Superb second for Wilcox at dismal Donington Park

125cc British Champ.
By Phil Wain
April 10 2006

Michael Wilcox scored a superb second place finish this weekend, in the second round of the 125cc British Championship, at a very wet and dismal Donington Park.

The Lincolnshire rider rode a masterful race, and called upon all his experience to negotiate the 12 laps, which we were held in atrocious conditions. With heavy rain falling constantly, and temperatures barely above freezing, Michael kept his concentration and rode a super smooth race to take his first podium finish since Thruxton last year.

Despite struggling somewhat for outright top speed, Michael was consistently in the top ten during qualifying, and put the 125cc Honda into seventh place on the grid. However, the dry and wet sessions were considerably fraught for the team, and a few uncharacteristic errors meant things could have been better still. Nevertheless, Michael was happy with the way he was riding, and knew that he was capable of running in the top four. This was confirmed in morning warm-up, when the team made a bold move on set-up and went down three jet sizes, which immediately placed them in the top eight through the speed trap.

Michael’s hopes of a dry race soon went out the window, though, on race day, when rain set in from lunchtime onwards. When the 125s came to the line, an hour later than scheduled, it was almost torrential - but a good start saw him move into the top six, and by the completion of the first lap he was already up into third. This soon became first as both Dan Linfoot and Paul Robinson crashed at Coppice on the second lap, and the former British Champion was controlling things at the front.

Alex Lowes overhauled him on the fourth lap, but he remained in second until eventual winner Robbie Stewart and Dean Hipwell came by on the eighth lap. However, Hipwell went down almost immediately and Lowes, who was over ten seconds clear in the lead, did a similar trick, promoting Michael back up into second. With Stewart six seconds clear, the Slim Racing rider brought the Honda home in a safe second, punching the air with delight after over 25 minutes of arduous racing.

Speaking immediately after the race, a practically shivering Michael commented:
“I was sitting in the van before the race, trying to keep as warm as possible, as I knew it would be a very cold and wet race - where keeping concentration throughout would be of the utmost importance. The conditions were horrendous, and it’s so easy to lose concentration when the weather’s as bad as what it was today, so I was determined to keep focused and smooth throughout the 12 laps. I got a good start and took things nice and steady in the early stages, whilst a few riders had already overstepped the mark, so I was strong in third at the end of the first lap.

“There was pressure on throughout, and although I got overtaken a couple of times, I didn’t panic and stayed composed, keeping the bike as upright and smooth as possible. In the last four laps I began to lose feeling in my hands, and could barely feel the levers, but I brought the bike home and I’m absolutely delighted to get back onto the podium. The conditions really were atrocious, but it turned out to be a faultless race - the bike was fantastic, the Dunlop tyres were awesome, and it’s a great result. I guess you could say my experience paid dividends, and I’m just so pleased for everyone in the team - they’ve all worked tremendously hard, and it’s as much a result for them as it is for me.”

The result has propelled Michael into joint second place in the championship table, and there’s no rest for the team, as practice gets underway for the third round at Thruxton, Hampshire, on Good Friday.