Weekly Round Up: Showdown heats up in Cheshire
Showdown heats up in Cheshire
FUCHS Silkolene-backed Leon Haslam still leads the way in the British Superbike Championship after the first Showdown round at Oulton Park – but he’s seen his advantage cut.
Jake Dixon celebrated double victory in Cheshire to take 14 points out of Haslam’s lead in the standings.
There was still plenty to smile about for Haslam, though, who finished third in race one, despite starting at the back of the grid after a disastrous qualification.
And there was better to come from Haslam in race two as the Derbyshire ace finished in P2.
Another FUCHS Silkolene ambassador, Peter Hickman, had a tough time. Struggling with throttle connection issues, Hickman came home P8 in both races. He’s now 10 points off third in the championship – and he’s vowed not to give up.
Be Wiser Ducati title fighter Glenn Irwin struggled in damp conditions during the opener and finished 12th, but he made up for it in race two with a P6.
Irwin said: “It was a bit of a blip but in race two I fought as hard as I could and once I got going, my pace was similar to the leaders. Coming from 14th on the grid to sixth place was good and the bike felt strong and the team have worked really hard all weekend, like always, so a big thanks to them.”
Brother and team-mate Andrew Irwin picked up a fantastic P4 and P9.
Next up in the BSB is a trip to the TT Circuit Assen in Holland on September 28.
Morgan targets top three finish
FUCHS-backed Adam Morgan has his sights set on finishing third in the BTCC Championship after a fine round at Silverstone.
It’s so tight at the top that Morgan could still finish anywhere between third and eighth.
A P6 in race one was followed by a memorable second in race two. Carrying huge weight in the final outing, Morgan had to settle for 17th.
“A third place finish would be fantastic for the whole team and a real reward for the hard work everyone has put in,” said Morgan ahead of the final round at Brands Hatch in a couple of weeks.
Collier grabs top three British Championship Spot in Rookie Superstock 1000 season
OLLIER GRABS TOP THREE BRITISH CHAMPIONSHIP SPOT IN ROOKIE SUPERSTOCK 1000 SEASON ON APRILIA RSV4 RF
23-year-old Coalville ace Joe Collier has secured third place in the 2018 Pirelli National 1000cc Superstock Championship standings after posting a 7-4 scorecard in his two races at Oulton Park over the weekend – aboard the In Competition prepared EHA Racing Aprilia RSV4 RF.
Final race of the season ends in DNF for Dennis
Dennis Hays finished his CSCC RSV Graphics New Millennium season in disappointing fashion.
Dennis’ car purred with confidence in qualifying, putting him P3 in Class.
He made a good start in the race and found himself P2 in Class. But then, just as the pit board went up, the car started to have issues and he missed the stop.
Not stopping on that lap put him out of the pit stop window and, consequently, Dennis was issued with a two-lap penalty. On the extra lap the car’s handling became “terrifyingly uncontrollable” and Dennis had to retire – the team’s first DNF for a long time.
RNRM Motorcross season ends in smiles
The final Acerbis Amateur Nationals round of the year at Pontrilas Motocross Track was also the close of the 2018 season for the FUCHS Silkolene-supported RNRM Motocross Team.
The Navy riders showed vast improvement from four weeks ago at Farleigh Castle. Bar a puncture here and a spill or two there, it was overall a good weekend for the riders.
Adam Figgins came in 17th overall, and Nick Carbury was 20th overall.
McGlinchey edges towards title
Eunan McGlinchey still leads the Dickies Junior Supersport after impressing at Oulton Park.
The Team 109 Kawasaki rider won a thrilling opening race by just 0.072s, followed by a P3 in race two.
The Northern Irishman will have to wait until next month for another chance to secure the championship crown.
Bellerby back in action this weekend
Bellerby sisters Paige and Drew are back in British Rallycross action this coming Sunday at Pembrey in south Wales. This is a one-day event, so only counts single points on the traditional track layout.
Paige is currently second in the 2018 MSA Supernational Rallycross Championship behind the irrepressible Tristan Ovenden, while Drew is fourth in the 2018 BMW Mini Rallycross Championship.
Drew’s Fuchs backed BMW Mini has been thoroughly overhauled since it’s last problematic outing at Lydden Hill, so she is hoping for a better result in the Final this time. Sister Paige, also with backing from Fuchs, is again in her Honda engined Lotus Exige, and hoping for a good result here to maintain her second place in the Super National class, as work commitments mean she will likely miss the final round of the championship at Silverstone.
