With three new tyres fitted to the caravan (see Round 1 Race Review for that debacle) and some minor jobs completed on the bikes, we were ready for our second outing of our 2019 season.
The "Two Daves" popped along to the Oulton Park British Superbike round on the Saturday to visit some ex-Darley riders and cheer them along, before heading across to the Darley Moor circuit on the Sunday afternoon. After signing on, the evening was spent completing a track walk with Stuart Hall and Mike Gittings.
The "Two Daves" popped along to the Oulton Park British Superbike round on the Saturday to visit some ex-Darley riders and cheer them along, before heading across to the Darley Moor circuit on the Sunday afternoon. After signing on, the evening was spent completing a track walk with Stuart Hall and Mike Gittings.
 Returning from scrutineering... |  All setup for the weekend... |
The weather forecast for the Monday race day was quite bleak but we managed to escape with just a couple of light showers falling through the day. But due to the timing of the rainfall, none of it really affected us and we managed to run on dry tyres all weekend.
The Mini Sound of Thunder qualifying session went well and we lapped fastest in class (putting us 5th on the combined grid). In the Formula 600 qualifying we did not manage to complete a single 'clear' lap but managed to secure 6th place on the grid.
The Mini Sound of Thunder qualifying session went well and we lapped fastest in class (putting us 5th on the combined grid). In the Formula 600 qualifying we did not manage to complete a single 'clear' lap but managed to secure 6th place on the grid.
 Photo by Graham Mallen |  Photo by Graham Mallen |
Our first race of the day was the Mini Sound of Thunder 'qualifying' race. A previous morning rain shower had just almost dried up when we headed to the assembly area but whilst we were waiting to go on track more rain sprinkles started to appear - fortunately no great volume of water fell and we were able to start the race on our dry tyres.
The short shower may have prompted some cautious riding from the Pre-Injection 600 riders, as we managed to run in 3rd place overall for the first four laps (of six) before dropping a couple of track positions to Pre-Injection riders Josh Potts and Lee Smith on lap five. We crossed the chequered flag in 5th place overall and won our class from Richard Saville, with Garry Broughton taking third spot.
The short shower may have prompted some cautious riding from the Pre-Injection 600 riders, as we managed to run in 3rd place overall for the first four laps (of six) before dropping a couple of track positions to Pre-Injection riders Josh Potts and Lee Smith on lap five. We crossed the chequered flag in 5th place overall and won our class from Richard Saville, with Garry Broughton taking third spot.
 Photo by Lorna Carson |  Photo by Graham Mallen |
The Formula 600 races for this weekend were wide open - as championship leader Lloyd Shelley was away on holiday and 2nd-placed Stephen Parsons experienced machine issues in qualifying so didn't start the races.
When the lights went out for the Formula 600 'qualifying' race we got a shockingly poor start and entered the first chicane in 11th position. By the end of the opening lap we had made our way up to 7th position and for the next four laps we caught and passed one rider per lap, until we reached third position. On the final lap we reduced the gap to 2nd place from 1.88 seconds down to 0.66 seconds - but we had run out of time! It wasn't until returning to the paddock that the rider learned that he had just achieved his best-ever Formula 600 finishing position - and the look on his face was almost as good as the race onboard camera footage he captured! :-)
When the lights went out for the Formula 600 'qualifying' race we got a shockingly poor start and entered the first chicane in 11th position. By the end of the opening lap we had made our way up to 7th position and for the next four laps we caught and passed one rider per lap, until we reached third position. On the final lap we reduced the gap to 2nd place from 1.88 seconds down to 0.66 seconds - but we had run out of time! It wasn't until returning to the paddock that the rider learned that he had just achieved his best-ever Formula 600 finishing position - and the look on his face was almost as good as the race onboard camera footage he captured! :-)
 Photo by Glyn Ivings |  Photo by Graham Mallen |
After the lunch break it was time for the Mini Sound of Thunder 'points' race, which was run twice due to an unfortunate crash for Tim Walsh at Townleys. On the second restart we got a good start and ran in 4th position overall for the entire race. At the end of the shortened 5-lap race we took the class win, Richard Saville took second and Garry Broughton took the final spot on the podium. In the Pre-Injection 600 class Stuart Bradbury took his first-ever win - so congratulations to Stuart on achieving that milestone!
 Photo by Glyn Ivings |  Photo by Glyn Ivings |
The final race of the day was the Formula 600 'points' race. Due to our 3rd place finish in the qualifying race, we started from the front row of the grid. A good start saw us entering the first chicane in 4th place and then we moved passed Chris Stuart on lap two to take third position. From here it became a 3-rider battle for 2nd-position between Louis O'Regan, Matt Zschieshe and ourselves. At the end of the race we finished in 3rd place - 0.21 of a second behind Louis O'Regan and 0.32 of a second ahead of Matt Zschieshe! This result awarded us our first-ever Formula 600 podium trophy, as well as securing us in third place for the Curtis Milner Trophy. The race itself (along with the Curtis Milner Trophy) was won by Rich Baker who was untouchable today.
Photo by Glyn Ivings
With the results from this meeting, the championship point tables now look as follows:
FORMULA 600 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (AFTER 2 OF 7 ROUNDS) - TOP 5
Rich Baker 24
Matt Zschiesche 18
David Carson 16
Lloyd Shelley 15
Stephen Parsons 13
MINI SOUND OF THUNDER CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (AFTER 2 OF 7 ROUNDS) - TOP 5
David Carson 28
Richard Saville 22
Daley Mattison 16
Gary Broughton 10
Mike Gittings 8
FORMULA 600 CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (AFTER 2 OF 7 ROUNDS) - TOP 5
Rich Baker 24
Matt Zschiesche 18
David Carson 16
Lloyd Shelley 15
Stephen Parsons 13
MINI SOUND OF THUNDER CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS (AFTER 2 OF 7 ROUNDS) - TOP 5
David Carson 28
Richard Saville 22
Daley Mattison 16
Gary Broughton 10
Mike Gittings 8
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After another fabulous weekend of racing, we are looking forward to getting out again. Our next race meeting will be at Donington Park with BEMSEE on 18th/19th May, with Darley Moor Round 3 taking place on Sunday 6th June.
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