High hopes for a victorious home round of the Relentless 125GP Championship were dashed when KRP’s Tim Hastings was given a 20 second penalty for a jump start at Knockhill. Despite a strong race performance, the deficit was too much for Tim to overcome and he finished in a disappointing 11th place overall.
The weekend had started well for Tim as he took 2nd place in Friday morning’s first free practice session, but the weather then closed in and the second session was a run on an increasingly wet track.
Saturday’s first qualifying found Tim dealing with a number of set up issues, but these were resolved in time for the afternoon session which was once again held in warm dry conditions. Tim gradually built up the pace and was pushing for a final flying lap when he found himself baulked by slower riders and he had to back off - ultimately finishing Q2 in 5th place and just missing out on a front row grid slot for Sunday’s race.
With a huge race day crowd and plenty of Scottish support, Tim was anxious to perform well on his local circuit, but an error at the start saw him move on the grid before the lights went out and a jump start penalty was the inevitable result. To Tim’s enormous credit, although he knew he had the penalty he stuck well to the task in hand and after dicing for a few laps with fellow Scot Robbie Stewart for fourth place on the track, he managed to pull away and set off in pursuit of the leading trio.
On corrected time, Tim ended the race in a hugely frustrating 11th place, but still made it to the podium by taking 3rd spot in the ACU Academy Cup. The result means that he now sits in 7th place in the 125GP Championship, but despite the major setback to his overall title hopes, Tim also extended his lead in the Cup to 28 points over Taylor Mackenzie.
A clearly gutted Tim was quick to admit that he had moved on the line at the start, and acknowledged that while the 20 second penalty seemed like a harsh punishment, the rules are the same for everyone.
While the first half of the 2009 season has seen mixed results for the Falkirk rider, Tim can look forward to the second half of the year knowing that he has a number of his favourite tracks still to come. The next round of the 125GP Championship is at Mallory Park on 17th-19th July and that will be followed by a wildcard entry to the British 125 Grand Prix at Donington Park on 24th-26th July.
Team Twister would like to thank all those friends and supporters who took the time to visit the team at Knockhill. As ever, special thanks go to Shark, TCX, Knox, NGK, Evadne and Gibsons Builders for all their continued support, along with Mark Keen and all at KRP for providing Tim with a superb bike throughout the weekend.
Finally a big thank you to all those who continue to support Tim through the “Twister…Powered by Fans†campaign.
Warren Scott - 9 July 2009
More at www.timhastingsracing.co.uk
