BTC: Cup drama as Walker and Brown win at Silverstone National

Ollie Walker (Moto Rapido/Sp125) and Carter Brown (VSB Motorsport) bagged the victories in the British Talent Cup races at the Silverstone National Circuit. Sullivan Mounsey (iForce Lloyd & Jones), Harrison Crosby (Banks Racing) completed the podium in Race 1 while Jamie Lyons (C&M Motors Ltd/Tooltec Racing) and Johnny Garness (City Lifting by RS Racing) stood on the Race 2 rostrum.

The penultimate round of the championship shook up the table standings. Three of the cup top four riders recorded Race 1 non-scores in Evan Belford (City Lifting/RS Racing), Casey O’Gorman (Microlise Creswell Racing) and Garness, setting the series lead up to change at the end of the weekend.

Brown clinched the points lead and holds a six-points advantage over teammate Belford. O’Gorman is still well within contention in third, sitting only 11 points adrift with two races to go at Donington Park. Garness and Lyons still have a mathematical shot at the title with 39- and 43-points deficits respectively.

RACE 1

Garness again capitalised on his light weight to claim the holeshot followed by O’Gorman. The duo led an early breakaway septet with Mounsey, Belford, Brown, James Cook (Wilson Racing) and Lyons lining up behind them.

Drama struck for then points leader Belford on Lap 3 when he suffered a huge moment heading into Maggots. He tagged O’Gorman and both riders were down and out of the race.

Still leading the top group, Garness tried to escape, but his relentless chasers reeled him back in. The front pack was back up to seven again by a third of race distance as Walker and Crosby discovered great charging pace.

Cook attacked for the lead on Lap 8, but he lost the front and his chance to fight. Mounsey inherited P1 and headed a six-rider freight train over the next couple of laps.

Lyons and Crosby lost touch in the late stages of the race and proceedings looked set for a four-rider shootout. Garness led into the final lap and gained some breathing space over his chasers. Unwilling to let him run away, Brown punched his way past Walker and Mounsey and tagged back onto his teammate.

By Luffield he was close enough for an attack and committed to a move round the outside. The riders made contact and Garness was sent wide, ultimately taking him out of the race. Brown stayed on his bike but lost drive which allowed Walker and Mounsey to sweep through and finish 1-2.

Brown crossed the line in third, but the incident with Garness awarded him a long-lap equivalent penalty, relegating him to fifth. The final podium spot went down between Crosby and Lyons with the former narrowly prevailing.

RACE 2

Garness again took the lead at the lights with Brown and Walker behind him. Lyons, Crosby, Cook and Rhys Stephenson (Rocket Racing) bunched up in close touch to the trio. Punches were swiftly exchanged in the top seven and positions kept swapping and changing through the opening laps.

Five laps in, O’Gorman, having started from 18^th, had caught the leading group and picked his way up the order. Brown and Lyons in first and second looked to stretch out an advantage, but Stephenson took charge of the pursuers and closed the gap.

Garness regained P1 but could not shake off the opposition. At halfway distance, O’Gorman beat Brown to second and had the lead firmly in sight.

He executed the move into Maggots while proceedings got feisty behind him. Brown emerged from the chasers and reeled in O’Gorman. He looked to be eyeing a move but did not force it.

With two laps remaining, the race victory seemed to be a shootout between O’Gorman, Brown and Lyons. Brown capitalised when O’Gorman left the door open and swept down the inside with Lyons following suit to finish 1-2. Garness got great drive out of Woodcote and snatched third in the dying seconds.