“Stormy Monday”……………
And so to morning “warm up”, Jean’s bacon rolls took the edge off the damp conditions. A 9.30 start saw half the pack out for the 10 minute session on wets. Yet again Ed rose to the challenging conditions and showed his best with some quick laps. This had confirmed the teams thoughts, the softer tyre was working………….
"Race face on"…………
The sound of the Superbikes had barely died away, before Tom, Bryan and Dave positioned the Aztec machine into the middle of the grid. A change of tyres to the softer “B” compound had raised hopes in the team.
A great start from P24 on the grid saw Rendell rise from his weak qualifying position to run in P16 after 3 laps. With the bike now working well Ed was engaged in several battles as he picked his way through the field. The leading 3 machines had broken away, with another pack of 7 covered by just under a second.
By lap 16 the Aztec machine had climbed to P14 and Ed continued to press. As the race was drawing to a close the leader board suddenly changed, it now showed the Chelmsford rider was up to P12. Those tyres that had helped Ed show his real pace now needed to be nurtured.
With the team holding its collective breath, the Aztec machine crossed the finish line, a final twist and another place, Ed had bought the bike home in a creditable P11.
“Thinking about our position just over a week ago, we have come along way” commented Ed still not fully fit after that testing crash at Mallory Park last week. The team now looks forward to Oulton Park in two weeks time with renewed confidence and belief.