The third round of the BSB 600 Superstock Championship at Oulton Park, Cheshire, on bank holiday Monday proved to be one to forget for the Isle of Man’s Cal Cooper.
Cursed with arm pump all weekend, the 16 year old IoM Sports Institute-backed rider was high-sided off his JDF Racing Kawasaki at high speed while tussling for a top six finish.
Cooper was virtually unscathed, but the beautifully prepared machine took an expensive hammering in what was the Manxman’s third fall in a week at the circuit.
He was brought to earth twice during a test day when a mystery fault caused the Kawasaki’s engine to cut out at Druids, the very fast sweeping right hander.
The incidents didn’t impact on him too much, and after the fault was traced to broken electrical wires, a mid-week flying visit to Mallory Park saw him lapping extremely quickly.
Q1 saw him end up ninth but he improved a place on Sunday to qualify 8th, again best of the class newcomers.
The Kawasaki was the fastest machine around through the speed traps on Monday morning, but after a good start from the second row of the grid, Cooper’s race was run on lap four, again at Druids, after he had improved his lap time by half a second and was on his way to a sub 1-42 lap.
Having started the meeting in 5th in the championship, Cooper now lies 8th.
Cooper again expresses his thanks to John Davies of JDF Racing, mechanics Roy Alexander and Dave Hewitt, Richard Adams of Maxton Suspension, IoM Sports Institute (Duke Video), Paul Dedman Performances, Rizoma, Pipe Werx, Motul, Paul Dedman Performance, Neil Hodgson and many others for their support.
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