Wilcox moves into the 125cc championship lead

British 125cc
By Phil Wain
May 3 2006

Michael Wilcox made it three podiums from three races when he finished third in round four of the British 125cc Championship, held at Oulton Park on Bank Holiday Monday.

To add to his joy, the 16 points gained have elevated him into the lead of the championship, the first time he has held this position since his title winning season in 2003.

After gaining the use of the ex-Benji Dawson Honda at Thruxton, this was the first meeting where the Slim Racing team had the whole weekend to set up the hybrid machine - and this they duly did, re-mapping a number of settings. Finely tuning the Honda for Michael’s style was key, especially with the forthcoming North West 200 meeting high on the list of priorities, and a solid seventh place in qualifying was achieved, just over a second adrift of pole position.

The 125cc race was first on the programme, and heavy overnight rain meant that the circuit was still damp when they came to the line, and a wet race was declared. Michael made a clean getaway when the lights changed to green, and was fifth going into the first corner, Old Hall, but having noticed a number of damp patches around the circuit, he completed the first lap in a cautious ninth place, Lodge Corner being particularly slippy.

However, he soon got into his rhythm and began to move forward, moving back up to fifth at half race distance, and when championship leader Robbie Stewart and Anthony Rogers crashed out he was promoted up to third. Running in close company with Dan Linfoot and Daniel Cooper, he was well placed to challenge for the win but, realising third would move him to the top of the championship table, he opted not to risk an overtaking maneouvre in the tricky conditions, and wisely settled for his third successive podium.

Speaking after the race, a happy Michael commented:
“I wasn’t too happy with the decision to start the race, because the conditions were quite tricky and, although I’ve got the experience to deal with them, I didn’t think it was fair for the younger, less experienced riders. As it turned out though, the track dried a little and the rain stayed away, and we were able to get stuck in. I noticed on the warm-up lap that Lodge Corner was very slippy so I took it particularly steady through there but, as conditions improved, I was able to start making a few passes.

“On any other day, I would probably have gone for the win, but mindful of the fact that third would put me into the championship lead, and that the North West 200 is just round the corner, I decided to settle for where I was. Three podium finishes in three races is excellent news for everyone concerned with the team, and to top the points table is a great bonus. It’s definitely put us in the right frame of mind for next week’s North West 200.”

Michael’s next race will be at the International North West 200 road races, held on the 8.9-mile public roads circuit linking the towns of Portstewart, Coleraine and Portrush, and having taken a second and two third places in the last three years, Michael is eager to step onto the top step of the podium for the very first time. Practice gets underway on Tuesday, 9th May.