Motorsport: Runcorn biker Ian maintains Superstock 1000 Thundersport GB lead after Donington success

Apr 21 2011 Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News

IAN Mackman kept his focus in front of the television cameras to remain as series leader of the Superstock 1000 class of the Thundersport GB Championship.

The 31-year-old from Palacefields in Runcorn rode his Suzuki GSXR1000 to a first overall victory of the season – beating more powerful GP1 bikes – in the first of three races at Donington Park.

The result earned him pole positions for two televised events on the Leicestershire meeting’s second race day when he added two overall third places. The second of these saw him beat his PB lap time by half a second.

Mackman said: “It was a fantastic race once again. Hopefully, it will make for good TV as it is being shown on Motors in a few weeks’ time.”

The Superstock 1000 leader is just 12 points adrift in the overall GP1 championship for fully-tuned superbikes.

“With the power deficit it is a struggle but not impossible, to win the overall race on a Superstock bike,” said Mackman, who was happy to prove himself right.

Since his last outing at Donington, Maxton Suspension had changed the fork springs at the front of Mackman’s bike in a bid which improved stability into the corners.

On used tyres, past their best from mid-session, he was happy to qualify in fourth.

Having dropping to sixth in race one with an untypically sluggish start, Mackman improved into second spot. The leader had a 4.8 secs gap but fast laps on the new Bridgestone R10 treaded race tyre got Mackman to within a second of the front with five laps of 16 left – forcing the pacesetter into errors.

“He ran wide at the entry to the final chicane, sacrificing speed onto the start-finish straight. I made my move on the exit and passed into the first corner,” explained Mackman. “Quickly, I began to make a break, eventually winning comfortably.”

The following day, on the first of two televised 14 lappers, Mackman took an early lead, engaging in a fantastic battle with a series newcomer riding a new Kawasaki ZX10. Mackman finished second in class for an overall third position repeated in the next race – not helped in either by problems with back markers.

His next outing is as a wild card entry for the Oulton Park British Superbike Round on Bank Holiday Monday, May 2.