TEAM FINISHES ON A HIGH AS NOBLE SECURES 3RD IN CHAMPIONSHIP

The final round of the Maxxis British Championship took place at Landrake, Devon on 27th September. There was a buzz around the place as the final Nations spot was still to be decided and with the likes of Simpson and Sword contesting the MX1 class along with Americans Ryan Hughes and Ben Lamay there was a real sense of anticipation building as we approached the start of the day’s proceedings.

Qualifying
In a stacked field containing 8 GP regulars and with the track real sketchy after the heavy watering which had taken place the previous day qualifying was always going to be tough and so it proved. Noble took 7th with Rose in 8 and Parker 19th.

Race 1.
Rose got his now customary good start in 7th but Noble was balked by Lamay as they flew down the start straight and ended up at the back of the pack. Parker rounded the first corner in 23rd. Rose soon moved up to 4th behind Simpson, MacKenzie and Church and was looking in fine form and Noble was scything through the field like a man possessed. Incredibly he had made it up to 12th by the time they had completed just half a lap but his aggression proved to be his downfall as he tried to rail round the outside of Wayne Smith as they rounded the long right hand sweeper. Smith made a slight mistake and in his attempt to recover managed to push Noble over the top of the berm leaving upside down and back down to dead last. Parker was struggling to find grip and could make little progress throughout the race, finally crossing the line in a disappointing 22nd. Rose was having one of his best rides of the season and held onto 5th place until the 12th lap when he had to give ground to the charging Dougan. Swanapoel seemed to have saved himself for the last two laps and managed to steal 6th away from Rose however 7th was a great result with everyone in front being a GP rider. Noble had a massive challenge in front of him to get back up the field on the ultra fast circuit but he just put his head down and got on with the job, finally taking the chequered flag in a hard fought 13th.

Race 2
Rose and Noble were away in 11th and 12th with Parker in 19th. Noble was determined to make up for race one and set about making his way towards the front and by lap four he was up to 5th just in front of Billy Mac who had dropped down from 2nd after a mistake. It looked as though he would have a battle on his hands to fend off Billy but it didn’t materialise as instead he charged past cousin Brian and then breezed past Dougan to move into 2nd. By now Sword had built up a 6 second lead at the front and as they both battled for supremacy they gradually pulled away from the rest of the field. As hard as Noble tried he just couldn’t close the gap enough and had to settle for a brilliant 2nd at the flag which secured him 3rd overall in the Championship. Rose maintained his form throughout the race to finish in 8th and Parker rode a much more aggressive and confident race to edge out Whatley on the last lap to take 15th.

All in all a great end to the season and 3rd overall for a team in just their second year is an impressive achievement. Roll on 2010 !!!

NOBLE DESTROYS FIELD TO TAKE DOUBLE WIN

The Red Bull Pro Nationals took the show to Wakes Colne in Essex for the last round of the championship. Again they put on a spectacular show with the 5000 crowd treated to another freestyle show along with a full day’s racing.

Red Bull Pro Qualifying
Noble took pole with Rose in 5th and Parker in 11th.

Race 1
Noble took the holeshot from Nunn and Sword with Rose not far behind and Parker also in the top ten. It wasn’t long before Sword made it through to second and started to press for the lead but he was far too aggressive as they entered a left hander and as he tried to take the same rut as Noble he only succeeded in taking them both down. Noble got away quickest albeit down in 7th place and now with a mountain to climb to get back to the front but he was in determined mood and was soon back in to 4th behind Michael Philips. He was struggling to get past Philips and was stuck behind the Kiwi for three laps until he suddenly found some good lines. He was now by far the quickest man on the track and after disposing of Philips he then chased down and passed Nunn for 2nd before railing round Columb for the lead with two laps to go. Nunn soon passed Columb but couldn’t make any impression on Noble who took a superb and much deserved win. Rose, after running top five for half the race pulled in the pits with a problem with his bike before rejoining to come home in 19th. Parker took advantage of his good start and ran well up the field for the whole race eventually finishing an impressive 6th.

Proppa.com Van Slam
Nunn already had a comfortable overall lead going into the last round of the van slam and the only person with a remote chance of overhauling him was Noble and he did his best by taking his second holeshot of the day. Nunn though was in determined mood and soon stole through to take the lead and try as he might Noble was unable to get close enough to make a challenge. A jubilant Nunn took the win and also the keys to the Proppa.com van. Lucky guy!

Race 2
Rose took the holeshot in race two followed by Noble, Nunn, Sword and Parker, who made his best start of the season. As Noble got by to take the lead Rose did his teammate proud by battling hard to hold off Nunn and Sword but had to give ground eventually and the scene was set for a battle between the three big guns. Nunn kept Noble honest throughout but had no answer as the gap gradually grew and Sword was never able to match the pace of the front two dropping back to a distant third. Noble made his second win of the day look easy and was a happy man as he made his way to the top step of the podium for his second overall win in as many weeks. Rose couldn’t live with the front three and was also trailing Banks-Brown as they entered the latter stages. He upped his pace but had to settle for fifth as he just failed to catch the LPE rider as the race came to an end. After his good start Parker struggled to get into the groove in this one and dropped back to 9th at the flag which still gave him 6th overall on the day, by far his best result of the campaign.

NOBLE & ROSE TAKE 1ST & 3RD AT LAST ROUND OF BRITISH MASTERS

The 7th round of the British Masters series took place at Noble and Rose’s home town track at Skelder Bank, Whitby on 6th September and the lads didn’t disappoint their local fans.

Qualifying
Noble took pole with Rose in 4th and Parker 9th.

Race 1.
Noble bagged the holeshot with his teammate Rose in 2nd and it looked like he was going to make light work of it until he stalled his bike on the second lap, handing the lead to the on form Martin Barr who had already moved past Rose. Noble re-joined the race in fourth just behind Columb but within a lap he had stormed back into 2nd, albeit six seconds adrift of Barr. He gradually reeled in the Relentless Suzuki and on lap nine breezed into the lead which he held comfortably until the end of the race. After struggling in the middle of the race, losing a couple of places to Banks-Brown and Columb, Rose rallied to finish in 5th. Parker was in familiar territory, starting the race down in 23rd before charging through the field to eighth on lap eight. His next victim was to be Elderfield who he passed on lap twelve but not for long as he was held up by a backmarker in the left hander by the pits and found himself in a PAR sandwich as Elderfield and Crockard both took advantage. Parker suddenly found himself back in 9th which he had to settle for at the flag.

Race 2
Rose took the holeshot with Noble this time back in 9th. By lap three Barr was again in the lead with Rose in 2nd and Noble in 3rd but this time Rose was in a different league to the first race and wasn’t going to give up on a possible race win without a fight. As the three riders closed up on each other Rose flew past Barr after the whoop section to take the lead. Half a lap later Noble took second as he shot past Barr on the second set of whoops before the big step down and on the next lap he out-dragged Rose through the rhythm section and squeezed through on the next corner. Rose hung onto the back wheel of Noble all the way to the chequered with Barr in close pursuit, but it was to be Noble’s day with two wins and the overall. Barr finished on the 2nd step of the podium and Rose took 3rd overall for the 2nd week on the trot. Parker had a worse start than in race one as he had to shut off twice on the start straight to avoid being taken out, leaving him dead last as he rounded the first corner. But he was in determined mood and literally carved through the field to 14th by the end of the first lap. After a couple more passes on lap two he found himself on the back of Elderfield but as he cruised past the youngster steam could be seen coming from his radiator and he took the sensible decision to pull into the pits. A split radiator hose meant the end of the race for the despondent Parker but he had shown in those two laps that he is making real progress and although it sometimes seems to be one step forward and two back, I for one am confident that he will be right in the mix in the not too distant future. As Noble’s mechanic Reg would say “Wome wasn’t built in a day.”

TWO ON PODIUM AT RED BULL PRO NATIONALS

The team made the trip down to Pontrilas, Herefordshire on Sunday 30th August for the fifth round of the Red Bull Pro Nationals. Once again the track had been well prepared and although the event wasn’t as spectacular as the previous round at Canada Heights it was still well run, well attended and had its now customary great atmosphere.

Red Bull Pro Qualifying
Qualifying was good for the boys with Noble 3rd, Rose 4th and Parker 7th.

Race 1
Rose was quick out of the gate in 2nd with Noble in 6th and Parker who once again struggled with his starts down in the around 25th. Cyril Coulon, guesting for the Samsung Yamaha team soon moved past Rose for 2nd behind leader Nunn with Noble improving to 4th. At the midway stage Noble had moved past Rose and was battling to pass Coulon but with the track being so fast and quite one lined it was a real struggle and there were to be no more passes at the front for the rest of the race with Noble finishing 3rd and Rose 4th. Parker by contrast was having a rather eventful race. After his poor start he was blitzing through the pack and had made his way up to 13th when he was taken out by a rider he had just past. He soon made up the couple of places he has lost and as he blasted up the inside of Jack Brunel, Brunel lost control and wheelied straight into the side of Parker, dumping him on the deck again. Still undeterred Parker carried on where he left off and once again caught up with Brunel only to be taken out again as he tried to make a pass. To his credit the dismayed rider still rode as hard as he could right till the end and netted a 10th place finish.

Proppa.com Van Slam
With the Van Slam now a three horse race between Nunn, Columb and Noble it was no surprise that they were the three to fight for the podium places in this one. Noble seemed to have blown the start as he rounded the first corner in 6th but somehow he managed to blast round the outside of the next corner straight into the lead. Columb was 2nd and Nunn 3rd and by the time Nunn got past Columb Noble had already stretched out to a race winning lead.

Race 2
Janie Law took a surprise holeshot with Noble in 2nd and Rose in 3rd and although Rose made a brief pass on Noble by the end of the first lap Noble was leading. Rose soon passed Law for 2nd and it wasn’t long before he had the charging Nunn on his back wheel. Rose managed to fend the series leader off for a couple of laps while Noble sped off at the front and by the time Nunn made it into 2nd he was never going to make up the distance. Noble brought it home in front with Rose in 3rd but it was Nunn who took the overall from Noble in 2nd with Rose bagging his first podium of the year in 3rd. Parker had made another poor start and after and early crash, this time his own mistake he struggled to start the bike and was at the back of the field by the time he got his machine going. Once again he looked really fast as he rode as hard as he could throughout the whole race, putting in some impressive lap times which resulted in a 11th place finish by the close for 10th overall on the day.

NOBLE BAGS 1ST WIN FOR PROPPA.COM STR HONDA

The team was back at Canada Heights, Kent on Sunday the 16th August for the fourth round of the Red Bull Pro Nationals. The organisers did a superb job with the venue and after carrying out an extensive marketing campaign in the preceding weeks they succeeded in attracting one of the biggest UK crowds in recent years of around 6,500 spectators who were treated to a tremendous day’s entertainment.

Red Bull Pro Qualifying
Qualifying was split into two groups with Noble posting third fastest in group one with Rose in second and Parker in 5th in group two. All in all an impressive session for the three and in particular Parker who after being 10 seconds off the pace of his teammates at the previous round improved massively to get within 1 second this time out.

Race 1
Rose, who has really improved his starts in recent weeks shot out of the gate and looked to have the holeshot in the bag only for Noble to squeeze through the turn ahead of him and grab the lead. Noble quickly settled into his rhythm and looked unphased as Sword made his way into second and tried to apply the pressure. Nunn and Nichols both passed Rose to go 3rd and 4th and the race settled down in this order. Sword tried his best to pass Noble but to no avail and the Yorkshireman brought it home for his first big win in the Proppa.com STR Honda colours. Rose finished in 5th overall but 4th in his class. A confident Parker was soon brought down to earth, literally as he gated poorly leaving in the troublesome mid pack where he was to be nailed by an out of control rider, catapulting him straight through the paleing fence and into the pits, scattering the mechanics like a flock of worried sheep. After remounting Parker soon made it back into the tail-enders only for him clip a post with his left hand and with his hand guard missing after his first lap crash he was left to limp back to the pits with a couple of broken fingers.

Proppa.com Van Slam
Noble and Rose were again quick out of the gate but were beaten into 3rd and 4th by Nunn and Columb and after struggling to get past Columb for half a lap Noble was left with too big a gap to make up on Nunn and had to settle for 2nd with Rose in 4th and Parker last after testing his damaged hand out in the two lap dash to see if it was going to be viable to go out in the second race. Unfortunately for the youngster it was far too painful and he was left to contemplate on his 4th DNF in four starts at the Heights. To his credit he was still upbeat after showing again that he has the speed to match the top runners.

Race 2
Rose again looked like he was going to grab the holeshot but as they rounded the first corner Nunn cut across him knocking him to the floor and bringing down a gaggle of riders in the process including Sword. Noble sneaked through the inside of the pileup to grab 2nd behind Nunn with Banks-Brown in 3rd and Nichols in 4th. Nunn pulled out a five second lead early on but by mid race Noble had reduced it down to three and looked to be closing in only to be impeded by a lapped rider, costing him three seconds in the process. After throwing away the overall at the previous round Noble wasn’t going to make the same mistake again and after Banks-Brown dropped out he decided to settle for second and cruise to the flag. With Jake Nichols closing in fast on the last lap he showed his experience and allowed the MX2 pilot past on the last corner as it wasn’t going to affect his own MX1 result leaving him with 1-2 finishes and the overall from Nunn and Sword. Rose struggled through the field to 16th at the flag for 7th in MX1 and his 4-7 finishes bagged him 4th overall.
This was by far the best results the team has enjoyed so far and bodes well for the rest of the season.

Maxxis British Championship Rd5

The fifth round of the Maxxis British Championship took place at Lyng, Norfolk on 12th July. The track was in great condition as always, as was the weather.

Qualifying
Rose qualified in 9th, Noble was 12th and Nez 26th.

Race 1.
Rose was the quickest of the three out of the gate in 7th, two places in front of Noble with Parker way down in 28th. Scott Column was between the two riders until he passed Rose on the second lap leading to a three way battle which lasted until lap ten when the New Zealander hit the deck. With Alex Snow crashing and Bryan Mackenzie being cleaned out by Columb a couple of laps earlier this left Rose in 5th with Noble on his back wheel in 6th. On the next lap Noble made a huge leap up the inside of Rose on the uphill ski jump before passing Tom Church for a hard earned 5th at the flag. Rose was to finish in an impressive 7th and was lucky to do so as his clutch was pretty much destroyed.
Parker had a nightmare as he struggled with his machine which had been losing power throughout eventually causing his retirement.

Race 2
Rose was again away with the front runners in 6th but this time Noble was down in 18th after overshooting a berm. After initially allowing Swanepoel and Dougan through Rose settled into an impressive pace and was reeling in Alex Snow when he suffered a rear wheel puncture which was to eventually end his race as the bead disintegrated, wrapping the wiring around the hub.
Noble meanwhile, was charging through the field and by lap six had made it through to 9th with Carl Nunn in his sights, albeit around 10 seconds in front. Within four laps he was crawling all over Nunn but hit his back wheel when attempting a pass, losing him 5 seconds in the process. He now had it all to do and to his credit never gave up the chase which in the end gained him another two places as both Nunn and himself blasted past Snow and Mackenzie in the latter stages. 7th at the finish wasn’t on Noble’s wish list as he sat on the line before the start of the race, however it was an impressive salvage job in the circumstances.
Parker’s day went from bad to worse as he suffered the same symptoms on his second bike as he had on his first one, resulting in another DNF. The problem finally being traced to particles fouling his fuel pump
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Noble fires the 5 tonner to 3 wins on first outing for new team

The Fuchs 2 stroke Championship rolled into Whitby on Sunday the 21st June and it was a chance for James Noble to show what he could do on a steel framed CR500.

In the first race Noble hit the gate on the start and was left at the back of the field. He quickly made his way through the pack and after a few laps was closing in on leader Mark Eastwood when he got it wrong coming through the woops section and binned it. He was left to come back from around 7th place to catch Eastwood and take the victory.

Noble wasn’t going to make the same mistake again in the next two races and fired the 500 out of the gate in both to take two holeshots and two more victories.