Putting the last round of the British Championship, and the failing of luck that went with it, Graeme Irwin was adamant to turn it around, and with a return to his true form, he’s done just that.
The Heads and All Threads Suzuki rider started the day by taking an impressive pole in qualifying, and first gate pick.
In race one it was his team-mate, Harri Kullas, that took the holeshot with Irwin in 10th. As Kullas battled to hold first he fell victim to arm pump and began to drop off the pace. Meanwhile, Irwin picked his way through the pack to take second, with Kullas taking fifth in MX1.
The roles reversed somewhat in race two. Irwin gated higher up in the field, and it was Kullas left with the work to do from 10th.
Irwin made quick passes in the first lap and moved into second behind series leader, Kristian Whatley (Buildbase Honda), as Kullas made headway through the field. Irwin matched Whatley’s pace but couldn’t close the gap and finished the day 2-2 for second overall, with Kullas climbing into sixth in MX1 for fifth overall.
“It was a good weekend, especially after our luck at Lyng,” said Graeme Irwin. “I wasn’t too lucky in the first couple of laps of the first race. I made the passes, but by the time I got to second, Whatley had gone.
It was a better start in the second race. Whatley was a bit faster to begin with, but then I started to catch him. Back markers came into play a little, and I just couldn’t close the gap to within striking distance, but overall I’m happy with the ride.
I have to say a big thanks to the team for putting last week behind them, and bouncing back like they did. This weekend was all thanks to them.”
“I’ve got mixed feelings about today. It’s good for me to take the holeshot in race one, and ride like this on a hard pack track, but I’m still looking for that little bit of extra speed and a podium spot at the next races,” commented Harri Kullas.
Team Manager, Neil Prince: “I’m very happy, it’s a much better result. Obviously we had the bad luck last week, but Graeme had showed his speed and then proved it here at Foxhill. It’s a return to his true form and he’ll take that speed through the rest of the season.
“Harri has restored some faith. He’s still not where he should be, but a marked improvement over previous rounds, and a decent result.”
