Centurion Racing once again had a very successful weekend at the fifth round of the Maxxis British Supersport Championship at the ultra fast Snetterton Circuit. The two riders James Westmoreland and Dan Cooper were both in the points again scoring a strong eighth and eleventh place respectively. The two rookies were rarely out of the top 15 throughout the whole weekend at the Norfolk circuit. Not even half way through the season and the two youngsters who have made the jump from the 125 Championship are finding their feet on the powerful Honda 600 machines and showing their true potential.
Westy ran well throughout the weekend and managed to qualify on the second row in seventh place with Cooper not far behind in 15th. Despite a high speed crash at Coram Curve on Friday, Cooper was luckily uninjured and the bike was not too badly damaged and therefore the mechanics were able to ensure that he managed to be ready for the two qualifying sessions on Saturday.
In the race both secured a strong start and Westy dropped down to eighth whilst Cooper was already moving his way through the field and was in 13th position after the first lap. Westmoreland was locked in a six bike battle for fourth place and exchanged positions with Guy Sanders and TT legend John McGuinness on a number of occasions.
Cooper had the pack in front of him in his sights and was making progress on every lap, getting up to ninth position at one point. As the fraught battle progressed the Centurion riders showed maturity and both rode a confident and comfortable race.
Westy also took his third win in the Supersport Cup, leading the Cup Championship and lying ninth in the main Championship he commented “It’s finally nice to have positive things to say! Today’s race was hard but fun, I got a good start but didn’t quite get with the guys I wanted to. I made it slightly hard work but to finish eighth is good. My confidence is high and I’m riding really well so roll on Mondello. I must thank the Centurion Team because the whole package is fantastic, and my bike worked very well today and was very fast.”
Cooper was also pleased with his result saying “I felt strong going to Snetterton because my bike has been fast all year and knew it would suit the fast track. Things were going well on Friday and a gust of wind caught me at Coram and the next thing I knew I was sliding into the grass at just over 100mph! Thankfully I was ok. I got a good start in the race and by mid race distance I could see a pack of riders in front of me so I pushed hard to try and catch them, I managed to get on the back of them but by this point I had used the best of my tyre and just had to bring it home. I’m really pleased with the way things are going and we are getting closer to the front runners each weekend I just need to improve on my qualifying position at the forthcoming races.”
Team Manager Gary Stubbington is very pleased with the riders efforts saying, “Each weekend the pair are getting stronger and stronger. They have a lot to learn and take in this year and that is just what they are doing. We are certainly making big steps forward and in the right direction so hopefully we will be able to continue to get good results like this.”
Maxxis British Supersport Race Result:
1, Lowry - Suzuki
2, Laverty - Suzuki
3, Hobbs - Honda
4, McConnell - Yamaha
5, Robinson - Honda
6, Young - Triumph
7, Sanders - Kawasaki
8, Westmoreland - Centurion Honda
9, McGuinness - Honda
10, Grant - Yamaha
11, Cooper - Centurion Honda
The sixth round of the Championship takes the Centurion Team overseas to Mondello Park in Ireland.
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