NG Road Racing Hits Cadwell Park with Thrilling Action
May 22, 2024
The NG Road Racing Championship made its way to Cadwell Park for the next three rounds, hoping to escape the unforgiving weather of Oulton Park. The local circuit always attracts a strong contingent of fast riders, and with Craig Neve and Phil Crowe tuning up for the TT, the competition was fierce.
IMS National 600 and HM Racing Clubman 600
In the qualifying session, a sudden rain shower forced a brief halt, but Ricky Elder ultimately secured pole position in the damp conditions. As the track dried out for Race 1, local experts Will Leaning and Daniel Frear pushed their way to the front, eventually demoting Elder to third. Frear took the win with an 8.5-second gap over Leaning, while Elder finished 0.5 seconds behind in fourth.
In Race 2, Frear stalled on the grid, but rapidly regained the lead, with Leaning hot on his heels. The gap at the flag was 6.5 seconds, and Elder finished another 3 seconds back. The Clubman class saw Micky Rees take the win, ahead of Will Fowler and Harry Hinchcliffe.
Phoenix Open
The Phoenix Open category was highly anticipated, with Phil Crowe, Craig Neve, Joe Thompson, and former NG Champion Max Symonds aiming to challenge series leader George Edwards. Crowe set the pace in qualifying with a 1:30:081, edging out Neve’s 1:30.513. In Race 1, Crowe and Neve battled fiercely, but Edwards finished third despite a 10-second penalty for a jump start. Neve eventually took the lap record down to 1:29.203 but finished second to Crowe.
In Race 2, Neve powered past Crowe to take the lead, but Crowe slowly chipped away at the gap to finish just 0.468 of a second behind. Edwards trailed 8 seconds back in third. Neve withdrew from Race 3, leaving Crowe and Edwards to fight for the win. Crowe took the victory, with Edwards finishing 7.5 seconds adrift.
Love Life and Ride PI 1300
The Love Life and Ride PI 1300 category saw a clean sweep for Cambridge rider David Abraham, who took three wins and three fastest laps.
RE Performance Powerbike & NL Motor Services Sound of Thunder
The RE Performance Powerbike & NL Motor Services Sound of Thunder class had a familiar look, with Neve, Crowe, and Edwards the fastest three in qualifying. Neve took the win in Race 1, ahead of Crowe by 0.362 seconds. Edwards finished 7 seconds back in third.
In Race 2, Neve again took the win, this time by 1.165 seconds over Crowe, with Edwards finishing third once more. Charlie White took Sound of Thunder honors ahead of Stephen Parsons and Finn Smart Weedon. In Race 3, Neve and Crowe opted to conserve their energy, leaving Edwards to take the win comfortably ahead of Symonds and Max Hardy.
Championship Standings
Edwards now leads both the Phoenix Open and RE Performance Powerbike classes by 30 points. The T W Tech Suspension Mini twins saw a dominant performance from 2023 champion Joe Woodward, while the JCR Open 500 class was won by Andrew Taylor on his CB500T. The JCR Supertwins class saw Finn Smart Weedon and Chase Collymore trade places for twins points.
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