The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
The two G&S Racing Kawasaki riders – Tom Fisher and Kevin Van Leuven – were at Donington Park for the penultimate round of the Superstock 1000 Championship but, although they recorded a positive qualifying position, the race didn’t go quite to plan.
Van Leuven qualified well in 16th place to start his 16-lap race from a sixth row grid position and, as the lights went out, he was in the middle of a large group of riders all bunched together as they approached Redgate for the first time.
He was jostled back to 20th place on the first lap in the frantic action and was just beginning to improve his position when the rider ahead highsided at the old hairpin right in his path.
Van Leuven had nowhere to go and was pitched off his bike after clipping the rider, Dominic Usher, on his way to the gravel trap.
That was the end of his race before it had hardly got started and he was disappointed to have crashed and also concerned for Usher who was treated by the medics for leg injuries.
Fisher got away to a good start from the fifth row after qualifying in 13th place and was up to 11th on the opening lap.
But it was all hustle and bustle out on the track and riders were falling all around him.
The safety car came out to allow the medics to recover Usher after his crash on lap two and, when the car left the track at the end of lap three, there was another crash which this time brought out the red flag.
After a delay the race was restarted to run over the shortened distance of 10 laps.
But Fisher didn’t get the best of starts and was fighting for position within a group of riders with places being exchanged throughout the remainder of the race.
With two laps remaining, Fisher made a pass on Craig Neve and made it stick to secure 15th place and one championship point.
Although disappointed not to have finished the race higher up the field at least it was a finish and another championship point under his belt.
The final round of the series takes place at Brands Hatch over the weekend of October 15 and 16 but, prior to that, the team head to Assen in the Netherlands where the British Superbike Championship hold their penultimate round.
G&S Racing Kawasaki will once again join forces with the Dutch riders and take part in the Dutch Superbike race where Van Leuven will be competing on home territory on the team’s Kawasaki.
Fisher will also contest the Dutch race using the track time to make sure the bike is in top form ahead of Brands Hatch.
