Magnificent seven for Farquhar at the Mount Ryan Farquhar ended his 2011 road racing season in magnificent style at the weekend when he won all seven of his races at the International Gold Cup at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough, the highlight of which was getting his name on the feature trophy for the very first time. It was also the first time an Irishman had won the Gold Cup in its 60-year history and Ryan also added the David Jefferies, Darran Lindsay and Phil Mellor trophies to his haul of silverware. Saturday’s race action around the 2.43-mile public road course saw fine, sunny conditions and, after winning his two heats, Ryan’s first race was the opening leg of the Darran Lindsay Superbike Trophy event, reduced to four laps after an incident. It was John McGuinness who led in the early stages but Ryan was able to squeeze through at Mountside Hairpin on the third lap and hold on by just under a second for his first victory. Next up was the first leg of the Phil Mellor Supertwins Trophy and it was again tight as Ryan this time had to overcome the challenge of Ivan Lintin Overtaking him at the Memorial, Ryan began to pull away and, aided by a new lap record, he eventually took the chequered flag by 3.1s. His final race of the day was the first leg for the David Jefferies Trophy and although he had a three-second lead by the end of lap 3, regular rivals Michael and William Dunlop gradually began to reel him and the trio were soon nose to tail. However, Ryan was able to keep them at the bay and grab the win from William by 0.838s. Sunday saw the riders greeted by vastly different conditions, firstly fog and secondly rain, and so it was a wet race for the second leg of the Darran Lindsay Trophy. Again it was McGuinness who grabbed the holeshot and the TT legend led for three quarters of the race before Ryan was finally able to take over at the front. He duly did so on lap 6 to take the win and the trophy and it was a similar outcome of the second Supertwins race although this time he led the race from start to finish. In the feature Gold Cup race, Ryan’s chances of becoming the first ever Irish victor had never been better but it was no foregone conclusion and it was again a two-horse race between him and McGuinness. There was little to choose between the two but, just after half race distance, Ryan broke the tow and was able to pull away to finally add his name to the highly prestigious trophy. He completed his day with another start to finish victory in the second leg of the 600cc event to regain the David Jefferies Trophy. Indeed, it was a successful day all round for the KMR Kawasaki team with Jamie Hamilton taking third and fourth in the two Supertwins races, which included beating Ian Lougher, the most successful man ever at Scarborough, excellent results for the 20-year old on his circuit debut. Speaking afterwards, a delighted Ryan said: “To have a 100% winning record this weekend is absolutely brilliant and to finally win the Gold Cup is the icing on the cake. I’ve been 2nd and 3rd in the past and it’s been the one trophy to elude me here at Oliver’s Mount but to win it at last is great and to become the first Irishman to get my name on the trophy makes it even more special. None of the races this weekend were easy though and John pushed me hard in all of the Superbike races. It’s probably the best I’ve ever seen him ride round here and I really enjoyed our battles, he’s such a good rider to race with.” “Sunday was especially hard with the weather conditions and it was really slippery out there, especially under the trees, but we had the right tyres in each race and it all came together perfectly. Like I say to win 7 out of 7 is superb and it really doesn’t get much better than that. I was again really pleased with the efforts of Jamie this weekend too and it’s a pleasure to have him in the team. It wasn’t the easiest weekend for a circuit newcomer but he did a great job and to get on the podium, and ahead of Ian Lougher, is no mean achievement and something to be proud of.” “It’s the end of the season for me and, overall, it’s been a good year. There’ve been a few ups and downs along the way but we’ve taken some wins and been competitive so I can’t complain so a big thank you to all my sponsors and to all the fans who’ve supported me during the year.” More, from a press release issued by John McGuinness’ publicist: Success on the Mount for McGuinness John McGuinness ensured his annual visit to Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough was a successful one at the weekend when he took his Padgetts Honda to no less than three runner-up spots. The Morecambe Missile was instantly at home around the woodland circuit and was on the pace in both the wet and dry, pushing Northern Ireland’s Ryan Farquhar in each of their Superbike battles. After taking second in the earlier heat, John made a brilliant start in Saturday’s opening leg of the Darran Lindsay Superbike trophy race and led the field round at the end of the first of 8 laps. However, on lap 3 the red flag came out due to an incident and was eventually re-started over 4 laps. It was again a repeat performance from John when the lights turned green and he led Farquhar as they swept onto their second lap. Lapping close to a personal best lap around the undulating road circuit, John looked like he’d hold on for the win but Farquhar dived up the inside at Mountside Hairpin and he had to settle for second, just 0.9s adrift. Whilst Saturday’s conditions were perfect, Sunday’s were very different with fog hitting the seaside venue in the early morning and then rain showers occurring during the course of the afternoon. Again realising the importance of good starts for the narrow Oliver’s Mount circuit, John made the perfect getaway in the second leg of the Darran Lindsay Trophy event and it soon became a two-horse race between himself and Farquhar. At the end of four laps, there was just 0.7s between them but Farquhar was in determined mood and he took over the lead on lap 6 to again force John into accepting second. That just left the feature International Gold Cup race, one which John won back in 1999, and it followed a similar pattern as the previous two Superbike races only this time Farquhar grabbed the holeshot. John sat on his back wheel in the early stages but wet-weather specialist Farquhar wasn’t to be denied his first Gold Cup and so John took his third second place of the weekend, wheelying his way along the start and finish at the end of the 8 laps. Speaking later, a pleased John said; “It was 15 years ago that I made my debut at Scarborough and I enjoyed the 2011 event as much as I did the 1996 one. It’s such a good circuit to come and ride at and it was again great to see a big crowd so, hopefully, we’ve all put on a show for the fans. I was really pleased with my starts this weekend and really thought I had the better of Ryan on Saturday but he somehow did me on the brakes and there was no way back for me. I was as late as I possibly could be going into Mountside yet he still came by and he had his bike totally under control – it was 100% neat and tidy so fair play to him!” “Sunday was a lot harder due to the weather and it was certainly tricky in the Gold Cup race. I enjoyed it though even though half the circuit was bone dry and half of it was wet through! I had great feeling from the Padgetts Superstock bike and that allowed me to keep Ryan honest in all three of the races and I couldn’t have done anymore. To come away with three second places is very pleasing and it’s been a great weekend for both me and the team so we’re all going home happy.” John now heads back to the short circuits and France where he’ll be taking part in next weekend’s Le Mans 24-Hour World Endurance Championship race with his Honda TT Legends team. More, from a press release issued by John Simpson’s publicist: Successful Scarborough debut for Simpson British Supersport Cup Championship leader John Simpson spread his pure road racing wings a little bit further at the weekend when he competed in the International Gold Cup races at Scarborough and it proved to be a highly successful debut for the 20-year old. Having ridden, and won, at the Aberdare Park road races in July, the Antrim rider decided to pit his wits against the undulating Oliver’s Mount circuit and although the woodland venue proved to be more of a challenge, especially with inclement weather conditions, the Trickbits Racing rider more than showed his aptitude for the public roads above the Yorkshire town. Saturday’s race action saw good, dry conditions and Simpson got quicker in each and every outing and, after using the opening Superbike heat to gain more track time, he took 8th in the 600cc heat taking another two seconds off his lap times. The race itself, the first leg of the David Jefferies Cup, saw him finish in a solid 16th place, shaving a further 1.5s off his lap time and posting a new personal best of 1m53.942s. Sunday dawned totally different with mist and rain hitting the seaside venue and the Gold Cup ‘B’ Final saw arguably the worst of the conditions. However, Simpson acquitted himself brilliantly and gradually moved through the pack to claim an excellent second behind highly experienced roads campaigner Paul Shoesmith. He also set the fastest lap of the race. It was again wet for the second leg of the David Jefferies 600cc Cup and, having started 18th on the grid, John again overhauled people throughout the race. Indeed, 13th on lap 2, he soon climbed into the top ten and his efforts were rewarded with a superb 8th place, no mean effort on his circuit debut, whilst he also set the 7th fastest lap of the race. “After doing well at Aberdare, a lot of people said Scarborough was a similar place and that I’d go well there too so I thought I’d like to try it but when I got here I soon realised it would be a much different challenge! Aberdare is a very short lap and it’s relatively flat whilst Oliver’s Mount is quite a lot longer and very undulating with lots of elevation changes and with not a lot of practice, it was hard to learn the place.” “I just tried to build things up gradually, working out where my braking points were etc and it didn’t take long before I was really enjoying the place. Conditions obviously made it trickier but I was pleased with how I rode and I was lowering my times each time I went so it’s been a very enjoyable weekend. It was all about learning my way round this weekend with a view to coming back next year and having a good go so it’s been mission accomplished. I also wanted to stay out of trouble with two rounds of the British Championship left and the Supersport Cup means a lot to me so I’ll be looking to get it all wrapped up at Silverstone next weekend.” As well as competing in the two British Supersport races at Silverstone, Simpson will also be back out on the Splitlath Aprilia for the BSB races, having made an encouraging debut on the machine at Cadwell Park in August. More, from a press release issued by FTR MOTO: MORE PODIUM JOY FOR FTR MOTO AS CORSI TAKES THIRD IN ARAGON FTR MOTO returned to the podium in the Moto2 World Championship as Italian rider Simon Corsi took his second top three finish of the year in round 13 at Aragon, Spain on Sunday. Corsi battled through from 12th place on the grid on his Ioda Racing Project M211, setting the fastest lap of the race, to take the lead on lap nine and eventually cross the line in third place, just two seconds away from victory. “Simone did a great job this weekend,” said FTR’s Steve Bones. “He’s fifth in the Championship and I’d like to think we can try and help him towards at least challenging for third place.” Four of the FTR riders were involved in an incredible 13-man battle for fifth place with Anthony West eventually finishing 11th on the MZ-FTR, his team-mate Max Neukirchner took 13th, HP Tuenti Speed Up ace Pol Espargaro was 14th with Esteve Rabat narrowly missing out on World Championship points by just 0.5s in 16th place. American Kenny Noyes (FOGI/GP Tech M211) will continue his search for World Championship points in round 14 in Japan in two weeks after finishing 23rd at Aragon. The SAG Team’s Santiago Hernandez cross the finish line in 26th place at the end of the 21-lap race with Joan Olive on the Aeroport de Castello M211 28th and Speed Up’s French youngster Valentin Debise taking 29th. Luckless Mattia Pasini was forced to retire his Ioda Racing Project machine while Ratthapark Wilairot crashed on the ninth lap, escaping injury. Still injured from a Brno crash four weeks ago, Yonny Hernandez qualified in 28th place but opted not to start the race on his Blusens-STX M211. Bones continued: “Aragon proved a fantastic round for our most consistent performer of the year, Simone Corsi, while the four guys involved in the big fight for fifth place could so easily have finished higher and repeated some of our successes of earlier in the year when we had four or five riders in the top 10.” More, from a press release issued by HardNoX: HardNoX competed this weekend in Rounds 5 & 6 of the Calgary Motorcycle Roadracing Association Championship this weekend at Race City Motorsports Park inCalgary, AB, Canada. With the permanent closure of Race City this year, and championships on the line, it was the biggest weekend for the HardNoX crew ever. Saturday started off with Rob Darlington and Claude Bergeron in the Middleweight Sportbike class. As Rob has done all year he got out front early pulled away from the field, lead every lap and won the race; thus becoming the 2011 CMRA Middleweight Sportbike Champion. Claude ran his usual typical steady race to finish in the top ten. In Middleweight Superbike Rob continued his winning streak by leading the whole race and securing his second championship of the year. Next up was the dual Superbike races with Curtis Lindenbach and Rob. Curtis got off to a great start in race one and finished second; securing second place in the CMRA Superbike Championship. Rob unfortunately ran wide in turn 5 and crashed putting him out for the rest of the day. Sunday dawned clear and cool. Typical for a Calgary fall day, and perfect for racing. With a rebuilt motorcycle Rob was ready to get back on the horse for the Middleweight Sportbike race. Without any practice time on the repaired bike, Rob took it cool running to a third place finish. Claude fought hard to the end for a top 10 again. After lunch things were back up to par. In the Middleweight Superbike race Rob was battling hard with Craig Hubley of Redline Motorsports and Brad Gavey, when Craig crashed heavily in turn 6 almost collecting Rob. The next few laps saw Rob defending the lead from a hard charging Brad but a lapped rider would get between them giving Rob the opportunity to win the final middleweight superbike race held at Race City. With all the HardNoX championship standings secured; the last Superbike races to ever be held at Race City was a time to enjoy racing and have fun. Superbike race 1 was a bit of a challenge for Curtis as his tires were not working well. He experienced a couple of slips ending up 6th while Rob powered to a 5th place finish. Superbike race 2 was a more typical run for the HardNoX crew. Curtis ran strong to a third place finish with Rob ending up in the top 5 again. This season has been the most successful one for HardNoX and with the closure of Race City it is the end of an era for HardNoX and the Calgary motorcycling community. The HardNoX team would like to thank all of its sponsors, friends and supporters over the years for a wonderful time. We hope we provided you a fun and exciting time. HardNoX wishes to thank its supporters; HardNoX Track Dayz, Emphasize Design Redline Motorsports, Diamond Valley Clothing Company, Spy Designs, Too Cool Motorcycle School, Acceleration Racing, HEL brake lines, Vass Performance, and DeWalt Canada. More, from a press release issued by Aprilia: The first title awarded in the 2011 World Motorcycle GP Championship season is Italian. Aprilia takes the Manufacturer title in the 125 class. This is the 46th World Title for the Veneto-based manufacturer. With the victory taken today by Nico Terol on the Spanish track at Aragon, Aprilia mathematically wins the Manufacturer World Title in the 125 class. In the thirteenth round of the 125 class World Championship Motorcycle GP Spaniard Terol rode his Aprilia RSA to victory, enjoying his eighth personal success this season, strengthening his hold on the Rider standings and bringing home the World Championship Title to Aprilia, Piaggio Group’s sport brand, with four races still left to go in the championship. In fact, now Aprilia has 325 points in the Manufacturer standings with an astonishing 111 point lead over Derbi (another brand in the Piaggio Group) which is currently ranked second. This is a gap which cannot be bridged in the remaining four races. With this win Aprilia strengthens its record as the most victorious Italian and European manufacturer out of all those active in MotoGP with 291 Grand Prix races won (148 in 125 and 143 in 250) and 37 championship titles (19 manufacturer titles and 18 rider titles). Aprilia now has a total of 46 World Championships in their trophy case. In addition to the 37 MotoGP titles, there are 7 Off Road titles and 2 Superbike titles in the collection. In fact, Aprilia is the reigning World SBK Champion, having won both the Rider title with Max Biaggi and the Manufacturer title in 2010. The Italian bike’s triumph in the 125 class is a classic example of the attention which Aprilia has always dedicated to the youngest MotoGP class, providing a true school of champions which, in more than 20 years of victory, has trained all of the stars at the top of the motorcycle sport at the highest level. Champions such as Jorge Lorenzo, Valentino Rossi, Casey Stoner, Max Biaggi, Loris Capirossi, Marco Simoncelli, Manuel Poggiali and Marco Melandri have raced and learned to win on the Italian bikes. More, from a press release issued by Boulder Motor Sports: Boulder Motor Sports’ Shane Turpin Wraps up the MRA #1 Plate at PPIR- Boulder, Colorado, September 19th, 2011 – Boulder Motor Sports rider Shane “Tornado” Turpin wrapped up the #1 plate on the teams Ducati 1198R with a win in the premier “Race of the Rockies” Superbike class at Pikes Peak International Raceway during the final round of the 2011 MRA season. The weekend started off with mixed weather conditions for Fridays practice, but quickly turned sunny with temps in the mid-70’s for Saturday and Sunday’s racing. During Saturday’s practice sessions the team made some minor changes to the bike, based off of rider feedback and verifying the data. By Sunday, the track temps had increased by 20 degrees, which altered the team’s setup slightly, but still, put them at the front of the time sheets. During qualifying Turpin was able to put together a few good laps that positioned him 2nd on the grid just two tenth’s of Pole sitter Dalton Dimick on his BMW. As the lights went out, Dimick jumped out to an early lead on his BMW with Turpin close in pursuit. On lap four Turpin was able to out brake Dimick going into turn 3 to take the lead. By half race distance Turpin and Dimick were separated by only two tenth’s looking to setup a great battle to the end. Unfortunately, on lap 16 Dimick was forced to retire with bike troubles, thus easily handing the win to Turpin and the Boulder Motor Sports Team. Shane Turpin “WOW, what can I say? This season has been absolutely perfect and today we managed to bring home the #1 plate. It’s a true testament to my Boulder Motor Sports team; they put together a great package all season, which enabled us to put a Ducati at the top of the championship, something that has never been accomplished since the MRA started racing in 1973. Today’s race was a real thrill, having the chance to race bar to bar with Dalton on his BMW was awesome. With the slightly higher temperatures today, we made a few small changes to get the bike to drive off the corner better, coupled with the Michelin tires and Nemesis Traction Control system, we managed to pull off another win. As I’ve said all year, I’d like to thank my team, our sponsors and the entire MRA officials for an outstanding 2011 season.” In addition to the #1 plate in the Race of the Rockies, the team also brought home championships in Open Superbike, Middleweight Superbike and Heavyweight Superbike. About Boulder Motor Sports: Boulder Motor Sports is a Ducati-specific service shop specializing in high-performance upgrades along with routine service needs designed to make the Ducati motorcycle riding experience the best for their owners. For more information about Boulder Motor Sports and upcoming events please visit www.bouldermotorsports.com Boulder Motor Sports is proudly sponsored by Snap-On Tools, Michelin Tires, Vanmar Racing, Walnut Room, Honey Badger Racing, Tri-City Cycle, Imperial Sportbikes, Nemesis Traction Control Systems, Pierobon, Motul Lubricants, EBC Brakes, Metal-Tech Racing Components, Performance Technology Levers, Intermountain Race Fuels, Corsa Components, Arai Helmets, TCX Boots and Spy Optics.