By Phil Wain
May 16 2006

The Uel Duncan Racing squad experienced a whole range of emotions at the International North West 200 road races, with crashes for both of their main riders being offset by fantastic results. The best result of the day came in the first Supersport 600cc race, when Les Shand took the Wilson & Craig Honda to a superb second place, the highest finish ever taken on the Causeway Coast by the team. This was backed up by Cameron Donald’s brace of fourth place finishes in the Superbike races, equally superb considering the Australian was in great discomfort after two practice crashes. The downside of race day came in the Superstock race, when Shand crashed out at the Corona Chicane and broke his collarbone, although he is confident he’ll be fit for the forthcoming Isle of Man TT.

With no less than four riders and eight machines, practice was always going to be fraught and, despite perfect weather conditions on both Tuesday and Thursday, a number of red flag stoppages meant the team were stretched further. Cameron crashed heavily at Church Corner on Tuesday evening, badly bruising both heels, and then had the misfortune to slide off on Thursday aggravating the damage - but he had done enough to qualify eighth in the Superbike and 17th in the Superstock. However, the two crashes both came in the Supersport class and he was a non-qualifier.

Qualifying was slightly easier for Les, although he was having his first outing on the Superbike machine and it took him a few laps to get used to the speed of the Robinson Concrete Honda. Once he had overcome slight fuelling and front end problems, he was able to put in a lap of 118.55mph to slot into ninth, one place behind his team-mate. He achieved a similar position in the Supersport class, but exceeded his expectations in the Superstock class, taking the Barron Transport Honda to fifth. Third member of the team, Stephen Thompson, was flying on the Wilson & Craig Supersport bike, and placed sixth on the grid, but Steve Plater was unable to post any qualifying laps and was disappointed to withdraw from the two races.

Race day dawned dry and bright, and the whole day was bathed in sunshine, ideal for the 100,000 fans who turned out in force. The Superbikes got proceedings under way and, with Cameron lapping at over 120mph and Les over 119mph, the day got off to a terrific start with the duo coming home in fourth and seventh. Les was joined by Stephen in the Supersport race, and a fantastic opening lap saw the Scotsman up in third place. Bruce Anstey had opened up a three second gap, but Les broke the lap record on two occasions to be right on the Kiwi’s back wheel going into the final lap. However, the Suzuki rider responded and, with a new lap record, he came home 1.7 seconds clear. Naturally, both Les and the team were delighted with the result, whilst Stephen overcame first lap problems to finish 21st.

Joy turned to despair for Les in the following Superstock race when, after working his way through to sixth after a sluggish opening lap, he clipped the kerb and crashed heavily on the exit of the Corona Chicane on the fifth and final lap, bringing his day to an abrupt and unfortunate end. Cameron brought his John Harris Motorcycles Honda home in 13th place after starting from the rear of the grid, and then jumped back on the Robinson Concrete Honda to claim his second fourth place of the day, this time in the feature NW200 Superbike race, also improving his personal best lap to 121.353mph. With Les on the sidelines, Stephen flew the team’s flag in the second Supersport race, and he finished in a creditable 13th place.

At the conclusion of a hectic day, team principal Uel Duncan commented:
“It’s fair to say it’s been an up and down few days here at the North West 200, but I’m over the moon with the results our riders have achieved. For Les to finish on the podium was a fantastic result, and he broke the lap record repeatedly as he tried all he could to take the win. He pushed Bruce Anstey all the way but, unfortunately, he came back down to earth in the Superstock race when he crashed out. He worked really hard all week and was getting better all the time, constantly improving the bikes, so I’ve been very impressed with the way he works off the bike as well as how he rides on the bike. It was a shame he crashed out but hopefully he’ll be fit in time for the TT.”

“Cameron’s results speak for themselves, and I’m sure that he could have finished on the podium if he’d have been 100% fit. He fought back well from his two crashes, and to take two fourth places in such a competitive field is excellent. He was beginning to tire at the end of the day, but he proved once again what an exceptional rider he is. Stephen was a valuable member of the team this week, so I was pleased to see him get a finish, but it was a bit of a disappointment that Steve Plater was unable to ride as we simply ran out of time.

“The whole atmosphere in the team has been superb all week, and everyone was buzzing, so it’s a big thank you to all of our sponsors for making it all possible. We’re still learning with the bikes, and have got a few things to work on before the TT ,but they’re certainly fast enough and have confirmed that switching to Hondas was the way to go. Overall, I’m happy with the way the week has gone, and it sets us up nicely for the TT.”

Practice for the Isle of Man TT Races commences on Saturday, 27th May, and both Cameron and Les will have four outings - the Superbike, Supersport, Superstock and Senior events.