Test Day

鈥淰ery windy, but I enjoyed the day. It was fun getting to grips with the Croft track 鈥� one I don鈥檛 go to that often. Had a few brake and data issues to sort, which was annoying, but by the last session I was happy running in the 1:25s.鈥�

Qualifying

鈥淣ightmare! I normally try and go out towards the front, but I was mid-pack so backed off to find space. Every lap I caught riders which cost me valuable time. I was patient, but ran out of time and could only manage a 1:26.鈥�

Race 1

鈥淕reat start which was good. I needed it! So good in fact I was 7th in class by the end of Lap 1. Ran consistent mid-1:25s to finish P10 and 7th in class and managed to hold on with Wilf Turner, Paul Charman and Jennings behind me.

鈥淚 was happy with the result from where I started, but it didn鈥檛 feel easy. I knew the times were not enough for the next race so had to find precious seconds for that one.鈥�

Race 2

鈥淎n okay start from 14th on the grid and enjoyed a few passes in the early laps. It was fun racing behind Turner and Charman and running in the low 1:25s until Lap 6. First Wilf and then Paul put in 1:24s and I just couldn鈥檛 hold them. From Lap 8, it started to become hard work leading to arm pump so bad I had to do what I could just to bring it home. We were faster, but not lasting the race is not good.鈥�

Race 3

鈥淲e made some changes which felt good! I felt my body language was loads better and the bike handling felt easy. I passed Charman on Lap 2 and was looking at closing the gap to Turner, but for some reason by Lap 5 it became hard work. The arm pump, which I very rarely get, kicked in again. By Lap 7, I was done in and started to add a second a lap to drop right back.

鈥淚 feel I鈥檓 doing all the right things, but for one reason or another, I鈥檓 struggling to even run at the pace I was last year.听 I鈥檓 not far off, but it鈥檚 how hard it seems which is concerning me. I have some test time coming up and I鈥檒l try get a better feeling on the bike and mentally to come back stronger for Brands Hatch in a few weeks.

鈥淥nce again, thank you so much to all the sponsors and supporters that make this possible.鈥�

Photos by Matt Sayle Photography

鈥淩ound 8 of the No Limits Racing championship returned to Donington GP for the final round of the championship. Returning to racing after recovering sufficiently to race since my Round 6 incident, I was pleased with performance. The weather was mainly good for an October meeting and ended the season strong with a 5th place in the SuperTwins Championship.

Thursday 鈥� Testing

鈥淩ound 8 had no official test day, so I booked onto a track day a couple of days before. The main goal was to find out if I would be able to race at the weekend. I was pleased after seven 20-minute sessions on our R6 I was able to race, and go some way to being 鈥榖ike fit鈥� for the weekend.鈥�

Saturday听鈥撎齋uperTwins Qualifying

鈥淲e went straight into our 10-minute qualifying practice on Saturday morning at 9:02am in cold, but dry conditions. While building pace throughout the session I managed to qualify in 5th position, In the middle of Row 2. Having not raced since mid-August, and some riders fresh from the previous week BSB meeting and a strong field I was happy with this.鈥�

SuperTwins 鈥� Race 1

鈥淒ue to No Limits Racing holding the ACU Endurance Championship, many sprint race classes only do one race on Saturday. The first race began just after lunch, conditions were a little warmer I got a reasonable start in the 8-lap race and managed to hold 8th at the finish line. Normally I would expect to be nearer qualifying, but happy this time after the layoff.鈥�

Sunday 鈥撎齋uperTwins Race 2

鈥淚 got a reasonable start, holding 7th on track. The leading four riders made a gap to the group of racers I was in 4th 鈥� 7th. 听We swapped places a few times during the race but entering the last lap I was in 7th place. I felt I had the pace to be in this group all race, and may need to make any moves on the last lap to move up the results. 听I made a pass at the Melbourne Loop for 6th, and as luck had it, 5th place had made a pass on me under a yellow flag earlier in the race and given a 10-second penalty, promoting me to 5th.鈥�

SuperTwins 鈥� Race 3

鈥淎 couple of hours later saw my best start yet, exiting the second corner in 4th place. However, rain started to spit on Lap 1 and got a bit heavier at one section from Melbourne Loop to Goddards, resulting in the race being red flagged. Some confusion getting the grid back together resulted in tyres colling down too much. The restart was a 5-lap dash with a single warm-up lap. Going down Craner Curves on the warm-up, I could feel the bike slide, and the wooden feeling in the steering that comes with cold tyres. I decided to give the tyres time to warm up and push later in the race. This dropped me to 7th in class, where I remained to the chequered flag.”

Race 4

鈥淩ain came and temperatures dropped before the final race, as I could no longer gain in championship position, and with nothing to gain, I decided to sit out the race.鈥�

Summary

鈥淎ll in all, 2024 has been a good season, but missing rounds and races at Cadwell (3 races), Anglesey (1) and Oulton (2), hindered defending a Top 3 in the championship.

鈥淪pecial thanks to our sponsors and supporters who make going racing easier.鈥�

Pic credits: .

鈥淩ound 6 of the No Limits Racing championship took us to the coastal circuit of Anglesey. Blessed with good weather throughout the weekend, we experienced solid results, improvements to the bike and a costly off-track excursion.

鈥淔riday was a general testing day. I’d found in the last few rounds I could hit a pace and then plateau. TW Suspension were in the paddock and I paid a visit to check the bike鈥檚 geometry. It鈥檚 been changed and tweaked for the short circuits and road racing and errors can creep in. Over the last three seasons, it turned out to be quite large from when I initially got the Aprilia RS660.

鈥淪aturday 鈥� Qualifying. The 10-minute qualifying practice began on Saturday morning without incident, and the bike felt instantly better. While building pace throughout the session, I managed to qualify in 7th spot, on the outside of row 3. Not a bad position.”

鈥淪aturday 鈥撎齊ace 1. A few hours later, I got a reasonable start in the 7-lap race and didn鈥檛 lose any places, by mid race I had settled up into 7th place with the top 8 all lapping within a second a lap. Being a short start-finish straight, I missed the last lap flag. Hitting some lapped riders, I did not ride as defensive as I could have and lost position on the last few corners to finish 8th and qualify 8th for the next race. Lap time from the previous race is used to provide grid slot for next race. Also, as NLR run the endurance championship, there were no further solo races on Saturday.

鈥淪unday 鈥� Race 2. I got a reasonable start, finishing the last lap in 7th, making another position up to 6th a lap later I had a clear track and able to close the gap on 5th position. The 10-lap race ended and I finished in 6th place, I had managed to do the 3rd fastest time of the race which gave me P3 for the next race.

鈥淪unday 鈥� Race 3. A couple of hours later saw my best start yet, exiting the second corner in 3rd place. I dropped back to 5th by the chequered flag, but still my best result of the weekend.

鈥淪unday 鈥� Race 4. The last race of the weekend didn’t end so well. I got a good start with the leading pack, but near the end of the lap another rider from behind tried an ambitious move and ran into the side of me in the fast downhill section before the corkscrew. There wasn鈥檛 time to separate, myself and the bike went down hard, aggravating old shoulder, chest and neck injuries, writing off my leathers, gloves and helmet and bursting the petrol tank, as well as the usual crash damage to bodywork, handlebars and switchgear.

鈥淚t’s been a costly weekend to come away from, but will do our best to be out at the next round at Oulton Park in just over a week. Recovery and bike parts permitting. Big shout out to Tuet from TW suspension, and Chris Hayes for supporting me all weekend. Also, big shout to the Froggatt Racing team for all your help and support, and the many well-wishers who’ve been in touch. I leave the meeting 5^th in the championship, and two rounds remaining.

鈥淪pecial thanks to our sponsors and supporters who make going racing easier.鈥�

Pic credits: .

鈥�The Southern 100 Road Races are one of the highlight meetings. As with most other road races, I entered the lightweight (Super Twins) on the Brook Built Aprilia RS660, and SuperSport races on the Yamaha YZF R6. The meeting was hampered by some incidents on track, Nobel鈥檚 hospital capacity and poor weather, but racing took place.

鈥淎fter mediocre qualifying due to taking no risks in poor conditions, I managed to get satisfactory results, enjoyed the racing immensely, and my team-mate (Adrian Harrison) made the podium on the second Brook Built Racing Yamaha R6.鈥�

Monday Eve Practice and Qualifying

鈥�The weather over the weekend and Monday had been bright and sunny; perfect conditions and everyone was looking forward to a good start to the weeks racing. I had two practice and qualifying sessions for the lightweight and the first Super Sport practice in the schedule. Unfortunately, after a serious incident during the newcomer sighting laps, the evening got delayed and due to no capacity at Nobel鈥檚 Hospital, the race had to be cancelled. This was a big blow to everyone.鈥�

Tuesday Evening practice, qualifying and lightweight race

鈥淗aving lost the first night, we were straight into Lightweight qualifying, then Super Sport, followed by the first Lightweight race. Weather conditions were poor with rain and the occasional dry spell meaning the track never dried fully.

鈥淲e had three laps in the Lightweight to qualify, being my first outing on track I rode safely to refamiliarise myself with the circuit and conditions; others were more willing to take more risk, or just adapted to the conditions better, but I managed to qualify 29^th in second last grid slot.

鈥淲ith a few laps completed, the Super Sport qualifying was a little better, and in four laps I managed Row 5 in the B final 鈥� the first race planned to run next day.

鈥淣ext up, we were heading out of the paddock to line up for the first Lightweight race. Conditions had deteriorated to heavy rain, and the dark clouds made visibility poor, especially for us further down the grid. Right from the start, visibility was poor from the spray coming from other bikes, the rain and poor light. I made a few places off the line and decided to play safe and get to the finish line in the reduced (to 5 laps) race. I managed to complete the first race in 24^th 辫辞蝉颈迟颈辞苍.鈥�

Wednesday Racing

鈥淲e all passed scrutineering and waited in parc ferme for racing to begin. It rained all day and didn鈥檛 stop for the evenings racing; the day was cancelled with no racing taking place.鈥�

Thursday Racing

鈥�With the delays and cancelled sessions, I had a Super Sport race (one got cancelled) in the morning and the second Lightweight race in the afternoon. Without any rain, the track got better as the day went on, being fully dry after only a handful of races.

鈥淚n the Super Sport race, conditions were mostly dry. I opted for a front wet tyre combined with a dry rear as it was difficult to fully judge the conditions. I had qualified on row 5 while Adrian, my team-mate, had made pole position. I made a good start and made my way to 9^th position for most of the race, until I out-braked myself on the last corner going into the last lap and lost three places. We all seemed to be running the same pace as we stayed together without swapping places on the last lap. I finished 12^th and thoroughly enjoyed racing at the Billown circuit for the first time this meeting. A nice bonus was learning my team mate had made second place on the podium.

鈥淔or the second Lightweight race, we started from our original qualifying position, middle of the back row for me. I managed a great start, making several positions and passed more during the first lap. I caught the next group at the end of lap 2 and getting set to make a pass when the red flag came out near the end of lap 3 after an incident at Stadium Corner and the race was called a result. I鈥檇 made it to 15^th from 29^th and have to say it felt like the best two laps I鈥檝e done at the S100, leaving the circuit with a big smile.

鈥淎lthough it was a challenging S100 this year for everyone including the organisers, who I must commend for making tough decisions and keeping the meeting going, the new start procedure gets a big thumbs up from me; I didn鈥檛 hear any negative comments about it, it was a good meeting. Seeing old friends and making new ones I left the meeting in great spirits.

鈥淚鈥檇 like to thank my personal helpers: Grahame Collinge and Chris Haynes for getting me out on track each evening, also the second half of the Brook Built Racing team helping Adrian Harrison. His dad Conrad, Nick Colley and son, Mucky Al, and Steve Hebden.

“Also, a special thanks to our sponsors and supporters who make going racing easier.”

Main photo credit: Tracey Harrison Photography

鈥淐roft is one of my favourite circuits; fast and flowing. And in perfect-condition racing, it doesn鈥檛 get much better. It鈥檚 been a long time since not having to roll out the wet tyres for a race meeting, and sunny conditions were very welcome.

鈥淭his round, I entered the Aprilia RS660 in the SuperTwins and partnered with Tom Collinge in the 3-hour endurance race.

鈥淪uperTwins qualifying: in the 10-minute qualifying session, I got out of the holding area quickly to get a clear few laps, qualifying on the front of the second row in 4^th position on lap 4.

鈥淓ndurance qualifying is done over a 40-minute timed session, where all riders have to complete more than three laps; the fastest rider鈥檚 time in the team is used to qualify us. As the first SuperTwin race was straight after this session, I went out first on the Yamaha R6. I took about 15 mins of the session before handing over to Tom. Tom鈥檚 time qualified the team in 18^th overall and 8^th overall in the National 600 class.

鈥淒ay one racing started with the SuperTwins. I got a bad start and completed lap 1 in about 7^th position. I managed to claw back to 4^th, but got slowed passing lapped riders and got pipped on the last corner, finishing 5^th.

鈥淎 couple of hours later saw the beginning of the three-hour endurance race. Teamwork and strategy play a big part in endurance racing. As Tom was returning from injury and not raced this year, we decided to do three 30-minute stints each instead of two 45-minute sessions. Tom started the race and we finished his session in 7^th place. We alternated the sessions for the rest of the three hours, fluctuating between 7^th and 9^th in class and 13-15 overall.

鈥淭he team did a fantastic job preparing the bikes, pit signals and getting myself and Tom ready to ride and get out on track during the rider changeover. The race went as smoothly as is possible and I took the chequered flag in 7^th position. Being a national championship, there is a strict Pirelli tyre rule and a team two places higher were disqualified, leaving us in 6^th in class and 12^th overall.

鈥淚鈥檇 like to thank the support team Grahame Collinge (pit board and wall man), Chris Hayes (fuel and support), Anthony Froggart (fuel and bike prep), as well as Steve and Jim Weatherhold for looking after timing and riders during changeover. Day 1 complete!

鈥淒ay 2 started at 12 pm due to local noise rules on Sundays. The SuperTwins was the first race of the day鈥檚 program. I made a good start, running in 2^nd before dropping to 4^th after four laps before the red flag. In the five-lap restart held 3^rd into the first corner and dropped top 4^th by the end of the first lap. I had a good second or so on 5^th but caught a lapped rider at the tight chicane and lost the advantage, again leaving myself open for an attack on the last corner, losing 4^th and crossing the line in 5^th.

鈥淭he last race of the day also ran well, running in 3^rd spot for a couple of laps before dropping to 4^th. This time the lapped riders did not affect the outcome, and crossed the line in 4^th place.

鈥淎 great weekend and who could complain, racing in fantastic sunny conditions at one of my favourite circuits. Next the team and I will be traveling to the Isle of Man for the Southern 100 road races in-between NLR RND 5 at Brands Hatch GP circuit.鈥�

Pic credits: .

鈥淏etween the Snetterton and Donington rounds with NLR, I decided to race with NEMRC in their season-opening round at Croft coming home with a second and three thirds.听

鈥淭esting started OK, but it rained in the next session, so getting familiar with the bike and track didn’t go forward as planned, but any seat time is good.

鈥淛ust before qualifying, a fuel spillage most of the way around the track happened in the previous session. Qualifying got underway after a short delay.

鈥淨ualifying didn’t go too well; the fuel spillage was at the top of my mind, and I could only manage 25^th position.

鈥淎 few hours later, Race 1 was mainly dry, and I managed to get up to 9^th on track (5^th in class) before the chequered flag. This set me up much higher on the grid for Race 2.”

鈥淩ace 2 was again in good weather conditions. Coming from the 3^rd row, I managed to end the first lap in 3^rd; I stayed in this position until the finish. However, something must have happened to one of the first two riders as they didn’t finish, and I got 2^nd on track and 2^nd in class.

鈥淩ace 3 the following day was dry but much more windy. Starting 2^nd on the grid, I held 2^nd on track until about mid-race; I got passed by the rider who retired from Race 2, who must have had a poor grid. I understand he went on to win, while I finished 3^rd on track and 3^rd in class.

鈥淩ace 4 was a dry start, but mental rain spots mid-race meant I didn’t push as hard in some areas, and my pace dropped off a bit; I finished 3^rd on track and 3^rd in class.

鈥淭his was a nice meeting run by a great club, and it set me up well for NLR round 2 at Donington next weekend.鈥�

Pic credits: .