By Carly Rathmell
September 9 2004

Dean Thomas took his Sendo Ducati to an impressive sixth and fourth place respectively at the eleventh round of the Think! British Superbike Championship, yesterday (Monday 30th August) at Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire.

The spectacular Lincolnshire circuit once again pulled in the biggest crowds of the season so far, with a massive 35,000 fans turning out on the Bank Holiday Monday for the races. Year in, year out, Cadwell always hosts thousands of people from all over the country. The technical 2.2-mile circuit is renowned for the huge ‘Mountain’ section, where fans witness top racers completely airborne.

Thomas managed to qualify his 998 Ducati on the second row of the grid, in fifth place, and was feeling confident as he headed onto the grid on race day. Feeling comfortable all weekend, Thomas was eager to gain two good starts and bring the Sendo Ducati home in both the races. A recent run of bad luck has seen Thomas miss out on vital championship points.

Thomas settled into fifth position by the first corner, but soon Suzuki riders Yukio Kagayama and John Reynolds dived underneath him. Championship leader Reynolds lost the front end of his bike and crashed out on lap four, this pushed Thomas back up to seventh. Soon, behind Yamaha rider Tommy Hill, Thomas was unable to find a suitable passing place to move his way up to sixth. Steve Plater crashed on lap fourteen, forcing the race to be red flagged, which left Thomas with a comfortable sixth position.

As the riders lined up on the grid for the second race the sky turned grey and the heavens opened. A heavy ten-minute downpour was enough to drench the circuit and left the riders and teams to make dubious tyre choices. With an unpredictable forecast, tyre choices were a gamble. Thomas went for a slick rear and a cut slick front, which could have proven disastrous if there was more rain.

The organisers allowed a wet practice session of eighteen minutes before the start of the second race, to allow the riders to set the bikes up correctly (as the weekend up until then had been dry). For Thomas, the start of the race was tricky - until a distinctive dry line appeared he had to be very cautious. Slipping back down the field to ninth by the first bend, Thomas had to bide his time. As the track dried, the Australian rider was forcing his way masterfully through the pack.

Making easy manoeuvres on Reynolds, Kiyonari and McGuinness, it soon became a four-way battle for third place. Yamaha rider James Haydon made a mistake into the new chicane, allowing Richards, Emmett and Thomas to pass. Emmett forced Richards out wide into the first corner on lap eleven, allowing Thomas to take the space and make a clean overtake on the fellow Australian. It soon became a tight battle between 999 Ducati rider Sean Emmett and 998 Sendo Ducati rider Dean Thomas. Thomas was hopeful to make the pass on Emmett, but was unable to match the newer Ducati on horsepower.

A well fought race left Thomas in a strong fourth position. Commenting, he said, “It’s been a mixed day today. Again I was so close to that podium and just missed out. I was desperately trying to find a way past Sean but just didn’t have the speed to stay right on the back of him. Adding to that he made himself as wide as a bus, which made things a little more difficult, and he produced some good blocking manoeuvres. I’m just very happy to have gained two finishes today. We only have two rounds remaining and I am tying with James Haydon in the championship for seventh place. We came to Cadwell on equal points and have both left again on equal points. It looks like it’s going to be a battle right to the end.”

Race one result:
1 M. Rutter (Honda) 22:31.896
2 R. Kiyonari (Honda) +0.195
3 Y. Kagayama (Suzuki) +0.493
4 J. Haydon (Yamaha) +7.093
5 T. Hill (Yamaha) +8.034
6 D. Thomas (Ducati) +9.011
7 G. Richards (Kawasaki) +12.671
8 K. Clarke (Yamaha) +13.291
9 J. McGuinness (Kawasaki) +1 lap
10 S. Emmett (Ducati) + 1 lap

Race two result:
1 Y. Kagayama (Suzuki) 27:37.598
2 S. Smart (Kawasaki) +6.592
3 S. Emmett (Ducati) +27.925
4 D. Thomas (Ducati) +28.001
5 G. Richards (Kawasaki) +30.238
6 J. Haydon (Yamaha) +45.587
7 K. Clarke (Yamaha) +48.132
8 J. Reynolds (Suzuki) +52.300
9 J. McGuinness (Kawasaki) +1:03.422
10 J. Ellison (Yamaha) +1:07.207

Points after round eleven:
1. Reynolds – 370
2. Rutter – 337
3. Smart – 296
4. Kagayama – 290
5. Emmett – 262
6. Kiyonari – 170
7=. Thomas - 155
7=. Haydon – 155
9. Hill – 116
10. Mason – 100

For more information see www.sendo.com and www.dienza.co.uk