Challenges arise on Sunday at Cadwell Park

Sunday’s track action at Cadwell Park ended in disappointment for McAMS Racing and Danny Kent, who rounded off a challenging day in 14^th at the flag.
 
The team’s campaign at the Lincolnshire venue was always set to be a learning curve, with both halves having limited experience around the circuit aboard Superbike specification machinery.
 
Despite the challenges, Kent made many positive steps during Friday’s official test, clocking his personal best lap time around the circuit and kicking off the Bank-Holiday weekend in positive spirit.
 
The upwards trajectory continued throughout a weather-affected Saturday of two Free Practice sessions, where Kent finished eleventh in the combined times, securing a spot in Sunday’s Omologato Superpole session and making constructive steps forwards into the remainder of the weekend.  
 
Free Practice 3 on Sunday ended with Kent sat in 14^th, while an incident on track landed him with a sanction of 3 penalty points and a 3 position grid penalty heading towards Qualifying.
 
As rain began to fall in the moments following, the weekend’s planned Omologato Superpole session was declared wet, with a 15-minute session therefore following to determine the grid for Race 1.
 
The 15-minute session saw Kent clock a best lap time of 1:26.869, leaving him with a fourth row start of tenth before his sanction from FP3 pulled him back to the fifth row.
 
The initial stages of the 18-lap race presented Kent with difficulty, falling to eighteenth on the opening lap of the 2.1 mile-venue.
 
As the race progressed, the rider from Tetbury made every effort to move through the field, picking off multiple riders to enter fifteenth by the end of Lap 7.
 
The No.52 rider progressed further, entering and maintaining fourteenth, bringing home the Yamaha R1 with 2 points for his championship campaign.  
 
The first of two race days at Cadwell Park was anything but a true reflection of both Kent and the team’s potential around the circuit.
 
Starting from twelfth on the grid for Race 2 tomorrow, the focus in the camp remains fixed on fighting forwards, with tomorrow’s morning Warm-Up offering a crucial chance to regain confidence after the setback of today.

Danny Kent
Race 1 – P14

“Today has been a challenge for both myself and the team. We worked hard to bring things together in Race 1, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t meant to be. We paid the price for starting back on the fifth row, getting tangled up in a chaotic opening few laps and dropping back multiple positions. Cadwell Park is a challenging circuit to make any overtakes so it was difficult to make any significant progress as the race went on. While we can all admit that today has been a challenge, we look ahead into tomorrow with the confidence that we’re capable of much more. We’re focusing ahead to the opportunities that tomorrow presents us with and hope to get our weekend back on track.”

Tim Martin
Team Owner

“It’s been a difficult Sunday for us as a team. We know we’re capable of achieving much more and have the ability to fight with the guys at the front. Starting from the fifth row was always going to be tough, especially at a circuit like Cadwell Park where the overtaking opportunities are limited. We’re starting from a little further forward tomorrow, so we’ll focus on making a good start and improving on the result from today. The team worked really well but unfortunately, today, it wasn’t meant to be.”

McAMS Racing endure challenges at Cadwell Park

Sunday’s track action at Cadwell Park presented McAMS Racing and Danny Kent with a further host of challenges, ending with a best place finish of 11^th in the third and final race of the weekend.
 
After a difficult Sunday on track, Kent and the family-run outfit hit the track in morning Warm-Up, with the ambition of regaining confidence ahead of Bank Holiday Monday’s duo of races.  
 
Starting from 12^th on the grid for the Cadwell Park Sprint race, Kent, aboard the Yamaha R1, fell back to 14^th by the end of lap 4, again, struggling to fight forwards during the initial stages of the race.
 
Adding insult to injury for the McAMS backed team, Kent became the victim of an on-track incident, which ran him off the track and brought a difficult race to an unfortunate, early end.
 
With just a few hours to wait until the final, 20-lap feature race of the weekend, the team worked like clockwork to repair the damage from Race 2, before the pitlane opened yet again ahead one final chance to prove competitive.
 
Starting from 14^th on the grid, Kent had his work cut out from lights out. With the goal of a top 10 result in mind, Kent made positive progression through the field to break into tenth on Lap 7.
 
The rider from Tetbury dropped down to 12^th at just under half race distance, before progressing one position on Lap 14 to end the race in 11^th.
 
The results of the weekend fail to reflect the true potential within the camp. However, at a track that was guaranteed to be a difficult one, a positive can be taken from gaining an amplified level of experience around the 2.1 mile Lincolnshire venue.
 
Heading into a more familiar venue of Oulton Park in two weeks’ time, McAMS Racing and Kent remain sixth in the overall championship standings, with focus now on appearing back at the front at a venue which has previously treated them well.

Danny Kent
Race 2 -DNF Race 3 – P11

“This was always going to be one of our most difficult weekends of the year. I only ever rode here once on a superbike prior to this weekend and it’s not the easiest track to learn. We were strong throughout the first two sectors, but unfortunately our form in the final sector let us down. It’s been a challenge, but the feeling in the team is good and we’re looking forward to arriving at the next three circuits that we know we’re strong at.”

Tim Martin
Team Owner

“It’s been a tough weekend at Cadwell Park. We always knew we would struggle there due to Danny’s lack of experience around the track. Parts of our lap were competitive, it just wasn’t enough to be present towards the front where we know we belong. Overall, we got a few finishes and points for the championship. The DNF in Race 2 was unfortunate, but things like that happen in racing. We’re looking ahead to Oulton Park where we hope to be back towards the top.”