The following companies are pleased to sponsor Robbie...

The Real Cycle People
44 George Street, Perth

Donington MotoGP 24 June 2007

After six rounds of the 2007 BSB 125GP Championship, and fresh from a second place finish behind team mate Nikki Coates at Mondello, Robbie got his first ever taste of Grand Prix action as a wildcard entry in the British 125 Grand Prix at Donington Park.

As one of a number of British wildcards - including Coates and fellow Scot Kev Coghlan - Robbie lined up on the KRP Honda against the world's best 125 riders, and completed a memorable weekend with a creditable 27th place finish in the biggest race of his career to date.

The now traditional Donington weather curse struck as early as Friday practice and played its part in proceedings right through the weekend. Donington is a notoriously difficult circuit in the wet and Robbie - along with virtually everybody else - struggled to find confidence (and grip) in the tricky conditions.

Saturday dawned dry and bright and lap times soon dropped dramatically throughout the pack. While unable to match the pace of the regular front runners, Robbie was much happier in the drier conditions and ended up as the fastest of the wildcard riders by the time that Saturday afternoon’s qualifying ended.

With the normal GP race schedule altered at Donington, the 125 riders took to the track after the Moto GP race, and while they were spared the heavy rain which caused chaos in the earlier races and soaked the massive crowd, the mixed conditions made the choice of tyres and race setup a nightmare for the riders.

The nature of the track also meant that as the riders went out to take their places on the gird, there was rain on some parts of the circuit while the majority of the track was virtually dry. Robbie initially went out on wet tyres but, like most of the riders, changed to slicks on the grid. With little time available though, the bike remained on wet settings for the start of the race.

As the lights went out Robbie got an excellent start and made his way past a number of riders on the long run up to Redgate corner, but an electrical fault then caused the bike to cut out completely and he found himself at the very back of the field by the time the Honda reluctantly fired back into life.

With a clear and drying track in front of him Robbie put in a couple of fast laps which brought him back in touch with the final group of riders. The ensuing battle lasted for the entire race, and as other competitors retired or slid off in the tricky conditions, Robbie moved up the standings to finish in a solid 27th position.

Given the quality of the riders he was competing against, and the fact that the bike was set up for the wet, this was an impressive performance by the Bridge of Earn teenager and one that will surely provide him with valuable experience as he looks towards more regular GP appearances.

Reports from other rounds.

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