Beech in the points in spite of twin setbacks

CORNERING: Ashley Beech heads into the bend at Donington Park

MOORSIDE ace Ashley Beech suffered an electrical fault and fading brakes, but still managed to claim two point-scoring finishes in round four of the National Superstock 1000 Championship.

Beech crossed to finish fourth in the first part of the race and after starting the next section fourth on the grid by way of lap times, fought against brake issues to end up in seventh.

"I'm disappointed not to have finished on the podium, but two more points-scoring finishes is good for the Championship," Beech said.

ENGINE

Included as a support race for the British round of the World Superbike series at Donington Park, Beech started in 10th place in the Championship with a hastily ordered and fitted new engine after his last race bike blew up in testing two weeks earlier.

Switching to an alternative suspension and forks manufacturer for extra feel, he began the weekend using setup data gained from testing and finished the practice session second-quickest.

However, an electrical problem hit during the first lap of qualifying, necessitating a return to the pits, meaning Beech missed a third of the half-hour session. A new set of tyres late on saw him record his fastest lap of the weekend to start from third on the grid.

DROPPED

For the initial 18-lap race, Beech dropped a place heading into the first corner and with brakes fading on lap six, dropped to sixth. He edged up to fifth and then benefited from James Rispoli crashing ahead of him to cross in fourth.

Part two of the race saw him start well once again, but brake issues saw him drop to ninth before pulling the pin to fight back up to seventh during the final three laps.

Beech is back in action in two weeks' time for round five of the series at the Knockhill circuit in Scotland.

You can follow his progress at www.jonesdorlingracing.com, or on twitter @JDR_Racing.