A hard fought championship from the moment a wheel is turned in March until the final chequered flag of the season in October, is what any neutral bike racing fan wants to see.... and if you were present at Mallory Park this weekend, you would have witnessed three championships going down to the final race of the year and a climax that looked as though it had been scripted from day one..... Therefor it would be a crime not to focus on the six races on Sunday which provided us with a day to remember at Thundersport GB's home circuit.

The Bikesport News Superstock 600 class was always going to be difficult to predict this weekend, with Paul Wishart sitting and watching with a broken wrist, dreaming that it could have been him in the running, it was now down to two riders as Tommy Mountain of Lincoln led Nick Anderson of Umberleigh by just five points going into the final three races this weekend in Leicestershire.

 

 

In amongst the usual Superstock regulars, Tommy and Nick were joined this weekend by the familiar face of Joe Collier on his Triumph and British Championship rider James East on a Yamaha and in qualifying, Joe led the way, setting a time that was a full seven tenths quicker than series leader Mountain in second, a vast improver in Michael Cooper and Anderson, who could only manage fourth ahead of Danny Murphy and James East.

25 riders began the first 16 lap race and with all eyes on the two championship rivals, everyone forgot about Collier, who soon got down to business by clearing off at the front and setting lap times that were a full second quicker than the rest of the field.

In second, Anderson led a chasing pack of seven or eight bikes and had no idea that his championship status looked good at that point, after a poor start from Mountain left the leader back in eighth after just a few laps.

At the front, Collier continued to stretch away and obliterated the lap record in the process with a 53.364, his advantage was over seven seconds on lap ten, whilst all the action was going on behind him.

Anderson was busy trying to fend off James East whilst Shellcock fell out of the running for a podium on lap nine. Then on lap 11, a crash at Shaws hairpin for Michael Cooper, bumped Mountain up to fourth with only a few laps remaining. By now, in what was looking like a nightmare for the championship leader during the early stages, with the second fastest lap time and a few riders falling in front of him, he was now hunting down both Anderson and East as we drew closer to the end.

Collier crossed the line just under ten seconds ahead of the pack to claim a brilliant victory, and to the delight of Tommy Mountain fans, James East had limited the damage by claiming second ahead of Anderson, with Mountain finishing fourth and Meehan caliming fifth.

Two races to go and now just two points in it, Sunday's first race was similarly tense but with a familiar outcome at the front. Collier was gone, posting amazing lap times but on this occasion, Mountain had got off the line just as well as Anderson and it was time for the two to go head to head for the Championship as they edged away from the pursuing pack which included Cooper, Meehan, Shellcock and Curtis Wright.

As each lap was ticked off, Collier pulled away from the two rivals and it was Anderson with the smallest of advantages, the NMA Flooring rider leading Mountain's Cool Cow Yamaha with no signs of fireworks just yet.

On the final lap though, with Anderson still leading in the battle for second, the sight of the yellow flag with a black cross through it was enough to trigger an attack from Mountain, the Lincolnshire rider attempted to out drag him into Edwina's first but failed and then he turned his attentions to Shaws hairpin and having got some supreme drive up the hill and through the esses, it was all change as Mountain pinged out of Devils elbow ahead of Anderson to take the biggest second place finish of his life to lead by six points going into the final race of the season.

A gutted Anderson camp needed to regroup ready for the final race of the season but it seemed unlikely that an upset would occur due to the fact that Collier had been so quick throughout the weekend.

As the lights went out, a stoppage within minutes produced a sigh of anxiety on pit wall as they knew a complete restart would take place. A shortened eleven lap race would now decide the fate of both Mountain and Anderson and whether it was nerves or just a simple error, Mountain struggled away from the line and was squeezed out into turn one, whilst Anderson roared up to second behind Collier.

To make matters worse for Mountain, he was then in amongst a fight into Edwina's with Meehan and Cooper before Cooper went down and the championship looked as good as over as the yellow #11 machine was seen taking the slip road through edwina's chicane to rejoin in ninth or tenth.

The next ten laps would have been the longest in the world for Anderson, but the shortest for Mountain as he began his fight back with true grit on laps three and four, moving up to fifth. Out front meanwhile, Collier was unfazed by the tense atmosphere going on behind and just to make sure he was remembered on this final day at Mallory, the 'MC Motors' backed rider then broke his own lap record, posting a 53.267 on the way to victory number three of the weekend.

With James East passing Anderson once more at the half way point and Mountain having done a sterling job to have moved up to fourth after a disastrous start, if the flag went out now, it would be Mountain's championship but the action didn't end there.

With East and Anderson a full four seconds clear of the championship leader, Nick received the information of Tommy's whereabouts and you could almost see the change in body language as Nick shaved half a second off his best lap time to hunt down East, knowing that second place would give him the championship by a point.

Putting everything on the line and praying that they wouldn't be joined by Tommy in fourth, Nick put the move on into Edwina's and past East and attempted to break away with a few laps to go.... Mountain tried everything and Anderson held on for dear life but as they crossed the line, it had been a heroic effort from both riders as Anderson claimed the championship by a single point, followed by an explosion of joy from his camp on pit wall.

On the whole, Collier has been in a different post code this weekend and in many ways, it's a shame his wins were slightly overshadowed by what was going on behind but after a monumental season of racing, rivalry and many tears of pain and joy, Anderson ended the weekend with three podium finishes that will mean more to him than any win this season.

For Mountain, a rider that had not attended every race this season, his late charge in 2011 has been admirable and the crazy last race of the season is once again proof that anything can happen in bike racing. He simply added at the end ''Nick deserved it'' and after a patchy season full of incident, there would be few that could argue that, in one of the all time great finishes to a Thundersport season.

Having seen it all unfold, Scotsman Paul Wishart, who had been a championship protagonist all the way, deservedly finishes the year in third and yes he will be disappointed not to have been in the final countdown, but a pat on the back will surely go his way in what has been a fine first season in England and Wales.

 

The Aprilia Superteen Challenge has for a long time been regarded as the 'one to watch' when it comes to a close finish and after four mouth watering races at Mallory this weekend, they don't come any closer than this.

After 36 races, 13-year-old Joe Francis entered the event with a 22 point lead overall but crucially 30 points if you included the round dropped, which would go on to be the more important tally to remember, as Joe came in as favourite after a superb second half to his season.

Up against Joe was Colchester's Tom Oliver, a rider who had led the series for so long but had found a dip in form at just the wrong time, having not visited the podium since Pembrey in August.

In qualifying though, it was 12-year-old Scottish newcomer Lewis Rollo that rocked the paddock. After a brave debut at Oulton Park a fortnight ago, Rollo turned up having never seen Mallory before to put it on pole for the final round of the season, giving us a taster of what is to come in 2012.

Following Rollo on the grid was another Newcomer David Allingham, who was also testing out the Aprilia RRV450 in preparation for next season, Tom Oliver was impressive in third ahead of Ben Luxton, whilst Bradley Jones, Milo Ward and Harry Coomber all edged out series leader Joe Francis, who would have been relieved to remain on row two in eighth overall.

As the first race got underway, it was clear to see that Oliver, who had now gone six races without a rostrum, was back to his best form (better late than never) and whilst Francis got swallowed up into turn one to leave himself with all sorts of work, Tom Oliver set about battling with rookie Lewis Rollo and Northern Irish starlet David Allingham in a three way fight for the lead.

Further back, Francis was dancing through the pack. Although his chances of winning were slim if not impossible by the half way point, the newcomers champion showcased his talents to climb up to fourth place, hoping for a Tom Oliver mistake out front.

With two laps to go, Rollo led from Allingham and Oliver with Francis in fourth but just like any final mile in a Superteens race, this was unlikely to remain the same and whilst filtering their way through the slower riders, Allingham had made the best of it to claim his third win of the season ahead of Tom Oliver, whilst Lewis Rollo took the final podium spot in just his third Superteen race.

To close the championship gap down just that little bit more, Oliver then thanked his friend Bradley Jones who snatched fourth away on the final lap, leaving Francis in fifth but still championship leader by 21 points going into race 37 of 40 (including the round dropped).

In race two, there was all sorts of drama on the line as confusion led to both Rollo and Allingham getting ten second jump start penalties added to their overall race time but they were very much in the frame when it came to  challenging Tom Oliver for the lead on circuit, whilst Francis had once again struggled away from the line in eighth to leave him with another mountain to climb amongst the likes of Jones, Coomber and Ross Twyman.

As the series leader again fled through the pack to limit the damage being done to his championship lead, Oliver was taking no prisoners and whilst he was completely unaware that the two riders he was fighting alongside had penalties, Tom's Dad Barry was holding his breath on pit wall as his son bravely fought off his opponents to claim his first victory since our last visit to Mallory back in June ahead of Twyman, Jones and Francis to bring the gap down to just nine points with two races remaining.

On Sunday for race three, Tom knew that two race wins would hand him the championship and as pre-race interviews were conducted, the atmosphere in the 'Oliver' camp was far more relaxed than the edgy feel in the 'Francis' awning, with the 13-year-old knowing that he would have to up his game if he was to hold on to any advantage at all going into the final race of the season.

As the lights went out though, Oliver seemed to brush off any pressure and immediately got into the rhythm that had already landed him some big results this weekend and with the #20 Aprilia sponsored by Cups Direct dotting off into the distance, you'd have to wonder what was going through Joe Francis's mind as he failed to get away from the line and join the leading trio at the third time of asking.

Amongst a crazy battle with Twyman, Jones, Luxton and his team mate Milo Ward, Francis was aware that fourth place was the best he could aim for as he crossed the line on lap two in eighth, but the talented rider from Chester gave his family and team some encouragement as the race progressed, including one move up the inside of both Twyman and Luxton into Edwina's that even Casey Stoner would have been proud of.

At the sharp end meanwhile, Tom Oliver was fighting to the death with rookie Lewis Rollo and David Allingham. It was one of those races that you could see all ending in tears, and yet the respect for one another was a credit to these young riders that all have big futures ahead of them as Lewis and David continued to have their say in a championship squabble that they couldn't give a monkeys about.

Completing the ride of his life though, Tom Oliver rode the pistons off his Aprilia 125 to collect his ninth win of the year, and with Rollo taking his best ever finish in second and Allingham third, Joe Francis's fourth place must have felt like the world had come to an end in parc ferme as he was informed that his series lead was now gone and Tom Oliver led it by three points with one to go.

All of a sudden, the tables had turned but so had Tom's outlook on the race ahead. Having entered the event with a 'never say die' attitude, he now had to guard a slender three point lead in the final showdown of the season and Francis had to find as much strength and bravery as possible for one last push at winning the title.

With heart rates on pit wall rocketing, the lights went out for the final time in 2011 and the intent in the eyes of Francis seemed to look clearer than those of Tom's for the first time in four races as Oliver set sail behind Allingham but ahead of Rollo. Francis from eighth on the grid had this time got off to a better start and despite him still needing to play catch up, it was an improvement as the 12 lap race got underway and normal services resumed at the front.

For the most part, it looked like Oliver's plan was coming together.... he was fighting for the lead with the two riders he now knew rather well and Francis wasn't in sight. But at half distance whilst in second, we saw the first mistake of the weekend coming from Oliver as he missed a gear coming out of Shaw's hairpin, extending Allingham's lead, but drawing Francis closer to both himself and Lewis Rollo in third.

The dog could now smell the rabbit and Francis put in his fastest lap of the weekend (a whisker away from the lap record) to close in and dispose of Rollo, as he only had eyes for Tom Oliver.

The next few laps were a blur as both riders swapped paintwork but with a lap to go and Allingham away with it at the front, Francis made a move to now lead the fight for second in a dual that simply saw the winner of this battle being crowned champion. Oliver's attempts into Edwina's failed and as the pair roared up towards Shaw's hairpin, Francis took the defensive line to remain in the lead with just the bus stop and devils elbow remaining, it seemed Oliver's title dream was over.

With them both going either side of a tail ender on the exit of Devils Elbow though, Oliver hadn't clocked out of the fight just yet and with supreme drive, Oliver remarkably led with just yards to go until the finish line. The pair were side by side and a photo finish was the only thing guaranteed as it seemed Oliver had mastered a move to have the final say but as Joe clicked up one more gear and Syd waved the chequered flag like a man possessed, Francis edged it to win the championship by a single point and after 40 races, the pair were split by 0.011 of a second.

David Allingham, who won the race to make it four for the year, now concentrates on 450's after finishing his rookie season in seventh overall, having been involved in a year long battle for third which saw Ben Luxton take sixth, Harry Coomber make the top five, Ross Twyman just missing out on the top three to 13-year-old Bradley Jones.

It seems such a shame to declare either one of the top two riders a 'runner-up' after a season that will never be forgotten. Tom Oliver can take pride in what was one of the bravest final four races we've ever seen. He ends the year with 25 podiums including nine wins and was a true sport on the podium in defeat.

As for Joe, the Motrac Racing team have every right to be delighted. He may well be one short of Tom's total in podiums with 24 but it's been his 13 wins this year that have delivered the final blow. Over a weekend where he looked like being second best, the performance he put in for the final race was that of a champion and he has been rewarded for his efforts as one, even if he did give Mum and Dad a bit of a scare.

 

The Morello Services GP1 class has never been won twice by anyone. After winning the title in 2008, Gary May returned the year after and failed to see off Peter Baker, and when Peter attempted to defend his crown in 2010, Phil Crowe stepped up to take it away from him.... So now it was Phil's chance to defy all odds and step up to the mark as he was one of three riders in the championship hunt this weekend.

Travelling to Mallory with a ten point advantage over Phil was Ian Mackman. Ian, riding the Kemtile Suzuki Superstock machine, had put a dent in Crowe's championship chances back at Brands when Crowe was out of the three races due to injury and just to make matters even more exciting coming into the final round, a recent run of form for Newcomer Mick Robertson, meant that the Carnie's Auto Centre Kawasaki rider, also on a Superstock spec bike, was just a single point behind Phil with three races left to go.

With Mackman not being a huge fan of the Leicestershire circuit, would that hamper his chances? Well the presence of John Ingram and Sam Hornsey certainly didn't help and in qualifying, the two visitors made their mark on the championship finale with Sam second quickest behind defending Champion Phil Crowe and Ingram taking the final front row spot just behind Mick Robertson.

On row two, with Pete Weston in fifth and Peter Baker in sixth, Mackman looked frustrated in seventh as they entered the Superpole race, where all riders had a chance to re-shuffle the front row.

Fresh from the confidence of his double points win at Oulton Park though, it was Scotsman Mick Robertson that got away from the lights the best and he quickly dealt with Crowe in the 16 lap affair, to lead with Hornsey in second, Phil third and Ingram fighting off Dan Hegarty, Peter Baker and Ian Mackman for fourth.

As the laps counted down, Crowe was ready to pounce on any mistake made by Robertson but Sam Hornsey was a nuisance on his Suzuki GSXR600 and whilst posting the fastest time, the trio broke away from the chasing pack, which included Mackman, who in the early stages was back in sixth and potentially looking like losing a bundle of important points.

No matter how much Crowe tried though, he couldn't shrug off Hornsey and it took a fall from the 600 rider to eventually leave the two title rivals at it, a battle in which Robertson had no intention of losing. Knowing that 20 points were better than none, Crowe settled for second on the final lap to leave Mick with his second consecutive win and all eyes were now looking behind them to see where Mackman was to finish.

With Hegarty claiming the final podium spot thanks to the DNF of Hornsey, Mackman took fourth to limit the damage done by his two rivals but more importantly, did enough to secure the Superstock 1000 crown, a goal that he had set out for back in March. The best TT Newcomer of 2011 was always favourite to clinch the prize after a season of dominance but now focussed on the GP1 points table, which saw him now one point behind Mick but three ahead of Crowe with two races to go.

In race two on Sunday with the pressure now on the young shoulders of Mick Robertson as new championship leader, lap times were electrifying as the Scotsman shrugged off any signs of butterflies to once again race head to head with Hornsey and Crowe, after Mackman once more had issues in yet another struggle for fourth overall.

Having wrapped up the Superstock title on Saturday, Mackman went for slick tyres for the first time this season in race two to try and gain some more grip but things just weren't working out for the Runcorn rider as a stone hit his radiator to prevent his progress.

Out front, Robertson was riding like his life depended on it and Hornsey was up for putting a spanner in the GP1 works also with a ride like no other to keep Crowe at bay.

Despite putting in the fastest lap of the race with a 52.284, Crowe was in the end unable to get the better of the 600 rider, with Robertson taking the win ahead of Hornsey, who had no idea what effect his second place finish would have on the championship story overall after taking an important four points away from Crowe in third.

With 2009 Champion Peter Baker crossing the line in fourth and Ian Mackman rescuing fifth place after his radiator problem, with one race to go Robertson now had a healthy 13 point lead over Crowe, with Mackman a further two behind.

Into the final race, it was barely believable that a rider who had not seen any of the English and Welsh circuits before the start of 2011 was in a strong position to become champion..... but then you only had to look at the statistics for this year to understand how he'd done it as the Scotsman was now on 15 podiums for the year, including six wins.

Knowing that fourth place or better would hand him glory, Robertson decided that along with Mackman, he too would join the Slick tyre party and with 15 laps to go until the end of the season, the three title challengers all got away from the line well to fight for the final win of the year.

As the race progressed we lost sight of Baker, Hornsey and Weston and it was almost as if it was written, as all three riders agreed to fight and 'may the best man win'.

Crowe didn't want to kiss goodbye to his title without a fight though and after passing Robertson for the lead, he left Mackman to play his part as the Kemtile Suzuki rider looked back to his best at the sharp end. Robertson may well have had the speed to keep up with both Crowe and Mackman but with a championship at stake, he cleverly decided that to risk all at this moment in time was perhaps not a good idea and it was a deserved win for Crowe, who took win number seven for the season and did all he could under the circumstances.

For Mackman, second was a valiant effort at a circuit he's not faired so well at in the past but it wasn't enough to prevent third placed Mick Robertson from picking up enough points to win the illustrious title for 2011 at the first time of asking.

Crowe will be cursing his luck as a second place in race two could have meant a dead lock in the title but both he and Mackman were gentlemen in their comments about Mick Robertson, who has had a truly outstanding season and will be one to watch next year if he gets the backing he deserves.

In the Superstock class for the final race of the year, Alex Heaton found the top step as he ends his first campaign on a big bike and prepares to use all of his knowledge in readiness for 2012 having finished third overall in the Stock class for the KRR team, and Lee Reveley won all three Supertwins races on his Golden Era Superbike that will be used in the all new championship for next year. Lee becomes Thundersport GB's first ever triple champion, finishing ahead of Charlie Flett and Scot Adam.

 

After thinking he'd nailed the championship back at Oulton Park, James Folkard still had work to do this weekend if he wanted to make sure of the job at Mallory Park, with Jake Dixon needing all four wins to even have a chance of changing the story,

In qualifying it was typically close between the three riders that have been heading this series as Dixon took pole ahead of Reading's Connor Tagg with Folkard in third, the trio a full second quicker than the rest of the pack which included an encouraging front row start for Will Hodgson and a second row that included Clifford, Allingham, Cox and Aussie rider Brad Shaw.

Due to an incident involving both Jake and Connor in an earlier GP2 race, Jake had one less rider to worry about in his pursuit for the quadruple, as Connor failed to make the grid and once the lights had gone out, the usual James Folkard start was followed by a daring move made by Jake as he took the lead and never looked back.

Folkard knew going into race one that simply finishing in the top three in every heat would still mean the championship even if Jake were to do the impossible but you had to wonder whether one or two nerves had started to kick in as Jake powered away from James to win the opener by a full 4.6 seconds from James..... part one of four was complete for Dixie.

A little further back, after his first front row start of the season, former 450 champion Will Hodgson defended third place for his life as he rejected the advances coming from Michael Clifford to grab his first rostrum of the year outright (after taking 16 points along with Clifford back at Brands). Will had been struggling with confidence throughout most of the season and it was great to see Willmol back to his best with his mojo back.

As we eagerly awaited race two, the news came through that for mechanical reasons, Jake Dixon was unable to make the grid for the second race and just like that, it was championship over, a massive shame for Jake, a bit of an anticlimax for neutrals but mighty relieving for James and his team, who may well have had to win it by purely finishing on the podium in every race this weekend.

As it was though, the race began and with Connor Tagg back on the grid and eager to claim second place in the championship overall, James could now relax knowing that no matter what happened, he really would be champion this time.

Tagg went on to win the race from James and at that point, after 30 races completed in the season... Folkard, Dixon and Tagg had all shared ten wins each.

In third, Will took yet another podium as he looked to end the year inside the top ten of the championship but only just got Sam Cox on the line, who in turn, wrapped up fourth place in the standings for 2011.

On Sunday, with the number one plate on his Minards Pavlou backed Aprilia RRV450, James went on to do the double and end the season with 12 wins. Connor Tagg's two second place finishes were enough to secure him the runner-up spot for the second time in as many seasons and both Will Hodgson and Michael Clifford shared the podium on the final day of action to end what has been a great season for the one make championship.

To add to the spice this weekend, the likes of Allingham, Baker and Luxton made their debuts on the 450 and are set to be joined by a number of current Superteens for 2012 too.

Jamie Thackeray ended the year in fifth place overall and will no doubt become a contender next season along with fourth place finisher Sam Cox but 2011 has really been all about Dixon, Tagg and the new champion Folkard..... All three deserve credit for their roles in a great year that has seen each individual lead the series at some point.

As the top three all look forward to futures outside of the Aprilia RRV450 challenge, who will take their place as the contenders for next season one wonders!?

 

With Bridgestone Thundersport 500 Champion Andy Lawson sitting the final round out, and runner-up Adam Shelton saving the pennies for a Superstock 600 ride in 2012, all eyes were on veteran Steve Tomes this weekend at Mallory Park as the circuit specialist became the man to beat for the final four races of the season on the Racing Lines CB 500.

Taking pole position by nearly nine tenths of a second, Steve lined up ahead of Darryl Harrison, who was gunning for third place in the championship, and team mate Rob Mawbey in third, who'd done enough to push Lewis Osler down to fourth.

In race one though, despite posting a lap time under lap record pace, Tomes went down on lap five along with team mate Mawbey and it became ever so clear that we may well see a new winner for 2011 during the final races of the season as Joe Barton, Christopher Spink and Lewis Osler fought for victory.

Barton, who has spent most of the season on the Kawasaki, had been due a podium finish for the year. A little inconsistent in places yes, but the young rider from Wakefield was for this weekend competing on a Honda and whether it was pure coincidence or not, in his first race without the green machine, he not only finished on the rostrum, but he won the race by 2.9 seconds to the screams on pit wall.

In fact, in one of the most popular top three finishes of the year, Christopher Spink then secured his highest finish of the season with a second and Lewis Osler, another major improver for the year, grabbed his second podium of the season with a third ahead of Darryl Harrison and James Pickford.

With parc ferme naturally buzzing, as you would expect with the HB Motorcycles crew finishing first, third and fifth..... attentions turned to race two on Saturday and you could hear the whispers of excitement as Tomes turned up late to the grid and was forced to start from the back.

Unfortunately for the HB Motorcycles crew, they were only going to be cheering on just the one member to the line this time as on lap six, James Pickford went AWOL and then Barton failed to come across the line on lap eight. During the early stages, Osler was away with it.... with Spink only a second or two behind, was this to be a maiden win for Osler to send the paddock into a mental state?

The problem was, Steve Tomes was making his way through the pack like a hot knife through butter and with a new lap record under his belt (59.207), he hunted down both Spink and Osler to deny the pair of ultimate glory, taking the win in the end by a full five seconds in what was one of the rides of the day.

On Sunday, we witnessed two carbon copy results. Nobody could keep up with Steve's pace at the front as he took the double and made it eleven wins for the season to finish fifth in the standings. Lewis Osler ended a superb second half of the season with another two second place finishes to leave himself sixth overall and Joe Barton's debut on a Honda, left him with another couple of podium finishes and has to be considered one of the championship favourites going into 2012.

In fourth both times, Christopher Spink gave us a solid end to the season, having pestered the top five for the past four rounds... and despite not ending the season the way he started it, JDR Racing's Darryl Harrison finally wrapped up third in the championship after a patchy season for 'The Docker'.

 

With no Keith Smith, Barry Utting, Steve Bradbury or Sean Goldsmith at the final round of the season in the LMB Streetfighters, Andy Denyer went head to head with old enemy Jamie Wilkins this weekend in the 'A' class, as Jamie entered the event as a one off for what will be his last 'full' season in racing.

Andy Plaskitt came out to play on his Honda Fireblade Extreme machine and it was Mick Riddle going for glory in the 'B' class, whilst 'C' category champion Tony Hughes went out for a bit of fun, having secured his title back at Oulton Park a fortnight ago.

In race one, Denyer was unable to handle the speed of Wilko. The S&B Automotive backed rider just seems to gel with the Suzuki GSXR750 so well and after ten laps of playing, Wilko took his first win of the 2011 campaign after a difficult year in the Superstock class, ahead of Denyer and Plaskitt on circuit.

In fourth and fifth, B & C class leaders Mick Riddle and Tony Hughes were having a right old ding dong and despite Tony smashing his own lap record by a full six tenths, it was the RAF MSA rider Mick Riddle that got the better of Mr Punch on this occasion.

In second and third overall for the 'B' class were Adam Palfreman and Steven Wood, whilst Duncan MacMillan found himself a step closer to third in the 'C' championship with second in class for race one ahead of this years runner-up Brad Davey.

In race two, just as we were hoping to see 2009 Champion Andy Denyer putting up a fight against 2010 victor Jamie Wilkins, the green Triumph of Denyer's lasted no more than a lap, and due to mechanical issues, that was it for the Uckfield rider who was forced to watch Wilko romp home and take the second win of the weekend.

Jamie crossed the line a full 20 seconds clear of 'B' winner Mick Riddle, who had done well to see of Plaskitt on the more powerful machine, whilst Tony Hughes this time went into battle with Adam Palfreman for fourth and fifth overall, this time winning.

A second place finish for MacMillan in the 'C' class ahead of Keith Warren guaranteed the easy jetter third overall in the championship and there were podiums also for Steven Wood (B), Rob Chisolm (A) and Brent Millage (A).

On Sunday, there was no change at the sharp end as the man with the green spotted helmet roared to victory twice more to complete the quadruple. Jamie Wilkins was followed home on both occasions by Andrew Plaskitt, whilst Rob Chisolm took two second place finishes ahead of Brent Millage. Remarkably, the four podiums this weekend for both Jamie and Rob, lifted them up into the top ten of the points standings overall.

In the 'B' class, Adam Palfreman and Mick Riddle shared the wins with Steven Wood once more taking two third place finishes and following Tony Hughes home in the 'C' class, were MacMillan and Warren.

Smithy is the man though that will lift the 'A' class trophy at our presentation on the 7th January 2012, he wins the title ahead of Steve Bradbury and former champion Andy Denyer.

In the 'B' category, Barry Utting defends his crown and was the first champion of 2011. The Penrith Motorcycles rider finished ahead of Royal Air Force backed Mick Riddle and the ever smiling 'Club 98' competitor, Rob Pragnell.

Last years runner-up, Tony Hughes, is now the bride after winning the 'C' crown, he didn't win it without a fight though, as Brad Davey (Moto Bits) pushed him all the way to finish second and Duncan MacMillan (Jim Aim Racing) ends 2011 in third.

 

Motorbike Accident Law Champion Ben Field may have had his number one plate stuck on the winning Honda CBR600 for the final round at Mallory Park, but he faced some stern opposition in all three races this weekend, as RLR Racing's Sam Hornsey returned to the Thundersport GB paddock after a successful season in the British Supersport Championship.

Out qualifying the champion by half a second, Hornsey was on lap record pace to sit on pole ahead of Field, Dan Hegarty and Craig Sproston, in what was a very strong grid.

On row two, Tom McHale led Mike Horberry and both Max Symonds and Chris Wilkinson were riding well to sit in seventh and eighth respectively.

In race one, it seemed that Hornsey's presence had almost taken Ben Field by surprise, Sam had taken the lap record with a 52.903 and ended the first 16 lap race a full nine seconds clear of Field, who in turn had a lonely race in second ahead of Dan Hegarty and Craig Sproston.

It was race two though where we saw our champion back to his usual form, and completely unwilling to let Hornsey control the race, Field showed Sam his front wheel on more than one occasion on the opening lap and led from lap two all the way to lap 13.

Unable to shake off Hornsey, Sam forced his way through to the front with two laps remaining and whether his aim was to try and break Ben or not, it didn't work. Ben came back at Sam and was preparing for a last lap onslaught but as the pair came out of the final corner on lap 15 side by side, all bets were off as it looked like being yet another photo finish in an action packed weekend.

Hornsey snatched it by 0.113 across the line ahead of Field but admitted afterwards that he enjoyed the race and had complete respect for Field, who proved in that race alone, how he'd won the championship this year.

In third place, Dan Hegarty picked up yet another trophy and we can expect to see more of him in 2012, and Craig Sproston finished ahead of James East, to pick up yet more points and clarify his third place in the championship for 2011.

For the final race of the weekend, Hornsey got off to a great start to lead on lap one and would've appreciated the fact that Sproston and Hegarty were making life difficult for Ben Field in third. It took Field until lap five to move up to second place overall but the Kings Heath rider meant business and having posted an electrifying 52.686, the champion wanted to end the year with a win at Mallory Park.

On lap nine though, Ben fell and trashed his bike. The champion walked away which was great to see but having posted a time like that, Ben was pushing his bike to the absolute limit.

His fall led to Sam winning the third race of the weekend. Dan Hegarty rode well to take second place and in his last race, Craig Sproston finished his successful career with a third place finish ahead of James East and the CB Tuning rider has been a great competitor throughout the 2011 season.

After a strong season, Ben Field is the champion and so he should be ahead of a hard working Richard McNeill and the experienced Craig Sproston. It's easy to forget that this is only Ben's second year in racing and when watching British Supersport next season...... keep an eye out for the talented Thundersport champion!

 

With the championships decided in the Alto Digital Thundersport GP2 class, the Minitwins Cup and the Nitro GP3 series, it was a battle of pride this weekend at Mallory Park as in race one, Dover's Jake Dixon went head to head with 2011 Champion Connor Tagg.

In a first race which saw the GP2 lap record being broken by Jake with a 55.308, he and Connor were inseparable for the opening seven laps until the pair entered Edwina's chicane and Tagg was squeezed out by an unforgiving Dixon.

This left Dixie with the race victory ahead of Josh Daley, who was suffering with one or two jetting issues, and Curtis Rothwell finished in third place ahead of 450 riders David Allingham and Michael Clifford.

In races two, three and four though..... Pobsport Racing seemed to have fixed the issues with Josh Daley's Kawasaki ZXR400 and with no Jake Dixon in the final three encounters, Daley went head to head himself with Tagg, providing spectators with some great close racing.

In race two, Daley won his fourth race of the season after a fine display of riding and during the first race of Sunday, Tagg played second fiddle for almost every lap as Josh took his second win on the bounce, but it was the last race of the season that really impressed us, as both riders were up for ending the season with a win.

Champion Tagg only needed a top two finish to end the year on 700 points, which is a stunning average of 18.4 points per race this season, whilst Daly was in the middle of his best racing weekend of 2011, having secured second overall and gunning for his third win on the bounce.

With no threat coming from the rest of the field, Daley took an early lead and tried to control the race, but Tagg had no intentions of following Josh for the third time this weekend and the smooth Aprilia 450 rider took to the front on lap three and subsequently let Josh tail him for the next five laps.

Happy to sit in second, Josh was seen snaking the bike to the inside and then the outside of each corner, weighing up where and when he should pounce and then on lap nine, Daley attacked and with a series of laps in the mid 55's, tried to escape from the threat of any counter attack coming from Tagg.

With only a lap to go, Josh's stranglehold on the race was too much for Tagg to withstand and for the third consecutive time, Daley crossed the line to win and make it six victories for 2011, with half of them being achieved this weekend.

In third for all four encounters and winning every Mintiwins Cup race in the process, was Curtis Rothwell. Although unable to keep up with the likes of Daley and Tagg, Curtis moved up to third overall in the Minitwin championship and managed to break Andy Lawson's Mallory lap record with a 55.965 during the final race of the season.

Sharing the victories in the Nitro GP3 class were 2011 Champion James Robinson and Barnsley rider James Hobson, who now secures third spot overall. James Robinson's win is a credit to his riding ability and a deserved reward to his parents, who put all their time, money and effort into both James's and brother Adam's racing.

Tagg's points tally speaks for itself and as he moves onto a Superstock 600 Suzuki for 2012, you have to think that you'll be seeing him on the big stage one day in the future. Daley's second place overall could have been better had he found this sort of form and a good set up earlier in the year, but he was up against one of the smoothest and most consistent riders in the paddock.

Adam Palfreman finished the year third in GP2, which is a decent effort for a rider that competes in more races per weekend than any other rider. His team mate Curtis Rothwell climbed to third in the Minitwins behind Sam Nicholson, but neither could match the points total of champion Ian Popplewell.

Poppy may not have entered the final six races of the year, but having finished third in Streetfighters back in 2009 and second in last years Minitwins Championship, I would imagine we'll see a celebratory drink or two in Ian's hand when we attend the presentation evening at the start of next year.

And so that's it for another season..... Thanks to all associated with the series and see you in 2012, where Thundersport GB begins its fifth year of racing!