Held Racer Report: Sean Neary, Cadwell Park DOUBLE PODIUM!

ZOEK RACING CADWELL PARK

The two Zoek Racing riders both brought points back to the team in their two races in the Ducati TriOptions Cup championship at Cadwell Park over the Bank Holiday weekend. Sean Neary claimed a brace of second places while Craig Currie was 10th and 13th.

After a good qualifying practice Neary started the first 10 lap race from a front row grid position. He settled into second position behind Leon Morris on the opening lap and was tucked in his slipstream as they came over the mountain on lap two. But his progress was thwarted when the course car came out to slow the riders as the marshals cleared a crash.

The car left the track at the end of lap five and Neary was quick to take the advantage and slip past Morris at Park Corner. He was able to hold his position until lap seven when Morris once again took the lead which he held to the chequered flag. Neary was not far behind and crossed the finish line less than a second away from Morris to take second place and 20 championship points which maintain his third place in the overall rider standings.

He said: "I tried really hard in that race but to be fair Leon was inch perfect and I couldn't find a way past him. In the last couple of laps he had the edge on me but we brought the bike home in one piece and bagged another 20 points. I will keep trying and I am sure we will get there! Huge thanks to the Zoek Racing Team. I'm trying for that win! Thanks to all my sponsors and team I couldn't do it without you."

In race two Sean once again started the 10 lap affair from the front row and slotted into third place behind Rob Guiver and Leon Morris. On lap four he managed to get past Morris and up into second place but was never near enough to the leader to make a pass. He continued to hold station throughout the rest of the race to bring the bike home in a lonely second place to secure another 20 championship points and consolidate his third place in the rider standings.

Stepping onto the podium for the second time over the weekend Neary said: "I am happy enough with second again although I obviously wanted the win after yesterday. But when Rob came by he just had that little edge on me and I had a few big slides so had to settle for second. Massive thanks to Zoek, Ducati Coventry, Charlestown and all my supporting sponsors. This was my eighth podium in 10 races so I really can't complain. Let's see if we can go one better next time out."

Meanwhile teammate Craig Currie from Newark began the race from the fifth row after qualifying in 15th position. He got a good start and moved up into 10th place on the first lap, maintaining the position throughout the race to cross the finish line in 10th to pick up six championship points to move into 13th position in the standings.

Starting from the fifth row again for race two he held 11th spot for the first half of the 10 lap affair but was overhauled by Nicky Wilson on lap five and then Alistair Fagan also passed him on lap seven. But he held his position to the chequered flag to pick up a further three championship points. Although he still remains in 13th position overall he has closed the gap and is now just two points away from 12th.

Craig who is part owner of the Chris Walker Kawasaki Showroom in Grantham said: "I am really pleased with my results this weekend. I feel I have made strong progress in the two races and picked up some valuable points. A couple of good results next time out could see me move up the championship standings."

The next round is at Oulton Park over the weekend of September 7-9.

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Held Racer Report, Round 8, Brands Hatch, Kurt Wigley, Superstock 600

Round 8 Race Report – Brands Hatch GP

This weekend was a journey down to Kent for the eighth round of the British Superbike season at Brands Hatch. It was only Kurt competing at this event due to twin brother Matt being kept in hospital following the crash at Thruxton, the previous round. He is recovering quickly and is optimistic about a fast return.

Kurt and the team had a terrific beginning to the weekend starting with Fridays practice session, as Brands is not one of Kurt’s favorite circuits he was feeling skeptical about how the session would pan out therefore established a plan to gradually build throughout. He remained on track for the entire session, each lap feeling more comfortable and bringing down the times to a finish of P5.

The afternoon brought the first qualifying session which was structured similar to practice with the aim of building up to the final lap. Kurt managed to get into the top 10 before entering the pits for assistance from Mark, Go Racing Developments. A few changes to the Sorrymate.com Yamaha’s suspension set up saw Kurt obliterate his personal best lap time putting him in a P2 finish. This was a fantastic result especially because it was achieved on old scrub tyres, however, Saturdays qualifying times was guaranteed to improve.

We had no further changes to make to the bike for qualifying 2 in regards to the suspension as Kurt was pleased with the handling. The only change to be made was midway through the session Kurt planned to pit for a new rear tyre giving him the best opportunity for the final laps. After planning to use the front tyre from Thruxton’s race, we were disappointed to discover the tear in the sidewall meaning it could no longer be used. Thankfully, a supportive competing team in the paddock, Joe Goggins, gave us one of his used tyres for the session as our budget is already greatly stretched. Q2 began in accordance with our plan with Kurt warming up and entering the pits half way through. Whilst in the pits the red flag was deployed and around 10 minutes was deducted from the session meaning a 5 lap race to secure a strong qualifying position. After losing a few positions one of our final laps planted the team back on the front row with a P3 finish.

The lead up to the race was tense for us all as we had a growing determination to once again take that podium finish if not win. As the lights went out Kurt took to the inside of turn 1 temporarily taking the lead but immediately running wide opened the door to 4 of his rivals. The end of the first lap saw Kurt in 5th place with some hard work to do as he was chased down by another two. The battle continued as he pushed his way through to 3rd and even temporarily 2nd until running wide following the overtaking maneuver. P1 and P2 began to break away over the open GP part of the circuit where we struggled with the bike being down in the speed traps leaving a 3 man fight for 3rd. As we crossed the line for lap 11, Tom Ward put an overtake on Kurt into paddock hill bend to take the number 3 spot for a split second before Kurt pulled the bend exit tight and took advantage of the wide line Tom had taken to regain the position. Moments later the race was red flagged cutting the final 2 laps and putting us on the podium again in 3rd place for round 8 of the season. The whole team are thrilled with the close race and that once again we were able to spray the champagne.

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Held Racer Report: BSB Round 8, Brands Hatch: Leon Jeacock, National Superstock 1000

Round eight of the Pirelli National Superstock1000 Championship with Black Horse took place at Brands Hatch on the legendary Grand Prix circuit, a track that Leon enjoys. With this in mind hopes were high that he would bounce back and finish in the points again following a disappointing round at Thruxton.

Free practice went well for Leon and he put in a lap time good enough for tenth place. Having made a few minor adjustments during the session it was obvious that the Geo E Davies Racing squad had a good base set up for the two all- important qualifying sessions. In sixteenth place on the provisional grid following the first session, Leon knew he could go faster in qualifying two and the team made a few more tweaks to the BMW. He put in a stunning effort and carved nearly a second off his first session time taking tenth place on the grid for the race. He was only 0.4 of a second of pole, a great effort by rider and team.

Fifteen laps lay ahead of Leon and he made a great start off the line, making a couple of places in the first corner shakeup. However, he nearly lost it all coming out of Graham Hill bend. getting power on a tad early he was almost out of his seat and lost the places he had made off the start. Settling into a rhythm Leon put in consistent fast laps and enjoyed a race long duel with a couple of riders but they were unable to tag onto the leading group of eight riders. At the chequered flag he crossed the line in tenth position, another good points haul for Leon.

Speaking after he said “as a team we had a great weekend, we had a good base setup and hardly made any changes over the weekend just a few minor tweaks. So pleased with only being off pole by 0.4 of a second in such a competitive class. I had a good start in the race got a bit excited out of Graham Hill bend nearly coming out the seat but got my head down and happy to finish in the points again. Want to say much appreciation to my sponsors, family and friend without whom this wouldn't be possible”

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Held Racer Report: BSB Round 7, Thruxton, Leon Jeacock

The ultra-fast speed bowl circuit of Thruxton in Hampshire held the latest round of the Pirelli National Superstock1000 Championship with Black Horse for Leon and the Geo E Davies Racing team. A circuit Leon enjoys due to its high speed nature he had high hopes to carry on his great points scoring form of the last few rounds.

Free practice did not go to plan for Leon and the team as the settings they thought would offer the best performance did not meet expectations, despite this he posted a time good enough for eleventh fastest. The team set about making changes to the BMW overnight and he was confident of going faster in the two qualifying sessions to be held on the Saturday.

Qualifying one was held on Saturday morning with second qualifying to be held later in the day. The overnight modifications worked well and Leon knocked a half second off his free practice time to finish in the top twelve. The hot weather and the abrasive tarmac of the Thruxton circuit meant going faster in the heat of the afternoon would be quite an achievement, despite the conditions Leon was able to slightly improve on his time which boded well for the race.

Starting from thirteenth on the grid Leon made a good start and held his position on the first lap. Trouble hit on lap two though as the BMW jumped out of gear and he fell down to twenty sixth place after taking avoiding action and running off the track. Leon set about clawing his way back up the field, carving his way through to sixteenth place and was looking to climb into the top fifteen for another points finish, however yet again the machine jumped out of gear, although he ran off track he was able to hold onto sixteenth place at the chequered flag.

Leon said after “I am very disappointed not to carry on my good run of form, but I am looking forward to the next round at Brands Hatch on the Grand Prix layout. I like the track and am happy about the way I fought back after my off track excursions. I would like to add my great thanks to all my sponsors, family and friends for their support”.

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Held Racer Report: Zoek Racing, Thruxton

ZOEK RACING - THRUXTON

Both Zoek Racing riders brought championship points home from their fourth round races in the 2016 Ducati TriOptions Cup at Thruxton over the weekend. Sean Neary securing a second and third while Craig Currie was 17th in race one, improving to 14th in the second encounter.

Neary (30) from Lymm in Cheshire qualified in third place and began the first of two 10 lap races from a front row grid position. As the race got underway Neary completed the first two laps in second place before overhauling Robbie Brown to take the lead which he held to lap seven.

Brown briefly took the lead once more but was beaten back by Neary on lap eight. It looked as if he would take the win but on the very last lap Leon Morris made a pass and made it stick to secure the win ahead of Neary, the gap being just one tenth of a second.

Such was the pace between the top four riders that Neary set the fastest lap to establish a new lap record of 1m 20.349s - 105.55mph.

Starting race two from pole position Neary maintained his lead through the first lap but was overhauled by Phil Atkinson on lap two. Pushing hard, Neary was able to snatch the lead back and became embroiled in a four rider battle for supremacy. He held the lead until lap six when he was demoted to second and then third when Leon Morris passed him on the penultimate lap. Although the action was very close, the four riders came across some back markers at the club chicane just a few yards from the finish line and Neary was unable to find a way through to make a pass on the two riders ahead. He crossed the finish line in third place to pick up another 16 championship points to add to the 20 scored in the first affair which secure an overall position of third on 121 points in the rider standings at the half way stage of the championship.

Sean Neary commented: "Overall I am happy with my results. I did really want the win but it wasn't to be this time. But I got some solid points under my belt and we are now going to some of my stronger circuits, my favourites being Cadwell and Oulton Park so I will be looking to get my win there. I would like to thank my loyal sponsors for their continued support, Zoek, Charlestown Engineering Services, Different Money, CA Drillers, Held Rider Equipment, JHP Racing/Ducati Coventry, Battery Components, toiletspares.com, Motul, Shark Helmets, Evolution Waste Management, Filtro Filters and Science in Sport.

Meanwhile, Craig Currie from Newark in Nottinghamshire qualified for a sixth row start to the first race which he completed in 17th position just outside the points.

Starting race two from the sixth row once again he made better progress and was 14th on the first lap. He lost a place to Nicky Wilson on lap two but continued to circulate in 15th position until, with two laps remaining he moved up to 13th place. On the drag to the flag on the final lap he was just beaten by Carl Stevens and crossed the finish line in 14th place to pick up two championship points. Currie is lying 13th in the overall rider standings on 24 points with four rounds, eight races remaining.

The next round is over the Bank Holiday weekend of August 27-29 at Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire.

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Held Racer Report: Kurt & Matt Wigley, National Superstock 600, Rd 6

Round 6, Snetterton 300 Race Report

The weekend of the 9th & 10 July was the 6 round of British Pirelli National 600 Superstock where we had a rollercoaster of race meeting. The sixth round kicked off to a bad start with Kurt being taken out mid-way through Fridays practice session when someone crashed into the back of him entering the hairpin of turn 2. After spending the past two weeks building Kurt a new bike the whole team was disheartened. Matt had a better session with getting to grips with the circuit and the tricky wet conditions.

Later that day was the first Qualifying session of the event and looking at the forecast it was to be the only dry session meaning this one had to count. Matt was sent out on circuit with no pit board or crew in pit late as the team were working franticly to get Kurt’s bike fixed from the mornings incident and passed through technical control. Kurt eventually made it out on circuit with 6 laps remaining of the session where he began late 20’s and every lap jumped up another handful of positions until the final lap which put him in 13th. Matt had ‘a bad day at the office’ as he struggled to settle down and piece together a lap time which put him on the backwards foot for the race in 24th.

Qualifying two was a wet session as predicted by the forecast therefore nobody could improve their times which wasn’t our best interest as we felt there was more to give with additional time, however the morning warm up session on Sunday was a step in the right direction. Matt lead for most of the short session as he was determined to get up to pace ready for the race later on. Kurt spent the session in the 30’s testing out some changes the team had made to the suspension in order to allow the bike to turn in easier when carrying speed, on the final lap Kurt got his head down and set a time that was 0.4 of a second faster than his qualifying session leaving him 4th and Matt 9th out of the 40 competitors.

This weekend was an early race at 11:30, just in time before the rain returned. As the lights went out both lads began to barge their way through those in front, unfortunately for Matt, he only made it to turn two before a repeat of Kurt’s Friday incident was duplicated and he hit the ground following another racer crashing into the back of him smashing his back wheel. Once it was established that Matt was okay the attention of the team was turned to Kurt. After the first lap he made it up to an impressive 8th place and continued to better his lap times picking people off throughout the sprint. The end of the race came and Kurt crossed the line in 5th place as by the time he got to the front of the group the leading 4 had already broken away. This was a solid finish putting Kurt up to 8th in the championship.

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Held Racer Report: Leon Jeacock, National Superstock 1000, RD6, Snetterton

Once again Leon finishes in the points in the Pirelli National Superstock1000 Championship with Black Horse at the Snetterton 300 circuit. 

The Norfolk track holds multiple challenges for both rider and machine encompassing tight hairpins, fast flowing corners and two flat out straights.

Historically not one of Leon's best circuit's for results but that all changed over the weekend.

Leon with his confidence soaring after his recent string of competitive results clocked a time good enough for eighth in free practice. 

In qualifying one his good form carried on and he was ninth fastest but was still disappointed as he knew he could go quicker and more importantly where improvements could be made. However, once again the British weather put pay to his plans for qualifying two as a torrential downpour left the Snetterton track awash with water and with no one going quicker grid positions were set from the earlier dry session.

Starting eighth on the grid after another rider was demoted, he made a great start and held his position into the first two corners. Leon made a couple of places up coming out of turn two as some of the front runners came together, leaving Leon in fifth place at the end of lap one. 

He set about pursuing fourth place as a chasing pack of four riders started to hunt him down. The pack finally caught him midway through the race and despite some stoic defending Leon fell to eighth place at the chequered flag. This leaves Leon in eighth in the Championship and his confidence sky-high for the next round at the fastest circuit on the calendar next Thruxton.

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