EMRA Rd6 - The Final Showdown...

Last weekend the BMC Racing team were in action at Mallory Park for the final round of the EMRA championships. Simon was in with a shot at the Formula 400 title, and Leon was there to have some fun on both the ZXR400 and R6 machines. The weather wasn't too bad, a little windy but it just about stayed dry for the whole day.

In qualifying, Leon was only out in the F600s, where he managed to qualify second just behind Jody Lees. But that meant that he didn't get a qualifying time in the F400s, and would start the first F400 race from the back of the grid. Simon qualified well in the F400s though, and put himself comfortably on the front row in third place.

Let's start with the F400s (who were out with both of the 125 classes, so it was going to be a messy affair), with the F400s setting off a short time before the 125s. Anyway, race one was an exciting first lap...Leon flew off the line, from the back of the grid, and was soon hot on Richie Welsh's tail going as they went up to the hairpin for the first time. Then coming down the 'Elbow' he saw an opportunity to pass him, which according to the commentator was an extremely close move indeed...I remember hearing him say that they had probably swapped paintwork as Leon completed a well executed pass on Richie. Richie then briefly flirted with the idea of retaking the lead going in to 'Edwinas' but soon realised it was a lost cause as Leon steadily pulled out a comfortable lead to take a very convincing victory. In fact, his lap time of 56:112 was over two seconds quicker than any other F400 rider. Simon, however, had a real battle on his hands. For pretty much all of the race he found himself in a three-way battle for second position. He was clearly 'on it', and pushing really hard as he managed to take third position midway through the race. But backmarkers had their say right at the end of the race (as they usually do at Mallory), and Simon lost out on the third place that looked certain to be his. Which meant that Simon needed a miracle in race two if he was to be crowned the F400 champion. Still, a first and a fourth place for BMC is a great result.

Race two was a similar story really. Leon flew off the line to lead the race from lights to flag for a double F400 victory. And again Leon's lap times of low 56's was almost two seconds a lap quicker than any other F400 rider. Simon had an uphill struggle if he was going to win the championship, but he got stuck in right from the off. Going in to 'Edwinas' I noticed a rider at the front go down...it was hard to see who it was. I knew it wasn't Leon as he was out in front, but it could easily have been either Richie or Simon. It was, in fact, Reece Baldwin who was third in race one. He was in second place at the time and both Richie and Simon seemed to take avoiding action. This incident left a huge gap out front for Leon by the end of lap one, and left Simon having to battle it out with Richie for the remaining podium places. The race soon settled down though as Richie managed to edge out in front of Simon. But Si's lap times were less than a second behind Richie's, so he stayed in touch for most of the race. The onslaught of GP 125 riders seemed to disturb Simon's rhythm but a third place finish and a second place in the championship in his first full season is a fantastic achievement. So, congratulations Simon...you did yourself and the team proud!

Let's turn our attentions to the Formula 600s. Race one was a very close affair indeed! There were only two riders in it in fact...Leon and Jody who finished nearly sixteen seconds ahead of anyone else. And it was nip and tuck between them right to the end, with Jody just taking the win by a whisker on the line. Oh, and Leon got the fastest lap of the race.

So that left everyone expecting another close fight in race two. However, this was ruined when the marshals didn't allow Leon out on to the grid for the warm-up lap...and would therefore have to start the race from the back of the grid! This was very odd as I could see clearly that they were holding Leon and that the grid hadn't even been formed yet. Ridiculous! Anyway, that left Leon with one hell of a task if he was to get anywhere near the front. I have to say though, it was just as entertaining watching Leon come from the back of the grid as it would have been watching him fight it out with Jody. What we witnessed was actually a remarkable ride from Leon who was clear on the top of his game. The way he carved through the pack was a joy to behold, a truly top class ride indeed. He took his frustration and chanelled it brilliantly in to putting in some very fast and consistant lap times. With about three laps to go Leon had cleared the pack and was making good headway on Jody, who was also having a great ride out in front. Leon was gaining on every circuit but simply ran out of laps for us to be treated to any battle with Jody. And his lap times showed just how quick he was going! Again he was the fastest man on track, only this time he was the only rider to drop in to the 53's...over half a second quicker than Jody! A great ride to watch, definitely one of Leon's finer moments.

So there you have it, another succesful day of whizzing round in circles on tarmac. Well done to everyone involved...a great way to end another EMRA season...


(What a couple of stunners!)


(The team help Leon get ready for the F600s.)



(Le 'on it' Jeacock.)


(The team watch the display.)




(Leon in action on the ZXR 400.)


(Leon takes time out to mingle with his fans.)


(Simon flies down the 'Elbow' on his way to third.)


(Another trophy for the collection.)


(Time to give back last years barrow load of trophies.)

New look leathers...

Tracey has been hard at work creating a brand new look for the back of my leathers. Not only do I have my name and number on, I also have the BMC Racing logo! With the pic of the bike! It all looks absolutely fantastic, I am a very happy chappy indeed. Thank you Tracey, you've done an amazing job...check out her blog here: http://sew-n-go.blogspot.com/

If anyone wants theirs doing, get in touch with Tracey to sort out your own unique look...I highly recommend it. Here are the details:

Tel: 07814 259400
Email: roderick.jeacock@ntlworld.com


(Stunning.)

Seventh heaven...

There was a great bit of local press recently. The Coventry Telegraph ran an article about the seven lap records that he has added to his cv this year. It's worth a read, here's a link:

http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/coventry-warwickshire-sport/other-sport/2010/09/22/motorsport-leon-jeacock-sets-seventh-lap-record-92746-27314735/

And here's the article:


(Nice!)

NG Rd13 - Sun, rain and another club record...

Last Saturday saw the BMC Racing team in action at Oulton Park in Cheshire...we were there competing in the latest round of the NG Road Racing championships. Leon was looking to retake the top spot in the Formula 400s, and also use the opportunity to gather further data on the R6 ahead of next months BSB trip back here again. Si was also there to join in the fun and I took the opportunity to race on my favourite track.

So how did it all go then? Well, the morning started very mild...the sun kept poking it's head through the clouds, the wind was down to a minimum and everything was set for a fun day. Practice went without a hitch and everyone looked forward to the first set of races.

First up were the 600s and the qualifying heat. Yet again Leon would have to start way down the grid. But, undeterred, Leon made a terrific start and seemed to effortlessly carve his way through the pack to finish a brilliant third place. In fact, the commentator was waxing lyrical about how well Leon and Freddie Russo worked together as a team to pick their way from the back of the grid to take a couple of well deserved podium finishes.

Next up was the qualifying race for the Formula 400s. Leon was starting from the front row and Simon and I started alongside each other on row six. We all got away well, with Leon completely blitzing the 400 field to take a comfortable victory, and in doing so, claiming yet another club lap record. He actually smashed the record by about a second with a time of 1:50:85 - brilliant! Simon managed to work his way through the field well to finish eleventh in class, and I managed to finish fifteenth in class which was one place better than I started on the grid...so not too bad.

The weather then decided to take a turn for the worst over lunchtime. And we were left guessing as to what tyre choices to make. A brief downpour seemed to suggest wets but the paddock was drying and the rain seemed to have stopped falling. Leon was out next in the final of the 600 race...so he went out on dry tyres and was going to see how the track conditions were on the warm-up and decide whether to stay out or not before the race started. As it turned out the conditions were quite wet, with Leon finding out in dramatic fashion as he had the bike sideways on a couple of occasions...so, very wisely, Leon decided to pull in before the race started and concentrate on getting the tyres changed on the 400 which was in a couple of races time.

As it happened, Leon's decision to change to full wets for the 400 race was a stroke of genius. I was convinced that it was going to dry out...but the grey sky, and the fact that Leon had not long been out on track, meant that full wets was the decision of the day. As the race got under way, it began to slowly start raining again...not a lot, but enough to make you think twice about leaning the bike too far over. About three laps in and the rain was now lashing down, making the choice to go for full wets an excellent decision. In fact I remember seeing a few riders pull in early on as they were obviously struggling for grip on dry tyres. About midway through the race I noticed that the yellow flags were being waved furiously round at the hairpin...I then noticed that a bike was on the deck...it was Simon! Oh no! He had been pushing very hard for third place, and was well on target to get this when he lost the front on the exit of the hairpin. The next time round I noticed that the bike was up and that Si was standing next to it with his arms crossed, looking very dejected. Still it was good to him up and ok. My race was steady...I didn't get the best of starts, and at the first corner there was a lot of movement from the tyres. It probably wasn't as bad as it felt, but it felt like it was about to let go on me...luckily it didn't and I managed to get my head down and finish eighth in class. I was happy with that.

Leon's race was another story altogether...he had a belter! He rode an incredible race in very tricky conditions to take a well deserved victory. I should also say that he was up against the likes of Tim Bradley, who we all know is a quality wet weather rider, so the win really was impressive...very well done Leon. And it now puts Leon firmly at the top of the Formula 400 championship.

So there you have it, a tricky day's racing with a mixed bag of fortunes...but it was an enjoyable one all the same.


(Leon putting the RVF through it's paces during practice.)


(Leon carves his way through the 600 pack.)


(And was rightly delighted with the result.)


(The team access the damage to Si's bike.)



(Berrie and Samual came to cheer us on.)


(Leon and Lawson with the winners hat.)


(Top of the pile again.)

EMRA Rd4 footage - better late than never!

Well, it's been a while since round four of the EMRA championships. In fact, they've had round five too! And I believe Simon didn't quite have the sort of day he had hoped, although he is still very much in with a shot at the Formula 400 championships. The final round is in a couple of weeks, and I believe it's a double points round...so you never know. Good luck for that Si.

Anyway, I've also (finally) got round to finishing the video from the footage I collected at round four. I hope you enjoy watching it, I enjoyed making it...although I did go a little bit crazy with the effects buttons - I guess I just can't help myself sometimes...