Lots of help from lots of people...

So, money was tight and making the next round at Donnington Park was going to be tough. But lots of very kind people, who all wanted to see Leon on the grid, donated money to the cause. In return, each person got their name put on to Leon's clean white helmet. It was an incredible show of solidarity, and it was very, very much appreciated. Thank you everyone...you're all ace!

Here's how the helmet looked on race day:

(Marvellous!)

Main sponsor pulls out...

It was after the Cadwell Park round, and shortly before the following round at Donnington Park, that our main sponsor (iDAQ.com) announced their departure. It was obviously a huge disappointment to the team, and meant that competing in the final rounds of the BSB season was highly unlikely. However, we fully respect their decision, and on a personal note, I'd like to thank Mark and Sarah for all the help they gave us throughout the season. It really was very much appreciated by the team, and we wish you well for the future.

BSB Rd9 - Tragedy at Cadwell Park.

All events, lap times and results for this weekend were heavily overshadowed by an incident that happened in the 600 Superstock race on the Sunday. Five riders were involved in an accident at the top of the 'Mountain', and one of the riders, Benjamin Gautrey, tragically died as a result. Leon was one of the other riders involved. It was a harsh reality check, reminding us all how dangerous this sport can really be. And I know it's a little bit late, but I'd like to extend our warmest thoughts and deepest sympathies to Ben's family and friends. It is a sad loss to everyone that knew him, and to the sport of motorcycle racing itself.

And, although they don't really matter, here are the result sheets:

BSB Rd8 - Back to Brands we go.

And so the next round was upon us. This time it was back at Brands Hatch in Kent, only this time it was to held on the full GP circuit. Leon hadn't been round the full circuit before, so it was going to be a case of learning as you go. The weather was good, so that was going to make things a little easier.

Qually 1 went without a hitch and saw Leon record a lap time of 1:34:047, which was just within the top thirty. After lots of consultation between Mike and Leon about set-up, qually 2 saw Leon go almost a second quicker with a time of 1:33:189. Great stuff, and a big step in the right direction. This put Leon 22nd on the grid for the race, not a bad position to be in at all.

In the race Leon made a great start, and with the help of a few riders going down found himself in 14th place and battling for the lower points. A great start from Leon indeed, and we could see how hard he was pushing by putting in some consistent lap times. As the race progressed Leon lost a couple of places to finally finish 16th. Unfortunately this was just outside of the points, but it was a solid ride on a track he doesn't know. A positive step forward was made and again showed glimpses of how the team can work well together. Well done all, we should all feel proud of this one.

(It's always a pleasure to be here.)

(Lots of discussions and tinkering went on.)

(Looking good on the grid.)

(The pack gets away well. Leon is bottom left.)

(The pack roars round with Leon on the outside.)

(Leon finds himself battling hard.)

(Solid pit work from the team.)

Here are the result sheets:

A 'Paddock Hill Bend' mishap...

Before I write the report for round 8 of the championship at Brands Hatch, I thought I'd just share a video showing the 'off' that Simon had earlier on this year. It all happened at high speed, and to see Simon stand up and walk away from it was a huge relief indeed.

BSB Rd7 - A wash out at Oulton Park.

And so we move on to round 7 of the championship, and back to Oulton Park in Cheshire. This actually ended up a non-event due to an incredible amount of rainfall on race day. So that meant that the 600 Superstock race was rescheduled to run at the Donnington Park round of the championship in September.

In qualifying Leon again managed to avoid any shoot-out race by recording a lap time of 1:44:949 secs. This put him 26th on the grid. Not as high up as he would have hoped for, but that just shows you how competitive this series is. And incredible to think that just three seconds covered the top thirty riders!

(Rain, rain and more rain.)

(Dollies that properly needed brollies.)

(A lancaster bomber made an appearance too.)

And here are the result sheets:

BSB Rd6 - A no-show at Snetterton.

Due to a lack of sponsorship funding, it was not not possible to compete at Snetterton for round 6 of the championship. This was a real shame. We all know how well Leon rode round there last year, and it would've been interesting to see him back out there again this year, especially to see how he got on with the new track layout.

BSB Rd5 - knocked off at Knockhill.

Next up was Knockhill, all the way up in Scotland. It's a very long day to go for a race event, particularly when it seems to nearly always rain up there too. And that's exactly what it did for both qualifying sessions. But Leon did well, with qually 1 seeing him record a fastest lap time of 1:01:312 secs. In qually 2 Leon went even quicker and stuck in a fastest lap of just 58:968 seconds. A very respectable time indeed, and again well away from the shoot-out race. And put Leon 22nd on the grid for the main event.

The race was dry, cloudy but dry (obviously with the constant threat of rain though). Anyway, Leon got away well as they all headed down to the first corner...but more bad luck was to strike. Leon got hit by another rider which caused him to fall off. He was quick to get back up and on the bike though, and set about catching the pack back up again. And, with a little help of the safety car, that's what Leon did. He started picking off the riders at the back, but he simply ran out of time and had to settle for 27th position. Again Leon showed his mettle in adverse circumstances, and should be very proud of how he dealt with another dosage of bad luck.

(The pack hurtles round on the first lap.)

(Leon untangles himself from the incident.)

(A mud-stained Leon as he picks off the riders at the back.)

Here are the result sheets:

BSB Rd4 - A wet Thruxton race.

And so on to the next round, this time at Thruxton in Hampshire. It is an incredibly fast track, possibly the quickest on the calendar, and getting the perfect set-up proved tricky. Both qualifying sessions were dry, but Leon improved between sessions to record a fastest lap time of 1:21:526 secs. This was pretty good, less than 2 seconds off pole in fact, and put Leon 26th on the grid. Again this was good enough to avoid dropping in to the shoot-out race.

Race day came, and with it came the rain. This was a shame, and getting the perfect wet weather set-up was going to be tough. But Leon got stuck in and managed to finish just one place off his qualifying position. This was ok, not as high up the pack as he would have liked, but it was a finish and finishes are always good. And some very valuable data was collected along the way.

(Leon in action on a rainy Thruxton race day.)

Here are the result sheets:

BSB Rd3 - Testing times at Croft!

Right, now on to Croft for the next round of the championship. And what a trying weekend it turned out to be. It wasn't a track that Leon was familiar with, but his free practice lap times were encouraging, and everyone looked forward to both qualifying sessions.

Qually 1 was short lived with Leon losing the rear while pushing hard, and was unable to carry on with the session. Qually 2 saw another unfortunate incident for Leon too...he was on a flying lap, with two green sectors being registered in fact, and was definitely on for a very fast lap times. However, on the exit of 'Sunny' the front wheel lifted under power, and when it landed the bike shook its head violently. Leon carried on pushing, not knowing that the break pads had become dislodged. This meant that heading in to the 'Complex', when he gave it a handful of front break, nothing actually happened. Obviously this is a bad situation to suddenly find yourself in. So Leon took precautionary action and ended up bailing off on the grass. It wasn't possible to get the bike back before the end of the session, so that was that. Unfortunately the few laps Leon had done weren't good enough to qualify. This was a shame as it would have been interesting to see what his hot lap would've actually been.

But this is racing, and you always learn from these things. You just have to dust yourself down, patch yourself up, and look forward to the next round. Here are the result sheets: