The McManus brothers Eugene Junior and James were back in action at Oulton Park this weekend, competing in the Hel Performance British Motostar and Junior Supersport Championships.
The weekend started in awful conditions for Eugene and the Motostar riders, with both Friday free practices running in the wet. Championship favourite Jake Archer, chose to sit out both sessions and left the brave to it, as The Wee Bull showed his true grit and race craft to put in two solid sessions. Only 17 riders went out in FP1 and McManus Junior finished FP2 in fifth place. The forecast for Saturday's Qualifying looked a lot better.
Qualifying began dramatically as Jake Archer high sided whilst leaving pitlane, the City Lifting rider thankfully was ok. The Wee Bull pushed hard to finish in P8 with American Brandon Paasch collecting his first ever pole ahead of Jack Nixon and Jack Scott. McManus was in the mix yet again, only 1.7 seconds behind P1 and feeling confident moving into Race 1.
Race 1 unfortunately became one to forget as The Wee Bull slid out on the opening lap bringing a very positive day to an early finish. Jack Scott picked up his 4th victory in 2018 to close the gap on his City Lifting team mate Archer, who finished fifth. McManus Junior was naturally disappointed but raring to make amends in Sunday's Race 2.
It was a day for McManus DNF's as younger brother James slipped off during his Junior Supersport race. These things happen in racing and it's how you bounce back that shows the true character of every racer. Both brothers were in good spirits and still smiling come Sunday morning. James had started the weekend racing in his first ever wet sessions, when asked how it felt he simply replied "slippy" The cheeky youngster already knows how to handle his media officer!!
Sunday Races - Eugene was back to his best in Race 2, starting from P13, he carved his way through the field to eventually finish sixth, a brilliant performance and a real boost after the previous days DNF. The team were delighted to see his return to form in this, the penultimate round, with Brands Hatch the final destination of 2018 in October. Eugene was pleased with the result;
"It's good to rescue something from the weekend and I'm happy with today's result considering my starting position. I cant thank the team and sponsors enough for everything they do each weekend, we have Brands Hatch left and I'm looking to finish the season on a high"
Wee James McManus finished another weekend with a smile on his face despite slipping out in Race 2 on Sunday. The 14 year old has experienced all weather and track conditions in the three days and will have a lot to take away from his efforts. The youngster is learning fast and showing a real enthusiasim for racing. One definately for the future!!
Team E15 now have a mini break until the Brands Hatch finale 12-14th October as the BSB Circus moves onto Assen in two weeks time.
Images: Burnout Media UK
Congratulations to City Lifting's Jake Archer and Victor Rodriguez who both claimed their first British titles this weekend, Jake won the Motostar Championship and Victor lifted the standard class trophy.