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Scarborough Gold Cup: Race weekend preview

When a multitude of problems caused the Cock O’ The North races at Scarborough to be cut short back in July, it looked as if the Oliver’s Mount circuit had lost out on a valuable event but following the abandonment of the races plans were looked at hosting that feature race at Oliver’s Mount’s final meeting of the season. When the logistics of it proved doable, it has now left road race fans with something of a mini-TT event in England this weekend.

John McGuinness, Bruce Anstey and – if Michael can get machinery – the Dunlop brothers are set to head the Steve Henshaw International Gold Cup meeting this Saturday and Sunday September 12th and 13th along with a whole host of other top names, and into the bargain fans will get to see the Cock O’The North race take place on the Saturday.

It has turned out very well for the Auto 66 club and indeed the roster so far does read like a who’s who of TT racers ready to end their domestic season in style.

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McGuinness, Anstey and the Dunlops are set to be joined by Scarborough stalwarts Ivan Lintin, Dean Harrison and Lee Johnston with Daley Mathison, James Cowton, Jamie Coward and Dan Hegarty also hoping to make an impact.

Fresh from winning a 23rd Isle of Man TT race earlier this summer, John McGuinness will have his hands full to come out on top at England’s only natural road-racing circuit but his participation on the EMC Honda has him sat firmly at the top of the table as one of the favourites for Gold Cup success.

The ever-present Anstey may pose a challenge to McGuinness on the Valvoline Padgetts Honda that he too had TT success on this season, but both riders may succumb to course specialists Lintin, Harrison and Johnston – men who know the Scarborough circuit all too well.
Injuries meant Harrison failed to compete at last year’s Gold Cup meeting at Oliver’s Mount but the rising road racing star is spearheading the official Yamaha attack this weekend on the Mar-Train bike and he’ll hope to continue where he left off in the shortened Cock O’ The North meeting by finishing what he started. Harrison was on course for a superb meeting in July, having won the opening legs of both the Senior and Junior races before an oil spill cancelled the rest of the meeting.

After a relatively disappointing summer on the Mar-Train bikes, he will be coming to Scarborough intent on finishing the season strongly but in Lintin he will have a stern opponent as the RC Express Kawasaki rider is one of the men to beat around the 2.5-mile circuit.

Lintin took the 2014 meeting by storm, taking the Gold Cup race ahead of McGuinness and winning six out of the seven races he competed in. In addition to the Gold Cup Lintin won the David Jefferies Cup and Lee Pullan Trophy and he’ll be in no mood to relinquish those titles.
“I am really happy to be coming back to the Gold Cup to defend my title I won last year,” said the 31-year-old. “I have had a good year up to now and hopefully I can cap it off with some silverwear over the weekend at Oliver’s Mount”.

Oliver’s Mount is ingrained in British motorcycling history, with past champions such as Giacomo Agostini, Barry Sheene, Geoff Duke and Mike Hailwood amongst the records and as England’s only natural ‘road-racing’ circuit the 2.43mile track holds a special place in British fans hearts.

With excellent viewing areas situated around the circuit and the embankment offering more great views of the wider area of Scarborough it’s one of those places fans love to watch at and riders love to race at.

The track is often regarded by many road racers as one of the most challenging available to them, with the short yet tight and twisty nature of the track meaning concentration levels cannot be allowed to drop for even a second, as 2014 showed when Ivan Lintin – who had been beating all around him – ran slightly wide on the exit of Mountside Hairpin, allowing Lee Johnston to swoop in and take the victory.

As usual, it’s not all about the solo classes as in Tim Reeves the Gold Cup has managed to attract another TT legend to the Mount with the Sidecar supremo visiting North Yorkshire with one thought at the forefront of his mind – taking the lap record from Nick Crowe and Mark Cox.

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Unfortunately for fans Reeves’ arch-nemeses the Birchall brothers, Ben and Tom, will not feature at the Gold Cup meeting but it is not all bad news as the duo will attend as Guests of Honour.

The siblings’ machinery was not ready in time for racing at Scarborough but luckily for fans they will be hanging around the paddock with time to chat and sign autographs. Instead, it will be down to the likes of Dave Molyneux, Lee Crawford, Ian Bell and Conrad Harrison to thrown down the gauntlet to Reeves and make sure that if he is to achieve his goals of taking the lap record, and with it victory, it will not come easy.

Races at Oliver’s Mount in Scarborough have often been mentioned as something of a ‘miniature TT by the seaside’. With a line-up like what Auto66 have managed to attract for the Gold Cup and Cock O’ The North meeting this weekend, it’s really not hard to see why.

Martin missing

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Guy Martin, a man well steeped in the history of Oliver’s Mount and a circuit regular to boot, was entered for the Gold Cup meeting but recent news on injuries sustained at the Ulster Grand Prix mean he won’t be racing in Scarborough.

Martin has not fully recovered from the crash at Dundrod, where he broke vertebrae, his sternum, ribs and two metacarpals in his right hand, and has only recently returned to his work.

“I’ve been back at work a while, but I’m struggling with everything. Having a few days off work gave me time to think about what I want to do. I still want to race, but I’m not going to rush into deciding what or where I’m going to race.”

Schedule

SATURDAY
PRACTICE
3 Laps
09.00 Newcomers
09.10 Junior Even Nos
09.20 Junior Odd Nos
09.30 Super Lightweight
09.40 Cock O’The North/Gold Cup Even Nos
09.50 Cock O’The North/Gold Cup Odd Nos
10.00 Lightweight
10.10 Sidecars
10.20 Classic F1 and F11

QUALIFYING
4 Laps
10.30 Junior Even Nos
10.45 Junior Odd Nos
11.00 Super Lightweight
11.15 Cock O’The North/Gold Cup Even Nos
11.30 Cock O’The North/Gold Cup Odd Nos
11.45 Lightweight
12.00 Sidecars
12.15 Classic F1 and F11
12.30 Senior 700 to 1100

RACING
13.30 Race 1 David Jefferies Cup - A
14.00 Race 2 David Jefferies Cup - B
14.30 Race 3 Lee Pullen Trophy
15.00 Race 4 National F2 Sidecars
15.20 Race 5 Cock O’ The North - A
15.50 Race 6 Cock O’ The North - B
16.20 Race 7 National F2 Sidecar
16.40 Race 8 Phil Mellor Trophy
17.10 Race 9 Classic F1 and F11
17.45 Race 10 Senior

SUNDAY
PRACTICE
3 Laps
09.30 Junior Even Nos
09.40 Junior Odd Nos
09.50 Super Lightweight
10.00 Gold Cup Even Nos
10.10 Gold Cup Odd Nos
10.20 Lightweight
10.30 Sidecars
10.40 Classic F1 and F11
10.50 Senior 700 to 1100

RACING
13.00 Race 11 Phil Mellor Trophy
13.30 Race 12 National F2 Sidecar
14.00 Race 14 Classic F1 and F11
14.30 Race 15 Steve Henshaw Gold Cup - A
15.00 Race 16 Steve Henshaw Gold Cup - B
15.30 Race 17 National F2 Sidecar
16.00 Race 18 David Jefferies Cup – A
16.30 Race 19 David Jefferies Cup - B
17.00 Race 20 Lee Pullen Trophy
17.30 Race 21 Senior

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