2nd ICGP 2017 race in Donington UK. |
Friday a beautiful sun was waiting for us at the circuit but the chilly winds made it difficult to install the ICGP hospitality unit.
Saturday morning, rain is at the rendezvous for the free practice session, the Frenchman Luc Stephan falls and breaks his clavicle, ending weekend early for him.
In the afternoon the track is dry and the riders start their 1st timed practice:
350cc:
Mike Edwards took the pole in front of South Africa's Phil Atkinson, George Hogton Rusling, Richard Parker and Alex Sinclair finished the top 5. Frenchman Guillaume Foureau is in 7th place, a good start for a rider just discovering this circuit.
250cc:
It's no surprise that Colin Sleigh takes the pole ahead of Dan Walling, Roy Flower, Mark Rogers and Sian Brooks, the only woman involved in ICGP.
YC250:
In the category YC250 the drivers were not the most numerous but the quality of motorcycles has evolved well. The pole goes to Andrew Sawford (wild card) in front of Stuart Thomas and Mark Henrys.
2ème séance chrono:
En 350:
Mike Edwards tries to consolidate his lead of the first session but falls full 5th gear, he gets up with just a dislocated little finger, he leaves the field free for Phil Atkinson who takes the pole on all 2 sessions in 1.14 .908
En 250:
Colin Sleigh gets the pole stolen with 2 tenths of a second by wild card Dan Walling, Mark Rogers, Roy Flower and Don Gilbert complete the top 5.
Practice Results:
350cc
- Phil Atkinson (SA)
- Mike Edwards (GB)
- George Hogton-Rusling (GB)
- Antony Hart (GB)
- Kevin Wholey (GB)
250cc
- Dan Walling (GB)
- Colin Sleigh (GB)
- Mark Rogers (GB)
- Roy Flower (GB)
- Don Gilbert (GB)
YC 250
- Andrew Sawford (GB)
- Stuart Thomas (GB)
- Ewan Hamilton (SCT)
- Mark Henrys (GB)
On Saturday, the mechanics work and prepare the bikes for the Sunday races, and everyone is under the ICGP hospitality unit for a buffet, the perfect opportunity to bond between drivers and mechanics.
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Sunday morning race 1:
The sun is at the rendezvous, dry track but temperature quite cool. 9:45AM the riders are on the grid, a 10 minutes delay following a crash during the warm up lap, time it took to clean the runway and evacuate the rider to the medical center, the race starts a little late for 15 laps.
350cc:
Mike Edwards totally misses his start but makes an impressive come back to finish 3rd on the podium. Phil Atkinson wins in front of George Hogton-Rusling, Antony Hart takes fourth place ahead of Kevin Wholey.
250cc:
It's Dan Walling who wins followed by Colin Sleigh, Roy Flower, Grant Boxhall and Bob Keller.
YC250:
A single motorcycle on arrival: Andrew Sawford's who finishes 6th on the overall ranking, the other three bikes having broken their engine.
Sunday afternoon Race 2:
350cc:
This time Mike Edwards got off with a good start and we witnessed a fantastic fight between Mike, Phil and George, impossible to tell who'll win, we then see Phil a little bit ahead but it's because his bike has issues that he can not see and George and Mike are careful, leaving a little room to avoid an accident.
The marshalls did not see anything, while, in the pits, everyone saw that Phil's motorcycle smoked a lot at times. In fact, the cylinder separated from the shock absorber, detached and came to be wedged between the swing arm and the rear wheel, rebounding and then bouncing between the wheel and the swinging arm.
Finally what had to happen happened, it got stuck definitively, blocked the wheel and Phil Atkinson found himself on the ground at high speed. He gets away with a broken collarbone, we got very close to a tragic accident. Race is stopped by a red flag, the riders return to the pit waiting for the decision of the race direction.
The race is finally considered to be over, with only 50% of the distance computed only half the points are awarded, and a regulation that will be changed at the FIM Europe Congress in early July gives despite the crash Phil Atkinson as the winner even if his fall caused the stop of the race !!!
Fortunately he is a Wild card on this race which does not affect the ranking of the championship, unregistered drivers not scoring points.
250cc:
Dan Walling won the race in front of Colin Sleigh, Don Gilbert, Mark Rogers and Sian Brooks, only woman racing in ICGP
YC250:
No bike on arrival in YC250, it seems that these bikes are difficult to tune and generates a lot of breakdown.
A beautiful weekend with still 3 broken clavicles, a little luxated finger, and a lot of engine breaks. Fortunately there are 5 weeks left before the next race in Germany, the time for the riders to restore the machines.
Rendezvous on June 16/17/18th at Sachsenring circuit for the 3rd event of the iCGP 2017 European Championship.
Results:
Race 1:
350cc
- Phil Atkinson (SA)
- George Hogton-Rusling (GB)
- Mike Edwards (GB)
- Antony Hart (GB)
- Kevin Wholey (GB)
Fastest lap: Mike Edwards 1.15.676
250cc
- Dan Walling (GB)
- Colin Sleigh (GB)
- Roy Flower (GB)
- Grant Boxhall (AUS)
- Bob Keller (BRA)
Fastest lap: Dan Walling 1.18.410
Race 2:
350cc
- Phil Atkinson (SA)
- Mike Edwards (GB)
- George Hogton-Rusling (GB)
- Antony Hart (GB)
- Kevin Wholey (GB)
Fastest lap: Mike Edwards 1.15.718
250cc
- Dan Walling (GB)
- Colin Sleigh (GB)
- Don Gilbert (GB)
- Mark Rogers (GB)
- Sian Brooks (GB)
Fastest lap: Dan Walling 1.18.621
 Grille départ |
 Phil Atkinson |
 ICGP Hospitality Unit |