Frustration for Binch Racing at Silverstone opener

Spearheading their Junior Superstock title defence is young Irishman Sam Laffins.

He was the first on track for the first of his two his free practice sessions.

He ended FP1 on top of the time sheets and fourth in session two as he used the valuable time to try some different settings and racing lines.

Newly recruited New Zealand native Damon Rees started his Supersport practice sessions later in the day and the experienced 600cc pilot utilised every second in his two sessions to tweak and improve the performance of the Yamaha R6 machine.

Saturday's qualifying sessions for both Sam and Damon were not a true reflection of their potential or ability as both riders struggled to find clear track.

The Junior Superstock and the Supersport class have received an exceptional number of entrants in 2023 which lead to a lot of traffic around the tight 1.64 mile Northamptonshire circuit.

Despite trying to find odd gaps with strategically timed tyre changes and pit lane ride-throughs neither rider was able to string together four fast sectors as they dealt with slower riders and congestion.

Sam qualified sixth and Damon improved on his free practice times to start his first Saturday Sprint race from 12th on the grid.

When the race got underway Damon made a very strong start and by the end of the shortened 18 lap Sprint he crossed the line in a very respectable seventh position, securing 12 well-earned championship points.

Such was the strength of his lap times during the race he elevated himself to start Sunday's race from eighth on the grid.

Damon was delighted with the bike and his own performance. Having addressed some long term niggling injuries in the winter break he was overjoyed with how strong he felt battling on the bike under race conditions.

Sunday saw the feature races in both classes and the atmosphere in the camp was excellent.

Sam lined up for his 20 lap Junior Superstock race just as the temperatures started to improve from what had been a pleasant but chilly morning.

Unfortunately the race got away from him as he started to fall back from his starting position of sixth to 11th before tucking the front into Brooklands on lap nine of the race.

Bitterly disappointed with the result he returned to the team garage to a very warm reception.

It was evident he was trying his best, but it was just not to be.

The national circuit is unique and suits some riders more than others, but the team believe Sam is experienced enough to put it behind him and move on.

Unfortunately, later that day Damon's second race ended in the exactly same way, on exactly the same corner only this time it was lap four.

Damon had got away well and he was patiently settling into the race.

As he picked up his pace he was really pushing on and reducing his lap times, looking to bridge the gap to the leading pack. But his front tyre gave way and that was his day done.

Despite the frustrating results there was a lot of positives to pack in the van and take away and build on.

Both riders remarked on how welcome they had been made to feel and how much they enjoyed the team's approach to racing.

The entire team gelled really well and everybody worked extremely hard all weekend.

Round two of the Championship is at Oulton Park on 29th April-1st May.