Luke’s great start
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claim his first two championship points at this level.
The second race was delayed after two earlier attempts were red flagged. The race was then shortened to 15 laps and rescheduled but Hopkins was unable to emulate his performance from race one but certainly had to get stuck in just to defend his position on track.
He had a great battle with the Aprilia of Luke Jones, the BMW of Shane Richardson and the Suzuki of Brayden Elliott. After 15 hard fought laps he crossed the line in 17th, narrowly missing out on further championship points.
“The first race was amazing,” Hopkins said. “This level is so competitive and there are some very experienced riders.
“So I was delighted to score points in my first weekend. There is plenty for me to learn at this level and I cannot wait to continue that process at Snetterton on August 21-23.”
Alex Nevill is set for one of the biggest weekends of his racing career.
The Dartford driver and his Graves Motorsport team begin their 2020 Mini Challenge Cooper Trophy campaign at Oulton Park this Saturday and Sunday.
It’s a support event to the British Touring Car Championship which means the major bonus of live coverage on ITV4 of Sunday’s race (4.05pm). After the season was delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2018 Cooper Am champion and his rivals face a reduced season with five rounds over the next four months, three of which will be with the BTCC.
For Nevill, this weekend will mark the biggest stage he’s raced on so far, as the championship benefits from the TV exposure that comes with being part of a BTCC race weekend.
He said: “It’s absolutely fantastic for us to be racing on a BTCC weekend.
“It’s a championship I’ve been a fan of since I was a toddler, so it means a lot to be there but also because it’s the best racing package in the UK to be a part of in terms of generating value and visibility for your sponsors. “Thanks to the pandemic we’ve been waiting a long time for this weekend.
“Myself and the team have been working incredibly hard to prepare and I can’t wait to see the result of our efforts this weekend.”
Medway & Maidstone athletes have impressed at south east meets.
At Worthing, last Tuesday, Harry Osborne recorded a big new personal best in the 200m of 22.39sec to rank 21st under20 in the UK.
The time was a bonus for Osborne, as he has missed much of the past couple of seasons with various injuries and niggles.
Also in action over 200m was Lucy Hope in the under-23 ladies category, setting a season’s best of 26.65. On Saturday, the action moved to Lee Valley with further PB success.
Dylan Purton set a big personal best in the 200m, his time of 22.66 ranking him 14th in the UK at under-17 level. Not to be outdone, Charlotte de la Porte Godden, also an under-17, recorded a big PB of 26.99 over 200m.
Meanwhile, Annabel Young set a new 800m PB with a time of 2:28.20.
Torrential rain hit Sunday’s action but Osborne recorded a good time of 22.63 in the 200m and Hope improved her season’s best with figures of 26.51.
In her first outing of the summer, Abi Walters set a PB of 27.01 in the under-20 ladies 200m.