The final round of the British Superbike season took place at Brands Hatch on our third visit to the Kent based circuit of the year. The weekend began on a good foot as we hit the damp circuit for free practice 1. Kurt took the first stages of the session steady due to the unpredictable conditions but then began to increase the pace as the dry line appeared leaving himself in P4 for the opening session.
Free practice 2 proved to be somewhat of a challenge for the team as an incorrect gearing change meant that Kurt was struggling to get the power on the exit of the turns, despite this, we began developing the suspension setup for the demanding circuit so that it did not go to waste.
The challenge with finding a smooth bike setup continued into the qualifying session as each lap Kurt was on the limit of losing the front entering the first and final turn, along with this, we continued to search for a solution to the bike running excessively wide on the exit of fast turns. Kurt improved on his lap time throughout the session but unfortunately it was only enough to leave him in P15 for the grid in the afternoons sprint race.
The opening race of the final round was tense as several changes was made in a bid to reach where we aimed to be. As the lights went out, Kurt immediately began to make up positions, however, it wasn’t long before the bad luck struck and it became apparent Kurt was suffering with progressive brake fade. On the entrance to turn 4, Kurt failed to slow down enough but attempted to make the corner nevertheless. This resulted in him losing the front and crashing out. Kurt was unhurt nor was the bike severely damaged but frustration arose with how the day had panned out.
Due to Saturdays race being cut short for the team, we started the feature race back in P19 but determined to make the most of a bad situation. With nothing to lose, we made a further gearing change along with alterations to the front suspension and engine braking. As the lights went out for the second time, Kurt headed to the outside of the circuit aiming to keep a smooth line and carry the momentum. Over the course of the race, Kurt moved up to P11 for the finish.
Despite a series of DNFs and technical issues at the beginning of the year, we concluded our rookie season with a P15 in the British Supersport series and totaling eight top 10 finishes. We would like to greatly thank everyone who has been involved throughout the season as we could not do it without you. 2018 plans will soon be confirmed as we aim to continue our progression.
We're pleased to supply Wigley Racing over the years with Held. They are currently using Held Phantom II gloves! www.held-uk.co.uk
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