ROUND 7 RACE REPORT: Oulton Park

Fortunately I was able to get some practice in at Oulton Park a couple of weeks prior at No Limits Racing in the endurance class – else this would have been yet another track that I have to learn on the fly.

FP1 went really well with an improvement on my lap time every lap reducing my time by 3 seconds making me p11. The previous practice had helped.

Qualifying didn’t go so well though, I didn’t get a tow off anyone the entire session dropping me down the field. The last lap of the session and I was on a flyer 3 green sectors on the timings, but I had to run on at t10 t11 t12 to avoid another rider which cancelled my fastest lap, ending me in P22, but down to a rider injury I was moved up to p21. Very disappointing performance.

Race 1 was full of great battles with overtakes happening at every corner, which lead to some great racing. I move up the field from 21 leading the second pack for the majority of the race in P11. I knew I was strong and decided not to stay at the front of the pack but to drop back as every time I did lead onto the last lap I always got beaten up in the corners. The last lap I was in 13th and as we made it too island bend, it was a lottery going 4 wide in to the corner, someone sat up making a domino effect to the riders out side them, and guess what, I was on the outside…I unfortunately ran on and re entered the track back in 18th but made a move into the last corner lodge making me end the race in P17 which I was sort of happy with considering all the events that occurred in that race. I also put in a relatively decent lap time in putting me P15 for race 2.

Race 2 was also a race full of battles, after the first lap I was up to P12 and pushed on. P10 was just ahead, the lead group had gapped us. I was definitely up to speed, setting my personal best lap time with a 1:53.3. I was leading the 2nd group for nearly every lap apart from the lap before the red flag came out! Not sure why it did, was it because it had started to spit with rain or that the clock had got to 6pm and the curfew had initiated. Anyway I finished the race in 13th.

Overall was a good weekend at a track I’d not raced at before so was again please with my progress. Definitely looking forward to racing at Donington in a couple of weeks – not because its the last round for Junior Supersport, the last ever ever round for the class, but because of something else…really exciting…I can’t wait…you’re gonna have to in order to find out.