BMC Racing: September 2009

Last weekend saw us all at the final round of the EMRA championships at Mallory Park. And what a weekend it turned out to be for the BMC Racing team, winning no less than four championships in total. Oh, and a lap record too! Here is a list of what we won:

Leon:
Formula 600 championship.
Superstock 600 championship.
Co-Ordit Relay championship.
Formula 400 new lap record of 56.835 secs.

Mike:
Formula 400 championship.

It really has been an unbelievable season, the way that Leon and Mike have progressed this year is incredible. They have worked tirelessly week in, week out, all season to produce a set of consistently high level results. And with consistency comes results. We really couldn't have wished for a better year.

So, what happened on the day then? Let's start with qualifying...in the 400's we were put out with the Earlystocks, so it was a busy session, and finding a clear lap was going to be tough. And an Earlystock had dropped a link pipe on the exit of Gerrards that the marshals didn't seem to spot! But that didn't stop Mike from doing the usual and sticking himself on Pole, and was the only rider under a minute! Well done Mike! Freddy's session was another story though. He was going well and was building up to a fast lap, when an Earlystock rider went down in front of him round Gerrards. Freddy tried to go round the outside but simply ran out of space and went on to the grass. Down he went and broke his right collarbone. So that was it for the day for Freddy even though he had done enough to put himself twelfth on the grid. The session was red flagged and restarted for a further four minutes, and the link pipe was removed from the track. Simon Edmondson was out on his newly set-up and liveried BMC Honda, and he was flying! He managed to stick himself third on the grid...a brilliant effort! And I managed to get a clear lap after the restart to put myself tenth on the grid.

With Leon chasing three championships, it was important to Leon to put in some solid qualifying performances. And that's exactly what he did...in the Superstock 600's he went out and stuck in a sub 56 second lap and put himself a comfortable third place on the grid. The Formula 600's saw Leon again go out and put in some quality laps good enough for a third place grid slot. And, to quote De La Soul, three was definitely the magic number when it came to the Buildbase Mallory Trophy, as Leon's times were again good enough for grid position number three. Terrific stuff!

Before we get to the races, we need to reflect on an unfortunate incidence during the Formula 600 qualifying session. Richard Saunders, Mikes main Formula 400 title rival, had a terrible incident at the hairpin. The crash resulted in Richard being air lifted to hospital for emergency treatment. This meant that Richard would play no further part in the days action, and giving Mike the opportunity to claim his first championship title. But more importantly, it reminded us all of the dangers that we all face when we pull on our leathers and head down to the start grid. We wish Richard all the best and hope he makes a full recovery, it was certainly poised to be an exciting finale to the Formula 400 season, and one that I know Richard was very much looking forward to.

Let's start with the 400's then. Everyone got away well, and Mike soon found himself in a battle with young Sam Hornsey. Sam took the lead and Mike dropped in behind him by the time they reached 'Edwinas'. Mike then followed Sam all the way to the finish and in doing so taking the title! They were clearly pushing each other hard as both riders managed lap times below 59 seconds, with Mike recording a 58.809 circuit. Amazing! In fact the top six riders all did lap times below a minute, an incredibly quick field of riders. James Simpson, who was looking for a third place finish in the championship, brought his ZXR home in fourth place, with Simon Edmondson finishing sixth and was the final rider under the minute barrier! Elliot Stevens was also riding a BMC Honda in this race as a guest rider, and he went well! Elliot managed a sixty second lap and brought it home in a fantastic seventh. Well done Elliot, you rode well. And I didn't disgrace myself either, as I finished tenth, but more importantly, managed to beat my best ever lap time with a mid 1.01...so I was happy too! It's just a shame Freddy wasn't out there with us.

Race two saw a different story altogether. As Leon was now out on the spare bike to join in the fun. However, Leon hadn't put in a qualifying time so would have to start the race from the back of the grid. So it was going to be an interesting one! The lights went out and it wasn't very long at all before I saw Leon come flying past me and getting stuck in to the fast moving pack ahead. By the time he reached 'Edwinas' Leon was already up in to third place. Coming out of 'Edwinas' Leon got the drop on James Simpson and set about Sam Hornsey. And heading in to 'Edwinas' for the second time Leon pulled an awesome out-braking manoeuvre on Sam to take the lead. And that's where he stayed for the rest of the race. But get this, Leon also obliterated the Formula 400 lap record with a lap time of 56.835! Incredible riding Leon, well done! James rode a blinder to finish third in the race, and secure his third place finish in the championship. Mike followed James home to finish fourth, with Simon recording lap times in the mid 59's to finish fifth. After a dodgy start, and running with only five gears, I managed to scrap my way up to finish eighth, and still dropping in to the 1.01's. So I had a good day too!

Now to Leon's other races. First up the Buildbase Mallory Trophy and the six lap sprint. Leon got a blistering start and was second going in to 'Edwinas' for the first time. He then had a fight on his hands and was briefly pushed back fourth, but with some solid lap times in the mid 54's Leon stuck himself up to third to take the final podium slot. Oh, and he also took the fastest lap of the race with a time of 54.427. Simply brilliant.

Race two saw Leon ride with all the confidence of a true champion. He has his usual fantastic start saw him up to second and pushing Philip Green for the lead. And with some incredibly consistent lap times, and another brilliant out-braking manoeuvre in to 'Edwinas', Leon soon took the lead and pulled a gap on the chasing pack, and brought it home to a memorable victory for the main event of the day. And again he was the quickest rider out on track with a lap time of 54.151 seconds. This gave Leon a third place finish in the championship, just a single point behind Philip Brooks who finished in second place. Pure magic!

In the Superstock 600's Leon just needed a solid points finish to claim the title for the second year running. And he was also leading the Co-Ordit Relay category too, which gives the young winning rider free entry to next years NG series. In race one, Leon tucked in behind the flying Luke Stapleford in top second place. Luke rode a great race to win but Leon did enough to finish second, way ahead of the rest of the pack, to take both the Superstock 600 and Co-Ordit Relay championships. A fantastic result, and something for Leon to focus on for next year. Race two was a carbon copy of the first, with Leon following Luke home in second place. This time though, Leon recorded his fastest lap of the day (54.147) to stay closer to Luke by the end, and in doing so pulling an immense gap on the chasing pack.

Clinching the Formula 600 championship seemed like a formality for Leon, with his lead being what it was. But that didn't stop him from pushing mightily hard in both races to take a couple of domineering victories. Race one saw Leon being pushed well by Jody Lees and Sean Moore, but Leon soon took control and finished the race with a two and a half second gap. Race two, and being the newly crowned champion, we saw Leon sporting a Superman t-shirt over his leathers. He certainly lived up to the name too! Leon lead from start to finish and pulled a similar gap as race one by the end. A masterclass on how to ride Mallory Park.

So there you have it, a truely unbelievable days racing for everyone involved. From the grid girls, caterers, and strong family support, to the riders themselves...everyone played their part and should be very proud of this years achievments. I thank, and admire you all!

(Leon in blistering form.)

(There goes the F400 lap record.)

(Rod and Leon work on the tactics.)

(Mike and Father reflect on our best season yet.)

(Freddy nurses a broken collar bone.)

(Get in!)

(Multiple champion.)

(The grid girls were out in force.)

(More metal to polish!)

(What a waste of good champagne!)

(The dynamic duo strike again!)

(The wave of a champion.)

(Thank you Steve Lawrence for all the great shots.)

(Cake face!)

(We can't thank you all enough!)

Two weeks ago Thundersport GB held their latest round, at the Brands Hatch Indy circuit. A track that Leon, and the BMC team, hadn't raced at before. And it was a reunion for Leon his championship winning RVF 400 too, as he was out in the Junior powerbikes to save his R6 for the last round of the EMRA championships. The weather was pretty good and everyone was up for a top weekend, when they actually got there that is, eh Mike!?

Anyway Saturday morning came and Leon was straight in to the thick of things, learning the track as he went about his qualifying session. And it seems he's a quick learner too - he managed to qualify on the second row in seventh place...amazing!

So how was the racing? Well, race one saw Leon get of to a flyer and tuck in to fourth place. He then set about challenging the riders in front, which included local boy Rob Elsmere, for a place on the podium. It was a terrific race to watch. Leon kept chipping away lap by lap and, with the use of some brave over-taking manoeuvres, managed to get himself ahead of Rob at one point for second place. A gripping battled ensued and a close finish was enevitable, with Rob just edging out Leon to take the second place. Still, a podium finish on an unknown track, and on a bike he hadn't ridden for ages, was pretty impressive stuff!

Race two saw Leon holding his grid position of seventh by the end lap one. Again Leon got stuck in though and was very quickly up in to fourth, but had lost the tow on the leading three riders. It looked as though he was making some progress on the guys in front though, when the race was then red flagged and declared a result. So fourth it was for Leon. This was particularly impressive as, unbeknown to us, Leon had had a fuel leak and was getting covered in petrol for most of the race. Well done Leon, a great job done!

So, Saturday evening was spent fixing the fuel leak, and preparing for another two races on the Sunday. And race one on the Sunday saw Leon pick-up where he left off on the Saturday and managed another fantastic fourth position. But it was the final race of the day that proved to be the most eventful of the weekend! Leon was by now running with some rather worn slick tyres, so it was always going to be tough out there. Making a reasonable start Leon more or less held his grid position. He then put the hammer down and pushed like hell! And when you push like hell, things can get tricky. And things got tricky indeed...at one point Leon finding himself being squeezed on to the grass at 'Graham Hill Bend', while making an overtaking manoeuvre. The tyres were sliding all over the place by now too, so much so that they put Leon in to a massive tank-slapper coming round 'Clearways' going in to 'Clark Curve'. It threw Leon out of the seat and nearly spat him off. But he somehow got it back under control, only to find that the handlebars were now completely out of line. The front wheel was now aiming to the left! It's worth saying that the mark of a top-class rider is determined on how they cope with such conditions. And that's what Leon showed here, true class! Not only did he manage to carry on, but he even managed to pass a couple of riders in the process! And finished an amazing sixth place...just incredible!

And Leon's fastest lap of the weekend was a 51.8, a remarkable lap time when you consider he hadn't raced at Brands Hatch before. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant!

I managed to take some footage too, and here's a little film I made to show you some of the weekends action: