SOLID POINTS FOR OXFORD TAG TRIUMPH

With a completely new circuit layout to master at the notoriously fast Snetterton circuit, Oxford Tag Triumph arrived determined to strengthen their position in the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship.

Friday’s practice sessions went well, with Billy McConnell ending the first session third fastest with seventeen-year-old Shaun Winfield topping the timesheets for the Cup entrants.

Paul Young and Christian Iddon improved on their times in the second session and really upped the pace in qualifying with McConnell 5th, Youngy 8th, Iddon 11th and Winfield 21st and a close 3rd in Cup.

Throughout the weekend, various changes were made to the Daytona 675 machines with the work centering on achieving a good feeling from the front end of the bike. Gearing was another area that had created a headache for the technicians and data engineers – the varying corners of the cleverly designed new circuit layout making it difficult to achieve a perfect gearing set-up.

Race one saw McConnell and Youngy get away well with the leading pack before slipping down the order as tyre wear became issue, each rider doing well to maintain their qualifying positions and finish 5th, 8th and 11th respectively. Winfield was unfortunate to suffer with clutch slip and retired from the race on lap seven while fighting for the lead with John Simpson.

More changes were made following a little experimentation with gearing and suspension set-up, some working a little better than others. McConnell had been running in fourth place dicing with Sam Warren but, pushing the front just a little too hard into the Montreal hairpin, came off and remounted to finish in 13th.

Youngy kept his composure throughout the race to cross the line in ninth place scoring valuable championship points, while Iddon suffered the same front end woes as his team mate, losing the front and crashing while pushing hard at Corams, forcing the likeable Derbyshire rider out of the race but thankfully without injury.

Rob Winfield, Oxford Tag Triumph Team Principal

“It’s been a difficult weekend, really. Everyone has been trying different things to find the ideal set-up and it seems we haven’t got it right this meeting, despite our very best efforts.
We’ve got a fortnight until Oulton Park to improve the package and we’ll be seeking out a few more horsepower to make sure we can remain competitive with the four-cylinder Japanese bikes.

”Billy and Youngy are within a point of each other and within a point of third in the championship so we’re still in with a shout. Christian’s been unfortunate to crash and Shaun’s now got quite a challenge on his hands to bridge the gap back to the front of the Cup Championship – but there’s still 12 races left so plenty to play for. The next few circuits should really suit our bike, so I’m sure we’re ready for a good run and the chance to get back on the top step of both podiums.”