Race Report: Buff Supermono Championship/Nitro Moto450 Pembrey Report - 9th/10th/11th April

Hi Guys,

I wrote this for BSN after Pembrey, but missed the deadline:

The British Supermono Association joined ThundersportGBs ranks at a sun-blessed, 20 year old Pembrey for the opening round of the popular Buff Supermono Championship for prototype 4-stroke single cylinder machines.

A new format sees the welcome addition of the ThundersportGB Moto450 class (which includes Aprilia RRV450 machines) to the Supermono ranks, with lots of young riders joining the old guard in 3 races run over two days. Saturday’s race was an 18 lap Superpole event - a long race distance familiar to the Supermono grid. Sunday comprised two shorter 11 and 10 lap races, requiring a more aggressive approach in the opening laps, which the Moto450 contingent appear to be skilled at.

The combination of classes, race distances and age ranges made for close racing all weekend, with Moto450 and Supermonos evenly matched in groups throughout the field, providing great entertainment for spectators and riders alike.

Race 1 set the scene for the whole weekend, with the fast starting Aprilia RRVs of Connor Tagg, Will Hodgson and Ben Gautrey getting the jump on Supermono stalwart and multiple UK and European Champion Mark Lawes on the fabulous Team James 720cc Pami BMW. But not for long, as Mark quickly worked his way to the front of the field and maintained 3 second gap to the flag. Evergreen Steve Tomes had a lonely race to 5th on his Moto450 Yamaha but behind him was an epic race long battle between Ivan Porter, Phil Canessa, Dave Harnett and Jonathan Good who traded paint and places in their argument over 6th to 9th, with just 2 seconds covering them all at the flag.

Sunday dawned as bright and sunny as Saturday and with the Supermono riders raising their game to close the gap to the fast starting Moto450 machines in the opening laps and with the leading Aprilia RRVs taking the fight to Mark Lawes. Both races were again filled with great racing throughout the field.

The first race of the day saw Mark Lawes win again, but with the ever present attention of Will Hodgson and Connor Tagg, with 1.5 seconds covering all three at the flag. Ben Gautrey and Danny Murphy had lonelier rides behind the leading group while Michael Burge joined the Harnett, Good & Porter battle for 6th to 9th, with 2 seconds again covering them at the flag. Perhaps this will be a theme for the season?

The second race was run at a faster pace thoughout the field, but produced similar results; with Mark Lawes again eventually getting the better of Connor Tagg by 2 seconds, with Will Hodgson and Ben Gautrey separated by 0.07s for 3rd with Danny Murphy a further 3 seconds adrift in 5th. A freight train of 5 riders; Canassa, Good, Porter, Liam Shellcock and Burge had a race long dual for 6th to 10th, again separated by just 3 seconds at the flag.

Pit bits: 3 Supermonos were running home designed and made frames: Martin Jarvis debuted his fast and sweet handling homebuilt KTM690 machine alongside Dave Harnett’s similar engined PressFab and Ivan Porters home built chassis and engine. Spike Edwards's ‘Gordon’ was having his first run out with adopted dad Dave ‘Gordon’ Bennett. Michael Burge was on a conventional Tigraft Rotax, rather than his wishbone suspended Hossack, for the first time in 6 years and is again raising funds and awareness for disaster relief charity RedR UK .

The Buff Supermono Championship now moves east to Snetterton over the May Bank Holiday weekend, where more machines are expected to be ready for battle. The circuits high speed nature might suit the supermonos better than the Moto450 machines, but nothing’s ever certain in this class.

Regards
Steve