1999 - Season Results

 Race

 R1 - 1000

 R6 - 600

 Aprilia - 250
   Qualify  Race 1  Race 2  Qualify  Race  Qualify  Race
 Cadwell Park  4  Crash  DNF      11  Crash
 Brands Hatch          16    
Thruxton            10    
 Mallory Park  5  2        11  DNF
 Oulton        15  13    
 Donington  5  3  2        
 Snetterton        15  DNF  26  DNF
 Donington        11 DNF 3 5
 Mondello  4  DNF  Crash     3  DNS
 Silverstone  1  1    19  8    
 Donington  4  2          
 ( 2nd Overall, final result    



We already finished 2nd overall in the ACU British Production Championship overall, which was decided at Donington Park on May Bank
Holiday Monday.

Race 1 - Cadwell Park          First outing on the Aprilia 250 and R1 Yamaha - It rained all weekend so no one had a great deal of fun, setting up and racing in difficult conditions. Pete decided to go trawling for gravel, twice! Lots of gravel but no points... we'll be back!

Race 2 - Brands Hatch - March 27-28        Pete and the team had their work cut out last week testing and tuning the new 600 Yamaha in time for the opening race of the 600 Supersport Championships at Brands Hatch at the weekend. The result was a 16th place, and with plenty of work still to be done on the bike, Pete is confident that they will move rapidly up the ranks over the next few weeks.

With the field so close together in the 600 class, a little extra bike speed will make a huge difference to the results. Speaking to Pete this morning, he said that he was consistently overtaking the riders around
him at the corners, only to be passed back on the straights. A little frustrating but it's early days yet, and the best is very much still to come!

Race 3 - Thruxton - April 4-5        Well I finally got off my backside and ventured out to Thruxton on a sunny bank holiday Monday. Second round of the 600 Supersport Championship. With only a small improvement in bike speed testing the Yamaha 600 the week before, Pete's grid position of 15 was ok although hardly spectacular (harsh critic or what!). After a fair start the race split into about 4 groups. Pete was lapping in 14th spot at the front of the 3rd group and making little headway on the group in front.

Pete slipped briefly to 15th position, overtaken on the straight by superior speed. It didn't take long for Pete to get back into 14th and concentrate on the clear track ahead. The group in front slowed each other up in the third quarter of the race, giving Pete the chance to catch them, and in the final three laps there was no stopping him. Picking them off one by one, and riding on the absolute limit Pete finished the race in 10th spot, in dramatic fashion, at the front of the group. Yes - we were impressed! In the points and a real buzz after the race that we are on the way.

The team and bikes looked great in the new Team BT Phonecard YAMAHA livery, click here for the first pics of this years bikes.

Click here for the full race result and lap times

Race 4 - Mallory Park - April 10-11      Second round of both the 250 and R1 Championships. The 250 Aprilia was looking good in 10th when the chain came off forcing Pete to retire from the race. The real story of the weekend was the much improved R1. Qualifying 5th on the grid, Pete rode a great race jostling for 2nd and 3rd position with pole qualifier Micky Corrigan throughout the race. But as we know, in a one on one situation Pete will invariably cross the finish line first. In fact he started to pull away on the final two laps for a comfortable 2nd place. Despite the clear signs from the pit wall, Pete failed to notice that he had pulled ahead of Micky, and put in some blinding blocking moves throughout the last lap to prevent his imaginary pursuer from getting past. Never mind eh Pete, I'm afraid that shadow will be with you right up to the line whatever you try! - A great result, and fantastic job by GenerRace.

Race Pics of the GenerRace 250 Aprilia click here.

Race 5 - Oulton Park - April 23-25   Still not up to speed on the Yamaha 600 in the Supersport Championship. A midfield finish at 14th and from a similar grid position, made a few places then lost a few, without the speed to retaliate. Still working on more bike speed, and given the close nature of the race, a little extra will go along way.

Race 6 - Donnington Park - May 2-3   Whilst Carl Fogarty was strutting his stuff in the World Superbike Championships. Pete raced to a creditable 5th in the European Superstock support race, back on the Yamaha R1 for the occasion and going well, unfortunately it was an open race, so several of the works British Superbike racers where on the grid as well making a podium finish unlikely.

On the Bank Holiday Monday the following day, Pete was back on the Yamaha R1 for rounds 3 and 4 of the British Powerbike Championship. 3rd in the first race, after the red flag came out 4 laps from the end, scuppering a real chance of taking Ronnie Smith in second spot on the closing laps. Race 2 ran the full distance and Ronnie was duly pipped to the line with Pete getting his second second of the season. (One better next time if you please Mr Graves.)

With two 2nds, a 3rd, and a DNF out of four races, Pete is currently 2nd overall in the R1 Championship, excellent reliability and consistency this early in the season bodes very well for the new TEAM BT Phonecard YAMAHA. A championship win in their first year, would be a great way to welcome BT Phonecard into the Motorcycle racing world.

Once again it was fantastic to have Ewan MacGregor join us at the weekend. Getting stuck in as ever with the rest of the Team. Ewan was also there at the TEAM BT Phonecard YAMAHA, official launch earlier in the week which could possibly have had something to do with the 38 different press organisations showing up, including channel 4 'The Big Breakfast' Channel 5 News, and a host of others, to give TEAM BT Phonecards YAMAHA, an impressive launch to say the least. We'll have some pics of MacGregor and the new BT Phonecard livery race bikes soon so watch this space....(and may the force...)

Race 7 - Snetterton - May 7-8 ....
Snetterton started getting the 600 R1 on the pace finally, working up through the field from 15th on the grid very quickly. On the first lap I was punted off the track by 2 crashing riders, but they restarted the race, and I'd got up to 5th place when I got a bit carried away and crashed at the Eases with only 2 laps to go. Oh well. The Aprilia 250 looked promising having been 3rd quickest in dry practice, but sadly I blew the engine into 1000 pieces by over-revving it in the race, and had to retire.

Race 8 - Donington Park - R6 and Aprilia. Got the Aprilia up to 5th place after running 2nd for much of the race got blown away on the straight, but held on to 5th, The 600 packed up with an electrical problem after qualifying 11th.

Race 9 - Mondello Park - R1 and Aprilia. Aprilia on pole by over a second after first qualifying, and stopped halfway through 2nd qualifying because still in front. However overhauled by Matt Llewellyn by 0.01 second on the final lap of qualifying. Qualified 4th on R1. Race day wet race dry on wet tyres, nearly ran over two fallen riders but race not stopped so retired. Aprilia race didn't start as the bikes only have dry tyres in the rain- about half the field fell off.


Second Production race also started dry and running a good second, then it rained, race not stopped despite all riders being on dry tyres, crashed. Driopped from 2nd to 4th in the British Championship.

Race 10 - Silverstone R1 and R6. R6 only qualified 19th but came through to 8th which is the best so far with the R6. Still lacking mid-range power for corner exits, but improving steadily.
R1 Morning qualifying first by 1.5 seconds, afternoon still on Pole position by 0.9 second, won the race after a great scrap from Glen Richards and Dave Jefferies, broke the lap record by 2 seconds. Back up from 4th to 3rd in the Championship. Many guests from BT Phonecards for the day as well as celebrities including Todd Carthy (Tucker from Grange Hill, & East Enders). All had a good day.

Race 11 - Donington British Grand Prix - R1.
Qualified 4th, lying second for most of the race following Jefferies. Big scrap on the last lap and passed Jefferies 3 times but finally over-cooked it, ran wide at Goddards hairpin, and got back off the grass to finish 2nd. Still 3rd in the British Championship.

Next... Race 12 - Oulton Park R6 and Aprilia.

 

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