Dean Ellison returned to Oulton Park, scene of his unfortunate accident during Round Three in May, keen to improve his Championship position as he and the Co-ordit Racing Team aim to steadily improve their fortunes on the Yamaha YZF R1 Superbike package. Changeable weather conditions hampered free practice sessions and a technical gremlin robbed Dean of a top fifteen qualifying spot. An intermittent misfire during his last run, would see the Leicester based rider forced to start from a fifth row starting position for both races.
With the declaration of a wet first race, the unseasonal weather once again threatened to spoil the show. Dean opted for slick tyres and put in a spirited performance, scoring two Championship points with a fourteenth placed finish.
Having not made the start he would have liked, the Co-ordit rider took a few laps to settle into a consistent race pace but by the fifth tour, he had his sights firmly set on the riders ahead. Moving up progressively from nineteenth to fifteenth with two laps to go, Dean continued to press on and was rewarded with the gain of a further position, finishing fourteenth. Conditions for the second race were much improved - dry and bright, with just a blustery wind for the riders to contend with. Dean made a strong start and was immediately on the pace. With stiff competition from the likes of James Haydon and Guy Martin, Dean pushed hard as the lap times fell.
Such was the pace, Dean set his fastest lap of 1m38.219s on lap four. By middle distance, Dean was on the tail of Haydon and the Co-ordit rider executed a perfectly timed move to pass him into Old Hall Corner, moving into fifteenth. Ellison fought the remainder of the race to maintain his advantage but was pipped for a second points finish by just a tenth of a second as they crossed the line.
Race 1 Result:1. Sykes
2. J. Ellison
3. Byrne
4. Haslam
5. Andrews,
14. Dean Ellison Race 2 Result:1. Sykes
2. Crutchlow
3. Byrne
4. Haslam
5. J.Ellison
16. Dean Ellison Championship Standings:1. Byrne – 312
2. Crutchlow – 213
3. Sykes – 176
4. Haslam – 174
5. Camier – 160
20. Dean Ellison – 9 Henderson Yamaha R1 Cup Richard Cooper began his challenge for Autumn Cup honours, finishing sixth onboard the Co-ordit Racing Yamaha R1, in an extremely closely contested outing.
With prevailing dry but blustery conditions, Cooperman rode hard from the start, gaining fourth place from his second row start, as four riders battled for the position. Under intense pressure for all of the opening laps, Richard slipped back to fifth by half distance. Despite losing another place on lap seven, he dug deep, regaining fifth a lap later. As the race drew to a close, Cooperman would concede the position once more, taking ten points at the finish.
Race Result:1. Kirkham
2.Wilson
3. Mason
4. Coates
5. J.Kennedy
6. Richard Cooper Championship Standings:1. Kirkham - 144
2. B.Wilson - 107
3.Warren - 92
4. Mason - 85
5. J.Kennedy - 75
10. Richard Cooper - 50 Richard Cooper: “I had a good race and had hoped for a top four finish..I needed to make a break but when that didn’t work and I started to ride defensively - I was on the slippery slope. Better results will come - after all my lap times today have been my fastest here to date.”
Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Co-ordit Superstock pilot Phil Bevan finished this weekend’s double-header round with two solid performances. Mixed weather conditions severely affected Phil’s preparations, with a combined qualification best of 1m45.487s.
Starting from the ninth row Phil worked hard for both races, battling with the midfield to elevate his Co-ordit Racing Yamaha up to improved finishing positions of 26th and 24th respectively.
Race 1 Result:1. Brogan
2. Kirkham
3. Jackson
4. Coates
5. Hickman
26. Phil Bevan Race 2 Result: 1. Kirkham
2. Brogan
3. Coates
4. Jackson
5. Mainwaring
24. Phil Bevan Championship Points: 1. Brogan - 165
2. Kirkham - 125
3. Neill - 75
4. Seeley - 74
5. Coates - 67
25. Phil Bevan - 2 Metzeler National Superstock 600 Sam Middlemas made his official debut this weekend on the Co-ordit Racing Yamaha R6. Starting from thirtieth position for the race, as a result of both wet and dry qualifying sessions, the Leicestershire based rider was heading for a steady finish but was cruelly sidelined by an unknown technical fault on the penultimate lap.
Race Result1.Venter
2. Stapleford
3. Day
4. Johnston
5. Hamilton
DNF. Sam Middlemas Pete Bradshaw – Team Owner: “Well, I’m going to leave Oulton Park much happier than Last time. We’ve had some very good performances today and solid results. Dean has shone - really pleased with his performance but I can’t help being disappointed with the placing! I was really pleased to see Dean get off the line well in the second race - he was in the thick of a quality field and he gave us a really good show - just a shame he couldn’t cap it off with a points finish.”
Images: Clive Challinor
