Market Rasen twins end Brands Hatch weekend on a high note

Market Rasen twins Tom and Tim Neave raced at Brands Hatch in the fourth round of the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 championship last weekend.
Tim Neave ended the weekend with a top-10 finish in treacherous conditions EMN-190617-153949002Tim Neave ended the weekend with a top-10 finish in treacherous conditions EMN-190617-153949002
Tim Neave ended the weekend with a top-10 finish in treacherous conditions EMN-190617-153949002

Tom recorded 11th and sixth-place finishes for Honda Racing, while Tim was 18th and 10th for Morello Racing.

There were three races to contest at Brands Hatch, with Tom starting race one from the third row and unable to make much progress as he completed the 16 laps in 11th.

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It was a quick turnaround as the riders returned to the pits for refuelling and a tyre change before lining up on the grid for race two.

This time Tom started from row four and was running well in eighth until lap 10 when he crashed out after another rider fell in front of him, leaving him with nowhere to go.

The Lincolnshire rider was unhurt and took his place on the grid for the start of the third race on Sunday.

It was raining and the track was treacherous, but Tom persevered, making his way through the field to complete the race in a fine sixth place.

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The results lifted him to sixth place in the overall rider standings on 51-and-a-half points.

Meanwhile, his brother Tim had to start the weekend from the back of the grid, but he moved forward all the time.

After completing the first lap in 25th, he was quickly into his stride and battled through to 18th place at the flag.

After a quick pit stop, Tim was running well inside the top 10 in race two, but he would suffer a similar fate to his brother.

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By lap 13 he was eighth, but all hopes of points and a season’s-best finish disappeared on the final lap when Leon Jeacock crashed in front of him at Clearways and Tim followed suit after touching the front brake to avoid him.

Tim got away to a good start in the final race and was soon up into 10th position and part of a four-rider battle for seventh.

Positions changed frequently and although Tim had to settle for 10th, it was a good result in very tricky conditions.

“I’m pleased to end the weekend with a top-10 finish, although I’m slightly disappointed, too, as it could have been seventh or eighth if I’d have attacked a bit earlier in the race,” he said.

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“Conditions were really tough, though, and I was struggling for rear grip so after Saturday’s crash, I wanted to make sure I got a solid finish.

“Overall it’s been a good, solid weekend and I’m feeling really comfortable with the bike in the dry so will look forward to the next round.”

The championship moves on to Knockhill,in Scotland, from June 28 to 30.

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