BRANDON PAASCH QUALIFIES ON FRONT ROW AT CADWELL PARK, MOVES UP TO FIFTH IN 2018 HEL PERFORMANCE BRITISH MOTOSTAR CHAMPIONSHIP
After using a track day to learn the Cadwell Park layout, Brandon Paasch was looking forward to racing in Round 6 of the HEL Performance British Motostar Championship at Cadwell Park. In both Free Practices, he had trouble breaking out of a group and cutting a clean lap. However, in Qualifying Brandon put his head down and picked up the pace, finishing third in the session and earning a front row start.
“In FP1 I worked on finding better lines on my Microlise Cresswell Mahindra Moto3 GP bike. IN FP2 I started getting up to speed, and I went out with my teammates who both have years of experience around the track to try and learn from them. I was having a ton of fun, learning all the small things that you have to do to go fast at Cadwell Park. And The Mountain at Cadwell is such an amazing section when you launch the bike just right to catch some air!”
While reviewing my practices overnight, I really thought about what I could do better for Qualifying. I went out again with my teammate and really pushed hard. Probably the hardest I’ve pushed the bike all year, and I dropped two seconds from FP2 to put me third on the grid for Race 1. I learned a lot, and I was ready to push hard again in the race to be on the podium.” (Brandon Paasch)
In Race 1, Brandon got shuffled back five spots during the first lap but made up a couple spots in the next few laps. After two riders crashed in front of him, he ran off the track and dropped back to 9th. But the speed he found in Qualifying moved Brandon back to 5th, just before a red flag ended the race a couple laps early.
For Race 2, Brandon pulled a better start and stayed with the lead pack. On Lap 4 he made a nice inside move up to 5th and started working on the two riders in front of him that were fighting for the final podium spot. With barely a bike’s length separating each rider, Brandon began plotting his attack to get past the riders before the end of the race. Yet another red flag ended the race 3 laps early, meaning Brandon finished 5th again – his second weekend in a row with two Top 5 finishes.
More importantly, Brandon moved up to 5th in the championship standings, 14 points ahead of 6th place.
“For Race 1, I lost the momentum at the start and didn’t take advantage of my front row qualifying effort. I’m bummed that Race 2 ended early, as I had the pace and was right on the tail of the two guys in front of me fighting for third. That was my best start of the year, and being able to hang with the lead group has really lifted my confidence. A little bit of bad luck cost me a finish on the box, but I’m more determined than ever to get back to the top. I’m glad everyone that went down is OK. I had a blast at Cadwell – I really had fun with my teammate Asher Durham and Storm Stacey hitting the jump over The Mountain and ripping around the track. It’s one of my new favorite tracks!
Gotta thank everyone who helped me out this weekend – Bob and John at Microlise Cresswell Racing, plus Dave, Andy and Richard for getting the bike dialed in. Always thanks to Spidi, Arai, Electronic Concepts LLC, Evolve GT, luxeStar VIP, DRH, VNM Sport, CCC Manhattan , Eric, Mom, Big Bird, and Andy for coming over from the USA to cheer me on! (Brandon Paasch)
After 6 of 9 rounds, Brandon is 5th in the 2018 HEL Performance British Motostar Championship.
Follow Brandon’s progress on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for an inside look at his racing season.
Facebook: @BrandonPaasch facebook.com/BrandonPaasch/
Instagram.com/brandon_paasch
Twitter: @PaaschBrandon
Hashtag: #Paasch_BSBMoto3_2018 #SendItBP2018