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DEBUT VICTORY FOR COATES AS KRP WIN AGAIN

ULSTERMAN Nikki Coates kept his cool to score his debut BSB victory in a red hot 125GP British Championship race at Mondello Park in Ireland.

The Belfast teenager held off his KRP team-mate Robbie Stewart by just 0.16 secs to win a sensational six bike scrap that thrilled spectators and TV viewers throughout the closing stages of the 16 lap race.

And fellow KRP riders Anthony Rogers and Tom Hayward battled their way to fifth and sixth respectively behind championship leader Luke Jones and former champ Mick Wilcox with just 0.7 secs separating the first five at the flag.

KRP riders have had their fair share of bad luck in the first half of the season and at first there was little to indicate a change in fortunes with all four riders struggling for various reasons during qualifying at the stop-go Irish track. But with dry tarmac underneath them for the first time all weekend, good performances in morning warm up augured well for the lunchtime race.

Ashley Beech scorched into an early lead but the Lancastrian highsided spectacularly out of the action on lap two and Rob Guiver also departed the scene in the early stages allowing Wilcox to open a three second lead. Meanwhile the KRP youngsters fought through the pack from their lowly grid positions and when the safety car came out on lap seven to allow medics to attend to a fallen rider, Coates had secured second position and Stewart and Rogers were also running in the top six.

After closing on Wilcox as the field bunched up while the car was on the track, the KRP trio began battling with the veteran as soon as racing resumed, and the ding-dong continued until the end of the race with late-braker Luke Jones also well in the mix. Hayward make short work of joining the back of the leading group in sixth.

Stewart and Hayward set the fastest laps of the race and with three laps to go the scene looked set for an all KRP podium but Coates missed a gear causing Stewart and Rogers to lose their places to Jones and Wilcox. Stewart recovered to finish second but Rogers was unable to claw his way back and had to settle for fifth at the flag.

Team boss Mark Keen said: "It was a fantastic performance from all the lads. It was the first time Nikki had led a race and he withstood immense pressure to win at his home track. Robbie was smooth and rode really well too but I feel sorry for Anthony who rode better than his fifth place. Tom was 20th on the grid so he did very well to come from so far back."

Now third and fourth in the British Championship, Stewart and Coates are busy preparing to make their Grand Prix debuts at Donington Park on June 24. Keen is eagerly looking forward to the weekend but by virtue of his considerable experience as an official and a team manager at international level, he knows how difficult it will be for his young riders.

"It was a great result at Mondello and we're all feeling really positive," said Keen. "But I'll be telling the boys to keep their feet on the ground and not to expect too much at Donington. The competition will be ridiculously tough."

"In the past, British wildcards have tended to try to do too much on the brakes whereas the regulars are faster through and out of corners and not just because they are on faster bikes. This will be a chance for the lads to get on the back of some of the top guys and watch and learn. The important thing is they do their very best and learn from the experience."

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