Darley Moor Round 2 was living proof that motorcycle racing's epic highs and epic lows can be experienced on the same day!
As usual we turned up on the day before the event - but this time there was a special treat awaiting us... as the Darley Moor team had welcomed in external caterers with wood-fired pizzas, coffees and cakes on offer. The pizzas proved so popular that they ran out of stock 90 minutes before their intended closing time! Fortunately, we were able to enjoy the delicious food whilst watching the British Superbike racing from Donington Park on TV in the race awning - we really did feel spoilt! :-)
With the bikes, paperwork and admin tasks out of the way we enjoyed an early night then awoke to a beautiful and sunny morning.
As usual we turned up on the day before the event - but this time there was a special treat awaiting us... as the Darley Moor team had welcomed in external caterers with wood-fired pizzas, coffees and cakes on offer. The pizzas proved so popular that they ran out of stock 90 minutes before their intended closing time! Fortunately, we were able to enjoy the delicious food whilst watching the British Superbike racing from Donington Park on TV in the race awning - we really did feel spoilt! :-)
With the bikes, paperwork and admin tasks out of the way we enjoyed an early night then awoke to a beautiful and sunny morning.
We were out in the first and second qualifying sessions of the day, but the 10:00 start felt like a luxury compared to the recent 08:40 starts at some of the NG events. The sessions were busy but we managed to get a couple of clear laps in - which were good enough to set Pole Position for the 700cc Twins, Formula 600 and Darley Cup races.
After the rush of qualifying we then had a 2-3 hour gap until our next session out on track. During this time, Mac Measuria from JNV Composites Ltd stopped by our awning for an in-depth discussion regarding chains and sprockets - and it sounded like he had some ideas of where innovative materials could be used in this area. We'll let you know more if we hear anything further...
The first race of the day was Formula 600 Race 1. A decent start saw us enter the Wilson's chicane in 2nd position (1st in class) but we took the overall race lead by the end of the opening lap and managed to stretch out a lead that we managed to the end where we secured the win by 6.63 seconds.
After the rush of qualifying we then had a 2-3 hour gap until our next session out on track. During this time, Mac Measuria from JNV Composites Ltd stopped by our awning for an in-depth discussion regarding chains and sprockets - and it sounded like he had some ideas of where innovative materials could be used in this area. We'll let you know more if we hear anything further...
The first race of the day was Formula 600 Race 1. A decent start saw us enter the Wilson's chicane in 2nd position (1st in class) but we took the overall race lead by the end of the opening lap and managed to stretch out a lead that we managed to the end where we secured the win by 6.63 seconds.
 Photo by Glyn Ivings |  Photo by Glyn Ivings |
After a short break we were out again in 700cc Twins Race 1. Our inability to get the Aprilia RS660 cleanly off the line continued, as we entered the Wilson's chicane in 5th position (3rd in class) - but were able to overtake three riders into Park corner to take the class lead. From here the plan should have been to take a sensible approach and try to secure the class win, but... The racer in us came out!
We were slowly closing in on overall race-leader Kaine Sheriff (on his Pre-Electronic 600 machine) and by the end of lap 4 were onto his back wheel. Whilst chasing him down we also managed to dip just under the 1-minute barrier again, putting in a 59.99 second lap time. Due to the different strengths of the different machines, we could follow Kaine but were unable to pass him.
However, on the final lap he appeared to miss a gear change coming out of the hairpin which allowed us to temporarily move into the lead before he sneaked passed us down the Pope Straight. Into the final corner we were able to make a successful pass and held the lead to the line to take the overall victory by 0.27 of a second (and our class win by 30.26 seconds). The pace in the race was so hot that we also managed to set a new race record!
We were slowly closing in on overall race-leader Kaine Sheriff (on his Pre-Electronic 600 machine) and by the end of lap 4 were onto his back wheel. Whilst chasing him down we also managed to dip just under the 1-minute barrier again, putting in a 59.99 second lap time. Due to the different strengths of the different machines, we could follow Kaine but were unable to pass him.
However, on the final lap he appeared to miss a gear change coming out of the hairpin which allowed us to temporarily move into the lead before he sneaked passed us down the Pope Straight. Into the final corner we were able to make a successful pass and held the lead to the line to take the overall victory by 0.27 of a second (and our class win by 30.26 seconds). The pace in the race was so hot that we also managed to set a new race record!
 Photo by Kevin Randle |  Photo by Tony Else |
Photo by Glyn Ivings
Darley Cup Race 1 was a great opportunity for us to get in some quality laps, as a fantastic start got us the hole shot into the Wilson's chicane and we led the race from lights-to-flag, taking victory by 15.35 seconds and setting a fastest lap of 58.44 - as well as setting a new race record!
 Photo by Tony Else |  Photo by Allister Dickson |
We were then onto the post-lunch races, which is where things unfortunately went wrong. After an aborted start to the race we got an OK start and moved into 2nd position behind Joe Walton. We felt like we had some more speed in us but were unable to get into a position to make a clean pass so ended up following Joe closely through the race (with gaps as small as 0.04 and 0.07 splitting us), looking for an opportunity to make a move.
Photo by Kevin Randle
Then at the start of lap 8, Joe made a mistake and ran wide at the Wilson's chicane which allowed us to take the race lead. Heading into Park corner Joe did a late lunge and ran wide, also taking us slightly wide. When we got on the throttle the rear end broke loose and resulted in a highside crash. During the crash the bike landed on our left hand, crushed our wedding ring and ripped the glove off - resulting in some grazing damage to the hand. Further injuries (just bumps and bruises) were also experienced to the left shoulder, right hip and right knee.
The bike must have taken a roll during the crash as both rearsets were bent, both handlebars were bent, the tank and seat have damage to the top, etc. Fortunately spares for the Kawasaki ZX6R are readily available (and we already have some 'crash consumables' in stock).
The bike must have taken a roll during the crash as both rearsets were bent, both handlebars were bent, the tank and seat have damage to the top, etc. Fortunately spares for the Kawasaki ZX6R are readily available (and we already have some 'crash consumables' in stock).
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So not the ending to the day that we were expecting or hoping for! Despite winning 3 out of the 4 races in each championship (i.e. 9 out of 12 Darley Moor races), due to how points are awarded we have dropped substantially in each championship.
Darley Cup Championship (Top 5)
Adam Green 27
David Carson 15
Stephen England 12
Andy Sellars 10
Matthew Rostron 10
700cc Twins Championship (Top 5)
Anthony Thane 25
Matthew Birks 20
David Carson 15
Ben Wilkinson 14
Andy Whale 12
Formula 600 Championship (Top 5)
Adam Green 22
Matthew Rostron 18
Adam Mather 16
Mark Goodings 16
David Carson 15
The 3 victories from this round mean that our total victory tally is up to 148 club racing wins - very close to another milestone! We are hoping that we can reach the magical 150 wins tally during the 2023 season...
There is a 4-week gap between this round and the next event, which is Darley Moor Round 3 on 18th June. Replacement parts have already been ordered to fix the Kawasaki ZX6R and hopefully that will provide sufficient physical recovery time. Fingers crossed that we can come back competitive at the next round!
Darley Cup Championship (Top 5)
Adam Green 27
David Carson 15
Stephen England 12
Andy Sellars 10
Matthew Rostron 10
700cc Twins Championship (Top 5)
Anthony Thane 25
Matthew Birks 20
David Carson 15
Ben Wilkinson 14
Andy Whale 12
Formula 600 Championship (Top 5)
Adam Green 22
Matthew Rostron 18
Adam Mather 16
Mark Goodings 16
David Carson 15
The 3 victories from this round mean that our total victory tally is up to 148 club racing wins - very close to another milestone! We are hoping that we can reach the magical 150 wins tally during the 2023 season...
There is a 4-week gap between this round and the next event, which is Darley Moor Round 3 on 18th June. Replacement parts have already been ordered to fix the Kawasaki ZX6R and hopefully that will provide sufficient physical recovery time. Fingers crossed that we can come back competitive at the next round!
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