Feisty Racing go wild in Wales

bikegirl / Feisty
By Dennis Smith, Wildcard Photography
June 29 2005

Once again the Feisty Racing girls were out in force at the Bemsee meeting at Pembrey this weekend. Led as usual by Susie Grayson and Deb Cartwright, the team showed they can hold their own in all classes and are making steady progress, especially Deb Cartwright.

Deb will surely soon be back on the podium after her excellent 2003 season, when she finished third overall in the Rookie 400 championship.

Deb Cartwright © Wildcard Photography

In her first race of the weekend Deb scored a 12th place, but the highlight of the day was in the second of her Supersport 400 races when, after a great start, she was knocked back to 17th but then set about fighting her way back and finished a creditable eighth, recording a superb fastest lap of 1min 04.697. She also entered the 400-650 Clubman Shootout, in which she finished seventh after a race long battle with Danny Couzens, who she beat by under four hundredths of a second.

Sunday’s two Supersport 400 races saw Deb finish 10th and 11th following some impressive battles on track, but it was the final 400-650 Clubman race that brought her best result of the weekend with a fantastic fourth place, narrowly missing third by less than two tenths of a second.

Susie Grayson © Wildcard Photography

Rookie Minitwin rider, Susie Grayson’s weekend began with a tenth place in her heat, which she equalled in the 400-650 Shootout, but with a greatly improved fastest lap of 1min 05.729, nearly three seconds faster than her first race. Saturday’s Minitwin final saw Susie finish in a creditable 13th overall, with another tenth in Sunday’s Minitwin heat. Sunday’s final was not run due to lack of time. These results are all the more impressive when we remember that the Minitwins are one of the few classes where rookies are mixed in with the more experienced racers. Susie’s excellent performances at Pembrey have elevated her into third placed rookie in the Minitwin championship.

Leila Williams continues to improve in the Rookie 600 series, recording a 1min 07.907 lap on Sunday, and felt that this weekend was her best to date with her gaining in confidence with every race and beginning to “mix it” with other riders.

Helen Rushton had a tough but rewarding weekend having to compete with her fellow riders for every inch of track, but a 17th and 18th place on Saturday was well deserved and hard fought for. Sunday saw a 17th place again but a reduction of two seconds on lap times was very gratifying, as was her 16th place in her last race of the day. Helen admits to still “feeling very much like a Rookie,” but is showing the steady and considered improvement necessary to learn from her first year’s racing.

Following her first tentative outing at Snetterton, Sarah Quinn is making faster progress around the circuits, looking smoother at every meeting and learning with every race.

After a sound start to the season Zoe Docherty continues to struggle to come to terms with a big “off” at Brands. This talented rider can count on the support of her team to help her regain her early season form and get back into the upper half of the Rookie 400 series, where she deserves to be.

Overall a good weekend for the Feisty Team, with all riders showing improvements and, with two rounds at Brands and one at Snetterton to go, the Feisty trophy cabinet’s first pot of the year is surely imminent.