TEENAGER Liam Delves recorded another double podium in the British Motostar championship over the weekend when he completed each of his two races on the Banks Racing GP125 Honda in third place at Silverstone in the penultimate round of the series.
Qualifying went well for the 15-year-old Smiths Wood Sports College student who finished third in his class to start race one from the seventh row in 19th place within a mixed grid of Moto3 and GP125 machines.
But as he took his place on the grid prior to Saturday’s ten-lap sprint race his visor broke and it was a race against time for the technicians from Oxford Products to come onto the grid to replace the visor on the HJC helmet which they did with minutes to spare.
With the visor replaced the riders came under orders and Liam got away to a strong start to maintain his third place in class – 19th overall.
Liam held of the attention of Dutch rider Tasia Rodink who was running just behind him and on the final lap and upped his pace to pull clear and take the chequered flag in third place (20th overall) to step onto the podium for the sixth time in the current campaign.
Ironically Liam’s Banks Racing team mate Ed Rendall who runs in the Moto3 class also completed the race in third place giving team boss Pete Banks a double podium to celebrate.
Liam started the feature race on Sunday from the eighth row and retained third place in his class for the first lap before being beaten back to fourth by Cameron Horsman. But two laps later Horsman retired and Liam was back in the top three.
He maintained his position throughout the remainder of the 10 lap race to take the chequered flag for his second podium of the weekend. Rendall also finished his race in the Moto3 class in third place so once again it was a double celebration for Banks Racing.
Liam has scored six third places and a second in the British GP125 class which is an amazing feat in his rookie year. He was rewarded with 32 championship points for his double third place at Silverstone which promotes him to fourth in the rider standings on 232 points and he is just three points away from third place with one round, two races left to run.
Liam said: “I had two great races this weekend and really enjoyed myself. I had to run a new engine in during free practice but still managed to finish in fourth place. In qualifying I found a good rhythm and finished third so was happy with that.
“Then I recorded third place in each of my races so I have had a good weekend. I have to say a big thank you to the chaps from Oxford Products when then came to my rescue on the grid at the start of the sprint race to replace my broken visor on the HJC helmet.
“Thank you to everyone who made this weekend possible for me also thanks to all my sponsors and followers and Pete Banks for putting such a mega bike under me once again.”
