Round 5 - Mallory Park
27th June 2010
BEN WILSON – MALLORY
What began as a promising weekend for Ben Wilson ended in disappointment as a technical problem caused him to drop down the field and end his race in seventh place.
Wilson from Kirton near Boston was competing in round five of the British Supersport championship at Mallory Park on Sunday and throughout free practice and qualifying he was consistently running within the top three or four and looking good to repeat his result from last year’s visit to the Leicestershire venue when he completed his race in second place.
Qualifying went well for the Gearlink Kawasaki rider and he began his campaign from a front row grid position in fourth place. As the lights went out Wilson got away to his usual lightening start and led the field around the short 1.41-mile circuit. He maintained his race lead for the first two laps but was overhauled by Billy McConnell on lap three and relegated further to third place when Westmoreland also moved ahead.
The safety car was deployed for a couple of laps for a crash further down the field and once it left the track it wasn’t long before fellow Lincolnshire rider Sam Lowes nipped past Wilson at Edwina’s on lap 10 of 25.
It was obvious that Wilson has some sort of problem but he maintained fourth place through the next 10 laps until the group of riders behind him began to steadily reel him in. Glen Richards was the first to move ahead at the hairpin swiftly followed by Jack Kennedy and Graeme Gowland leaving Wilson to complete his race in a disappointing seventh place.
“I am really disappointed,” said Wilson. “I felt comfy in the lead and when McConnell came past me I felt I could run with him but then on lap three the bike developed an electrical problem which prevented the bike from revving and so I slowly dropped back from fourth to seventh. But at least we were on the pace again and where we needed to be until the bike played up and then it was all taken out of my hands.”
This result sees Wilson maintain his sixth place in the rider standings on 43 points with the next round at Knockhill in Scotland this coming weekend, July 4. The Scottish venue was the scene of Wilson’s and Gearlink Kawasaki’s first race win in the Supersport class and a repeat performance could move him back up into contention with the championship leaders.
By Helen Pask
What began as a promising weekend for Ben Wilson ended in disappointment as a technical problem caused him to drop down the field and end his race in seventh place.
Wilson from Kirton near Boston was competing in round five of the British Supersport championship at Mallory Park on Sunday and throughout free practice and qualifying he was consistently running within the top three or four and looking good to repeat his result from last year’s visit to the Leicestershire venue when he completed his race in second place.
Qualifying went well for the Gearlink Kawasaki rider and he began his campaign from a front row grid position in fourth place. As the lights went out Wilson got away to his usual lightening start and led the field around the short 1.41-mile circuit. He maintained his race lead for the first two laps but was overhauled by Billy McConnell on lap three and relegated further to third place when Westmoreland also moved ahead.
The safety car was deployed for a couple of laps for a crash further down the field and once it left the track it wasn’t long before fellow Lincolnshire rider Sam Lowes nipped past Wilson at Edwina’s on lap 10 of 25.
It was obvious that Wilson has some sort of problem but he maintained fourth place through the next 10 laps until the group of riders behind him began to steadily reel him in. Glen Richards was the first to move ahead at the hairpin swiftly followed by Jack Kennedy and Graeme Gowland leaving Wilson to complete his race in a disappointing seventh place.
“I am really disappointed,” said Wilson. “I felt comfy in the lead and when McConnell came past me I felt I could run with him but then on lap three the bike developed an electrical problem which prevented the bike from revving and so I slowly dropped back from fourth to seventh. But at least we were on the pace again and where we needed to be until the bike played up and then it was all taken out of my hands.”
This result sees Wilson maintain his sixth place in the rider standings on 43 points with the next round at Knockhill in Scotland this coming weekend, July 4. The Scottish venue was the scene of Wilson’s and Gearlink Kawasaki’s first race win in the Supersport class and a repeat performance could move him back up into contention with the championship leaders.
By Helen Pask
