Last weekend the Binch Racing team decended on the fastest circuit on the calendar, Thruxton. 

The former wartime airfield (2.35 miles long) really puts man, machine and tyres to the test.

Alastair Seeley has raced here on numerous occassions in his illustrious career, whereas on the other side of the garage we have Oliver Barr who has never raced here before.  

Free Practice One :

As measured and as rythmical as ever, Alastair was there or there abouts in his first session. Easing through the laps, squeezing the throttle more and more the more comfortable he got, he ended this session in 4th place. Not that laptimes are a serious consideration at the start of any race weekend, his initial feeling on the bike was great, and it was clear he had a direction in setup to get faster.

Oliver Barr came in after his session with a huge smile under his helmet. This circuit is very unique with a lot of the lap spent leant over at speed. Oliver, like most racers, likes going fast; Thruxton expects you to go fast. He laid down a great reference point with a very impressive P24 in a session that caught a few riders out.

Free Practice Two :

Summer arrived for the second session and our machines rolled out in frankly glorious conditions. A lovely afternoon for playing around on motorcycles.

Alastair Seeley got straight down to work with some new settings, methodically improving in each sector to build a faster overall laptime. From session one to session two he improved by nearly one second to complete session two third place overall. Combined, Alastair finished third. Nice work !

Oliver Barr could not wait to get back on track again. Once he had evaluated his first session data and spoke to Alastair about where he could gain some time, he was very keen to push on. His approach was well measured and calculated and he too improved by one second to maintain his twenty forth overall. Worthy of note that a number of riders behind him on the timing sheets were static or slower. With very little done to the bike the improvement was purely down to Oliver and his confidence. Progress !!

Qualifying One :

Based on his free practice times Oliver Barr was required to take part in Q1. Only the top nine riders progress from Q1 to Q2. Going faster again, the circuit was coming to Oliver and he was getting smoother and faster as the laps ticked by. He ended Q1 in P6 which would see him move through to join Alastair in  Q2.

The Q2 session was interrupted with a stoppage half way through due to an injured rider that required medical attention. With limited time left on the clock both Alastair and Oliver could not quite find the space on circuit to build their pace back up. Some very nice sector times from both riders but sadly not linked to record a strong lap. That said, both riders went half a second quicker than their previous best. 

Alastair would start the race from 7th on the grid, Oliver Barr would start from 19th. 

Sprint Race 12 laps (scheduled) :

Basking in the wonderful Hampshire sunshine we lined up on the grid for our first race of the weekend. The mood in the camp was one of optimism as the data suggested that if  Alastair and Oliver got away cleanly and got into their rhythm early enough they could progress through the field.

Alastair got an excellent start and was in the mix in the very early stages of the race. He had established some real confidence in the front end of his bike which meant he could late break into the slower parts of the circuit. Lap after lap he was gaining places.

Oliver Barr got away from the line cautiously and managed to avoid a number of riders who ran wide and got caught up with each other. Amongst the enthusiasm and excitement he navigatied the early ‘shinanigans’ really well, in his groove with as much breathing as he needed he began to make some moves further up the field. 

Unfortunately, on his third lap, as he was exiting the particularly fast ‘Village’ section of the course, he felt some contact from the rear of his machine which disrupted the bike forcing him to get off at approximately 120mph. He safely came to a stop on the grass unharmed which is more than can be said for the bike. When it eventually came to a stop there was not much left of it at all.

As half the team concentrated on Oliver and his welfare, the other half were concentrating on Alastair and his race. Two laps later there was another faller, this time at the extremely fast ‘Church’ section of the circuit. With the fallen rider injured and his machine destroyed, race control red flagged this part of the race.

All back in pitlane awaiting further instruction. Oliver returned to the garage safe and well. Very upset and frustrated, but in one piece, which could have easily been a very different story. 

A new rear tyre went into Alastair’s bike for the start of the rescheduled five lap dash. Given the progress he had made in the first part of the race, Alastair started from third on the grid. He got away really well, concentrated hard, got his head down and held station for all five laps to bring home his second podium performance of the season. Another third place for him and the team. Not bad at all !

An unusual mix of emotions for the whole team as we consoled Oliver but celebrated with Alastair. 

Once the Proessco had been shared out rather unequally, it was time to get to work. As the recovery vehicle was emptied of our many pieces and parts outside of our garage it was hard to even tell they were a motorcycle.

Saturday Evening :

It is at this point we must shine a very bright spotlight on our team’s mechanics and technicians. As nightfall fell and the live band wrapped up entertaining the crowds, our boys were still hard at work. Despite the garage being seperated with a focus on each machine and rider, everyone got involved. There were moments where racing on Sunday looked nigh on impossible, but we never gave up. The work ethic, collaboration and camaradory is a testament to our team’s journey and our comitmment to our riders and eveyone involved.

Despite some small electrical gremlins that caused a slight delay which meant Oliver missed morning warm up, by lunchtime, she had fired up. Once passed by scrutineering and a small run through the gears on the dyno, we were good to go racing !! A huge sigh of relief, lots of handshakes and a fair amount of laughter, they did it.. 

Feature Race 18 laps :  

On arguably the warmest race day of the year, it was absolutely baking. The crowds had turned out in force with very spare spectating space on any of the banks. The tension on the grid was palpable; both riders wanted this one. Alastair wanted to try and improve on Saturday’s third. Oliver had to start from the back of the grid and he wanted to repay the team for all their hard work with a solid result.

Grid cleared, warm up completed, revs up, lights out and the race was off. Track temperatures were the highest of the weekend at thirty seven degrees; this would require very careful tyre management. Going too hard too soon could be detrimental as the race entered the latter stages. 

From his third place grid start Alastair tipped into turn one holding his place. He came under attack early on and managed to maturely defend his place by cautiously taking his time and picking his moments to attack. As the front runner broke away the competitors behind him fell backwards. In the latter third of the race the riders behind him managed to draw him in. With very little to reference in front of him due to the gap, it was hard to know how hard to go. A battle ensued with the 4th and 5th place riders that had caught him up. He did his best to use his brakes into the final chicane but they had more to give on the faster sections. 

A well deserved and well fought 5th place. Consistency is the key to any championship and Alastair knows how to play the game. More points in the bag and he was back to fourth in the championship. The best of the traditional 600cc Supersport machines.

Oliver Barr faced a battle with himself and his own race confidence after his significant fall in the Sprint race. He took to the back of the grid without showing any nerves or caution. He took two sighting laps on his freshly built machine to keep some heat in his tyres, a perfect strategy. The lights went out and he got straight down to business. Weaving through the quality of the Supersport field is not easy, but Oliver makes it look easy. In his rookie year in BSB he never ceases to amaze us. By the end of lap 10 he was up to 26th from 40th on the grid. Lap after lap he was lighting up his times, clearly behind his visor having a lot of fun. As the chequered flag came out he crossed the line in 21st. A gain of 19 places, remarkable !! A wonderful return on the team’s time and effort investment. Delighted !!

Championship Positions :

Alastair Seeley – 4th (177pts)

Oliver Barr – 20th (30pts)

We would like to thank you very much indeed for your continued support. Weekends like Thruxton show us what Binch Racing is all about, but we cannot do it without your help. Thank you !!! Lifting trophies makes it all worthwhile.

Next Stop, Lincolnshire, Cadwell Park, August 24th, 25th & 26th.

The Mountain!!!