Piper manages to hold off Bridal
Cycling
Mike Piper was unbeatable at the San Fairy Ann Track Championships. He won the 1k time trial in 1min 16sec and was only half a second away from breaking the club record. Sheridan Bridal finished second in 1.20. Piper also won the points race, which featured sprints every three laps. In the first two of these he was pushed hard by Bridal but, keeping the pace high, he fragmented the bunch and was a comfortable winner after that. Piper attacked on the final lap of the scratch race and, although Bridal chased hard, he powered to the line and lifted the Overton Cup. Russell Crowe was fastest in qualifying for the match sprints but when it came to the final, Piper and Bridal again went head-to-head. Bridal used the banking to attack but Piper kicked hard and came round the outside to claim yet another win. Father-and-son Shaun and Matt Williams were joined by Crowe at the Cyclefit London & South East Cyclocros League meeting in Stanmoor Park, Brighton. Matt finished seventh in the under-16 race with Shaun fifth at Vet 50+ level and Crowe riding well to 11th place. Dick Naylor, Simon Charlesworth, Phil Hoffman and Tony Richardson represented Abellio-SFA at the last LVRC road race of the year at Bletchingly in Surrey. Naylor and Richardson finished fourth in their categories and Charlesworth finished in the bunch but Hoffam pulled out after two laps. Naylor achieved his season’s goal by winning the F category in the LVRC Toachim House Vets/PS points series. Maidstone rider Tom Weeden has set his sights on competing at the Isle of Man TT next year after winning his first Manx GP.
Weeden won the prestigious Full Factory Winnerswear senior race on the TT mountain course, averaging 121mph for his final lap – becoming only the 10th rider to go above 120mph.
His next outing will be the Gold Cup in Scarborough but work has already started to raise the funds needed to race in the TT.
Motorbase Performance finish their British GT Championship campaign at Donington Park this weekend.
It’s been a difficult season for the Kent-based team, who aren’t involved in the championship battle for the first time in five years. However, drivers Ross Wylie and Phil Dryburgh are looking to go out on a high.
Motorbase boss David Bartrum said: “We started the year with a huge accident at Brands Hatch. The boys bounced back from that well but I feel like we never truly recovered.
“It’s been a hard season and we’ve not managed to get the results we’ve wanted but we’re going to give it our all in the last round.”