Plenty of positives for Dawes from action-packed Anglesey meeting - The Redditch Standard

Plenty of positives for Dawes from action-packed Anglesey meeting

Redditch Editorial 1st Sep, 2016 Updated: 18th Oct, 2016   0

MATHEW DAWES sits just seven points off second place in the Thundersport GB Championship after an impressive set of performances in round seven on the Welsh island of Anglesey.

An action-packed weekend saw the Redditch racer secure four podium finishes and enjoy plenty of television coverage, although it ended in disappointment as he suffered terminal engine failure.

Dawes was left with mixed emotions on his return.

“This weekend was a complete roller-coaster, but we made the best of it,” said Dawes.




“We are now only seven points off second in the championship and for my first full season we are progressing well.

“We will do everything possible to make the last two rounds and finish the season on a high, although the bike is expected to cost in excess of £1,000 to rebuild which is extremely inconvenient at this time of the season.


“My tally for this year is 16 podiums which is good as we are still massively inexperienced, having competed in only 13 race meetings in my whole racing career.

We cannot thank my sponsors and supporters enough for the support.”

On race day one Dawes started the first race in eighth position after a difficult qualifying session hindered by wet weather.

He soon powered into third place by turn one, only to then drop four positions before regaining them to finish third.

Race two again saw a start from eighth place for Dawes but he again managed to finish third after a thrilling battle with an opponent including a 165mph blast down the back straight.

Thundersport GB runs a mega laps system which essentially takes race day one lap times to form the grid for race day two.

Dawes set the third fastest lap time so a front row start was ideal for him to showcase his sponsors and great for him personally.

Drama then followed as Dawes showed his skill to move into first place in race three and hold a 1.5-second advantage with just three laps to go.

However, disaster then struck as he discovered he had no second gear. He pushed as hard as he could using third instead of second but by the end of the race the engine had blown up and he was left with plenty to ponder despite finishing second.

After a quick podium presentation and TV interview, Dawes was then able to borrow a replacement bike off another rider for race four.

Despite having to race cautiously on someone else’s bike, he got great drive out of Church – a favourite corner of his – and created a brilliant slipstream to pass three riders in one move to set up another third placed finish.

Dawes would like to thank his sponsors Edison Technical Recruitment, CNC Routing, Circuit Moto Trackdays, Paul Curran @PCR, Tran AM Ltd and Redditch Powder Coating and Shotblasting.

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