Here's where we keep you informed of everything we've been up to on track and in the workshop. We've got a lot going on so check back regularly see what's going on.
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Current news
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09 03 10
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NEW EXHAUST CANS FROM WSPORT
We are pleased to announce our new WSPORT exhaust end cans which are available now. They come in Carbon or Stainless Steel. Please click on picture for more images and call for more information!
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16 10 09
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BENELLI TREK 49X DEAL
WE ARE CURRENTLY SELLING ALL OUR BENELLI TREK SCOOTERS WITH THE FOLLOWING:-
IXON JACKET
IXON GLOVES
CRASH HELMET
C.B.T
AND SUBSIDISED INSURANCE FROM £99* *terms and conditions apply*
ALL FOR £1650 ON THE ROAD AND 2 YEARS MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY -
27 09 09
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Silverstone Finale
It was time for the last ever KTM RC8 Supercup race at Silverstone this weekend and the sun shone brightly at the circuit all weekend.
In qualifying Dave took second after being pipped on the last lap by James Edmeades who took pole for the final race of the season.
As the race commenced Dave and James swopped places a few times but of course Woody couldn't be out done. James made a silly mistake and Dave took the lead again and another race win of the year. Edmeades took second place and the fin Pekkanen was third.
Celebrations ensued after the race with the prize giving, plenty of speeches and of course a celebratory beer or two!!
What a great way to end a fantastic year of racing, with plenty of thrills and spills. We want to thank everyone for their help throughout the course of the year, be it friends and family for all their support, the photographers for taking some lovely pictures, and KTM for supplying the hospitality and equipment and parts needed for the bikes. Special thanks to the KTM mechanic and our friend Jude, who is a top bloke and never complains!! Hope to see you next year................................ -
01 09 09
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Championship clinched at Cadwell Park!
The tents were up and everywhere you looked there were camper vans, caravans and more motorcycles than you could shake a stick at. It was obvious that there was a huge crowd building to watch the excitement unfold. Coming to Cadwell Park being one point in the lead we all knew how much pressure there was on Dave to take a win, and nerves were prevailing over the bank holiday weekend.
Free practice went extremely well with Dave topping the timing sheet and did a respectable 1:35.24 although he said afterwards with a clear run he could have gotten into the 33s. The finnish lad Pauli Pekkanen on the 81 motorcycle came second with the Under 25 Cup contender Jonathon Railton in third.
Race day began first thing on bank holiday Monday for the Focused Events KTM RC8 Supercup with qualifying at 9am. It had been raining steadily overnight but come the morning it was slowly starting to dry up, but the track was still patchy and damp in places. Dave decided to go out on dry tyres while a few of the others chose a wet front with a dry rear. There was 25 minutes of qualifying so no need to go mad, and Dave did a steady 1:38.11 not wanting to risk coming off as the track hadn't completely dried out. A few others decided to risk going a little faster being half a second quicker, with Jonathon Railton taking pole position, after snatching it away from number 4 rider Dave Heal on the last lap. Dave qualified sixth but was quite happy as his rivals, Kelvin Reilly and Pauli Pekkanen, were 12 and 13 on the grid. He knew he could get a good drive off the lights and into the first corner in the race.
The hours ticked by slowly and the nerves had scaled to the greatest of heights for everyone in the KTM tent. By 2.30pm it was time to get ourselves together, take the long walk down the hill amidst the chaos of scooters, workers and bikes to pit lane.
The riders did their sighting lap before rolling up on the grid in their respective places, the cameras on them. The siren went and everyone left the grid and off they went for the single warm up lap. Back they came revving their engines, into their spots and waited for the lights to change.
Off they charged into the first corner, Heal leading, Thornton second then Woody close behind after getting into a good position off the line from sixth place. Off they hared following the twists and turns of Cadwell, the leading three had managed a good gap but things started getting messy at the back of the pack. Sam Bishop ended up on the grass and as he came back onto the track the back end came round on him and he slide across the track taking McNealye (7), Battye (13), Railton (77), and Pekkanen (81) out in one foul swoop!! It was carnage and they all ended up on the grass, this meant that as Pekkanen was out Dave had a very good chance of becoming the Championship winner but he still needed a win to clinch it. He was notified on his pit board that Pekkanen was out so he could take it steady but keep the guys behind at bay.
Come lap four there were was a big gap between fourth and fifth place, the front four being Wood (1) who had managed to nip past Heal (4), with Iddon (0) and Edmeades (88) still challenging behind.
As they came into the last corner before the start finish straight Iddon's bike jumped out of gear and he ended up in the tyre wall, he was ok but only managed one more lap before retiring. As they came over the Mountain on lap six, front wheel in the air, they rounded the twists and turns through the woods and came through to Barn. Heal made a silly mistake, and tucked the front end trying to make a manoeuvre on Dave into the corner and found himself on the grass. Now there was only Dave on the KTM UK number 1 bike and James Edmeades on the Redline number 88 bike at the front. For the next seven laps Edmeades was desperately trying to pass when he could but Wood was keeping his lines and Edmeades just couldn't find a way past. This meant that Dave had clearly won the championship by 26 points, and as he came across the finish line he punched the air, the air horns sounded and a resounding cheer went around the crowds watching!
What a nail biting race in the glorious August sunshine, no one would have expected the events that would unfold in the first lap, but for Dave it was a blessing from the gods, fortunately none of the riders were hurt in the incident.
This means that with this race win under his belt he has won the KTM RC8 Supercup Championship with one round to go!!!!!!
Big congratulations from all of us and we are looking forward to the last round at Silverstone on the 27th September 2009 for some fun and another win from Woody.
They think its all over.............................it is now!! -
11 08 09
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Close call at Brands Hatch GP
Never has a seasons racing been so close as this one has....Brands Hatch had more tension than a tight rope this weekend and with there only being 1 point between joint second place and the top spot there was a lot riding on the two races of the weekend.
The sunshine and the veteran riders brought the crowds to Kent to watch all the action on the GP circuit, and with the KTM RC8 free practice being late in the day everyone had found their spot in the sunshine to watch.
Dave put in a good time of 1:33.03 and was only 0.03 secs off Pekkanen. Not too shabby a start for not having raced the full circuit for six years!
Qualifying was going ok until the last lap before the chequered flag when Dave had a massive 120MPH crash at Hawthorn after the bike went into neutral on this fast part of the track, making him lose the front end at high speed and ending up hitting the tyre wall!! He was fine but the bike was in a good mess and limped back to the paddock in need of some repair work. Due to this Dave qualified second from the fin Pauli Pekkanen who took pole position on the grid for the weekend.
With the bike back to its original state and spending the day getting it back together race 1 commenced at 5.45pm later that day. The pressure was on as the race was live on TV and all eyes were on them as we waited for the red light to go out.... number 81 Pauli and Dave on the KTM factory number 1 bike both got a good start and broke away from the pack quite quickly, with the supermoto star Christian Iddon following close behind on the KTM press bike.
Dave was struggling with grip coming out of the corners and kept losing precious time to Pauli. He sat behind the flying fin for the rest fo the race and kept the others behind at bay and took a second place on the podium. This meant he was now 4 points behind in the championship and needing a win in the second race of the weekend.
Warm up was early Sunday morning and Dave had made some changes to the number 1 bike so this was a good chance to see if things had improved from the previous day.
Race 2 was at 11.54am and the first of the day. Spirits were high and the crowds were huge, the sun shone and it was set to be an exciting race. Out went the lights and off they went into turn one with Dave leading though Dave Heal on the bright green number 4 KTM went to make a pass all be it unsuccessfully. Storming up the hill up to Druids Dave went into the corner tight but Iddon had other ideas and tried to pass underneath him. This was a big mistake on his part as the back end came round on him just missing Dave, taking out Railton and backing up the rest of the pack in the process. This was great for Dave as he got his head down and by the end of the first lap had got a 0.69sec lead on Heal who was close behind. By lap 3 Heal had dropped back to third after being taken by Pekkanen but Dave was now 2.58 seconds ahead and he had no chance of being caught. It was an easy win for Dave and well deserved after not a great start to the weekend.
This puts the standings back to how they were after the races at Knockhill, with Dave being 1 point in the lead still, and with only Cadwell Park and Silverstone left in the season and two more races its extremely close................ -
05 07 09
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Defiant Dave does double at Knockhill!!!
We donned our kilts and grabbed our bag pipes and headed up the motorway to wee bonnie Scotland for this round of the Visk British Superbikes and KTM RC8 Cup!
Free practice went well although the weather wasnt too favourable. Down came the rain...delays all round for everyone and they ended up going out late after crashes in the BSB free practice beforehand. Dave yet again was the fastest man out there.
Qualifying was just as good and Woody did a flying time of 52.88 taking pole position by 0.29 seconds, followed by wild card rider Christian Iddon, on the KTM UK number 5 bike and Pauli Pekkanen taking third position on the grid. Dave's nemesis Kelvin Reilly ended up in 12th position after hi-siding on the last corner before start-finish straight.
With our fingers crossed for a dry race the riders took their positions on the grid. Dave was nearly taken off due to one of the officials seeing liquid coming form the number 1 bikes belly pan. Luckily it was just water and they proceeded with the race. First lap Dave was pushed down to fifth place but by lap five he had taken back the lead, battling with Inmoto rider Pekkanen for the next eight laps. Kelvin Reilly, Pekkanen's team mate and the championship leader lasted only seven laps before being black flagged for an oil leak, which ended his race early. Pekkanen had some competition though with Iddon overtaking and then challenging Woody for the lead, but he was having none of it and romped home with a 3.42 second lead into the finish. Iddon took second and a great ride from Dave Heal, a former team mate of Dave's, taking third, a long awaited podium for him!
Race two was just as hair-raising...the weather looked changeable and we all hoped it would hold off for the endurance. Dave took the lead immediately into turn one with Iddon, Bishop and Pekkanen close behind. While Woody and Iddon disappeared into the distance, behind it was extremely close, with Bishop, Pekkanen and Heal swopping positions. The flying Finn snuck into third with Bishop struggling and dropping back slowly, but Heal was on it again and hungry for another podium snatched the points away from Pekkanen by taking third once more. Ahead Woody on the number one KTM-UK bike was taking it steady, with Iddon desperately trying to get past, but as in true Wood style he made it look easy and although the distance between them was very close Dave made it difficult for Iddon to catch him and took another win for the weekend.
What a fantastic result and well ridden, going to Knockhill 40 points behind the lead, and now being back where he deserves, leading the championship by 1 point!
With it all to play for and three more rounds left, we await with baited breath for the next double header at Brands Hatch GP circuit................................ -
21 06 09
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Things get slippery at Snetterton
The weekend was upon us, and with it some changeable weather and a few surprises. Kelvin Reilly had been testing there a week previous and had come a cropper resulting in a broken foot which may not be good for him, but an advantage for everyone else as it would have been playing on his mind this weekend.
Free practice and qualifying were even more surprising as Sam Bishop the under 25 cup leader in the KTM series was doing well with Pekkanen and Williamson close behind. Qualifying saw Dave take the second slot and Pekkanen on pole. Reilly was all the way back in 9th position.
The first race took place on Saturday with the weather being extremely changeable. The British Superbikes role for pole was cancelled due to it and so the RC8s went out instead. With 5 minutes before they were due on the grid it was declared a wet race, and with everyone already warmed up and on drys there was a made rush for the wet tyres to be put on. Wood and Williamson were both the first to get to their respective places, but the others came in dribs and drabs which meant Dave and Francis were sitting with their tyres going cold.
Fourteen laps ensued and the youngster Sam Bishop got a rip roaring start off the line leaving everyone in his wake. Within a few laps he was 10 seconds in the lead with Francis Williamson behind with Edmeades, Railton and Pekkanen having their own battle behind. Dave was struggling and dropped back to 8th due to his tyres giving up on the 3rd lap and shredding themselves. The rain came down in buckets on the last two laps the gap that Sam had made was slowly closing. He had a bit of a moment on the the last lap and was nearly taken by Williamson but just pipped him at the post. A good win for Sam at his local circuit. Reilly ended up 7th ahead of Dave.
Race 2 was more of the old Woody back and had a good start off the line, with him and Pekkanen exchanging places for most of the race. It was all getting very tense with the two front runners getting away from the pack behind by over 3 seconds. Dave didnt have to worry who was behind him and could concentrate on catching Pauli. With 1 lap to go the back markers were starting to appear ahead of them, we all watched with bated breath at the TV screens on pit wall. Pauli managed to squeeze past both riders but Dave got caught up between them which gave Pauli a clear run and Dave didnt have the time to catch him before the chequered flag went out. Behind Reilly was having his own little set-to with race 1 winner Sam Bishop. Sam was looking to get third but Reilly just nabbed him at the line to take third. This means Dave is still 40 points away from leading the championship but there is still 6 races left and anything can happen.........................up to sunny Scotland for the next round at Knockhill!! -
01 06 09
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Triumphant day at Thruxton
Another stunning weekend ensued, the weather was fantastic, the paddock was busy and the shorts were back on!
Dave on the number 1 KTM UK bike had a great start with free practice and topped the timing sheets as always. Qualifying went equally as well and set pole for the race on Sunday by a second. After helping out a fellow competitor with his lap times by giving him a tow round the circuit in his slip stream,number 88 James Edmeades followed in 2nd place by 0.2 secs and 3rd spot being taken by the Fast Bikes journalist Alistair Fagan, on the 0 press bike, by a second.
Race day turned out fine again as the crowds started to build up alongside the Andover circuit.
The RC8s sat in their starting positions revving their engines, ready to leap off the line as soon as the lights went green.
They were off.......Dave led the pack into the first corner with Edmeades(88) and Fagan(0) on his tail. Seeing Edmeades trying to slide up underneath him he edged away so not to hit him but Fagan had other ideas, and tried to tuck in underneath the 88 bike. This did him no favours but Dave managed to escape the two and lead the pack clearly.
Things started to change quite rapidly, with the finnish lad on number 81, Pauli Pekannen, getting past Dave for a moment but finally dropping back to 3rd behind Francis Williamson on bike 33. Things behind the leading two werent looing so good as Kelvin Reilly dropped back to 5th and Fagan having a moment out of the saddle! Pauli dropped back by over 3 seconds and Francis managed to stay safely behind the leading KTM.
Dave won comfortably this weekend and was pleased to see one of his rivals from his earlier years of racing , Francis Williamson, taking the podium next to him.
With another few points shaved off from the leader of the table Kelvin Reilly he is slowly closing the gap. Snetterton in three weeks will be a double header, so Dave really needs to work hard at this fast circuit. Another couple of wins under his belt he will surely be taking his rightful place back at the top of the board. -
25 05 09
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Joy and dissapointment at Donington Park
Well what a cracking bank holiday weekend....the sun was shining and the circuit was bustling with people. The weekend started well with Dave qualifying in pole position for both races and setting the first RC8 lap record.
The first race started with the front row jostling for position when Dave took the lead into the first corner, though unfortunately he went in a little too hot and Kelvin snuck in front.
Dave decided to sit behind and follow Reilly and put a bit of pressure on him to see what he would do. Kelvin must have felt it as he went out of the corner a bit too fast and high-sided, which gave Woody the lead once more, breaking away from the pack and eventually getting a 6.04 second advantage with 2 laps to go. He took the victory which he so desperately needed!!
The second race took place on the Monday and that proved to be just as exciting..... Dave took the lead for the first few laps but Kelvin got back past followed by wild card and Supermoto rider Christian Iddon. Dave sat behind biding his time but after seeing his pit board and realising he had someone else on his tail he decided to get back past Christian and Kelvin and re-take the lead. He got past Christian with ease and took Kelvin out in one foul swoop....but as luck would have it there was an incident behind with two bikes and the race was red flagged......with only three laps left the race wasnt re-started, and with the rules stating the race has to be taken back a lap it meant Dave had to settle for 2nd place behind Reilly.
Such awful luck with so little time left, Dave would have walked away with another 25 points and closer to the top spot...........
...................with Thruxton only a week away its all the play for
Watch all the action in British Superbike Extra on British Eurosport 2, Thursday 28th May at 6.30pm!!!