Manxman Dan Kneen was denied a points scoring finish at the final round of the Metzeler National Superstock 1000cc Championship at Brands Hatch on Sunday when brake problems caused him to drop out of the top 12. The Marks Bloom Racing rider was running in a strong 12th place at half race distance before running off track and dropping out of the top 20. He was able to regroup and finish in 18th place but it was most definitely not where he deserved to be.
The Braddan rider was having his first ride in the Championship since Donington Park in May and with the series having visited Brands back in July, the rest of the field had a considerable set-up advantage over Dan. This could be seen in the first practice session when he found himself down in 31st place but he continually shaved seconds off his lap times and qualified in a strong 17th place, just 1.2s adrift of pole position man Adam Jenkinson.
With good weather conditions at the Kent venue on Sunday, a solid start to the 16-lap race saw Dan consolidate his 17th place but he was soon into his stride and, lapping quicker than what he had done in qualifying, he moved into 12th place on lap four, just two seconds of race leader and 2012 Champion Keith Farmer. By half race distance, the status quo was maintained but Dan was already experiencing brake problems, which were causing him to run wide into the corners, and on the ninth lap he ran into the gravel and dropped all the way back to 24th. He regrouped to get himself on the edge of the points but, ultimately, had to settle for 18th at the chequered flag.
Speaking later, Dan said; "It's certainly been a frustrating race as a good finish and some good points were definitely on the cards today but the brake problems scuppered that. I'd experienced it earlier in the year but the race was going to plan and I was in a strong 12th and looking to move into the top ten when they started to occur more regularly. I was trying to adjust the brake lever when I caught the ignition switch and that put me onto the gravel and out of contention. I fought back but just ran out of time and it's especially frustrating as the group of riders I was ahead of at the time of the excursion went onto finish 7th-10th so that's where I would've been had it not been for the problems."
"It was hard work at the beginning of the weekend as I was playing catch-up due to the rounds missed and having not been here in July everyone had a full weekend's advantage with set-up over me. I moved forward all the time though and learnt a lot about the bike once more whilst my lap times were extremely competitive so I was happy with my riding and I'm confident that I'll be a top ten regular in the Championship in 2013. It's a pity the season's practically over as I feel that we're in good shape at the moment but, if the bad luck stays away, we'll be able to give a good account of ourselves next year."
Dan now heads to the Anglesey circuit in North Wales for the 'Grand Prix' meeting, the races taking place on Sunday 21st October.
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