The 2006 Virgin Mobile Cup got under way at a weather-beaten Brands Hatch yesterday. The amazing new Yamaha YZF-R6 in the 2006 Virgin Mobile Cup livery showed its true race bred potential in the hands of the new Virgin Mobile Cup class of 2006. First honours went to Matthew Whitman from Swindon who, despite being seriously ill with food poisoning last week, rode a superb race in treacherous conditions.
All these machines run identical Dunlop qualifier tyres which have to cope with any condition come race day. It is totally down to how the riders cope with what mother nature throws at them! Once again all the guys rode with far more maturity than their age shows. It was a matter of survival, with the track changing with every lap. Whitman managed to break away from the chasing pack of Tom Grant and Leon Hunt who both swapped paint on their new bikes!
Pole setter Shaun Murphy from Douglas, Ilse of Man, running in the leader Yellow Animal Dunlop bike made a disastrous start and didn’t finish. But after dominating qualifying, he will definitely be one to watch for the season.
First round winner Matthew Whitman added: “After missing the official test at Snetterton because of food poisoning I was already at a disadvantage to the other guys. I didn’t start eating again until Thursday, but maybe the bit of weight I lost made me quicker round the track! The rain made conditions treacherous and it could have been anyone’s race, but the bike felt great and I feel really confident ahead of the next round at Donington Park.”
Second place rider Tom Grant qualified in third place on the grid but was the winner of the new Animal holeshot prize which is awarded to the rider who reaches the apex of the first corner in the lead.
Leon Hunt, from Brighton, finished in third place. R iding in the Virgin Mobile Cup for the second time he said: “I feel like I have grown in maturity and experience in this last year, despite the weather it was a good race.”
Results1 Matthew Whitman 19:02.97
2 Tom Grant +2.801
3 Leon Hunt +12.739
4 Graham Gowland +13.199
5 Sam Bishop +14.372
6 James Rose +20.604
7 Bj Toal +20.648
8 Robbie Brown +37.146
9 James Webb +39.858
10 Midge Smart +40.902
11 Patrick Mcdougall +43.195
12 Scott Kelly +45.645
13 Simon Deaville +1 Lap
14 Shaun Williams +1 Lap
15 David Paton +1 Lap
16 Liam Gorman +1 Lap
17 Alex Jenkins +1 Lap
18 John Eastwood +1 Lap
D.N.F.Sean Murphy D.N.F.
Calvin Hogan D.N.F.
James Cox D.N.F.
Olie Linsdell D.N.F.
Related Linkswww.virginmobileracing.com
