McDougall fifth in Supersport Cup Opener
20-04-2008
2008 British Supersport Cup Rd 01
20th April, Thruxton
Race - 18 laps
Following the cancelled opening round at a snowbound Brands Hatch two weeks ago, the 2008 British Supersport Cup finally kicked off at Thruxton this afternoon. After a rain-hit weekend of Qualifying, the race was held under sun-kissed conditions with Beowulf Racing's Pat McDougall (Yamaha) finishing fifth in the Cup standings and 25th in the parent Supersport series.
The Supersport Cup is a "race within a race" for the 16 privateer entrants who receive no direct manufacturer support or assistance in the main 46-rider strong British Supersport Championship.
Ironically, the improved weather conditions largely scuppered McDougall's chances of a better result. The Beowulf Yamaha had been set up for wet conditions and when Pat topped the Cup standings during this morning's damp warm-up session, and finished sixth fastest overall, the team was confident of putting in a good performance this afternoon.
As the start of the race approached, it became increasingly clear it would be held under fine conditions. With no dry weather settings to refer to, the Beowulf team took a gamble and made alterations to the suspension and tyres of McDougall's machine. When Pat complained of handling problems on the grid after his sighting lap it was a sign he would have a tough task ahead of him.
McDougall made a good getaway from the his 22nd place starting position but was baulked going into the first corner. It was evident straight away that the Beowulf Yamaha was not handling as well as it should, with Pat unable to hold the cornering lines his competitors were taking. After six laps the Pace Car came out whilst the marshalls tended to the fallen Dennis Hobbs (Honda), bunching the field together. Under normal circumstances this would have given McDougall a chance to get back on terms with his rivals, but it was to no avail. When the car pulled off after a couple of laps Pat fell back several places through the field and although he fought bravely all the way the finishing line, he was the fifth Supersport Cup rider to make it to the chequered flag and 25th overall.
"We got really caught out by the change in conditions," said a dejected McDougall afterwards. "The rear tyre was spinning up everywhere and I must have nearly highsided ten times in that race. I know the change in the weather was the same for everyone, but I had wanted to put in a better performance to reward the team for all their hard work this weekend."
Beowulf UK Team Manager David McDougall concurred: "With us being new to Supersport this year, we had no dry settings to refer to and had to take a gamble for the race. We made some last-minute adjustments on the grid which helped, but clearly not enough. Fifth in the Cup standings isn't bad but we really wanted, and expected, a podium. On the positive side, Pat was only a second away from the fastest lap set today and headed plenty of factory-backed riders during the Qualifying and warm-up sessions. We just have to take the positive points forward with us to the next round and put the rest down to experience."
The next round of the British Supersport Cup takes place at Oulton Park on the Bank Holiday weekend of May 3rd-5th.
2008 BRITISH SUPERSPORT CUP
RD 01 RACE RESULT - THRUXTON
1. Craig Fitzpatrick (Yamaha) - 25:11.844
2. Andy Weymouth (Yamaha) - 25:23.965
3. Alistair Fagan (Triumph) - 25:24.553
5. Pat McDougall (Yamaha) - 25:26.667
2008 BRITISH SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP
RD 01 RACE RESULT - THRUXTON
1. Steve Brogan (Honda) - 25:04.288
2. Glen Richards (Triumph) - 25:04.382
3. Chris Martin (Kawasaki) - 25:04.874
25. Pat McDougall (Yamaha) - 25:26.667
McDougall sixth overall in morning warm-up
20-04-2008
British Supersport Cup, Thruxton, Sunday 20th April
The weather's still looking iffy at Thruxton, but the day has started well for Beowulf Racing. A time of 1:24.404 has seen team rider Pat McDougall blast his way through to sixth place overall on the timesheets and leading the Cup runners.
In a masterpiece of understatement, Team Owner Andy Stone mumbled "That's allright" as he left the pit lane.
The 18-lap Supersport race is scheduled to take place this afternoon at 2.35pm.
Mixed fortunes sees Beowulf start third at Thruxton
19-04-2008
2008 British Supersport Cup Rd 01
19th April, Thruxton
Combined Qualifying Result
Beowulf Racing's Pat McDougall (Yamaha) has qualified in third position at Thruxton today for Sunday's 18-lap British Supersport Cup race but believes had it not been for adverse weather conditions and frequent stoppages to the afternoon session he could have performed even better. The Guildford rider's time of 1:23.994 will see him line up in 22nd position on the main British Supersport Championship grid.
The Supersport Cup is a "race within a race" for the 16 privateer entrants who receive no direct manufacturer support or assistance in the main 46-rider strong British Supersport Championship.
The day started well for the 22-year-old ace. During the 40-minute opening Qualifying session this morning, McDougall's lap of 1:25.101 saw him at the top of the Cup standings and in 20th position overall.
Although hit by damp and dismal weather conditions, the afternoon session seemed to hold even more promise for the Guildford rider - with 10 minutes to go, Pat was lying in 12th place overall. Sadly though, the session was stopped three times for fallen riders and although a dry line finally appeared around the 2.4-mile circuit, it did not prove to be to McDougall's advantage. Running on a fresh set of intermediate tyres in the final outing, Pat saw himself drop down the rankings to 22nd place overall by the time the chequered flag came out.
"The session this afternoon was a difficult one, for sure" said McDougall afterwards. "We lost a lot of time in the early stages changing tyres and reversing some of the suspension changes we made after this morning's outing. But it all came together towards the end and I was hoping to hold on to my twelfth place. The red flag came out again, and with the track starting to dry we made another tyre switch to intermediates. Sadly we chose the wrong compound and I slipped back from 12th to 22nd which I'm not happy about but with so many tyres to choose from situations like this are always tricky and I tried my best. Despite all the setbacks, I'm looking forward to tomorrow's race. We're third in the Cup and ahead of some of the factory riders. I'll try and make up a few places off the start and then we'll see how things turn out."
Sunday’s 18-lap race is set to start at 2.35pm.
2008 BRITISH SUPERSPORT CUP
FINAL QUALIFYING POSITIONS
1. Matthew Whitman (Honda) - 1:22.610
2. Craig Fitzpatrick (Yamaha) – 1:22.993
3. Pat McDougall (Yamaha) – 1:23.994
2008 BRITISH SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP
FINAL QUALIFYING POSITIONS
1. Glen Richards (Triumph) – 1.221.428
2. Steve Brogan (Honda) - 1:21.768
3. Aaron Walker (Honda) - 1:21.912
22. Pat McDougall (Yamaha) – 1:23.994
Sponsors
Team Beowulf Racing.
The great race at the new Portimao circuit brings an end to our season in World Superbike Superstock 600, with riders Gino Rea and Dan Linfoot.
The season has been a success with Gino third and Dan fifth in the championship standings following three victories and five additional podiums in total. The results have also acted as a stepping stone to the riders for next season, with both securing high profile, career progressing rides for 2009.
Thank you for all of the emails, calls, texts and visits throughout the year. It has been much appreciated.
