Snetterton 2nd & 3rd July - MRO Rounds 7 & 8

Local motorcycle ace Matt Bond was back to top form at the latest round of the MRO Minitwins championship, which took place at the Snetterton circuit this weekend. The 18 year old re-established himself as a title contender by bringing home a hat trick of victories and a new lap record.

During Saturday qualifying Bond was immediately up to pace, improving his lap times and by the five minute mark Bond's time of 1 minute 16.332 seconds was enough for the youngster to grab his first pole position of the year. A delighted Bond and his team returned to the paddock happy with the result and prepared the bike for the opening race of the weekend, which would establish the grid for the main races on Sunday.

As Bond lined up alongside championship leader Bob Collins the pressure was on, and as the lights went out the duo blasted off the line side by side. Entering the first corner Collins gained a slight advantage with Graham English slotted into second, followed by Bond and then Craig Polden. Down the back straight Bond slipped back to fourth as Polden took advantage of the following slipstream. At the end of the lap Bond was back into third with Collins and English just ahead.

A brave move saw Bond move into second as he began his charge after Collins and towards the lead. By half distance Bond had got alongside Collins and a well timed manoeuvre saw the Beccles lad the lead for the first time. From here the battling duo increased the pace seeing both riders break the lap record, with Collins just taking the better time of the two.

Upon the final lap the battle intensified and coming into the final chicane Collins made a dive for the inside but had out-braked himself and took to the grass, leaving Bond to bring home the victory in comfortable fashion. The victory meant Bond would start from pole for the main races on the following day and a confident Bond was ready to prove the win wasn't just a one off.

The sun greeted the championship on Sunday and as Bond took his well earned pole position he focused in on the job at hand. The lights went out and it was Collins who again made a lightning start, with Bond following close behind with English making the battle for the lead a three way affair. The next four laps the trio stayed in the same order, but at the start of lap five a Collins mistake allowed Bond to gain enough momentum to move through into the lead, only for his work to be undone just three laps later.

As Collins attempted to gap the following duo his luck ran out as exiting Sears corner his bike slid from beneath him in a cloud of dust. Collins later remounted and finished 15th but at the front Bond was pushing to break away from a charging English. Bond’s efforts seemed to work as he set the fastest lap of the race, which turned out to be a new lap record of 1 minute 15.811 seconds. With three laps left Bond had a narrow lead and sensible English backed off, allowing Bond to take his second victory of the weekend by nearly 12 seconds.

The second race came to the line, with an air of tension about it as Bond was close to accomplishing a triple victory and a determined Collins was ready to prove a point. A swift start saw Polden take the advantage from Collins and Bond as the threesome fired into the first turn. The end of the opening lap saw Collins take the lead, Polden second and Bond third. A fast escaping Collins put a three second lead between himself and the following pairing as Bond struggled to pass a fast starting Polden.

A do or die move at Russell’s chicane saw Bond slide past Polden sideways into the turn, grabbing the position on the exit and firing his machine after Collins. For five laps Bond kept his head down and ate away at Collins’ advantage and by the seventh lap the pair were back together for the third time in as many races. Bond cleverly stayed behind Collins until there were only two laps left, at which point the lead changed hands on the way into Riches corner.

As the last lap flags came out Bond was on the defensive and guarded his line at every corner to stop the last gasp attacks of the ever present Collins and it all came to a climax as the pair entered the final chicane, following a pair of backmarkers. Collins jammed his bike up the inside but a cool-headed Bond closed the door at the final second as both riders nearly collided with the slower traffic in front of them.

The collision sent both riders off line, but Bond held the slimmest of margins as the two exited the corner Bond crossed the line just ahead, accomplishing his third win and grabbing a perfect 65 point score. Bond’s massive points haul sees him climb to third in the championship points, cutting down the once 36 point margin between himself and championship leader English to just 11 points.

Bond would like to thank everyone involved in the team for making the weekend a great success, especially T&J Commercial Repairs, www.givemethekeys.com and G.Cook Plumbing and Heating, as well as all the members of Bondy’s Barmy Army who travelled to watch the event.

The next round of the MRO series takes place at Knockhill in Scotland on the 30th & 31st July, where Bond hopes to continue his good run of form.