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The Real Cycle People
44 George Street, Perth

BEST EVER AT BSB FOR KRP'S COATES

Young Ulsterman Nikki Coates scored his best ever BSB result with a fighting fourth place finish in the British Championship 125GP race at Thruxton.

But while the Belfast teenager has been celebrating his hard-fought success, his KRP team-mates have been doing their best to forget a disastrous and painful weekend at the fast Hampshire track.

Changes to the front forks on his Honda cured juddering problems that had slowed him at Brands Hatch in the first round of the series and Coates backed up his front row qualifying performance by challenging at the front of the field throughout the 16 lap race.

Coates led the race and broke the lap record on lap six but lost ground on the other three leaders in the closing stages trying hard to pass a pair of backmarkers. "Nikki went in wide and deep at the chicane with two laps to go and lost a lot of time," explained team boss Mark Keen. "Then the riders ahead of him put in their personal best laps of the race which made it hard for him to close the gap. I think he also decided at that point to bring the bike home and settle for fourth."

A catastrophic qualifying collision left Coates' three team-mates battered and bruised and kept the KRP mechanics busy rebuilding smashed bikes for Sunday's race. The three youngsters were sent out on track to work together to improve their lap times but an unfortunate coming together left Robbie Stewart with torn shoulder muscles, Anthony Rogers nursing a sprained wrist and Tom Hayward too badly beaten up to get back on a bike for the rest of the meeting.

"Tom broke away from the others and rolled off to let them catch up through the complex," explained Keen. "But Anthony clipped his back wheel and then Robbie got caught up in the wreckage. It was a shame Tom couldn't race as he was still fifth fastest in the session despite completing only two flying laps and he was set to have a really good weekend."

"Invevitably I've had some criticism about the incident," Keen continued. "But it's a tactic that has worked well in the past and it's something I'd do again."

Despite his injuries, Stewart was quickly on the pace during the race and was soon challenging the leaders, but another crash ended the Perth teenager's race on lap six. Keen said: "He set off like a scalded cat. He soon overtook Ashley Beech and had just passed Kev Coghlan for fourth when he ran slightly wide at Seagrave. The bumps there unsettled the bike and although he fought to save it, it just chucked him off. He didn't really do anything wrong. It was just an unlucky accident so I told him these things happen and well done for trying."

Anthony Rogers felt unhappy with the bike and retired in the early stages of the race. "His instincts were correct and it was the right decision to pull in," said Keen. "It was disappointing for him after he rode so well at Brands Hatch but he'll be back, fit and well at Silverstone."

All four KRP riders are looking forward to round three of the British 125GP Championship at Silverstone, Northamptonshire on Sunday, April 29.

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