By Brent Gladwin
October 1 2005

On his return from injury sustained at Cadwell Park, Dennis Hobbs was straight on form in practice and qualifying at Donington. We had a new engine to run in, and the weather was just right for that activity - wet and horrible, so there was nothing to be gained from going mad. At the end of free practice we were ready for the two qualifying sessions, and the weather came good. In the first session we tried the difference between the 190 and 200 section Pirelli rear tyres, looking for the best set up for steering the bike - all this time we were sat in a very strong position on the grid. In the dying moments of the session we fitted the qualifying tyres and Dennis went out for his fast lap. As he crossed the line the chequered went out, and all we could do was watch him put together our best effort and BANG best of the season tenth, with a 1:33.585 - only two-tenths off Karl Harris in ninth.

The second session had a different structure, with four tyres left from our allocation. We tried some different front tyre set ups, looking for the ideal for the race, and then fitted three one after the other qualifiers. We matched our time on the first qualifier, then went faster on the second, and finally dipped into the 32s on the last to secure tenth on the grid, less than 1/1000 behind Karl in ninth - and our ideal would have put us seventh, in between the two Rizla Suzukis.

Unfortunately that is where all the good work ended. On race day the changing weather caught out many of the top riders, including John Reynolds, Glen Richards and, yes, Dennis Hobbs - twelve in all - so we were not able to turn this into a result. The grid placing ensured great exposure for all the sponsors, including a live TV grid interview.


GP 125

Lisa continues her return to form and betters last year’s Donington, where she missed the qualifying cut, to put six bikes behind her - taking 40th on the grid in this super competitive class, where the front runners achieved faster time than they had as wild cards in the GP. The race was excellent for Lisa and the team, as she managed a good start and gained places into the first turn. She got involved in a great battle for the spectators to watch between seven bikes, two of them being female riders. Lisa pulled through and took a fighting 25th place - a good improvement on her grid slot, and putting a smile on her face for the battle she’d had.

We now have a lot of work to do for Brands, rebuilding the damage Dennis achieved on the Superbike, and encouraging Lisa to fulfil her potential.

Brands should be good for the Superbike, as we return to the scene of our WSB results, but this is only Lisa’s second visit to the full circuit - known as one of the hardest to learn. We have a great hospitality part planned for the sponsors, as this is the last race of the Bennett’s British Superbike Championship - but not our last event of 2005.

Best Regards,

Brent Gladwin