Held Racer Report: Leon Jeacock, Geo E Davies & Smirk Racing, National Superstock 1000

The Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit was the final destination for Leon and the Geo E Davies & Smirk Racing team in their 2018 Pirelli National Superstock1000 Championship season. On the back of the good form of recent meetings the team were very confident of a good result to end the campaign and also to build on for 2019.

Free practice one went well for the team and put in a time good enough for seventh position. The team made some adjustments for the second free practice session and Leon improved his time by half a second and took fifth fastest time. It wasn’t all good for Leon however as on his last lap of the session he crashed and got caught up in the wheel of the Suzuki, his leg taking the brunt of the damage. Despite this very painful injury he was determined to ride in the qualifying session on Saturday. He did a fantastic lap even with his troubles and took thirteenth on the grid.

The fourteen-lap race would be a trial for Leon but he rode a superb race. Making up a number of places on the opening lap he crossed the line in seventh position. He dropped to eighth position on lap two which he held for a number of laps. Losing another place to ninth he fought back in the later stages of the race and took eighth position at the chequered flag. This was a good result for Leon and the team after the accident on Friday afternoon.

The result leaves Leon in twelfth place in the final Championship standings. Speaking after Leon said “we had a great day Friday bar the last lap of free practice two where I was lucky to walk away from the crash, I wasn’t going to let the sponsors and team down though for the last race of the season and we battled through to get a great result of eighth place. I would like to add special thanks to all the sponsors who have made this season as spectacular as it has been”

Held are pleased to support and supply Leon Jeacock and Geo E Davies & Smirk Racing. 
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Held Racer Report: National Superstock 1000 Brands Hatch: Leon Jeacock

Leon and the Geo E Davies and Smirk Racing team returned to Brands Hatch for round six of the Pirelli National SuperStock1000 Championship. The Grand Prix layout was being used on this occasion (the Indy circuit having been used earlier in the season) After two points scoring finishes in the last round Leon was hoping for more success on a circuit he enjoys.

Free practice went well for Leon, finishing in the top ten in free practice one he then applied some changes in free practice two, this coupled with the rise in temperature in the afternoon sun resulted in thirteenth place, but had a good set up for the stand alone qualifying session to be held on Saturday morning for which the grid would be set for the two-part race later in the day. Qualifying went well for the team and Leon took eleventh place on the grid which was a third row place. 

Making a great start and tagging onto the lead pack Leon was settling into a good race pace when a mechanical problem caused him to pull out of the race which meant he couldn’t start the second part. The mood was deflated but the team knew they had the speed and set up for a good result in Sundays race.

Tenth on the grid for Leon once again gave him the chance to run with the leading group from the start and this he did. Making three places in the early laps he got stuck behind the sixth place rider for a sizeable part of the race and when he finally passed him the gap to the top five group was too big to bridge in the remaining laps. He crossed the line in sixth place which was his best result of the season for Leon and the team and they go onto Thruxton full of confidence and hoping to repeat this result.

Speaking after Leon said “we got the result we wanted, we came with the intention of a top ten finish and to get that after the disappointment of Saturdays mechanical woes where we couldn’t finish race one or start race two, the team are over the moon” adding “we move onto Thruxton now, another circuit I enjoy and we are aiming for a top five finish there, thanks to all the sponsors and team members for all their help hope they enjoy the result as much as I have”.

Held are pleased to support Leon Jeacock of 
Geo E Davies and Smirk Racing!

Held Racer Report: Zoek Racing's Sean Neary, Brands Hatch GP

ZOEK RACING BRANDS HATCH GP

The two Zoek Racing riders Sean Neary and Craig Currie were at Brands Hatch last weekend for round five of the Ducati TriOptions Cup where Neary rode to a brace of podium finishes, a second place in the first race on Saturday and third on Sunday while Currie was unlucky for his Ducati to suffer a technical issue in the first race but he bounced back to finish race two in 13th position.

Sean Neary- Two podiums at Brands Hatch

Neary from Lymm in Cheshire completed his qualifying in third place and began the first race on Saturday from a front row grid position. He passed Josh Day on the opening lap and settled into second place behind Rob Guiver. Although he was within 0.2s from his rival in the early stages he was unable to pass him and completed the 12 lap affair in second place.

Starting the second race on Sunday from the front row once again, this time he didn’t make the most of his start and completed the first lap in fourth place. He was racing ahead of a group of five riders all challenging him for fourth place but he didn’t intend to give up his place without a fight. On lap eight he was holding fourth but challenging Day for third place with three riders in close company behind him. On the final lap he finally made his move and snatched third place from Day and very nearly took second. As they crossed the finish line Neary took third place but was just 66 thousandths of a second away from Lewis Rollo in second place.

Neary said: “Phew that was close! I had a problem in the early laps as I thought I had oil on the foot peg so dropped back a bit, but then I realised it was ok and pulled it together. By then of course it was too late but we gave it a go and we got a couple of podiums so I can’t complain.”

Currie from Newark began the first race from a third row grid position and was circulating in 13th place for a while. He was elevated to 12th on lap four when a rider ahead returned to the pits after receiving a ride through penalty for a jump start but Currie encountered a problem with the brakes and retired to the pits at two thirds race distance.

Starting the second race on Sunday from the sixth row The Nottinghamshire rider was down in 17th place on the first lap. On lap two he passed Danny Huskinson and was elevated to 15th when Paul Slade crashed out ahead of him. He then overtook Michael Tustin on lap four and chased after Dave Mackay passing him on lap six to take up 13th place.

Tustin also overtook Mackay and then snatched 13th place from Currie but Joe Morphett crashed out of the race gifting 13th place back to Currie once again which he held to the chequered flag to secure three championship points and equal his best finish of the current campaign.

The championship takes a break and returns at Cadwell Park in the Lincolnshire Wolds over the weekend of August 17-19.

We're proud to be long-term supporters and suppliers of Sean Neary! 

Many thanks to Sean's team, Zoek Racing! Find your dream job at www.zoek.co.uk

Held Racer Report: Wigley Racing, Brands Hatch British Supersport

Brands Hatch GP Race Report 

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

Held Racer Report: Leon Jeacock, Rd 12 Pirelli National Superstock1000 Championship

Mission Accomplished

Leon went into the last round of the Pirelli National Superstock1000 Championship with Black Horse at the iconic Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit with the aim of finishing in the top ten of this highly competitive series. A task made even more daunting by the decision switch to the ‘NMT No Limits’ Kawasaki team after an approach by the team to ride their machine.

Acclimatising to the Kawasaki after a season on his BMW, he was relatively pleased with his seventeenth place in the free practice session but was hoping to make more progress in qualifying one after changes to the machine. Leon posted a time good enough for twenty third on the provisional grid with qualifying two to come. With adjustments made for qualifying two overnight Leon was confident of improving on his time. Although he achieved this by going a second faster he was still left in twenty third on the starting grid due to the quality and speed in this championship.

Leon needed to dig deep if he was going to claim a top ten finish in the final standings from his starting position. Making a great start he finished lap one in fourteenth place and was deep inside the midfield scrap with all the riders battling hard. By half distance he was up to eleventh place and looking to break into the top ten. Disappointingly for Leon though the tyres started to lose their edge and he dropped a number of places before the end of the twelve laps. Despite this he gained two precious points for finishing fourteenth and these ensured he finished in the top ten in the championship.

Speaking after his race he said “massive thanks to my family, sponsors, supporters and friends who have all helped me achieve my best ever season in national racing, it’s been unbelievable, bring on 2017”

Held are pleased to support and supply Leon Jeacock. To learn more about Held in the UK please visit 

www.held-uk.co.uk

Held Racer Report: ZOEK RACING BRANDS HATCH SEASON FINALE

ZOEK RACING BRANDS HATCH SEASON FINALE

Team Zoek Racing were at Brands Hatch for the final round of the Ducati TriOptions Cup where Sean Neary secured second place in the championship by recording the win in each of the two races while Craig Currie took 13th and ninth to finish in 14th place.

After qualifying in third place Neary from Lymm in Cheshire began the first race from a front row grid position. The race was moved from Saturday to Sunday because of several delays in other classes and then reduced in distance to eight laps. As the lights went out Sean maintained third place on the first lap but moved up into the lead after passing Phil Atkinson at Westfields one lap later. Although he headed the field the action was close and positions exchanged through the middle laps but Sean kept his head and powered the bike through to secure the win just under a second in front of Leon Morris.

Zoek Racing's Sean Neary

Starting the final race of the season from pole position Sean knew that nothing less than a win would suffice if he was to move up into second place in the championship and he was determined not to be denied. He led the race from lights to flag with him and Leon Morris edging clear of the pursuing pack. He had a big moment on lap five when he ran wide at Paddock Hill and very nearly crashed but he was quick to recover and remained in control at the front.

After the race Sean said: "l still cannot believe that we did the double to win both races and make it three in a row. I couldn't be happier for the whole Zoek Racing team and all the people that help me. I have to say a massive thank you to them all. We will be back next year to try to get the number one plate!"

When the points were added up Neary had scored 289 to the new champion Leon Morris who scored 294. Just five points separated him from lifting the trophy.

Meanwhile Craig Currie from Newark began the first race from the fourth row. He didn't get the best of starts and crossed the line at the end of the first lap in 16th place. But he stuck with it and passed Ross Humphries on lap three to chase after Dave Ferns a few yards ahead. He reeled him in and finally made his move stick to pass Ferns and settle into 13th position which he held to the chequered flag.

Zoek Racing's Craig Currie

Starting the final race from the third row Currie got away to a fine start and was up to seventh on the opening lap. One lap later he was up to sixth after passing Taryn Skinner and on lap three he overtook Sam Middlemas to secure fifth place. But his progress was short-lived as he was relegated to seventh and then eighth and with one lap remaining he was pushed back to ninth when Mark Cheetham made a pass. The action was fast and furious within the bunch of riders with Currie crossing the finish line just a tenth of a second behind Cheetham in ninth place.

Currie completes his season in 14th place on 47 points but the scores are very close and he was not far away from a top 10 end to the season.

Pics show Currie #42 and Neary #10 in race action at Brands Hatch
Credit: Dave Yeomans

Zoek can also help you be a winner too- check out their superb recruitment website here

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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.

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

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”

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 news: TRAYLER ENDS SEASON ON A HIGH WITH TOP FIVE FINISH AT BRANDS HATCH

TRAYLER ENDS SEASON ON A HIGH WITH TOP FIVE FINISH AT BRANDS HATCH  

Jesse Trayler ended his Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship campaign on a high with a hard-fought top five finish at the Brands Hatch season finale.

Held wearer Jesse Trayler - It's been a smokin' season!

At his home round of the season the Colchester Kawasaki team had a tough start to the weekend, with changing conditions making it difficult to perfect the right set up. However a determined performance in qualifying saw him move up the order, but would start on the fourth row of the grid.

In the race Trayler pushed hard to carve his way through the pack and with a battling performance he had moved through to seventh and with some of his rivals crashing out on the final lap he moved to fifth to celebrate a strong finish to the season.

Trayler said: “The first day on track for free practice was very difficult with the tricky conditions, I am usually comfortable with wet weather riding but it just didn't happen. We had a few problems and we were way down the order after Q1! Luckily we got almost a dry Q2 on Saturday and I found a bit of form and we were twelfth on the grid, which was frustrating but much better compared to the day before!

“Typically in the last round of the year after good starts in all the races, I got a poor one! I didn't really make any places up off the line but I managed to pass a few riders throughout the race and make a few positions up. I had a feeling there was going to be a few crashes throughout the race due to the tricky conditions and the fact everyone would be going hammer and tong since it was the last one of the year. I happened to be right and made a few more places to pip fifth from seventh on the last lap due to a few riders misfortunes and crashing out.

“It was a good recovery from twelfth on the grid and considering how poor the weekend started off for me it was a relief!

“I'd like to say a huge thank you to my dad for all his hard work this year, it's been just me and him at the track all season getting the job done and he has done a sterling job. A massive thank you to Nick Morgan at MSS Performance for building me a lovely ZX10r which has to be the best bike I've ever ridden, and also to Colchester Kawasaki for their involvement.

"Also a big thank you to my sponsors for making this year happen on which has been a tricky on our budget! They include Leonard Brooks, Colin Sweeney, Linxcel, Held leathers and Shark helmets.”

To learn more about Held Rider Equipment in the UK please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

Testing race for Held wearing racer Joe Burns at Brands Hatch

 

Held wearing Joe Burns, currently 3rd in National Superstock 1000

Once again the English Summer delivered a hot race day, qualifying 1 and 2 took place on Saturday and Joe finished the day 2nd fastest behind Adam Jenkinson, a very satisfactory result. 

Joe did not get the best of starts and fell back into 4th place, however by lap 2 he had recovered to 2nd place and began to reel in the leader James East, on lap 5 Joe was in a great position to take first place, but East missed a gear causing Joe to touch his bike. The resulting damaged brake lever caused Joe to lose time, he could not brake as he would normally. 

This incident allowed Hudson Kennagh to take the lead and then Tommy Aquino passed Joe to take second place, with an ill handling bike Joe lost time to fourth place man Tristan Palmer with the net result that on Lap 14 Joe lost 3rd place, a great disappointment for him. 

Following the race Joe said; Brands looked to be one of my stronger circuits and I was pleased to qualify 2nd, the result is not what I expected, however I am glad that I finished in fourth and only dropped one place in the championship standings, it is very close with just 12 points between me and 1st place. 

Held wearer Joe Burns- not far off the lead!

The result drops Joe into third place in the championship, the gap is now 11 points to 2nd and 12 to 1st, at this stage of the season it is looking good. A satisfying result, the next race takes place at Oulton Park August 9/10/11.

To find out more information on the Held gear Joe Burns wears please visit www.held-uk.co.uk