鈥淔inally, a weekend to smile about!

鈥�100% race completion, some decent results, and most importantly, confidence back on the bikes. Hopefully we’ve finally turned a corner.鈥�

Qualifying (Starting P4)

鈥淭hroughout the weekend, I struggled with the brakes overheating and the pads glazing, but this was the first time I’ve properly raced the 750 without any mechanical issues.:

Race 1

鈥淎 solid race, but I couldn’t quite stay with the riders ahead. Finished P4.鈥�

Race 2

鈥淚 got a great launch before a red flag brought the race to a halt. On the restart I made another strong start and stayed with the leader, but just didn’t quite have enough to make a move. Finished P2.鈥�

Race 3

鈥淎nother great start saw me lead into Turn 1. I expected the 1000cc bikes to out-drag me down the back straight, but the 750 held its own. By lap 3 the brakes were becoming a real struggle, but thankfully I’d built enough of a gap to manage it. Finished P1.鈥�

Race 4

鈥淎s I was still struggling with the brakes, we swapped them over before the final race, which made a huge difference. Another strong start saw me battling with Tyler for the opening laps, swapping positions several times before I finally took the lead. From there I pushed on and took the win by 9.185 seconds.

鈥淚 always believed the 750 could be competitive in Thunderbike Ultra, but coming to Snetterton with its long straights, I expected the 1000s to have a clear advantage. I’m really pleased to have been proven wrong 鈥� the bike was more than capable of holding its own.

鈥淥verall, I’m really happy with how the weekend went. It was great to feel confident again and to come away with consistent finishes, podiums and a pair of wins.

鈥淣ow it’s on to Donington Park on 25th & 26th July.鈥�

Pic credit:

Thunderbike Sport

鈥淭he weekend started strongly in Thunderbike Sport qualifying. I was initially able to get some good times on the board but knew there was still more pace in the bike. With the track becoming increasingly busy, I chose to back off and create a gap to give myself some clean air for a final push lap. The strategy paid off, and I secured P1 in class.鈥�听

Race 1

鈥淯nfortunately, we were still struggling with the issue that was affecting my starts. As the lights went out, I produced another impressive kangaroo impression, losing several positions off the line. I quickly settled into a rhythm and began fighting my way back through the field, enjoying some great battles along the way. By the chequered flag, I had recovered to finish P2.鈥�

Race 2 & 3

鈥淏oth races followed a very similar pattern. Another difficult launch off the line left me with work to do in the opening laps, but I was able to make progress through the pack and enjoy some close racing as I regained positions. Despite the strong pace, the gap to the leader was too much to close, and I brought the bike home in P2 in both races.鈥�

Race 4

鈥淭he final race of the weekend started in familiar fashion, with another poor start dropping me several places from my P6 grid position. Once again, I fought my way forward and was involved in some fantastic battles throughout the race. The highlight was a thrilling last-lap fight with Jamison. I had lined up a move, but unfortunately we caught a backmarker at exactly the wrong moment in the last part of the track, ending any chance of an overtake. I crossed the line in P3, but thoroughly enjoyed the battle and ended the weekend on a positive note.听

鈥淥verall, it was a weekend of strong pace and hard-fought racing. While the starts continue to be an area we need to improve, the speed was there all weekend and there are plenty of positives to take into the next round.鈥�

Thunderbike Ultra

鈥淭he weekend started with a frustrating qualifying session. I headed out on the 750 but quickly realised we were still suffering from a clutch issue, forcing me to return to the pits without being able to complete a representative lap. After switching to the 1000, I was left with very little time to get a lap on the board, but I managed to put in a qualifying time. Due to the bike change, I was handed a six-place grid penalty for Race 1, dropping me to P12 on the grid.鈥�

Race 1

鈥淒espite the penalty, I got a strong launch off the line and immediately started working my way through the pack. With some good pace and consistent lap times, I was able to make up positions throughout the race and fight my way through to a solid P5 finish.

鈥淯nfortunately, in the Powerbike race, the 1000 developed an overheating issue which caused further mechanical problems and left us unable to continue competing on that bike for the remainder of the day. The team switched focus to repairing the 750, and after a lot of hard work we managed to get it ready in time for Sunday morning.鈥�

Race 3

鈥淗aving missed Race 2, I was forced to start Race 3 from the back of the grid. I made good progress through the field, enjoyed some great battles, and worked my way up to finish in P6.

鈥淲hile it was encouraging to get the bike back out and be competitive again, the damage to the clutch had already been done before the repair. To avoid causing any further issues and risking a bigger failure, we made the difficult decision to sit out Race 4.

鈥淎 challenging weekend with plenty of setbacks, but there were positives to take away.鈥�

Thanks to听Glyn’s Photos and SJG_punkrocknracing_pix for the images.

鈥�Having never ridden Thruxton before, I knew it would be a challenge to quickly learn the track and get up to speed, but I was excited for it. Unfortunately, I made the weekend even more difficult for myself by breaking my foot at work less than a week before. Thankfully, I managed to get the swelling under control, and by the time free practice rolled around on Friday, I was ready to ride.鈥�

Friday 鈥� FP1

鈥淭his session was all about learning the track and finding my rhythm. I focused on understanding the lines, braking markers, and flow of Thruxton rather than chasing outright pace. By the end of the session, I managed to put in a respectable lap of 1:21.312, giving me a solid foundation to build on.鈥�

Friday 鈥� FP2

鈥淲ith the track feeling more familiar, I pushed harder and concentrated on improving corner speed and braking points. The changes paid off, and I reduced my lap time to 1:20.169, heading into Saturday with growing confidence.鈥�

Saturday 鈥� Qualifying

鈥淚 started the session on a scrubbed rear tyre for the first four laps, knowing how tough Thruxton is on tyres. After that, I came in for a fresh rear and went back out to push for a faster lap. Unfortunately, a quick shifter failure cut the session short, stopping me from pushing as hard as I鈥檇 have liked. I qualified P31 with a best lap of 1:20.253.

鈥淗uge thanks to听Alan Jackson, who stepped in after qualifying to check the bike. He managed to reset a fault that I thought might end my weekend, getting me back out for Race 1 that afternoon.鈥�

Race 1

鈥淪tarting 31st, I got a great launch and made up positions by going around the outside into the first corner. I settled into a strong rhythm, making good overtakes to climb to P22. Unfortunately, a last-corner challenge didn鈥檛 go my way, four bikes into one chicane was never going to work. To avoid a collision, I took to the escape road, cutting the corner. As it was the final lap, I couldn鈥檛 give the place back, and a two-second penalty dropped me to P26. My best lap was a 1:20.146.鈥�

Sunday 鈥� Race 2

鈥淪tarting 30th put me on the inside for Lap 1, so I couldn鈥檛 take advantage of the start like I did in Race 1. Another hot day made tyre choice important, and with budget limits I fitted a fresh rear but had to run a scrubbed front. Not ideal for 15 laps around Thruxton.

鈥淚 ran a solid race and made my way to P24. On Lap 13, I faced a near-identical situation at the chicane as in Race 1, cutting the course to avoid a collision. This time I conceded a place to avoid a penalty, but despite that, I was still handed a two-second penalty, dropping me to P29. My best lap was a 1:19.248.

鈥淒espite the setbacks, I鈥檓 pleased with the progress made over the weekend, especially lowering my lap times and improving my pace on a track I鈥檇 never ridden before. A big thanks to听Ray听for the fitness plan I鈥檝e begun. I鈥檒l be sticking to it to improve my strength and endurance for Round 7 at Cadwell.

鈥淭hank you to everyone who came to support me trackside, and to all my听2025 sponsors听for your support this season. On to Cadwell!鈥�

鈥淎fter struggling with severe arm pump throughout the first part of the season, I made the decision to undergo surgery, which unfortunately meant missing Round 4 at Knockhill. The recovery time was worth it 鈥� this weekend was my first race back and I鈥檓 pleased to say the arm felt great, with no issues at all.

鈥淏rands Hatch was also a big step for me as it was my first time riding the full GP circuit, having only ridden the Indy layout previously. Learning the longer, more technical sections added an extra challenge, but I was excited to take it on.鈥�

Friday 鈥� Free Practice

FP1 鈥� P34/42 | 1:32.981

鈥淒ry and warm conditions gave me a good chance to get reacquainted with the bike and begin learning the GP layout. The main goals were to shake off the rust and see how the arm held up. It felt great to be back out, and we made some minor setup tweaks, focusing on braking stability and front-end feel.鈥�

FP2 鈥� P32/40 | 1:31.859

鈥淭he afternoon session was spent continuing to learn the track and push my pace. I took a second off my lap time from FP1 and gained a better understanding of the circuit flow. After the session, I contacted TW Suspension, and with their advice we made a small suspension change to help improve feel ahead of qualifying.鈥�

Saturday 鈥� Qualifying & Race 1

Qualifying 鈥� P26/40 | 1:30.039

鈥淭he suspension changes made a big difference. I felt more confident through the faster sections and was able to push harder than I have all season. I set a new personal best and secured 26th on the grid, which was higher than I expected, especially at a circuit that鈥檚 typically been a tough one for me.鈥�

Race 1 鈥� Started 26th, Finished 25th

鈥淕ot a decent start and settled into a solid rhythm, having some great battles throughout the race. Towards the end, my fitness started to drop off, which affected my pace. Still, this was the first race all season where I鈥檝e been able to push the whole distance, so that in itself was a big step forward. Brought it home in 25th and learned a lot in the process.鈥�

Sunday 鈥� Race 2

Race 2 鈥� Started 26th, Finished 24th

鈥淚 got a strong start, moving up to 21st early on and spent most of the race running in P22. I was feeling more confident in race conditions and pushing harder throughout. Unfortunately, as the race wore on, fitness once again became a limiting factor, and a late-race mistake 鈥� nearly resulting in a high-side 鈥� cost me a few places. I managed to regroup and brought the bike home in 24th, glad to have kept it upright and finished another full-distance race.鈥�