Watch this space...

Today was a very big day in the life of the RVF Honda machines. Rod, Craig, Leon and Mike have all been busy at BMC headquarters working their magic on an exciting new project. All will be revealed soon...

(A clue perhaps?)

Merry Chrimbo...

The BIG Thank You...

It's been a while since the last posting, but to coincide with last week's BSN full pager, I thought it only right to stick something on the blog too.

Well, what a year this has been. For Leon to wrap up a double championship at EMRA, finish in the top three in the Junior Powerbikes at Thundersport GB and collect a lap record along the way, far exceeded everyones expectations. Well done again Leon! But as we all know, this is a huge team effort, and all those involved deserve recognition of their contribution too. So here it is...

• The first thank you must go to leon. To ride so consistently all season, and always with such a big smile on your face, was amazing.

• Rod and Tracey  deserve a special mention too. Week in, week out you guys prepare and look after the whole team during race days. From making sure all the bikes are fuelled to organising a banquet fit for a king. And Rod, those tailor-made side stands are just brilliant!

• I'd like to thank Mike also (as I know we all do), for top draw preparation of all the race bikes. Not only are they highly competitive machines (as Leon has proven), but they always look so pristine too. It's a pleasure ride one.

• A big thank you must go to Myles and everyone at Manbat. Without the likes of you involved in the sport, the paddocks wouldn't be half as busy as they are.

• Craig, Lennie and Chanell Collins for everything you've done this year. From helping with the bikes on race days to handing out flyers around the paddock, it hasn't gone unnoticed. 

• Jo Dearden (Leon's girlfriend) for the unconditional support for Leon. 'Behind every great rider there's an even greater woman' seems an appropriate statement here. And again for the help with the flyers along with the other grid girls.

• Kath and Thomas for the 'ace' support, all the tea and toast, and allowing me to share your caravan. Thank you.

• Father for keeping the cogs turning throughout the season behind the scenes, and for the much appreciated support on every race day.

• Freddy Dunn for all the superb help with the fairing engineering and paintwork. We've kept you busy this year! Big thanks!

• Becky Hancox (Tracey's sister) for again helping with the flyers as part of the grid girls.

• All the girls at 'Signs Of The Times' - the van, bike stickers and clothing look terrific.

• Paul and Shannon at U.V.S. Signs for all the stickering of the Leon's van and Kawasaki.

• Darren Hancox for your continued help and support.

• Paul and Michelle for Leon's R6 suspension.

• Phil Griffen at Rock Oil for the continued support for the team.

• Ruth (Pud, Lennie's sister) for all the cooking and tidying away after everyone.

• Richard from racebikebitz.com for the Samco Hoses that you've supplied for all the bikes.

• Brian Smith and Family from AMS-Motorsport.co.uk for everything you've done, I know you've helped out massively with the ZXR400 and intend on doing so next year with the R6 - Thank you!

• John at Trickshifter for the continued support.

• Brian at Melmet for all your metalworking and regular race day support for the team.

• Avril and Ben for all your race day support too.

• Dan Williams for all the pro photography. We're like the paparazzi at times but the results are always worth it - you could do it for a living mate.

• Jane (my wife), Dave, Sacha and Ben for coming and cheering us on no matter what the weather decides to do.

• Ben Dorey for sorting out the new website, and for continually updating and developing it's look and content in your free time.

• Jason at Bikersworld.net for the supplying of Leon's boots and leathers etc.

• 'H' at Exactrep.com for supplying oil and filters for Leon's ZXR400.

• Neil at 'One Stop Bikes' for all your support.

• James Simpson and family along with Gordon Beckett for the morale support.

• Ken at 'Crown Luxury Cars' for building and maintaining Leon's personal website - ljrracing.co.uk

• Will Thomas at WP Suspension for supplying the suspension (of course) for the R6 at the drop of a hat. 

• Mark Littler and Andy Green at 'Marfab Racing - your support and advice to Leon has been very much appreciated.

• And anyone else reading this who has helped us out along the way, it really has been appreciated...

Phew!

(Here's the BSN ad in case you missed it)

Some local press...

Well, we got a rather unexpected write-up in last weeks 'Whitchurch Herald'. It's a great article and fills half of the back page - brilliant! Both Freddy and Gordon get their pictures in and I get a mention too...which can't be bad. It's also on the Herald's website too for you to have a read - http://www.whitchurchherald.co.uk...A big thanks goes to all the sports staff involved...and here it is in all it's glory:


(I was the one taking the photo)

EMRA Awards night...

Last night we all gathered at the Sketchley Grange Hotel in Hinckley for the EMRA Annual Dinner and Presentation of Awards. And what a night it was! We drank, we danced, we chatted and we collected a barrow-load of trophies!

Presenting the awards were racing stars from past and present...John Reynolds, Tom Sykes, Cal Crutchlow and Paul Young. A great line up I'm sure you'll agree. So how did we do? Well, we pretty much cleaned up...here's a list of what we picked up:

Formula 400 Championship - Leon,

Formula 400 3rd place - Mike,

Superstock 600 Championship - Leon,

Formula 400 Invitation (Paul Vincent Trophy) - Leon,

EMRA Clubman of 2008 - Leon...

Amazing! And Leon became best mates with Tom Sykes by the end - with Tom quoted as saying 'Not you again Leon!'...how funny!

We ended up with eight trophies on our table by the end of the evening - and enough metal to build a replica of the Golden Gate Bridge! It really was a night to remember for everyone. And to top it all off, we did pretty well in the raffle afterwards too. It doesn't get any better, although I'm not quite sure what to do with my new 'Motion Photo Frame'. Anyway, well done again to everyone involved, especially to Leon for delivering such terrific results throughout the season. We certainly deserved this night out!

I will upload some pictures soon, but in the meantime, I created this logo to sum up how this season has been for us all:

And here, as promised, are some choice pictures:

(Leon and Mike pick up their F400 trophies)

(Leon with Paul, Cal, John and Tom...what a line-up!)

(The gang, proud as punch, with Tom Sykes!)

BSN - Race Of The Year!

The latest BSN has a write-up of the last round of EMRA by Steve Gough. And guess what...the headline is all about Leon's double championship - "TWO EMRA TITLES FOR 'KING' LEON JEACOCK!" Now that's cool! There's also a rather fetching picture of Leon wearing his crown, the one that seemed to be permanently stuck on his head following his successes...how very photogenic!

Name in lights...

There's a healthy fast food place just across from where I work, it's called 'Leon'. And it has a rather lovely sign outside. It shines proudly (and very brightly) on these darker evenings. I think it's rather appropriate...get used to it!


(We have so got to get one made for the awning!)

Leon's Thundersport GB success...

After missing a few rounds of the televised Thundersport GB series, Leon still managed to finish a very impressive third place in the Junior Powerbike championship.

This really is an incredible result for Leon. Not only does it give him another top three finish on another bike altogether (Leon rode this championship on his ZXR) but it also proves Leon's raw talent. This championship was a highly competitive event, and to be the third best in this series (and breaking the series lap record at Mallory Park) is just amazing. Who knows, if Leon had competed in all rounds we could even have had a triple championship on our hands...now wouldn't that have been nice! Still, three top three finishes on three different machines isn't a claim many other riders can make, that's for sure. I guess Leon now needs a bigger trophy cabinet!

Well done Leon, we're all very proud of you...

(Nice!)

(The ZXR's responsible for the job)

Another great write-up...

This time Leon's found himself in the Coventry Evening Telegraph. It's a terrific article, complete with mugshot and action photo, written by Russell Atkins it plots the history of Leon's short racing career to date. A well rounded insight in to what Leon is all about...




Another fantastic read, and here is what it says:

Determined Leon proves that he's a quick learner
Leon Jeacock may be a relatively new name on the motorcycling scene, but he is clearly not letting his inexperience hold him back after coming close to securing a triple crown of championship titles in 2008 - only his second full season of competition.

The young Nuneaton star began racing in late 2006, entering the final two meetings on the Mallory Park-based East Midland Racing Association calendar - and though it was not the most auspicious of debuts, Jeacock was soon demonstrating his ability to make rapid progress.

"I got lapped in both races and finished last in the championship with just two points," he recounted. "Bikes have always been in the family really; I've ridden since I was a little kid, but I'm the first to actually race. I went and watched a couple of rounds and liked it, and I've always had a bit of a competitive streak inside me..."

That much is evident, and despite a limited budget restricting him to precious little saddle time ahead of the 2007 campaign, nevertheless the 20-year-old finished as runner-up in the final standings in EMRA's Formula 400cc class, receiving the accolade of 'Novice of the Year' for his impressive performances along the way.

"I only had two test days over the winter before the first meeting of 2007," he confessed, "and I went out and led for five or six laps on a new bike! I ended up finishing second in the 400cc championship. That was a big confidence boost."

"The main thing I've been realising is how competitive the sport actually is. You learn so much just being out there - especially how to set the bike up - and I've still got a lot more to learn yet. The racecraft is probably the hardest thing about it, and the cost - last year I was working both a day and evening job with just an hour in-between simply to pay for it!"

Off the back of that encouraging maiden season, Jeacock was snapped up by BMC Racing, whose team boss Mike Dorey has since become not only a good friend but also his manager and mentor.

Competing in both EMRA's Superstock 600 category on a Yamaha R6 and Formula 400cc on a Honda RVF400 - as well as in the new, televised Thundersport GB series's Junior Powerbikes class on an AMS Motorsport-sponsored Kawasaki ZXR400 - he has repaid Dorey faith, and with interest.

"I've found it pretty easy to swap between the three bikes to be honest," he insisted. "As long as they've got something black and round on the bottom I'm happy really! By the end of the warm-up lap I tend to forget I'm on a different bike. The R6 has twice as much power as the other two bikes, but then you only go as fast as you put the throttle down, don't you..."

That may be, but Jeacock has certainly been applying the throttle pretty hard and effectively if his results are anything to go by, belying his lack of experience and circuit knowledge by featuring regularly up inside the top six in Thundersport. He admits that Mallory - where he holds the 400cc lap record - Oulton Park and the daunting Cadwell Park have left the biggest impression on him.

"I've got a picture of me nearly flipping the R6 at the top of the 'Mountain' at Cadwell," he joked. "It was my first time there, and as I came over the peak I kept rising and rising and ended up jumping up off the bike. I came pretty close to going over..."

"It has been pretty tough learning the circuits; I've been going round for a lap on my push bike first to look at the corners and the layout. You just have to not think about it - it's when you start thinking that you're on a new circuit that you have problems. I just go out there and ride."

That the Stockingford ace has been doing with considerable success, and despite being forced to miss the final four rounds of Thundersport following a blown head gasket and gearbox woes at Cadwell - what he described as 'gutting', with a lack of funding offering little hope for a quick fix - he still finished an excellent third in Junior Powerbikes at season's end.

Indeed, until that point he had been leading the championship table and looking good for a hat-trick of titles, given his superb triumphs in both Superstock 600 and Formula 400cc in EMRA - meaning despite his inevitable Thundersport disappointment, he nevertheless achieved the extremely rare feat of finishing inside the top three in three different classes and on three different bikes in the same year.

"The competition in EMRA has been really good," affirmed Jeacock, who to add financial insult to injury has recently been made redundant from his building apprenticeship, "especially in the last round when the ex-British Superbike Hawk Kawasaki turned up. I needed to finish inside the top ten to win the Superstock 600 championship, so I just rode around and did what I needed to do. As someone once told me, you don't win championships on your backside."

"There's been a tremendous amount of hard work involved year-long - I've working silly hours at times! It's not been easy at all; there are a lot of people out there who don't do what I do to be able to go racing."

"It's been a really good season, though, and hopefully we will be able to continue in the same vein next year too. It's all a question of finding the sponsors now..."

"The hope for 2009 is to try to move up and do a few rounds of National Superstock on the British Superbike schedule and MRO Superstock, still in the 600cc class with the Yamaha R6. I want to get some top three finishes and really just try and get noticed."

Some end of season press...

News of Leon's success has started to spread...this time in the 'Heartland Evening News' written by Joan Williams. It's a terrific write-up about Leon along with a rather fetching shot of him on board the BMC Honda...



It's a great article and well worth a read:

A bike star is born

Three Nuneaton riders - Tristan Palmer, Leon Jeacock and Dean Brown - took part in the final round of the EMRA championships and the annual Race of the Year at Mallory Park on Sunday, writes Joan Williams.

The weather was rather cold and windy but this did not deter the riders from putting on the best display of their racing skills.

The most successful rider of the day was 19-year-old Leon Jeacock from Stockingford, who is definitely a star of the future.

He did not win a race, but he came away with two championships to his name and he became the first rider ever to win two different EMRA championships on two different makes and capacity of machines.

He started the day in second place in the 600 Superstock championship, only three points behind the leader. He had entered this championship part way through on his own 600cc Yamaha, helped by BMC Racing, so it was no mean feat that he was in a position to be challenging for the title.

The day started well for him when he qualified fifth in the morning to be heading up the second row of the grid. He made a good start to the race and was up to second place early on. He was then passed by a couple of riders who got into a good battle so he decided to play it safe and hold back to finish the race, which he did in fifth place.

When the championship leader crashed out on the warm-up lap all he needed to do was score four points.

He said: " When I knew Sam (Middlemas) had crashed on the warm-up lap and his championship hopes were over I decided to play it safe and keep out of harms way. Finishing fifth gave me enough points to win the championship, and I'm over the moon, as I never really expected to be in with a chance when I missed the first couple of rounds.
Jeacock's second outing of the day was in the F400 class on his BMC Honda, where he was leading the championship by 29 points. This class was run in conjunction with the 600cc and 1000cc Roadstock machines. He qualified on pole for his class but his time put him fourth on the front row of the grid.

He made a good start, but then some of the roadstock riders tried to duff him up at the Hairpin, he survived, but dropped back in position on the track. He finally crossed the line after 14 laps as the second F400 rider, so giving him his second championship of the day.
He commented: "I got away well but then some of the Roadstock boys tried to take me out at the Hairpin, and I wasn't even in their class so I was no threat to them. Being on 600 and 1000cc bikes perhaps they thought a little 400cc Honda shouldn't have been mixing it with them."

"I managed to keep going and finish second in my class to give me the championship, my second of the day. I can't put into words how happy I am, and I'm the first rider to win two different championships on different bikes."

"I'd like to say a big thank you to BMC Racing for providing me with the 400 Honda and helping me with my own 600 Yamaha. I'd also like to thank all my sponsors, my family and friends and all the other helpers who are part of the team. Next year I'm hoping to move up from club racing so I'm looking for sponsorship, anyone interested please contact me on 07773 230745."

Thank you Joan!

EMRA Rd6 - Race Of The Year!

Well, here we are...the final round of the season. The time of year when some of the top BSB riders turn up to play, this year seeing the likes of Tom Sykes, Karl Harris and Glen Richards battling it out. It's also the time of year when all the hard work throughout the season comes to fruition for all the club teams involved. And last weekend's 'Race Of The Year' lived up to all expectations.

Most of the BMC team set-up camp on the Friday...and what a set-up it was! A truly superb hospitality suite complete with endless amounts of food and hot beverages, topped off with our very own BMC Racing cake. Well done Tracey, Rod and the gang for that!

So, how did BMC Racing get on? Well, going in to the event, Leon needed only a couple of points in the Formula 400 event to clinch the title. Mike had already secured a magnificent 3rd place finish overall, which is a great result as there was some pretty stiff competition this year! In the 600 Superstocks Leon was lying 2nd, and needing a good result over Sam Middlemas to clinch an amazing double championship on two separate bikes - something that had never been done before in the EMRA club championships. There was a lot of excitement and anticipation around the paddock!

Qualifying went well. In the 600's Leon confidently put the R6 fifth on the grid to head up row two and near championship rival Sam Middlemas...the race was sure to be dramatic! The 400's were put together with the Roadstocks (600 and 1000cc machines) and guess who stuck their 400 on the front row? Correct, Mr Leon Jeacock! Superb! James was the 3rd fastest F400, Mike 5th, Freddy 7th, Gordon 8th and I was 9th.

First up were the 600 Superstocks (race 7). Most of us were watching down at Edwina's. The excitement was building. All 32 riders came round for their sighting lap, when all of a sudden a bike goes down as they tipped in to the left hander...it was Sam Middlemas! We couldn't believe it! He quickly got back up and followed the pack round to the grid. But amazingly he pulled in next time round on the warm-up lap shaking his head. So all Leon had to do was bring it home comfortably and the title was his. And that's exactly what he did...but not without a few hair-raising moves through the back markers I can tell you...but then, once a racer, always a racer! Leon actually rode a very mature race bringing home the R6 in a terrific 5th place. LEON JEACOCK, EMRA 600 SUPERSTOCK CHAMPION 2008!

One down, one to go. And so to race 10...the start of the 400's was hectic...a sea of 600 and 1000cc machines! This didn't put Leon off though, making his usual rapid start to become the leading 400 rider for most of the race. He got caught towards the end of the race, after being held up by the backmarkers, by season long championship rival Richard Saunders, who took the victory by a fraction of a second. But Leon rode sensibly, and his 2nd place finish was plenty good enough for the Formula 400 championship, and history was made! LEON JEACOCK, DOUBLE EMRA CHAMPION! The first time EVER anyone had done such a thing on two separate machines. Amazing! Very well done Leon! Mike rode an excellent 4th place, but had nothing to prove as the 3rd place overall was his already. James came a terrific 5th, Freddy 6th, Gordon 9th and I came 10th. I do have to mention that the F400 grid was massively depleted this time out - there was in fact just ten in the pack. But we all managed to beat some of the Roadstocks (1000s, 600s and 400s)...so everyone was happy at the end of the day!

It's been a terrific season...the best one yet! The way the team has worked together throughout the year has been a joy. The double championship is no less than everyone involved deserves. All the hard work and talent that runs through the whole team is second to none! Well done everyone, I for one can't wait for the end of season celebration on November 8th.

There is a huge list of people to thank. A list that deserves to get it's very own entry on the blog...so that's what I'll do later. In the meantime I'd just like to thank everyone involved for the help and support over the season...it wouldn't have been as good without you!

Here's a film that captures the days fun and celebrations:



(The dynamic duo!)


(King Leon!)


(The team start the celebrations!)


(Leon gets stuck in!)


(The hospitality suite)


(Let them eat cake!)


(One proud dad, or maybe he just likes the cake!)


(Leon on his way to a double championship)


(Leon shows Tom Sykes how to do a wheelie)


(Not bad Tom, not bad!)


(Karl 'Bomber' Harris leaves his mark!)




(Huge thanks to Myles and co)










(Another big thanks for all the support)

More Van-tastic news!

Darren Slater - Ex British Speedway rider, and owner of 'Excellence Cars of Coventry' has very kindly helped supply Leon and co with a new van. A pristine Nissan Primastar, it's just perfect, and will be a regular visitor to the paddocks of britain over the coming years. Darren has also very kindly agreed to help maintain it too! A very generous piece of sponsorship that everyone is extremely grateful for. Thank you Darren.

(Darren Slater, handing over the new van to Leon)

A day out at Oulton Park...

A couple of weeks ago (Sept 20th), Leon was out at Oulton Park with the North Gloucester Road Racing Club. The sun was shining, the bike looked great, and Leon rode a blinder. And, on a track that Leon is still just learning, to put in lap times of sub 1:55 was just terrific!

So what happened? Well race one was the qualifying race. Leon started at the back of the grid, as they lined up in championship positions and he isn't in the championship. But that didn't deter Leon. By the time he'd reached Cascades half the pack were already behind him. He worked hard for the rest of the race to secure seventh place on the grid for race two...game on! And what a race it was, with Leon pushing right from the off in true Jeacock style. Very early on Leon found himself fighting with Chris Beverley (who is now the F400 champion by the way) for fourth place, which, in itself, is an achievement. An unfortunate mechanical problem for Andy Whitehead meant that Leon was instead fighting for the final podium position. And guess who came out on top? Yep...it was Leon. A truly well deserved third place.

The commentators seemed to really enjoy the race too. Here's a short film that captures the essence of a great day out:


Leon was also out in the Open Race at the end of the day. He was out with the 125's and 250 GP's. This was always going to be a tough race. But again Leon rose to the occasion, stuck in some fantastic lap times and mixed it with the front runners. Resulting in an excellent fifth place. Well done to Leon for again treating us all to some fine racing action.


Here's a terrific photo of Leon in action, taken by the clever folk at theoldcoachhousesports.net - It is now sitting proudly on the walls at BMC Racing HQ...Thank you!

More good press!

Leon's been in the paper again! This time it was the Heartland Evening News, Leon's local paper. They ran another article on his current progress. This time it was about Leon's terrific racing at round 5 of the EMRA championship. Not only does it talk about the 400's, it also talks about his success on the R6. It's great to see that people are noticing the smooth transition Leon is making in to a higher, and very competitive, class. To jump between a 400 and a 600 machine, and run at the very sharp end of both classes, cannot be underestimated. Congratulations Leon, you deserve the publicity!



Here's what the article says:

'Leon Jeacock is a regular EMRA championship contender, and he also had a good day on his BMC 600 Yamaha and 400 Honda.
He was up against BSB Superstock 600 competitor Matt Woolridge in his two 600 Superstock races.
He gave Woolridge a pretty good run for his money in the first race until he got baulked by some back markers on the final lap, but he then put in an extra effort to be on Woolridge's tail at the hairpin and finish a very close second to him. In the second race he didn't fair so well and finished in a slightly distant sixth place and in a battle with two other riders.
He did much better in his two Formula 400 races, starting from the front row of the grid he made an excellent start to the first ten-lap race, pulling out a good lead until the race was stopped after four laps.
In the six-lap re-run he went off into the lead again and won by 1.7 seconds. In the second race he was leading until he was caught and passed by Richard Saunders (ZXRL), and then got caught up amongst back markers to finish 2.9 seconds down in second place.
He said: "I enjoyed the battle with Matt in the first Superstock race, and then straight after I had to jump on my 400 Honda, but being still fresh I was able to go out and win that race. In the second Superstock race I managed to lead the race for quite a while, then I braked for a yellow flag incident and Richard came by me, which usually incurs a ten second penalty for an illegal move, but non of the marshals seemed to have noticed what happened."

Nice!
(however, it should have said 'the second Formula 400 race', not 'Superstock'. But we'll let them off for that!)

Leon at Anglesey

On the weekend of September 13th and 14th, Leon made his maiden voyage at the Anglesey coastal circuit. This was the penultimate round of the Thundersport GB championship. Day one saw Leon qualify in 9th position, then going on to convert that in to 6th and 5th place finishes. And with a fastest lap time of 1:15:381 it was truly a fantastic ride, particularly as he'd never ridden the track before.

Day two, however, was a different matter! Race one saw Leon taken out whilst running in an excellent fourth place. Will Hodgson abruptly ended Leon's race with an unfortunate T-Boning incident on lap one - oh well, that's racing! Anyway, Mike, Brian from AMS Motorsport and the team set about rebuilding the bike for race two. And rebuild it they did, with Leon going out and taking another fantastic 6th place, and improving on his lap time from day one. A great showing for his first time at Anglesey, and consolidating his 3rd place position in the Junior Powerbike championship. Well done Leon!

Here's a very brief clip of day one, filmed mainly by Tracey:

Van-tastic!

It's not just the R6 that's had a face-lift. The new 'big enough to hold five bikes' Iveco has recently been 'stickered-up' too. It can be seen proudly standing in the paddock with full BMC Racing branding - and was beautifully put together by the clever people at Signs of The Times. Thank you guys, it looks great!

(Lovely job!)

EMRA Rd5 - Does it ever stop raining?

Round five of the EMRA Championships took place on Sunday. It was mainly wet! But that didn't deter the BMC Racing team from getting stuck in and making the most of the situation.

The start of the day saw thick fog. But that soon lifted to leave us with qualifying that was, in fact, a dry session. Again they stuck the Formula 400s and 600 Superstocks out on track together, which gave Leon his usual headache. He opted to go out in the 400s on the 400, and then going out in Formula 600s on his R6 (which was making its maiden voyage in the new colours). So how did we all do? Well, Leon was predictably on the front row in the 400s and rode a blinder on the R6 to stick it on pole for the Superstocks. Amazing! Mike headed up the second row, Gordon headed up row three and James headed up row four. I also made row four along with James. So not a bad session all round really! Oh, and Freddy wasn't out to play this time but hopefully will be there for the race of the year.

After a lot of rainfall, and a change of tyres, race one got under way. The very wet conditions were always going to be tough, but we all seemed to get away well. Leon did the usual trick of disappearing off out front, with Mike in second place (it was wet after all). The rest of us were well placed mid-pack, with James pulling in after a couple of laps with a suspected problem. We hadn't been in to the race that long when there was a faller (Simon Hedges) at Edwinas. It seemed pretty serious so a red flag was called and we all lined up for a restart. The restart was a similar scene to the first. Leon leading right from the off to take victory (and the Paul Vincent Trophy). Mike again moved up to second for a while, before being edged out to an excellent third place. Gordon rode well to eighth place and some more points, and I managed to sneak my first championship point with a tenth place finish. Didn't we do well!

Race two was also a wet one. The rain hadn't stopped all day, but at least we didn't have the last minute panic of changing tyres again. We lined up on the grid in our race one finishing positions. Which put Leon and Mike on the front row, Gordon on the second row, and yours truly on the row three. James' DNF meant he had to start at the back of the grid. Again we all got off to good starts. Leon out front again, with Mike settling in closely behind in third, which he held for the entire race. I had the start of my life and somehow found myself up to seventh for half of the race, but fell away slightly towards the end (which I'm blaming on the quickshifter!) I still managed another championship point for a tenth place finish though. Gordon again took a well deserved eigth place and yet more points in the bag. Leon could have taken the championship if he'd won race two. But a contentious overtaking maneuver during yellow flags relegated him to second place. These things happen, and he gets to enter the race of the year with his huge championship lead in tact. One more solid ride needed to bring the championship home, which would be nothing less than he deserves. Good luck for the final round!

Here's a fun little taster of the 400 action:

Mike is now guaranteed a third place in the championship after Simon Hedges' misfortune (who we all hope has recovered from his race one spill). This is great for Mike who has ridden consistently all season, no matter what the weather decides to do. He now goes in to the race of the year with an outside chance of going one better and claiming the second spot...we'll just have to wait and see.

So how did Leon get on in the 600s then? Well an excellent second place in race one followed by a sixth in race two was great. Both races had their challenges but Leon rode well and has now moved up to second place in the 600 Superstock championship. Awesome! He now has the chance to take this title too if all goes to plan. This will be tough, considering Leon's missed two rounds this year, but to find himself in such close contention for the title (now only 3 points behind the leader) is just brilliant! Well done mate!

(Mike was the cover boy on the programme)

(Leon and Mike with their usual barrow-load of silverware)

(The R6 looked amazing)

(Leon breathes heavily down Matt Woolridge's neck)

(James got another second place in the novice race)

(It was great to see Myles, from Manbat, with his wife Louise and son Monty joining in all the fun)

(Monty looked very comfortable on one of the 400s)

(Thank you for all the support we get from everyone)