This weekend I headed to Gossington Moto Parc for the final round of the NORA92 British Cup. I arrived Friday evening and, due to the weather forecast, my trainer Joe made the decision to get the track walk done that evening. I’d never ridden at Gossington before, so it was all completely new to me. Joe took me through the best lines to take through the corners and over the jumps, which was really helpful going into the weekend.
Saturday I woke up to some seriously bad weather! It was raining heavily, and I was worried about what the track conditions were going to be like.
Qualifying: I headed out and the track was wet, slippery and really sticky. The track prep the club had done was amazing, and despite the conditions, I actually found the track really good to ride. I ended up qualifying 13th.
Race 1: As I sat on the line, the rain started again, although it wasn’t too heavy and didn’t last long. I came out of the gate mid-pack, found my flow and started chasing down the riders in front of me. I had some good battles and managed to make a few passes to finish 10th.
Race 2: My gate start wasn’t great and I found myself 3rd from last going into the first corner. I knew I had to settle down, find my flow and work my way through the pack. I started changing my lines to make passes and chased down the riders ahead of me, managing to make passes through both the corners and jumps. I finished 11th.
Sunday morning was completely different. The sun was shining and the ground had dried out, so the track conditions had changed massively from the day before.
Race 1: I headed to the start line hoping for similar results to Saturday. The rain stayed away, which was a good sign! When the gate dropped, I came out mid-pack. I knew I had to get my head down, concentrate and pick up my speed while working my way past the riders in front. The track had changed a lot, with deeper ruts and a much faster pace. I managed to put a solid race together and finished 8th.
Race 2: The rain stayed away for my final race of the day — and my final race of the championship. I came out of the gate at the back of the pack, so I knew I had to get my head down and speed up! I managed to make a few passes on the first lap and found the flow of the track again. The pace was fast and the lines I was taking were clear, which allowed me to keep making passes throughout the race. I finished 7th.
Overall, I was really happy with my results across the weekend. I finished 8th overall for the weekend, which was mega as my goal going into the final round was to finish inside the top 10. I finished the NORA92 British Cup Championship 15th overall. My goal was a top 10 championship finish, so although I didn’t quite achieve that, I’m really happy with the result considering I had to miss rounds due to injury and also had bike problems at Sherwood, which meant I had to borrow my team mate’s bike.
A massive thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout the season — NORA CRS Development Team, my trainer Joe Clayton, my team mates, sponsors, family, friends and everyone who has helped me get to the start line. Now it’s time to take everything I’ve learnt this season and come back even stronger next year!
