鈥淎 challenging but promising start to the season, with some clear positives to take away 鈥� especially in braking performance.

鈥淎fter qualifying 7th on the Supersport grid, we showed strong potential in Race 2, moving up to 4th place early on. However, after a couple of moments in the opening laps, the decision was made to retire from the race. It was about the bigger picture 鈥� staying focused on the season ahead rather than taking unnecessary risks.”

鈥淚n the Supertwin class, we were consistently inside the top 15 and made steady progress across the weekend. The Aprilia 660 in particular is showing real promise heading forward.

鈥淎 big positive throughout was the performance of the聽91传媒聽package. On both bikes, the braking was strong, consistent, and gave the confidence to push: especially important around a circuit like Oliver鈥檚 Mount. It鈥檚 a solid step forward and something we鈥檙e excited to build on into 2026鈥︹��

鈥淚t was the final round of the year for Brook Built Racing at the 33rd and final running of the Gold Cup that鈥檚 run since 1989.

鈥淚t was a team effort, with Russell covering SuperSport and SuperTwin+, and Ben Long on SuperSport.

鈥淲et weather kicked off Saturday鈥檚 qualifying at the legendary Oliver鈥檚 Mount. Grip was there, but confidence took time to build. I qualified for all races 鈥� albeit toward the back 鈥� but Ben Long found his rhythm early, securing P10 in SuperSport B. I ended with a top 10, while Ben got his first win at Olivers Mount. Not bad for the tight and twisty circuit!鈥�

S饾悮饾惌饾惍饾惈饾悵饾悮饾惒 饾悋饾悽饾悹饾悺饾惀饾悽饾悹饾悺饾惌饾惉

• Free practice on the Aprilia RS660 & Yamaha YZF-R6.
• Wet qualifying: P22 (SuperTwin), P21 (SuperSport Group 2).
• Race 1 (SuperTwin): Red flags galore! Restarted multiple times before finally finishing P15.
• Race 2 (SuperSport B): I came home P17, Ben stormed to P4 from P10.
• Race 3 (SuperTwin restart): P15 again, setting me up for a better grid on Sunday.

饾悞饾惍饾惂饾悵饾悮饾惒 饾悋饾悽饾悹饾悺饾惀饾悽饾悹饾悺饾惌饾惉

• Race 4 (SuperTwin): Wet again, but I found my groove 鈥� P14.
• Race 5 (SuperSport B): Gained confidence, climbed to P13. Ben led most of the race, just missed the win 鈥� P2.
• Race 6 (SuperSport B): I sat this one out to preserve the R6. Ben took full advantage 鈥� hole shot to victory his first win at Oliver鈥檚 Mount!
• Race 7 (SuperTwin): Best start of the weekend, smooth ride to P9.

饾悓饾悽饾惂饾悽饾惁饾悮饾惀 饾悳饾惈饾悶饾惏, 饾惁饾悮饾惐饾悽饾惁饾惍饾惁 饾悶饾悷饾悷饾惃饾惈饾惌

鈥淗uge thanks to Gary 鈥楯ake鈥� Dicken & Andy Fenton for keeping us fuelled and focused. With limited resources, Brook Built Racing wrapped up the season proud and strong.

鈥淭he Steve Henshaw Gold Cup gave us everything 鈥� wet, dry, red flags, drama, and that unforgettable win for Ben. A fitting way to close the season for Brook Built Racing. We are planning to add a different (new to us) class next year (more later) Roll on 2026!鈥�

饾悜饾悮饾悳饾悶 饾悜饾悶饾惄饾惃饾惈饾惌: 饾悂饾悮饾惈饾惈饾惒 饾悞饾悺饾悶饾悶饾惂饾悶 饾悅饾惀饾悮饾惉饾惉饾悽饾悳 鈥� 饾悞饾悳饾悮饾惈饾悰饾惃饾惈饾惃饾惍饾悹饾悺

鈥淭he legendary Oliver鈥檚 Mount circuit once again played host to the Barry Sheene Classic, and this year鈥檚 event offered its usual blend of unpredictability, grit, and glory.鈥�

饾悞饾悮饾惌饾惍饾惈饾悵饾悮饾惒

鈥淭he weekend opened with a wet, untimed three-lap practice session. With slick conditions and little to gain by pushing hard, it was a chance to test grip and settle into the rhythm of the track.

鈥淏y qualifying time, the rain remained but confidence was on the rise. Despite the moisture, a solid performance secured a 13th-place start.

鈥淭eammate Ben Long took to the support race aboard his Yamaha R6 and delivered a commanding performance, holding 2nd place throughout to land another podium at Oliver鈥檚 Mount. Despite poor visibility, Ben鈥檚 consistency paid off. He noted the fog affected how hard he could push, but his pace was impressive nonetheless.

鈥淣ature had the final say as dense fog rolled in, forcing all racing to be halted for the rest of the day.鈥�

饾悞饾惍饾惂饾悵饾悮饾惒

鈥淪unday welcomed clearer skies and fading rain. By the time the first SuperTwins race began, the circuit was largely dry, though lingering damp patches at the hairpins kept everyone alert. Choosing full dry-condition tyres proved mostly effective, and an excellent launch placed the rider in 10th for much of the race. However, with confidence still tentative over the slick sections, two positions slipped away in the final laps, resulting in a 12th-place finish.

鈥淭he second race offered much the same 鈥� a partially dry track and strategic decisions to be made. A less favourable grid position on the inside led to a congested start. Nonetheless, a strong race followed, ending with a respectable 14th-place finish.鈥�

鈥淭he much-anticipated first mainland UK road race of the year did not disappoint 鈥� great weather, a legendary circuit, and my return to solo racing after last year鈥檚 injury.

鈥淛oining me were teammates Ben Long and Adrian Harrison, representing Brook Built Racing in style. Ben competed in the SuperSport 600 on the R6, while Aidy rode the supported ZXR750 in Classic Superbike 鈥� both scoring impressive podium finishes!鈥�

Practice & Qualifying

鈥淔ree Practice went smoothly as I re-familiarised myself with Oliver鈥檚 Mount. In qualifying, I struggled to find a clean lap due to traffic, eventually placing 14th 鈥� which put me 15th on the grid (no #13 slot). Not ideal, as it meant starting on the inside, where getting boxed in is a real risk.鈥�

Race 1 鈥� Saturday

鈥淎 clean start is vital at this narrow, technical circuit. I launched well but got caught behind a group mid-pack and lost a few spots. Managed to make up some ground at the first hairpin and brought it home in 16th 鈥� not bad for my first race back after over six months off the bike.鈥�

Races 2 & 3 鈥� Sunday

鈥淩ace 2: A better grid spot (outside line) and a couple of empty slots ahead gave me a cleaner start. I pushed into 10th by the first corner and ran as high as 9th. Mid-race, yellow and adhesion flags forced me to back off 鈥� got passed and lost momentum, finishing 12th.

鈥淩ace 3: Got a strong start, but the race was red-flagged on lap 2. During the restart, I noticed my oil warning light staying on 鈥� turned out to be a loose wire, but I chose to pull in on the warm-up lap. Better safe than sorry 鈥� no engine or track risks worth taking.鈥�

Team Highlights

鈥淗uge congrats to Ben Long and Adrian Harrison 鈥� both put in excellent rides and earned a 3rd place podium each! Brook Built Racing is building momentum fast 鈥� proud to be part of it.鈥�

Photo credits: Mark Huckerby & BJB Photos