By Carly Rathmell
September 13 2005

It was a learning weekend for Xpress Racing and replacement rider Stephen Thompson at the weekend at the 2.7-mile Oulton Park Circuit, Cheshire. The 27-year-old from Crumlin, County Antrim, stepped in on board the Xpress Racing backed Suzuki GSX-R1000 K5 at the beginning of the weekend, and had a lot to learn in three days.

Qualifying in ninth position, Thompson ended the weekend’s race in tenth place, a creditable result considering the lack of time on the powerful K5 machine. Poor weather conditions throughout the weekend also hindered much needed track time, and the Irishman certainly faired well under the circumstances.

Commenting, he said, “It’s been a few months since I last raced a bike and it was tough getting back into the feel of things. I’m fairly happy with the way things went this weekend, and would like to thank Nigel Broomhall and the Xpress Racing team for allowing me the opportunity to ride with them this weekend. The rain caused a few problems over the weekend, as I certainly could have done with a couple more hours on the bike. I made a few small mistakes in the race but nothing too drastic. I certainly enjoyed the weekend and hope I can get a ride for the remaining two rounds of the championship.”

Backing up his comments, Team Manager Nigel Broomhall said, “I’m extremely happy with the way things have worked this weekend, and it was a pleasure to work with Stephen. We certainly made a great deal of progress with the bike set up this weekend, and it now seems to be handling much better and smoother than it had been previously. The weather conditions proved a bit of a problem, as it seemed pointless going out on such a wet track, and that we wouldn't gain much from it. It’s been a good team effort this weekend, and hopefully things will progress for the final two rounds of the championship.”

For more information on Xpress Racing, and to find out how you can become involved with the team, please visit www.xpressracing.co.uk

Race result:
1 Shand
2 Jackson
3 Coates
4 Young
5 Reilly
6 Fitzpatrick
7 Hutchinson
8 Hickman
9 Ingram
10 Thompson
11 Crockford
12 Bridewell
13 Robb