Thundersport GB - Anglesey 2019 Programme

THUNDERSPORT GB CHAMPIONSHIPS 2019

ROUND 6 25th & 26th August 2019

THE HOME OF SPORTSMAN RACING

SUNDAY 25TH AUGUST

15 Minute Qualifying Sessions 9.30am - Thundersport GP3-Superteens 9.49am - GP2-Super/Stocktwins & 500 FM 10.08am - Golden Era Supersport/Steelsport 10.27am - Thundersport 500 Elite. Snr & Sport 10.46am - PN 600 Sport & FM - GP1 Sport & FM 11.05am - Thundersport 600 SP/EL & GP1 Classic 11.24am - Thundersport GP1 Sportsman/Elite RACE 1 - 11.45am - 10 Laps Thundersport GP3-Superteens RACE 2 - 12.05pm - 10 Laps GP2-Super/Stocktwins & 500 FM RACE 3 - 12.25pm - 10 Laps Golden Era Supersport & Steelsport RACE 4 - 12.45pm - 10 Laps Thundersport 500 Elite. Snr & Sport RACE 5 - 1.05pm - 10 Laps GP1 Classic, Sport, FM & GESBK RACE 6 - 1.25pm - 16 Laps Thundersport 600 Sportsman Elite RACE 7 - 1.50pm - 10 Laps Pre-National 600 Sport & Freshman CHURCH BREAK & LUNCH (No Engine Noise) RACE 8 - 3.00pm - 16 Laps Thundersport GP1 Sportsman Elite RACE 9 - 3.25pm - 10 Laps Thundersport GP3-Superteens RACE 10 - 3.45pm - 10 Laps GP2-Super/Stocktwins & 500 FM RACE 11 - 4.05pm - 10 Laps Golden Era Supersport & Steelsport RACE 12 - 4.25pm - 10 Laps Thundersport 500 Elite. Snr & Sport RACE 13 - 4.45pm - 10 Laps GP1 Classic, Sport, FM & GESBK RACE 14 - 5.00pm - 10 Laps Pre-National 600 Sport & Freshman

THUNDERSPORT GB RACE DAY TIMETABLES

MONDAY 26TH AUGUST 8 Minute Warm Up Sessions 9.00am - Session 1 (as final instructions) 9.11am - Session 2 (as final instructions) 9.22am - Session 3 (as final instructions) 9.33am - Session 4 (as final instructions) 9.44am - Session 5 (as final instructions) 9.55am - Session 6 (as final instructions) RACE 1 - 10.10am - 14 Laps Thundersport GP1 Sportsman Elite RACE 2 - 10.32am - 12 Laps Thundersport GP3-Superteens RACE 3 - 10.54am - 12 Laps GP2-Super/Stocktwins & 500 FM RACE 4 - 11.16am - 12 Laps Golden Era Supersport & Steelsport RACE 5 - 11.38am - 14 Laps Thundersport 600 Sportsman Elite RACE 6 - 12.02pm - 12 Laps Thundersport 500 Elite. Snr & Sport RACE 7 - 12.24pm - 12 Laps GP1 Classic, Sport, FM & GESBK RACE 8 - 12.48pm - 12 Laps Pre-National 600 Sport & Freshman LUNCH BREAK RACE 9 - 1.50pm - 14 Laps Thundersport GP1 Sportsman Elite RACE 10 - 2.12pm - 12 Laps Thundersport GP3-Superteens RACE 11 - 2.34pm - 12 Laps GP2-Super/Stocktwins & 500 FM RACE 12 - 2.56pm - 12 Laps Golden Era Supersport & Steelsport RACE 13 - 3.18pm - 14 Laps Thundersport 600 Sportsman Elite RACE 14 - 3.40pm - 12 Laps Thundersport 500 Elite. Snr & Sport RACE 15 - 4.02pm - 12 Laps GP1 Classic, Sport, FM & GESBK RACE 16 - 4.26pm - 12 Laps Pre-National 600 Sport & Freshman

THUNDERSPORT GB (Affiliated to the ACU as Club Thundersport Ltd and Thundersport Midlands) This meeting is held under a European OPEN Road Race Permit, complying with the National Sporting Code and the Standing Regulations for Road Races of the ACU, the Supplementary Regulations of the above organisation, and in accordance with the ACU / FIM Environmental Code.

OUTLINE FLAGS AND OTHER SIGNALS

Permanent Course Licence No. 009 ACU Permit No. ACU 55205 Outline Flags and other signals used at this meeting: (full details are shown in the ACU Handbook a copy of which is available for inspection in the Race Administration).

RED LIGHTS - May be extinguished as the signal to start races. May be illuminated to stop races or practice NATIONAL FLAG - May be used as the signal to start races GREEN FLAG - Indicates that the track is clear YELLOW FLAG - This Flag indicates that there is danger ahead. Overtaking in this sector is forbidden YELLOW /RED STRIPED FLAG - This indicates a lack of adhesion in this sector. Oil, Water or another substance (debris) on track RED FLAG - The race or practice session is stopped. Riders must return slowly to the pits or as directed by the marshals YELLOW I BLACK CROSS - This flag is shown at the startline at the beginning of the last lap.

CHEQUERED FLAG - Indicates the end of the race or practice session

NOTICE: MOTOR SPORTS CAN BE DANGEROUS! Despite the organisers taking all reasonable precautions, unavoidable accidents can happen.

Please comply with all instructions of marshals and notices and remain in permitted areas only.

THEY ARE CONCERNED WITH YOUR SAFETY

ANGLESEY COASTAL CIRCUIT

RACE DIRECTOR Dave Stewart

SECRETARY OF THE MEETING Dave Stewart Unit 4, Knowle Hill Farm, Ingleby Lane, Ticknall, Derby. DE73 7LQ

RACE SECRETARY Bernadette Stewart

CLERK OF THE COURSE Dave Stewart DEPUTY CLERK OF THE COURSE Phil Page / Paul Matthews Joanne Lumb

OFFICIALS & ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ASSISTANT RACE SECRETARY CHIEF TECHNICAL STEWARD Stuart Bailey (Chief)

CHIEF MARSHAL John Pedersen

CHIEF INCIDENT OFFICER Mark Lumb

SOUND CONTROL

Rodger Wadey (Senior)

STARTLINE OFFICIALS Mark Lumb (Chief) Yorke Wilson (Deputy) Pete Harrington (Starter)

RACE CONTROL Joanne Page

ASSEMBLY AREA

Norman & Margaret Lowes

PODIUM CREW Toni Harrington Michelle Howdle

RECOVERY TEAM

Dan Wesley / Tom Freeman

ACU STEWARD John Ward

TIMEKEEPERS TSL Timing

CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICERS Ellen Rawlinson / Peter Hughes Steve Ready

AMBULANCE SERVICE

Inter County Paramedic & Anglesey Circuit Paramedics

COMMENTATOR

John Ward / Keith Roisetter

CIRCUIT MANAGER

Andrew Crighton 01407 811400

HAIR GEL & SUNGLASSES “Too many choices, or just one?”

The Red Bull Rookies actually worked in Europe, because you got in on merit Si�ng here in Southern Spain and watching Moto-GP qualifying from Barcelona, something odd just struck me.

Listening to Steve Day commenta�ng and reminiscing about his days as a Superteen racing against Casey Stoner, Cal Crutchlow, Chaz Davies, Sam Lowes, Alex Lowes, Danny Webb and Bradley Smith a small thunderbolt of a ques�on hit me about what came next?

That whole genera�on – the classes of 2000 to 2003 – took a pre�y fast track path to the top of the sport that hasn´t been seen since and I wondered why. What have we been doing wrong since then?

Sure there was a brief resurgence in 2008 & 2009 where riders like Danny Kent, John McPhee and Sco� Redding came through into World Championship stardom, but since then it has been fairly barren.

Even riders with the undoubted poten�al of Rory Skinner, Lewis Rollo, Bradley Ray, Luke Mossey, Chris�an Iddon and Ryan Vickers find themselves unable to move out of the domes�c arena, whilst Spanish & Italian kids are being fast tracked into the main event at Moto-GP. Now even the places on the Bri�sh Superbike grid are moving out of the reach of

many riders, due to the influx of ex-Moto GP and World Superbike riders occupying good seats.

That may well be an excellent thing for the BSB promoters, but the flip side is that it makes it even harder for home grown talent to shine.

When that happened in the USA, the AMA thought they were on to a winner, but as soon as Ma� Maladin, Neil Hodgson, Regis Laconi and Marty Craggill decided that a season or two in that highly paid series would be a good thing to top up their pension pots, the local talent got squeezed out and the local fans

lost interest.

The AMA Superbike series has not yet recovered from the effects of that slump, even though Wayne Rainey and company are working very hard to bring it back to it’s glory days.

There are currently 22 permanent spaces on the MotoGP grid and no fewer than 14 of them are occupied by Spanish or Italian riders, many of whom have been ac�vely promoted through the lower ranks by their home federa�ons AND the successful riders themselves. Valen�no Rossi’s VR46 Academy is not the only rider funded system out there.

It is merely one of a line of rider based promo�ons that arguably started with Alberto Puig’s “Telefonica Cup”.

In the UK we now have the much vaunted Bri�sh Talent Cup, which has so far been outstanding only in respect of

its invisibility and lack of end product. The selec�on process itself seemed to be underfunded and lacked the preevent scou�ng that the Dorna/ Flammini Talent Scouts used to carry out in the early days.

From 2000 to 2005 it wasn’t unusual for me to see Tony Par�s, Ma�eo Resta or Oscar Gallardo at one of my events, looking for the kids with raw talent.

Yet even though the majority of the riders that went into the Bri�sh Talent Cup selec�on process came from our championships, we never once saw anyone trackside actually watching the riders.

Just looking at results sheets, blind applica�ons and Social Media posts to filter out poten�al talent is akin to gamblers si�ng in a be�ng shop miles away from the ac�on just hoping that you can pick a winner without much in

the way of effort. That is never going to be as successful as seeing something first hand and being aware of the problems or constraints facing every rider.

Hopefully that may change next year when a tangible prize is on offer to the winner.

In those days of us producing a con�nuous stream of talented young riders, there was just the one recognised route.

The Superteen Challenge was the sole credible path open to young riders and every up and coming rider knew it. The people who were looking for talent knew it too.

I can clearly remember those regular calls from both the Dorna (Moto-GP) and Flammini (WSB) talent scouts asking about which riders they should be looking at with regard to invita�ons to the Red Bull Rookies, CEV and CIV Junior Championships. We were able to point them in the direc�on

Cal Crutchlow in his second year of Superteen action - 2001

Callan Cooper, leads Max Cook, Charlie Nesbitt, George Stanley etc at Redgate Corner of riders who had the raw talent, even if they had not yet produced results that reflected their true ability. The scouts arrived with clear information and went back with the answers they needed. They could also size up the parents and ensure that their attitudes and commitment was in keeping with what is needed to win in our sport.

Now there are too many options and too many people who think that the answer is to by-pass all that and take their kids directly to Spain or Italy without any true interest being shown in them before they leave (neither of which ever works).

The modern day blight of our

sport is the sheer number of pseudo experts who set up “Teams” and sell the spaces in them to the Mums & Dads of young hopeful riders.

We often get riders say to us that they have been “Offered a Ride” in this team or that team, when the truth is that they are just being used to fund somebody elses weekend lifestyle.

There are Good Teams and there are good Rider Coaches out there who make an honest living out of our sport, but they are vastly outnumbered by the “Fake Teams” where the rider, or riders parents, are expected to both pick up all the bills and fund the Team Principals living.

Don’t look at the Team Shirts,

Garage display boards, or Team Truck when assessing whether something is the right move.

Look at the track record and what has happened to that particular teams previous riders.

My old mate Ian Newton always used to say that the sheer boredom of sitting around all day on Friday waiting for your solitary 25 minute track session was what turned young riders into Prima-Donnas. He called it the “Hair Gel & Sunglasses” syndrome and I have to say that he´s right.

There is no problem with having lots of options, but when you´re looking at those options it´s important to recognise what it is you`re actually buying into.

Over a three day event at one of our meetings a rider can confidently expect to get over 3 hours of well structured track time, which no one else can come close to. With 6 track sessions on Friday, followed by qualifying plus 2 races on Saturday, then warm up plus another 2 races on Sunday, there´s no lack of opportunities to develop both your riding and set up skills.

The British Talent Cup, the British Junior Supersport Championship, the Motostar Standard series, the Superteen Championship and even the Kawasaki Cup are all now viable options for youth riders in this country. That effectively divides the talent pool into 5 groups of riders who may never race against each other, push each other, learn from each other or drag each other onto their true potential.

And THAT in my opinion is the

centre of the problem.

Given the major backing that some of those series have, why is it that the Superteen Challenge is still the most effective route for young riders to kick off their potential careers?

After all Thundersport GB – the home of the Superteen Challenge - doesn´t have the reach or public recognition of the British Superbike Championship which hosts three of the other options. We are actually just the second tier of the UK motorcycle racing set up, but as such we can tailor our series more in the interests of the participants than to an expectant TV audience.

Quality track time is the key.

So, 3 hours at Thundersport GB or an hour and a half elsewhere, simple choice?

The best way to build a career in racing is to start with solid foundations. Learn your craft as

thoroughly as possible and put in the hours both in the gym and on track.

When you´re good enough, Oakley, Rayban and all the others will be paying you to wear their products and you´ll know the efforts were all worth it.

If you simply want to be in the same paddock as the Superbike riders, buy replicas of their sunglasses and maybe get a whiff of their hair gel so that you can buy the right brand, you know who to call.

If you´re serious about riding your bike and becoming the very best racer that you can be, right here is the right starting point.

Thundersport GB – We think you´ll like the way we do things and we know it works.

They don’t buy those sunglasses, they get PAID to wear them.

PIPEWERX GP1 ELITE & MONEX GP1 SPORTSMAN

No 5 6 8 9 11 12 17 24 28 47 53 54 55 60 66 68 73 90 94 95 96 97 99 111 118 145 177 197 211 212 717 775

Rider Alex Baker Nick Williamson Liam Marchant Paul Charman Will Harper Stephen Taylor Gordon MacDonald Lee McLaughlin Luke Hopkins Zac Oultram Joe Ravenscro� Sam Cox Kirt Powell Oliver Riley Brendan Mallinder Kieran Forbes David Brook Rory Parker Lee Williams Ross Simpson Callum O'Shea Donatas Balciunas Callum Grigor John Robb Andy Sailor Daniel Forbes Mark Pa�nson Mark Cooper Gary Stevens Dean McMaster Toby Shan Robert Smith

Hometown Ormskirk Swanwick Caistor Accrington Crick Oakham Carstairs Leeds Teynham Stockport Huddersfield Maldon Spalding Bolton Rotherham Leeds Bradford Ramsey IOM Bootle Chessington Bradden IOM Milton Keynes Wishaw Stockport Lancaster Leeds Lancaster Bolton Radstock Ballymena NI Kexby Reading

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Team Team BBR RBM Motorsport Delkevic Racing UK MKWRaceEngineer.co.uk MAH Racing STR Racing Team#2 EAD Racing Lee Mc/JAB Racing Hopkins Racing K & A Racing Ravenscro� Transport PapaJRacing Powell Racing Riley Racing Team Mally FB Racing Team Arkoni Racing RP Racing Team Willo Racing Simpson Racing Monarch Honda Donis Racing Kirkaldy Kawasaki EMTT / John Robb Racing Rapid OLE FB Racing MP Racing Hollins Strategic Land GS Racing McMaster Racing Shann Racing SCH Motoprep

Thundersport GP1 Elite Points Lee Williams Rory Parker Luke Hopkins Dave Brook Gary Johnson Brendan Mallinder Lee McLaughlin Leon Jeacock Rob Smith John Ingram

311 170 161 159 99 99 95 75 73 70

Machine Suzuki Suzuki Kawasaki Yamaha Suzuki Suzuki Suzuki Suzuki BMW Kawasaki Kawasaki KTM Kawasaki Kawasaki BMW BMW BMW Suzuki Kawasaki BMW Honda BMW Kawasaki Suzuki Kawasaki Suzuki Yamaha Kawasaki BMW Suzuki Triumph BMW

cc 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 675 1000

11

CL E E E E E S S S E S E E S S E S E E E E E S E E S S S S E E S E

Thundersport GP1 Sportsman Points 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Lee McLaughlin Stephen Taylor Kirt Powell Zac Oultram Daniel Forbes Gordon MacDonald Joe Holdsworth Kieran Forbes Andrew Batner Adam Reavill

253 213 163 147 128 116 112 104 81 80

CAREFUL WITH THAT AXE EUGENE! These bad boys are the most sophisticated and powerful bits of kit in the paddock.

When you start racing, everyone secretly wants one, but the first time you ride one in anger reminds you very forcefully that they can bite!

It is a reminder of how fast technology has advanced in just a few years when you consider that all of the bikes on this grid have more advanced electronics than even the most sophisticated Grand Prix machines had before the 4-stroke Moto-GP era started. It’s even more amazing to consider that if a decent standard club rider were on one of these machines in any Grand Prix before around 1991, he would probably have won! That is a little factoid that both astounds and offends people like me that grew up with Wayne Rainey and Eddie Lawson as their racing heroes (because NOBODY could have smoked the tyres like they did - could they?)................

This race has 2 categories within one race - all riders contest the main Thundersport GP1 Elite category and that can be won outright by a Sportsman rider if he is good enough.

All categories of GP1 rider may use any tyre, slick or treaded and even 16.5 inch rims if desired. There is an open tyre policy in most classes at Thundersport GB and Dunlop, Avon, Continental and the other brands all put a lot of effort into getting their men onto the podium. If one brand dominates the podium, the rest of the riders very swiftly switch to that brand.

This is a VERY big marketing exercise, because over 1,200 tyres will be used at pretty much every Thundersport GB meeting.

CLASS LAP RECORD 1.07.709 Lee Williams

BASS TYRE SERVICES

13

GP3-SUPERTEENS

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT

No

Rider

Hometown

7

Kieran Smith

Reading

9

Jack Bednarek

Leeds

15

Matthew Rutter

Chestre le Street

19

Joe Talbot

Warrington

21

Scarlett Robinson

New Mills

42

Luke Gilby

Carmarthen

48

Joe Howard

Rochdale

50

Jayda Howe

Ipswich

52

Kam Dixon

Norwich

69

Jamie LeMasurier

Bromley

74

Jake Aldridge

Chelmsford

77

Finley Arscott

Lifton

83

Harris Beech

Bridgnorth

101

Louis Rendell

Winsley

643

Harry Harris

Broadway

743

Toby Ellis

Worcester

775

Christian Smith

Reading

It’s been very well documented that the worlds longest running one make championship – the Superteen Challenge – has been the launch pad for a multitude of British and World Championship racers. That was no accident, but it wasn’t exactly rocket science either. The premise for developing young talent isn’t really solely about the machinery they are using, the important thing – the only really important thing in fact – is getting the entire pool of talent in the same place, at the same time. Any of us could be conceited and say that we are teaching them, but there is no point in lying about it – these youngsters are teaching each other. They look at another rider of similar age, ability and size to themselves and just think “If he can do that, so can I!” and once they’ve made it happen once, Team Machine cc Class it goes straight into their skill set. The more kids you can get together on track at the same RS Racing Academy Kawasaki 300 ST time, the more opportunity there is for them all to learn at a faster HEC Decorating Yamaha 300 ST rate.

When Casey Stoners parents Rutters Race Team Kawasaki 300 ST brought him half way across the world to pitch him against Warrington MOT Centre KTM 390 ST the other youngsters in the Superteens, it started a chain Hello Dave KTM 390 ST of events that culminated in Cal Crutchlow (also a Superteen that year) becoming the first British CG Racing KTM 390 ST premier class Grand-Prix winner since Barry Sheene.

Samper Installations Kawasaki 300 ST If you think that is the end of the line, you’re not looking at the Jayda Howe Racing Aprilia 125 ST true picture though. There are a whole host of riders still working Kam Dixon Racing Yamaha 300 ST their way through the system that have the potential to replicate Freestyle Yamaha Yamaha 300 ST that success and perhaps go even further. Cal was a Superteen in JA Racing KTM 390 ST 2000 and went on to win the championship in 2001, so there are another 14 years worth of Arscott Racing Kawasaki 300 ST exactly that kind of talent already in the pipeline. OK, so Casey only Batham Racing Yamaha 300 ST took 7 years after leaving the Superteens to get into a position Rendell Racing Aprilia 450 ST where he was able to take his first Moto-GP race win, whereas it’s Bespoke Bathing Co. KTM 390 ST taken Cal 14 years, but I think that just goes to prove the point that Bespoke Bathing Co. Kawasaki 300 ST there is no great rush as British riders tend to benefit from a little more time in the development RS Racing Academy Kawasaki 300 ST stages. Rory Skinner, Charlie Thundersport GP3 Superteens Points Nesbitt, Max Cook and Lewis Rollo – make a note of their names as 1 Joe Talbot 391 they are all on the same upward 2 Louis Rendell 301 escalator that brought Cal, Bradley 3 Kam Dixon 229 Smith, Sam Lowes, Danny Kent, 4 Harris Beech 229 Danny Webb and Alex Lowes onto the world stage.

5 Jack Bednarek 176

6 7 8 9 10

James Bull Joe Howard Jake Aldridge Finley Arscott Jamie LeMasurier

144 139 132 126 121

CLASS LAP RECORD 1.15.697 Harry Leigh

DUNLOP TYRES & HMT RACING

THUNDERSPORT 500 FRESHMAN

14

THE BIGGEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK!

No

Rider

Hometown

Team

Machine

cc

CL

4

Gary Gray

Stourport

Concept Furniture

Honda

500

F

17

Ross Obey

Carterton

RNRMRRT

Honda

500

F

24

Steve Brown

Northwich

Team Felicity Racing

Honda

500

F

26

Bailey Harker

Spalding

Bailey Harker Racing

Honda

500

F

33

Richard Hughes

Walsall

Stumpy Racing

Honda

500

F

39

William Church

Shrewsbury

BC Racing

Honda

500

F

52

Rob Humpleby

Gunness

Bella Racing

Honda

500

F

59

James Underhill

Rye

JU Racing

Honda

500

F

78

Chris Took

Scunthorpe

CT Racing

Honda

500

F

80

Morgan Creasey

Spalding

Creasey Racing

Honda

500

F

89

Shaun Eckersley

Sible Hedingham

Eckersley Racing

Honda

500

F

102

Andrew Monnery

Exmouth

AM Racing

Honda

500

F

145

Bradley Catling

Barlby

Catling RR

Honda

500

F

173

Daryll Harker

Doncaster

Harker Racing

Honda

500

F

193

David McDonald

Scunthorpe

Team McDonald Build

Honda

500

F

361

Ma� Lewis

No�ngham

ML Racing

Honda

500

F

636

Dave Catling

Selby

Catling RR

Honda

500

F

Thundersport 500 Freshman Points 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Bailey Harker David McDonald Rob Humpleby Gary Gray Eddie Lewis David Waters Richard Hughes Morgan Creasey Ross Obey James Cottenham

243 236 231 211 188 172 167 164 138 106

The Thundersport 500 Elite, Sportsman and Seniors championships are the absolute cheapest possible way to go road racing on this planet. A whole race package can be picked up for less than the price of a top of the range helmet, boots & gloves. That said, the racing is hard and close - bordering on the frantic at times. The talent of a racer needn’t be judged by the value of the bike he/she happens to be sitting on, some of the most gifted riders in the country ride these humble parallel twins. The predominant choice of bike here is the Honda CB500, but once you’ve watched a couple of these races you’ll never look at one of these staid commuter bikes in quite the same way again. The 500 Seniors championship caters for riders of 40 years of age or older on 1st March of any given racing season.

Some of these lads are fulfilling a long term ambition to race that they simply didn’t have the resources to satisfy when they were younger. When you see the level of skill displayed by some of them, you have to think that they could have made a pretty good living at it if circumstances had been different.

The Freshman championship caters for riders who are just starting their racing careers and have no racing experience.

This is also very closely fought.

Today the non-qualifiers from the main Elite races will also join the Freshmen on this grid.

CLASS LAP RECORD 1.15.794 Ryan Vickers

ALTO DIGITAL GP2-SUPERTWINS & LMB STOCKTWINS

15

GP2-SUPERTWINS A NEW START THAT IS ACTUALLY BACK TO ITS ROOTS

No

Rider

Hometown

Team

Machine

cc

CL

2

Roddy Taylor

Aldershot

Roddy Taylor Racing

Suzuki

650

GP2

5

Will Young

Colchester

Bri�sh Army Race Team

Suzuki

650

ST

9

Dean Armstrong

Seaham

Deano Racing

Suzuki

650

ST

18

Polly Richardson

York

Polly-Gone Racing

Kawasaki

400

Cup

33

Taylor Rose

Horley

Taylor Rose Racing

Suzuki

650

ST

42

Max Dixon

Spital

Max Dixon Racing

Suzuki

650

GP2

47

Josh Ingram

Gloucester

GBS Racing

Suzuki

650

ST

54

Thomas Foster

Ipswich

Foster Racing

Suzuki

650

ST

59

Alberto Solera

Buckingham

Solera Sport

Suzuki

650

ST

63

Stevie Robinson

Manchester

SR Racing

Suzuki

650

ST

64

Liam Basse�

Durham

Liam Basse� Racing

Suzuki

650

ST

76

Jacque Foley

Scariff ROI

Rus�c Racing

Kramer

690

GP2

81

Luke Terry

Exmouth

RNRMRRT

Suzuki

650

GP2

89

Sean Seddon

Northop

Team Helmet

Suzuki

650

GP2

117

George Davies

Shirley

Crazypainter Racing

Suzuki

650

ST

150

Paul Drinkwater

Leeds

James Whitham Track

Kawasaki

650

GP2

164

Joe Duggan

Doncaster

M&S Performance

Kawasaki

400

Cup

171

Zak Shelton

No�ngham

M&S Performance

Kawasaki

400

Cup

616

Craig Szczypek

Buckingham

2Zs Racing

Suzuki

650

GP2

Thundersport GP2 Cup Points

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Zak Shelton Joe Duggan Polly Richardson Harris Beech Will Lathrope Mcauley Longmore Lynden Leatherland Kyal Tinker Finley Arscott Matthew Bower

333 260 104 98 85 79 75 72 69 66

Thundersport GB started out with what was our Supertwin class back in 2009 (strangely enough it was called GP2 back then) and it has since appeared in Irish Road Races, the North-West 200 and more recently the TT Races.

GP2-Supertwins aren’t just twins, they are singles too - and always have been and the new cc limits are designed to re-balance the performance of all of the various machines that are eligible to compete.

Some long time participants in the class take the view that the class shouldn’t cater for anything other than a Kawasaki 650 or Suzuki 650, but there are plenty of others who relish the challenge of building something a little different.

STOCKTWINS ARE GP2-SUPERTWINS ON A BUDGET

Whereas the GP2Supertwin category has no tuning restrictions, we also compliment that with our more cost concious Stocktwins Championship.

Cost control was always designed to be a core principal of Stocktwins and the rules are designed to allow most things that are NOT performance enhancing.

Thundersport Stocktwins Points Thundersport GP2-Supertwins Points

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Alberto Solera Taylor Rose Liam Bassett Dean Armstrong Will Young Ryan Folkes Thomas Foster Andrew Castle Ben Rainbow James Alder

420 309 301 240 189 150 137 120 111 106

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Jacque Foley Alberto Solera Taylor Rose Liam Bassett Roddy Taylor Craig Szczpek Neil Gregory Michael Rees Jamie Edwards Dean Armstrong

302 298 204 165 165 151 134 130 127 127

CLASS LAP RECORD GP2 - 1.10.437 John Simpson Stocktwins - 1.12.829 Greg Madero

THE BATTLE OF DONINGT

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BLACKBIRD CORPORATE GOLDEN ERA SUPERSPORT & STEELSPORT

No 1 3 4 5 8 10 14 15 17 18 22 26 32 41 42 48 50 51 52 56 66 67 80 81 97 119 143 162 169 211 217 315 750

Rider Dave Langley Adrian Bridges Sco� Miller Ryan Garside Jason Goodwin Joshua Rust Brad Davey Daniel Taylor Ma�y Whelan Carl Vickers Steve Lester Daniel Millner James Leslie Daniel Jones Phillip Ashworth Stewart Toal Robert Tucker Paul Debnam Tony Waistnage Phil Cox Liam Vella Andrew Kitchen Andrew Dodd Mar�n Boardman David Williams Neil Schofield Alex Pla� Gethin Edwards Cory Smith David Young Nathan Hudson Ashley Thompson Kane Langston

Hometown Dereham Solihull Colchester Fleetwood Rotherham Stapleford Abingdon Scunthorpe Barnsley Nantwich Bury StEdmunds Hope Valley Ruislip Shirley Winsford Hun�ngdon Radstock Wellingborough Swinton Maldon Lincoln Huddersfield Rhyl Carnforth Covenham Barnsley Lincoln Holyhead Scunthorpe Chesterfield Mansfield Market Rasen St Neots

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Team Petes Plumbing/Westcotec CT Racing Team Autoenhance Myerscough EasyPay Goodwin Racing SR Decor Moto 14 Specialist Surface Prepara�on ATS Racing Delkevic Racing SL Racing Meltedsliders RAF MSA CT Racing Team Phil Ashworth Racing Fubar Racing CT Racing Team Hellcat Racing RP Motorsport AF Switchgear Vella Racing Pressform Racing Dodd Racing BTL Racing Boz Racing Schofield Racing Team Lincs Classic Suzuki TN Robinson Ltd Corkie Racing DY Racing Hudson Racing AT Racing Fubar Racing

Golden Era Supersport Points Tony Waistnage Ashley Thompson Dan Taylor Ben Doolan Kane Langston Liam Vella Alex Platt Dave Langley Carl Vickers Neil Schofield

343 281 195 176 175 166 160 147 147 133

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Machine Honda Yamaha Yamaha Honda Honda Honda Duca� Yamaha Honda Yamaha Honda Suzuki Honda Yamaha Yamaha Yamaha Yamaha Yamaha Yamaha Yamaha Yamaha Honda Honda Yamaha Honda Yamaha Suzuki Honda Honda Honda Honda Yamaha Kawasaki

cc 600 600 600 600 600 600 748 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600

CL SS SS SS SF SF SF SF SS SF SS SF SS SF SS SS SS SS SF SS SS SS SS SF SS SS SS SS SF SS SF SF SS SS

19

WHEN TRACTION CONTROL WAS ALL IN THE WRIST ACTION! As with the corresponding Superbike class, some of the most memorable race action came from a time before the electronics geeks interferred with the direct relationship between the twist grip and the throttle slides. The term “Mad Axe-Murderers” was actually coined by James Whitham when he did a couple of Wild Card rides in the World Supersport Championship and watching it from trackside you simply couldn’t argue the accuracy of that label.

If Ghengis Khan rode a motorcycle it would have been an R6 or ZX6RR from this era (he might have struggled getting his helmet through Technical Control, but who’s going to argue with him?).

Golden Era Supersport is our version of this classic era of motorcycle racing, before traction control took over from pure fearless determination. These classes are not PreInjection or Pre-2000, they are tailored to the bikes that actually raced in that iconic era. The technical regulations allow all and any modifications that were used in period and ban anything that wasn’t around or allowed at the time.

Tyres are any make, any pattern, any type - as long as they have a road legal designation. Full wets are permitted only when a Wet Race has been declared.

Golden Era Steelsport Points Ryan Garside Gethin Edwards Matty Whelan Brad Davey Nick Turner James Leslie Jason Goodwin Steve Lester Joshua Rust Andrew Smith

405 316 270 264 215 172 135 78 47 39

CLASS LAP RECORD Supersport - 1.11.051 Chris Hellewell Steelsport - 1.13.076 Jon Wright

Bolt-on secondary crankcase protective covers Designed, developed & manufactured in-house Distributed Worldwide for use on track & road

www.GBRacing.eu Made in UK

GB RACING 600 SPORTSMAN & ELITE

21

ELITE BLEND

No

Rider

Hometown

Team

Machine

cc

CL

26

Ryan Cooper

Leeds

Coops Racing

Yamaha

600

E

27

Brian Fuidge

Poole

RNRMRRT

Kawasaki

600

S

28

Luke Hopkins

Teynham

Hopkins Racing

Yamaha

600

E

36

Ryan Whitehall

Whitwell

Ateca Racing

Yamaha

600

S

39

Tomo Burnett

Ramsey IOM

Tru Racing

Kawasaki

600

E

50

Lewis Barnes

Swindon

Barnes Haulage Racing

Yamaha

600

E

63

Joshua Coward

Westbury

Coward Racing

Kawasaki

600

E

64

Pete Riches

Gosport

Team Riches

Yamaha

600

S

72

Max Wadsworth

Halifax

Specialised Group

Yamaha

600

E

76

Jacque Foley

Scariff ROI

Rustic Racing

Kawasaki

600

E

84

Chris Lavisher

Newbury

C&J Racing

Triumph

675

S

90

Alex Pozzi

Silverstone

MSG Racing

Suzuki

600

S

95

Max Stainton

Louth

Stainton Racing

Kawasaki

600

S

101 Rich Baker

Crewe

Team 101

Triumph

675

S

117 Joe Hendrie

Stockport

BBB Racing

Triumph

675

E

118 Andy Sailor

Lancaster

Rapid OLE

Suzuki

600

S

121 Eoin Collins

Lisdoonvarna ROI

Collins Racing

Kawasaki

600

E

177 Mark Pattinson

Lancaster

MP Racing

Triumph

675

S

519 Eric Telger

RAF Croughton

Eric Telger Racing

Yamaha

600

S

717 Toby Shann

Kexby

Shann Racing

Triumph

675

S

Thundersport 600 Elite Points

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Luke Hopkins James Hind Arnie Shelton Dan Frear Max Wadsworth Ryan Cooper Max Stainton Lewis Barnes Ryan Whitehall Luke Turner

236 230 204 198 194 103 93 92 87 72

Thundersport 600 Sportsman Points 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Ryan Whitehall Max Stainton Luke Turner Chris Lavisher Alex Pozzi Joshua Coward Scott Stevens Kayla Barrington Ryan Cole Brian Fuidge

234 226 198 180 141 139 100 74 61 61

Modern Superstock 600 specification bikes are now so good that what was almost unthinkable 10 years ago is now true. In the right hands, a Superstock bike could set a lap time good enough for a front row start in British Supersport. Bearing in mind the ÂŁ25,000 price gap between the two bikes, that is an amazing testament to how closely the manufacturers are able to replicate what their race departments are learning from racing and putting it into their production lines. With lap times so close, it seems mildly pointless creating two different races and therefore splitting up the pool of talent, so we combine the two different machine specifications into one (very exciting) race.

We now run two classes in this race, but they are no longer split on machine specification, they are divided based on rider experience and licence grade. This reflects the lesser experience of some riders who contest the Sportsman class, rather than the Elite. This is our third season using this format, which was introduced because we felt that some riders moving up from the Pre-National classes would like to be able to contest a championship against riders with a similar level of experience.

The Elite class is the main championship and it is the fastest 600 racing class anywhere outside of the BSB paddock itself. If you can cut the mustard in this tremendously competitive class, you can acquit yourself well anywhere! Whatever happens the action will be as frantic as only 600cc racing can be.

CLASS LAP RECORD 1.08.426 Danny Booth

I RIDE TO WIN.

DUNLOP TYRES & HMT RACING

THUNDERSPORT 500

23

THE BIGGEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK!

No 7

Rider

Hometown

Team

Daniel Swi�

Maltby

RP Motorsport

cc

CL

Honda

500

E V

11

Mark Leaning

Winterton

JLR Performance

Honda

500

12

Tom Ratcliffe

Dudley

Rascal Racing

Honda

500

S

13

Peter Nelson

Runcorn

Lord Nelson Ta�oos

Honda

500

S

15

Ryan Haw

Wakefield

Crazy Racing/GAIA Packing

Honda

500

S

19

Grant Whitaker

Halifax

HWW Race Products

Honda

500

E

20

Josh Langman

Walsall

Team ASJ

Honda

500

S

21

James Lee

Stockton on tees

Fibre-Lite Racing

Honda

500

E

27

John O'Toole

Smalley

Clip n Climb Racing

Honda

500

E

57

Dave King

Grantham

RP Motorsport

Honda

500

V

67

Mike Brown

Stourport

Concept Furniture

Honda

500

V

72

Bobby Campbell

RAF Coningsby

Bobby Campbell Racing

Honda

500

V

79

Lee Silvain

Bury St Edmunds

Silvain Racing Team

Honda

500

V

82

Simon Gates

Stockbridge

Gates Racing

Honda

500

V

84

Andy Manchester

Warlingham

DMP Performance M/C

Honda

500

V

99

Steven Bu�erworth

Wolverhampton

Rascal Racing

Honda

500

S

111

Paul Anyon

Neston

Team Wheaty

Honda

500

V

118

Mar�n Bazeley

Camberley

MKR

Honda

500

S

121

Josh Leaning

Winterton

Shane Brocklehurst Transport

Honda

500

E

124

Lewis Booth

Sale

LRB Racing

Honda

500

S

133

Bre� Price

Farley

Price Racing

Honda

500

S

135

Tim Hawkins

Minehead

CTD Racing

Honda

500

V

170

Stuart Cooke

Chester

Arrows

Honda

500

V

194

Jordan Ashington

Bradford

Jordz Racing

Honda

500

E

261

Liam Silvain

Bury St Edmunds

Silvain Racing

Honda

500

S

267

Chris Spooner

Stoke on Trent

Delkevic Racing

Honda

500

S

321

Chris Kingham

Farnborough

Infinity Motorcycles

Honda

500

V

441

Aran Sadler

Chester le Street

Sadler Racing

Honda

500

S

500

Paul Manning

Re�ord

Doncastercars.com

Honda

500

V

525

Tom Louth

Paignton

Motomechanix

Honda

500

V

Thundersport 500 Seniors Points Thundersport 500 Sportsman Points

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Machine

Chris Kingham Dave King Paul Manning Mark Leaning Mike Brown Martin Radford Lee Silvain Clive Mindham Tim Hawkins Richie Connole

435 278 203 172 155 146 146 139 136 128

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Josh Langman Martin Bazeley Matt Snow Charlie White Aran Sadler Ryan Haw Rob Carver Brett Price Ben Bailey Rob Aimable

361 331 168 146 138 121 119 115 99 98

Thundersport 500 Elite Points

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Grant Whitaker Josh Leaning James Lee Chris Kingham Daniel Swift Josh Langman Reece Rothwell Martin Bazeley Sam Palfreyman John O´Toole

376 357 279 215 160 142 127 118 100 100

The Thundersport 500 Elite, Sportsman and Seniors championships are the absolute cheapest possible way to go road racing on this planet. A whole race package can be picked up for less than the price of a top of the range helmet, boots & gloves. That said, the racing is hard and close - bordering on the frantic at times. The talent of a racer needn’t be judged by the value of the bike he/she happens to be sitting on, some of the most gifted riders in the country ride these humble parallel twins. The predominant choice of bike here is the Honda CB500, but once you’ve watched a couple of these races you’ll never look at one of these staid commuter bikes in quite the same way again. The 500 Seniors championship caters for riders of 40 years of age or older on 1st March of any given racing season.

Some of these lads are fulfilling a long term ambition to race that they simply didn’t have the resources to satisfy when they were younger. When you see the level of skill displayed by some of them, you have to think that they could have made a pretty good living at it if circumstances had been different.

The Sportsman championship caters for riders at an earlier stage of their racing careers than the Elite riders and is also very closely fought.

To win in any of these classes is a real achievement.

CLASS LAP RECORD 1.15.794 Ryan Vickers

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Contact Teut Wiehn Today and get your bike professionally set up for each round /twsuspensiontech

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TW SUSPENSION GP1 CLASSICS/GESBK & CROWE PERFORMANCE GP1 SPORT

25

GP1 Classics & Homologation Specials

No

Rider

Hometown

Team

Machine

cc

CL

1

Ryan Strafford

Mirfield

RS Racing

Yamaha

1000

GP

14

Brad Davey

Abingdon

Moto 14

Ducati

916

SBK

16

Craig Jeff

Barnsley

BSTS Tanking 2JR

Yamaha

1000

GP

20

Andy Challis

Peterborough

CT Racing

Suzuki

750

SBK

27

Brian Fuidge

Poole

RNRMRRT

Honda

1000

SP

28

Oliver Towl

Louth

Oliver Towl

Yamaha

1000

FM

33

George Pyecroft

Measham

Pyecroft Racing

Suzuki

1000

GP

36

Stuart Goodson

Southsea

RNRMRRT

Suzuki

750

SBK

46

Greg Lewis

Warrington

SMD Tyres Racing

Yamaha

750

SBK

49

Kevin Howdle

Cannock

Alpha Training UK

Suzuki

1000

GP

51

Andy Denyer

Uckfield

Mad Dog Racing

Yamaha

750

SBK

52

Lee Terry

Ashford

Optimum Data Cooling

Yamaha

1000

GP

65

Andrew Meachen

Barnsley

Press-Form Racing

Honda

1000

SBK

89

Chris Ganley

Clevedon

G-Rex Racing

Yamaha

1000

SP

97

Donatas Balciunas

Milton Keynes

Donis Racing

BMW

1000

SP

196 Kieran Smith

Scunthorpe

Corkie Racing

Suzuki

1000

GP

284 Matthew Seeds

Pocklington

Homeplan

BMW

1000

SP

314 Jamie Sykes

Barnsley

Sykes Racing

Kawasaki

1000

FM

333 Jack Yorke

Littlethorpe

York Racing

Yamaha

1000

GP

414 Glen Phillips

Mountain Ash

GAP Motorcycles

Yamaha

1000

SP

1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4

Golden Era Superbike Points Andy Denyer Greg Lewis Stuart Goodson Brad Davey Andy Challis

374 351 216 161 156

Thomas Lancaster Llewelyn Thomas Karl Nicholson Terry Thomson

240 163 145 121

Thundersport GP1 FM Points

Thundersport GP1 Sport Points

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Glen Philips Brian Fuidge Ian Norris Matthew Seeds Thomas Lancaster Jason Siggs Chris Ganley Donatas Balciunas Karl Nicholson Danny Marston

374 171 166 164 154 150 134 119 105 75

Some of the most memorable race action came from a time before the electronics geeks interferred with the direct relationship between the twist grip and the throttle slides.

Seeing Yasutomo Nagai, Scott Russell, Giancarlo Fallappa, Aaron Slight and Anthony Gobert not only backing it in on high speed sections, but also squirming out of corners whilst the chassis tied itself in knots may not have been as fast as modern Moto-GP bikes - but it looked a whole lot faster and infinitely more exciting.

Golden Era Superbikes was our version of this classic era of motorcycle racing, before 1000cc across the frame 4 cylinder bikes displaced the “real” Superbikes of the 750cc era. Just looking at these homologation specials on their paddock stands invokes memories of that era and when they fire up, the chatter of the flatslides just makes me grin - I can’t help it. Then we welcomed the GP1 Classic bikes to the grid and they proved to be an excellent addition, being extremely well matched with the older Superbikes. Tyres on both classes are any make, any pattern, any type - including slicks. Rims are also free and even carbon wheels can be used. As you can see from the photo above, the Thundersport GP1 Sport & Freshman riders also race on this grid. These less experienced riders learn valuable racecraft from the experienced riders on the older machines.

Thundersport GP1 Classic Points

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Ryan Strafford Kieran Smith Lee Terry Andy Denyer Greg Lewis Craig Neve Kevin Howdle Stuart Goodson Donald Thomas Andy Challis

344 301 231 197 195 175 112 108 79 75

CLASS LAP RECORD 1.09.867 Sam Cox

Available From the A&R Racing Outlet In The Thundersport GB Paddock Continental Tyre Technician Available At Every Thundersport GB Race Meeting Proud Sponsor of the Pre-National 600 Freshman Class

Come and see us in the paddock at every Thundersport GB race meeting for all of your tyres and racing parts

We also offer a fast and reliable mail order service at competitive prices Proud Sponsor of the Pre-National Sport 600 Class

A&R RACING 600 SPORT CONTINENTAL 600 FRESHMAN

27

INTO THE FIRE

No 6 8 11 19 20 23 28 31 32 42 45 50 67 69 75 76 77 84 85 92 112 173 188 202 212 300 441 519 543 750

Rider Josh Hipwell Benji Compton Cemal Oram Ben Grayson Dean Bednarek Graham Clowes Michael Coxon Martin Pawlak James Leslie Daniel Dove Chris Curtis Simon Brindley Gary Cranage Gareth Cunningham Max Wilmot Josh Smith Samuel Upton Danny Williams Stuart Cryer Jack Holder Preston-Lee Cooper Andrew Cullum James MacGregor Richard Gill Gareth Roberts Sam Ho Aran Sadler Eric Telger Stefan Ellis Kane Langston

Hometown Doncaster Halifax Bristol Armthorpe Pudsey Little Sutton Cleveland Wittering Ruislip Chester Worcester Colchester Market Drayton Slough Gosport Reading Wigston Stafford Grantham Plymouth Leeds Ashton-under-Lyme Ormskirk St Columb Cirencester Stapley Chester le Street RAF Croughton Worcester St Neots

Team Hipwell Racing Team Marlin RNRMRRT BGR Motorsports HEC Decorating Spec.

British Army Race Team MDC Racing RAF MSA RAF MSA British Army Race Team MSG Racing & Dyno British Army Race Team Black Cat Racing Right Gear Racing RNRMRRT JJS Racing Upton Racing British Army Race Team RAF MSA Crispy Racing Coops Racing NPORS Rentals UK Ltd Giller Racing GR Racing UK Racehomes Sadler Racing Eric Telger Racing SE Racing Fubar Racing

Pre-National 600 Sport Points

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Stefan Ellis Aran Sadler Michael Coxon Gareth Cunningham Preston-Lee Cooper Richard Gill Gareth Roberts Toby Trundle Chris Curtis Josh Hipwell

251 248 239 217 217 170 161 152 152 121

Machine Yamaha Yamaha Suzuki Kawasaki Yamaha Kawasaki Triumph Yamaha Honda Triumph Suzuki Triumph Kawasaki Triumph Yamaha Yamaha Yamaha Triumph Triumph Yamaha Yamaha Yamaha Kawasaki Yamaha Yamaha Yamaha Honda Yamaha Yamaha Kawasaki

cc 600 600 600 600 600 600 675 600 600 675 600 675 600 675 600 600 600 675 675 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600 600

CL S S S S S F S S F F S S F S S F F S F S S S F S F S S S S S

Pre-National 600 Freshman Points

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Gareth Roberts Samuel Upton Gareth Cunningham Daniel Dove Zach Tansley David Leith Gareth Alcock Philip Lancaster Josh Smith Jonathan Creak

336 176 155 142 137 117 110 102 101 94

The world of motorcycle racing can be an intimidating place for newcomers. If you want to start on a 600cc machine, you’ll quickly discover that everyone else on the grid is a budding Axe-Murderer in the making. In order to ease the transition into this fiercely competitive category, we created the “Pre-National Sport 600” class for riders who have yet to gain a National Licence. It was originally made up of a mix of pure novices and riders who are generally in their second season of racing. It tends to work slightly better than a pure “Novice” or “Rookie” grid because the new riders have some slightly more experienced riders around them that they can learn from rather than the fastest newcomer being left to his own devices.

This is hugely beneficial when it comes to things like lapping slower riders, or dealing with temporary course changes such as lack of adhesion flags being utilised on parts of the track.

Of course those things can be learnt by trial and error, but having someone who has done it before just ahead of you takes the guesswork out of it. We also have a “Freshman” category within this race, which is for riders on a Novice licence with very little experience.The bikes themselves are pretty much the same specification machines as those on the Sportsman Elite grid, but at this learning stage of the process any small differences are immaterial. As with all 600cc production based formulae, the Pre-National 600 Sport & Freshman classes races on “Road-Legal” treaded tyres unless a “Wet Race” is declared, in which case tyre choice is free.

There are no restrictions on the brand of tyre used and all major manufacturers are represented.

CLASS LAP RECORDS Sport - 1.09.826 Lloyd Shelley Freshman - 1.11.346 Shaun Bailiff

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THUNDERSPORT TECHNICAL .......

(The sometimes invisible, yet vital component!”

“ROGER!.. I CAN’T HOLD THEM BACK MUCH LONGER!”

THE HOME OF SPORTSMAN RACING As with the difficulties last Sunday on the Isle of Man, where “No marshals = No Racing” proved to be true, that is obviously true here too. Yet sometimes we forget to acknowledge the vital role played by our other core volunteers:The Technical Crew who are often almost invisible. Sometimes that is because they are buried under hordes of bikes (As the chequered flag goes out on the last test day session, the bay looks like a traffic scene from Saigon!).

At other times it is because they are undertaking other vital tasks such as Noise Control, Pre & Post-Race checks, Damage Repair clearances to bikes and even helping the Recovery Crews (who are yet another vital component).

Stu Bailey, Rodger & Pam Wadey, Phil Page, Dan & Natalie Wesley, Calum Blake, Matt Payne, Tom Freeman, Judith Richardson, Margaret Lowes, John Ward, Alan McFarlane and a host of other volunteers try their very best to make the Technical Control & compliance checks as efficient and friendly as possible.

Whilst it is still the case that the safety of every machine is the legal responsibility of each individual rider, the Technical Team work very hard to make sure that any oversights or potential hazards are picked up and rectified swiftly, so as not to impinge on the riders track time. Getting you on track safely is their #1 Goal.

Their motto is “Show us a problem and we’ll find the solution!” and they are every bit as vital to the safe running of our events as the Marshals & Medical Teams.

COME & JOIN THE A-TEAM!

The sense of achievement at the end of a busy weekend is on a par with that experienced by even the most ardent adrenaline-junky rider.

If you’d like to find out more about becoming part of the team, just contact our Chief Marshal - John Pedersen (thundersportchiefmarshal@gmail.com) or our Chief Technical Officer - Stuart Bailey (Stubailey71@btinternet.com) by using the link on the Marshals & Officials page of www.thundersportgb.com or leave your details in the Paddock Office and we will contact you.

You won’t regret it and it could change your life.

THUNDERSPORT GB 2019 DATES The Very Best Racing Events, at the Very Best Circuits, with the Very Best People.

DAY

DATE

LOCATION

EVENT

FRIDAY

1ST MARCH

MALLORY PARK

ACU-CTC COURSE / TEST DAY

FRIDAY

29TH MARCH

BRANDS HATCH INDY

TESTING

SATURDAY

30TH MARCH

BRANDS HATCH INDY

INVICTA CHALLENGE

SUNDAY

31ST MARCH

BRANDS HATCH INDY

INVICTA CHALLENGE

FRIDAY

26TH APRIL

SNETTERTON

TESTING

SATURDAY

27TH APRIL

SNETTERTON

ACE OF CLUBS

SUNDAY

28TH APRIL

SNETTERTON

ACE OF CLUBS

SATURDAY

25TH MAY

CADWELL PARK

TESTING

SUNDAY

26TH MAY

CADWELL PARK

KING OF THE MOUNTAIN

MONDAY

27TH MAY

CADWELL PARK

KING OF THE MOUNTAIN

FRIDAY

21ST JUNE

MALLORY PARK

TESTING

SATURDAY

22ND JUNE

MALLORY PARK

MASTER OF MALLORY

SUNDAY

23RD JUNE

MALLORY PARK

MASTER OF MALLORY

FRIDAY

26TH JULY

DONINGTON PARK

TESTING

SATURDAY

27TH JULY

DONINGTON PARK

DUKE OF DONINGTON

SUNDAY

28TH JULY

DONINGTON PARK

DUKE OF DONINGTON

SATURDAY

24TH AUGUST

ANGLESEY COASTAL

TESTING

SUNDAY

25TH AUGUST

ANGLESEY COASTAL

MOTO SUPER-PRIX OF WALES

MONDAY

26TH AUGUST

ANGLESEY COASTAL

MOTO SUPER-PRIX OF WALES

FRIDAY

20TH SEPTEMBER

CADWELL PARK

TESTING

SATURDAY

21ST SEPTEMBER

CADWELL PARK

THUNDER ON THE WOLDS

SUNDAY

22ND SEPTEMBER

CADWELL PARK

THUNDER ON THE WOLDS

FRIDAY

18TH OCTOBER

OULTON PARK

TESTING

SATURDAY

19TH OCTOBER

OULTON PARK

ADAM BOYLE TROPHY

CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS - SUPER SATURDAY All above rounds count towards the Thundersport GB Championship and Thundersport GB Cup for all classes.

Office Contacts:- 01509 809524 - 01509 809530 Dave Stewart - 07738 355186 jamiestewart9@googlemail.com Bernadette Stewart - 07711 721638 stewartbernadette9@googlemail.com Media/Sponsorship Enquiries – Richard Day (Syd) – 07836 589666 / thundersportsyd@gmail.com

www.thundersportgb.com

VALENTINO ROSSI BACK TO HONDA! Remember, that you read it here first!

Our secret source inside the HRC Team has told us that Valen�no is due to make a shock switch back to the Honda brand for 2020.

The catalyst for the swap is the advent of his 40th birthday February just gone and that he sees one more supreme challenge to add to his impressive repertoire of achievements:9 Grand Prix World Championships in 4 classes (125, 250, 500 & Moto GP), 234 podiums, 115 Grand Prix wins plus the Suzuka 8 Hour �tle. All in all

a pre�y impressive record.

At first I didn’t trust the rumour, but I have since managed to contact the legend myself to confirm it as a fact. He is buying himself out of his Yamaha contract to take on his biggest challenge to date.

So what does he want, if not a 10th Grand Prix Championship? “ I wanna very much to race to be a Man-King!” he said. “I read all about the Kings and the Manning and they are very fast, not crazy fast like Marc, but still fast yes?”

I was a li�le confused at first but then he explained.

Chris KINGHAM Dave KING Paul MANNING Valentino ROSSI

500 SENIORS 2020 Thundersport

“ I wanna go back to the 500 as I already win 2 World Championships on the 500 yes? So first I look at the Suzuki, but Rins he tell me the GS500 is a pile of merde!”

“Then I take a look at the Kawasaki ER5, but she is like a fat chica yes?

Marco tell me that even when they changea her name to Hayate she still don’ta lika the corners with her bigga-fat rear end!”

So back to Honda?

“Yeah, I dona like it, but Yamaha dona maka the 500 anymore so I have to go and see Nakamoto San and beg him for the Repsol CB500, cos I cannot win against Chris Kingham, Dave King or Paul Manning on the Merde Suzuki or the Fat Kawasaki!”

I wondered whether the GOAT thought he could challenge for the outright victory, or if that might be a bridge too far. “Itsa impossible! Those guys ride like Crazy Marc and I dona wanna ride like that at my age. Olda Ron Haslam, he founda out just how fasta they are at Donington Park and I think he live at Donington in a little shed no?

I am very old now and I dona wanna taka the risks like that no?”

What about the rest of the field then?

“Uccio says maybe I can beat the Grandad Steptoe, but the fasta beaky one? No chance! Him and the whistling guitar player, Roger Whitaker ara way too fast for this old Tavullia boy!”

So there you have it boys, the GOAT is coming out to win the Thundersport 500 Seniors �tle next year..........

Unless of course, you know different?

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Tel: +44 20 3650 6300 www.monexeurope.com

$160BN GROUP FX TURNOVER