Tag: Charlie Atkins
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Charlie Atkins Motostar Brands Hatch July 2018
Atkins consolidates seventh in the Moto3 championship
Charlie Atkins from Goole finished sixth and seventh in the two Moto3 races held at Brands Hatch at the weekend. Competing on a standard Honda NSF250R in the Hel Performance British Motostar Championship he consolidated his position of seventh overall.
Free PracticeFree practice was affected by a rain shower between the two sessions that left the track damp in patches. In FP1 Atkins set the sixth quickest lap time. FP2 proved to be of little more than track experience. Initially the riders went out on wets but quickly came in as the track began to dry. After waiting some time Atkins returned on slicks but as it wasn’t completely dry the riders were unable to improve on the times from FP1.
Qualifying
There were no weather problems for qualifying on Saturday morning. The half hour session proved extremely competitive with little between the riders. Charlie Atkins lap time of 1:37.593 put him eighth but he was only just over half a second from the rider in fourth.
Race One
A solid start to the 12 lap race one saw Atkins maintain eighth on the first lap as he sought to keep out of trouble. Atkins was trying hard to keep up with a group of five riders just ahead but despite pushing as hard as he could he was unable to close them down. Then on the ninth lap a rider fell within the leading bunch and took out Atkin’s team mate Max Cook as he fell. With gravel and bikes on the track the race officials brought out the red flag and stopped the race. Atkins was unable to make any further progress but another teammate, Scott Ogden was deemed the race winner. Atkins was placed sixth.
Race Two
A small mistake on the first lap saw Charlie Atkins drop off the leading group of standard class riders. Running eighth Atkins pushed hard to work his way through a group of riders but on his standard class Honda came up behind a slower GP class rider. They were able to use the extra horsepower to pull-away down the straight but Atkins would then get stuck behind them through the corners. With insufficient power to overtake in a straight line he was help up for several laps. After eventually passing the more powerful machine Atkins set about chasing down the rider in front. Unfortunately, he ran out of laps crossing the finish line seventh just 0.047 seconds behind the rider ahead.
Charlie Atkins said, ” I’ve got to congratulate my team mate Scott Ogden on his first victory in the Moto3 class in race one. In the first race I made a small mistake after I overtook Cameron [Horsman] and he got me back near the end but we finished sixth so that was OK. In the second race I got stuck behind a GP bike with a slower rider on it. They could blast down the straights but then I got held up in the corners. It affected most of my race. When I did get by I closed down on the rider in front but finished seventh.”
Atkins added, “Thanks to Gary Wilson for a fantastic bike: Also Harman Carpets and Flooring, Craig Fenton Plumbing, The Bell and Crown in Snaith and MustHaveMediaServices.com for their sponsorship.”
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Charlie Atkins Motostar Knockhill 2018
The Goole and Selby Sport is a new sports paper in the area. From the beginning they have been supportive of Charlie Atkins and his exploits in the British Motostar Moto3 Championship. Here is the latest article of ours they publish. You can take a look at the full sports paper by clicking the image.
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Charlie Atkins British Talent Cup Snetterton 2018
More points for British Talent Charlie Atkins14-year-old Charlie Atkins from Goole was back on his Moto3 last weekend in the third round of the British Talent Cup. Riding identical Honda 250cc machines Atkins competes against 22 other riders in a championship designed to find Britain’s best motorcycle racers.
Round three was at the Snetterton 300 circuit in Norfolk. The 2.97 mile circuit is the second longest in the country and underwent substantial redevelopment in 2011 and is now an FIA standard circuit.
Free Practice
Atkins set his best lap, a 2:07.568 on his last of 12 laps during free practice one, as he familiarised himself once more with the track. In FP2 Atkins further improved reducing his lap time to 2:06.424 but he dropped to 15th overall.
Qualifying
Qualifying didn’t go to plan for Atkins. Although he further improved his lap time he struggled to feel comfortable on the bike. His time of 2:05.915 placed him down in 16th for both races over the weekend.
Race One
Despite the handicap of starting on row six Atkins made a superb start to the first race of the weekend. By the end of the first lap he was in ninth position. Although the leading group had gone he was involved in a thrilling battle with Jack Hart, Jack Nixon and Jamie Davis throughout the 14 lap race. He crossed the line in ninth place and his lap time of 2:05.426 was faster than his qualifying time.
Race Two
Atkins got another good start to the second race until an error by another rider in turn two forced him back down the order. By turn three he was already recovering places and crossed the start finish line in tenth at the end of the first lap. On the second lap Atkins braked late trying to gain another position. He managed to squeeze up the inside of the other rider but then tucked the front and crashed out of the race.
Charlie Atkins said, “Firstly thanks to Dorna Sports and all who make the British Talent Cup happen. This is the second round in a row where I have struggled in qualifying. My starts have improved which has helped but I need to qualify higher up the grid. Race one was exciting but I made a mistake in the second.”
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Charlie Atkins British Talent Cup Donington round two 2018
Charlie Atkins managed two top ten finishes in the second round of the British Talent Cup and here is the coverage he received in the Hull Daily Mail. Thanks to Robert Baxter for the picture.
