4th in the Championship for Held wearer Weeden

Held wearer Tom Weeden endured a difficult time at Brands Hatch for round 5 of the Triumph Triple Challenge last weekend. At his local circuit Tom was hoping to be able to push for podium positions to gain as many points as possible after walking into the meeting in 3rd position in the championship. The meeting was split into two racing on both the Indy and GP circuit configurations; with practice, qualifying and one race on the Indy circuit on Friday, followed by a practice on the GP circuit on Saturday and then a race on the GP circuit on Sunday. 

Focus on Tom people- in the middle ;)

 After two months without riding due to a gap in the season, Tom got off to a slow start in practice and it was clear a few of the other riders had been out testing the circuit in the layoff period. Tom was chasing a suspension set up as he did not feel comfortable on the bike, the team made changes in pit lane however the issues still presented themselves. It was later found out when Tom pulled back into the team awning that a mechanical issue with the rear wheel was the cause of the problem and as such the suspension data achieved was incorrect. Tom was on the back foot for qualifying after having such limited practice and set up time round the circuit. He could only manage to go 17th fastest and Tom was going to have to fight through from the back if he had any chance of scoring some decent points in the races. 

Tom Weeden- huge talent, huge promise

Tom got a great drive off the line in race 1 and was up into 12 positions by the end of lap 1. Unfortunately Tom was struggling with the set up of the bike, finding it hard to turn and lacking rear grip. He dropped to 13th on lap 4 and just could match the pace of the pack in front of him. Weeden held 13th place to the finish line and was very disappointed with the way the day had panned out. He made changes for the GP track practice session on Saturday and was feeling confident he could push for a higher placed finish on Sunday. Weeden went 8th quickest in the practice session and was starting to feel more comfortable on the bike after the two month absence.

Based on laptimes in race 1 on the Indy circuit, Weeden was to start race 2 on the GP circuit from 15th on the grid, however he remained positive and felt he had the pace to push for a top 10 finish to try and salvage some points from the weekend. He made another great start and was up into 12th by the end of lap 1. He continued to push and worked his way up into 10th on lap 2, going around the outside of one rider into Surtees and then getting the drive down Pilgrims Drop to move into 10th. By lap 5 he was up into 8th position and had closed the gap to the 7th position rider. On lap 6 Tom moved into 7th position and immediately set about gapping the rider behind him. 

 Weeden had pulled a 3 second lead on the rider behind by lap 8 and was running in a comfortable 7th position. However in the last two laps of the race one rider in front pulled in with a mechanical issue and another crashed out of 2nd place on the last lap. This pushed Tom up into 5th position and he had managed to secure a good few points after a very difficult weekend. Weeden is now 4th in the overall championship and will be looking to be further up the front next time out at Cadwell Park.  Tom will try his hand at road racing this weekend at the Aberdare Park road races in Wales, racing for Trickbits Racing, where Weeden is hoping to gain some valuable experience and possibly a podium visit.

For more information on Tom Weeden please visit www.tomweeden.com and for more information on Held in the UK please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

DISAPPOINTED JEACOCK BATTLES ON AT BRANDS HATCH

Stockingford’s very own ‘hot-rod’, Held wearing  Leon Jeacock battled hard at a sun drenched Brands Hatch over the weekend to finish Round 7 of the 2012 Metzeler National Superstock 600 Championship in 17th place and just outside of the Championship points.
A fantastic start to the weekend saw Jeacock finish Friday’s official testing around the Indy circuit in seventh place:

“Testing went really well this morning” said Jeacock “the bike setup felt great and my lap times just kept getting better and better, extremely pleased to finish seventh”.
Saturday was qualifying day only this time around the GP circuit, 11th place in the first session and 15th place in the second session left Jeacock to start Sunday’s race in 15th position and row 4 on the grid;

“A bit disappointed to slip back to 15th after such a good result in testing on Friday” said Jeacock “but that’s where we are and we have to make the best of it.  The bike felt great on Friday and we’ve proved we can keep up there with the front runners, and that is exactly what I’ll be looking to do tomorrow”.

Raceday was unceremoniously bathed in welcome summer sunshine and despite a good start, Jeacock could make no impression on the field in front of him and crossed the finishing line in 17th place.

“Disappointed with that” said Jeacock “disappointed to finish outside the points but guess today just wasn’t my day”.

“There is a bit of a break in the calendar now for a month or so before the next round at Cadwell Park over the August Bank Holiday weekend.  We are struggling for funding and at this stage I am unsure whether I will be at Cadwell or not.  If anyone is able to help us out in anyway, please get in touch, any help will be greatly appreciated”.

Leon is actively seeking sponsorship to enable him to finish the 2012 race season and would love to hear from anyone who may be able to help in any way. If anyone would like to get involved or receive a sponsorship portfolio, please do not hesitate to contact Leon directly at leon@leonjeacock.co.uk or Richard Johnson at richard@leonjeacock.co.uk.

For more information on Held in the UK please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

Held on the Isle of Man with P&P racing's Gaz Evans

Held Wearer Gaz Evans, Michelin Cup Front Runner, made his real roads debut last week on the Isle Of Man on the demanding Southern 100 Billown Course, In preparation for an assault on the TT in 2013.

Gaz at Joeys

 Gaz joined 32 other newcomers to the circuit when he lined up for Monday evenings practice, despite early issues Gaz managed a trouble free opening night and looked forward to Tuesday night practice, qualifying and the following evening's races.

He and his P&P Racing BMW S1000RR were entered in Wednesday night’s 8 lap Senior race- unfortunately Gaz was a DNF due to rear shock failure, pulling out after three quarter distance whilst in a mid-field position of a class line which included old hands such as Michael Dunlop, Ryan Farquhar, Connor Cummins and Ian Lougher. Little consolation but Gaz was in good company as the only other retiree was Dungannon rider Farquhar. 

The following morning he and Mechanic Craig were out and about early to get scrutinized ready for the final race on the main day of the week – The 6 Lap Senior Support Consolation Race. On the opening lap there was a whole gaggle of S100 newcomers taking up space in the top ten. 

 

As the race progressed Gaz was in a tense battle for third with P3 to P10 separated by 1.8 seconds for 4 laps. The timing sheets showed that from second to tenth was covered by 10 seconds and ninth placed Gaz was sandwiched between experienced road racers, Scottish youngster Callam Laidlaw and Portuguese Man o' War Nuno Caetano who was just over a tenth of a second in Gaz’ shadow.

Fastest lap of the race for Gaz was at mid distance and was just shy of 100mph and with a 2.32 was a staggering 19 seconds a lap faster than his qualifying time from Monday evening.

We're proud to have Gaz wearing Held- for more information on Held please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

JUBILANT JEACOCK STEALS EIGHTH AT OULTON

SUPERBIKES - Putting the woes of Knockhill firmly behind him, Nuneaton’s own ‘Track Ace’ Leon Jeacock, rode a blinding race to steal eighth place in Race 7 of the Metzeler National Superstock 600 Championship at Oulton Park this afternoon.

Leon Jeacock: an excellent 8th at Oulton

Despite a fantastic result, Leon’s weekend was not all plain-sailing with both mechanical gremlins and the unpredictable British weather both playing their part.  The Cheshire circuit didn’t escape the summer deluge and torrential rain hit the circuit on Friday resulting in racing being suspended to allow the circuit to drain.  The weather inevitably took its toll on the timetable and resulted in Leon’s qualifying sessions being moved to Saturday.

“The rain on Friday was unbelievable” said Leon “the surface water sitting on the track made the racing conditions virtually impossible.  Thankfully the Organisers recognised the danger and track activity was held up for a while which meant that my qualifying sessions were delayed until the next day”.

Thankfully the sun made an unprecedented appearance in Cheshire on Saturday and both of Leon’s qualifying sessions took place in the dry.  However first qualifying did not go to plan; gearbox problems hampered his chances and finishing the session in 21st place left him bitterly disappointed:

“First qualifying was a nightmare” commented Leon “the gearbox went and I had no chance after that.  I came off the track and the Team were absolutely amazing.  A huge thank you to Mike Dorey of BMC Racing who basically changed the whole engine in just over an hour, otherwise my weekend would have been over!”.

Gearbox probs: BMC Racing came to Leon's rescue

With everything depending on the second qualifying session Leon dug deep and produced his best finish of the season, laying claim to fifth fastest in the session.

“The second qualifying session was great!” said a delighted Leon sporting a grin from ear-to-ear “the bike felt fantastic and it all fell into place when it counted and we produced the best result of the season so far, absolutely delighted with that!”.
Starting this afternoon’s 12 lap race from P5 Leon slipped just two places from the starting grid and at the halfway stage was holding seventh position and keeping up with the leading pack.  An eventful second-half saw fellow competitors falling but battling hard Leon held his nerve and managed to cross the line in eighth place, bagging himself another 8 vital Championship points.

“I’m absolutely delighted with today’s result” said Leon “After the problems we had at Knockhill and again in yesterday’s qualifying the whole Team have been amazing and we’ve managed to turn it round and finish the weekend on a high!”.

Today’s points haul takes Leon to a total of 28 and into fifteenth position on the Championship Leaderboard.  The next round of the 2012 Metzeler National Superstock 600 Championship takes place at the Brands Hatch Race Circuit in Kent from the 20 – 22 July 2012.  You can follow Leon’s progress throughout the weekend at www.tsl-timing.com or at www.leonjeacock.co.uk, or leave him a good luck message on his Facebook fan page; Leon Jeacock- Road Racing (BSB Support Series).

Leon is actively seeking sponsorship to enable him to finish the 2012 race season and would love to hear from anyone who may be able to help in any way. If anyone would like to get involved or receive a sponsorship portfolio, please do not hesitate to contact Leon directly at leon@leonjeacock.co.uk or Richard Johnson at richard@leonjeacock.co.uk

Leon Jeacock wears Held. For more information on Held Rider Equipment please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

Oulton Park- Racers wearing Held

We were privileged to be at Oulton Park over the weekend, cheering on the racers wearing Held across four different race series.

Ducati 848 racer Sam Neary sporting the new top of the range Race Evo suit

Here's a brief summary of how the riders faired:

British Superbikes:

Scott Smart- 13th,  15th, 15th

Gary Mason- 18th

National Superstock 1000:

Seb Bulpin- 27th

National Superstock 600

Leon Jeacock- 8th

Ducati 848 Challenge:

Mike Edwards- 2nd, 5th

Mark Cheetham- 4th, 4th

Sean Neary- 9th, 7th

Scot Adam- 10th

Ryan Myler- 21st, 23rd

Great racing as always, well done everyone!

www.held-uk.co.uk

Living with- Held Carbon ST-6 helmet

Must admit- I've been mainly an Arai man all my life, Arai shaped head and all that. Always liked the idea of a carbon lid though, and relished the chance to give the 100% carbon shell ST-6 a go. I've had it a month now, covering 100s of miles in it in all weathers- thanks to the awful summer we're having!

Held ST-6: full carbon shell for just £259.99

Out the box impressions

First thing I noticed when the helmet arrived was how much more stylish and sleeker it looked in 'the flesh' so to speak. Don't get me wrong, the catalogue pics were nice, but made the lid look more 'chunky' than it actually is. It's shaped nicely at the back and the lacquer over the carbon really sets the carbon weave off in the light. Lifting it out the box you immediately notice how light it is, just 1.3KG to be exact!

Inside the lid

The liner is made from 'Outlast' material- a phase change material that was originally developed to protect astronauts against extreme fluctuations in temperature. Millions of micrsocapsules absorb the heat generated through exertion or increased internal temperature to keep you cool, then the stored energy is released when you need to warm up.

Although I haven't yet matched the speeds of astronauts I have been out in very hot sun (remember those 2 hours of sun in June?) and dropping temperatures as I rode back from the coast in the dark. The head was actually comfortable throughout, and I was left feeling surprisingly fresh. The top and chin vents were left open to help. If we do get any more sun and days of sweating in the helmet start to take their toll on the freshness the ST-6 benefits from detachable, washable cheek pads.

The integral pump system on the interior capped it off nicely, ensuring the 'fit' was as good as I'd had in a helmet.

Chin mesh and ratchet quick release buckle

The exterior

100% carbon certainly got a few double takes at bike meets, and also resulted in a fellow Carbon helmet wearer (albeit it a HJC) tapping me on the shoulder to say hi. It was nice to be wearing something 'different'- the same feeling as I've had in the past wearing custom paint job lids.

Breath defector and integral sun visor add to that much coveted mysterious hidden identity look us bikers enjoy. The sun visor has sparked quite a bit of debate- why have the added weight of one in a lid that's designed for lightness? I say why not- is it really that important to reduce one's riding weight that you sacrifice the offer of a decent pair of 'shades' that drop down when required and the fact you don't have to stop to fanny around with a visor change when it gets dark?

Lovin' the carbon!

 It also prevents the expense of having to immediately buy a dark visor to go with it- although Held visors, plain / dark tint or mirror are between £15 and £20- half the price of many others.

The visor- and visor change

Anti scratch, pinlock ready and tool free changing. Tool free? Gulp. Always break out in a cold sweat when changing certain helmet brand's visors. Busted side pods, knackered mechanisms, that feeling of uselessness when you've seen the tech guys change 'em in seconds at the TT- how was the Held ST-6 going to stand up?

Well check me out- videoed when I'd only practiced TWICE. Have to say I was very impressed- especially as I was convinced I was going to have to tell the Gaffer that I'd broken it! Very easy, and I'm even faster now.

The general experience of wearing it for 100s of miles

Wind noise: No different to what I've experienced with other leading brands

Comfort:     Found it very comfortable, the integral cheek pump system meant I could get the fit just right, so no wobbles and not too tight

Maintenance: Has thus far been easy to clean with lint-free cloths, both damp and dry. The carbon has made me want to invest in some proper helmet cleaning polish and stuff- so I'm going to.

Safety: Not tested by me and no intentions to do so! but- carbon is strong, and the lid meets ECE 22.05 standards so that's good for me.

Style: Looks good, looks different, shouts out 'carbon!' to other bikers and I think it looks rather cool.

So, all in all a very good first experience with Held helmets, especially when you think this helmet is a top of the Held range job- and costs less than entry level lids on many brands- and is carbon!

You can browse all Held gear and find stockists on www.held-uk.co.uk, but if you're keen to know more about Held don't be afraid to pester your local dealer to contact Held UK main man Guy Mainwaring- Guy is more than happy to help, regardless of if they are a current Held dealer or not. Things can always be sorted!