Motorcycling Hedger happy with his start at new team
LUKE Hedger had a big task ahead at the first Bennetts British Superbikes official test at Silverstone where he not only was part of a new team, he was riding aboard a new manufacturer, going from Kawasaki to the Suzuki GSXR, and new to fatherhood.
Hedger, though, gave an impressive performance, taking to the new bike like a duck to water. He completed all four sessions throughout the day, with a fastest lap time of 55.510 placing him 10th overall.
In a second testing session at Snetterton, Hedger had been forewarned about the weather but I don’t think any of the team were quite expecting the stength of the wind, combined with the cold temperatures of the track, over the three days. Although he did manage to get out aboard the Jones Dorling Suzuki GSXR, he only got six laps. However, he still managed to produce an excellent perfor
mance, placing him sixth overall over the three days.
Hedger said: “The first test was awesome. For my first test day back after winter, and my first time on the Suzuki, I got down to some fast times quickly, finishing only 0.4 secs off top spot. I am mega happy and I can’t thank my team enough for their hard work and the work they did over the winter period. At Snetterton, I only achieved six laps due to bad weather but within those six laps I felt really good, so I am looking forward to the next test to see how far I can really push the bike now.
“I would like to thank everyone who has taken up their time and supported me to get me out racing this year, after the pandemic having such an traumatic effect on local businesses. I am overwhelmed with the amount of sponsorship we have managed to get, so a special thanks to Kiwi Voice, Data Track Demons, 1st Choice Flooring, Dave Siney & Sons, Thomas & Forrest Construction, Bird67, R&G, Essence of Nature and Pro53ltd.”
Tom Jones, the team manager, said: “It was great to see all three of our riders finally together and on track after a long winter, so it’s good to see that the hard work from the team and the riders has been worth it as we were pleased with how Silverstone went.
“All three of the riders worked very well and are already up to speed, and we are looking forward to the rest of the testing with Luke, Ash and Brent.”
The next stop for the Jones Dorling Racing team will be the third official Bennetts British Superbikes test at the rural MSV Oulton Park circuit, where we will see spectators for the first time since 2019.