FAB-Racing opens with spectacular double-header

After a long winter, the FAB-Racing Minibike British Championship is back with new and old faces. Grids have expanded this year with many riders moving through the FAB-Racing ranks, on the road to MotoGP.

MiniGP50 Round 1

Archie O’Brien showed his skill in race 1, pulling away and taking the race lead from lap 1 of the race. Luke Fitchett’s race came to a premature end on lap 7 of the race, retiring after he struggled to match the pace of the front runners.

Finley Polhill will continue in the MiniGP50 class this season, using his experience to battle at the front. Archie O’Brien extended his gap to an incredible 8.679 seconds, setting the fastest lap in the process. Finley Polhill came home behind in second, ahead of Byron Johnson.

In race two, Luke Fitchett led the way from lap one as Archie O’Brien struggled to get his bike off the starting grid. O’Brien quickly found his way through Fitchett, taking the race lead in the 11-lap race.

Austin and Byron Johnson battled for fifth position, with positions changing every lap. Backmarkers would come into play in the race, with Finley Polhill retiring from the race on lap seven.

Archie O’Brien won for the second time of the weekend, taking the race win by 3.742 seconds. Luke Fitchett and Marco Holt joined O’Brien on the podium with Byron Johnson finishing ahead of his brother. Matthew Thomas finished inside of the top 10, as he moves from the AC40 Pro class.

In race three it was Finley Polhill who led the way into turn 1 with Marco Holt behind, as Archie O’Brien struggled from the start again. Luke Fitchett could only watch in fourth position, as Archie O’Brien made his way into first position.

Further down the field, Sam Gardner was having his own battle with Travis Shaw, with no room for error. March Holt made his move at the final corner, with an incredible overtake on Finley Polhill. As the front runners came through the lap traffic it would be Fitchett who took advantage of Polhill and made his way into third position.

With two laps to go in the race disaster struck for the race leader, O’Brien who would stop at the side of the track. This promoted Marco Holt into the race lead, with Luke Fitchett coming home in second position. The final podium position was taken by Finley Polhill, as Byron and Austin Johnson rounded out the top five.

Round 2

Marco Holt would start in pole position, with Luke Fitchett joining him on the front row of the grid. Holt had issues on the starting grid, with his bike stopping and having to be restarted, but would make the start of the race. Archie O’Brien would not start the race after having some issues with his machine.

The lights came went out and Holt led the way from Luke Fitchett with the front two riders beginning to create a gap. Byron Johnson sat in third position, after qualifying in fifth position. Finley Polhill began to put pressure on Byron Johnson, as the #199 of Polhill looked to make his way into the podium positions.

The race leaders quickly caught onto the back of some backmarkers, with Finley Polhill losing a position to Austin Johnson. This led to an incredible battle between the three riders, with all eyes on the trio.

Frankie Watson was having a great ride in sixth position and continued to defend from Wilson Dilks.

Holt could not create a gap to his rival, Luke Fitchett who was trying to force Holt into a mistake. At the line, it was Marco Holt who won the first race of round two with Luke Fitchett behind in second. Finley Polhill came home in third after a great battle between the two Johnson brothers, as Bethany Ashby rounded out the top 10.

In race two it would be Marco Holt who led the way from Luke Fitchett, with Finley Polhill in third. Archie O’Brien would start the second race and was on the pace straight away in fourth.

There were battles further down the field with riders: Harley Baker, Travis Shaw, Bethany Ashby, and Matthew Thomas. The four riders battled for the final positions within the all-important, top 10. Brotherly battles continued with Byron Johnson looking for a way past his brother for fifth position. O’Brien made a mistake on the final lap and did not make the finish line.

Marco Holt came across the line to add another win to the history books, finishing ahead of Luke Fitchett. Polhill finished in third, with Austin beating Byron after a fantastic battle between the two.

The lights went out for the final race of round two, with Holt creating a significant gap straight away. Wilson Dilks also had a great start to his race, catching the back of the Johnson brothers.

Taylor Tomlinson was one of the many riders who will make the step from the Minimoto classes this season. Tomlinson battled just outside the top 10 in his first season in the MiniGP50 class.

Luke Fitchett, Austin Johnson, and Finley Polhill battled for the final place within the podium positions. At the front, Marco Holt was slow onto the front straight with two laps to go, as O’Brien lost time as he tried to pass backmarkers.

At the line, it was Marco Holt who finished in first position, 2.720 seconds from Archie O’Brien. Austin Johnson claimed the final position on the podium, finishing ahead of Luke Fitchett.

LS2 Helmets MiniGP70 British Championship Round 1

Archie O’Brien started on pole position for the first race of the weekend, with Blake Wilson joining him on the front row of the grid. It was an impressive line-up in this year’s championship.

The top three were incredibly close, with Blake Wilson, Luke Fitchett, and Archie O’Brien battling for the lead. O’Brien would set the fastest lap of the race with a 42.368-second lap around the Lydd circuit.

There were battles throughout the whole field with Ollie Sims and Marco Holt battling for seventh position.

Blake Wilson came across the line to win the first race of the weekend, winning the race by 0.120. Archie O’Brien came home a further 0.218 seconds behind the leading duo, after a thrilling race.

Blake Wilson led the way in race two with a huge train of five riders forming behind. This train would last for the entire race with as Fitchett looked to take the race lead from Wilson. He would take the race lead on lap seven, as the number seven tried to pull away from the lead group.

Wilson, O’Brien, McCartney, and Dilks were behind and were having an incredible battle for second position. O’Brien looked incredibly strong but would not be able to find a way into second place when the chequered flag flew.

Luke Fitchett extended his gap to 2.898 seconds at the line and would take the race win with the fastest lap of the race. Blake Wilson was in second position, with Archie O’Brien behind in third. Henry McCartney made his way into fourth place, with Wilson Dilks rounding out the top five.

Archie O’Brien managed to get the holeshot in race three, leading the way from Wilson and Fitchett. Finley Polhill’s race would end after the first lap, with Wilson Dilks also having his own crash on lap three.

Fitchett struggled to find a way into second position after some spectacular defending from Wilson. Meanwhile, it was O’Brien extending his gap at the front to over one second from the second-place battle.

Marco Holt, Ollie Sims, and Bill Harris were in an epic battle further down the field, as the three riders battled for fifth position.

Archie O’Brien crossed the line to take the race win and a new lap record, setting an incredible time of 41.279. Fitchett found a way through on the final lap of the race, with a disappointed Blake Wilson in third.

Round 2

It was Archie O’Brien in pole position with Luke Fitchett joining him on the front row, as he looked to take the race win. It was Fitchett who made the perfect launch at the start of race one, taking the race lead in the process.

Blake Wilson dropped behind Henry McCartney at the start of the race, dropping down to fourth position. Wilson quickly found a way through and attempted to bridge a gap between himself and McCartney.

O’Brien kept Luke Fitchett honest and did not allow Fitchett to break away from the second-place man. Holt, Polhill, Sims, and Harris were in a huge battle further down the order, with nothing separating the four riders.

O’Brien set a new lap record once again at the Lydd kart circuit, with a time of 40.988. This lap record would quickly be taken by Fitchett who beat it by a further four thousand of a second.

Fitchett also would win race one, taking the race win by 1.109 from O’Brien after a close race between the two young talents. Blake Wilson managed to hold onto third position, from McCartney.

In race two it was O’Brien who led the pack away from the line, with Fitchett following behind. The two riders quickly made a gap from McCartney in third who had started to defend from the riders behind.

Six riders battled for the final position on the podium, with Wilson, Holt, Dilks, Sims, and Polhill chasing McCartney. Riders started to push, with Bill Harris crashing out with six laps to go. Just seconds later it would be Blake Wilson who crashed at the final corner while trying to pass McCartney.

At the front, Luke Fitchett began to manage his race as he began to push to create a comfortable gap. Fitchett set the fastest lap of the race, breaking the lap record which was set in the race previous.

At the line, Fitchett managed to extend his gap to 2.867 seconds after an incredibly consistent ride. O’Brien came home in second with McCartney managing to defend from Holt after an intense battle.

Tension was high as the riders waited on the grid for the final race of the weekend for the LS2 Helmets MiniGP70 British Championship class. The revs rose and the lights went it with Fitchett in the lead after a fantastic start. McCartney was in second position, with Wilson and O’Brien behind after a slow start.

The battle for second position grew, with seven riders battling for the podium positions, with nothing separating the riders. Blake Wilson looked aggressive from the start of the race and looked for a way into second at the final corner. O’Brien had an incredible end to his, passing both Wilson and McCartney.

Fitchett had an almost perfect race, extending his lead to 12.408 seconds from O’Brien after a consistent ride. McCartney claimed the final position on the podium after another thrilling battle. Marco Holt finished in fifth position, ahead of Ollie Sims, with Harry Paine and Byron Johnson rounding out the field.

Minimotos

AC40 Rookies

Jenson Ansell had a near-perfect weekend in the AC40 Rookie class, winning two races in round one. Kai Hawken took the race win in race one after a great battle for the win against Ansell. The two riders were separated by 0.183 at the line, with Caelan Ratcliffe joining them on the podium.

Mason Fedrick had a great first round of the season, ending round one with two podiums. Max Johnson had a consistent first round, ending the weekend in fourth position in the standings, ahead of Jenson Sedras.

Round 2

In round two Jenson Ansell would pick up the silverware once again, ending the weekend with the championship lead. Ansell took another three race wins in round two, with Kai Hawken joining him on the podium.

The battle for third position was extremely close in race three, with Mason Fedrick, Max Johnson, and Jensen Sedras battling for the podium position. Fedrick would stand on the podium after finishing ahead of Johnson by 0.014.

AC40 Pro

Taylor Tomlinson moves to the AC40 Pro class this season, with his rival from last season, Sebastian Gaslawski. Both riders looked incredibly strong on their pro bikes, as they make the step in their racing careers.

Tomlinson won all three races in round one, ending the round with 75 points after an impressive ride. Nicolas Dunwoody had a strong first round, claiming two seconds and a third. The battle for third position was hugely contested with Rex Austin, and Sebastian Gaslawski battling for the podium.

Round 2

Taylor Tomlinson did not have everything his own way in round two, with Rex Austin winning the opening race. Tomlinson quickly fought back however, winning the remaining two races of the weekend and left the weekend with a 47-point lead.

Rex Austin struggled in race three, finishing the race in ninth place, with Logan Couzens finishing in third. Bradley Curtis had a great weekend, with a. surprise podium finish in race two.

LC 40 Elite

Byron Johnson dominated the LC40 Elite class, taking all three race wins in after a very mature ride. Matthew Thomas ended round one with two podiums, as he begins to also make the step to the MiniGP50 class.

Sam Gardner had a strong beginning to his season, battling consistently at the front for the podium places. Lewis Hull was racing an air-cooled bike and had a disadvantage down the straights, but still managed to claim one podium. Tomlinson and Gaslawski will also race in the LC40 Elite class this season, they ended round one tied on points.

Round 2

Byron Johnson won all three races in round two, making it six out of six after two rounds at Lydd. Johnson also extended his championship lead to 67 points from #77 Taylor Tomlinson. Tomlinson made huge overnight improvements, finishing on the podium in all three races.

Harrison Day had a very consistent ride in his return to racing this season, he ended the weekend in sixth position in the championship. Ollie Sims and Oliver Hall would battle with Day across the three races, for fourth position.

The FAB-Racing Minibike British Championship will return on the 12^th,13^th,14^th of May at the Red Lodge circuit.