I headed to Brands knowing it was imperative to finish the season in style, and score a good result.
 
FP1 went ok. I had a new bike as my number 1 bike was destroyed at Silverstone so I spent the session getting up to speed and getting the bike dialled in. I ended the session 8th which was ok.
 
FP2 was slightly better. I managed to go 0.5 faster but stayed 8th. I felt I had the consistency for a good race, but just couldn’t find that little bit for a one off lap. We made a few changes with the chassis for saturday qualifying.
 
Q1 was damp and I ended up 5th which was good. I did not push that hard knowing the afternoon qualifying would be the important one.
 
Q2 would be very important, and I needed to be on the front two rows. Initially I felt really good, setting very consistent times and been in the top 5 for the first 20 minutes. As I came out the pits with new rubber I did 2 laps before the engine let go my session was over. I was very frustrated as I had no spare bike, or engine and I dropped down to 14th which was gutting. It looked doubtful I would be able to take my place on the grid but my two mechanics and Alan did a fantastic job of building a engine with what they had available and we were ready to go.
 
Warm up was a nightmare. I had no quickshifter then I had a problem with the ecu cutting out. We managed to get it sorted and ended up 9th, after only doing one lap.
 
I was very very motivated for the race. There was no way I was going to finish the season with a poor result. I was very relaxed and confident and decided I would push to the maximum but not take any silly risks. As the lights went out I got a fantastic start and ended lap 1 9th, then lap 2 8th. I knew I had done the hard work, but I still had no quickshifter and it took me a few laps to learn how to get the best out of the package.

I closed down on Lowry, Cooper, Martin and Frost, before setting about making my way through. The race was not so much about speed, it was aggression and who wanted it the most. I passed Martin and Lowry, before having a battle with Cooper which I eventually came out on top of. I sat behind Rob frost looking for a way by when with 8 laps to go I realised there was oil everywhere, coming out the casings onto my foot, leg and footrests. I blocked it out and took the risks, eventually passing frost into paddock and tried to maintain 4th which I did. To finish 4th was fantastic after the weekend and the circumstances. I rode with my heart, as it was very important to get a result, especially considering what had gone on.
 
I feel that was probably the best race so far. I rode the wheels off the bike, and no one was going to beat me in a out and out battle. I did close another 6 points on Lowry and got the gap down to ten points to 3rd. I have finished every race for the past two seasons, which is an incredible achievement, and am one of only two riders to have scored points in every round this year, Glen been the other. It has been a great two years, I have learnt a lot, and am ready to challenge for the British Supersport Championship in 2009. It is always sad to be leaving a team, but it is now time to move on, and I look forward to racing against Centurion Racing in the future and I wish them all the best.
 
I would like to say well done to Glen Richards for winning the championship. He has been a class act and someone we can all look up to and learn off. Also well done to Dan for his best race in Supersport at Brands this season and last. 

Finally I would like to say a big thank you to Centurion, Paul and Gary. To Barbara thank you for the support it means a lot. To Alan for building great bikes, it’s been an absolute pleasure and I will miss working with you. Kev and Spence from Wp. Mike from Data Spares, and Finally my mechanics my dad and Sim.

I have always had a lot of success at Silverstone over the past few years, so I headed into Friday’s free practice full of confidence looking for a good result come sunday.
 
The first session was not very clever. It had been 18 months since I had last been and it took a while to get back dialled in and up to speed. I managed to finish 8th which I was happy enough with but we were struggling in certain sections of the track and needed to make some changes.
 
In the afternoon session, the bike was a lot better straight away and after only 5 laps I was very happy with how it was going and the changes we had made. I swapped to my number 2 bike and did 3 laps on that as it has been a while since I have rode it, but Im not a big fan of it in the dry, and I can never really get comfortable on it. With 20 minutes to go I was back on my number 1 bike and pushing hard when I lost the front through Maggotts, at about 120mph. It was a massive crash and the bike destroyed itself, cart-wheeling end over end, luckily I was fine and run back for my spare bike. I finished the session 6th which was okay considering I had only done a handful of laps.
 
After Friday’s crash I was down to just one bike, which had my best engine in and I knew I needed to qualify well. I struggled in the first session, mainly for confidence, not wanting to do anything silly and risk another crash. I ended up 10th which was disappointing, but looking forward to the afternoon.
 
Q2 was a lot better. I was consistently in the 29’s and felt back to my old self. I did however have a small vibration which was bothering me which I had to block out as both tyres had spun on the rims. On my fast lap I caught traffic and lost 0.4 which would have put me 4th and on the front row. I ended up 10th but I knew I was going to be strong come race day.
 
Warm up went well, I did a 29.6 after 2 laps, only a few tenths slower than I qualified. I was 4th.
 
As the race approached I was very calm and focused. I got a good start and got stuck in on the first lap going from 10th to 8th, then at the start of the 2nd lap I passed Joe Dickinson, then Alastair Seeley at Bridge. The safety car came out after 2 laps and I was 6th, on the back of the front group. On Lap 5 the race got back underway and I tried my upmost to stay on the front pack but I was loosing about 2-3 tenths per lap and they edged away. I set my fastest ever lap of Silverstone in the race, 29.1. I inherited 5th when Rob Frost crashed at the complex. I kept very consistent in the 29’s and managed to hold off Lowry on the final lap. I actually closed the gap to Plater and Glen on the final few laps.
 
I was very happy with the result of the weekend. It was a difficult weekend one way or another, and it could have been easy to have a 10th or 12th but we dug deep when we looked in trouble and produced the goods come race day. I was the top Honda in the race which is important too. We have closed the gap on Lowry in the championship to 3rd, so while it is possible I will keep on fighting. The good thing is 4th place is the worst we can do, so that in itself is a great achievement.

I would like to say thanks to Centurion, and a massive thank you to my mechanics my Dad and Sim, and Alan who all worked very hard to get me out on the very best package. We now head to Brands, which is one of my favourite tracks and the final race of the season, where it would be nice to round things off back on the podium.

Cheers

Westy #27

It was another solid weekend for the Centurion racing team at round 11 of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Circuit at Silverstone Circuit. James Westmoreland gained a strong fifth place and Dan Cooper a healthy eighth.
 
After a dramatic free practice crash on Friday, James Westmoreland walked away unscathed but his number one bike was written off and therefore he had to ride his number two bike, which he has not ridden much all season. Finding a good setting in the two qualifying sessions was the key but the 20-year-old from Hull could only gain 10th position on the grid.
 
Team-mate, 21-year-old Dan Cooper was having an exceptional weekend and set the third fastest time in the first qualifying session on Saturday morning. Dropping back to sixth in the second session the youngster secured his best qualifying position to date in the Supersport class.
 
Westy gained a good start and made two positions up by the end of the opening lap, Cooper got boxed into the first corner and fell back through the field. An incident on the second lap saw the safety car deployed for two laps, the race fully got underway on lap five and the riders were eager to secure two good results.
 
Westy worked hard to get through the pack and was locked in a tight battle with Championship rivals Ian Lowry and Chris Martin. Riding consistently fast he was able to fend off the attacks from the chasing riders and secure a fantastic fifth place. Cooper was struggling with injuries to his elbows but still battled through to eighth.
 
Westy commented “I’m pretty happy with the position that I got at Silverstone, despite the big crash that I had on Friday and having to ride my spare bike. I just dug deep and wanted to get a good result and I managed to get fifth which I’m pleased with. I’ve closed in more points on Ian Lowry for third in the Championship so I have to try and pull something out of the bag at the last round at Brands.

James Westmoreland took another fantastic podium today for the Centurion Racing team at round ten of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship at Croft circuit. The 20-year-old from Hull secured a brilliant second place in an epic race, where his main Championship rival Ian Lowry crashed out in the closing stages of the re-started race. Dan Cooper gained a solid 15th position.
 
James ‘Westy’ Westmoreland qualified in a good second place after being top of the qualifying table for the majority of the second dry qualifying session. Dan Cooper rode well throughout the weekend and put the Centurion Honda in 10th place on the grid for the 18-lap scheduled race.
 
Westy gained a good start and was in fourth place at the end of the opening lap with Cooper in 13th place. On lap six the race was red flagged after Ashley Beech crashed out into turn one and the race was cut short and re-started as a 10-lap sprint. On the re-start Westy was third at the end of the opening lap and Cooper in 14th position.
 
Westy was hunting down Lowry on the Suzuki, when the Irishman tucked the front going into the complex section, taking evasive action; Westy swerved to miss Lowry and was soon trying to hunt down race leader Richards. The youngster was unable to get the better of the very experienced Richards and he took a stunning second place result for the Centurion team, also moving him 16-points adrift of third place in the Championship.
 
An extremely happy Westmoreland said “I’m so happy with the result that I got today. The Centurion Honda was brilliant throughout the weekend and I managed to get everything out of it that I needed to. Glen rode brilliantly and all credit goes to him, I’ve managed to close down on Lowry in the Championship standings and the gap is now 16-points and we have two rounds to go. I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me and the entire Centurion Honda team for all their help. I hope we can end the season on a high note at Silverstone and Brands.”
 
A disheartened Cooper said “I’m really disappointed with the result that I got today and I was hoping to be higher up in the race. I was doing ok in the initial part of the race and then on the restart I got blocked into the first turn and had to make up a lot of ground. I had a problem with my number one bike in warm up and had to go out on the spare bike, which I’ve never ridden in the dry before, it’s really down on power so I’m pleased I managed to get into the top 15. I’m still having a few problems with my shoulder, which I should be getting operated on at the end of the season. I’m just gutted that I didn’t finish with a top ten result but hopefully things will improve at the last two rounds.”
  
2008 Races
 
Round 11 -      26th - 28th September, Silverstone, Northants
Round 12 -      10th - 12th October, Brands Hatch, Kent

I headed to Cadwell full of confidence after a great result at Knockhill. I was really looking forward to my home round and looking for another podium in front of my friends and family.
 
FP1 was not a great way to start the weekend. We tried some new front forks and rear shock and despite many changes during the session I could not get happy with the new set up and it showed in the lap time and result. I was only 14th.
 
FP2 was not much better. We went back to what we knew with the old suspension and I was still bizarrely struggling. It was not like me as I am normally fast out of the blocks but something wasn’t right and I had no confidence with the front of the bike and I was really fighting it. I was pretty upset again to be 14th.
 
Q1 was wet and it was like starting with a clean slate. I was looking forward to a good session and been back up the front. After only 15 minutes or so I got black flagged when the engine was smoking and I had to ride my number 1 bike which I like to keep as my dry bike. I did reasonably well as there was only ten minutes of the session remaining and I ended up 15th but it was not what I was hoping for. I had the same problems in the wet as I did in the dry, which set alarm bells ringing and we finally found the problem we had chased all weekend, which was frustrating to say the least!!
 
Q2 was dry and straight away the bike felt a lot better. I kept chipping away throughout the session but it was difficult as I was two good sessions behind everyone else. I was running in the top 6 but ended up 9th. I got traffic on my last lap which was my fastest which was disappointing. I was only 0.8 off pole which was good and 0.2 could have put me 5th.  It was certainly going to make my race hard work!
 
Warm up went ok, we changed the set up slightly but track conditions were quite different to qualifying. I was happy enough and ended up 9th. We seemed to be struggling for rear grip slightly.
 
I knew I had to get a good start and get away with the front group. I got a really good start and went into turn 1 6th and was 5th by Park corner. Unfortunately the red flags came out after a incident at Charlies. At the restart I again made a good start but was still 9th into turn 1, and ended the first lap 8th. I really attacked the riders in front of me passing Chris Martin and Steve Brogan, and chasing down Paul Young. I passed Youngy around half race distance and he sat with me and came back by with two to go. I put a good move on him into park then rode a defensive last lap or so to finish 5th which I was made up with after a difficult weekend. It doesn’t sound fantastic after my previous 2nd and 3rd, but on a difficult weekend we dug deep and came away with good solid points. We have closed in slightly on Lowry in the championship and pulled away from Chris Martin and Brogie, so it was not too bad. I was happy as I made a really good first few laps, which is where I have struggled over the past few races. I’m looking forward to Croft, I am aiming to qualify on the front row, and I will be going after my debut win at my 2nd home race! There are only 3 to go and I need a win of the board before the year is out.
 
I would just like to thank the whole Centurion team, and my mechanics who have worked overtime this weekend to make sure we had the best possible chance of a good result. See you all at Croft
 
James

It was a very successful weekend for the Centurion Racing Team at round nine of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship at Cadwell Park. The two regular Centurion Riders James Westmoreland and Dan Cooper were joined this weekend by Tommy Bridewell. All three riders secured strong top 15 positions in the 14-lap races, Westmoreland gained a positive fifth place, Bridewell in 10th and an injured Cooper in 14th place.
 
James Westmoreland had been struggling throughout the weekend with bike set up and a few technical problems during practice, which saw him lose out on vital track time. The youngster from Hull could only qualify in ninth position but he was eager to gain a good start and battle with the front runners. A great start saw Westy lying in fifth place into the first corner, the race was soon red flagged after an incident on the opening lap.
 
After a short delay the race was cut short to 14 laps, Westy did not gain a great start and was in eighth place after the first lap, working hard and digging deep he managed to get passed Chris Martin and Steve Brogan, he was then locked in a tight battle to the finish with Triumph rider Paul Young.
 
Commenting he said “I’m really happy with my results as I raced well after a difficult weekend with set up problems. Cadwell is not a track that suits me and my riding style all that well, so fifth on a bad weekend is good and I’ve managed to close in on Lowry in the Championship and pulled a gap on Martin and Brogan so I’m pretty pleased. Thanks again to all the Centurion team.”
 
Tommy Bridewell became a welcomed member to the Centurion Racing team, despite very little time on the Honda 600 and still recovering from a badly broken leg, Bridewell rode extremely well over the weekend to gain a solid tenth place in the race. As Bridewell battled to get to grips with the Centurion bike around the very difficult Cadwell track his times were consistently improving and a big effort in second qualifying saw him qualify in tenth place, just behind Westmoreland.
 
Riding on the one off CJ Riders Fund number ‘9′ machine Bridewell was boxed into the first corner off the start but still managed to gain a place by the end of the first lap. He then became locked in one of the closest battles of the race in a four man scrap for eighth position with regular front runners Ian Lowry, Chris Martin and Steve Brogan. Getting the better of Brogan and only being 0.2 behind Martin at the chequered flag, young Bridewell rode an exceptional race.
 
Speaking with him “I’m really grateful to the Centurion Team for giving me this opportunity. It was a hard weekend and a difficult track to learn everything all at once, I had to dig deep during qualifying if I was going to get a good grid position. The race was tricky but I really enjoyed it and I was having a good dice with the others. My leg was getting quite sore towards the end of the race but I’m pretty pleased with where I finished.”
 
Dan Cooper was also riding injured and after dislocating his shoulder at Knockhill two weeks ago he was eager to prove he could ride and finish in a good position. He gained 14th place and two points in the overall standings. Fighting through the pain Cooper was adamant that he wanted to ride at the physical track after missing out last year with the same injury.  
 
He said “I knew this weekend was going to be difficult and it was a battle with the time to try and get fit for it. My shoulder is still giving me some grief and there were times I thought about not riding. Cadwell is such a physical circuit and although I was injured I really wanted to ride there as it’s also a great track. I had a couple of problems with the bike during practice but once we sorted them, my aim was just to get some points during the race. It’s definitely put pressure on my shoulder and I know the best thing for me will be to get the operation on it at the end of the year. I’m looking forward to the last three races of the year and hope I’ll be fully fit for them all.”
 
 
2008 Races
 
Round 10 -     12th - 14th September - Croft, North Yorkshire
Round 11 -      26th - 28th September, Silverstone, Northants
Round 12 -      10th - 12th October, Brands Hatch, Kent

Check the antics from the CJ Rider Fund’s cycle race at Cadwell Park.  Where nearly 300 competitors for the Cycle Race and the majority been dressed up in various attire, out on the track were spotted Scooby Doo, two smurfs, Superman, various men in the CJ Lycra suits, the Stig, Wonder Woman (man!!), plus the Centurion Chariots, also riders such as Steve Plater, James Haydon, Dan Cooper, Tommy Bridewell, James Westmoreland, Nicole McAteer, Peter Hickman, Chris Martin, Ben Wilson and eventual winner Cal Crutchlow all managed to compete in some shape or form, some, Cal taking it more seriously than others!

Competitors go mad at Cadwell - view the footage

James Westmoreland secured his best result ever this weekend at the tiny Scottish circuit, Knockhill, at round eight of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport series, where he gained a fantastic second place.

20-year-old James ‘Westy’ Westmoreland was riding exceedingly well throughout the weekend and was the fastest rider in the two dry practice sessions on Friday. However during the wet qualifying on sessions on Saturday, Westy dropped to sixth in the first qualifying session but finally moved through the second in the combined qualifying, his first front row start.
 
Westy gained a superb start and was leading into the first corner, by lap four he had fallen to fourth behind Ian Lowry, Glen Richards and James Webb. He soon regained his form and dug deep and passed James Webb into the Hairpin on lap sixth and was hunting down Richards, once again making his move at the Hairpin for second. Lowry had already bridged a big gap and although Westy was setting fast lap times he was unable to catch the Irishman before the race was cut short and red flagged due to rain on lap 22.
 
A delighted Westy said “I’m really happy with the result today. I was happy with the start that I gained but I was a bit cautious on the first few laps as it had been a while since I’d led a race, after I calmed down and got into a rhythm, I managed to pass James (Webb) and Glen (Richards). I’m really pleased with the result and would like to thank all the Centurion team for working so hard. I would also like to pass my condolences to the family and friends of Craig Jones.”

Unfortunately for team-mate Dan Cooper, after crashing out on Friday morning, Dan dislocated his right shoulder and knocked himself out ruling him out of the race this weekend. A phone call to European Superstock 600 rider, 20-year-old Dan Linfoot and Linfoot was soon driving to Knockhill to replace the injured Cooper and gained a solid 13th place on his first outing on the Honda 600.
 
Race Result
 
Ian Lowry                              Suzuki
James Westmoreland            Centurion Racing Honda
Glen Richards                       Triumph
13th Dan Linfoot                  Centurion Racing Honda
 
James Westmoreland is now lying in fourth place in the Championship.
 
-END-
 

2008 Races

Round 9 -        23rd - 25th August - Cadwell Park, Lincs

Round 10 -      12th - 14th September - Croft, North Yorkshire

Round 11 -      26th - 28th September, Silverstone, Northants

Round 12 -      10th - 12th October - Brands Hatch Indy, Kent

It was another solid weekend for the Centurion Racing team at round seven of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship at Oulton Park. The two riders James Westmoreland and Dan Cooper once again scored two healthy top ten finishes with a sixth and seventh place respectively.

James Westmoreland had been running in a good position throughout the weekend despite the inconsistent weather conditions, which played havoc through all the practice and qualifying sessions. He was looking all set for a front row start in the final qualifying session and was just bettered by Ian Lowry and Glen Richards in the closing stages, qualifying in fifth position the youngster was eager for a good result.

Dan Cooper had been riding a new bike all weekend and was trying to adjust to the new machine and find a comfortable set up for the 16-lap race. Struggling through all the sessions Cooper could only manage to qualify in 18th position on the grid.

As they sat on the grid it was confirmed that Marty Nutt would take no further part in the race and Honda’s Steve Brogan went out of the race on the opening lap. Both Centurion riders got good starts with Westy lying in sixth at the end of the opening lap and Cooper making an incredible lunge through the pack and was already sitting in 12th position.

Westy was battling with Rob Frost in the early stages of the race and was soon chasing down James Webb who he was unable to make a move on and had to settle for sixth position overall. Cooper was picking off riders on every lap and was surging through the fierce field. He made strong passes on Ben Wylie, Sam Owens and Ian Hutchinson and was left fighting with the wild Rob Frost. Cautiously making a move on him on the penultimate lap to secure him a very strong seventh place and equalling his best result of the season so far.

Westy commented “I’m pretty pleased with the result I got today is more solid Championship points in the bag. I’m disappointed that I couldn’t get away with the front runners and put up more of a fight but I still got sixth so can’t complain too much. I got stuck behind James Webb and was struggling to find a good safe place to pass him. I’m looking forward to Knockhill in a couple of week’s time.”

Cooper added “It was a whole new experience for me this weekend, as I had a new bike, which I love but it took a little getting used to and setting up. My mechanics worked really hard through the weekend and by the time the race came I was feeling pretty confident. I rode a very hard and solid race and I knew I could do ok if I got a good start, thankfully I did and worked my way through the pack. I just need to work on my qualifying position now as if I get that sorted the results will be a bit easier to obtain.”

2008 Races

Round 8 - 8th - 10th August - Knockhill, Fife
Round 9 - 23rd - 25th August - Cadwell Park, Lincs
Round 10 - 12th - 14th September - Croft, North Yorkshire
Round 11 - 26th - 28th September, Silverstone, Northants
Round 12 - 10th - 12th October, Brands Hatch, Kent

For pictures please contact carlyrathmell@yahoo.co.uk

Centurion Racing riders James Westmoreland and Dan Cooper gained two solid results at round six of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship at Mallory Park this weekend. Westmoreland once again showed the promise that he showed at Snetterton a few weeks ago and gained a good sixth place with Dan Cooper not far behind in ninth position.
 
Westmoreland rode extremely well throughout the weekend and sat happily at the top of the time sheets during Friday’s practice session. Dropping to fifth place during qualifying but only 0.4 off pole the youngster who celebrated his 20th Birthday last week was eager to gain another podium. Cooper had been struggling throughout the weekend at Mallory Park and with the close times he managed to work his way through to 13th place on the grid.
 
The heavens opened just as the Supersport riders lined up on the grid and it was a frantic panic with all team to choose the correct tyres. The race was cut from 28-laps to 24 and the two Centurion riders were eager to gain good results and both opted for full wet tyres.
 
Westy held seventh place at the end of lap two with Cooper securing a great start and was through to ninth position. Westmoreland was locked in a battle with factory Honda rider Steve Brogan who then crashed out on lap five leaving the young Centurion rider in a race of his own in sixth place. Cooper was fighting hard with Marty Nutt and Rob Frost who he eventually got the better of at the chequered flag.
 
Westy commented “I’m pretty happy with my result, it was mental on the grid and everyone was running around trying to get tyres sorted. The weather suddenly turned really bad which I knew would make for an interesting race. I’d been running really well all weekend at Mallory and I was keen to try and get another podium, it wasn’t to be this time but I’m still very happy with the result I got.”
 
Cooper added “I’m really pleased with this result as I’ve been struggling a bit at the last few rounds but managed to pull it together this weekend. I’d like to thank all the Centurion Team for working so hard and glad I could get the top ten finish that I did. I struggled at the start of the weekend to put the lap times together but we finally found a good setting and I just got my head down. I was having a real scarp in the race and hopefully I can carry on like this at the remaining rounds.”
 
It is with great regret that Centurion Racing would like to announce that Dennis Hobbs will not be able to ride for the rest of the season due to a serious shoulder injury he sustained at Thruxton Circuit. Hobbs who has been hoping he would get the all clear from the physio has since found out that he now requires an operation to regain feeling in his shoulder. The Centurion Racing Team would like to wish Dennis a speedy recovery and also to wish him luck for his forthcoming wedding to Gemma.