Points on the board for Wilcox at wet Brands Hatch

British 125cc
By Phil Wain
March 30 2006

Michael Wilcox opened his 2006 125cc British Championship campaign with a steady ride into eleventh place at Brands Hatch on Sunday.

Held in wet conditions, the Slim Racing rider rode a conservative race and, mindful of the fact that he crashed out of the two races to be held at the Kent venue last year, he opted for caution, rather than valour, thus ensuring he got some points on the board.

Using the same machine that he had finished last season on, the former British Champion was strong throughout qualifying and, although he was a little bit down on top speed through the speed traps, he managed to qualify his 125cc Honda in ninth place on the grid. He was less than three tenths of a second away from a front row position and, mindful of the fact that he’s a racer, rather than a qualifier, he was quietly confident going into the race. Happy with his riding, the Lincolnshire rider was hoping for dry weather, but the forecast wasn’t hopeful.

Sure enough, by the time the 125s came to the line at 4:40pm, steady rain was falling, and full wet tyres were the only option. A steady start saw Michael complete the opening lap in 12th place, and this was where he remained until lap 13. The veteran of the class, he was involved in a good dice early on with Ashley Beech and Tom Hayward, before Scott Rogers and Nathan Pallett also joined in. Pallett was making some bold overtaking attempts and, when he fell on lap 19, Wilcox was promoted to 11th - but by this time the gaps had opened up to the riders in front, and he held station in 11th until the chequered flag, good enough for five championship points.

Immediately after the 24-lap race, Wilcox commented:
“With the rain falling quite considerably, today was very much a damage limitiation exercise, as I didn’t want to leave Brands with no points beside my name. I’ve won races in the wet before, but it took me a while to get into the race, and by the time I did, Ashley and Tom had escaped - which was a shame as they ended up inside the top ten.

“The left handlebar grip came loose in the early stages, but overall I’m satisfied with the result. It was a conservative race for me, and I’m sure that if it had been dry it would have been a different story, as I was confident of getting into the top six. I wanted to get some points on the board and, now that I have, I’ll be a lot more aggressive at the next round, and give everyone in the team a little bit more to cheer about. I did manage to get my knee down in the wet though, which pleased me, as that hasn’t happened for a while!”

Michael now heads to Donington Park, in Leicestershire, for the second round of the championship, which takes place on Sunday, 9th of April.