I guess all riders have a bad weekend at some point and for me Mallory was just that, it was a nightmare to be honest! I’ve always had mixed results at Mallory in the past, good and bad but this weekend I could only salvage eighth place after crashing out of race one at the first corner. I was struggling a bit with the big through practice and qualifying, we missed second practice as the track was half  wet and half dry and we didn’t want to risk anything silly so early in the weekend.

I could only manage to qualify in 11th position on the grid, we did find a couple of issues with the bike after qualifying, which my mechanics worked hard to rectify. By morning warm up the bike felt great and I set the fastest times I’d set all weekend, which I knew would stand me in a good position for the race if I could get a good start. I did get a good start and took the wide outside route which suites the Ducati but as riders on the inside of me pushed wide I got caught up with Billy McConnell and down I went and that was my race over. I was gutted as I really wanted to get stuck in and get a good result for the team.

Race two and the worst case scenario happens, we’re all sat on the grid ready to go and it rains, then it stops and is sunny, which put everyone in a dilemma as to what tyres to run. Shakey and I both opted for slicks as we knew the track would dry pretty quickly if it didn’t rain again. I got the most shocking start and spun up until the first turn – which I got round this time, all-be-it in 17th place! I knew I’d have my work cut out and when the track started drying I regained the grip and started fighting my way through the field, the front runners were long gone but I knew I had to try and get the best result I could. In the end that turned out to be eighth position, I’m a bit gutted but have to put it behind me now and focus on the rest of the season.

I’ve a busy few weeks before Oulton, I’m off to Italy to see Spidi, off to see Airwaves at the chewing gum factory and this weekend I’m up at Chesterfield for an open day at Clay Cross. It’s all go, I have a few weeks now before Oulton and hopefully trying to get out and do some Moto X riding next week.

Fingers crossed Oulton will bring some better results for us and we can leave Mallory as a distant memory.

Cheers

Leon #2

Well you could say I’m feeling pretty pleased at the minute! I managed to finally get my first British Superbike race win yesterday at Snetterton and a second place in race two, it was an awesome day and thanks so much to all the guys at Airwaves Ducati who helped me get there, it was very much appreciated.

Things had been going well throughout the whole weekend and I knew that we had a really good race set up. I was relying on my starts and knew that I would be able to run near the front of the pack with the times I’d been doing over the weekend. I did endless amounts of laps in practice and qualifying and we found a really good set up that obviously worked very well!

Andy Ibbott from the California Superbike School (http://www.superbikeschool.co.uk/) was over helping me on Friday and he gave me some really useful riding techniques and I’m really grateful for all the help they have given me over the years and glad it paid off for everyone this weekend.

Normally I can get out of the garage after a race without much fuss as the majority of people want to see Shakey, Snetterton, however was definitely an exception and I think I signed autographs most of the time I wasn’t on my bike. It’s good to know I’ve a strong following and that people are supporting me. It’s been a long journey to get the win but well worth the wait and I just hope now it won’t be the last and that I might be able to get the better of Shakey on a couple more occasions this year – it would be nice! His second race result was awesome and he did an amazing job to come through the entire field like he did, fair play to him.

I’m back to second in the Championship now and I just need to continue to be consistent for the rest of the season and go for some more wins – I could get used to it lol! It seems strange that we are not even half way yet and that we still have seven races in the series left, anything can happen and I’m just aiming to keep my head down and carry on what I’m doing.

The Airwaves Ducati team are brilliant and they have helped me every step of the way, thanks to Colin, Darrell and all the guys that work with me I’m really pleased for everyone and looking forward to the rest of the season.

I’m up at the Moto-GP at Donington this weekend to try and have a catch up with Casey, then we have a Charity Golf day on the Thursday before Mallory and then back racing again at Mallory. I’m going to try and get out on the MX bike in the mean time and have a blast round on that.

Thanks for all the messages on my guestbook from yesterday, much appreciated.

Cheers

Leon #2

Hi all

Well it was all a bit of a strange weekend really, with all the rule changes last week I didn’t even know if I would have been riding at Donington. As it turns out we got to ride and I got a fifth and fourth in the two races, I’m still third in the Championship so I can’t complain too much.

There was a lot in the press last week about the weight situation and to be honest I tried to stay out of it and let the boss (Colin) sort it all out. I just want to ride my bike and fortunately that’s what we got to do, the weather over the weekend at Donington was awful though. Saturday was dry but cold, it rained most of Sunday and therefore we had a wet qualifying session and the two races on Monday were very wind swept! Made it all good fun and a bit more of a challenge. There were a lot of crashes in the wet on Sunday as when it rains there it becomes like and ice rink – all good fun and luckily I managed to keep the Airwaves Ducati upright!

It’s been a manic month and a bit not stop, I’m quite looking forward to a couple of weeks off before Snetterton. I did manage to get out on the motocross bike the other week, Storka and I were invited up to Foxhills, which was awesome. A bit out of my league when it comes to motocross riding but it was worth having a shot at and I’m sure it made for entertaining viewing for anyone that might have been watching.

I’ve just bought myself a cross country mountain bike too which has been great fun, I’ve got a few scars on my shins from my off road excursions but I’m beginning to get the hang of it now – just about! I went out with a few riders that have been doing it for years and I have to say it nearly killed me off, I was aching for days afterwards!

Back to Donington, we had to run the extra weight, which you could feel on the bike and it was a little strange at first but hopefully by Snetterton I’ll understand it a little more. It didn’t effect Shakey and once again he was on form, taking the double again. He’s riding brilliantly, I did try to make a pass on him in race two and I probably looked totally out of control to him as he got me straight back. All good fun though, he’s teaching me a lot and also how to ride a Ducati well, he’s a great team-mate to have and he’s showing me the way forward.

The Airwaves team once again bent over backwards to help me and worked so hard to ensure that I got the best out of the bike. I enjoyed the races but I really do want to get that first win, I don’t want to push myself too much and I know I’m not far off so fingers crossed I’ll hit the top step before long! Thanks again to the entire Airwaves squad and I hope to carry on with the consistency that I have shown so far this season.

I’m off to the World Motocross this weekend at Mallory Park and I’m sure they will show me how you are really supposed to ride one of them beasts. I’m looking forward to it and I’ll try not to copy them when I next get out on my motocross bike, as I think if I did I might have my wrists slapped by Colin!

Hope to see you all at Snetterton and hopefully the weather will be a bit kinder to us there.

Cheers

Leon #2

It was another mixed weekend at Brands Hatch but I have managed to come away still lying in third position in the Championship so I can’t complain. I got a fifth and third in the two races and once again it was another odd weekend but the racing was very good. The weather was really hot and we struggled a little bit with the tyres in the heat to find a good set up. With it only being a short weekend we only had the Saturday to really find an ideal race set up for the bike and only two 30 minute session.

The contrast in weather from the first round was totally different; it was like going from the Antarctic to the Caribbean. I’ve never seen so much snow as what I did at the opening round, it’s not snowed like that in the UK for years and it all arrived at once. Therefore that was cancelled and rescheduled. We arrived on the Thursday in the baking hot sunshine and the weather stayed just as good for the whole weekend. We were only out on the track on the Saturday and then the two 20-lap races on the Sunday.

We held our qualifying position from the first round so I ended up starting in fifth position after Karl Harris opted not to ride due to injury, I wish him a speedy recovery and hopefully he’ll be back for Donington.

I got a reasonable start in both races and was eager to get some good results as Brands is a circuit I like a lot. The weather was perfect, very different to the first round when it was snowing there! The races were pretty tough but I just want to be consistent this season and finish all the races within the top five and do a good job for the Airwaves Ducati team. I’m pleased with the way I rode and I’m still learning everything but really enjoying it and it’s a good challenge for me.

Roll on Donington.

Cheers

Leon #2

It’s been a long time coming, but I managed it this weekend at Oulton Park, a double podium, my first podium since round two at Thruxton last year and my first double podium since the first round at Brands Hatch last season. I’m so pleased to have got the results that I did at the weekend and thanks must go to the entire Airwaves Ducati team for giving me the opportunity and working so hard, I’m really grateful to them.

Not only did I get two third places I’m now sitting in second places in the Championship behind my team-mate, Shakey. I must congratulate Shakey on his double win, he did a mega job and almost made it look very easy! Good work mate, he’s been waiting for a double podium since 2003 – so he definitely deserved it!

I have to say at the start of the weekend I didn’t think I’d be on the podium in both races. Oulton has never been the best of tracks for me and riding the old Ducati round there was certainly interesting in first practice and it took a lot of getting used to. Oulton is a real riders circuit and I think by the end of the weekend I nearly had it sussed!

Frankie my chief mechanic did an awesome job and I’m really grateful to all the boys for the effort that they put in over the weekend and hope they were happy enough with the result. Obviously it would be nice to win but I can’t jump ahead of the gun at the minute and I have to almost keep reminding myself that, technically I’ve not ridden since August because of my leg and struggled at the start of the season with my shoulder.

Things are certainly moving in the right direction and if I can carry on being consistent then I’ll be happy. I’m still learning everything, it’s like being back at school and the Ducati is a fantastic bike but you have to have a certain riding style. I’m getting used to that now and adjusting well, I think I just need to keep stalking Shakey as he is super smooth and pick up some pointers from him.

Not only have I just left Oulton Park, after spending a night up at Brogie’s house (Steve Brogan) but I’m already re-packing to head for Brands tomorrow (Thursday). No rest for the wicked as they say. I must say a thank you to all the guys at Fox clothing for sorting Storka and I out a box of stuff – good work – Cheers!

Back to Brands, where I have already qualified! We line up how we qualified back in April when it was called off due to snow. Hopefully I’ll be able to run up at the front and get some more good points.

Hope to see you all there!

Cheers

Leon #2
 

It has been a great weekend for me and I am really pleased to be leaving here second in the championship. It is never particularly nice to achieve results in the manner that I did today but points are points and I am pleased that I head to Brands Hatch in this position. For the Airwaves Ducati team to come away from Oulton Park first and second in the championship is great; hopefully I can continue to perform like this at my home circuit next weekend.

Cheers

Shafter #2 

Hi all

Please find below some links that you might like to have a look at: -

http://www.youtube.com/airwavesducati

Enjoy

Leon #2
 

Well the season has finally got under way and I’m pretty pleased with the 5th and 4th that I got at Thruxton at the weekend. It was good to finally be back out racing again and get a good handful of strong results in the bag. I’ve come away from Thruxton sitting in fourth place in the Championship so I’m reasonably happy considering my injuries.

It’s been quite a long wait since I last raced, bearing it mind it was in August last year! It’s definitely made me want it and want to do a good job for the Airwaves Ducati team. The team worked really hard all weekend and glad I’ve managed to get the season off to a good start and with two fairly strong finishes.

I was definitely a mixed weekend and I was up and down the time sheets like a yo-yo. We were testing loads of different things on the bike and each time it either worked or didn’t and so it made my times pretty mixed. I was one of very few that actually managed to string together some consistent lap times and do a full race distance tyre test. I know a lot of people during the race suffered with tyres late in the race but we’d found a tyre that worked well for me and lasted.

I was really impressed with how well the Pirelli’s worked in the wet but I was probably being a little over cautious trying to get used to them and knowing what the limits are on them. It rained all day on Saturday and it’s the first time I’ve ridden a Ducati in the wet which was certainly an interesting experience, I got my head round it though and began to find a good rhythm and qualified in 6th.

After my poor starts last season I was keen to get a good one and off the line with the rest of them. They were a little slower than normal but ten times better than last season and something I can surely work on over the season. My start in race one was not ideal and I did slip backwards through the pack slightly. I just had to settle in and get my head down and work my way through, I’m still learning how the bike works but each time it’s a challenge and I’m really beginning to get back into it all, after being a little bike rusty.

By the time the second race came round I was a little more relaxed and got a much better start. The race was red-flagged after lap seven when Sykesy and Bomber (Harris) had a big crash at the complex. In the restart I got away with the leading pack and managed to get past Haslam. I got stuck behind Sykes for a few laps but his tyres were totally worn out and he was sliding all over the shot so I was a little weary on which side to pass him and where as I didn’t want to end up in the gravel trap. I eventually got past but the leaders had pulled a fair distance on me at that point. I settled for fourth and took the points and I’m looking forward to Oulton as I know it’s a Ducati suited circuit.

Thanks must go to all the Airwaves team for this weekend and all the people that haven’t lost faith in me!

Cheers, Leon #2

Hi all

As you probably know by now Brands was cancelled due to the heavy snow, to be honest I’m probably one of the very few people who is secretly quite pleased about that, as it gives me another two weeks to get my shoulder right. It can’t have been an easy decision for the organisers to make and to tell all the hundreds of dedicated fans and also all the TV crews that it was cancelled, but they made the right decision as it would have been dangerous to ride in those conditions. We’re back at Brands on the 10th and 11th of May so all is not lost and hopefully I’ll be able to get some good results then. We will use the qualifying positions gained this weekend so I’ll be setting off for both races from sixth on the grid.

I was quite surprised with how well the shoulder felt on the Airwaves Ducati, which is the good news as I was a bit apprehensive before Brands on how it would be. The bike felt brilliant and the Airwaves team are just fantastic to work with and hopefully I can kick it up a gear as the season progresses and get some strong results.

Round one will now be at Thruxton in a couple of weeks time, this is only an hour away from where I live with Storka and his girlfriend so it will be a nice cruise up there in the motorhome and hopefully the weather might be kind to us and we might eventually get to do some racing!

I never would have thought on Friday that by Sunday the circuit would be under six inches of snow, as it was sunny and fairly warm. It allowed me to complete a good amount of laps and get various different things sorted on the Ducati. I’m settling in well to the new Pirelli’s, you have to change your riding style slightly to adjust to them but they are very good and the Pirelli team deserve a pat on the back for how hard they have been working to get everything right.

I was running some consistently good times but as every rider will tell you, you can always go faster! It was a little frustrating with my shoulder but bar that everything else felt great which is making me more eager to get fully fit and get my head down to some serious racing. Shakey is great as a team-mate and someone I’m hoping I will be able to learn a lot from, he looked super smooth on the bike all weekend and will definitely be pushing hard through the year for the Championship.

I think the team were pretty amused when Haslam rode into our garage twice over the weekend; old habits die hard as they say. I think he’s taken a bit of stick from everyone about it as Larry (Carter) managed to announce it at the CJ Riders Fund chat show on Saturday night, much to the amusement of the crowd! I think he was hoping to get away with it……no such luck!

I’m fired up now for Thruxton and I have another two weeks to have more physio on my shoulder and hopefully I’ll be feeling stronger by then. Thruxton is quite a demanding and physical track so I need to be as fit as I possibly can be!

Thanks to all the fans that showed up at Brands on Sunday, sorry you weren’t able to see any racing but hopefully we can all make it up to you over the year.

I hope you all like my new website, please feel free to post your messages in the guestbook.

Thanks again, Leon #2