British Talent Cup: Claridge and Farrer on Top at Donington Park

After a three weeks break, the British Talent Cup riders were back in action this weekend at the Donington Park Grand Prix circuit.

Harvey Claridge prevailed in a close duel for victory in a wet Race 1 while Charlie Farrer came out top of a five rider battle on dry track in Race 2.

Eddie O’Shea continues to lead the championship, but Farrer is only four points adrift of the lead. Franco Bourne sits third, another 11 points behind.

Race 1

Casey O’Gorman (Microlise Cresswell Racing) took the holeshot into Redgate from pole but his position was immediately attacked and claimed by Charlie Farrer (Victoria House Racing Academy/Mortimer) at the Old Hairpin. The duo was followed by Harvey Claridge (City Liftin/SP125 Racing) and Eddie O’Shea (WAM) with the quartet already breaking away from the pack through the opening turns.

O’Gorman got swallowed by Claridge and O’Shea at McLean’s on Lap 1, dropping into fourth and unable to keep up with the front runners.

A leading trio of Farrer, O’Shea and Claridge broke free early in the race, followed by a group of four with Evan Belford (City Lifting by RS Racing), O’Gorman, Jamie Lyons (Jamie Lyons Racing) and Franco Bourne (Franco Bourne Racing/SP125 Racing).

The chasers were reduced to just two riders on Lap 3 as Lyons crashed out at Coppice before Belford went down through the Foggy Esses. Obstructed by the crashes around them, O’Gorman and Bourne lost ground to the front and touch of each other, running lonely in fourth and fifth respectively.

Out front, the lead changed hands between O’Shea and Farrer multiple times, but halfway into the race, O’Shea pulled the pin and increased the pace with only Claridge being able to go with him.

Claridge momentarily took the lead through Goddards on Lap 7, but O’Shea looked determined to control the race from the front and retook the position at Redgate. He was unruffled in the lead as Claridge patiently sat behind him and observed his opponent over the next three laps.

It was not until the final sector of the final lap that Claridge made his move, diving down O’Shea’s inside at the Melbourne Hairpin before sweeping around the outside through Goddards to get ahead of his rival.

Claridge won the drag to the line and took victory by the narrow margin of 0.118 seconds over O’Shea. Farrer rounded out the podium, another seven tenths adrift. O’Gorman and Bourne were unchallenged in fourth and fifth respectively while James Cook (Wilson Racing) finished sixth ahead of Corey Tinker (Stauff Fluid Power Academy).

The top 10 was completed by Elliott Dufton (D&D Racing), Gary Scott (Scott Racing) and Ryan Hitchcock (Wilson Racing).

Race 2

O’Shea headed the field into Redgate from pole at the lights but was immediately beaten to the lead by Claridge. O’Gorman was running in third ahead of Farrer, Bourne and Belford.

O’Gorman moved into second coming out of Coppice on the opening lap and subsequently inherited the lead when Claridge crashed out at the Melbourne Hairpin on Lap 2.

Paint was being swapped in positions two to six. Farrer managed to break away and started to hunt down O’Gorman, leaving a fiercely contested group of four with Belford, O’Shea, Bourne and Tinker.

Tinker gradually lost touch while the front five were bunched together again by Lap 4. Positions were swapping and changing and the riders handed the lead between each other multiple times.

The following laps were marked by aggressive but clean overtakes and the top five entered the final stages of the race covered by a narrow margin.

The battle reached its boiling point on the ultimate lap. O’Gorman looked to have pulled out a small advantage, but Farrer was on the move and first claimed O’Shea for third before sweeping past Belford at McLean’s into second.

Farrer pulled out of the slipstream down Starkey’s Straight and took the lead going into the Foggy Esses. Belford squeezed O’Gorman out at the Melbourne Hairpin into second and swooped into Goddards for the outside line, but Farrer kept him at bay.

Farrer crossed the line first, 0.219 seconds ahead of Belford who held O’Gorman 0.016 behind him. O’Shea missed out on the podium by half a second but stayed half a tenth ahead of Bourne.

Tinker came home in sixth from Hitchcock and Cook while Ollie Walker (Moto Rapido / SP125 Racing) and Harrison Crosby (Banks Racing) rounded out the top 10.