Foggys Esses were aptly named on Saturday morning, as the day dawned with visibility at around 10 feet! The beautiful day we’d had on Friday seemed a distant memory as we sat and listened to the aircraft landing unseen at the airport next door. Can you believe there are noise issues here?

Just before midday the fog lifted and once track action got under way we had some really great racing to sit back and enjoy.

There were some fantastic races in the RST Golden Era Superbike races at Donington Park right through the field, but not before both Dave Harnett and Paul Willis had managed to bash themselves up quite severely. Many riders have phoned asking about their condition and I’m pleased to say that both are now on the mend.

In the races themselves, everyone expected ex-British Superbike Champion Ian Simpson to clear off into the distance aboard the Colin Morris owned and run Honda Britain RC45. We’d all reckoned without the youthful enthusiasm of Josh Daley aboard the ZXR Kawasaki and the steely determination of Lee Reveley aboard his Aprilia Mille though. These three were tied together all race long with Daley diving underneath on the brakes at every opportunity only to get blasted down the straights. With the other two spoiling his lines, Simpson was unable to get into his rhythm and the three way fight went right to the end. Reveley had a plan though and he knew that if he led into the final corner he could just make it to the line before the WSB spec Honda could gobble up the advantage he held and that was exactly what happened. Simpson tried everything he knew, including using all of the kerb on the exit to Goddards, but he lost out by a tyre width at the line to an ecstatic Reveley. Daley was just another 5 yards adrift and had acquitted himself extremely well against the more powerful bikes.

Simpson made amends in the two Sunday races with two impressive wins, but nothing can take that Saturday result away from Reveley and he knows that at the shorter circuits the old Mille can acquit itself well.

The HEL Streetfighters produced some tense battles too and it was three newcomers to the series who produced the goods. Series returnees Martin Stanier and Andrew Plaskitt aboard their Suzuki GSXR 750 models were immediately up the sharp end, but it was newcomer to the class Reece Rothwell who showed them the way home with a dominant performance in two of the three races. Andy did have the last laugh by just pipping him to the final race win of the meeting though and took the class lap record in the process. Sean Goldsmith took enough points to retain the championship lead though and Ian Popplewell took 4 wins from 4 starts in class B, with Johnny Glendenning chasing him all the way.

In the Morello Thundersport GP1 class John Ingram, Dan Hegarty, Phil Crowe, Peter Baker and Dan Kneen spent the weekend duffing each other up at virtually every corner around the sweeping curves of this beautiful parkland circuit and each time it was Ingram who emerged victorious. Both he and Phil Crowe looked absolutely frightening on the brakes into the Esses. If you could imagine a cartoon picture with the tarmac rolling up ahead of the front tyre, that only just does justice to how hard they were forcing the front end into the deck. Ingram also set a new benchmark of 1.33.838 around the GP circuit and looked extremely pleased with his weekends work.

“Naked Racing” doesn’t sound too inviting when the ambient air temperature drops down to just above freezing does it? But our two ‘naked’ classes, Bridgestone Thundersport 500 & HEL Performance Streetfighters, both produced some pretty hot racing at a freezing Brands Hatch.

In the Bridgestone 500s Adam Palfreman had a superb double win on Saturday, taking race one by a 17 second margin from the real ‘drag em out & knock en down’ scrap for second between Rob Mawbey, Richard Blunt, Nick Mallinson & Nick Clift. The chasing four may have held each other up and let Adam get away, but they sure looked like they were having a whole lot of fun in the process. In the second encounter of the day the chasing pack were joined by newcomer Adam Clarke and they all kept the pressure on right to the last lap when Palfreman managed to get a slender 2 second lead and hold it to the line. The picture shows a frantic midfield battle in which fast youngster Joe Barton asks just a fraction too much of his front tyre in the difficult conditions.

In the HEL Streetfighters three classes all battle together for the Streetfighter Xtreme title as well as for their own class awards. He might be known as the Disney character “Goofy” to his mates, but Sean Goldsmiths riding was anything but comical. Riding with a damaged hip that is still in need of corrective surgery, he rode superbly to take 1 outright win and all 4 class victories over the weekend. His regular sparring partner Andy Denyer was sidelined with mechanical woes, but Tim Daisley did his best to take the fight to Sean sadly crashing out whilst leading at Clarke Curve to rob him of his first ever race win.

Ever popular professional Northerner Ian Popplewell took both wins in class B on Saturday, but succumbed to a trapped nerve on Sunday that made it impossible for even this renowned tough guy to even get on the bike on Sunday. Once again it was Adam Palfreman who grabbed the chance to seize both wins and the championship lead.

Class C regular title contenders Tony Hughes and Brad Davey both got a wake up call in class C, with a stunning jump in form and speed from Keith Warren. Warrens riding was flawless in all 4 encounters and a clean sweep of podiums including a first ever win sees him atop the championship table going into round two at Donington Park in just 3 weeks time.

In the Sunday Bridgestone 500s, Adam Palfreman started off as he’d finished Saturday with yet another race win, this time from championship new boy Neil Bainbridge and youngster Nick Clift.

The last outing of the weekend though was to see Adam picking the gravel out of his front teeth as he started his 179^th racing lap of the weekend. This left emerging talent Richard Blunt to grab his chance and charge off at the front with newcomer Lewis Meldrum hanging on to his tailpiece for all he was worth. The pair were joined mid-race by James Pickford and Rob Mawbey who was having a great weekend and the four way dice went all the way to the flag with Blunt getting the verdict over Meldrum, Mawbey and Pickford. Just 0.6 of a second covered them all at the flag which demonstrates just what great racing this ultra budget class produces, even in the direst of conditions.

Let’s hope for weather more enticing for our Naked Racers at Donington Park at the end of March…

The 2012 Thundersport GB season got off to a start that encompassed 4 seasons in three days. We arrived on Thursday afternoon in blazing sunshine and warm weather, were greeted on Friday for testing by dense fog, had a slowly drying spring day on Saturday and got hit with a cross between Siberian winds and monsoon rains on Sunday.

Despite all of that, there were some absolutely cracking races and notable personal performances from a number of riders who are going to entertain us all season long. Adam Palfreman must be the busiest rider in the paddock, contesting no fewer than four championships on four completely different machines. His weekend got underway with his first outing on a Supertwin Suzuki, which he took to 2^nd place sandwiched by the Aprilia RRVs of David Allingham and Will Hodgson. In the very next race he jumped onto his Honda CB500 and went one better in the Thundersport 500 class, winning by an impressive 17 seconds over a four way dice for 2^nd between Rob Mawbey, Richard Blunt, Nick Mallinson and Nick Clift – all of whom could have been covered by a postage stamp at the chequered flag.

Adam then had a whole two race gap before he was back out on his Honda SP1 in the inaugural running of the Golden Era Superbikes, before hopping onto his Streetfighter Suzuki to grab yet another 2^nd place. He did that little lot four times over the course of the weekend and must have felt like he’d done an Iron Man triathlon by Sunday evening.

The Morello Thundersport GP1 race on Saturday took place with a dry line just appearing before the race. As the race got underway it was just possible to stay on that dry line all the way around and remarkably Honda mounted Steve Mercer not only did so, but set a new lap record on lap 12 of the race on his way to a lights to flag win. Pete Baker squeezed ahead of Mike Dickinson and Dan Kneen early on and chased Dan Hegarty all the way to the line, but couldn’t quite catch him. South African, Dickinson ended up in a fine 6^th place just ahead of Jenny Tinmouth, who is still looking for a place on the BSB grid. She brought her Honda home in 7^th place just ahead of reigning Superstock champion Ian Mackman who is Kawasaki mounted for his 2012 TT assault.

On Sunday Phil Crowe traded his BMW in for a more suitable Ark, built by Noah – or so it seemed, as he charged through the field to win both races. Peter Baker was again 2^nd in the first encounter, but unloaded in spectacular fashion at Clearways in the final outing of the weekend in a melee that included Mike Dickinson and Dan Hegarty. Without doubt the rider who spent most of the weekend crossed up and sideways was Adrian Clark, who put on a superb display of spectacular riding and was rewarded in the last race with a well deserved 2^nd place.

If one picture could say how much a Thundersport GB Championship win means to any rider, this picture says it all. Nick Anderson took the Superstock 600 Championship and the overall Thundersport GB Championship with a daring all or nothing move on the very last lap, of the very last race, of the very last meeting of 2011.

The first weekend of March has always been the traditional season opener for bikes at Brands Hatch. The compact and exciting Indy circuit always produces the very closest of racing and never more so than for the first event of the year.

Thundersport GB are delighted to launch their 2012 season with a packed programme of nearly 300 riders contesting nearly 450 racing laps over the weekend, in addition to 14 practice & qualifying sessions.

The Morello Services Thundersport GP1 championship is a packed grid of the most competitive racers outside of the British Superbike Championship. Phil Crowe, Michael Robertson, Peter Baker and Isle of Man TT Privateer Champion Ian Mackman are all able to put in times that match the British Superbike Cup runners and the race action is frantic throughout the field.

The Aprilia Superteen Championship is acknowledged as the worlds foremost youth championship and is where Tommy Hill, Alex Lowes, Sam Lowes, Bradley Smith, Cal Crutchlow, Danny Kent, Danny Webb, Bradley Smith and two current World Champions – Casey Stoner and Chaz Davies began their road racing careers.

The RRV450GP Aprilias offer the next step up the ladder and these riders are already very accomplished and due to the razor sharp handling they can set lap times that would not be out of place in a Supersport 600 race. Tom Oliver, Ben Luxton, Will Hodgson, Harry Coomber and Bradley Jones will be among the front runners in these encounters. The championship was won last season by a single point and just 7 inches at the line for the last race of the season.

The RLR Motorsports 600 Sportsman Elite class will have 50 riders trying to qualify for just 38 spaces on the grid and the last time that happened, the entire grid was covered by just 0.92 of a second from 1^st to 38^th!!

The HEL Performance Streetfighters have a wide range of completely un-faired bikes that look unlike anything else in the bike racing world. This is a race that could be won by Andy Denyer on the Triumph Street Triple, Sean Goldsmith on the lovely naked MV Augusta 750 or even Tony Hughes on his wildly modified KTM 690.

The Bridgestone Thundersport 500 parallel twins provide some of the closest racing anywhere on a budget that actually manages to make road racing look cheap. This class also produces talented riders that would simply not be able to showcase their talents in normal championships and last years top two – Andy Lawson and Adam Shelton have both now managed to secure support to contest the Elite 600 class this year.

The LMB Formula 400 and Doodson Motorsport Supertwins, which run to regulations similar to the new TT regulations, looks like becoming a real corker of a championship. A top quality field of riders has been attracted to the class including Steve Tomes, Alastair Fagan, Dan Kneen and Alex Hutchinson, who will be challenged by some really fast up and coming riders like Josh Daley, Lewis Black and Tom Oliver.

Then we come to the pure nostalgia of the Golden Era Superbikes of the late 1990s. This will be something really different with the sights and sounds of the old Clarion Suzukis being joined by the roar of a flotilla of Aprilia RSV Milles and a howling collection of ZXR Kawasakis from the period. The defining sound of that era though had to be the scream of the Yamaha YZF750 and that will be something I personally look forward to with great anticipation.

After last years big freeze, the weather this year at the annual Plum Pudding Handicap Races was about as mild as it ever gets at Christmas.

Will Hodgson opened his account in the lightweight race with a dominant win, but this later cost him dear as the 2^nd running of each race was set up on a handicap basis and he had just set himself up with a 35 second delayed start for that one.

Alan Molyneux & Andy Halewood then took an equally dominant win from Bill Roberts & Nick Roberts in the F2 Sidecar class, with John &Tony Lowther. This fairly processional encounter set Molyneux/Halewood an absolute mountain to climb in the second event.

This was followed by the first Formula Senior event which turned out to be the race of the day. Right from the start Michael Niblett, Gary Arden, Luke Delaney and Gordon Scott flew off at the front of the field on their 1000cc machines, but by lap three they’d been joined by Hodgson on the Aprilia RRV450 and he set about harassing them at every turn. Each position was hard won with the power of the big bikes enabling them to re-pass on every straight, but eventually it boiled down to a scrap between Niblett and Hodgson.

Hodgson put the pass on Niblett 3 times without being able to make it stick. Then on the last lap, he got enough of a gap after passing around the outside at Gerards, to hold the position down the back straight. Niblett being a rider of no mean ability himself re-doubled his efforts and put the pressure back on through Edwinas and on the run up to the hairpin. This forced an error from Hodgson and he lost the front at the hairpin, very nearly coming to grief and only just hanging on to the bike. Niblett shot through to take the win and Delaney was past before Hodgson got himself sorted out. On the run to the line Gary Arden lost out on 3^rd to Hodgson by less than a bike length, but the RRV450 pilot had amply demonstrated just what a great machine the Aprilia is.

APRILIA SUPERTEEN CHALLENGE PRIZES - 2012 (release 12 of 12)

The most successful one make series in the world continues with Thundersport GB into 2012 with support from Aprilia UK, Lexham, Black Horse, IN Competition, Dunlop Tyres, Nitro and Stewart Events.

Aprilia UK, Lexham, Black Horse, IN Competition and Stewart Events are once again funding the extensive production and broadcast of the very popular “GP Racing Dream” programmes on both Eurosport TV and Motors TV in the UK and subsequently worldwide on Fox Sports and Channel Seven.

End of season prizes for the Aprilia Superteen Challenge 2012 have just been confirmed with the series sponsors and are as follows:-

The winner of the Aprilia Superteen Challenge 2012 will be given full use of an Aprilia RRV450GP machine to contest the entire Aprilia RRV450GP Championship in 2013, with full technical support from IN Competition and Bridgestone UK.

Second place in the Aprilia Superteen Championship will receive a full seasons race entry fees for 2013 for either the Aprilia RRV450GP Championship, or the Aprilia Superteen Championship (dependant on age and preference), both with full technical support from IN Competition.

Third place in the Aprilia Superteen Championship will receive a full seasons test days entry fees for 2013 for any Thundersport class of that riders choice.

All three riders will be enrolled in the Thundersport GB Moto Academy and receive expert technical suspension and tyre support for the 2013 season, as well as the opportunity to take part in exclusive test and training sessions during the course of the year.

Ian Newton of IN Competition said “We believe very strongly in our strategy of rider development, starting with our induction into the Aprilia Superteens at just 12 years of age and progressing via the Aprilia RRV450GP Championship at 14 or 15 years of age. We think this gives an excellent grounding in motorcycle racing, racecraft and a thorough understanding of machine dynamics. Add that to the TV exposure, promotion and opportunity to become comfortable during podium and grid interviews and we are then able to say that graduates of the Thundersport/Aprilia Academy are truly ready for the big stage.”

The above end of season sponsorship equates to significant funding to help all riders contesting the Aprilia Superteen championship and we would like to thank all of our valued sponsors on behalf of all of our competitors for their faith and commitment to the Thundersport GB sporting ethos.

THUNDERSPORT GB PARTNERS - 2012 (release 11 of 12)

As you’ve probably noticed by now, we’ve spent a lot of time and effort sourcing all kinds of support for the benefit of all of our regular racers. We understand that the last couple of seasons have been very tough for competitors, marshals, officials and sponsors alike and we are absolutely delighted to have retained so many of our loyal supporters and attracted so many more.

Our TV package is something we use to give coverage to all classes without asking our riders to fund it through their entry fees. This has now been completely covered for 2012 thanks to Morello Services, HEL Performance, Aprilia UK, Bridgestone Tyres, Moto Direct, Doodson Motorsport, Dunlop Tyres, IN Competition, LMB London, Nitro Helmets and Black Horse.

Furthermore the following sponsors have committed to significant product, prize and other promotional incentives:- Morello Services, Bridgestone Tyres, Stewart Events, HMT Racing, HEL Performance, AGV Helmets, RST Leathers, Dunlop Tyres, TMG Group, PCR Developments and Nitro Helmets.

We are also grateful to our media partners:- Performance Bikes, Bikesport News, Motors TV, Extreme Sports, British Eurosport, Fox Sports, Channel Seven, 2 Wheels TV and Brett R Day of Maximus Productions.

We have plenty more to allocate during January next year and just in the last 24 hours alone we have come to agreements with GB Racing the number one supplier of crash protection parts and Buffwear the leading multi-functional headwear suppliers who have a long history of supporting motorcycle racing. We are still working with several other parties who wish to become involved with the Thundersport GB package and we will make these known throughout the run up to the start of the 2012 season.

Possibly the most innovative partnership for 2012 on the marketing side will be our upcoming joint venture with Motorcycle Racer Magazine, the top quality specialist magazine that caters specifically for motorcycle sport. We can’t let the cat out of the bag on this one just yet, but can promise all of our competitors a level of print media exposure never before available in our section of the sport.

The total commitment of products, prizes and incentives we have managed to source so far exceeds our initial hopes and we believe it will be a real shot in the arm for everyone who thrives on the buzz of being involved in motorcycle racing.

RST MOTORCYCLE CLOTHING GOLDEN ERA SUPERBIKES - 2012 (release 10 of 12)

Our newest and certainly one of our most exciting championships for 2012, is the resurrection of Superbike racing as it used to be back in the golden age of the 1990’s. The concept of classic 750cc Superbikes taking on the big Ducati & Aprilia twins of the same period has really attracted the attention of both riders and sponsors.

We are delighted to have a dedicated media partner for Golden Era Superbikes in the form of Performance Bikes Magazine, the biggest and best motorcycle publication in the country at the moment. PB will not only be doing the reportage on the series, but also running a Triumph 955i in the series too. Watch out for Matt Wildee’s monthly articles as the season progresses.

Title sponsorship and TV funding comes from Moto Direct, the UK importers for AGV helmets and owners of the fastest growing and best selling protective clothing brand - RST.

AGV helmets are probably best known as the choice of Valentino Rossi, Max Biaggi and Giacomo Agostini, but they have also supplied a host of British riders such as Guy Martin, Barry Sheene & Jamie Whitham.

RST leathers are the choice of numerous British Championship riders including Alastair Seeley, Graeme Gowland, Ian Hutchinson, Chris Walker, Karl Harris, Paul Young, Billy McConnell and Christian Iddon.

Moto Direct have also set aside part of their sponsorship budget to subsidise a whole range of top quality riding kit for Thundersport GB registered riders. The nominated outlet for these deals is Sparklight Racing Ltd www.sparklightracing.co.uk in Essex.

There is also a full repair and badging shop in the RST Race Shop at South Normanton in Derbyshire. To see the full range of products and services visit www.moto-direct.com

To discuss accessing your Thundersport GB discounts please contact Gary Coombes on 01621 785202 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it anytime.

The above sponsorship equates to significant funding for this class specifically and the series as a whole and we thank Moto Direct, Performance Bikes and all of our valued sponsors for supporting us.

DOODSON SUPERTWIN 650 & F400 - 2012 (release 9 of 12)

The Isle of Man TT Races will this year feature a lightweight class called Supertwins, which is broadly similar to our existing Thundersport GP2 category. To keep things as simple as possible we have now re-branded our class as Supertwins for 2012 and it will continue to contain a Minitwin Cup for those competitors who wish to run their bikes in un-tuned guise. We think this class now has enormous potential, given the level of international coverage afforded to the TT.

During 2011 Thundersport GB went into partnership with a new insurance provider for our general insurances and test day cover. This enabled us to provide our pre-event test days at an average cost of just £99 per day across the whole season, which represents the best value in the market today.

Doodson Broking Group were our agents and the hugely respected insurance giant Zurich Insurance PLC were the underwriters. That partnership has been viewed within the industry as having been so successful, that it has prompted huge changes within the sports insurance field and our governing body, the ACU, have now appointed that same combination to cover all motorcycle events under their jurisdiction.

For 2012, that partnership continues and Doodsons have now taken advantage of the advertising slots on Motors TV, which in turn guarantees our funding for the new Supertwins & Formula 400 classes on Motors TV in the UK and subsequently worldwide on Fox Sports and Channel Seven.

This support is clearly a benefit for all Thundersport GB competitors and will help us to keep a lid on the cost of testing, whilst still providing the best cover available.

As a separate associate sponsor for this class, we are delighted to welcome AR Racing back into our paddock in 2012 and they are providing a £100 AR Racing voucher to the Rider of the Day from this grid. At each meeting there will also be a prize draw on the Saturday evening from all registered entrants present in this class for another £100 voucher towards the next event.

The above sponsorship equates to significant funding for this class specifically and the series as a whole and we thank Doodsons, AR Racing and all of our valued sponsors for supporting us.

GRID GIRL BONUSES - 2012 (release 8 of 12)

The Thundersport GB focus for 2012 is firmly set on keeping as much money within the paddock as possible. You have probably already noticed from our other announcements that we are working very hard in this direction.

Ever since we set up the Thundersport GB Championship, we have included that little bit of glitz and glamour to go with our Eurosport TV, Motors TV and internet broadcast package. Part of that has traditionally been our ever popular grid girls, who have always been obtained from agencies or outside sources. The bottom line cost for 2011 ended up being a not inconsiderable £5,500.- which has to come straight out of our sponsorship income.

This got us into thinking about how we could keep that money within the paddock for the benefit of the competitors themselves. Steve Day, having a bit of an eye for the ladies, was of the opinion that there were plenty of girls already coming along to events with riders and teams who would not be out of place in any modelling agency. If we offered the opportunity to our own teams first, it would keep that money within the sport. We then consulted with a few of our sponsors and they were universally delighted that even more of their money would be going to the riders themselves instead of an outside agency.

So, if you are over 16yrs old and have what it takes to be a grid girl, you could be a part of our team, and at the same time, help your team. We need 5 girls for each TV day at every event plus one reserve and we intend rewarding each girl with a £100 voucher that may be redeemed toward any test day or race entry, for any rider of their choice, for each day they work on the grid.

Over the course of the 2012 season, we will require 5 girls at each of our 9 events. The rider contingency bonus will result in a £5,400.- cash injection directly back into the paddock over the course of the season.

Obviously, this will take some organising and we are delighted to have recruited a Grid Girl co-ordinator to take on this task for us. We needed someone who is trusted and that the girls would feel comfortable with, a bit of a surrogate ‘Auntie’ for the girls. Fiona Harrison comes with all of the right attributes and she will tackle this task on our behalf. So if you are interested in this, please contact her to officially register for this opportunity as soon as possible, because we are expecting a high level of uptake and of course there will be limited availability.

Please contact Fiona on: 07989 412804 or: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The main object of this exercise has to be in distributing this opportunity fairly, so upon registering you will be asked which rider in which class you wish to sponsor with your ‘gift’. This is solely to avoid one rider with a veritable ‘army’ of girls available to them, reaping all the spoils.

The above sponsorship equates to significant funding directly back into the series and we hope to help as many riders as possible and we would like to thank all of our valued sponsors for supporting this initiative.