The mixed fortunes of racing again visited themselves on the MSS Discovery team with extremes of emotion characterising their visit to the Oulton Park circuit.
Race one saw the team immediately experiencing both extremes with a magnificent points scoring ride from Stuart Easton while his team mate Billy McConnell definitely thought his cards had been dealt from the bottom of the pack.
With conditions on the start line overcast, race one was started with several riders expressing concern that conditions on other parts of the Cheshire circuit were less than ideal for racing on full slick tyres.
It was not long before their caution was proved to be well founded as several riders went down in a melee of action in the first turn; among them the unwitting Billy McConnell.
“I was already thinking this would be a tricky start and that after a few laps we would be in for wets but, as I reached the apex of Old Hall Guy Martin fell of right in front of me and I couldn’t avoid his bike as it span out of control on the track. I came down with a bump and was lucky to get away with a sprain as I could have so easily broken my arm. The bike, I am sad to say, was more broken than me”.
With the race red flagged, the team made their best efforts to repair the stricken machine of McConnell but there was insufficient time and the race started with only Easton representing Kawasaki Motors UK officially supported Superbike team.
“I got a fairly good start and felt confident from the off”, commented Easton. “I was on pretty soft full wets and with the grip I had and the power delivery of the Ninja ZX-10R I felt I could mix it up in the front half of the field. I was happy with 10th place and 6 points even though the dry line by the end of the race chewed the rear tyre to bits”.
The thousands of fans who crowded the 2.69 mile circuit witnessed further thrills and spills in race two but, luckily, none of these involved the two MSS Discovery riders.
“I could have just let the red mist get the better of me but I think I have learnt to be more calculating now”, admitted Billy. “I got stuck behind and another rider who was really quick down the straights and then cautious in the corners. It was lonely and frustrating but to get 6 points for a 10th place finish, was a reward for me and the boys who screwed the bike back together.
Easton improved further and, despite the second race being red flagged, finished in a magnificent 5th place. Team Principle, Nick Morgan expressed his delight at achieving so much from what could so easily have been so little.
“Billy and Stuart dug deep today. For Stuart I am pleased that his race craft and determination paid off. He lost places and then set about regaining them passing some recognised wet weather specialists in the process. For Billy the day could have gone form bad to worse. To miss the first race through no fault of his own could have meant an over zealous approach to the second outing. Instead he rode with guile and maturity and impressed us all.”
