Q1 saw Ed take to the circuit with a new motor and revised suspension setup. Expectations were high as he set about bedding in the new engine, the plan was simple, 4 laps, then wind it up. All was well as Ed passed the start finish to begin his first flying lap.
He entered Cascades in a group of three riders who were setting top 10 pace. As Ed entered the "Hairpin" the group bunched behind a slower rider. Two of the group managed to pass, unfortunately as Rendell powered out of the hairpin, the Aztec machine caught the rear of the slower bike. This sent the pair into the gravel. Still smarting from his injuries at Mallory, Rendell was now subject to examination at the medical centre.
Dazed and confused, both Ed and the team were now faced with the potential threat of not being allowed to take their place on the grid because no qualifying time had been recorded. A visit to the clerk of the course resulted in a ruling that allowed the Aztec machine to fill the last spot on the grid for round two.
“Smile, it could be worse”…………..
As Edward limped away from his medical, preparation was already underway on the bike getting ready for morning warm up. Thumbs up from Ed meant we were at least going to get a shot, albeit from the back of the grid, at the revised race distance of 12 laps.
“Clarity of mind”…………………
Racers say, “pick your spot and focus”, well Ed certainly did that. As the lights turned green he launched the Aztec machine picking up five places by turn one. As each lap ticked by the Aztec machine was making phenomenal progress. By lap five Ed was up to 17th place and a group of five riders lay ahead. With clinical precision the Aztec pilot was reeling them in. With a series of well planned and executed passing manoeuvres, Ed was now up to 12th and engaged in an epic battle with Micheal Hill. Laps 8 – 11 saw the pair swapping places but no paint and the odd gasp from crowd until Rendell pulled clear from Hill on what was the final lap.
To the amazement of the team and a large section of the crowd Ed had now surely secured tenth place. With Michael (Hill) still trying to get back at him Ed appeared at Lodge, the final turn, when disaster struck. The front end appeared to “tuck” and all of Ed’s hard work lay in shreds across the Cheshire circuit.
The records will show a DNF against Rendell’s name but this will not do justice to the effort shown by Ed and the team. “It has been a difficult weekend with engine failure in practice and the incident in qualifying” said Bryan Nortje, Racing Director. Both the team and the rider have shown their true colours and proved that the Aztec machine and Edward have taken a major step forward on their development.
The team now head for Donington having gone through a challenging meeting. “This weekend we went racing in the true sense, we saw the good, the bad and the ugly side of it all. It will only make us stronger and more determined to prove our potential” added Edward, keep your eyes peeled we will pull it all together very soon.