The optional round at Pembrey just two weeks after the previous round at Oulton Park did somewhat diminish the size of the grid in the Michelin Power Cup, but it certainly didn’t take anything away from the exciting battles out on track with the rookies taking on the Pros and the 600s pushing the 1000s hard.
In race one, Pro 1000 ride Graham Hornby led the field from start to finish despite strong performances from Rookie 1000 contender Lee Feeney pushing him hard in the early stages before dropping out in lap three. In the Rookie 600 Gavin Bartlett eased to a comfortable win to carry on his near perfect start to the season.
Race two saw a real melee of riders from all classes scrapping for the lead, with Feeney and Hornby battling it out before Rookie 600 rider Gavin Bartlett snatched the lead only to be hauled back in by Feeney.
The Monday races were longer, but saw the same exciting action as the Sunday with Feeney taking charge of the first race of the day followed closely by Hornby, Craig Kennelly and Byron Thomas. After biding his time, Kennelly snatched the lead in lap eleven and stayed there to take the top spot on the podium despite being pushed hard all the way to the finish line.
In the final race of the day Bartlett and Kennelly battled it out for the lead on the R6 and R1 respectively, with Bartlett losing out on the straights to his 1000cc rival before clawing back time on the brakes.
Keep his slip streaming as tight as possible Bartlett caught the rear wheel of the R1 when he pulled out into a late braking maneuver, giving him a dislocated thumb and fractured scaphoid, as well as writing off the bike.
The restart of the race with just 5 laps to go saw Hornby pinch the win from Kennelly. The next round will see the riders head to Angelsey this coming weekend for more adrenaline fueled action.
