THREE OF A KIND FOR OXFORD TAG TRIUMPH

Throughout Friday and Saturday, heavy rain and blustery winds made the undulating Scottish track a real challenge.

All four riders worked hard throughout practice and qualifying to find a setting to suit the conditions, with Christian Iddon, Billy McConnell, Paul Young and Shaun Winfield qualifying 15th, 17th, 18th and 27th respectively.

While qualifying was disappointing, Saturday’s rain-lashed race showed that both McConnell and Iddon had taken a step forward, finishing 9th and 10th while Youngy was forced to pit to change helmets after a rare fogging issue with his visor left him unable to continue.

Sunday saw an improvement in both the weather and the team’s fortune. With the rain coming and going in light showers, the track had a chance to dry and throughout morning warm-up, all three main championship riders set good times while Cup campaigner, Winfield was forced to sit out the session due to an electrical problem that had been caused by his crash but had gone undetected until minutes from the start of the session.

Having posted the fifth fastest time in race one, Iddon made full use of his elevated grid position for race two with a flawless start to slot straight into the leading pack.

At the other end of the race following a bizarre fuel line problem that was swiftly dealt with by his mechanic, Lee ‘Roscoe ‘P’ Coltrane’ Machin in pit lane, McConnell was forced to start at the back of the grid alongside team-mate, Winfield with Youngy just two rows ahead.

While Iddon was dicing for the podium, both McConnell and Youngy began the task of tearing through the pack, the latter enjoying more success calmly picking his way through the pack to finish in an incredible fifth place from 22nd on the grid while McConnell sliced past no less then twelve riders on the opening lap, only to make a couple of mistakes and drop back down the order to finish 13th. Winfield just missed out on a top 20 finish to take 5th in Cup, scoring more useful points to add to his tally.

A mixed weekend, but one that saw Oxford Tag Triumph take another step forward with McConnell and Young on equal points and now just two points adrift of third place in the championship, Iddon proving his potential and planting himself firmly on the scoreboard with Winfield now a very strong fifth in the Cup Championship and only a handful points away from the lead.

Rob Winfield, Oxford Tag Triumph Team Principal

“A weekend that up until the last race hadn’t been too enjoyable in all honesty but the team worked hard in very difficult conditions and the riders stayed focused and positive throughout.
It’s great to see Christian get on the podium and prove that he’s got what it takes to run at the front of this championship – and with all three of our main championship riders having now been on the podium it shows that we’re a real force to be reckoned with.

”Youngy never fails to impress with his commitment and determination and while Billy didn’t have his best weekend, he kept his head and scored points. Shaun was a little unlucky with two crashes and no time to test in the dry before the second race, but it’s all part of his learning curve and it will only strengthen his experience.

”We’re all looking forward to Race of the Year at Mallory this coming weekend before we head off to Snetterton in a fortnight’s time – and hopefully some proper summer weather at last!”