TCG Motorsport in Power Struggle at Snetterton

TCG Motorsport’s Dave Hallett managed to retain his customary good humour despite having to race the team’s spare bike on his debut in the MRO Dyna-Pro MiniTwin series last weekend at Snetterton. Delays in preparing the main race bike meant that it not available for use so the team were forced to race a bike that was virtually stock apart from a race exhaust can. Dynamometer checks carried out during Saturday confirmed that the Suzuki SV650 was producing less than 65hp, well short of the 72hp class power limit! Despite this handicap, Dave managed to record the 6th fastest time in qualifying, score two 7th place finishes in Saturday’s races and an 8th place in race one on Sunday. For the second of Sunday’s races the decision was taken to try a fuel injected SV650 for comparison with the carburetted bike that they had been using. This was kindly loaned by fellow racer Tim Jones, and although this proved to be quicker on the straights, the bike hadn’t been set up to suit Dave and he found it difficult to maintain the corner speed that he had been achieving using the TCG machine, eventually finishing in 10th place.

“We knew we would be struggling this weekend” explained TCG Team Principal Gavin Wheeler. ”To come to the fastest circuit on the MRO calendar giving away that much power wasn’t ideal at all. I’ve been doing my rain dance all weekend, hoping for a wet race to even things up a bit, but that didn’t work either! I’m really proud of what Dave has achieved this weekend though; in race two on Saturday he recorded the 4th fastest lap, has given 100 percent all weekend and kept smiling despite the problems he had to contend with.”

Dave was still upbeat despite the difficult start to his 2006 season. “It’s been frustrating because I just didn’t have enough power to stay with the quick guys down the back straight” he said “but the chassis set-up was spot-on and I managed to make up quite a bit of ground through the twisty bits! The fuel injected bike was quick enough in a straight line but around the corners it was like riding a pogo-stick! I’m desperate to get some wins; all we need is a bit more power. When we get the number one race bike I should be right up there with the leaders”.

The team are hoping that the number one machine will be delivered in time for the next round at Lydden on April 8th and 9th. Hallett currently lies in 7th place in the Dyna-Pro MiniTwin Championship, with 32 points.

TCG’s other rider Stewart Willetts was also in action on Saturday in the Forze Extreme class, but took it very easy as the Suzuki GSXR-1000 he was using had already been sold! The new owner gave permission to race it, but Stewart decided that discretion was the better part of valour and withdrew from Sunday’s races rather than risk a crash. A new race bike is being sourced for the next round of the Clubman 1000 Championship.


About TCG Motorsport

TCG Motorsport was established in 2005 to identify and maximise the potential of young and talented motorcycle racers, with the ultimate goal of competing at National or International level. In 2005, TCG helped Tom Gazzard to achieve 3rd place in the BMCRC Rookie 600 Championship, and Stewart Willetts to 7th place in the BMCRC Clubman 1000 series.

This year, TCG Motorsport, in association with BanditMania and PJT Photography will be supporting David Hallett in the MRO Dyna-Pro MiniTwin series, and Stewart Willetts in the BMCRC Forze Extreme and Clubman 1000 championships.

If you're attending a BMCRC/MRO race meeting in 2006 please visit the TCG Motorsport awning for a cup of tea and a chat; they're a friendly bunch (except after a crash!). You'll be especially welcome if you've got any sponsorship money to spend!

You can follow TCG Motorsport's progress at www.tcgmotorsport.co.uk or contact the team at info@tcgmotorsport.co.uk

Report by Jon Tanner