From a press release:
KENT-based national supersports 600 racer Scott Smart scored his maiden victory in the series at Rockingham Motor Speedway this afternoon and dedicated the win to his manager “Turbo” Tony Weaver.
The 26-year-old, from Wateringbury, was fastest all weekend, taking a convincing pole position in front of series leader Stuart Easton and stalked the young Scot as soon as the starting lights went out.
“I started pretty well and settled into second behind Stuart, who always holeshots. He led very strongly for the first few laps so I just maintained a watching brief to see where he was strongest and weakest,” said Smart, who is championing a pair of Norwood Adam-backed Honda CBR600F-S bikes.
“Going into the final chicane about halfway through the race, Stuart braked a little differently and I got past unintentionally, but I was a little out of control so he was able to re-pass. After that, I settled down and went past him on the next lap. After a little while I put in two really hard laps to try and break away. I think Stuart decided discretion was the better part of valour and opted for second place and 20 points.
“My Pirelli tyres worked perfectly over race distance and were still gripping well right until the chequered flag. The whole bike set-up was great, even though the engine isn’t mega fast, its characteristics this weekend were perfect as we had a good spread of power.
“I’m looking forward to the next round at Knockhill as I’m historically fast there. I held the 250cc lap record for a few years and it was the scene of my first race win.
“I’d really like to thank Team Norwood Adam Honda (Turbo Tony, Dave, Dave, Dave, Ian and everyone else) for their work this season as we wouldn’t have been able to get this win without their support and hard work and I dedicated this victory to Tony on the podium.”
Brands Hatch World Supersports is on the horizon and Smart is also looking forward to tangling with the world’s best. “It’ll be good to go up against the world guys so we can prove exactly how good we are. The bikes are running well at the moment and with the support we’re getting from Pirelli, we will have the tyres to at least get in the top 12. I like Brands, it’s my home circuit so I want to do well,” said Smart.
Team manager Tony Weaver said: “Yessssssssssss…”
Results
1. Scott SMART, Norwood Adam Honda 20:57.081 Honda CBR600F-S
2. Stuart EASTON, Monster Mob Ducati 21:03.325 Ducati 748RS
3. Edward SMITH, Mitech Systems Racing 21:16.722 Yamaha R6
4. Callum RAMSAY, Team Vitrans/CR Racing 21:17.558 Suzuki GSX-R600
5. Craig SPROSTON Honda, Team CSR Brittip 21:18.797 Honda CBR600F-S
6. Jeremy GOODALL, ZGT Motorsport 21:22.925 Suzuki GSX-R600
7. Richard COOPER, Pidcock Motorcycles 21:23.251 Suzuki GSX-R600
8. Tom TUNSTALL, Earnshaws Motorcycles 21:23.717 Suzuki GSX-R600
9. Ben WILSON, Dave Seidel Racing 21:26.266 Honda CBR600F-S
10. Chris PLATT, 21:31.232 Yamaha R6