Boston’s Ben Wilson took the opportunity to showcase his skills on the world stage as he battled it out over two races of the Henderson Yamaha R1 Cup on Sunday. Billed as a stand alone international round, the double header did not attract championship points but gave the riders the chance to race as part of the MotoGP programme at Donington Park.
But things didn’t go quite to plan for the Boston rider who was caught out in race one by the inclement weather conditions and fell at Coppice while holding second place. But despite his tumble Wilson bounced back to finish race two in sixth place.
Grid positions were set from race results at the Donington Park round earlier in the season where Wilson scored a strong second place in both races which secured him a front row start to Saturday’s two international races.
Race one got underway in wet conditions and Ben was holding station in second place behind Jon Kirkham. But as he exited Coppice on lap three he slipped in the wet conditions and shot off onto the grass at high speed. Although able to remount and restart, the bike failed to respond and Wilson decided to retire into pit lane at the end of lap four.
With grid positions for race two being set from race one finishing positions Wilson was forced to start from the back of the grid.
But as the race got underway he made a lightening start to move into 10th place at the end of the first lap. He made further progress until he reached sixth place on lap five where he stayed until the end of the race.
With the international round behind him, Wilson now turns his attention back to domestic duties and to Mallory Park where he will ride in the sixth round of the Henderson Yamaha R1 Cup on Sunday.
Wilson currently holds third place in the series but a good result from Mallory could see him secure the runner-up spot in the Spring Cup.
Free practice and qualifying take place on Saturday with the 20-lap race scheduled for 2pm on Sunday.
- Ben Wilson will attend the Boston Bike Night on July 3rd when he will have the Henderson Yamaha R1 Cup bike on display.
- There will be a fund raising night at the Four Crossroads Public House on July 14th where a supper of bangers and mash will be served. This will be followed by an auction of racing memorabilia, photos etc with all proceeds going towards helping Ben to contest the second half of the racing season.
Picture credit Dean Owen.Related Link:www.ben-wilson-racing.com
