#6 & #79 Garf
Race Report – Cadwell Park - 12/13th April 2025 NGRRC Clubman 600 – Round 1
PBs, wheelies & consistency .....
Round 1 of the NGRRC Clubman 600 Championship at Cadwell Park—my only trip to Lincolnshire this year. With a packed entry list full of national and road racers chasing signatures for Cookstown, Scarborough, NW200, the TT, etc., both the Clubman and National 600 grids were full, 38 riders each plus reserves. After just scraping into the points here last year with a 1:45, my goal for the weekend was clear: close the gap and push deeper into the top half of the field.
Test Day Plan was simple—one session to get my eye in, then treat Session 2 like qualifying. Opened with a 1:44 in session 2. Dropped into 1:43s by the end of the day. All laps within a tenth of each other—a level of consistency I don’t usually hit. Already running PB pace by the end of the day and feeling confident in the bike.
Qualifying Put in a strong session and dropped my PB to 1:43.2, putting me 13th on the grid. That’s the highest I’ve qualified since minitwin days, and back then it usually needed rain to get me there.
Race 1 Got a great launch and moved up to 10th, which I held until the second-last lap when I overcooked the entry to the Hairpin and nearly hit the grass. Three bikes got through. Finished 12th, setting consistent 1:43s Fastest lap came on the final one. The group ahead had broken into 1:41s, so I knew I needed to latch onto them early in Race 2
Race 2 Cooler and windier, so I switched to treaded tyres—a move that turned out to be my best call of the weekend. Lightning start from Row 4, up to 9th by Turn 1 Set my PB of 1:41.1 on the penultimate lap! Caught the backmarkers on the final lap (from the Mountain onwards) which stalled progress. Could’ve been more aggressive, but Cadwell’s narrow and I didn’t want to ruin anyone’s day. Final lap dropped to 1:44, but still finished strong.
Race 3 Race shortened to 5 laps due to delays. Rain earlier in the day meant times across the board had dropped off. Was sitting 9th the entire race. Coming into the final corner at Barn, I went to throttle on, and the bike just burbled and didn’t go!! Pulled the clutch and coasted to the line, but four riders came past, dropping me to 13th.
Frustrating way to end a positive weekend, but I came away with points in every race, consistent lap times, and a new level of confidence. The bike’s now back at Sitramoto HQ to figure out what went wrong in Race 3—massive thanks to them again for providing a flawless ZX6R all weekend until that final moment.
Next up: Brands Hatch GP on April 26 for the National 600 Endurance with No Limits Racing.
Race Report April 2025– BEMSEE RND 2 - Oulton Park
3 Races, 3 finishes & a PB
Intro & background - Oulton Park came just under two weeks after I had my appendix removed. I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to ride, let alone race, especially at one of the most physical tracks on the calendar. Between the bumps, elevation changes, and relentless layout, it’s a brutal lap on a 600. I went all in on recovery—back at the gym and physio within three days, five sessions in the hyperbaric chamber, and loads of tape holding me together (seriously, Leukotape is essential kit). The goal was to show up fit enough to at least get through the weekend without tearing anything.
Test Day I’d only done a dozen wet laps here last year (at a tragic 2:17), so this was basically a clean slate. Started steady around 2:00 dead, getting used to the track’s quirks—**wheelie spots** and the wild banking at Shell Oils. Managed to chip away to a 1:56 before tech and sign-on. The track walk that evening with Matt Wetherell and Cecil Dinsmore was a game-changer. Proper local knowledge that gave me a lot of confidence heading into race day.
Qualifying Managed a 1:54, which was progress thanks to the notes from the track walk—but it still stuck me on the back of the grid.
Race 1 Got a solid start from the back row and made up a few places. Then on lap 2, I got block-passed into the second chicane and had to take the long route through the Recticel barriers. Fuming. But it gave me a hoof up the arse (like Bishop Brennan for the Father Ted fans)—I told myself I’d give it **two laps to catch the group** or just DNF it instead of riding solo. Managed to chase them down and ran consistent 1:51s. That effort bumped me up three rows for Race 2 and put me close to what would’ve been an 8th or 9th in class if I’d run that pace from the start. Only missed out on a DART Motorsport Handicap voucher by a few tenths. And yeah—got caught by Nathan Harrison on the Factory Honda at Lodge. Watched him carve through like it was nothing. Chasing him over Deer’s Leap is one of my top moments on a bike.
Race 2 This was the one I’d been looking forward to. Fitted some scrub slicks from Seville and Brands and got stuck in. Great racing with Brian Maher and a guest appearance from Alex Mann, who not only helped me all weekend with advice and onboards, but showed me what real entry speed at Shell Oils looks like. Ran consistent 1:52s, even dipping into 1:51.9, sitting 9th in class until lap 9 when it all started to come undone. Mid-corner at Knickerbrook, I caught my boot on the ground, bars started to judder, front ran wide—100% thought it was going to tuck. Somehow it saved itself, but the mistake let a group of three past and I dropped to 12th.
Race 3 Shouldn’t have bothered. First two laps felt quick but the lap timer disagreed. Made a few errors mid-race, and confidence in the front was gone. The rear started squirming hard out of right-handers, which rattled me. Honestly thought about parking it, but after the DNF at Brands I was determined to just finish a race, even if it was rough. Treated it as a lesson in how to nurse a tyre that's past its best and stay upright.
Wrap-Up Massive progress at a proper track, taped-up belly and all. Huge thanks to Sitramoto once again for providing me with a beautifully prepared ZX6R—faultless as ever all weekend. Next stop: Round 1 with NGRRC at Cadwell Park next weekend. Let’s go.
Summary - Chuffed to get over a rough patch of illness just in time. Made big gains in lap times, learned loads, and got to share a track with a proper TT legend as well as the LameBoy / KP78 Academy lads (Keith Povah, Ian Ashby, Alex Mann & Jack Woolf).
Race report – BEMSEE RND1 - Brands Hatch Indy March 2025
Proof even tough weekends have silver linings!!
Old PB: 53.3 New PB: 52.7
Results: Two DNFs and a second last 😅 (didn’t crash through)
Friday Test Day
The weekend got off to a tough start with wheel issues in the morning— new wheels off a newer model the ABS ring and brake discs didn’t fit costing me multiple test sessions (special thanks to Harry Gower for spotting the ABS rings!)On top of that, the bitter cold made it difficult to get heat into the tyres and the confidence to push on. Should really check these things before getting to the racetrack…
I experimented with a 190 treaded rear tyre to maintain tyre temperature and improve confidence under acceleration with a larger contact patch. However, it negatively affected corner entry and mid-corner feel, so it wasn’t the right move.
Unfortunately, track contamination caused the cancellation of two afternoon sessions, limiting testing even further.
Race Day – Saturday
Qualifying, the bike felt flighty, and I couldn’t improve beyond a 54.9 lap time, nearly two seconds off my previous best at Brands Indy. I switched back to a 180 slick and reset the rear shock to KTech base settings. My wife also turned up and told me to get my act together and send it which helped!!
Race 1 – 18 Laps
Started on that last row and just started working my way up to around 11th in class and settling into a rhythm. My lap times dropped into the 52s for several laps as the race went on and I felt I could find even more.
Then, coming out of Paddock Hill and winding on the throttle, the rear tyre started to come around. I rolled off, and the bike flipped onto the left side of the tyre—feet off the pegs—before righting itself. Deep breath, a warning for being too greedy on the throttle at lean, and I was back on it.
However, the same issue repeated coming out of Clearways, forcing me to pull in. A quick check in the paddock revealed no obvious mechanical issues, so it was likely rider error or the heat dropping out of the tyre. Despite the DNF, I managed to win the DART Motorsport Handicap Prize for improving my race time significantly after a poor qualifying session. Chuffed to bits with that and have a great idea of what to use it on 😉
Race Day – Sunday
Sunday morning, I was paranoid about the rear tyre. I noticed it was losing 1-2 psi, despite being on a Diamond warmer with tyre blankets in the garage. Warm-up laps didn’t settle my nerves—the bike still felt off, and my confidence was gone.
To reset, I switched to a treaded 180 rear, and immediately, the grip returned. The front even felt like it was being pushed at times. Despite the improvement in feel, I was stuck in the 54s, unable to find the rhythm I had the previous day and everyone one else had kicked on. Still, my only goal was to finish a race and leave Brands Hatch with something positive.
Next Up – Oulton Park
With Brands Hatch behind me, it’s time to focus on Oulton Park, arguably the best track in the country. Lessons learned, setup refined—time to push forward.
March 2025 - Spanish Pre Season Testing
The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain... circuit
Spanish testing at the brand new Seville circuit didn’t go to plan! Much like the rest of Spain getting unseasonable weather (climate change?) Seville was plagued with thunderstorms.
Luckily I managed to nab one of the four pairs of wets Track Dudes had on their lorry meaning I got three wet sessions in to really learn the track and get used to some of the changes to the bike over winter (new shock, new slipper clutch, different pads all expertly fitted by SITRAMOTO) as well as see how the Metzeler / Pirelli wets that I’m required to run at No Limits compared to the tried and very trusted Bridgestone W01s.
Pleased to report that Seville has unbelievable levels of wet grip and the Metz/ Pirelli were more than capable, not quite as soft and grippy as the W01s but also less like I to rip themselves to pieces as the first sight of a dry line. I had the excellent Rob Hoyles review some Insta360 footage and he was able to take massive chunks off my lap time.
On the last day we managed to get three dry sessions in the morning before the thunderstorms rolled in. Good progress and really enjoyed being out there with some of the UK’s top talent. Dropped onto 1:59 / 2:00 pace and with a few more sessions I think I could’ve knocked that down a good bit further.
Not a great trip away and not many laps for the money, but salvaged something heading to Brands Indy for round one with Bemsee.