Brands; Centurion Team News
Added on Tuesday, October 16th, 2007 by Carole Nash Editor
Brands; Centurion Team News
The Centurion Racing team had a strong finish to the 2007 Maxxis British Supersport Championship. Running three riders at the final round at Brands Hatch, James Westmoreland and Dan Cooper were joined by the 2007 British 125 Champion 19-year-old Luke Jones. All three riders rode an exceptional race at the tiny 1.2-mile circuit gaining 9th, 11th and 19th place respectively.
The trio struggled during qualifying and with a huge amount of riders on the circuit it was difficult to get clear track and a good run on a qualifying tyre. With only one second covering the top twenty riders in the Supersport class it was always going to be a tight battle as to where they would finish. Westy secured 16th, Cooper 19th and Jones 32nd on his first appearance on a 600 machine, this was the way they lined up for the scheduled 24-lap race.
All three gained positions off the start and Westy was sitting in 13th, Cooper in 14th and Jones 28th at the end of the first lap. All were carving their way through the tight knit field and manoeuvring their way through the tight pack gaining positions in the process. Aaron Walker crashed heavily into Paddock Hill Bend on lap 22 and forced the race to be red flagged and a result was called.
The team ended the year on a high and without any major hick-ups or problems, they are extremely happy with the way the season has progressed and how the two rookie riders Westy and Cooper have achieved some fantastic results gaining ninth and 15th in the overall Championship results and Westy securing Centurions second Supersport Cup Championship title.
Commenting Westy said “It’s been a very tough weekend but to finish ninth and run such a good consistent fast pace is very encouraging. I got a good start but got tangled up in Paul Young’s accident and lost a lot of time. I rode my hardest today and that was all I had. I’m happy because I was up against it and once again I have shown I can run up front in British Supersport, roll on 2008!”
Cooper said “Despite a really bad qualifying session I’m pleased with my end of season result as it’s one of my strongest results all year. I’ve really enjoyed this season and riding in the 600 class, it’s been a big step up from 125′s but I would like to thank everyone at Centurion Racing for giving me this opportunity. I’m hoping next year I will be able to get some stronger results for the Centurion Team.”
Jones said “This was my first time in the 600 class and I had a lot to learn in the three days. I’m very grateful to the entire Centurion Team for allowing me to race their bike at the weekend. For my first attempt in the series I was reasonably happy with the outcome. It’s a huge difference to riding a 125 and I quickly had to adapt my riding style and learning how to ride the bigger bike.”
The team are delighted with their 2007 season results and would like to thank all their sponsors and supporters that have made the team what it is throughout the year. They are very much looking forward to welcoming Dennis Hobbs to the team for the 2008 season.
