Thundersport GB and the World Superbikes...

Leon Haslam, Leon Camier, Leon Jeacock...all could be seen racing hard at Donington Park last weekend. No you're not seeing things - the World Superbikes were in town, and Thundersport GB had managed to grab a couple of support races, the Aprillia Superteens and the Superstock 600's. So Leon was out on his R6 to learn the track and mix it with the big boys. Having never raced here before, this was the ideal setting in which to get to grips with a new track and work on the set-up of the bike. I was there to join the fun and take in all the weekends racing action.

So how was it? Well, Friday saw Leon struggling with his brakes but still managing to qualify 15th on the grid for race one on the Saturday. A new set of pads were fitted overnight, but the lack of any practice time meant that Leon would have to bed the brakes in on the warm-up lap. The start to race one was hectic! With Leon starting on the right hand side of the grid, the first corner was always going to be tough. And getting over to the racing line in time for the first corner took some confident moves from Leon. Settling in to the mid-pack after 'Redgate' he then looked to work on the riders in front. However, a near race ending collision at the 'Esses' and an excursion across the grass had left Leon well down the pack in 28th position by the end of the first lap. But not one for quitting, Leon quickly got stuck in, and set about salvaging something from the race. And some performance it was too! In the nine laps remaining he managed to claw his way right back up the field to finish 17th in the race and an amazing 12th in class. He also put in a very credible lap time of 1:42:689. Brilliant!

We then had the night to reflect and work on improving the set-up of the bike for race two the following day. And it was later on that evening, while walking round the paddock, that we got some very useful advice indeed. We were all admiring the italian outfit of 'Team Trasimeno' (a world Superstock team) when all of a sudden they turned up and invited us in to have a look. Mike, Leon and Rod then started talking fluent 'bike' with them. The language differences didn't seem to make any difference...they all seemed to understand each other perfectly. They very kindly offered some crucial gearing knowledge too, which was great of them! We can't thank them enough...passing on experience to smaller teams like us is a true credit to the italian way of working. And they certainly know how to breed great riders over there too!

Armed with the extra piece of knowledge, Sunday arrived and the R6 was given it's refinements. Race two wasn't until the end of the day so we had time to relax and soak up the atmosphere and enjoy both Superbike races. And what a treat it was too. Ben Spies was in a league of his own, Biaggi looked slick on his RSV4 Aprillia (until he dropped it at the 'Melbourne Loop' that is!), and the brits put in a fine display - most notably Leon Haslam who finished a fantastic 2nd place in race two. Awesome!

With the main event over, attention turned to Leon's second Superstock 600 race. I decided to watch from the infield grandstand to get a good view of the start. Again it was hectic off the line with Leon getting off the line well. It got a bit of crowded in to 'Redgate' with Leon briefly colliding with another rider before settling in to 13th place. He then got stuck in and set about catching and passing as many riders as he could. And that's what he did, with the new gearing and Leon's ability to learn more from a track with each passing lap, he slowly started picking them off one by one. His lap times kept getting better and better as Leon eventually clawed his way up the field to an amazing 8th place and chasing hard two riders ahead who were having a good battle. The final lap soon came round and 8th place seemed to be where Leon would finish. That was until the two riders ahead (who he was catching) collided and fell at the very last corner. This left Leon to pick up the pieces and finish the race an amazing 6th overall and 5th in class. And he had brought his lap times right down to an incredible 1:40:919. It was the perfect end to an excellent weekend. Very well done to Leon, yet again proving that he can be very competitive on any track. It's just a matter of learning them all now!

Oh, and if you've ever wondered how to do a burn-out, here's a quick lesson from Michel Fabrizio and Ben Spies:




(A couple of great souvenirs)


(Team Dorey in full support!)


(Thank you!)




(The pro's talk us through their race)



(One happy racer!)


(One happy dad!)

EMRA Rd4 - Hot, Hot, Hot!

Well, last weekend we were at Mallory Park for round 4 of the EMRA championships. The sun was out to play all day, and all the fast food vans ran out of water. So the conditions were great and set the scene well for the days racing.

But let's start with the programme shall we...Leon was the cover boy this time, and it was designed in pink to compliment the R6 colours. Looks like it's starting to catch on! And Mike made the centre pages too...it was almost like looking through the BMC calendar. The write up from the last round was very complimentary too...here are a couple of quotes:

'Leon Jeacock is getting further away from his rivals in the Supersport class, so far that he could score nil next time and still be on top.'

'Mike Dorey has moved into the lead of the F400 championship by five points from Richard Saunders, beating former multiple EMRA 400 champion Tim Bradley by the unbelievable margin of 25 seconds.'


(Leon at the front...again!)


(Mike, on the centre pages, pushing hard down the 'Elbow')

So, let's start with qualifying then. The F400's were up first again. Well, we all left the paddock feeling good about the weather and all got stuck in. We were barely two laps in when I spotted Mike pulled over at the 'Bus Stop' with a problem. This was obviously going to be a blow to his grid position. But whatever the problem was, I thought, at least he had brought the spare bike. It wasn't until afterwards that we all found out what it was - a minor fueling problem - by that I mean that he hadn't actually put any fuel in! He had fueled the spare bike instead! And guess what...that meant that we all out qualified him...myself included! Hold the front pages! However, he had done enough to put it on row four in 14th position. Race one was going to be tricky though. I was directly in front of Mike in 10th and Freddy made row two in 8th place. A big shout must go out to James Simpson who qualified in pole position, nearly a second and a half faster than anyone else...blinding mate!

Leon got stuck in to his qualifying sessions and put in some solid lap times. In the Superstock's he did enough to put himself third on the grid. The F600 was a little more challenging but still Leon managed to stick his R6 on row two. And his lap times were good enough for the front row in the 'Buildbase Mallory Trophy'. Top draw stuff!

The first F400 race was a belter! Mike made a cracking start from near the back of the grid...I know this because he came flying past me before we'd even reached the bridge. He was clearly on a mission. And by the time he'd reached 'Edwinas' he was up to fourth place and pushing hard for a podium finish. It wasn't long before Mike had grabbed third position, and by sticking in a few sub one minute laps he made sure he stayed there til the finish. A terrific result from way down the grid. It wasn't just Mike flying...Freddy rode a blinder too! Not only did he finish eigth, he also did his first one minute lap - I make that one second for every year of his life, impressive stuff from Freddy! And to top it all off, I managed my best ever lap time round Mallory too, with a lap time in the 1.01's., to finish just outside the top ten in eleventh. A pretty good race for the team all round then.

Race two turned out to be a rather mixed bag. Mike had an awesome start from the front row, and was leading and pushing hard for the victory only for the race to be red flagged early on. The race was re-started and was to be a nine lapper. Mike got away well, not quite as well as before but still managed 59 second laps and another third place finish. These results have dropped Mike back to second in the championship behind Richard Saunders, but still remains very much in contention. Freddy was going really well again until he crashed out at the hairpin after losing the back end. I was having quite a good race too, again my lap times were competitive, and I got to benefit from Freddy's misfortune by finishing in tenth and claiming my first championship point of the year. Yes! I'd also like to say a MASSIVE congratulations to James Simpson too...he finished both races in second place and managed a lap time in the 58 seconds. He now sits a very proud third place in the champioship. Well done James, an amazing couple of rides, a maiden race victory is surely not far away!

Leon continued his push in the 'Buildbase Mallory Trophy' with a couple of solid rides. Race one saw Leon make a demon start and was third at the end of the opening lap. But after a tough fight throughout the race he found himself drop back through the pack to finish an excellent eighth place, and was the leading 600 finisher. Race two was always going to be tough from the second row, but Leon got away well on the opening lap only to be crowded out at 'Edwinas'. He pushed incredibly hard for the rest of the race and managed another eighth place. This consolidated his lead in the Co-ordit Relay championship, for all the 600cc riders, and now leads by a massive thirty points. Awesome!

Next up, the Superstock 600's. Race one saw Leon make his trademark blistering start from third place on the grid. By the time they reached 'Edwinas' Leon was in front and had already pulled a gap on the chasing pack. And, well, that was it really! Leon led for the entire race to take a comfortable victory by nearly 3 seconds ahead of Richard Wardle. He made it all look so effortless too! Race two was a little more exciting though. Again Leon made a quick start, but this time Wardle stayed hot on his heels. They both quickly pulled a big gap from the pack. It was to be a two man battle right to the end. Wardle tried on numerous occasions to outbrake Leon in to 'Edwinas', but Leon was having none of it with some breathtakingly late braking of his own. And this appeared to be how the race might finish, until they started to reach the backmarkers that is! Wardle took the lead a couple of laps from the end with a backmarker playing his part. Again backmarkers held up Leon a lap later round 'Edwinas', giving Wardle chance to pull out an advantage. However, a lap later Wardle found himself held up through the 'Esses' allowing Leon to close right back in. It was then a tense sprint through the final parts of the lap to the chequered flag. And what a finish it was too, with Leon just missing out on the victory by just 0.092 seconds. A terrific spectacle for the crowds, and helped Leon extend his championship lead to 26 points.

And finally we move to the Formula 600 machines. With Leon starting eighth on the grid you would probably think this could be a huge struggle. But instead we witnessed two absolutely top class rides by Leon. In race one he flew off the line and settled in to second position by the time they had reached 'Edwinas'. But Leon, as always, was looking to go one better. And the start of lap two saw Leon take the lead round 'Gerrards'. He then majestically led for the rest of the race, throwing in some consistently quick lap times, to take a sublime victory. Race two in the F600's was surely the best race of the day. Leon, as expected, got away well. Only this time he was to be very closely followed by Jody Lees. And, an almost exact copy of the earlier Superstock race, we saw Lees try on many occasions to outbrake Leon in to 'Edwinas'. Leon held off every challenge right to the last lap when Lees just managed to sneak past as they tipped in to the left hander. But Leon dug deep, obviously with the earlier race on his mind, and immediately fought back to retake the lead at the hairpin. The final charge through the 'Bus stop' and down the 'Elbow' brought the crowd to their feet as Leon took an amazing victory (his third of the day) by just 0.013 seconds. It was a joy to watch and the commentator seemed to thoroughly enjoy it too! Leon also extended his advantage in this championship and now leads by an incredible 42 points. Well done Leon, you rode a blinder!

So there you are...with four rounds completed the BMC Racing team can feel very proud of themselves indeed!


(Mike, Thomas and two more podiums)


(Leon's collection just gets bigger!)


(A big thumbs-up from Brian!)



(The usual, much appreciated, strong family support)







(Thank you everyone!)

Some EMRA round 3 footage...

It's not every day that you win the Paul Vincent Trophy. So here's a short F400 film to celebrate Mike's big day out at the third round of the EMRA championships last month. I hope you enjoy it...


Also, I managed to capture Leon's near highside coming down the 'Elbow' on the same day...


I've now finished the full montage of Leon's day, and here it is. I hope you all enjoy it...