Ollerton racer Lynden Leatherland continues podium form at Oulton Park

Following his visit to the podium at the previous championship round at Cadwell Park, hopes were high of a continuation of the fine form displayed there.

The Ollerton flyer was looking to continue the positive strides taken at Cadwell and record some solid performances to make up for the dismal luck endured throughout the season and found himself once again stepping up onto the podium.

Qualifying went well, with Lynden finding himself in a fine second position for most of the session before being pipped at the last minute by Jamie Richmond, pushing him into a third-place front row start.

Due to noise restrictions at the Cheshire Circuit, the usual three-day meeting format was crammed into two days with practice and qualifying on the Friday and the two races scheduled to be held on the Saturday.

Race one on Saturday was held in cool, damp conditions with a drying track meaning tyre choice was critical.

The team opted for dry tyres, which turned out to be the correct choice with Lynden making a really good start, holding on to an untroubled third place for the duration of the race, won by championship leader Adam Hartgrove.

“I made a good start and felt I could make a challenge for second until I made a slight mistake towards the end of the race which cost me about one second, putting Jamie just out of reach,” he said.

“All in all, I was happy with the result and am getting more comfortable on the new bike every time I ride it.”

A few settings were tweaked in anticipation of race two to try to improve the bike's handling in the dry, but the heavens opened meaning there was no chance to utilise them, with wet tyres being the only sensible option.

However, race two did not take place due to two serious crashes in a races prior to Lynden’s, resulting in the cancellation of the meeting as all of the circuit medical staff were required to aid the injured riders, with the support of the local air ambulance service.

Updates from the respective teams said that despite suffering multiple injuries, the initial signs are positive, and the riders are in good spirits with a long recovery road ahead.

It was a reminder to everyone of just how dangerous the sport can be.

The final outing this season for the Ollerton-based team will take place on the weekend of September 27th/28th at the final round of the No Limits Championship.

“I’m looking forward to the final round at Donington, which is my local circuit and hope to keep the run of podium finishes going,” said Lynden.

“A repeat of last season's win would be a great way to sign off what has been a really difficult season.”