Pembrey 17th & 18th September - MRO Rounds 13 & 14

Henstead teenager Matt Bond was back in action over the weekend, competing in rounds 13 & 14 of the MRO Minitwins Championship onboard his T&J Commercial Repairs Suzuki. The weekend began well for Bond as he took second position on the grid behind championship rival Graham English, with Craig Polden third.

As the opening race began it was Polden who got the best start and lead the opening lap. English had slotted into second with Bond just behind in third. Lap two and English had taken the lead from Polden and by lap three Bond had made the same move and taken second spot. At half distance the three leaders were covered by just over a second, with no change in the running order, but on lap six Polden regained second from Bond only for the position to change again at the following turn.

The battling duo meant English was off and running and was not caught for the rest of the race. But behind Bond and Polden were enthralled in a tremendous battle, with the latter emerging the victor after overtaking Bond under a yellow flag, a move usually punished by a 10-second penalty, although this time Polden seemed to have got lucky.

For the second race of the weekend the grid was set as English, Polden and Bond and as the lights went out it was English who took the advantage at the helm, with Bond close in tow and Polden right alongside. But Bond was in no mood to stay behind his rival and was determined to make up for his poor performance in the opening race, diving up the inside of English on the second lap to take the lead.

For the next four laps the dicing duo of English and Bond swapped positions and paintwork as the battle intensified. Behind Polden had begun to join in the fight as he took second away from English on lap eight. Despite the clear track in front Bond could not break away from the following pair and both English and Polden slid past entering the final lap. But for Polden it was to be too much too soon as he "high-sided" exiting the first turn, resulting in a heavy fall for the Oxford based rider and Bond running wide in avoidance, but still in touch with English.

Entering the final turn Bond drew alongside the SDC machine of English and a brilliant move saw Bond take the lead and with it the win. A jubilant Bond punched the air with delight and the win was also backed up with another lap record for the youngster, his fifth of the year.

The final race of the weekend saw the same grid formation as the previous race, and from the lights it was English who made the best start with Bond in hot pursuit whilst a bruised and battered Polden slid into third place. Up front Bond and English had started a break away run, and fresh from his race two victory it was Bond who took up the front running.

The first five laps proved uneventful, with both Bond and English riding in close quarters, with little between the twosome. On lap six English mad his move, taking the lead but only for a short time as Bond slipped back passed just two corners later. Lap seven saw very much the same as the two riders disputed the lead and by lap nine Bond has repositioned himself as the leader.

Entering the final lap Bond made a small error and English took full advantage, grabbing the lead with both hands, knowing his chances of victory were now long gone Bond used his head and bought home a safe second place, which also gave him the overall victory for the day. Bond now leads the championship by 34 points from English with just one round and 65 points remaining.

The race for the title is now solely between the two and with the meeting just three weeks away you can beat that both riders will be getting everything set up perfectly for the final encounter at Brands Hatch. Bond needs only three third places to win the title, but it would be a brave man who would bet against the youngster taking at least one win over the weekend.