After a wet opening round over the Easter Bank Holiday (8-9 April) at Brands Hatch, the Triumph Triple Challenge (TTC) heads to Thruxton, near Andover, for round two of the championship this weekend (14 – 15 April). Known as one of the fastest circuits on the British Superbike Championship calendar, the high speeds of the Hampshire circuit will test both the riders’ nerve and technical ability.
The racing at Brands Hatch over the weekend confirmed the competitive nature of the TTC with two different riders claiming overall victory in the opening races of the 2012 season in tough conditions. The battle for the remaining podium positions was just as fierce with five separate individual claiming podium honours; further proof of the close racing that the TTC offers.
After an action packed weekend, it was Tom Hayward who left Brands Hatch leading the championship with two solid podium finishes. Tom will be looking to capitalise on this lead over race one winner Rob Giuver who currently lies one point behind Hayward. Giuver will be looking to use the fast flowing nature of the Hampshire track and his GP 125 pedigree to claw back the points on Hayward.
Another rider who will be looking to build on his successes at Brands Hatch will be the 2011 Triumph Young Guns winner Chrissy Rouse. In race two, the 16 year old showed why he was chosen by Triumph for the prize with a superb ride in the wet condition to scoop second position overall and first in the ‘Premier’ class for rookie riders. Fellow Young Guns finalist, Will Leaning will also be looking to stake his claim in the Premier class honours, after his class victory in race one. The two local riders, Max Symmonds from East Knoyle near Salisbury and Justin Bateman from Bournemouth will also be looking to use local support at Thruxton to help them achieve a home victory.
Tony Scott, director at T3 Racing and organiser of the TTC, said: “Brands Hatch was a tough weekend with the weather for the guys, but there were a number of great performances throughout the grid from both our new riders and also those that raced with us last year. It’s brilliant for the championship to be back at Thruxton and its shaping up to be great race. The circuit is one of the quickest in the country and it will be a real test for all of the riders.”
