Held Racer Report: Cadwell Park, Zoek Racing's Sean Neary!

ZOEK RACING CADWELL

After a four week summer break the Ducati Tri Option Cup finally got back on track at Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire this weekend with the two Zoek Racing riders, Sean Neary from Lymm in Cheshire and Craig Currie from Newark in Nottinghamshire rode to two strong results in their races, Neary with a brace of fourth places while Currie was 11th in race one and 17th In the second encounter.

Held Racer Sean Neary

 Neary completed his qualifying in fourth place for race one on Saturday but didn’t get the best of starts and found himself down in seventh place on the first lap. But he got his head down and made his way through to fifth on lap three. He began to reel in Josh Wainwright who was a couple of seconds ahead and finally passed him on lap nine of 12.  Although he did get to within half a second of Rob Guiver he ran out of laps and crossed the finish line in fourth place to pick up 13 championship points.

Neary said: “I had a clutch problem which put me back to about 15th on first lap then lost my knee slider! I managed to finish fourth but needed a couple more laps. Absolutely gutted as my team deserve to win but we gave it our best shot and we will try once again for race two tomorrow with a new clutch! Thank you as always to the team and sponsors.”

Because he registered the second fastest lap time in race one Neary started the second race from a front row grid position. He settled into third position on the first lap and moved up into second place on lap three. Lewis Rollo passed him on lap six and Neary suffered a huge slide one lap later at Chris Curve. He did well to control the bike at speed but on lap eight Levi Day made a pass on him, demoting him to fourth place. He continued in fourth place and the pair pulled away from the pursuing pack but he was unable to make a pass on Day and crossed the finish line in fourth place to pick up a further 13 championship points.

Meanwhile Craig Currie qualified in 12th place to start the first race from the fourth row. He didn’t get the best of starts either but fought his way through the midfielders to take up 12th place at the half way stage of the 12 lap race. He continued in that position and was all set to cross the finish line in 12th but on the final lap Nicky Wilson crashed at the Mountain bottom which elevated Currie up to 11th place to pick up five championship points and enjoy his best result of the current campaign.

Starting the second race on Sunday from the fifth row Currie circulated in 16th place for the first couple of laps but was beaten back to 18th on lap three. He passed Lee Devonport to claim 17th place and then passed Michael Tustin to move up to 16th place. He then became embroiled in a battle for position with Tustin and Devonport who both eventually got the better of him but with another rider crashing out of the race Currie was able to claim 17th place at the chequered flag.

The next round is at Silverstone on September 7-9.

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: Leon Jeacock, Geo Davies & Smirk racing, Snetterton BSB

The Snetterton300 track was the next port of call for Leon and the Geo E Davies with Smirk Racing Team in the Pirelli National SuperStock1000 Championship. Having tested there earlier, Leon was confident of a good qualifying and race result. He was hoping to continue with the excellent form over the past couple of rounds.

Leon Jeacock: Photo by Neil Pidduck

Free practice one was held in sunny conditions and Leon was in scintillating form as he posted a time to bag fifth fastest. He was more than pleased with that as a starting base and was looking to build on that in second free practice. The pace hotted up in free practice two although he quicker again he fell to eighth place.

The team and Leon were feeling confident for the sole qualifying session on Saturday. He was aiming for a top ten grid slot and he achieved this going quicker again with a time of 1 minute 50.890 seconds and this placed him tenth on the starting grid of Sundays race. Making a good start in the race Leon held his position in the first lap bumping and boring and then all the weekends good work came to an abrupt end. Making a move to take seventh position on lap two Leon had a high side and crashed out of the race ending his point scoring run in a heap.

Speaking after the race Leon said “Snetterton has been another major step forward for us as a team, we haven’t been out of the top ten throughout free practice and qualifying and I felt strong on the Suzuki which led to my downfall in the race as I probably pushed to hard in the race causing the high side” “We go to Knockhill full of confidence and we are looking to getting back in the points again” he added that he wanted to thank all his sponsors for their continued support.

Held UK are pleased to support Leon Jeacock of 

Geo E Davies and Smirk racing! 

Held Racer Report: Sean Neary, Zoek Racing, Snetterton

ZOEK RACING SNETTERTON

Snetterton played host to round four of the Ducati TriOptions Cup this week with Sean Neary finishing his first race in fourth place but retiring from race two with a technical issue.

His Zoek Racing team mate Craig Currie was 14th in race one and 13th in the second race.

After qualifying on pole position for the first race, Lymm rider Sean Neary didn’t get the best of starts and completed the first of two laps in race one on Saturday in third place. Phil Atkinson demoted him to fourth on lap three but Neary powered back past to reclaim third one lap later. But his progress was short lived as on lap six Atkinson went past again and although there was less than half a second separating the two riders the red flag brought the race to a halt on lap eight and a result declared on positions on lap seven.

Neary commented: “The race didn’t go our way today as it was cut short which didn’t do us any favours for a podium however we didn’t have the pace to win.”

Neary lined up on the front row for race two on Sunday morning but things didn’t quite go to plan as, although he was running in fourth place for the first few laps he was forced to retire at half race distance with a technical issue. He said: “As race weekends go it was pretty poor!!  A technical issue with the bike meant we didn’t finish race two. Not ideal but on the positive side it can always be worse! We will work hard and come back strong for Brands Hatch. Thanks to the team for all their hard work.”

With a non finish to his second race Neary has lost his series lead but is holding a strong second place on 108 points.

Meanwhile Newark rider Craig Currie went well during qualifying to start the first race from the middle of the second row. He held eighth place on lap one but began to drop back and completed the 10 lap affair in 14th place to pick up two championship points.

Starting race two on Sunday from the fifth row it was always going to be a challenge to get up into the top 10 but Currie made headway and completed the race in 13th place to secure another three championship points.

Snetterton was a positive weekend for the Nottinghamshire rider as he got his first points of the new season on board and has made good progress with the Ducati.

The next round is at Brands Hatch over the weekend of July 20-22 when both Zoek riders will be seeking strong results to boost their points tally with Neary looking to regain his series lead and Currie to move further up the standings.

Held UK are proud to supply Sean Neary with leathers and gloves!

Racer and Held wearer Tom Weeden's TT report

So in hindsight TT 2018 wasn't all so bad..

I finished all 5 races, we overcame a multitude of problems in both practice and in the races themselves, I went faster than I've ever been before and I'm still in one piece and fit to race another day.

As a racer I'm never happy with my results.. they can always be better and that's what drives me to return each year and better my own achievements. I don't want to be out there just to make up the numbers and stack up finishers medals and bronze replicas. I need that silver replica on my mantelpiece..

However, on the bikes and budget that I'm running on in comparison to the teams I'm racing against I don't think I did myself an injustice.

The last 6 lap Superbike race was a real struggle. I caught a bug of some kind that's left me with no energy. I was in bits after lap 1 and was making mistakes all over the place struggling to concentrate. My body was aching all over and just to finish was a triumph in itself. The TT is a real test of body and machinery and we came out on top in that one. Probably the hardest race of my life just to get a finish.

I'll come back next year hopefully on new machinery and we'll build on what I've learnt this year in which is effectively my first full TT.

This time last year I was in a neck brace with an unstable fracture of the C6 vertebrae, an unstable fracture in my T5 and two other fractures in my T6 and 7 after crashing in the first Supersport race. So I can't grumble with what I've achieved this year really 🤷🏻‍♂️

Thoughts remain with Dan Kneen and Adam Lyon and their family and friends. Also with all other riders injured in crashes at this years TT, particularly fellow Maidstone man, Steve Mercer. Keep fighting mate.

Massive thank you to Steve Weeden, Andy, Heidi Cockerton, Steve Ryder-Clague, James Cherry, Ian West and Mick Feekings who all played a part in the team and worked tirelessly to allow me to live the dream. Thank you so much.

Shout out to my boy Brad Ray also for flying over to help out 🙌🏼

Also a huge thank you to my sponsors and all my Club 77 members for riding on board with me this season! This wouldn't be possible without you and I can't give my appreciation enough.

Thanks also to everyone who supported me on here and in person at the TT 🙌🏼

We're very proud of you at Held UK Tom! 

A true gent and a great racer!

Held Racer Report: Leon Jeacock, Oulton Park BSB

The picturesque Oulton Park circuit in Cheshire hosted the third round of the Pirelli National Superstock1000 Championship. Leon and the Geo E Davies & Smirk Racing team were hoping to replicate the form shown in the recent official test held at the track here Leon put strong times in and the team were able to gain more data for further use.

For the first time this season the weather was consistent throughout the free practices and sole qualifying session. Dry, sunny and hot weather meant the team could fine tune the Suzuki to Leon’s requirements instead of having to make major changes as in the previous rounds. 

Free practice one and two were held on Saturday and Leon immediately carried on his good form finishing tenth in both sessions, he was confident for the Sunday qualifier. The pace in that session was scorching and even though he went half a second faster than free practice, he still only claimed tenth place on the starting grid.

Monday saw the all important race and Leon made a good start but dropped down to thirteenth in the first corner scramble. Moving back up two places in the next couple of laps to eleventh, he then settled into the race for the next few laps. Lap eight saw him move up to tenth and he started to close the gap to the two riders chasing them down, he slipped into ninth position on lap thirteen holding this position to the chequered flag.

A great weekend for Leon and the team and a well earned result for everyone concerned with the team, looking and riding more confidently with every meeting.

The team now moves onto Snetterton for the next round in mid June.

Pic: Jonny Lee

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

www.held-uk.co.uk