1ST PODIUM FOR NOBLE BUT MISTAKES COST TEAM DEAR ON SUNDAY

The team rolled into Foxhill, Swindon for the 1st round of the Silkolene 2 stroke and the Red Bull Pro National Series and with the weather staying dry throughout the previous week, conditions were pretty much perfect.

Silkolene 2 stroke – Saturday
After qualifying 1st & 3rd Noble & Parker were hungry for success but as the first race got underway neither of them made a good start on their 500 steelies. The racing was frantic with Eastwood, Edmonds, Walkley, Parker and Noble all battling for supremacy but by mid race it was Parker who hit the front. Noble was struggling to get to grips with the 500 but managed to force his way through to 2nd a couple of laps from the end and a small mistake by Parker coming through the whoops at the start of the last lap saw Noble nip through for the win.
Race 2 saw Noble make a decent start and after a couple of laps he took the lead with Parker back in mid pack, but carving his way through the field. However his progress was halted when his back brake pedal snapped in two and he was left to struggle home in 9th with Noble cruising to an easy win.
Race 3 saw one of the closest finishes ever recorded as once again the two riders made poor starts and had to fight their way through the field. Willet, who was back after an eleven month lay off and who hadn’t really featured in the first two races made a blistering start and was clearing off in front as Noble and Parker struggled to dispose of the likes of Eastwood and Edmonds and by the time Noble made his way through to second Willet had a 9 second lead and looked safe. Noble had other ideas and charged after the Yamaha man catching him on the very last corner and making an audacious pass to win by just 7 hundredths of a second. Parker followed the pair home for 3rd which wasn’t quite good enough to join his teammate on the overall podium missing out by just 1 point.

Red Bull Pro Nationals – Sunday
The lads were full of confidence as they went into Sunday qualifying and it showed as Noble posted 3rd quickest with Parker just behind in 5th.

Race 1
Parker made a great start in 2nd place with Noble a few places behind and after the first few laps Noble had progressed to 2nd with Parker looking comfortable in 5th. Noble set off in pursuit of Anderson but hit the deck on the corner leading into the whoops and dropped to 7th. Parker was soon up to 4th after a crash by Dougan and was looking sublime as he maintained the same pace as all the main protagonists. Noble was the quickest of the front runners and passed Parker for 4th with three laps to go before stalling his machine and handing the position back again. With the 2 lap board out Parker stepped it up and reeled in Banks-Brown but just when he looked to be ready to make a pass he hit neutral, losing a couple of seconds and making his quest for 3rd unlikely and so it proved as he crossed the line in 4th in front of Noble in 5th.

Race 2
More of the same was hoped for but didn’t materialise as mistakes cost both riders dear. After making another great start Parker struggled to find his rhythm and dropped back to 8th but was still in contention. Noble made a mediocre start and had to make his way through traffic. On the third lap disaster struck, just after making a pass on Parker he stalled his bike on a tight left hander and couldn’t fire it up again, eventually rejoining the race near the back of the field. Parker meanwhile was starting to find his rhythm and was desperately trying to pass Snow for 7th when he cased the double at the top of the hill hurting his back in the process. After a couple of laps to regain his composure he was starting to hunt down the riders ahead of him when he had a huge crash at the bottom of the first hill and with both himself and his machine looking the worse for wear he was forced to retire. Noble was the only rider in the field lapping at the same pace as the front two and eventually made it back to 8th at the flag for some valuable points to finish 6th overall with Parker in 10th.

Steve Turner, Proppa.com Team Manager: “I was really pleased with everything this weekend except the last race. Saturday was great for the lads’ confidence and on Sunday James was as fast as the guys on the podium but made a mistake in each race which cost him dear. Nez was awesome in qualifying and in the first race where he looked comfortable amongst the top guys. He’s come on leaps and bounds since James joined the team. He is so happy with the bike now and is starting to believe he belongs amongst the front runners”