This next meeting was to be the third to last of the Dickies Supersport Championship where Sammy Coventry was to once again be racing for as many points as possible. Donington Park was the destination in Derbyshire, the home to the Melbourne loop and Craner Curves. The bike was running the best it had all year coming away from Oulton Park so he had high hopes for the next couple of days.
As Friday approached and the long drive from Bournemouth and the set up was complete, he went through his preparation for FP1 & 2. Just as the first couple of laps were completed the rain started to fall making the track very slippery so he settled with 16th place and went on to move up one spot to 15th in the his second outing onto the windy track. Qualifying was to be a challenge as well, the rain had gone and it was a sunny day with good temperature but the cross winds were strong enough be moving the bike around. His position stayed consistent throughout the entire session and he pulled in to the pit lane with a final grid place of 15th. “It has been tough with the conditions and it being such a wide open track, the bike is feeling great so I am gonna give it every thing I have got this afternoon for the Sprint Race.” Coventry lined up in his position on the grid and all 27 of the riders rolled out along the windy track on the green flag lap. As the came through Goddards, the last corner the tension was definitely evident. Before you knew it they were off racing around Redgate the first bend and down through Craner Curves. He over took on the inside, carefully squeezing through gaps that any spectator would not even see being there which was making watching the race so exciting. Coventry went into 12th place by lap 4 and kept pushing until he tucked in behind Freddy Pett, biding his time until he chose to go around the out side, an amazing overtake which sent the crowd wild at the hairpin. He had a great battle with Luke Hedger and Joe Collier to take the Road & Race bike over the line in 10th position, punching the air with joy and thanking his team. Sam Coventry was buzzing and ready to go for the feature race on Sunday and doing it with style from 10th position he held his position until making a tiny mistake going into the Esses struggling with lack of grip. He went down to 14th place and was unable to make up any positions but he was happy with a good weekend before taking a week off to prepare for Assen. “I am so happy with the vibe within the team, i don’t know what I would do without them. they have really stepped up with me and the bike and done an amazing job and I am looking forward to Assen, I hope to see you all there, Thank you for all the support.” Thank-you to all the team sponsors and Sam's personal sponsors: Road and Racing, Pro-Bolt, Pipe Werx, Oxford Products, Kushitani, Motul, Maxton, R&G, NGK, Performance Friction, HJC, Motor Parts Direct, Tudor Installations. M&C Training, Purbrook Garage and Holland Autos.
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Sam Coventry had a mixed weekend at the picturesque circuit in Little Budworth, this the second time out at Oulton Park this season and he was looking to improve on his times. Free Practice 1 saw him come over the line 13th after 15 laps of the track, although it seemed warm the track temperature was dropping rapidly throughout there practice time. Coventry, 22 from Waterlooville in Bournemouth sheepishly came out for free practice 2 as the rain came and went at least 4 times in the session making it hard to get a clear time and eventually came back in 18th place. He was not going to let it deter him from what he wanted to do as the bike was feeling great, so he focused on qualifying and moving up the grid. Only managing to go up one position on last time he was to start the grid on the out side of the grid in 17th position which could help him to go around the out side and force his way through the track.
The Sprint race was to be on the Saturday after noon as usual which is the shorter of the two races that the Dickies British Supersport Championship. With only three rounds to go for the championship to be decided and Andy Reid crashing out at Lodge corner there are still valuable points to be scooped up by anyone. Coventry got away well off the line with amazing drive into the first bend and as some where left behind crashing out he took full advantage to continued to shuffle up the pack, battling with Perrin, Estment and Collier tearing over the line in 10th place. Fist pumping the air you could tell Sam was delighted and got a warm welcome from his father and rest of the team in Parc Ferme. With the second race based on times he would start race 2 14th on the grid. He was determined to improve on 10th pushing hard for his position. As the crowd stood poised waiting for the lights to go out, silence came across the entire of the circuit, Go Go Go shouted the commentator. Luke Jones and Ben Currie fell on the first corner pushing Sam off on to the grass leaving him in no mans land. As he steadied the bike and lead it back to the track he found himself at the back of the grid in 27th place with lots of work to do. He was making decisive moves on every corner and soon made up 10 places to 17th dashing ahead of the next two riders with some really brave moves tucking himself in spaces most people didn’t even know where there but still being careful not to knock anyone really showing his true skill on the bike. Once up to 14th place he was really on the attack pushing as hard as he could to gain more positions with in the pack but he was denied and as he came up to the chequered flag. The Road & Race team rider was shattered but he enjoyed it all the same. He will be out this weekend at Donington Race Circuit looking to pick up as many points as possible to move up in the championship and with only 3 more rounds to go the pressure is really on. “Race 1 was amazing, had a really good race battling with a couple of other riders, gutted for my second race but it just proves that I can pass riders and can progress forwards even when the pressure is really on. I would like to thank Mark Hanna, all of the Road & Race team and sponsors, with them this would not be possible and the bike was mega this weekend. I have a great feeling about Donny so stay tuned for next weekends results. Sam Coventry and Road & Race team are always looking for sponsorship as alot of it come purely from there own pockets, any help is a tremendous help. For enquiries on how you can help Sam please email: covey909@gmail.com. Thank-you to all the team sponsors and Sam's personal sponsors: Road and Racing, Pro-Bolt, Pipe Werx, Oxford Products, Kushitani, Motul, Maxton, R&G, NGK, Performance Friction, HJC, Motor Parts Direct, Tudor Installations. M&C Training, Purbrook Garage and Holland Autos. Sam Coventry keeps calm and carries on with steady progression in the British Superbike Championship, Suupersport class. This time out they were set to go to the windy circuit of Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire where Coventry set his sights on a top ten finish on the bank holiday Monday.
Despite having a tough time on Saturday in qualifying where the weather was not going to make up its mind, starting to spit in sectors one and two making the track very slippy in areas. The back wheel sliding around at the hair pin he crossed the line at the end of the session with 22nd position. He was happy with the bike but trying to get used to the track was something that was difficult for a lot of riders this weekend with new bumps that had formed in the track. As the sprint race dawned on the Sunday, Coventry, 22 from Waterlooville focused his mind and went through his pre race rituals before making his way to the grid. Eyes on the lights as they go out and they were off going into the first left hander at high speed with bikes centimetres either side of you, all edging closer to get through the smallest gap to then break away. With some tough battle and lots of clean overtaking he came through in 16th place making up 6 places which Sam and the team were really pleased with. Starting race two up from race one in 18th position he was ready and raring to go with the focus in his mind of a top ten finish as the bike was working alot better. And thats exactly what he did as he came over the line in 10th place. Over the moon Coventry told us “It is a great result and to be back up there in the top 10 feels absolutely mint. The team are all made up and are pleased with the progression that has been made this weekend. I feel I have a good feeling with the bike now going into Oulton Park this weekend, and massive thanks to all my sponsors and supporters" Thank-you to all the team sponsors and Sam's personal sponsors: Road and Racing, Pro-Bolt, Pipe Werx, Oxford Products, Kushitani, Motul, Maxton, R&G, NGK, Performance Friction, HJC, Motor Parts Direct, Tudor Installations. M&C Training, Purbrook Garage and Holland Autos. Last weekend saw the MCE British Superbikes descend on the long and windy gp circuit that is Brands Hatch for round 7 where the championship is getting nail bitingly close. Dickies Supersport were to have three outings on this particular occasion, one from a previous meeting that had yet to be settled.
13 was to be unlucky for Sam Coventry in free practice one as he crashed out on the 13th lap giving his team masses of work to do in little time but with excellent team work and great management it all pulled together ready for a second free practice where he dropped 2 places from the earlier session. Qualifying in 21st position he needed to focus on climbing up the pack early on and pulling away from the groups. Race one was about to commence when it all went wrong. The gearbox had failed and he had no choice but to wheel himself off the grid slapping the tank of the bike in sheer frustration. Coventry walked back to the paddock angry and fed up as there appeared to be no light at the end of this tunnel but before he really had time to take it all in he was out again for Race 2 on a gloriously sunny Saturday afternoon. Quick out of the blocks into turn one, there was nothing sluggish about Coventry as he over took ruthlessly at Paddock Hill bend on the inside and up to Druids hair pin where he over took again with aggression. He was flying at this point and soon the 20’s were behind him and he was up into the teens. After 12 laps he brought the team ‘Road and Racing Performance’ bike home in 13th place which suddenly was to be lucky for Sam. “That is what racing is all about, my start position was not great but it was good to finally be up in the mix. I was overtaking some really talented riders so that boosted my confidence no end. The bike felt spot on as well which was awesome, I'll now sit down with the team and take the information from this race and aim to make tomorrows race an even better result.” And so he did as race day commenced and the seats in the grandstand where filling up quickly. Sam Coventry, 22 from Waterlooville sat in his chair contemplating the weekend they had had already. His third race was to be 14 laps around the 2.43 mile circuit. Last checks on the bike were made before making his way to the grid with his head held high. He started 17th on the grid and could feel the pressure, this only making him stronger as the lights went out and the bikes roared down to the first corner, Coventry had an excellent start gaining even by the time he had completed the first lap. The safety car was deployed on lap 5 as Ross Twyman and Matt Truelove sunk their bikes into the gravel and the tyre wall at Clearways (last corner) which was a horrific crash but all riders are now said to be ok. Having a safety car can either be great for a rider as it gives time to all bunch back together or it can be disastrous as if you are pulling away this then takes away that advantage. Sam however gained from this bringing the bike home in 9th position. A delighted team waved him over the line for the chequered flag. “You know what they say ‘third time lucky’. That felt really good and to come away from Brands Hatch with a top ten is what I have been waiting for. This is where I would like to be for the rest of the season.” “I would just like to say a massive thank you to all who support me week in week out, my team ‘Road & Racing Performance’, my family and all of my great sponsors, Oxford Products, Kushitani, Tudor Installations, Pipe Werx, Purbrook Garage Services and Maxton Suspension. We would like to ask if anyone wishes to be a part of the sponsorship side of things please get in touch with us as it all is a great help and we can promote your company on the bike which gets national coverage. covey909@gmail.com Photo credit - Camipix Photography The next stop on the MCE British Superbike calendar was the furthest south of all the circuits, Thruxton in Andover. The sun was out and the track temperatures were up for the first time this season, so with our fingers crossed they set up the awning and got ready for free practice 1. Sam Coventry, from Waterlooville in Portsmouth, head out on to the well heated track and was keeping a steady pace until 8 laps in he was forced to pull in and withdraw from the remainder of the session, due to a mechanical.
His team of mechanics which includes Mark Hanna and Sam’s father John fixed the issue ready for free practice 2 that afternoon. The second practice session was a big improvement and after 15 laps Sam had gone from 22nd to 17th but with luck not on his side as he pulled into pit lane something did not feel right. The team found the bike had developed a misfire and it was sorted ready for tomorrow. Saturday was a new day and with that Coventry, 23 went out on to the ‘Road Race Performance’ bike with a fresh outlook as it is important that each session on the bike is a learning curve, positive mental attitude and focus is vital for this to work with speeds up to 150mph. He struggled and with minutes to go before the chequered flag it was looking like a row 8 start, in 24th position out of 29. This is not somewhere that Sam is used to being so he was not best pleased. Looking out at the many bikes in front of him he knew he had to make up the places in the first couple of laps. He leant forward over the fuel tank, revving the bike with the clutch and throttle at the ready. The lights went out, they roared down into the first corner and Sam was making up positions already. He was doing extremely well battling his way through and as the sprint race went on to the later stages he was riding on his own unable to catch Lorenzo Zanetti who was too far in front, thus settling for 19th place. Sunday came around quickly and as the nervous started to kick in the focus was certainly in Sam Coventry’s eyes. With a grid position of 19th, he had 16 laps to gain on that. The clouds loomed but it was not to be declared a wet race unless it started to shower but they looked to be safe. Off they went around the 11 corner track and within seconds he was up two positions. He battled with Perrin, Day, Collier and Stafford in which was a heroic ride getting the crowd on their feet every lap as they passed each other on the last chicane right in front of the grandstand. As he tore over the finish line with the back wheel wobbling all over the place he was happy with 15th place. Coventry: “Now that is what racing is all about”, he said as he took his helmet off in pit lane. “It was a challenging weekend with many lows but it was good to have some great racing in that second race ending on a good high. I would like to thank everyone that helps me out and that supports me my personal sponsor’s family and friends. Furthermore, I’d like to thank the team for their dedication and always bringing every element together for me.” Thank-you to all the team sponsors and my personal sponsors: Road and Racing, Pro-Bolt, Pipe Werx, Oxford Products, Kushitani, Motul, Maxton, R&G, NGK, Performance Friction, HJC, Motor Parts Direct, Tudor Installations. M&C Training, Purbrook Garage, NFmoto and Holland Autos. Round 5 of the MCE British Superbikes descended on the long windy Snetterton 300 Circuit right in the heart of Norfolk where it is always sunny for the race weekend. But that was not the case this time, as the rain came down every day, the cross winds were awful and the sun was rare.
But this was not going to deter, Dickies British Supersport Championship rider Sam Coventry as the vibe was buzzing in Team ‘Road Racing Performance’, after Round 4 at Knockhill where he secured 14th and 16th in the two races. Coventry went out onto a damp track to start the Friday free practice session but still hit hard with determination but after 12 laps, found himself in 24th position, one he was not used to. After checking everything and finding nothing the bike, it was prepped for ‘Free Practice 2’ and after 10 laps he had gained to 16th positon, but the session was brought to a halt when another rider deposited oil around the track. Sam recomposed himself for qualifying before going out again but unfortunately his luck was short lived as he went back down to 24th position for the Sprint race grid later on that afternoon. He took positives from this session as he was on row 8 but got a good view of the inside line. As the race started the riders in front of him went down like skittles at turn 3, undoubtable bringing out the safety car for two laps, in which time Coventry was caught up with another rider who seemed to be daydreaming and this lost him valuable time. After what seemed like the longest sprint race ever he brought it across the line in 17th place nearly equalling his personal best lap time. Sunday came around quickly and with the feature race looming Sam, the 22 year old from Portsmouth had to stay focused. With a grid position of 22nd he knew that there was a lot to do, so being the third to last race of the day he had time to watch other races and learn more before the 15 lap race. The only thing left to decide was is it to be wet tyres or dry ones but fortunately it stayed dry as they all swarmed out of the pit lane around the 3 mile challenging track. Starting in 22nd he lent over the bike with his head up and his eyes wide open, and the lights were out. GO! GO! GO! Hollered the commentator as they all scrambled in to the first right hander. It was an exciting but challenging race and he gave it everything he had pulling the bike around and twisting and turning from side to side. After 15 laps he brought it home in 14th position gaining 8 places. Tired he was still in high spirits already thinking about the next round at Thruxton in just over a weeks’ time. Coventry: “It was a tough weekend and one that the whole team will learn from. Now I look onto Thruxton where last year I had a massive off, so I will be looking to get up in the top 10 and I will give my all to get there.” “I would like to thank all my sponsors, my team and my family for all their support and dedication to me.” Thank-you to all the team sponsors and my personal sponsors: Road and Racing, Pro-Bolt, Pipe Werx, Oxford Products, Kushitani, Motul, Maxton, R&G, NGK, Performance Friction, HJC, Motor Parts Direct, Tudor Installations. M&C Training, Purbrook Garage, NFmoto and Holland Autos. It was a tough weekend at Knockhill, we had good pace in the dry but it was tough in the wet! Free Practice went well but the first session we had an issue witht the radiator which ment i missed most of the session, but in the second session all was good, we found a good base setting and I was ready for qualfying! Qualifying was a frustrating session I knew I had the pace to be inside the top ten but with 10 minutes to go of the session we put in a new tyre and I only managed 3 decent laps before we had a issue with the bike which meant I missed the rest of the session I was in P9 but dropped back down to P16. Race 1 I got a good start but started to drop off as I struggled in the wet with feeling from the front, the rear was great and had grip but I dropped off and finished the race 16th. I put in a good lap time towards the end which put me P11 on the grid for tomorrows race. Race 2 I got another strong start and was inside the top 10 for the first few laps, but I started to drop back again as before and finished the race in 14th place. I tough weekend all in all, but I was happy with our dry pace and the bike was working mega in the dry, I need to work on my set up in the wet though! As always a big thank you to all my team for all there hard work over the weekend, I will come back stronger at Snetterton! Thank-you to all the team sponsors and my personal sponsors: Road and Racing, Pro-Bolt, Pipe Werx, Oxford Products, Kushitani, Motul, Maxton, R&G, NGK, Performance Friction, HJC, Motor Parts Direct, Tudor Installations. M&C Training, Purbrook Garage, NFmoto and Holland Autos. I love Oulton Park and couldn't wait to get the weekend under way, even if the weather looked soaking wet. JOY!
FP1: The session was wet and I got into my groove straight away and felt the wet set-up we had was great. But, after four laps in P2, I went down at Hizzy's Chicane! I wasn't too upset as I knew the more laps I did in the wet, the faster I was getting and I felt we had a strong wet setting. FP2: I went out on wets and did two laps and came in for dry tyres as the track was almost all dry. I then got straight back out put in a good time in drying conditions and ended the session P9. Qualifying: Now this session went pear-shaped after I high-sided at Lodge Corner in the wet, before putting in my fastest lap. This was a downer as I knew I had the pace wet or dry to qualify in the top eight. Unfortunately I had to start from P26. I wasn't the only one to fall victim to the weather though, as there were quite a few offs in the wet conditions. Sprint race: I got a good start and was straight up with Day and Daley. After a few laps, and with my confidence building in the wet, I got past them and gapped them and then got past Paulo, Perrin and was closing down Philip in P14. The red flag came out with two laps to go and I finished up P15 - and P15 on the grid for tomorrow’s feature race. I was both happy and annoyed as I knew I shouldn't be battling for 15th because I know I can be up there. Feature race: It was nice being P15 rather than P26, so I needed a good start and pull myself up to the top ten and run with them from the off. I got a good start, but not the best, and battled my way through to tenth. I passed Truelove and then Allingham got me into turn one. I managed to stay with him but he pulled a second gap, then Perrin passed me. It wasn’t over though, as we started pulling Allingham back, but unfortunately the red flag came out with five laps to go. This was a bummer because I felt that I may have had a chance of P6. Regardless, I finished up P8 which is another good top ten result after a very tough weekend and lots of hard work, so there are many encouraging signs! I can’t thank Mark Hanna, Dad, Pinky and the Road and Racing team enough for all of their hard work rebuilding the bike after two crashes. It was hard work this weekend, but a solid top ten result has made it worthwhile. Bring on Brands where I know I am capable of battling for a top five result! A huge thank-you goes to all the team sponsors and my personal sponsors: Road and Racing, Pro-Bolt, Pipe Werx, Oxford Products, Kushitani, Motul, Maxton, R&G, NGK, Performance Friction, HJC, Motor Parts Direct, Aztec Construction, Tudor Installations. M&C Training, Purbrook Garage, NFmoto and Holland Autos. After a great couple of tests, one at Calafat and one at Silverstone I was buzzing to get round 1 under way and what a crazy weekend it was!
Friday practice started well but in FP1 I only got about 4 laps in and the session was red flagged due to oil and then was cancelled, FP2 was damp so I worked on my confidence and set up in difficult conditions. Saturday qualifying and sprint race was eventful we had rain, sleet and sun! The qualifying session started damp but was drying out quickly, I started the session on wets and after 2 laps came in and changed to dries. I got into a rhythm but I rode a bit to cautiously for the damp conditions and ended up qualifying 18th, not ideal! I knew I needed a strong start in the race later on. I was feeling great on the grid ready for the start of the sprint race and I knew my goal was a top 10 finish, the race was started under dry conditions and I got an awesome start jumping up to 12th by lap 2 but then there was a big crash involving 3 riders and the race was red flagged and here came the rain! I got back to the pits and by this time the rain had soaked the track, we fitted the wet tyres and relined up on the grid for a 7 lap restart, the race started I got another good start and was up to 8th but on lap 2 it was carnage, as about 5 riders went down and the race was red flagged yet again, so back we went and we had no idea what was happening whether or not the race was going to restart, they then decided to restart for a 6 lap dash and by this time it was 6pm the track was cold and wet and it wasn't looking fun! We went off for the warm up lap, 3 riders went down and the race was then cancelled and rescheduled for another meeting. It was manic! Sunday I was feeling confident for the feature race and believed I could get myself into that top 10 with some battling. I got another wicked start and battled my way through the bunch up to 10th and then Allingham passed me and we started to catch Paulo in front, I passed Allingham back and got my head down chasing Westmoreland and Paulo, Westmoreland past Paulo and gapped him and then I got into Paulo into Maggots and moved up to 7th, Allingham and myself had a good battle and I finished the race 8th. I was happy with the result and so were the team after a difficult Saturday it was a solid start to the year, although I wasn't over the moon as I know with a stronger qualifying I can get away with the front boys and get amongst it! Massive thank you to Mark Hanna for all his hard work over the winter and building me a bike capable of winning, also thank you to Alan Cook, Pinky, Grant, Dad, Mum and Ellie for their hard work over the weekend. Thank you to all the team sponsors and my personal sponsors Road and Racing, Pro-Bolt, Pipe Werx, Oxford Products, Kushitani, Motul, Maxton, NGK, Performance Friction, HJC, Motor Parts Direct, Aztec Construction, Tudor Installations. M&C Training, Purbrook Garage and Holland Autos. So here we are at the final round! I love the Brands Hatch GP circuit its defiantly one of my favourite tracks on the BSB calender. As its the last round I obviously wanted to end with two good results. We had a good qualifying and I was 6th EVO, 15th overall, the times were close and all the EVO's were together so I knew it was going to be a close race. Race 1 I fought into the first corner and stayed in my position of 6th EVO, I was right behind Paulo and I knew i had to stay with him if i had a chance of getting into the top 3, after about 4 laps I was dropping off slightly from Paulo I just couldn't seem to keep the pace, it then started to rain and the red flag came out with 3 laps to go and I finished 6th EVO 2 seconds behind Paulo and the group in front. I was dissapointed as I wanted a better result and I couldn't work out why I didn't have the pace of the riders in front. Out of the faster turns they just seemed to get the power down better than I could but through the slow turns such as Druids or Graham hill bend I was quicker. I had a few ideas for race 2 so I knew I had to get a strong start and push on. Race 2 I got a great start and was right in the mix with Paulo, Neill and Estment. Perrin and Collier pulled a slight gap, but I stayed with my group for 3rd, after about 6/7 laps they then started to pull away again for whatever reason, same story as race 1, maybe I'd been to hard on my tyres or whatever but I could keep the pace and I dropped back on my own. I managed to pass Neill though so i moved up to 5th and then Paulo had an issue and pulled in so I found myself 4th 2 seconds behind Estment. Sam Thompson, Pett and Allingham caught up with me and we had a good battle for 4th with some good racing and overtaking which was good fun, but i was frustrated again as I know I have the pace to keep with the front guys but for whatever reason I couldn't. But I was pleased with a strong 4th place finish! Massive thanks to Road and Race, Mark Hanna for all their support, hard work and help this season and for giving me a strong and fast race bike this year! the results have been up and down this season but I believe this class has been so much faster this year and I gave it my best. Also big thanks to my sponsors Pipe Werx, Fuel 10K, Kushitani, Oxford Products, Pro Bolt, Purbrook Garage, Motor Parts Direct and Maxton Suspension. Another big thanks to my Mum and Dad for all their support and help and also Pinky for his help all season! |
AuthorSam Coventry Archives
November 2017
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