Silverstone 21st & 22nd May - MRO Rounds 5 & 6

Henstead teenager Matt Bond was back in action over the weekend on board his T&J Commercials / www.givemethekeys.com Suzuki SV650, at the latest round of the MRO Minitwins championship.

Bond who came off back-to-back wins at Brands Hatch in recent weeks, was feeling confident at gaining a good points haul from the meeting, to lift him up the championship table, form the fourth place standing he held.

A wet qualifying session saw Bond take his time and post his fastest lap in the dying seconds of the 15-minute session. The respectable time placed Bond fifth on the grid; just behind championship rivals Graham English and Bob Collins.

For the Superpole race Bond made a good start, ending the opening lap in sixth position. A confident move on lap two saw Bond move up to fourth, whilst the leading trio were next on the youngster’s hit list. On lap five Perry Leask exited the race with a fall at the first corner, lifting Bond up to third on the road. Behind Bond, English has closed in and was hounding the teenager and the harassment paid off as Bond slipped back to fourth, where he stayed for the remaining laps, despite a last gasp effort which to no avail.

The main races on Sunday saw Bond line up fourth on the grid, his third consecutive front row start of the season. The weather conditions had changed dramatically at this point, and a now dry and sunny circuit gave Bond a new found confidence, knowing he was in good stead for an excellent finish. As the lights went out Bond made a less than perfect start, leaving turn one in sixth position. A smooth out braking manoeuvre down the back straight saw Bond climb to fourth, but exiting the final chicane English took a fall, directly in Bond’s path.

The eighteen-year-old Bond could only perform a sudden emergency stop in avoidance, losing valuable time, resulting him complete the opening lap in a lowly ninth position. An undeterred Bond put his head down and was obviously well on the pace of the leaders as he closed in the gap between him and the pack in front with ease. By the end of the lap Bond had made up four places and was up to fifth, before taking fourth and then third by lap four.

The next three laps saw Bond smash the lap record a total of three times, closing the once four second gap between him and the leading pair of Collins and European Supermono Champion Mike Edwards, down to under half a second. The next four laps saw the trio swap position and battle for the lead at every turn and as the last lap flag emerged the trio raced masterfully, like there was no tomorrow.

Coming into the final chicane Bond knew he had only one chance left, and that was a slipstream manoeuvre as Edwards and he entered the home straight, and this was exactly what happened. Bond tucked in behind Edwards, pulling out just metres from the finish line. As the duo took the flag side by side, it was unclear as to who had took the victory. But the declaration that Bond had won, by the tiniest margin of 0.006secs, filled the youth with a feeling of relief and excitement. The 25 points scored meant Bond closed in on the championship leader, Graham English, whose fall cost him dearly.

The second race of the day saw the heavens open, only for a brief few minutes, causing an extremely greasy track surface. The conditions did not warrant wets, so the entire field chose dry weather tyres for the race. As the field left the line, Bond rolled off the throttle, not wanting to lead, and allowed five riders to pass before the first turn. At turn two however, it all went horribly wrong for the Henstead lad, as he found himself sliding along the track, with his bike close in toe.

Once he had stopped sliding Bond jumped to his feet and chased after his bike, picking it up, but due to a knocked tilt switch, he was unable to restart. But Bond was not the only rider who succumbed to the conditions as in total over half the field fell during the 12-lap event. The bitter disappointments for Bond was clear, but showed true character by returning to the pits, still with a smile on his face.

Luckily the bike suffered only minor damage in the incident, and with spares coming from www.trackparts.co.uk, the bike should be repaired in time for the next round. Bond wished extended his thanks to all his sponsors and supporters, who helped make the weekend a great success and hopes to continue his triumphant ways next weekend at the ultra fast Cadwell Park.