EBC-Equipped Bemsee Racer Takes Outright Podiums in Two Classes at Brands Hatch

Overall Results:

Thunderbike Ultra Championship – 1st place.

Clubman 1000 Championship – 2nd place.

Thunderbike Ultra

– Qualifying – P4

– Race 1 – P3

– Race 2 – P3

– Race 3 – P2

– Race 4 – P2 (lap PB – 49.047)

Clubman 1000

– Qualifying – P12 on grid, P2 in class

– Race 1 – P2

– Race 2 – P1

– Race 3 – P1

– Race 4 –P1 (Lap PB – 48.922)

“I needed 19 points to secure the Thunderbike Ultra championship and aim for P2 in the Clubman 1000 championship. The weather forecast for Sunday wasn’t looking good, so I decided to wrap up the championships by the end of Saturday. I took a conservative approach in qualifying and in each race.”

Saturday

“In the first qualifying session of the day, Thunderbike Ultra, I aimed to go out for a few laps to set a competitive time and preserve my tyres for the main race. This effort resulted in me securing the fourth position on the grid. Following that, in the Clubman 1000 qualifying, I encountered heavy traffic on the track, making it difficult to find a clear space. Despite this challenge, I managed to secure the 12th position overall and the second position in my class after completing one clear lap.”

Thunderbike Ultra

“In the first race, I started in 4th place on the grid. I had a good start, I didn’t push too hard and settled back in 4th place, closely following the rider in 3rd place. On the last lap, the rider in 3rd place made a mistake, giving me the opportunity to overtake and secure 3rd place, earning 16 points in the championship. In the second race, I started in 4th place again and only needed 3 points to secure the championship. After another good start, I followed the same rider and the race ended with a similar outcome to the first race finishing in 3rd place and securing the points I needed.”

Clubman 1000

“During the first Clubman 1000 race, we started on a wet but drying track. I chose to use wet tyres, but since the forecast predicted wet weather on Sunday, I didn’t want to wear them out prematurely. I got off to a good start, but as the track dried up, I didn’t want to push too hard and risk damaging my tyres. My main goal was to finish the race safely, and I ended up finishing in P7 on the track and P2 in my class. The next race was a dry one. I started this race in P9 on the grid. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a good start, and it quickly became apparent that the suspension setup was incorrect. This made the bike very difficult to ride, and I couldn’t maintain a fast enough pace to keep up with the leading pack. I finished the race in P8 on the track and P1 in my class. Despite this I had gained enough points over these 2 races to secure 2nd position in the championship with 1st place out of reach.”

Sunday

“With both championships decided on Saturday I was in the fortunate position to go out and enjoy Sunday’s racing with no pressures.”

Thunderbike Ultra

“Despite some early morning rain, the track had dried enough for us to use slick tyres for the first race of the day. I started the race in P5 on the grid, had a good start, and was leading by the first corner. After a lap, the battle was between Kieran and me, and we had pulled away from the rest of the pack. The race was stopped early due to a red flag for an accident and sudden rainfall. I finished the race in P2. In the second race, I started in P3, had another good start, and began a close battle with Kieran. I set a personal best lap time of 49.047, but ultimately couldn’t overtake Kieran and finished in P2.”

Clubman 1000

“The track had completely dried up in time for the first race. After a visit to TW Suspension, we made an adjustment to the suspension. I started this race in P7. I didn’t get a good start off the line and even though we had made adjustments, it still wasn’t enough to bring me to the leading pack. I finished this race in P6 on the grid and P1 in my class. Before the last race of the season, I made another visit to TW to make some more adjustments. I started this race in P7 and got my best start of the weekend on this bike, leading into the first corner. The bike felt a lot better, not perfect, but it gave me more confidence to run with the leading pack. This race was full of battles for 4th place on the grid. I had a good final race and brought it home in P4 on the grid and P1 on track, with a personal best lap time of 48.922.

“A huge thank you to Cigma Racing for the £40 spot prize I received on Saturday evening.”

Vince Bennett Memorial Trophy

“After the race, I was surprised to hear my name being called over the PA system to go to race control to be presented with the Vince Bennett Memorial Trophy. I am incredibly humbled to receive this trophy, which is awarded to ‘The rider with the best overall performance of the meeting’. This was a huge surprise, something I really wasn’t expecting. What an honour!

“When I returned to the garage I was then presented with a gift of sweets from Bec’s Sweet and Callum Manley for being the overall winner of the Clubman class. Much appreciated, especially for the drive home.”

Season Thanks

“I would like to express my gratitude to everyone at Bemsee, including the marshals and the medics (thankfully I didn’t require their services this year), for another great season. I also want to thank Kieth and Bradley for their witty commentary throughout the season. Additionally, I am thankful to all the photographers who have braved all types of weather to allow the use of their photos across the season. A special thanks to TW Suspension for all his help throughout the year and to my 2024 sponsors.”

Next Season 

“Next season, I plan to elevate my racing career by moving to the (BSB) Superstock class for the 2025 season, using my Honda Fireblade.  I am excited for the adventures that lie ahead.”