Cal Cooper just missed out on his maiden BSB 600 Superstock championship victory at Brands Hatch International Circuit on Sunday.

The 17 year old Isle of Man Sport Institute supported rider from Ramsey in the Isle of Man was pipped to the line by just 0.087 after an epic duel with Bristol’s Luke Hedger and Rochdale’s James Lodge, the British 125 champions of 2012 and 2010 respectively.

Cooper, riding the CF Motorsport R6 Yamaha, had the consolation of shattering the old lap record by nearly half a second during a race that was shown live on Eurosport.

Looking to make up for the disappointment of losing an almost certain second place at Snetterton when he was high-sided off the R6 with half a lap to go, Cooper was on top form all weekend.

He grabbed pole on the last lap of the second qualifying session and hole-shot the race with a terrific start that saw him lead for the first five laps before Hedger nipped by at the top of Paddock Hill.

Lodge, too, got by but only for a short while before Cooper got his act together and spend the rest of the race hammering at Hedger’s back wheel. The pace was such that Hedger broke the lap record and then Cooper established a new mark in a frantic last lap battle to the flag.

Said Cooper: ‘It was a great scrap but in the end the Kawasaki had that bit more power coming out of Clearways to the line, but it was very close. The R6 was a joy to ride and a big thank you to Craig Fitzpatrick and mechanics Em and Rob for setting it up so well for me.’

Cal’s ride moved him up 9th in the championship and he is looking forward to Oulton Park in three weeks time. He expresses his thanks to Paul Dedman Performance, Dean Teversham Roofing, RST Leathers, Arai , TCX boots and Duke Video.

Photo - "Battling it out" - Hedger and Cooper (nearest camera).