ANDOVER rider Jake Archer opened his HEL performance British Motostar Championship at Brands Hatch Indy with a win, a podium and a new lap record.
Qualifying saw 38 bikes packed onto the short Indy circuit and Archer set the pace early on.
Later in the session he struggled to find space and despite his 49.019 he was pipped to pole position by his team mate Jack Scott.
The opening race of the season proved to be an exceptional one for the Andover rider.
This was despite a difficult start, which saw him drop to fifth position off the line.
Whilst frustrating he kept his calm and knew that he had the pace to work himself back to the front of the race.
In fact, it only took him until the fifth lap. From there on Archer controlled the race pulling a two second gap over his rivals by the end of it. His fastest lap was a 49.116.
In race two, the Andover man started well and was running second behind his teammate by the end of the first lap.
On the second he hit the front and although he broke away from the rest of the field his teammate, Jack Scott, managed to stay with him.
By the eighth lap of 20 Archer and Scott were four seconds ahead of the field when they began to hit the first of the back markers.
His teammate had the better luck when negotiating his way through them and re-took the lead.
With four laps to go Archer made a mistake running too hot into Paddock Hill Bend and although he briefly regained first place he ran wide.
He almost lost control as he ran over the cement dust that had been laid to cover a spillage from a previous race but did well to save the bike.
That small mistake was enough to enable his teammate to make a gap which Archer was unable to recover in the few laps remaining.
Archer went on to finish second. There was the consolation that in chasing Scott down his lap time of 48.921 beat the lap record that had stood since 2001.
After the first round Jake Archer leads the championship with 45 points. The next round is at Oulton Park from May 5 to 7.
Archer said: “I was delighted with race one. Everything worked to plan and we got the result we deserved.”.
When asked about the second race he said: “The lap records a bonus but I’m very disappointed as that silly mistake cost me the race. I’m happy to come away with a win and a second and go on to Oulton and see what we can do there. Thanks to my sponsors and to Ryan Saxelby, RS Racing, for a superb bike.”