Chiswick racer wins Grand Prix
Andrew Hyde clinches SuperClub championship
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Chiswick resident Andy Hyde has been crowned Honda SuperClub Champion following an exciting final race shoot out at Cadwell Park. The local motorcycle racer needed to finish second in the final race to clinch the title over arch rival Darrell Higgins in the nationwide Grand Prix 250 series.
Honda rider Andy Hyde didn’t have the best of starts on 9th October from pole position but passed four riders to lead the race at the end of the first lap around the classic Cadwell Park track.
By mid race distance second place qualifier Ben Johnson passed Hyde over the infamous mountain leap section of the woodland circuit. Hyde was determined to add to his season’s tally of ten race victories and passed Johnson back into the 120mph Coppice corner on the next lap. Johnson wasn’t done though and re took the lead soon after. The two leaders settled into a fast pace and pulled away from the chasing pack lead by title rival Higgins. With two laps to go the two leaders crossed the line neck and neck almost touching as they dived into turn one. But the crowds of spectators were denied the last lap show down when the race was stopped for safety reasons following a crash involving 5 bikes at the mountain leap.
The result was declared with Hyde finishing second by 0.04 seconds and winning the championship from Higgins who was forced to retire from the race when his engine failed at half distance. Johnson’s second race win of the championship moved him up to 3rd place in the standings.
Commenting after the race, Hyde said “I feel relieved more than anything to have finally won it. After working so hard for so long to win this championship and for it all to come down to the very last race of the year was so nerve racking.
“With the help of my race engineer Graham File and the support of Tony Barton from Honda Chiswick we’ve been able to get the best out of my bike week in week out. I knew I could do it, but was half expecting something to go wrong. It didn’t, and I am champion. I am very happy”.
So far this year Hyde has started 38 races in total winning 20 of them, and finished on the podium 27 times. He is already looking forward to 2006 and competing in the European Grand Prix Championships and is currently seeking sponsorship.
“It all depends on getting more support to step up to the next level. I can offer sponsors companies good hospitality and world famous race tracks and all sorts of other business development opportunities.” Said Hyde.
The SuperClub championship is a nationwide championship organised by the New Era Motorcycle Club and sponsored by Honda. It is a long established and leading road race series that has launched the careers of many top road racers including current World SuperBike champion James Toseland. The series is run over ten rounds, with timed qualifying practice and two races at each round. Over the ten SuperClub rounds, Andy Hyde has qualified on pole position 6 times and has won 10 of the 20 races.
The championship ran from March to October 2005 on six of the UK’s leading racing circuits: Cadwell Park, Mallory Park, Brands Hatch, Oulton Park, Donington Park (home of the British MotoGP round), and Snetterton. Hyde won the 250 Grand Prix class, the most prestigious and the highest level Grand Prix class in British road-racing.
October 12, 2005