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(One poorly caravan.)
12 years ago
Saturday 29 August 2009
Anyone know a good welder?
Well, what an eventful day Mike and co have had today! There they were, happily heading off down to Brands Hatch for the weekend, when the 'A' bar on their caravan went bang! What a nightmare! So, the AA stepped in to help and took it back to Brian at Melmet (one of our fab sponsors) to do a spot of welding. Anyway, I believe they're all sorted and are now back on the road. Nice one Brian...
(One poorly caravan.)
(One poorly caravan.)
Friday 28 August 2009
BSN write-up...
Well, the latest edition of BikeSportNews has the report from round 5 of the EMRA championships at Mallory Park. And, for the BMC Racing team, it's a rather good read too. So here it is for your enjoyment...
'Leon Jeacock...the current leader of both the Superstock and Formula 600 championships proved unbeatable on his BMC Yamaha as he recorded his personal fastest-ever Mallory Park lap and was named 'Rider of the Day'.
Following one of several red flags seen during the course of the meeting, the re-started first Superstock encounter saw Jeacock follow Dean Brown's Kawasaki for two laps before he dived-up the inside of his fellow Nuneaton resident into Gerard's to take over a lead he then held until the end.
Richard Wardle (Hawk/Manakin Services Kawasaki) was a detached third in that first race, but in the second it was a constant dog-fight between him and Jeacock from which the latter emerged victorious as Brown took third.
In the Formula 600 division, Jeacock led from lights-to-flag to win their first outing from Jody Lees (Midland VW Yamaha), while the pair were locked together in race two as Lees led for eight laps until he hit a false neutral on the penultimate rounding of Shaw's Hairpin and Jeacock pounced to take the victory.
At the third attempted running of the Formula 400 race, that then failed to go the distance following another appearance of the red flags, series leader Richard Saunders (Kawasaki) was declared the winner from his closest challenger for the title Mike Dorey (BMC Honda), with the top two finishing order also the same in their second outing.'
Nice!
Sunday 23 August 2009
Some fan(tastic) mail...
Well, Leon's scintillating performance last weekend really had an impact. So much so that he received this email from a fan called Amanda, who was mightily impressed with Leon's ability. Thank you Amanda, it was a really lovely email that you sent, and I'm sure we'll see you back in the paddock some day soon.
And here is what she wrote:
'Hi Leon,
My names Amanda i was at Mallory Park yesterday to watch the Brian Birks Trophy Race in memory of my brother who died in 2007.
I would just like to say how impressed i was with you style of riding, you definitely have a gift.
I thought you stood out from the other competitors and i would like to thank you for making my day exciting and thrilling to be there, given the circumstances of why i was there you definitely lifted my spirits. You raced really well and congratulations on winning.
I came over and had my photo taken with you and your bike which
i have added to this e-mail along with some others i managed to get of you.
I would really like to see you race again and would be grateful if you would let me know when and where you are going to be.
Well done once again
Amanda x'
(Leon with Amanda.)
(A couple of great action shots from Amanda.)
Wednesday 19 August 2009
EMRA Rd5 - plenty to smile about!
Well, while I was busy learning all about fatherhood, the rest of the team were back at Mallory Park las weekend for round 5 of the EMRA championships. And it turned out to be quite a day, the weather was perfect and there was some top quality rides to cheer about.
So let's start with qualifying and the Formula 400's. After the unfortunate circumstances of the last round, Mike set his stall out to make amends this time round. And guess what...he went out and blitzed the field to stick himself on pole, and was the only rider under the one minute barrier. Well done Mike! Simon Edmondson was back in action and now running under the BMC Racing banner, with a superb looking tricked-up bike too! And Simon made a great return to the Mallory grid by sticking himself on row two in eighth place. Freddy managed yet another top ten to make row three in ninth place, with Gordon, also returning from a long absence, putting his Honda fifteenth on the grid.
Leon was running the same front tyre for the entire day, so it was never going to be an easy day for him. He would really have to dig deep to get the results that we all know he's capable of. And qualifying seemed to set the tone for the day. Leon put in a succession of superb and consistent lap times to put himself second on the grid for both the Superstock 600 and the Formula 600 classes. He also started second on the grid in the 'Buildbase Mallory Trophy' as they were based on current championship positions.
Now to the races and, starting with the Formula 400's, how did everyone do? Well, the first F400 race got abandoned after a couple of red flag incidents. Mike was leading before the second red flag and was looking to push Richard Saunders all the way. Anyway, the race eventually happened a little later. Everyone got away well and Mike again took the initiative over championship rival Saunders and pushed very hard. Saunders came back strong though and was leading when there was yet another red flag scenario! It was on lap seven so that meant the race was declared a result. Fortunately the rider was ok, but Mike was hot on Saunders heels at the time - the gap of 0.884 seconds just shows you how close it was. So who knows what may have happened. And it was no surprise that they were the only two riders to break the minute barrier, with Mike taking the fastest lap of the race, a fantastic 59.395 seconds. Superb! Simon finished a solid seventh position, pretty good having been out for so long, with Freddy taking the final points position in tenth. Yet more points on the board for Freddy. Gordon improved from his grid position to finish just outside the points in eleventh place, so all-in-all a good race for the BMC Racing team.
Race two was a little more straight forward with no red flags this time. And again it was Mike and Richard Saunders who found themselves out in front fighting it out for the victory, and they were again the only riders to drop below the minute. Saunders again took the honours to extend his lead in the championship. Mike is still well placed for a shot at the title though, so has it all to play for at the final round. Which will no doubt be an exciting and tense affair. I can't wait! As for the rest of the team, it was great to see them all finish in the points. Simon finished eighth with Freddy ninth and Gordon tenth. A fine display all round, well done!
How did Leon do then? First up was the 'Buildbase Mallory Trophy'. Race one, the shorter six lap sprint, saw Leon finish a fantastic sixth position. Not only was he, again, the leading 600cc machine, but his lap time of 55.187 was the third fastest of the race. A great effort in amongst the 1000cc machines. Brilliant! Race two followed a similar path with Leon finishing a very credible seventh place, and in doing so edged out Lee Statham on his 1000cc Suzuki by just 0.001 seconds! This served to further underline the class and natural ability that Leon obviously has in abundance. Well done Leon, I'm sure you made a few people sit up and take note with that result!
Moving on to the Superstock 600's, and race one saw Leon in a brief tussle with Dean Brown before taking the lead on lap three. He then lead convincingly from the front to take victory by a gap of 2.246 seconds. And, of course, the fastest lap of the race which was just outside the Superstock lap record! Race two was a very similar story, only this time Leon took the lead over Richard Wardle on lap four to then go on and take victory and maximum points for the day. And again he had the fastest lap of the race - 55.024 seconds which gets ever closer to that lap record! Leon moves on to 138 points which is some 34 points ahead of Richard Wardle on 104 points, and a monstrous 96 points ahead of Dean Brown in third place on 42 points! Very mpressive stuff indeed!
And finally we have the Formula 600's. Well, what a couple of rides these turned out to be. Race one saw Leon fly off the line to take an early lead. He then put in some very consistent lap times to bring home the R6 to yet another race victory. Leon was also the only rider to break the 55 second barrier which, considering Leon was on the same front tyre all day, is simply exceptional! The gap at the finish was almost 6 seconds - there was no doubt about who was going to win this one! Race two was probably the best race of the day. Leon found himself in a scrap with Jody lees who had taken the early initiative. Midway through the race Leon got baulked at the hairpin which allowed Jody to pull out a gap. Leon then stuck his head down and got stuck in. Lap by lap Leon kept closing the gap until on lap nine he was close enough to make a move. And between the 'Hairpin' and the 'Bus Stop' on lap nine Leon made his move and took the lead. He then went on to take the victory by just 0.337 seconds! And he got the fastest lap of the race again. But get this - his lap time of 54.776 seconds would have smashed the Superstock 600 lap record! Still, it was a truly amazing victory that had the crowd on their feet. And it was Leon's fourth victory of the day which was enough to earn him the 'Rider of the Day' award. A thoroughly justified and superb result. Oh, and his very impressive total race time of 9:18.442 is the best he's ever raced over ten laps...well done Leon!
Leon now has a handsome lead in the Formula 600's too. He now has 142 points, ahead of Jody Lees who has 94 points. An unbelievable lead of 48 points to take in to the final round of the championship. Gary Arden lies a distant third place with just 60 points. Supreme!
So there you have it, what a day! Sorry there's no video footage this time, but here are some fantastic photography courtesy of 'Dave The Paint' and Steve Lawrence. Thank you guys, some great shots, and here's a link to Steve's work: http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.smlphotography.zenfolio.com
(Mike leads the way through the 'Bus Stop'.)
(Mike battles it out with Richard Saunders.)
(Leon, head down, pushing very hard!)
(Some great action shots of Leon.)
(Leon gives the crowd a thank you wave.)
(A celebratory wheelie!)
(Leon 'Rider of the Day' with one of the 'Hawk' guys.)
(Another big thanks for everyone's support.)
So let's start with qualifying and the Formula 400's. After the unfortunate circumstances of the last round, Mike set his stall out to make amends this time round. And guess what...he went out and blitzed the field to stick himself on pole, and was the only rider under the one minute barrier. Well done Mike! Simon Edmondson was back in action and now running under the BMC Racing banner, with a superb looking tricked-up bike too! And Simon made a great return to the Mallory grid by sticking himself on row two in eighth place. Freddy managed yet another top ten to make row three in ninth place, with Gordon, also returning from a long absence, putting his Honda fifteenth on the grid.
Leon was running the same front tyre for the entire day, so it was never going to be an easy day for him. He would really have to dig deep to get the results that we all know he's capable of. And qualifying seemed to set the tone for the day. Leon put in a succession of superb and consistent lap times to put himself second on the grid for both the Superstock 600 and the Formula 600 classes. He also started second on the grid in the 'Buildbase Mallory Trophy' as they were based on current championship positions.
Now to the races and, starting with the Formula 400's, how did everyone do? Well, the first F400 race got abandoned after a couple of red flag incidents. Mike was leading before the second red flag and was looking to push Richard Saunders all the way. Anyway, the race eventually happened a little later. Everyone got away well and Mike again took the initiative over championship rival Saunders and pushed very hard. Saunders came back strong though and was leading when there was yet another red flag scenario! It was on lap seven so that meant the race was declared a result. Fortunately the rider was ok, but Mike was hot on Saunders heels at the time - the gap of 0.884 seconds just shows you how close it was. So who knows what may have happened. And it was no surprise that they were the only two riders to break the minute barrier, with Mike taking the fastest lap of the race, a fantastic 59.395 seconds. Superb! Simon finished a solid seventh position, pretty good having been out for so long, with Freddy taking the final points position in tenth. Yet more points on the board for Freddy. Gordon improved from his grid position to finish just outside the points in eleventh place, so all-in-all a good race for the BMC Racing team.
Race two was a little more straight forward with no red flags this time. And again it was Mike and Richard Saunders who found themselves out in front fighting it out for the victory, and they were again the only riders to drop below the minute. Saunders again took the honours to extend his lead in the championship. Mike is still well placed for a shot at the title though, so has it all to play for at the final round. Which will no doubt be an exciting and tense affair. I can't wait! As for the rest of the team, it was great to see them all finish in the points. Simon finished eighth with Freddy ninth and Gordon tenth. A fine display all round, well done!
How did Leon do then? First up was the 'Buildbase Mallory Trophy'. Race one, the shorter six lap sprint, saw Leon finish a fantastic sixth position. Not only was he, again, the leading 600cc machine, but his lap time of 55.187 was the third fastest of the race. A great effort in amongst the 1000cc machines. Brilliant! Race two followed a similar path with Leon finishing a very credible seventh place, and in doing so edged out Lee Statham on his 1000cc Suzuki by just 0.001 seconds! This served to further underline the class and natural ability that Leon obviously has in abundance. Well done Leon, I'm sure you made a few people sit up and take note with that result!
Moving on to the Superstock 600's, and race one saw Leon in a brief tussle with Dean Brown before taking the lead on lap three. He then lead convincingly from the front to take victory by a gap of 2.246 seconds. And, of course, the fastest lap of the race which was just outside the Superstock lap record! Race two was a very similar story, only this time Leon took the lead over Richard Wardle on lap four to then go on and take victory and maximum points for the day. And again he had the fastest lap of the race - 55.024 seconds which gets ever closer to that lap record! Leon moves on to 138 points which is some 34 points ahead of Richard Wardle on 104 points, and a monstrous 96 points ahead of Dean Brown in third place on 42 points! Very mpressive stuff indeed!
And finally we have the Formula 600's. Well, what a couple of rides these turned out to be. Race one saw Leon fly off the line to take an early lead. He then put in some very consistent lap times to bring home the R6 to yet another race victory. Leon was also the only rider to break the 55 second barrier which, considering Leon was on the same front tyre all day, is simply exceptional! The gap at the finish was almost 6 seconds - there was no doubt about who was going to win this one! Race two was probably the best race of the day. Leon found himself in a scrap with Jody lees who had taken the early initiative. Midway through the race Leon got baulked at the hairpin which allowed Jody to pull out a gap. Leon then stuck his head down and got stuck in. Lap by lap Leon kept closing the gap until on lap nine he was close enough to make a move. And between the 'Hairpin' and the 'Bus Stop' on lap nine Leon made his move and took the lead. He then went on to take the victory by just 0.337 seconds! And he got the fastest lap of the race again. But get this - his lap time of 54.776 seconds would have smashed the Superstock 600 lap record! Still, it was a truly amazing victory that had the crowd on their feet. And it was Leon's fourth victory of the day which was enough to earn him the 'Rider of the Day' award. A thoroughly justified and superb result. Oh, and his very impressive total race time of 9:18.442 is the best he's ever raced over ten laps...well done Leon!
Leon now has a handsome lead in the Formula 600's too. He now has 142 points, ahead of Jody Lees who has 94 points. An unbelievable lead of 48 points to take in to the final round of the championship. Gary Arden lies a distant third place with just 60 points. Supreme!
So there you have it, what a day! Sorry there's no video footage this time, but here are some fantastic photography courtesy of 'Dave The Paint' and Steve Lawrence. Thank you guys, some great shots, and here's a link to Steve's work: http://www.facebook.com/l/;www.smlphotography.zenfolio.com
(Mike leads the way through the 'Bus Stop'.)
(Mike battles it out with Richard Saunders.)
(Leon, head down, pushing very hard!)
(Some great action shots of Leon.)
(Leon gives the crowd a thank you wave.)
(A celebratory wheelie!)
(Leon 'Rider of the Day' with one of the 'Hawk' guys.)
(Another big thanks for everyone's support.)
Tuesday 18 August 2009
New team member...
Meet Scarlett Kerby Dorey, mine and Jane's beautiful new baby girl. Born on Tuesday 11th August, she weighed a wapping 9lb 7ozs. She is one week old today, so to celebrate we dressed her up in the wonderful racing outfit that Tracey Jeacock very kindly knitted her. It's in the black and orange colours of her Daddy's BMC Racing Honda! And it fits her perfectly...
(A future Maria Costello?)
(Even Daddy's racing number is on the back!)
(A future Maria Costello?)
(Even Daddy's racing number is on the back!)
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