NG Road Racing enjoyed a season of unusually complementary weather conditions through 2011 – perfect for the inaugural season of their Pirelli backed GP45 Championship. The 450 Super Singles and Super Twins battled head-to-head with each other and the mini-twins, regularly featuring on the front row, swapping paint with the leaders and taking overall podium finishes. Following a long winter the 450cc regulars, plus some new faces and machines, arrived at Brands Hatch for the opening round of the 2012 season, eager to get back in the saddle.
Saturday 17th March, round one qualifier
Despite a week of unseasonal balmy weather, the famous undulating Kent circuit was well and truly cold and wet and so under tricky conditions the riders assembled on the heavily cambered grid. Amid a blast of spray and thumping twins and singles Matt Andrew, returning Super Single Champion, made his charge for the front of the pack. Andrew took his ADP Group Suzuki GP45 to an impressive 2nd place on-the-road and an easy GP45 win – 11 seconds clear of the next mini-twin riders challenging for their podium positions.
Robbie Robson on board the distinctive orange Trevor Pope Racing KTM and fellow GP45 regular Tony Bridgefoot on his Bluebell Lakes’ Honda, claimed 2nd and 3rd Super Single positions respectively. Bridgefoot’s team mate James Stacey wasn’t so lucky, suffering a DNF for his first meeting of the year. The soggy conditions also sealed the fate of new GP45 entrants Alan Cragg and Peter Carr. However, before retiring with a snapped chain, Carr showed his hand as a serious contender on board the ex-NGRRC GP45 Kawasaki with a dynamic run at the front of the mini-twin/GP45 field and putting pistolracing.co.uk into the spotlight.
Saturday 17th March, round one final
Conditions for the final remained extremely tricky with a drying track. Matt Andrew had clear tarmac ahead in P2 on the front row. In contrast another GP45 competitor, Mark Carkeek on board the Corby Kawasaki FXF450, was forced to join the back of the grid after failing to start in race one. Joining Carkeek on row six sat Peter Carr clearly champing at the bit and eager to turnaround his bad luck from the previous outing.
Matt Andrew dropped a couple of places on-the-road in the opening laps but soon got into his stride once again heading up the GP45s. Andrew enjoyed battling with the #1 plated mini-twin of Ben Marsden and after 11 laps crossed the line in 3rd overall and the first 2012 GP45 points victory was in the bag. Hot on Andrew’s heels came Peter Carr with an inspired charge from the back to clinch 4th on-the-road, his first GP45 2nd place finish and fastest Super Single lap of 57.99 – only a fraction off Ben Marsden’s mini-twin best lap of 57.80. Mark Carkeek also made a notable debut on the 450 single taking the Corby Kawasaki machine from the rear of the pack to eighth spot overall and 3rd GP45.
This time out all the Super Singles completed the race giving Alan Cragg his first GP45 finish for cumbriacoldstorage.co.uk. Unfortunately Robbie Robson proved a little too keen and was handed a jump start plus 10 second penalty.
Edited: 23/03/2012 at 12:33
