Reigning Virgin Media Cup Champion, BJ Toal put in a stirling performance to finish in 6th place at Round 3 of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship at Oulton Park today (5th May).
Early free practice and the first wet qualifying session had seen BJ put in a fast pace to provisionally qualify in 3rd position. As the ultra competitive British Supersport field took to the scenic 2.692 mile circuit for a dry second qualifying, BJ couldn't quite run with the blistering pace at the front and finally qualified in 15th.
Dry race conditions dictated that BJ needed a good start to run with the leading pack if he was to stand any chance of a top ten finish. As they lined up on the grid, BJ did just that, elevating himself forward into 9th place. An early crash from Alan O'Connor brought out the safety car by lap 3, which was immediately followed by a red flag to stop the race.
The race re-start was run over 12 laps, with grid positions taken from the end of lap 2. BJ put in another blistering start getting away with the leading pack. An overtaking manoeuvre on Ian Hutchinson put BJ into 6th on lap 3, gaining an additional place as Paul Young entered pit lane for jump start ride through penalty the following lap.
Steve Brogan was catching the leading pack quickly and overtook BJ on lap 8. By lap 10, the Virgin Media Yamaha rider was coming under intense pressure from first Fitzpatrick, then Cooper, yet did not appear to be fazed by their close proximity. BJ kept his head down to hold Cooper at bay by 0.14 of a second to the chequered flag for a well earned 6th place.
BJ Toal: "I'm delighted! It was a real tough race though trying to hold off the guys right with me. I got a good start the first time round, which elevated me up a row, then with another good start in the re-run I managed to get away with the leading pack. I then just dug in and got my head down, I knew the guys behind were challenging but I managed to ride my race and hold them off."
Rob McElnea, Team Principal: "We are totally over the moon for BJ. He's struggled to chill out this season, it's a big step up for him. We knew what he was capable of and now he has given himself the confidence that he needed. I think we can expect to see more strong results from BJ from now on."
Race Result:1) Richards (Triumph)
2) Kennaugh (Yamaha)
3) Lowry (Suzuki)
4) Martin (Kawasaki)
5) Brogan (Honda)
6) BJ Toal (Virgin Media Yamaha)
Championship Standings:
1) Richards - 45
2) Brogan - 36
3) Kennaugh - 33
4) Martin - 29
5) Lowry - 27
10) BJ Toal - 10
