Brands Hatch 15th & 16th October - MRO Rounds 15 & 16

Local motorcycle race ace Matt Bond finally accomplished a childhood dream as he collected the championship winners trophy for the MRO DynaPro MiniTwins series at Brands Hatch over the weekend.

For Bond it was an action packed weekend both on and off circuit, as he collected a double victory at the Kent track, after having to endure a four-hour technical eligibility inspection, enforced by the championship directors, after a number of complaints form fellow competitors.

During qualifying it was Bond and season long rival Graham English who set the pace, much in the same way that they had since the championship began back in March. Throughout the fifteen minute session the duo battled for supremacy, with English eventually taking the all important pole position by the slimmest of margins, emerging only 0.007 seconds faster than 18 year old Bond. This meant that to capture the champions crown Bond only needed to finish second, but the determined Bond was not about to lie down and take that result.

The grid formed for the first race on Sunday under a bright and clear blue sky, with English on pole, Bond second, Jonathan Harrison third and Craig Polden fourth. The lights went out and it was Harrison who made the best start and led the field round the opening turns. English slotted into second with Polden following him through into third as Bond dropped back to fourth. Lap two saw Bond grab third whilst English took the lead. Within the next three laps it had become a three way fight at the front, with English still holding strong his advantage in the lead.

Lap six however saw a mistake from Harrison force both himself and English wide, and Bond grabbed his opportunity with both hands as he sped into the lead. A hard charge meant Bond pulled a slight advantage from the battling twosome behind and for the next three laps Bond had a clear run. English by now had got back into second and was chasing after the youngster in front and as the last lap flag came out both he and Bond were side by side. At each turn English attempted to get by, but was shut out every time by the T&J Commercials machine of Bond, and with the twosome approaching the final bend two backmarkers became caught in the action.

Bond had to simply stick to his line and a daring move saw him lose little time as he continued to lead English and with the line in sight Bond was not to be caught as he crossed the finish to take the race win and with it the championship. An overjoyed Bond returned to his team and was greeted by a mass assembly of friends and family and a champagne shower whilst still in his race leathers! The celebrations went on with congratulations all round as the minds were set to sealing a perfect day with victory in the final race of the year.

Race two formed under similar conditions to the opening round, but with English missing form the grid the front row involved only three riders, Bond, Harrison and Polden. The race begun and it was Polden who made the best start of the three, with Harrison slotting in behind and Bond following in third. For the next fourteen laps Bond showed the class of a true champion as he rode a well thought race, taking his opportunities when they appeared and bought home the final victory of the season by just over a second from Harrison and Polden, in second and third respectively.

With 27 wins and 5 lap records this season Bond has proved himself and his team to be one of the best in the country and the future looks bright for this hot young prospect.

Bond would like to thank the following people for all their support and for making this year such a successful one:

Plans to race in the European Superstock 600 Championship have been put in place although further sponsorship is required to make this possible. If you would like to offer your support you can contact the team on 01502 - 741 713 or email us here.