Toms overcomes injury to impress for G&S Racing Kawasaki at Donington
Despite still recovering from the scaphoid injury picked up in the crash at Cadwell Park, G&S Racing Kawasaki rider TJ Toms rode to a seventh and eighth place finish in round eight of the Quattro Group British Supersport championship while Jorel Boerboom suffered a crash in the first race but recovered to finish 23rd in the Feature race on Sunday.
After qualifying in 11th place TJ Toms began the Sprint race from the fourth row on Saturday. He got away to a good start and made up places on the opening lap to ninth. He was running on the tail of the leading group and entered into a battle for position with Oliver Barr exchanging seventh position with him over the remainder of the race. He finally made his pass stick on the final lap at Redgate and completed the race in a clear seventh position.
TJ started the Feature race from the second row on Sunday but although he got off the line well he was impeded by another rider who crashed at the first corner and he was pushed back to eighth position to once again become involved in a battle with Oliver Barr. This time he passed him on lap five of 16 and went on to reel in the leading group on lap nine. He made it up to seventh on lap 11 when the rider ahead ran wide. But one lap later was back to eighth right on the back of the top seven and setting lap times quicker than the leader. But unable to make a pass he crossed the finish line in a strong eighth place picking up 10 championship points to add to the 12 scored in the first race which move him up to ninth in the rider standings on 108 points.
Jorel Boerboom was hampered by a technical issue during free practice and qualifying which subsequently left him down on the 10th row for the start of the sprint race. The team did a great job sorting the problem out in time for the start and Boerboom was riding well, picking up places throughout the 10 laps. But on the final lap he tangled with another rider at Schwantz Curve and crashed out of 21st place, his race over.
Placed in the middle of the 10th row for the Feature race Boerboom was 29th on the opening lap but soon began to pick off the riders ahead and by lap 13 of 16 was running in 25th place. On the final lap he gained another two places and crossed the finish line in 23rd place.
Team manager Tom Fisher - it was a weekend of two halves for us. With his wrist feeling a tad tender we didn't expect TJ to do what he did. He was amazing; his lap times were the same as the leading four riders and he was sticking with them through the first race. He would have been mixing it for the podium in the second race but for the first corner mele. He did so well to get back in touch with the leaders and has moved up a place in the standings.
Jorel was at a disadvantage with a poor qualifying but he did make progress until the crash in the first race. then starting from that far back in race two he was never going to get into the top 20 but he persevered and got up to 23rd.
Thanks go to our sponsors once again for their continued support plus our supporters who came along to watch this weekend.
The next round is at Assen over the weekend of September 19/21.