Raptor Racing at Thruxton with Paymundo.com

After their superb third place finish at the previous round, Raptor Racings’ Paymundo F1 sidecar team made the trip to the 2.3 mile circuit of Thruxton in Hampshire for the fifth round of the Eastern Airways British Sidecar championship. The schedule was for three eight lap races over the weekend of the 1st to the 3rd August 2014. This is a change from previous seasons when there has been two 12 lap races. Due to the nature of the track and excessive demands on riders, it was decided to shorten the laps and add an extra race.

Driver Tony Brown and passenger Ashley Hawes have never raced at Thruxton before so they knew they would have a difficult task to repeat the podium from a few weeks ago. This circuit is extremely fast in most of the sections taking its toll on the machines and the passengers. The main aim for the team was to finish all 3 races, as so far, technical issues have held them back from achieving this. One short practice session on Friday, meant Tony and Ash had little time to learn the track and get the perfect setup for the bike. After practice, the team discovered the engine had been running hot and there was a water leak so the rest of the afternoon was to be spent repairing hoses. By this point, Tony said he didn’t like the circuit stating that in one part you just have to have a big set of balls due to the speeds they were reaching.

In Saturday mornings qualifying, the team managed a 10th position grid start. They averaged 101 mph, but they knew they would have plenty of work to do if they wanted to move up the field. When race one came about, the weather was unpredictable and as in previous rounds, tyre choice was difficult. The team opted for slicks. Tony and Ash did not get the start off the line they would have liked, and they were swallowed up, dropping to almost the back of the grid! A battle with Gilbert/Allum and consistently faster laps meant they were able to finish in 9th place. Both Tony and Ashley were satisfied with this. Race two took place later that afternoon and with few dramas, a 10th place finish was in the bag.

Two consecutive race finishes meant the team were happy and looking forward to race three. In glorious sunshine for Sunday afternoons third race, and in front of a large British Superbike crowd they settled into a good pace from the start. An action packed race was ahead and a few teams were to drop out of the race leaving Tony and Ash to finish in a strong 7th place. Afterwards, the team felt that the engine was not quite at its strongest and took the decision to remove the engine. Ashley later delivered it to Keith Whiting in the hope he can resolve the demons in time for the next round at Donington in 5 weeks time.

The team are now currently 7th in the championship and would like to thank all their sponsors

http://www.paymundo.com
Ged Canfield Engines
Wallace interior solutions
Pagid
Keith Whiting
Trevor Stafford
Ian Hamilton at Express Tyres
Herne Bay Motorcycles
Infinity Pro
Jennifer Shone at Knox
John Mcqueen at LS2
Ros and Lawrence Tumber
Surlingham Solutions
Wurth
AMR Exhausts
Sam Christie
Sam Ryder
Steve English
Julian Cole
Russ, Ross and the amazing Ryan Anderson for helping out so much with everything. I really appreciate all you do mate and I am glad you’re a part of the team.

And finally, of course, all our family, friends, Beccie and Emma for supporting us in this crazy hobby.

By: John Mushet

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Congratulation to Raptor Team again !

British F1 side car racing took place in Brands Hatch, Kent UK last weekends 18-20 July.

Great news from Paymundo sponsored car- Raptor Race 57.

Fantastic performance by Tony Brown and Ashley Hawes to get 3rd from back of the grid !!

 

Well deserve it, mates !!

okay, we  have seen a lot of front view of the car. Ever wonder how it looks like back of the car…

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Raptor Racing Knockhill Race (27-29 June 2014) Report

The Knockhill circuit in Fife Scotland was the next venue for the Raptor racing Paymundo sponsored sidecar racing team of driver Tony Brown and passenger Ashley Hawes. Making the long trip, over the weekend of the 27^th to 29^th June 2014, it proved to be an eventful weekend for them in the third round of the Eastern Airways British Formula one sidecar championship. With a large crowd expected, more track time and two 15 lap early afternoon races, the Sunday race being televised live along side the British Superbike championship, the pair were really looking forward to the event. Tony has never seen the circuit let alone raced there and it was some time since Ash had raced there, so it would be a learning curve for them both. Taking it steady in Friday’s practice the pair were to shock themselves and the other team by taking position for Saturday’ first race. Completing 16 laps they were trading places with Lovelock/Alto and championship leaders Hegarty/ Neave when they took pole on lap 15 by 0.043 of a second averaging 87 mph. The top nine sidecars were only separated by one second. Back in the paddock the pair looked shocked by what they had achieved and speaking to Tony he just couldn’t believe it. Perhaps the 10 hours sleep they had the night before had helped.

Saturday’s first race was a fast affair with the expected battle between Hegarty/Neave and Lovelock/Alto taking place the Raptor boys keeping in third place trying to close the gap, but not being helped by back markers over the fast 1.2 mile circuit. At the flag the team took a well deserved third place. Tony was disappointed with his start which put him back several places and was aiming not to make the same mistake in race two.

Sunday’s race was held in glorious conditions straight after the first Superbike race. Again from the start Tony and Ash went about the business of chasing down Hegarty/Neave and Lovelock/Alto, especially with the good start they made. Settling into a safe third place and catching the leading pair disaster struck on lap five when the mudguard on the sidecar came lose and they had to retire.

The frustration was clear for all to see especially with the cameras following them as they stopped. The result keeps them in sixth place in the championship. A clearly disappointed Tony knows that they need to be more consistence to keep moving up the championship positions. Since the race Tony has now found an engine fault with metal small metal parts in the engine which means the Yamaha engine needs a rebuild before the next round at Brands Hatch in three weeks time.

The team would like to thank the following for their support:

www.paymundo.com

Wallace interior solutions

Pagid

Keith Whiting

Ian Hamilton at Express Tyres

Herne Bay Motorcycles

Infinity Pro

Jennifer Shone at Knox

John Mcqueen at LS2

Ros and Lawrence Tumber

Surlingham Solutions

Wurth

AMR Exhausts

Sam Christie

Sam Ryder

Steve English

And of course all our family and friends supporting us, fingers crossed our luck picks up from now on 🙂

(Words and pictures by John Mushet)

 

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Official Media release from RKB-F1Motorsport & Eastern Airways British Sidecar Championship

 

 

Double Eastern Airways Scotch, for Hegarty and Neave at Knockhill 27-29^th June

With the promise of live TV on Sunday, and a mid-afternoon slot Saturday, combined with the tight nature of the Knockhill circuit, round three was always going to be spectacular. Whilst on paper, another double victory for the Felixtowe based Sean Hegarty might look a yawn, nothing could be further from the truth.

Race One – Pre-race rain gave many crews a dilemma with tyres. As it happened, a wet tyre choice wasthe wrong one, and several teams paid the price. From his first-ever Eastern Airways pole position, Tony Brown/Ashley Hawes slotted into third behind Hegarty and Roger Lovelock/Aki Alto. It then became a two-horse race at the front with several passing moves from each. The run down to the hairpin had the crowd on its toes, each and every lap, with Sean Hegarty hanging on for the tightest of victories at the flag. There was frantic action all down the field, and a great scrap between Craig Chaplow/Patrick Farrance and the Ben Bygrave/Justin Sharpe combination. Andy Peach, despite a back-row start and problems mid-race, recovered the L&W BMW eighth ahead of Grabmuller. Ben Holland/Lee Watson (Finning Cat Kawasaki) fell victim to a wrong tyre choice but claimed a few points behind Ricky Stevens/Ryan Charlwood (AOS Kawasaki).

Race Two – Hegarty was fired up, and starting from pole, was in determined mood for this one. After early laps pressure, he was never headed, and made it a comfortable win by eleven seconds. Lovelock again showed his class and consistency with another podium in second, and Tony Brown retired on lap six when his front mudguard came adrift. The story of the race however, and thrilling for the live TV audience, was the charge of Andy Peach through the field from eighth on the grid. What looked like a certain podium for Ben Bygrave, was snatched from under his nose by a whisker at the flag, just ahead of Craig Chaplow. Again, this was an action packed affair, and met with complete appreciation of hugely enthusiastic Scottish sidecar fans. Ben Holland salvaged some points from the back of the grid and the Austrian Grabmuller again recorded a solid result to maintain his consistency in the standings.

Race One Result -1/Hegarty/Neave (Hegarty Suzuki) 2/Lovelock/Alto (Driverwolf Laxton BMW)3/Brown/Hawes (Paymundo.com Yamaha) 4/Bygrave/Sharpe (Blue Machinery Suzuki) 5/Chaplow/Farrance (E-Aide Motorsport Kawasaki) 6/BarryJames/Sam Christie (James Racing) 7/Mark Edwards/Lee Barrett (AOS Kawasaki) 8/ Peach Richardson (L&W BMW)

Race Two Result – 1/ Hegarty/Neave 2/ Lovelock Alto 3/ Peach/Richardson 4/ Bygrave/Sharpe 5/ChaplowFarrance 6/James/Christie 7/Edwards/Barrett 8/Holland/Watson 9/ Kershaw/Wilson 10/Grabmuller/Lawson

Standings – Hegarty 170, Lovelock 132, Peach 95, Edwards 81, Chaplow 76, Brown 56, Holland 52Grabmuller 49, Bygrave 46, Stevens 45, Kershaw 36, Holden 29, James 26.

Round Four comes from Brands Hatch 18-20^th July

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2014 Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecars with Paymundo

 Paymundo – official sponsor for Raptor Racers (Tony Brown & Ashley Hawes).

Interview with Paymundo’s director-Dominic starting from 10.20 covered by

Barry Nutley from Eastern Airways British F1 at Snetterton !

 Full coverage here

Catch us at round three at Knockhill, Scotland 27-28th June

 

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Raptor racing Snetterton BSB report

The Raptor Paymundo team of driver Tony Brown and passenger Ashley Hawes returned to action after a break of two months in the Eastern Airways Formula one British sidecar championship at the 2.9 mile Snetterton 300 circuit in Norfolk.

This is a very technical circuit,with the two sidecar races running along side the British Superbike championship over the weekend of the 13th to 15th June 2014.

Practice took place on Friday 13th. In sunny conditions they covered 10 laps finishing in fourth place. Tony’s plan for the Saturday’s qualifying was to take it steady for a few laps to run everything in. It seemed to work as they managed six good laps averaging just under 90 mph and qualifying in fourth place behind Peach/Richardson, Hegarty/Neave and a superb third place from James/Christie.

Afterwards the boys were happy with their position on the grid. Since the front suspension was rebuilt the team haven’t altered anything and they both felt it could be handling better. A word with the suspension guru Patrick Farrance gave them ideas for a better set up on their 1000cc Yamaha powered outfit, which also had a new 2008 specification engine.

Saturday’s afternoon eight lap race one was a difficult affair. Settling into a good pace and running near the front the race was stopped on lap three with oil on the track.

The restart was a six lap sprint late on Saturday afternoon. A fast and furious start by the leaders saw the Paymundo sponsored team battling with several other outfits. Getting tied up with the JH Racing team of Holland/Watson saw them lose ground on the leaders but they still finished in a great fourth place.

Afterwards Tony said he would have liked first but with a brake issue developing they were pleased with the result.

 

Sunday

With the head of Paymundo at the circuit the crews eagerly awaited their prime-time slot mid afternoon, Sunday race accompanied by live Eurosport TV coverage, a further incident by an earlier Superstock solo race, again dictated that the three-wheelers be re-scheduled at the end of proceedings.

From the start Tony and Ashley were up amongst the leaders, coming out of Aggos left hand bend they had a big moment and nearly lost the outfit but recovered brilliantly. However starting lap two the engine developed a sensor problem which caused them to retire.

Naturally disappointed the pair are now looking forward to the next round at Knockhill in Scotland in just over a week’s time.

 

Huge thanks to all our sponsors, we couldn’t do it without your help and support 

www.paymundo.com

Wallace interior solutions

Keith Whiting

Ian Hamilton at Express Tyres

Herne Bay Motorcycles

Infinity Pro

Jennifer Shone at Knox

John Mcqueen at LS2

Ros and Lawrence Tumber

Surlingham Solutions

AMR Exhausts

Sam Christie

Sam Ryder

Steve English

And of course all our family and friends supporting us, fingers crossed our luck picks up from now on 🙂

SOURCE

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More to come from Raptor Race. Make sure you follow !

After a successful race in Brand Hatch last month, Raptor Race is back !

In case you miss out the full report, check here 

Check out more from Tony Brown & Ahsley Hawes RaptorRace this season

HERE

 

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Raptor Racing Paymundo, Brands Hatch Report

With the new season finally here, Raptor Racings Paymundo F1 sidecar team of driver Tony Brown and passenger Ashley Hawes couldn’t wait to get started over the Bank Holiday weekend. With more track time and three races over four days it would be a busy time for the team at the 1.2 mile Brands Hatch Indy circuit.

Qualifying was a fast and frantic affair on the Wallace interiors LCR and with 21 outfits Tony was acutely aware than he could easily get caught up in traffic over the short fast circuit. He didn’t though,  qualifying in a superb third less than half a second behind pole sitter Andy Peach and Charlie Richardson.

Race one didn’t disappoint for the Raptor boys. Settling into fourth place behind Mark Edwards and Lee Barrett, Tony was right with them. On lap 13 at Paddock Hill Mark went wide and Tony took his chance and finished in third spot. Tony and Ash were thrilled with the result finishing third with their 10 year old Yamaha R1 engine. Tony paid tribute to Sam Christie who welded part of his steering just before the start of the race.

Sunday’s race two didn’t even start. In some of the wettest conditions seen at the circuit the sidecars were on their warm up laps but it was so wet they were aquaplaning so it was decided that it was too dangerous to race and the race would be carried over till Monday. In glorious conditions and in front of a large BSB crowd the dinner time 12 lap race was a fast and furious affair. The battle for first was neck and neck between eventual winners Roger Lovelock and Aki Alto and Sean Hegarty and James Neave. Tony and Ash battled well with Craig Chaplow and Patrick Farrance and finished in fifth place losing out by less than half a second. Tony was disappointed to have not been closer to a podium but as he said the tyres had been used more than once and were causing him grip problems.

Race 3 didn’t bring the team any more success. On lap four whilst entering Graham Hill bend the engine on their Yamaha powered outfit seized causing it to spin and stop in the middle of the track. Fortunately the teams behind Tony and Ash were fully aware and made some great avoiding moves. Talk about being the rabbit in the headlights.

The pair were disappointed but have plenty of time before the next round at Snetterton to get the engine repaired. No doubt this will make them more determined than ever knowing that they can run with the top five in the championship.

The team would like to thank
http://www.paymundo.com
Wallace Interior Solutions
Pagid
Keith Whiting
Ian Hamilton
Herne Bay Motorcycles
Infinity Pro
Jennifer Shone at Knox
John Mcqueen at LS2
Ros and Lawrence Tumber
Surlingham Solutions
Wurth
AMR Exhausts
Sam Christie
Ross , Russ and Ryan
Of course John Mushet for the fantastic work behind the scenes. Thanks Mate

All the friends and family that have supported the team

SOURCE

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Raptor racing testing at Brands Hatch in Kent

 

Tony get his hand down on getting the logo in place

Tony spotted getting ladder up to put the logos in place on the lorry

Yes, looking good

Do you feel the race too?

Tony: We ‘are almost there

 Yeah guys, for more pictures throughout the race, follow us on Facebook !

Come on, who is not on FB?

 

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Raptor Team – Tony Brown and Ashley Hawes got their new home

 

At Paymundo, we are a huge fans of  the British Side Car Racing !!

And of course, not missing out this season we are here to give some love and support

to our favourite team -Raptor Team ( Tony Brown and Ashley Hawles ) a new race house !!

We are as excited as all the race car fans out there , are you ready for some speed?

GO RAPTOR TEAM !!