Starting this Saturday off with some cloudy yet sunny skies. It's definitely a bit windy and it's going to be interesting seeing the effect that has on the bikes today.
The Junior Supersport qualifying session is now underway and the Junior Supersport Category are joined on track with the Desmo Ducati Categories also. Harry set a super first lap at 1:01:463 however the session ended fairly quickly due to an incident which led to a red flag. Harry did set a fastest lap of 59:780 prior to this which the team were very happy with. Harry qualified 16th out of 38 overall on the grid. This put Harry 7th out of 8 overall in Junior Supersport Category.
A very late minute entry into the Open 500 Category (this was literally 20 minutes before the session) and they are joined on track by the Mini Twins and the FPR GP1 Categories. Harry started with a lap time of 1:03:463 which he continued to improve throughout the session. Midway through the session and Harry had a lap time of 59:44 which was brilliant, you could see Harry getting more and more confident as the session went on. Harry set a fastest lap of 58:786 which meant he qualified 25th out of 34 on the grid and 7th out of 11 in the Open 500 Category.
After a quick 20 minute lunch break we were back in the garage getting ready for the first official race of the season. Tensions were high and you could feel the atmosphere change in the paddock as game faces went on.
Round 1 of the Junior Supersport category has started and Harry has started in 16th place on the grid. Harry started the session with a lap time of 1:08:233 and as the session went on things were starting to get intense. Harry came out of Druids and into Graham Hill bend and we watched as Harry overtook the first bike on the right hand side and then immediately moved in front of this rider went to the left and over took the second rider. Everyone watching was stood with their jaws on the floor. It was an amazing overtake for someone of Harry's age and experience. Harry's fastest lap this session was 57:827 which placed him 11th overall in the session and 6th in his category.
Round 1 of the Open 500 category had Harry starting 25th on the grid. Unfortunately Harry got caught behind some of the other riders which meant this his first lap had a time of 1:11:666. After making his way round the other riders Harry continued to lower his time through out session on the final lap of the day Harry put in a 58:347 which was his fastest time this session. He finished 27th overall in the session and 9th in the Open 500 Category.
Harry was absolutely shattered by the end of the day but still managed to make it to the restaurant for some food and to relax with the friends he has made racing in this championship. He definitely slept well that's for sure.
We are up bright and early on this wet and cold Sunday morning ready for racing to resume. The paddock seemed quite uncertain regarding the weather but Harry was excited and ready to go.
Round 2 of the Junior Supersport begins and Harry is starting in 11th place. He sets off with a lap time of 1:13:511. You can tell that the other riders are a bit apprehensive of the weather but Harry continues to speed up and shorten his lap times. As the race went on Harry continued to overtake other riders and put in a fastest lap time of 1:04:170 overall. The team were watching on absolute anticipation and joy as Harry crossed the finish line and won the race! The excitement from everyone was such an amazing thing to watch and Harry was so happy.
Round 2 of the Open 500 begins and Harry starts 27th on the grid. He starts the race with a lap time of 1:17:695 which had the team looking on with a bit of confusion however he quickly got the time down to 1:08:292 towards the middle of the race, this was also the fastest lap Harry did this session. Harry did some amazing overtaking this session but the session ended with a red flag. Harry ended the session 16th overall however came 3rd in the Open 500 category which was a brilliant to see.
After a quick lunch break where Harry went and collected his 1st and 3rd place trophies (you should have seen the excitement) he was ready to get back on the bike and continue racing.
Round 3 of the Junior Supersport category begins and Harry starts in 6th. Harry unfortunately had a poor start off the finish line and ended up spending the first 50 metres of the track on his back wheel. This lead to Harry going down into around 19th place. His lap time at the beginning of the race was 1:15:331 however he continued to lower this down each lap until at the end of the session he was within the 1:03s. His fastest lap overall was 1:03:021 and he finished 12th overall and 4th in the category.
The Championship standings currently put Harry as 2nd in Junior Supersport and 5th in the Open 500.
We were super excited to have our new sponsor Fresh Car Valeting & Detailing Kent spend the weekend with us so that they could get a first hand look at what their support provides for the team and can't wait to see you on the grid racing later this year!
We are grateful for all of our sponsors this year EBC Brakes, RJ Hawkins Fleet Cleaning Services, Reliable Bikers Safety Gear, Motorcycle World - Northampton, New Recycling Limited and Fresh Car Valeting & Detailing Kent and we hope that this weekend we have been able to show you that the support you have for us is worth it!
Thank you for continued support both on and off the track and thank you for joining the journey of a teenage bike racer.