By Phil Wain
April 18 2006

Michael Wilcox put in another superb ride at Thruxton on Easter Monday, scoring his second successive podium finish in the 125cc British Championship, and consolidating his second place overall in the title race. The 39-year old veteran finished in third place after 15 hard fought laps, and it was the fifth time in as many years that he has stepped onto the podium at the Hampshire venue.

After Friday’s free practice, Michael was approached by Gary Dawson, father of fellow 125cc rider Benji Dawson, and asked if he would ride his bike as Benji had vacated the class in preference to the Virgin Mobile R6 Cup. Michael agreed and with the Repli-Cast machine fitted with an A-kit, he was keen to see how it would perform against his own machine. With the organisers duly notified, Michael took both bikes out in first qualifying and, after posting the sixth fastest time, it was apparent the engine was stronger on the Repli-Cast machine. The team then worked hard in between the sessions fitting Michael’s own rear shock, front forks and gearbox to the new machine, combining both machines’ strongest features. The changes worked wonders, and Michael shaved a fantastic 1.3 seconds of his best time to post a lap of 1m22.455secs, which placed him third on the grid and just two tenths of a second away from pole position man, Alex Lowes.

Michael made a steady start to the race and completed the first lap in fifth, although he was up to fourth almost as soon as they crossed the line to start the second lap. He then overhauled Dan Linfoot to move into third, but Brian Clark and Robbie Stewart were already getting away at the head of the field. For the next five laps, Michael and Linfoot swapped positions, and this allowed Luke Jones and Sam Lowes to close right up. By lap ten he suddenly found himself down in sixth and at the rear of the four-man dice for third. However, Michael was playing a waiting game and, one by one, he picked the riders off and, as they headed into their final lap, he was back in third and immediately opened a gap to ensure that they wouldn’t have the opportunity to overtake on the run in to the line. The third place finish was the perfect way to follow up his result at Donington, and certainly bodes well for the rest of the season.

After sampling the champagne once again, Michael said:
“That was a really enjoyable race, although it was certainly tough! The front two riders were just that quicker today and, although I felt I could have run the same pace as them, once they’d made the break there was no getting it back. I got held up a bit by Dan Linfoot through some of the corners and, even though I was strong through Church and Village he kept slipstreaming by me, which meant I was losing time through the complex and the chicane. That allowed Luke Jones and Sam Lowes to close up, but I used my head and dug deep to overhaul them in the latter stages.

“I’m really, really pleased, and everyone has worked so hard to make it happen this weekend. I’ve got to say a big thank you to Gary and Benji Dawson for the loan of the Repli-Cast machine, and we’ve now bought the parts we used so we should be well set for the rest of the season. The team have worked wonders again and supported me 100%, so now we know the bike is working well, I can concentrate on what I do best - riding and managing the results to the best of my ability.”

Mick’s next outing comes in round four of the 125cc British Championship, which takes place in two weeks’ time at Oulton Park.