After a short rest, the R&G British Talent Cup landed in the Netherlands for Round 7 of the season, delivering unpredictable conditions and incredible racing on the circuit.
Sparks takes charge in mixed conditions
Ethan Sparks’ (Kovara Projects / RS Racing) momentum rolled into the weekend, clinching victory in Race 1. It was an intriguing end to Saturday’s proceedings, with Sparks beating Ryan Frost (Fibretec Honda by Mlav Racing) by a mere 0.045s. Filip Surowiak (City Lifting Team) followed behind, collecting further championship points as his advantage was reduced to just five points.
Sparks lined up on pole position, snatching the holeshot on the run to Turn 1 as Frost and Jack Dunabie (Kovara Projects / RS Racing) chased behind. Frost attacked on the opening lap, pushing Sparks briefly to second before the #62 responded a few corners later. Elsewhere, Harrison Mackay’s (Kovara Projects / RS Racing) hopes came to an end on Lap 1, crashing out at Turn 8 on Saturday. Positions shuffled throughout the opening laps, with Dunabie beginning to make his presence known in the front group.
Mason Foster (Mortimer Racing) impressed again, battling his way towards the top five in the opening stages of action. The front group grew to seven riders, with Jack Burrows (Burows Engineering / RK Racing ) glueing himself to the back of Clayton Edmunds’ (City Lifting Team) tailpipe as the #64 set the fastest lap of the race. However, conditions began to change with spots of rain beginning to drop onto the circuit, as Frost momentarily ran wide in the intense fight for victory.
There was action everywhere you looked in the closing laps, with the TT Circuit Assen producing an incredible show for fans across the globe. Surowiak later entered the podium places, sitting comfortably as he looked to stop Sparks from clawing further points back. The crucial move arrived at the final chicane as the #62 led the field across the line, and with a red flag bringing an end to proceedings on Lap 11 – Sparks was victorious in the Netherlands.
Sparks was declared the winner, with Frost and Surowiak completing another talented podium. Missing out on the celebrations was Dunabie, with the #63 crossing the line in P4, finishing ahead of Burrows, who rounded out the top five. Foster and Edmunds claimed sixth and seventh, beating Scott McPhee (SMP Racing) in eighth. Meanwhile, Peter Willis (WM Racing) and Joshua Raymond Jnr (Fibretec Honda by Mlav Racing ) rounded out the top 10 in the opening BTC race of the weekend.
Dunabie conquers Assen on Sunday
Jack Dunabie is finally an R&G British Talent Cup race winner, and what better place to do it than the legendary TT Circuit Assen. Just like Saturday’s action, Race 2 was full of surprises as the weather brought an early end to play on Lap 11. Dunabie took victory by an impressive 2.283s ahead of Ethan Sparks, with the #62 sitting comfortably behind his teammate, while Ryan Frost took the final spot on the podium – making it another meeting to remember.
The weather in the Netherlands remained mixed, making it a difficult choice of tyre on Sunday. Clayton Edmunds launched from pole position, making an incredible start ahead of Frost at Turn 1. Frost didn’t wait long to attack, hitting the front at Turn 6, showing confidence in the opening laps. Jack Burrows eventually followed the #24 through, entering second before stealing the lead at the final chicane – igniting the Race 2 fight. Meanwhile, Filip Surowiak would briefly drop outside the top five, continuing to adapt to the conditions.
The fastest lap swapped hands, with Dunabie clocking some stunning times as he began to fight his way towards the podium positions. Burrows continued to lead heading onto Lap 5, with the #16’s hopes of victory being dashed following a crash at Turn 3. This incident promoted Frost into P1, with Dunabie moving closer on every lap. The #63 wasn’t the only rider making inroads, with Sparks and Filip Surowiak edging closer to the podium fight.
By Lap 6, Dunabie seized control from Frost, putting down the hammer instantly. The #63 was in search of his maiden BTC victory, leaving Frost, Edmunds, Sparks and Surowiak to fight for the podium places, with just a handful of laps remaining. The laps continued to tick down as Sparks entered the podium for the first time on Sunday before grabbing second on Lap 10. Conditions began to get worse, with rain falling in the Netherlands – once again bringing out the red flag on Lap 11.
Dunabie was declared the winner on Sunday, ending an incredible weekend of action on the top step as Sparks and Frost completed the podium. Surowiak crossed the line in fourth, with Edmunds rounding out the top five – unable to convert pole into victory. Mason Foster finished in sixth, scoring solid championship points after the #88 finished ahead of Harrison Mackay and Joshua Raymond Jnr at Assen. Meanwhile, Scott McPhee and Peter Willis rounded out the top 10 – making it another weekend to remember.
Everything is set for a blockbuster season finale, with Oulton Park hosting the championship decider in a few weeks. Just two points split Sparks and Surowiak in the standings, while Frost remains in contention – 26 points back. Join us from October 03-05 for the eighth and final time this season!
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