Ramseys Conor Cummins put in another superb ride in Sundays Metzeler National 1000cc Superstock Championship at Thruxton when he took his Team Blackhorse Kawasaki to a hard fought fourth place. The 23-year old was in contention for the win throughout the 15-lap race and he crossed the line just 0.977s adrift of race winner Steve Plater for his second successive fourth place finish. The 13 points have also moved him up to a fighting third place overall in the Championship after the first two rounds.

Keen to carry on his Brands Hatch form, Conor was on the pace immediately and, after placing eighth in free practice, a lap of 1m18.045s in first qualifying saw him occupy a provisional fourth place on the grid. In the second and final 30-minute session he knocked a further 0.2s off his lap time and it was enough to see him move up to 3rd place overall for his first front row start of the year.

With the Hampshire circuit bathed in glorious sunshine, a great start by the Manxman saw him slot in to second place at the end of the first 2.35-miles and here he remained for the next four laps as he closely shadowed the race leader and fellow Kawasaki rider Howie Mainwaring. There were no less than eight riders fighting it out for the lead and on the seventh lap, Conor got shuffled back to third place by Championship leader Steve Plater and third became fourth a lap later when Ian Hutchinson relegated him back another spot to fourth. However, the race was wide open as Mainwaring, Plater, Hutchinson and Conor broke away and decided the race amongst themselves. With little to choose between any of the four riders, and with riders defending their lines on the run in to the final chicane, overtaking chances were few and far between. Any chance of getting on to the podium disappeared on the final lap when yellow flags were being displayed and Conor had to settle for fourth once more but the results have already earmarked him down as a Championship contender and he heads in to the next round in confident mood.


Soaking afterwards, a delighted Conor commented;

It has been a solid opening two rounds for me and it was great to be fighting it out at the sharp end of the field once more. I got a great start and hung in there throughout but Ian (Hutchinson) kept defending his line on the way in to the final chicance in the last few laps and with the yellow flag being out on the last lap, I could not attempt to overtake. The bike was flying and everything was working well - we had the right gearing and the suspension was awesome so it was a strong race all round for us and the final result could have gone either way. There was not a lot of grip out on the circuit due to the heat but we brought it home and, overall, it has been a great weekend. Oulton Park is one of my strongest circuits so I cant wait to get there and challenge again for the race wins. The overall package we have is as good as anything out there so a big thanks to all the team and sponsors for making it happen and they have given me the platform to show what I can really do.

The third round of the Metzeler National 1000cc Superstock Championship takes place at Oulton Park, May 1-3.