Teen ace Jak Liddle admitted he surprised even himself after a stunning step up in class.
And he was just one of several Teesside racers to enjoy an excellent opening weekend of Thundersport GB action at Brands Hatch.
Liddle, 17, from Acklam, has moved up to the A and R Racing Pre-National 600 class this year.
And after a sensational 10th place finish aboard his Yamaha R6 in his opening ride, he remained in the top half for the rest of the weekend with 18th, 14th and 15th place finishes.
“I wanted to up the pace a bit,” he said of his decision to move up. “I wanted a different challenge.
“It’s a lot faster and more competitive - and more expensive too!
“I was really nervous, to be honest, and I was expecting to struggle to qualify.
“There were 45 of us chasing 35 places but I qualified 14th.
“I made a good start in my first race and I maintained my position all the way through. I was only a second and a half off the lap record for my class too.
“I’m really happy to have finished in the top half in all my races and I learned a lot from the weekend.
“I think I proved a few people wrong as well. Some people were saying I wasn’t ready for a step up in class, but I showed that I am.”
Stockton’s Carl Simpson survived being run over in the first Thundersport GP1 race to secure two class wins.
The Kawasaki ZX10 had a coming together with Michael Neeves that left the pair in the gravel trap where Simpson’s arm was run over.
But he roared to a pair Pre-National 1000 class wins and 13th and 15th place GP1 finishes which earned him a decent points haul.
Brotton’s Davey Todd had a weekend to remember in his first tarmac meeting since switching from the dual surface supermoto discipline.
He finished in the top 10 in all three GB Sportsman 600 Elite races and is seventh in the aggregate points chart - an excellent achievement in his first road race meeting
And Stockton’s Colin Mooney is second in the Nationwide Traffic Solutions Thundersport 500 table after two class wins and a pair of seconds.
He’s also fifth in the overall Thundersport 500 table after finishing second, third, fifth and seventh on the road.
“It was an absolutely epic weekend’s racing, getting on the podium six times,” said Mooney, “but more importantly, beating some of the best out there and giving me the belief that even though I am twice the age of some of these guys, I can beat them.”
Mooney (Honda CB500) had a memorable race-long battle with series favourite Ben Coyle in his third outing.
The pair duelled from start to finish before Mooney darted past on the final corner of the last lap to finish second overall.
The next round takes place on Donington Park on April 12-13 when Hartburn’s Tom Leonard, who missed the Brands Hatch rounds because his Kawasaki ZX7Ris in the final stages of its build, hopes to be back on track.
Leonard, who returned to race action last year, will be competing in the Golden Era Superbike Championship.
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