Team ILR enjoyed what was arguably one of their most satisfying weekends of the season with the team's three riders all riding strongly and scoring points in the three races they contested.

Vasco van der Valk did no harm whatsoever to his rapidly growing reputation as a rider for the future with two top six finishes in the Hel British Motostar Championship races, and it was also good to see Joe Thomas back in the points again with two determined rides.

Equally impressive however was the performance of Fraser Rogers in the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 race, when he qualified 14th and finished 12th in the race itself, in what was only his second race on the big ZX-10R.

Hel Performance Motostar Championship

On the vast unfamiliar Silverstone circuit, Vasco was right on the pace from the first turn of the wheel of his Honda and was never out of the top 6 in all three practice/qualifying sessions, qualifying second quickest Honda rider in a very strong fifth on the second row of the grid.

A crash in the first qualifying session hindered Joe's efforts, nevertheless he managed to secure 14th, two rows back from his team-mate.

Race One would see van der Valk renew his rivalry with his good friend Jorel Boerboom and the two enjoyed a race-long battle, with Elliot Lodge along for company. The two Dutch lads managed to break the tow of Lodge with two laps remaining, and it was Boerboom who held on by the narrowest of margins to take 5th as he and Vasco crossed the line fractions of a second apart.

Joe meanwhile was right in the middle of a large group of riders battling for 10th, and despite running in 11th for most of the race, the Welsh rider dropped 5 places in the run to the line but was 14th best of the Moto 3 competitors.

Sunday's second race very quickly established a pattern. Behind the front four man group, van der Valk, Boerboom and Lodge were joined in a second group by Jake Archer. Joe was further back in a six-rider group again battling just outside the top ten.

Both Team ILR riders rode with great determination in two hard fought battles with Vasco securing fifth, again just behind Boerboom, and Joe scoring another three Moto 3 points.   

Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship

Since joining Team ILR for the last three races of the season, the professionalism and the way in which Fraser Rogers has taken to the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R has been particularly pleasing for team boss Ian Lougher.

Fraser settled in with his new team from the start and this was certainly reflected in his performance at Silverstone.

There are no easy races at BSB level and the National Superstock 1000 class is recognised as one of the toughest, so for Fraser to qualify 14th in only his second outing and improving his lap time by over two seconds in the process, was a seriously impressive feat.

From the middle of the fifth row, Rogers quickly knuckled down to the task in hand.

A slight error at the halfway point of the 11-lap race pushed him down from 10th, however he was still lying in 11th place with Tom Tunstall pressing him, and it was only with two laps to go that Tunstall got past leaving Fraser to open his points scoring account with a fine 12th, and another half a second improvement in his lap time.

It's a two week break now before the team wrap up 2015 with the season finale at Brands Hatch.

Ian Lougher:

"It was a very busy yet enjoyable meeting at Silverstone for the team and our three riders.

I would say all of them acquitted themselves very well, gaining good experience, results, and learning a lot about machine set up and race craft along the way.

I'm quite proud to say for such a small budget team what we have been able to achieve this season.

Roll on the final BSB meeting at Brands Hatch in two weeks time, and then the silly season starts of course, trying to find sponsors and riders to try and make it all happen again."

Fraser Rogers continued to impress at Silverstone on the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R.
Photo: Visor Down Photography

Fraser Rogers:  

"Once again first things first and a huge thanks to Ian Lougher and the whole of Team ILR for a fantastic weekend.

I was excited for Silverstone and getting to a circuit which would suit me better. Straight from FP1 I had a good feeling with the bike and I knew we could have a good race. Making good progress again with every lap and every session I was going faster and faster. I felt good on new and old tyres which was good for the race.

After a good qualifying, managing 14th on the grid, I knew I could have a strong race. I was battling for a solid top 10 position, but after hitting a false neural on Lap 6 I lost the group a little bit and it was hard to recover lost ground, eventually ending the race in a comfortable 12th, which I am still really happy with.

With even more confidence now, I'm really excited to finish the season strong at Brands Hatch GP.

Thanks to all my Sponsors, Gary & Louise from First Choice Flooring, Simon Whatley from SRS, James Cox from Swindon Karting Arena and my mechanic Nick who did a great job all weekend too.

Also a big thanks to everyone who supported me this weekend!"

Vasco van der Valk:

"Silverstone is very long, but I grabbed fifth place in qualifying among riders who have been here for more often. It was good to have help from my Superstock 1000 teammate who has a lot of experience with a Moto 3 and knows what is expected.

Race 1: I had a huge fight with my friend Jorel, eventually he was 5th and me 6th by a few thousandths.

Race 2: After a good start I was 4th by the first bends, but in the end 5th on the finish line. Good feeling with the fast riders to be able to go racing.

Thanks to Team ILR!!!"

Joe Thomas:

"Great weekend! Awesome racing!

The team were great and the bikes as usual didn't skip a beat!

Thank-you to everyone in the team and all my sponsors."