2009 Reports

Final Championship Result - 7th

Not only was this my first year in the series, it was also my very first full season bike racing and I am very happy with my result at the end of the season, as other riders have had previous experience in bike racing. A little inconsistency played a major part in preventing me seeding further up in the championship, however I’ve learnt a lot from this year and will use the bad experiences at times to my advantage and I aim to improve consistency next year in the RRV450 challenge. I would like to thank all my sponsors this year:-

EPDL High Voltage Switchgear
William Murphy & Sons Ltd
David Tully & Co Car Body Repair Shop
Fleet Grafix – Vehicle Graphics & Livery
JDF Racing
Kevin Ball

I hope they can continue their sponsorship into 2010 because without their help I wouldn’t be able to race.

Thank You all Very Much

Danny

Rockingham

A lot of work followed Anglesey as the bikes needed a lot of work to be put back on pace again. My Dad did a lot of engine work in order to do this and it proved worthwhile when I qualified on Pole Position with a time of 1.21.425 and a good start to show I can be a champion on 2 wheels too.Ben Gautry lined up on P2 and in race 1 on Saturday we both lifted the front wheel off the line and collided. Ben managed to stay on track, but I ended up on the grass and back in 16^th place after the first corner. A lot of time was lost and I was determined to catch the front runners, although with a small amount of laps on a small circuit I managed to get back to 9^th. I concentrated on my start in the 2^nd race and was able to get off the line clean and battled a hard race finishing 6^th.Race 1 Sunday and my starts were back to normal and I was 1^st into the first corner. A 5 bike train at the front proved a difficult race and with some bad encounters with backmarkers I lost a lot of time. With a lap to go I was 5^th and a few bike lengths from 4^th, I managed to make a lot of time in the chicane and caught the group up. On the back straight I outbraked 2 riders and crossed the line in 3^rd setting the fastest lap of the race, a 1.19.79.Race 2 was a little different after 1^st and 2^nd pulled a small gap leaving me chasing. After a battle with 4^th and 5^th at the beginning of the race this gap increased, I made a mistake which allowed 2 riders through leaving me 5^th in the final race and 7^th overall in the main championship. This also meant that I was the highest ranking newcomer (riders in their first year in the series) in the main championship.

Anglesey

Anglesey proved to be the most inconsistent of the season so far with two engine seizures, one on the Friday test and one on Saturday in Race 2.Saturday Morning I qualified in 10^th and good starts were needed to get as far up the field as possible. I was able to get a good start in the first race and finished 6^th, but a seizure in race 2 resulted in another DNF, reducing my points for the championship even further. I didn’t let this get me down too much and just focused on my riding.In Race 1 on Sunday a bad start left me mid pack & it was a hard battle back to 11^th. The final race on Sunday came with an 8^th and a lot of work ahead of us to repairs both engines for the final round at Rockingham. Special thanks go to Ian Newton for lending us a barrel for the Sunday, without this we would not have been able to race.

Brands Hatch

Brands was a chance for me to try and gain back the points that I lost at the Moto Gp and get myself back into the championship. With some problems getting to grasps with the circuit on Friday I was determined to improve my lines and gain more time where needed. Another Sunny Saturday came with a qualification of 7^th and a 5^th in a scrappy race 1. I fell in race 2 when the front went down going into Druids, leaving another DNF on the sheets.The same weather followed on Sunday and a more consitent day with 2 x 7^th’s, not as high up the field as I had hoped but points towards the championship.

Moto GP Donington

After spending a track day at Donington since the Wsb event, I found sufficient pace to run at the front again. It was another fantastic opportunity and a dynamic atmosphere in the Moto Gp paddock and I was looking forward to proving that I am a contender for the championship with double points up for grabs. A damp qualifying tested riding ability and we achieved a 6 place improvement from Wsb and it was looking encouraging for the race.A dry race formed and a good start was necessary. The likes of Nicky Hayden and other Moto Gp Stars watching on pit wall gave a great confidence boost. After an average start, more or less maintaining my position, I battled with Phil Canessa and Andy Reid for a few laps which helped the front 3 pull a gap. After getting the better of Reid & Canessa I was determined to catch the leaders who were now half the length of Dunlop straight ahead. After a couple of laps pushing hard I was on the back of the leading group. After a bit of swapping & changing at every opportunity on the track, the race was everyones to be had. With about 3 laps remaining I passed all 3 riders under braking into the foggy esses to take the lead. I lost the lead again coming into the first corner on the next lap putting me in 2^nd place. Matt Davis was in the lead and we both pulled a small gap from Wayne Ryan & Lee Jackson. I decided to try for the lead again into the foggy esses and outbroke myself, giving Matt the small gap advantage & putting me back into the pack with Wayne & Lee. On the last lap I was in 2^nd and coming into Goddards I highsided and fell. I remounted the bike and crossed the line in 9^th position but was subsequently disqualified for remounting the bike. I was disappointed with the end result, which is another learning curve that I must overcome to improve for future meetings.

Snetterton

After World Superbikes I wasn’t too happy with my results and trained hard from then to concentrate on improving for Snetterton. Another new track proved challenging and with Friday practice allowing track time to learn the circuit, I improved my times with every session. On Friday night I walked the track to analyse area’s where I could further improve. This proved beneficial, because after setting out of the pits alone I had plenty of clear track to work with, and with good slipstreaming from catching Wayne Ryan and Matt Davis it helped me achieve a time of 1.23.986, making me pole sitter. This was the only 1.23 of the weekend and my 1^st ever Pole Position, in my first year of bike racing.Saturday was another dry day, which made for some good close racing. Unfortunately for me it got a bit too close, resulting in a DNF for race 1 after colliding with another rider. Race 2 saw an improvement in results as I finished 4^th. Race 1 on Sunday was different however, I was up front with in a group of 4 riders. After leading the race at times, the long straight didn’t help with the lighter riders coming back through. I finished 4^th, but overall it was one of the best races of the season so far.Race 2 on Sunday came with a 6^th after battling with a long train of riders from 3^rd to around 8^th, some last lap overtaking proved difficult to improve on the positions, as being at the front of a group on the straight at Snetterton on the last lap wasn’t an ideal position to be in due to the huge slipstreaming potential.

World Superbikes Donington

After encouraging results at Oulton Park in the Wet, I was determined to further capitalise on the points I had gained in the championship, thereby maintaining solid performances at the sharp end of the field. It was a fantastic opportunity to race on the same tarmac as the likes of Ben Spies, Max Biaggi, and Leon Haslam. Qulaifying soon came by and with this being my first time at the track I needed to learn as quickly as possible in order to get a good qualifying position. However, after starting to put in quick times the bike began backfiring which forced me to retire early to try and sort out the problem in time for the first race. This resulted in a qualifying position of12th. To minimise risk, we decided to use my second bike to ensure finishes and points. 12^th in qualifying didn’t help in the races and although there were good battles I would like to improve on results of 8^th and 7^th at the Moto Gp later in the year by trying to get some more track time in at Donington.

Oulton Park     5^th & 6^th June

Oulton Park was a 2 day event, Friday testing and Saturday qualifying and 2 races. I had never ridden the circuit before and due to having an Alevel exam at 1pm on the Friday I wasn’t going to get much time on circuit before Saturday. I decided to travel to the circuit on Thurday and prepare for the 1^st session on Friday morning. After 5 laps on circuit I came in, jumped on the back of my dad’s bike and set off back to Rochdale for a lesson at 11am followed by my exam. At 2.30pm my exam finished and my dad was waiting outside. We got back to the circuit with 15 mins to spare to make the last test session of the day at 4pm and managed to get in another 4 laps on circuit, managing to knock seconds off my best lap times from the morning session.After a dry and hectic day on Friday and a forecast rainy day on Saturday, it was a thought to take away and think about, for if it was to rain on race day.For once the weather forecast was correct and gave us a full day of wet racing. Having only done 9 laps in total on Friday, I took it easy for the 1^st few laps of qualifying, so that I could get a feel for the track and the bike in the wet. After slowly increasing my pace I posted a lap time putting me on the front row in 3^rd, around 0.05 seconds from 2^nd placed Wayne Ryan. I was very pleased with the result and concentrated on improving for the 1^st race.After the 1^st lap I was in 5^th position, on the back of a group of riders containing 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th, with the leader a bit ahead of them. A few laps in, 3 riders fell right n front of me in the space of 2 corners. Although this left me a little shaken, I gained my concentration and with the leader a fair way ahead I tried to put in a few fast laps, although towards the end of the race I was catching 1^st place man Andy Reid, I was watching my pit board and saw the gap behind was increasing by 3 seconds a lap. Due to this I settled for 2^nd and eased off the pace to ensure a comfortable 2^nd and some valuable points.With a good start in race 2, leaving me 2^nd after the first corner, I was determined to not let Andy get away again. After 2 laps both me and Andy were close, with a 2 second gap to 3^rd. However Andy put in a couple of fast laps slowly pulling away from me. With 2 laps to go I had a 3.9 second gap from me to 3^rd and saw the gap increasing each lap. I eased off the pace once again to ensure another solid 2^nd. A good points haul for the weekend, as I gained points on everyone but championship leader Andy Reid. With the top few riders having closed up in the points, I am now looking forward to the next meeting at Doninton Park, to see what I can do there.
Qualified 3^rd2 x 2^nd2 x 1^st (Nitro Newcomers)

Pembrey    8^th, 9^th, 10^th May

After a bit of bad luck at Cadwell Park leaving me 5^th in the main championship and dropping to 4^th in the Nitro Newcomers, I was determined to try and gain back some points. Returning to this track brought back some memories of my first ever time on a motorbike in August 2008, when I was 5 seconds slower than the leaders on a standard bike. I was looking forward to seeing how much my riding had improved. The first 3 Laps of qualifying were dry, however on the 4^th lap it started to rain. Due to the series only allowing you to run on one type of tyre, this meant that the standings would stay as they were. Unable to warm up in the time before it started to rain, put me 8^th on the grid for every race of the weekend.The rain had stopped and the track was drying and although my starts were improving every meeting, they still weren’t as good as they should be, which meant I needed to play catch up for most of the race. I could see the leading bunch in the distance and after coming quickly through the field I got up to 3^rd. A couple of laps later, I was on the tail end of the leading group, which consisted of Wayne Ryan and team mate Matt Davies. On the Penultimate lap I passed Wayne to get up to 2^nd, but on the last lap, backmarkers made it difficult to get to the top. The race ended as a JDF 1-2, with Matt Davies the winner and me in a close 2^nd, 0.08 seconds behind and posting the fastest lap of the race, closely followed by Wayne 0.08 seconds behind me. It was a good start to the weekend and a solid 6^th in race 2 on Saturday rounded off a good day.Sunday set off as another dry day. Following another poor start I was left playing catch up again. I got up to 6^th place and a couple of laps later found my way past Andy Reid and Nick Anderson with 4 laps to go. I now had to catch up to the leading bunch, who were half the length of the main straight in front of me. When we got down to 2 laps remaining I was on the back of 1^st 2^nd & 3^rd with good prospects for the next couple of laps. However a fallen rider meant a red flag and the current results were declared final. I set the fastest lap once again and later found out that I had broken another lap record of 1.06.397, two lap records in 3 meetings.A very battley race 2 left me struggling to get away and catch the leaders. With 6 laps to go I tried taking 6^th position from Andy Reid, but it didn’t pay off. Andy closed the door leaving me nowhere to go. I ended up hitting his back wheel and was thrown from the bike, which left me with a very disappointing DNF. It was a racing incident and there were no hard feeling between me and Andy, I had to put it behind me and now move on to preparing myself for the next meeting at Oulton Park.
Qualified 8^th1 x 2^nd1 x 6^th1 x 4^th1 x DNF
2 x Fastest Laps
1 x Lap Record

Cadwell Park      11^th, 12^th, 13^th April

Coming into Cadwell Park leading the Newcomers Championship and 4^th in the main championship was a great position for me to be in entering the 2^nd round. However, having only been round Cadwell Park for 16 laps prior to the event proved difficult when wet weather arrived for qualifying. Qualifying 7^th was a good result for such a technical circuit. Again poor starts affected my finishing positions, although they had improved from Mallory.Race 1 on Saturday gave me 5^th overall on a dry days racing. Race 2, I finished 13^th after me and another rider touched coming down the hill after the gooseneck, forcing me to run off the track and rejoin.The sun was shining again on Sunday and after a reasonable start in race 1, I fought my way up to 3^rd, slowly catching the leaders. However a few missed gears on one lap allowed Ben Gautrey in 4^th to catch and pass me and on coming down the gooseneck I fell. Unable to rejoin, I had a disappointing DNF. Encouraged to make up for this fall off, I tried to gain the best position possible staying on the bike. With a few laps remaining I was lying 9^th and after having a reasonable gap between me and 10^th, I decided to settle for 9^th. Not as high as I would have liked but I scored points.
Qualified 7^th1 x 5^th1 x DNF
1 x 13^th1 x 9th

Mallory Park      13^th, 14^th, 15^th March

It was a good start to the season, after reconditioning to the track and the bike after a few months off riding.Qualifying proved difficult with close to 50 riders on circuit at the same time, making it hard to find a clean run to post a flying lap. However, after coming through some heavy traffic, I found enough space to put in a quick lap, giving me front row on grid 4, which I would now start on for every race over the weekend.Race 1 and 2 on Saturday came with some satisfying results of 4^th and 5^th, although my lack of experience on a bike showed as after the 1^st lap my poor starts set me back to around 10^th position. A battle through the field saw me achieve 4^th and 5^th.The same occurred on Sunday, as my poor starts set me backwards after the 1^st lap, however not only did I finish 4^th in race 1, I also broke the lap record a Mallory park in doing so, with a lap time of 1.01.495. Race 2 on Sunday came with a finishing position of 5^th. This gave me 4 wins in the Nitro Newcomers Championship and placed me 4^th overall in the main Championship.
Qualified 4^th2 x 4^th2 x 5^th4 x 1^st (Nitro Newcomers)
1 Lap Record