OXFORD TAG TRIUMPH DOMINATE AT OULTON PARK

Pole position and a hard earned race win were just rewards for the Oxford Tag Triumph team following extensive development to improve the Triumph Daytona 675 race machines, successfully keeping the British marque ahead of the competition.

With new, lighter fairings and various revisions to the engine, from the first practice session to the last lap of the race, the Daytona 675Rs of Billy McConnell and Paul Young proved once more that they had the pace to take top honours.

With variable weather conditions, qualifying came down to strategy and with just a few laps to make the best of a narrow drying line, both Billy and Youngy demonstrated just why they are both fighting for a top three position in the championship with a display of accuracy and bravery that saw them end the session first and second respectively, with the ever-improving Christian Iddon less than a second behind Youngy on the second row of the grid.

The weather improved throughout Saturday afternoon and the scene was set for a thriller of a race with the front two rows covered by just two seconds.

McConnell and Youngy both made great starts, the pair swapping positions before a decisive move by McConnell in his bid to make a break from the determined duo of Seeley and Wilson forced Youngy wide at Shell Oils hairpin and back to fifth during the closing stages of the race.

In a race that has been described by commentators and racers alike as arguably the most exciting of the season, in any class, McConnell’s skill and bravery was rewarded with his second win of the season as he swept round the outside of Wilson at Lodge on the last lap before slicing underneath Seeley through Deer’s leap to take the win by a wheel while team-mate Youngy dug in to get back past Warren, narrowly missing out on the podium to take fourth.

These excellent results for the Oxford Tag Triumph team now see McConnell third and Young fourth in the championship with Winfield back up to third in the Cup championship and with every chance of challenging for the title.

Billy McConnell #75

“I couldn’t really ask for anything for more. We got the new spec bikes for this meeting with less weight and a little more power and we were top two all weekend in every session, finishing up with pole position for the race which was just awesome.

”It was one of the best races I’ve been in for a very long time. I’m really happy with getting back to third in the championship and while it’s a shame we didn’t get a second race the organisers made the right call – no-one wants to race in those conditions. Brands GP should be great for us, it’s a circuit that I enjoy so I can’t see why we can’t go for more wins.”