Mirfield racer Ryan Strafford is celebrating a first win of the year in Thundersport GB Golden Era Superbikes.
He chalked two third places on day one of the Donington Park meeting, before following up with another third and then victory for RSRACING – the perfect tonic for the next meeting at Snetterton on the first Bank Holiday weekend in May.
Strafford benefited from rain setting in for the second race on day two and, after extensive testing on his Continental tyres and work by new sponsors Brook Suspension of Bradford, he was able to show what he’s capable of.
As soon as race two started, Strafford shot into second place on the back wheel of the leader and instantly put a gap between himself and the rest of the field.
At the end of the first lap, Strafford was left on his own as the leader crashed out.
“I had a quick look back and saw a big gap and decided to control the gap without pushing too hard,” said Strafford, who got excellent signals aboard his 1000cc Honda RC-51 V-twin from the team.
“I’m over the moon with the win, the bike handled amazingly and the Continental tyres offered massive grip in the cold and wet conditions.
“The team have worked extremely hard getting the bike ready for this week’s races and I’m delighted I could reward them with the win.”
Strafford, the Thundersport GB 2014 Streetfighter champion, qualified in second place and held off the current championship leader on the way to clinching those two fantastic third places on day one.
His third on day two followed him racing in second place until the final corner, when he ran in deep and got pipped for second by just 0.02sec.
Strafford added: “The completion was fierce but I was determined to improve on the podium result from Brands Hatch now that we have improved the bike’s handling.”
The two races from day two will be televised on Motors TV on Thursday, April 30, or they can be viewed on the Thundersport GB website iPlayer on Wednesday, May 29.
