BSB Rd2 - A tricky time at Oulton.

Well, it's been ages since a blog update. Too long in fact! So, it's time to start getting things up to date a little. And so to Oulton Park for round two of the championship. The weather was good, and it's a track that Leon always goes well at.

Qually 1 saw Leon finish 14th fastest with a lap time of 1:44:593. In qually 2 Leon went even quicker (half a second to be exact) with a lap time of 1:44:005. Fantastic lap times that put Leon well up the grid and well away from any shoot-out race.

In the race Leon made a good start and was going well. The pace car was deployed midway through the race, this bunched the riders up and was a great opportunity for Leon as he was getting faster and faster. However, just after the pace car came back in to the pits, Leon's front wheel weights came loose and started bouncing round the inside of the wheel. This resulted in the bike becoming badly out of balance and virtually unrideable. A very unfortunate piece of bad luck indeed. But Leon being Leon, stayed out on track where others would have simply pulled in. He wrestled his way round to the end of the race to finish 17th - just out of the points. And although no points were scored, this was a very mature ride from Leon in extremely difficult circumstances. It just showed his ability to ride around issues to get the best possible result. Well done Leon, heroic stuff!

(A clean getaway for all riders.)

(Leon in the thick of things.)

Here are the result sheets:

BSB Rd1 - Let the show begin!

And so the time arrived...iDAQ.COM/BMC Racing were at Brands Hatch for round one of the National 600 Superstock championship. The new look bike, awning and race clothing were proudly being displayed in the paddock of britains elite bike racing championships. Everyone was excited about what the weekend might deliver.

The weather was fantastic all weekend and Leon was in good spirits for qualifying. There were two groups, and Leon was in group 'A'. He steadily got quicker and quicker over the two sessions and was actually the second quickest in his group. Group 'B' turned out to be a slightly quicker group generally, but Leon's lap time of 48.558 secs was enough to put himself on row two in sixth place. A terrific result for Leon and for the whole team.

Race day arrived and the place was buzzing with excitement. The crowds turned up in their thousands to enjoy the days racing. And it wasn't long before the build-up to the Superstock 600 started. Leon, Mike, Rod and Craig all headed down to pit lane to compete alongside some of the best riders in the country. There were two warm-up laps before they all assembled on to the start grid. The lights went on, then off, and we were under way. All forty riders hurtled towards 'Paddock Hill Bend', and as the pack dropped down the hill one rider could be seen leading the way. And it was the unmistakeable black and pink machine of Leon as he showed them the way up towards the hairpin. I have to say, it was a very proud moment to see hime out in front. This was the moment the whole team had worked for years towards. He then led the race for a good couple of laps before dropping back a little to about sixth/seventh. I believe there was a tyre pressure issue, and just as Leon seemed to start and get his head round it and start making in-roads to the riders in front, he got taken out at the hairpin! An ambitious move by another rider , who then lost the front, took both riders out of the race. It was a real shame, Leon was most definitely on for some good championship points, and who knows, he may have been able to push for a podium if he'd finished the race. But that's racing for you, and to have led the race was a clear indication that Leon means business and isn't here just to make up the numbers.

Thankfully Leon was ok after the crash, which is the main thing, and it was now a case of regrouping and focusing on round two of the championships at Oulton Park a week later. Well done Leon, it really was a positive start to the season.


(All the greats have raced here.)


(The new awning looked amazing.)


(The new clothing was being proudly worn.)


(Even the paddock bike looked the bizz.)



(Some last minute preparation.)


(Leon heads down for the race.)





(Leon leads the way!)


(A great action shot of Leon.)


(The pit crew check out the stats.)


(Brilliant!)


(The team pose for a photo.)


(A battle-scared seat unit.)



(Thank you to all the sponsors.)

Wirral 100 Rd2 - a challenging day...

We were at Oulton Park recently for some valuable track time...and what a day it turned out to be! The weather was pretty much perfect really, and we were all in optimistic spirits. Leon was out to do some testing on the R6, and I was out to have some fun on my favourite track in the Formula 400s.

So how did we get on? Well, Leon was out in the second 600 heat, and he was flying. He hit the front early on and his lap times were getting quicker and quicker each lap. He was looking good for the win, that was until a high-side coming out of the hairpin put Leon out of the race. The frustrating part of this for Leon is that his lap times were plenty good enough to put him on the front row of the grid for the final, probably on pole as his times were improving as the race went on. He made the final though, but would have to start from the back of the grid, so it was going to be a very tough race indeed, particularly when you consider the fact that there were many national 600 superstock riders out there too. And a coming together with a swerving idiot on the warm-up lap meant that Leon missed the start of the race. However, a bad accident delayed caused it to be red flagged, which gave Leon and the gang time to get the bike back in to some sort of shape, and he made the final restart. When the lights did finally go out, and the race actually started, Leon got stuck right in. And by the end of lap one he had already climbed up to tenth place. The race was only a five lapper though, so there wasn't much time to pick the riders off in front of him. He did manage to move up to finish eighth though by the end of the race. And his lap time of 1:46.201 was a fantastic effort when you realise he did it coming through the traffic. Well done Leon, it was a quality ride.

We wish the riders who were involved in the incident a speedy recovery too. I believe Wirral 100 regular Tim Kermode was one of the riders, so get well soon and hope to see you back on track in the very near future.

I had a pretty good day in the Formula 400s. The qualifying race was good fun and I remember having a battle mid-pack to finish twelfth to put myself on the third row for the points race. And I managed to go one better in that race to finish eleventh. I was pleased with this as I got a bad start and found myself behind riders that I knew I was quicker than. So I picked off the ones I could but unfortunately missed out on getting a tow from some of the quicker riders. But I thoroughly enjoyed myself, as I always do when I ride at Oulton Park.

So there you have it, a day that will add a tremendous amount of experience to the team, and one that left us feeling excited about the first round of the BSB season.


(What a track!)


(The new livery looked tip-top.)



(Some great sticker work had been done.)


(Leon doing some warm-up exercises.)




(Leon heads out on track.)


(The team were in relaxed mood.)


(But soon sprung to life to sort the crashed bike out.)



(It was an impressively quick recovery.)




(And the bike was soon whipped back in to shape.)


(One sticker was beyond repair though!)


(Leon in impressive form.)


(A great eighth place.)



(The post race analysis begins.)







(Big thanks to all the sponsors.)

NG Rd1&2 - First race of the season...

A couple of weeks ago saw the BMC Racing/iDAQ.com team in action at Brands Hatch. The two day event was a valuable testing opportunity ahead of the first round of the BSB championships. The weather was warm and sunny, and everybody were in optimistic moods. Leon was racing in both the 600 and Pheonix Open events, Si was also in the 600 event and I was out to have fun in the F400s. I should mention that my kit bag was left back at BMC HQ...but within a matter of minutes I found myself with a full kit to wear. Amazing! A massive thanks goes out to Spike for the use of his spare leathers and gloves, Leon for his boots, back protector and extra set of gloves, and to Si for the use of his spare helmet (luckily his head is the same size as mine)...you're all stars!

Anyway, let's start with Saturday's action. In the Phoenix Open qualifying Leon was up against a lot of other BSB riders, which included 1000cc and Supersport machines! But he put in some blistering pace to put himself comfortably on the third row of the grid for the race, with a fastest lap time of 50.22 - which was quicker than a lot of the faster machines out on track. In the race Leon got away well and settled in to the top half dozen. He managed to hold is own, and his fastest lap time of 49.40 helped him on his way to finishing a fantastic sixth place. A terrific ride!

In the 600s there were very mixed fortunes. Si went out in the first session, and looked comfortable out on track...that was until we saw him bouncing along the road at high speed on the entrance to 'Paddock Hill Bend'! Both the bike and Si cartwheeled their way across the gravel towards the barriers, eventually coming to a standstill. It was a huge relief to see Si stand up and walk round the back of the barriers, I can tell you! The bike, however, was a little bit more worse for wear. So that was the end of the weekends action for Si.

Leon's 600 fortunes were a little different. In his qualifying heat he again rode a blinder, and his lap time of 50.46 was again enough to put himself on row three for the final. When the final came, the sun was still out to play, and it certainly shone on Leon as he again got away well and made his way up to third place until dropping back slightly to finish sixth place, with a fastest lap time of 49.60. It was another fantastic ride by Leon that ended the days racing on a high.

In the F400s I went out to have a bit of fun. In the qualifying race I spent most of the time reacquainting myself with the track (and the bike for that matter), but had immense fun in the process. In the points race I knuckled down a bit more and managed to beat my lap time from last year with a fastest time of 58.76. I was very pleased with this, and had managed to pass a few riders in the process.

On the Sunday the weather was again warm, but with a little more cloud about. But we were all looking forward to the days racing action. In the Phoenix Open qualifying session Leon carried on where he had left off from the Saturday. His lap times were just getting quicker and quicker! And a time of 49.08 was enough to put himself on the second row of the grid in seventh place. In the points race Leon was again quick out of the blocks, and settled himself down in to fifth place. He drop a couple of places to finish seventh (and hold his grid position), but more importantly he again improved his pace to record a fantastic lap time of 48.81. A terrific showing in such a competitive event.

In the 600 heat, Leon flew out of the blocks and settled in to second place for the entire race. His lap times were also very impressive, with every lap being under the 50 second mark...with his best time being 49.25. This was enough to put himself on the front row for the final...another very impressive showing from Leon. The final was again a terrific ride...Leon rocketed off the line, and even the commentator was heard saying that Leon 'flew off the line like a scolded cat'! He led the race at the end of lap one, but dropped back slightly to finish in an excellent fourth position. And to prove his consistency, Leon equalled his heat lap time too with a time of 49.25...terrific stuff!

In the F400s I had a fun day. In the qualifying race I improved my lap time with a time of 58.46. The conditions were perfect really, and I should have gone faster but I was still happy with how everything felt. In the points race I again improved my pace slightly to record a lap time of 58.28, so that was progress. And I now find myself equal ninth in the championship (out of fourteen riders), so I was happy with that.

And there you have it, a fun weekend, and some valuable testing for round one of the BSB calendar. It just a shame that Si didn't manage to take part more in the weekends action. But I guess that's racing!


(It's a track I'm growing to love.)


(The new awning looked the bizz!)


(Our fantastic new sponsor.)


(The new-look bike looked the bizz too!)



(Leon in action.)



(Let's take another look at the bike shall we!)


(Big thanks to our other sponsors too.)


(Leon leaves the paddock for some race action.)


(The team look on.)




(Leon in action.)



(Me in unfamilier clothing.)


(Someone thought it was funny to change my name!)


(Si looks over at his poorly bike.)


(Ouch!)


(Leon was on the cover of the programme.)


(And here he is on the cover of the awning.)