp conditions, with a dry line forming, Dan managed to keep inside the top 7 for the majority of the session. As the lyre started to go off, it was a sensible decision to call it a day, and the final timing sheets presented an encouraging, yet humble 14th position. 

With the circuit drying up on Sunday, Dan and the rest of team were keen to get out in qualifying. Unfortunately, just a few laps in, the bike suffered a minor electrical issue, causing a misfire and ultimately a lack of power. 

Disappointed and frustrated, Dan once again returned to Parc femme in 20th position. 

The power issue was soon rectified, but it was then the weathers' turn to wreak havoc on the weekend. After a dry day, 10 minutes before the Supersport sprint race it started lightly raining - leaving many teams unsure on tyre choices. 

In the end, the team opted for a dry front and rear combination, urging Dan to take it steady for the first few laps until a dry line was ensured. Following his directions well, Dan started the race at a steady pace, and gradually improved his lap time and position, ending the 8-lap race in 14th, qualifying 12th for Sundays feature race. 

Once again, the Supersport feature race on Monday involved a tough lyre decision. With heavy rain all day, the track was drying quickly by 3 p.m. Many wet patches remained on the circuit, and the team decided to stick with full wet tyres. After a mistake at turn 1, Dan found himself back in 21st position at the end of lap 1. He battled through the conditions and finished the race in 16th position. After the race, frustrated and disappointed, Dan was keen to put the weekend behind him and move towards Brands Hatch with a positive and motivated attitude.

In the Superstock 600 class, Dan's teammate Cameron Lee had a strong start to the season. After a minor breaking issue caused early retirement in free practice 1, Cam went on to finish 10th in free practice 2 and qualifying in tough conditions. With a 6pm Sunday race, Cam got off to a good start, only to be involved in a collision on Lap 4, bending his clutch lever out making it difficult to downshift. Still determined, Cam worked his way up to 9th 
position, but in the final sector of the race an arm-pump issue caused by the clutch lever led to the him missing a gear, and ultimately falling back to 11th on the final corner. 

Overall, it was a difficult weekend for the team, but we are heading into round 2 with a smile on our face and a positive attitude. We are sure both riders can run at the front, and predict Brands Hatch will be a different story.

We're proud to be associated with Dan Stamper! www.held-uk.co.uk

Held Racer Report: Leon Jeacock, National Superstock 1000, Donington Park

Consistency pays off with another points finish

The penultimate round of the Pirelli National Superstock1000 Championship with Black Horse took place at Donington Park. This is almost home turf for Leon and one of his favourite circuits, with its fast flowing bends and tight hairpins giving close racing and plenty of overtaking opportunities.

Leon decided to sit out the free practice session on Friday morning as a rain shower had left the circuit wet. With more rain threatening the decision was made to wait until the afternoons qualifying session to enter the fray. Qualifying one was held in dry conditions and he took a provisional fifteenth on the grid. Despite having a good base set up the Geo E Davies Racing team made a few tweaks overnight for the second qualifying session to be held on Saturday. 

The changes made to the machine certainly worked for Leon as he knocked nearly half a second from qualifying one and moved up to twelfth on the grid. He was confident of another points finish in the race to be held on Sunday.

Making an uncharacteristically poor start Leon slipped down to fourteenth position on lap one. His fightback started almost immediately and by lap seven of the ten lap race he had made it back into the top ten. With three laps left Leon managed to claw back another position and finished in ninth spot. 

Another solid points finish for him and the team leaving him in tenth place in the Championship amidst a tight battle, with four other riders sitting closely around his tally of forty-eight points.

Leon said “I am pleased with the result after the slow start and it was pleasing to ride in front of so many people who help me and the team to be here at what is our home round really. We now move onto Brands Hatch for the final round of 2016 and hopefully a good result to go into the winter with. Many thanks to all my sponsors once again”

For more information on Held Motorcycle Gear 

in the UK please click here

To see the superb products sold by Team Owners 

Geo E Davies please click here

Held Racer Report: Leon Jeacock, National Superstock 1000, RD4, Donington

Another points finish for Held wearer Leon and the Geo E Davies Team! 

A well-deserved result for their weekends work at Donington Park where they were supporting the Acerbis UK Round of the WorldSBK event. This result keeps the momentum gained over the last couple of rounds rolling.

Free practice went extremely well for Leon and he and the team used it to fine tune the BMW S1000RR for the only qualifying session this weekend. After posting a time just outside the top ten he was confident of improving on it for a grid position in the race. Qualifying was a tense affair with just half second covering fourth to tenth place by the end of the session, but Leon kept a calm head and posted tenth fastest and achieved his coveted top ten grid position.

Making a good start Leon held his position and settled into a good race pace. Fighting hard over the sixteen laps he picked his way through and finished in a fantastic eighth place. A great result for rider and team as they build confidence and impetus every time they go out on track.

Speaking after he said “The weekend started great, we had good pace in free practice and knew that with just a couple of changes we could aim for Top 10 in qualifying. We did that with a 10th place grid spot and backed that up with 8th in the race. We weren’t lapping much behind 5th place times so can take the positives from the weekend and aim better next time out. Just want to add my thanks and appreciation to my sponsors, family and friends without them this adventure wouldn't be possible.”

Interested in finding out more about Held in the UK? Check out our website at www.held-uk.co.uk

Racing: Held wearer Trayler denied chance of finish at Donington Park

 TRAYLER DENIED CHANCE OF FINISH AT DONINGTON PARK

Jesse Trayler had his chance of another top ten finished denied by a crash at the fourth round of the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship at Donington Park.

Trayler had been continuing to make progress with the MSS Colchester Kawasaki team, as they took steps forward throughout the event. However whilst battling through the field in the race, he was collected by another rider crashing out.

Trayler said: “We worked hard throughout qualifying to get to where we needed to be, but was unable to knock anymore off in the second session so we dropped back to the fifth row in 15th which was frustrating. I got a good start again in the race; we had made a few small changes for the race which really worked well. I was having a really enjoyable race and battling well with a few riders and had moved up to eighth come the final lap.

Jesse's Held leathers- did the trick on the 100mph+ crash

“Sadly I crashed out on the final lap into the Old Hairpin after being collected from behind by another rider. It was a shame as we had made such good progress in the race and likely of another consistent top ten result and more points in the bag but it just wasn't to be!”

To see more about Held in the UK, including an online catalogue and a list of stockists please visit 

www.held-uk.co.uk