A very good morning to you,
We all hope you are well ?
Our sincerest apologies for the lack of updates of late.
We last sent you an update after Brands Hatch back in July where we were continuing to run the two machines with Sam Laffins on the Junior Superstock machine and Sam Munro in the Supersport class.
Shortly after Brands Hatch as we prepared for Thruxton, on very good terms, it was mutually agreed that Sam Laffins and Binch Racing would part company. When reviewing our championship position and the missed opportunities to be better placed, very amicably the time was right to shake hands and wish each other all the best for the future.
After the announcement with so little time before the Thruxton meeting to prepare the Superstock machine and a potential rider, we decided to focus our attention on Sam Munro and the Supersport machine.
The weekend got off to a really positive start as Sam (#64) found a good base setting to build on and he was very happy with the grip levels. He finished Friday’s free practice session in a combined P11, with just +0.79 separating him from the fastest rider. The mood in the camp was really strong going into Saturday’s qualifying and race day.
Just minutes before the Q2 session began that was a downpour of rain leaving a damp surface. With temperatures rising for a 15-minute dash, it was the great tyre debate as all the teams in pitlane were left pondering their direction for the session. Same did two laps on an intermediate rear before pitting for a full dry tyre. He was the first of all the riders to make the decision and he laid down a solid banker lap which put him on a pole position for a short while.
Unfortunately, not long after that, Sam was navigating the very fast Church section of the circuit when he and the bike suddenly left the track. As he stood up in the gravel 3 other bikes with top pedigree riders followed him in… All four of them agreed there had to have been ‘something’ on track. Unluckily for Sam he suffered a broken wrist in the incident and that was to be the end of the weekend for us.
Sam’s health is of the utmost importance and he was instructed to rest for a minimum of 6 weeks. The next two rounds at Cadwell and Oulton are both very physical and they put the body through its paces so it was agreed Sam would head home to Scotland and concentrate on getting back for Donington at the end of September.
Step forward Thomas Strudwick (#25).
Thomas is currently running in 2nd place in the BMW F 900R cup and has a strong pedigree of racing in the UK and in Europe. From a very young age Thomas has been at the sharp end of whatever class he has raced in, Moto3, Moto2, and 600cc Open to list just a few.
Thomas who now lives in Girona Spain was keen to try the Yamaha 600 machine and wanted his feedback so a two-round agreement was made and we headed off to Cadwell.
The BMW F 900R cup was also racing at Cadwell so it was a very busy weekend for Thomas and a good test of his race stamina. The weekend was a real success. Thomas has been in Europe for the last three seasons with Michael Lavertys Vision Track team competing on Grand Prix circuits. Comparing that to the fast narrow and technical Cadwell Park was quite some adjustment. Nevertheless, when the visor was down he did his best for us finishing race one in 12th and race two in 13th. A stellar effort.
Thomas and the team headed to Oulton for the 2nd of the two-round arrangement, this time the BMW cup was not competing so it would be interesting to see how Tom performed physically with a little more time to focus and relax on his hands.
Similar to Cadwell, Thomas has not been to Oulton for a few years so he spent the Friday practice sessions getting familiar with the Cheshire Rollercoaster. The bike setup and feeling improved throughout the day as Thomas went 2 seconds quicker in FP2 compared to FP1 ending P15 in the combined.
Saturday morning’s qualifying session gave Thomas his best lap of a 1.39.34 secs, again slightly faster than FP2 and improving all the time.
As the first race of the weekend got underway Thomas was very keen to get away with the front group to see what he could learn from them. He made a great start and overtook 2 or 3 riders from the start line. However, as he came in from the outside line to meet the leading pack he asked too much of the tyre which led to a small high side bringing our race to an abrupt end.
The whole team worked into the night to get the bike ready for Sunday. Thomas was hugely apologetic and full of praise for the hard work that went in.
Morning warm-up went well, the bike felt good, and Thomas was ready to race!
Due to the DNF in Saturday’s race, he was penalised 6 grid places for Sunday’s feature race which would see him go from 21st on the grid. The lights went out, the revs were up and he was off. He made a near perfect start again taking 2/3 riders by turn one. As they frantically crossed the line at the end of lap one Thomas had gained 5 places sat comfortably in 16th gaining valuable tenths of seconds on the competition.
As the 14-lap race unfolded the pack spread out a little with the front runners getting away setting fastest lap after fastest lap. By his own admission, keen to stay on the bike, Thomas was possibly a little too cautious for too long and should have made more moves sooner. Nevertheless, he finished the race in a very respectable 12th place gaining 9 places, this was only bettered by one other rider who gained 11 places.
We would sum up our time with Thomas as lots and lots of fun, with lots and lots of positives taken along the way. We are very grateful he approached us and we have really enjoyed having him in the awning. It will be nice to see how he finishes the season on his BMW.
To summarise, we have had a difficult few months for a number of reasons, some within our control, others not. Something that never wains is our love for the sport and our passion for success. In everything we do, we will take something positive from it, and that is why we continue to do it.
On behalf of all the boys and girls at Binch Racing, we thank you for your continued support.
We have been very busy discussing our plans for 2024 and we look forward to sharing them with you in due course.