TENSE 125GP BATTLE AT BRANDS
20 June 2004 - Honda Racing

Red Bull Rookies Honda’s Eugene Laverty finished in tenth position at the seventh round of the British 125GP Championship at Brands Hatch.

The 18-year-old Ulsterman battled with his team-mate Steven Neate over race distance during a tense affair on the 2.6-mile Grand Prix circuit in Kent. Neate was holding the upper hand when he crashed out at Graham Hill Bend on the last lap.

It was raining at the start of the race and so the majority of the field had selected Dunlop wet tyres – including the Red Bull Rookies Honda duo. Conditions varied over the 13 laps, with another shower at mid-distance and a brisk wind drying the track within a few minutes.

The race was also disrupted by a crash on lap six. The resultant safety car slowed the riders for three laps, leaving the snaking RS125-dominated field to dispute the points-scoring positions over the remaining four laps.

Laverty and Neate had both made cautious starts to the race. Neate was soon on the rear wheel of his team-mate and the talented 16-year-old Barton-le-Clay rider led the Red Bull Rookies Honda freight train until his race came to an abrupt end. Laverty was adversely affected by the crash – he lost three places and his championship lead as a result of Neate crashing on his inside through the left-hand downhill corner.

The race was won by Christian Elkin, who gained 25 points for his efforts to gain the advantage in the 13-round series by a solitary point from Laverty.

Eugene Laverty: “My wet tyre selection was the correct choice in the early laps, but I wasn’t able to take enough advantage of this. To be honest I wasn’t riding very well and was probably a little bit too cautious. I couldn’t get past the group in front of me and that left me with too much to do after the safety car went in. Any chance of improving my position went on the last lap when Steven crashed in front of me and I lost the drive that I needed to close on those riders in front of me.”

Steven Neate: “Things don’t seem to going my way at the moment. I was determined to do well at my local event but it wasn’t to be. I would have been happy with a top six finish under the circumstances. I just lost the front end going into Graham Hill Bend. In hindsight we probably picked the wrong tyres. There’s no doubt that the track dried to the advantage of the guys on slicks and intermediates when the safety car was out.”

Result: 1. C. Elkin (Honda) 23:57.107; 2. M. Wilcox (Honda) + 0.733; 3. J. Pearson (Honda) + 1.161; 4. R. Guiver (Honda) + 6.804; 5. K. Weston (Honda) + 8.764; 6. J. Morris (Honda) + 9.533; 7. J. Webb (Honda) + 9.676; 8. B. Clark (Honda) + 9.688; 9. T. Bridewell (Honda) + 9.795; 10. E. Laverty (Red Bull Rookies Honda) + 10.383; DNF – S. Neate (Red Bull Rookies Honda)

Points after round seven: 1. C. Elkin – 118; 2. E. Laverty – 117; 3. M. Wilcox – 110; 4. J. Pearson – 71; 5. K. Weston – 63; 6. T. Bridewell – 52; 7. S. Neate – 49; 8. B. Clark – 39; 9. J. Dickinson – 38; 10. P. Robinson – 37

www.honda-racing.co.uk

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