INGLETON racer Harley Rushton returned to action at the 4th round of the National Classic Motorcycle Racing Championship.
Held at Cadwell Park in the Lincolnshire Wolds, the weekend saw the 4th round of the CRMC 2022 championship.
Harley had a tough weekend with good pace in the mixed Saturday conditions but struggled on a completely dry track to find overall pace.
He still overcame some difficulties to collect crucial championship points as he crosses into the 2nd half of the Championship.
Saturday provided mixed conditions with its weather during the day which included a three-hour power outage.
Sunday the weather proved to be more settled, providing a completely dry track for all races.
The first session of the day stayed dry in the 500GP class aboard the Craven Manx but struggling to get a good lap in Harley only qualified 8th.
This set presidency for the remainder of the weekend in the 500GP Class races with progression in Race 1 to 5th then a cracking start for Harley in race 2 followed with a retirement from 3rd place with a slipping clutch.
The remainder of the qualifying sessions were either damp or wet.
Harley made the most of the ever-changing conditions and got times posted early in the sessions prior to the rain coming in.
This resulted in some good qualifying positions for Harley with 3rd on the grid for the Craven Honda and pole position aboard the Craven TZ Yamaha.
After practice and qualifying for the club championship races there was a power outage at the circuit for 3 hours. Action for back under way with the ACU Championship qualifying where Harley placed 4th on the grid for the Post Classic ACU race then 5th for the Classic ACU race.
There was only time for a further 2 races on Saturday but Harley managed a a successful run in both scoring a win in the 350 Twins race and 2nd in the 350 Post Classic Grand Prix race to complete day 1 of the weekend.
Day 2 at Cadwell started with the ACU Post Classic Championship Race. Harley went into this race having to defend his lead. After a poor start Harley was overtaken by the more powerful machinery, leaving him with work to do.
Harley made his way back through the pack to get up to 4th in class by the midway point in the race. Harley chased down 3rd position closing over a 5 second gap going into a final lap. Harley took third position and held it to
The finish to claim the final podium position in the ACU Post Classic Championship Race.
The next race on Sunday was the Post Classic 350GP Club Race which was back-to-back with the 350 twin’s race.
Harley just finished in 4th position aboard the Craven TZ Yamaha in the Post Classic 350GP race after a deteriorating spark plug meant the bike stopped on the run out of the final corner. Harley managed to coast the bike across the finish line but then had to get a lift in the course car back to the holding area to get out on time in the 350 Twins Race.
Harley was chasing the race leaders in 3rd place when he had a tumble off at the hairpin which ended his chances of taking the race win.
Harley was unharmed and the bike was repairable in time for the Classic ACU race. Harley managed to get back out and take the 350 ACU Classic Class Win, even after a delayed start due to an oil spillage followed by a torrential downpour.
This victory was a good way to repay the whole team for their hard work following the crash in the previous race.
The next races of the day were the final races of the weekend, in which Harley competed in both. Firstly, was the Post Classic 350GP Race which Harley collected another 4th place finish to add to his championship points haul over the weekend. Harley followed this with a class win on the Craven Honda to finish the weekend off in the Lincolnshire evening sun.
Harley reflected that the weekend went well with good results and was really good to have the full team there but felt frustrated with his ultimate pace at the circuit.
He said: “Always look forward to going and racing at Cadwell and this weekend I thought I would have the pace for the wins but I was frustrated not feeling I could push any more than I was doing.
"When I did it resulted in me sat on my backside with a non-score.
"This is definitely a circuit where there is more to come from myself and the Craven Classic Racing bikes.
"There are still plenty of positives to take away with regards to the wins and podiums, collecting more points with finishes regarding the stuffers the weekend brought with mechanicals and weather conditions.
"I am already looking ahead to the next round at Donington Park which comes only at the end of this month for the Bennett’s Classic Festival.”
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