In preparation for Darley Moor Round 3 we had some new clutch plates fitted into the slipper clutch and a few other minor improvements performed by the Poole Performance Centre. But this meant that the bike was not returned until 6.30pm on the Saturday night before the Bank Holiday Monday race day. Once we had our Kawasaki ER650 Supertwin back, we fitted the front brake calipers that Powerhouse Automotive rebuilt, serviced and prepared the bike, loaded the van and then headed off to the track (after watching MotoGP on television!).
Our usual parking space in the "Stars paddock" was unavailable due to that paddock area being closed, so we found a new home for the meeting near the scruitineering bay. With reduced paddock area available, everyone was a lot more closely packed together but it made for a good atmosphere.
When qualifying got underway, there were a few incidents - Tim Poole's engine exploded and spilled oil through the final corner which caused a delay. When it was time for our qualifying session, our competitor Brad Vicars suffered from a broken crank which resulted in the end of his day.
We qualified 2nd in each class but with Brad unable to start we essentially inherited pole position in each class.
Our usual parking space in the "Stars paddock" was unavailable due to that paddock area being closed, so we found a new home for the meeting near the scruitineering bay. With reduced paddock area available, everyone was a lot more closely packed together but it made for a good atmosphere.
When qualifying got underway, there were a few incidents - Tim Poole's engine exploded and spilled oil through the final corner which caused a delay. When it was time for our qualifying session, our competitor Brad Vicars suffered from a broken crank which resulted in the end of his day.
We qualified 2nd in each class but with Brad unable to start we essentially inherited pole position in each class.
Heading the Formula Darley grid
In the races, we took the lead on lap 1 of each race and then led the race to the flag, winning the first two races by almost 10 seconds each.
Chasing after Stuart Hall
In the third race of the day (Formula Darley Race 2), we again took the lead on the opening lap - but then coming out of the first chicane on lap 2, the engine died (of causes yet unknown - see below for video) which brought our involvement in the meeting to a close. Despite not finishing all of the races, our earlier victories have moved us into 1st position in the championship standings for both championship classes. Our race wins also got us another mention in the official Race Report.
Another great shot captured by Tony Else
With our next race meeting planned for Saturday 16th May with the Aintree Motorcycle Racing Club, our spare engine has been installed whilst the main (silver) engine will be inspected to ascertain what went wrong.
 Our winners trophies |  Spare engine fitted |
Below is the video showing the moment that the engine failure occurred in Formula Darley Race 2.
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