Here are some photos from the fifth round of the Darley Moor championships, taken by official Darley photographer Tony Else...

Round 5 of the Darley Moor club championships unfortunately clashed with the final round of the NG Road Racing championships at Cadwell Park, so we had to make a choice as to where to race - which was difficult as we were doing well in the championships with both clubs. We would just have to wait until the end of the weekend to see how things worked out...

Arriving on the Saturday afternoon during a heat wave (some call it summer!) we casually setup - opposite the FHO Racing squad who were making a guest appearance - and then settled into watch some MotoGP and WorldSBK action on TV.

When Sunday race day arrived the weather turned and light rain showers fell for most of the day. Prior to the start of the 10am Twins qualifying session the rain was very light and wasn't sticking, but once out on track it quickly got heavier (very similar what happened at Darley Moor Round 4) so we only did a couple of laps and pulled in.

Learning from the last meeting we then promptly switched the Kawasaki Supersport machine to wet tyres - this meant that we missed half of the qualifying session but was the right choice. We qualified in 4th on the combined grid for the 700cc Twins (3rd in class), in 3rd for the Darley Cup and in 2nd for the Formula 600.

Our first race of the day was Darley Cup Race 1. A good start saw us take the hole shot into the Wilsons chicane on the opening lap, but as we had new front brake pads and a new dry rear tyre to bed in, we were quite tentative on the first couple of laps. We expected that we may get challenged on these laps but we manage to stay in front and kept the lead for the entire 8-lap race, eventually winning by 14.65 seconds. During the race the quickshifter stopped working, so we had to manually shift gears - which was nostalgic!

With everything now nicely scrubbed in we headed out for Formula 600 Race 1. An OK start saw us enter the Wilsons chicane in 3rd position, before moving past Chris Stuart on the exit of Park corner and then when Jack Worth overshot into Paddock corner on the opening lap we managed to take the lead. The quickshifter was still not working but we kept the lead for five laps, albeit not feeling overly confident with the constant rain drizzle. On lap 6 Mark Goodings took the lead on the entry to the hairpin. We tailed him home to finish in 2nd place.

The last race before the lunch beak was Twins Race 1, where the rain drizzle had returned once again. A poor start saw us enter the Wilsons chicane in 5th position in the combined race, which is where we finished the opening lap. On lap 2 we managed to pass Aprilia-mounted Tim Walsh on the run to the back esses and then Adam Sheriff (PreElectronic 600) along the Pope Straight. On lap 3 we then used the power advantage of our Aprilia to pass Josh Froggatt on his fairly-stock Suzuki SV650 before taking the race lead outright on the entry to Paddock corner by passing Nick Clare (PreElectronic 600). From here we circulated safely but never really felt committed due to the conditions. This was a race where it felt like the bike did more of the work than we did! Despite getting caught up with backmarkers on the final lap we managed to take the win.

​During the lunch break we investigated the broken quickshifter and found that the live power lead wire had snapped from the battery terminal connector. With a new connector attached - and a quick test on the paddock stand - we deemed it functional once again!

Onto the 'final' 10-lap races (where points and trophies are awarded) and first up was Darley Cup Race 2. The rain drizzle was still falling and we were still running on dry tyres. A quick drop of the lights caught us out and we bogged the bike and got a poor start, entering the Wilsons chicane in 7th position (from our pole position start!).

On the opening lap we went up to 6th position, then down to 7th, then back up to 6th - finishing the opening lap 4 seconds behind the race leader. On lap 2 we moved past Josh Froggatt to take 5th position and by the end of lap 3 we were on the back of a group of riders. We remained in 5th position until we were able to make a move on Andrew Herd into Park corner on lap 7 - but by now were 4.42 behind the race leader. On lap 8 we managed to pass Adam Green into Park corner to take 3rd position, then on lap 9 - at Park corner again - we overtook Stephen England to move into 2nd position.

At the start of lap 9 there was a 2.80 gap to race-leader Chris Stuart which seemed unsurmountable, but we pushed on regardless. Entering the final lap the gap to Chris had reduced to 1.52 seconds and by the end of the Pope straight we were on his back wheel. On the run to the line Chris starting celebrating early, but we kept it pinned and managed to sneak the win by just 0.02 of a second!

The weather finally decided to brighten up for Formula 600 Race 2. A decent start saw us enter the Wilsons chicane in 2nd position behind Jack Worth. On the entry to the hairpin we were gently nudged out of the way by Mark Goodings on his Yamaha R6, which ran us wide and we were demoted to 4th position. We managed to claw back a position on the brakes into Paddock corner, then on the exit of Park corner Mark Goodings unexpectedly waved us through (which was a nice gesture) which elevated us back into 2nd position.

On lap 3 we overtook Jack Worth at Park corner to take the lead. We then did a series of laps in the 59-second bracket, but it ultimately wasn't quick enough as Mark Goodings came past us at the start of lap 6. We managed to squeeze a little more speed out of ourselves and set a couple of 58-second laps - including the fastest lap of the race - but at the chequered flag we finished in 2nd place, 1.03 seconds behind Mark. Jack Worth took the final podium spot.

The weather saved its best until last, with the sun deciding to shine down on track for our (and the) final race of the day, Twins Race 2. A poor start saw us enter the Wilsons chicane in 4th position on track (2nd in class), before Tim Walsh demoted us to 5th on track (3rd in class) at Park corner. We managed to retake 4th position on the brakes into Paddock corner on the opening lap and then set after the leading trio.

On lap 2 we made a move on the brakes into Paddock corner to pass Nick Clare, then passed both Adam Sheriff and Josh Froggatt on lap 3 to take the overall race lead - despite running across the grass at the back esses during that lap. Once into the lead we put in some steady 1'01 laps which we thought should have been enough to maintain a lead. On lap 7 we had a look behind and saw that Adam Sheriff was on our rear wheel, so dropped our lap times into the 1'00s to extend a 3.04 second victory gap at the chequered flag.

With another 42 (out of a possible 45) championship points captured this weekend, we have extended our championship lead in two classes and remain in 2nd place of the Formula 600 class. There are 30 championship points still available in each championship:

Darley Cup Championship (Top 5)
1st: David Carson     60
2nd: Adam Green        41
3rd: Stephen England  40
4th: Matthew Rostron  29
5th: Mark Goodings     20

700cc Twins Championship (Top 5)
1st: David Carson    60
2nd: Ben Wilkinson     40
3rd: Anthony Thane    37
4th: Andy Whale         24
5th: Matthew Birks      20

Formula 600 Championship (Top 5)
1st: Mark Goodings       46
2nd: David Carson     39
3rd: Jack Worth            31
4th: Matthew Rostron    29
5th: Adam Green          28

But let's not forget about the NG Road Racing championships that also concluded on the same day. Considering that we competed in 13 of the 21 scheduled races, we are pleased with our finishing positions. We slipped from 2nd in the Supertwins championship to 3rd, but kept our 5th position in the Open 600 championship.

NG Road Racing - Supertwins Championship (Top 5)
1st: Brody Crockford    293
2nd: Edward Giles       230
3rd: David Carson    215
4th: Steve Moody        209
5th: William Holland    124

NG Road Racing - Open 600 Championship (Top 7)
1st: George Edwards   389
2nd: Ricky Elder         369
3rd: Michael Rees       199
4th: Jed Bird              172
5th: David Carson   142
6th: Aaron Matthews    83
7th: John Marsh           81

With this great weekend behind us, we now only have one weekend of racing left in our 2023 season - the prestigious "Stars at Darley" meeting on Saturday/Sunday 7th/8th October.
​

Here are some photos from the Anglesey round of the 2023 NG Road Racing championships, taken by official photographer Colin Hill...

We apprehensively approached the NG Anglesey meeting as "we were 3-for-3", with 3 trips to Bangor hospital from the last 3 visits to the circuit. Fortunately, we made it through the weekend (mostly) unscathed...

Arriving at the circuit only 90 minutes after the paddock opened on the Thursday evening, most of the paddock was already roped off - but we managed to find a spot on hard standing, nearby to the cafe and toilet block and got everything setup.

Despite being at the circuit we decided to skip the Friday test day. As we were at a loose end, we helped Daniel Nurrish with some track observations, bike change recommendations and also did some data analysis for him.

With time to kill we decided to go up to the top part of the circuit to watch, which allowed us to see some parts of the track that reminded us of the early days of Anglesey circuit (prior to its redevelopment), which was nostalgic.

Due to the continuing wind there was no real track action on the Saturday. We sat around until 4pm when the organisers allowed some free practice sessions to run. We decided to go out but on the out lap it was obvious that the winds prevented any useful information gathering. I'm not sure whether the on-track action was done to avoid the organisers having to provide any sort of refund to competitors, but regardless, I don't believe that bikes should have been let out on track. The downside to the Saturday cancellation was that this meant there was one fewer race that we could score championship points in...

After taking a much-needed shower, we packed everything neatly into the van, then the girls then did some roller skating on track before we joined some other competitors in the cafe bar for some light refreshments.

After an early start to unload everything once again, we had a couple of practice sessions to get ourselves up to speed. It had been decided that there would not be any qualifying sessions, so instead, grid slots for the opening races would be determined based on championship points (which was good for us!). We would start from 4th on the Open 600 grid and from 8th on the combined Supertwins/PreElectronic600 grid.

After a short break we were out into Open 600 Race 2. Starting from 4th on the grid it felt like we were being hunted - especially after getting a good start! We pushed on and managed to set a 1:13.798 lap time (for reference, our Personal Best is a 1:13.357) which we were happy with, and crossed the line to finish in 6th place. 

After the lunch break it was time for Supertwin Race 3, which seemed to be a lot windier and slippier than the previous races. We pushed as hard as we could and secured another 2nd place finish.

The final race of the day was Open 600 Race 3, where another good start saw us targeted by the faster guys once again. With a best lap of 1'14.239 we were again not quite as fast as earlier in the day, but still managed to bring home another 6th place finish. Straight after the race we then had a new rear tyre fit, ready for the next meeting.

With a few more points gained this weekend, the championship tables have changed once again. As it stands we are currently in 2nd position in the Supertwins championship and in 5th in the Open 600 championship.

However, as there is one NG event remaining (which we cannot attend) then we forecast/estimate that we will probably end the season in 4th position in the Supertwins championship and in 5th position in the Open 600 championship.

Time will tell on that, but for now we would just like to congratulate Brody Crockford on securing the 2023 NG Supertwins championship (showing that he really might be "the faster Crockford")!

Open 600 Championship Standings (Top 10)
George Edwards   356
Ricky Elder          334
Michael Rees       168
Jed Bird              156
David Carson    142
Aaron Matthews    83
Lewis Jones          75
Brandon Brinded    53
Paul Messenger     49
Lucca Allen           46

Supertwins Championship Standings (Top 10)
Brody Crockford   293
David Carson    215
Edward Giles       177
Steve Moody       166
William Holland   124
Alex Sinclair         95
Tony Parker         94
Jamie Ingham      87
Jamie Coward      75
Mark Hughes       64

Our next outing is in a few weeks, where we will return to Darley Moor on Sunday 10th September for Round 5 of their championships.
​

Here are some photos from Round 4 of the Darley Moor championships, taken by official Darley photographer Tony Else...

Darley Moor Round 4 marks the midway point in the Darley Moor club championships. After an 8-week break since the previous Darley meeting it seemed like a very long time since we were last at the circuit, but we soon felt at home again. We expected a fully dry weekend, but some unexpected rain arrived to add some challenges along the way...

​After getting setup on the Saturday evening, we took a now customary visit to the pop-up food stands and then settled down in the awning to watch Saturday's British Superbike action on TV.

It was a relaxed Sunday morning where we managed to catch up with lots of people prior to the qualifying sessions.

​We were out in the opening two qualifying sessions. Whilst sat in the assembly area light rain started to fall and continued throughout the sessions. We didn't have chance to swap tyres so were on dry tyres and didn't really feel comfortable, so tried not to make any silly mistakes. We put in a 1'11 lap in Twins qualifying and then a 1'18 lap on the Kawasaki ZX6R. Surprisingly, these results were good enough for 7th on the Darley Cup grid, 6th on the Formula 600 grid and 5th on the Twins grid. Only a couple of riders managed to switch to wets and they were massively quicker than anyone else.

Our first race was Darley Cup Race 1. The rain had stopped and the track was drying quickly. After speaking to some riders in an earlier race about the current track conditions, we decided to fit a wet front tyre and a dry rear tyre. The assembly area was a mix from full slicks to full wets! Out onto track there were some damp sections at Park corner and at the hairpin, but dry tyres would probably have been the right choice - especially when the sun started to shine! We finished the opening lap in 6th position and then managed to work our way up to 2nd position by the end of lap 4. With some clear track we managed to set the fastest lap of the race, but as the leader was around 5 seconds up the road that was as far as we could get. We finished in 2nd place.

After a quick front wheel change (to a dry tyre), it was time for Formula 600 Race 1. From our 6th place grid position we ended the opening lap in 4th place, before moving into the lead by the end of lap 4. We then managed to set the fastest lap of the race along with the race win.

After a short wait we headed out for Twins Race 1. An OK start saw us manage to get up to 4th position by the end of the opening lap, before slowly picking off 1 rider per lap to take the race lead on lap 4. We were happy to get back into the 59-second bracket with a 59.92 fastest lap and took the race win.

After the lunch break it was time for the "final" races, where the points and trophies were awarded.

First up was Darley Cup Race 2. We managed to get a great start and got the hole shot - from here we decided to push as hard as we could and set a 59.72 lap on the opening lap, followed by a 58.96 on lap 2. This gave us a 5.98 second lead by the end of the second lap! From here we just tried to put in clean laps and eventually won the race by 10.90 seconds from Isle of Man TT racer Mark Goodings.

Another good start in Formula 600 Race 2 saw us take the race lead on the opening lap and then hold it until almost the end of lap 9 (of 10). Throughout the race, despite us putting in laps as good as 58.56, Mark Goodings slowly but surely caught us up and was on our tail. Trying to push hard we were just too greedy on the brakes into Paddock corner on lap 9 and ran wide, which allowed Mark to take the lead and cruise to victory. You can also see his onboard footage here. We took 2nd place, content that we had given all that we could!

Our final race of the weekend was also the final race of the day, Twins Race 2. Unfortunately, the camera battery expired before the race started - which is a shame as some of the footage would have been great to watch.

We got an OK start but Nick Clare and Adam Sheriff (both in the PreElectronic 600 class) separated us from race leader Andy Whale. Due to the different bikes having different strengths/weaknesses, it look us until the end of lap 3 to move into 2nd place on track - and 3.68 seconds back from Andy who was putting strong and consistent laps in. We dug in and managed to catch Andy and then spent a few laps figuring out how to make a pass. On lap 9 we made a successful move for the lead and then with the clear track ahead pushed as hard as we could to set a new Twins Personal Best lap time of 59.77! After a clean final lap we took the win and then stopped to wish Andy all the best as he heads off to the Manx Grand Prix later this week.

​With 42 (out of a possible 45) championship points captured this weekend, we have moved up to become championship leader in two classes and into 2nd place of the Formula 600 class:

Darley Cup Championship (Top 5)
1st: David Carson     45
2nd: Adam Green        35
3rd: Stephen England  24
4th: Matthew Rostron  20
5th: Nick Clare            15

700cc Twins Championship (Top 5)
1st: David Carson    45
2nd: Anthony Thane   37
3rd: Ben Wilkinson     34
4th: Andy Whale        24
5th: Matthew Birks     20

Formula 600 Championship (Top 5)
1st: Mark Goodings      31
2nd: David Carson    27
3rd: Matthew Rostron  24
4th: Adam Green         22
5th: Jack Worth           21

With a great weekend behind us, there isn't long to wait until our next racing action - as we will be heading to the NG Anglesey meeting in just a few days. Due to calendar clashes, the NG Anglesey meeting will be the last NG meeting that we will attend this season.