EBC-Equipped NLR Racer Secures Fourth in Championship

Test Days

“For a change, we did the Thursday track day due to the weather forecast. I had not ridden the Honda at Donington Park so needed some bike time. Thursday was cold and we had to be careful, but, surprisingly for a Donington track day, it ran quite smoothly. JR Performance’s Joe turned up to give us a hand with setup, which helped a lot. By the end of the day, I didn’t feel the bike was perfect, but good enough and that I was ready for Qualifying. With more time, I could have improved the bike even further.

“Friday was very different. I decided to miss the first session as it was looking like rain. Went out for Session 2 only to be sent back as the track had been completely contaminated by an oil spill. Then the wind and rain picked up, one minute dry, the next wet, so we waited until Session 5 and then had to run in wet conditions. The setup we selected first wasn’t even close, but we gathered extra data and made adjustments to give us a better chance if Qualifying was on a wet track.”

Qualifying

“No guessing this time. It was to be a full wet setup. Wasn’t quite sure how the bike would behave, but gained confidence and my early laps were strong, putting us into P3. Kept an eye on my pit board and felt I had more pace if it was needed. Caught Michael Needham as he lost grip from the rear tyre going into McLeans causing him to fall. I also lost the rear and despite having legs right off the bike, managed to land back on the seat and stay upright. We must have slipped on an untreated patch of oil. Was unable to improve on my time due to a lot of yellow flags and the warning just received. Finished on the second row in 5th. Happy with that.”

Race 1

“Wet. Got a good start and elbows-out to find myself in third place behind Paul Bowerbank. With good drive out of Redgate, I got underneath Paul at Hollywood putting me 2nd, behind Tommy Fielding.

“In the early laps, my pace felt strong, but not enough to run with Tommy. Hadn’t been in this position all year and regretted not asking for a pit board. I thought “this is going be a long race” as the track started to dry out and it was difficult to know how much to push. I had a look round with three laps to go and couldn’t see or hear anybody which was a surprise. Decided to just keep my head down, not do anything silly and bring it home. Then, on the last lap, Tom Norton came inside me at Redgate. Tried desperately to get back past him, but he held the dry line and I had to go on the wet patches. With hindsight, I think I could’ve made a move into Roberts, but it wasn’t to be. But guess what – I just got my first Pirelli podium and it felt great. Was gutted not to hold 2nd, but in those conditions the main focus was staying on.”

Race 2

“This turned out to be one of the best races of the year. Started 6th on the Grid, got an okay start, but it was busy at Turn 1 and I had some work to do. Managed to pass Liam Murtagh and Peter Eccles by the end of Lap 1 and found myself glued to the back of Tom Norton Felt I had more pace and knew I could pass him. After taking a few laps to work it out, I managed to get up the inside at Redgate to move into P2 behind Tommy Fielding. I started to pull a little gap on Norton and felt good on the bike apart from having to dodge the damp patches. With four laps to go, Connor Cummins passed me, pushing me back to P3. I didn’t fully relax in this race as you had to ride very close to damp patches and it started to take its toll. My lap times were very consistent, setting a fastest on Lap 11, but Connor and Tom upped their pace that I couldn’t match. Started to get a little arm pump and with two laps to go, Tom Norton passed me back. This time I didn’t have the energy to do much about it.

“Something I will work on for next year, but a great race. P3 again if you take out Connor Cummins.”

Race 3

“I watched the replay of Race 2 to see what I could improve. I decided not to make any bike changes for the last race as I felt there was way more in me than the bike. From 5th on the Grid, I got a good start again. Found myself on the back of a train that consisted of Phil Crowe, Tommy Fielding, Conor Cummins, and Tom Norton. Tried my hardest to stay with them. My riding was better and I followed them into the 1.09 secs, but after Lap 6 they started to creep away.

“I was in ‘no man’s land’, but this time I had a pit board to keep me informed. Knew I couldn’t catch the group in front so kept an eye on the gap behind which I increased to six seconds. Kept my head down and after 12 laps brought it home 4th in Class. Again, taking Cummins out of it, would have had another strong 3rd.”

Summary

“To say I enjoyed the meeting is an understatement. I’m very happy to finish the year this way. Mostly, it felt comfortable and if I continue these improvements the next step is very close. Managing and staying on the bike in those mixed conditions took some doing and there were many crashes.

“We managed our goal of securing 4th in the Championship. For a short while we even had our eye on 3rd as Luca Jennings went down in Qualifying and his bike was wrecked. Luca borrowed a bike to secure his well-deserved 3rd in the Championship.

“Once again, I had so much track side support. If that was a part of the Championship, we would take some beating! This season would not have been possible without friends, family and sponsors. Thank you so much to everyone.

Photos: Matt Sayle Photography