Knockhill 30th & 31st July- MRO Rounds 9 & 10

Local motorcycle racing talent Matt Bond was back in action over the weekend, competing in the latest round of the MRO Minitwins Championship at the Scottish Knockhill circuit. Bond made the ten hour long trip well worth it however as he took three wins and with it the championship lead.

Having never been to the circuit before Bond took advantage of the Friday test day, accumulating close to an hour of track time in preparation for the weekend's racing, but it did not go smoothly as the youngster suffered a fall, damaging his shoulder in the process. Despite the problems the 18 year old was still confident of a podium finish come race day.

Saturday saw the sun shine down on the venue for qualifying with Bond, championship leader Graham English and former R6 Cup rider Craig Polden looking as favourites to clinch pole position. Half way through the session and Bond was on top, with a lap time of 58.237 seconds just ahead of Polden who grabbed second from English. This was how the trio stayed for the remainder of the session, with Bond clinching pole on his T&J Commercials machine, by just under half a second.

Saturday's "Superpole" race blasted off the line and it was English who made the best start of the three front runners and as they entered the back straight Bond took second from Polden. Behind the battling threesome a collision wiped out two of the fellow Minitwin competitors providing a gap for the top three from the rest of the field. The second lap saw Bond make his move, passing English on the brakes into the hairpin, from here Bond put his head down and stretched the gap to 2 seconds and from here on was never challenged for the lead. Bond took the flag ahead of English and Polden in second and third places respectively.

Sunday's main races lined up again in wonderful conditions and as the lights went out the usual suspects lead the grid into the first turn. It was again English who made the best start, closely followed by Bond and Polden. As they entered the hairpin for the first time Bond made an ambitious move for the lead, only for his bike to buck and weave severely under braking forcing him to abort the manoeuvre for the time being.

The leading duo of English and Bond began to break away as Polden had slipped back to fourth behind Chris Foster and was struggling to get back into the top three. Lap three saw Bond make his move for the lead at the hairpin once again, and this time it paid off as Bond out-braked his rival and took the position at the helm. But English would prove to be a threat for only a quarter of a lap.

As the SDC rider attempted to regain the lead from Bond, his front wheel was pushed to hard and slid from beneath him, leaving Bond alone at the front only needing to finish to put himself at the top of the championship table. And this is exactly what he did; as the 18 year old took his second victory of the weekend ahead of Polden who battled passed Foster on the closing laps.

The second race of the day came to the line once again, with all three of the main contenders ready for the off thanks to swift work by English to repair his machine. As the lights went out the clutches were dropped and the bikes headed into the first corner, with Polden making a lightning start to hit the front early, with Bond right on his heels and English in tow. Polden was in no mood to wait around for his rivals as he attempted an early get away, stretching out a second advantage by lap two.

Bond now had to work hard and spent the next three laps charging hard, closing in onto the rear wheel of Polden by lap six. Bond now played the waiting game as he tried to force an error from Polden, as English hung back in third ready to take any opportunities that were left open to him.

Lap nine and Bond was getting impatient as he tried to slip pass Polden, but to no avail and with the laps winding down Bond knew he would have to get to the front soon or he would risk losing a third victory. But luck was on Bond's side as two laps from the end a Polden mistake gifted him the lead as they exited the hairpin. Bond rode the next laps to perfection as he gapped the riders behind to take the final win of the weekend by just under a second.

A jubilant Bond returned to the race truck with a smile on his face knowing just how good the wins had been, and how it had greatly enhanced his championship position.

Bond now holds a lead in the series by 26 points from English, with Polden a further 12 points back in third. A confident Bond, whose winning streak no stands at ten consecutive races, faces a tough challenge at the next round of the series which will be held at Cadwell Park later this month, as he battles to maintain his championship lead.

Matt would like to thank all his sponsors and supporters for their continued support, without whom this bright young prospect could not compete.