Sean Neary completed his qualifying in fourth place and started the first of two 10 lap races from a second row grid position. He got away to a good start and was up to second place at sector two on the first lap. He was demoted a place when Joe Collier came past but he never lost touch with the two leaders and by lap four the top six riders had pulled clear of the pursuing pack. Neary was not content with third place and both he and Collier made a pass on Levi Day who had been leading the race up until then. One lap later and Neary was flying, he set a new lap record of 1m 19.818s on lap five and both he and Collier pulled away from Day to argue over the lead. Despite there only being a 10th of a second separating Neary from Collier in the lead he was unable to make a pass stick and at the finish line he crossed the finish line a fifth of a second behind Collier to secure second place.

Neary said: “Being over six foot doesn’t help my cause as I was just getting eaten down the back straight so I will have to lay off the pies!! But to be fair it was a great race, I just didn’t have the legs on the straight in the sector when I really needed but will work on that for tomorrow. But for now it is great to be back on the podium and to set a new lap record. We'll make a few changes for tomorrow race. A massive thank you to all the Zoek Racing Team and all our sponsors; the team has worked so hard to improve the bike. Big shout out again to Lee Jackson Snr for working with me after each session to improve setup as well. Just need one more step to get JHP Ducati Coventry back at the front where they deserve to be. Unfortunately Craig is out for the weekend due to an old shoulder injury rearing its head.

Starting race two from pole position Neary settled into second place behind Levi Day with Joe Collier following in close formation.

The three pulled away from the pursuing pack and it was clear the winner would come from within the group of three. Collier moved to the front but Neary was not letting him get away and as they rounded Church he took the lead, but it was short lived as Collier fought back at the next corner. This was repeated at Church again with sparks flying from the Ducati as Neary hit the tarmac with his knee slider and on the penultimate lap Collier ran wide at the Club chicane and was deemed to have gained an unfair advantage by race control. Unbeknown to Neary and Day he was issued a half second time penalty so all Neary had to do was to follow him home as close as possible to secure the win.

Neary said: “We finally got the bike right and I am back to winning ways. I was determined I was going to win that race and was intending to make my move at Church on the last lap. But then Collier cut through the chicane and I knew he would get a penalty so all I had to do was stick on his back wheel and I would get the win. I am absolutely made up for the Zoek Racing team and Ducati Coventry both the team and sponsors deserve that.

“It was a very sad day for all of us with the news of the accident in which we lost Mark Fincham. My thoughts are with the True Heroes team and Mark’s family and friends. I have no hesitation in dedicating my win today to his memory.”

Sadly Craig Currie was forced to pull out of the races this weekend because of a recurring shoulder injury. He is hoping to be back in action for the next round at Silverstone on September 10.

Race report and image courtesy of Zoek Racing