The August Bank Holiday visit to the picturesque circuit of Cadwell Park proved a tough test for BSB newcomers Co-ordit Racing this weekend (23rd-25th August).
The 2.18 mile Lincolnshire circuit is notorious for its compact and intimate nature, the track itself providing the narrowest strip of asphalt that the British Championship riders face each season. The tight, narrow and twisting characteristics provided a stiff challenge to team owner Pete Bradshaw and his mechanics to set up Dean Ellison’s Co-ordit Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 Superbikes.
The difficult task was compounded with Dean Ellison having two spills during the free practice sessions. As a result, Dean’s number one machine was rendered unusable and the team worked round the clock to ensure the second was fit in order for Dean to take to the track for the new F1-style Qualifying. After just nine laps of the first 25 minute qualifier, Dean was forced to sit out the remainder with a technical problem, that left the Co-ordit rider languishing down on the eighth row of the grid.
Dean made a positive start to the opening 18 lap Superbike race in front of a packed Cadwell Park crowd, maintaining his position throughout the first few laps. However, an undeterminable brake fade problem forced Dean to retire into the pits on lap 3. The Co-ordit Racing mechanics worked flat out during the interval to fix the problem but to no avail and Pete Bradshaw made the decision on grounds of safety to withdraw from race 2.
Metzeler National Superstock regular, Dan Hegarty, took the opportunity for extra track time on the Co-ordit Racing Henderson Yamaha R1 Cup machine at Cadwell Park. The young rider repaid team owner Pete Bradshaw with a mature and determined performance throughout the weekend. Qualifying in fifth on the middle of the second row, Dan was one of ten new riders who took the opportunity to race in the fledgling R1 Cup series at Cadwell Park. Dan battled throughout the reduced lap race with R1 Cup race winner Sam Warren, Adrian Coates and Connor Cummins. The race was blighted by two red flag incidents involving Yaron Salinger and Stuart Wilson, but Dan brought the Co-ordit Yamaha home in a very respectable fifth for 11 points.
Pete Bradshaw – Team Owner: “We are beginning to learn the harsh economic realities of British Superbike racing. Dean suffered a couple of spills and a technical problem or two that left us struggling to get him onto the grid for the second race. As we could not precisely determine the nature of the brake fade problem from the first race, I made the decision for Dean’s safety that he would not take part in the second race. Dan Hegarty impressed in the Henderson R1 Cup. He worked hard all weekend and came from behind in his battle with Coates and Cummins to claim fifth. The Cup appears to be the saving grace of our season at the moment. Due to other commitments for Richard Cooper I have utilised a number of different quality riders in this series and they have all proved their worth with competitive races that have scored good points for the team. In fact, our combined points tally this season would see us up in sixth in the overall Championship! We now have a tough challenge ahead of us before we head north to Croft.”
The tenth round of the 2008 British Superbike Championship takes place at Croft Circuit in North Yorkshire (12th-14th September).
BSB Race 1 Result:1. Haslam (Honda)
2. Sykes (Suzuki)
3 .Byrne (Ducati)
4. Camier (Ducati),
5. Crutchlow (Honda)
BSB Race 2 Result:1. Haslam (Honda)
2. Sykes (Suzuki)
3. Byrne (Ducati)
4. Camier (Ducati)
5. Rutter (Ducati)
Henderson Yamaha R1 Cup Result:1. Kirkham
2. B.Wilson
3. Mason
4. Warren
5. Hegarty (Co-ordit Racing)Related Link:WWW.TEAMCO-ORDIT.COMImages: www.martinheath.net
