27 August 2007

Podium at the Double for Tunstall

Hardinge Ice Valley racer Tom Tunstall had another great weekend at the 11th round of the British Superbike Championships, scoring a brace of third places and making it five podium “doubles” of the year so far.

Sunshine bathed the massive record crowd that had made the journey to Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire for the bank holiday event.

Ever improving Superbike rookie Tunstall adapted well to the twisty and undulating 2.18 mile track and qualified his Honda CBR1000RR 4th on the Superbike Cup Grid

In the first of the day's two races the Huddersfield rider didn’t get off the line well losing four places before reaching the first corner. Tom Immediately re-took Malcolm Ashley and ended lap one third of the cup riders.

With few passing opportunities on the tricky circuit it wasn’t until lap six he’d managed to pass both Aaron Zannotti and Dave Johnson, by which time the gap to Buckingham and eventual race winner Tristan Palmer was too large.

Having just stepped of the third step of the podium Tunstall remarked: “My start was shocking!! I slipped the clutch too much and got swamped. I knew the pace would be fast and I needed to be with the leaders from the start to stand a chance of the win. Plan for race two? Get it off the line!!”

As the lights changed for the second outing the Hardinge Ice Valley rider made a better getaway and once in front of Guy Martin had clear track to the two cup riders ahead. Even the intervention of the pace car on lap 9 hindered rather than helped as Tom caught it on the narrow mountain section losing more time. A pace by the leaders just a little faster than Tom's meant he was unable to fight for the race win. At the end of the 18 laps Tunstall crossed the line in 3rd taking his 12th podium of the year.

“It turned out to be a bit of a lonely race. I lost a bit of time trying to pass Guy at the start, but I still needed to find a few more tenths to be in with a shot today. Cadwell is not my strongest track so to come away with another two rostrums and more points is great."

The results take Tom up to 4th in the Cup Championship only four points from 3rd.

The next and penultimate round takes place at Donington Park over the weekend of the 22nd-23rd September.