Maket Rasen rider Phil Crowe races to Cadwell podium double

The Market Rasen motorcycle racer was at the Lincolnshire circuit to try out his new BMW at the Thundersport meeting where he recorded second, third and fourth-place finishes in the Thundersport GP1 and Elite class.

Crowe went out in qualifying and was happy to finish in second place.

“I took it easy for the first few laps to get a feel for the bike,” he said.

“I put myself into a constant stream of traffic so was unable to get any clear laps in.

“The sectors are showing promise and that was another step in the right direction with bike set-up, just a bit of front chatter to dial out and she’s blowing a bit wide mid-corner.”

As the race got under way, Crowe took the lead on the first lap and held it until lap four when passed by Lee Williams.

On lap nine Luke Hopkins also made a pass stick and Crowe completed the 12-lap race in third place.

He added: “We’ve made a little bit more progress with the bike, dialled the chatter out, but went a bit too soft and felt like I was riding a water bed after four or five laps.”

Starting the second race from the front row again, Crowe took the lead and held it until lap nine when overtaken by Hopkins.

He continued to run in second place, but was then impeded by a 10-second penalty after he was deemed to have jumped the start and was demoted to fourth.

“Unfortunately a 10-second jump-start penalty and the wrong tyre choice for the conditions hampered me, but we are making progress with every outing,” he said.

Race three went smoothly for Crowe who completed the 12-lap affair in third place and was happy with the way the new bike performed.

He said: “We found some consistency, but lost a bit of speed.

“The bike felt good and consistent for race distance, but I lost a bit of feel somewhere in the middle of the settings and we should be in good shape to get stuck in next time.

“I am extremely happy with what we have done with a brand new bike and my next job is to get the electronics working properly.

“I must give a big thank-you to my sponsors this weekend for the continued support. Without their input, racing wouldn’t be possible, never mind kitting up with new bikes.”