He's at it again....

After some recent successes on the racing front, the Naked Bikes team have been taking it a little easier. There have been rumours of some disappointments at the Midlands XCM Champs (broken bikes, broken bodies!), but these can now be safely forgotten about now that the team is back on a winning streak courtesy of Nick last night!
Following up his recent FNSS success at Milton Keynes, Nick decided to repeat the winning performance at the same venue, this time in the three hour endurance event.
There have been suggestions that Mr Towers was still high on caffeine gels whilst drafting his race report. These can neither be confirmed nor denied.....
So, over to the man himself...

"Returning to the Bowl after the XC win a few weeks ago, this time recovering from a stinking cold, and 3 hours of racing on a tight, twisting, off-camber course ahead of me was going to ask my legs a question. My coach advised serious consideration of not racing, but I heard the calling and went. 
The entries were a bit thin on the ground this time round and only a handful of regular speedsters were there, so I took it as an opportunity. 
A bit of welly from the gun put a decent gap on the field, pulling along a couple of seniors, a speedy Vet and even speedier G Vet. However I knew neither liked it twisty so there was no panic. A few laps on the power shook them off and left me with a good lead. Lots of traffic to lap, but as ever a quick call of 'leader up' made plenty of passing space (little old me calling 'leader up'? Never!).
There are plenty of visible sections on The Bowl, so it was easy to judge my lead on the chasers - no sneaking up on me tonight thank you!

1 hour rolled into 2, 2 into 2.5, diesel engine still purring, penultimate lap.....clunk! Chain dropped going over a bouncy bit. Could I flip it in back on?! Millar-moment? Almost......but got it back on and only lost a few seconds. 

Last lap called - ding, ding, open the tap one last time, check the gap - nice! Finishing straight. Zip up jersey, finger in the air - why? It's dark Donkey! 

Good stuff - 1st place and the bonus of lapping everyone apart from 2nd place ! Whoops !"


Chapeau!

A Right Royal Mayhem

This weekend saw members of the Naked Bikes team in action at what is probably one of the most high profile events of the UK Endurance Racing calendar - Mountain Mayhem.

After a rather grim year conditions-wise in 2012, the event was trying out a new home - Gatcombe Park. Pre-race reports had suggested it might be a little more 'all weather' than it's predecessor, so hopes were high for a good race.

Naked Bikes riders Nick Towers and Andy Faulkner teamed up with Lumicycle riders John and Stu Prentice to form an uber-vets team.

Although the forecast had been good, the early part of the race saw some heavy rain, and social media was full of 'it's Mayhem, and it's raining' messages. Thankfully the rain didn't stay, and the course dried well.

The team were always in contention for a good position, even taking the lead during the night.
After 24 hours of racing, the team proudly found themselves on the second step of the podium, being presented with their trophies by HRH Princess Anne no less.

A superb effort from all concerned - top work!

Rigger boots best for grip on slippy podiums!

Nick tries to remember how to curtsey after 24hrs of racing!

Friday Night Fun

Friday brought a departure from normal race action, with most of the Naked Bikes team on the other side of the tape to the racers. This could only mean one thing - Round 5 of the famous Friday Night Summer Series, organised by Naked Bikes.

Mallory Park was the venue, and the course proved to be a resounding success with the racers, making maximum use of the available space and features. A couple of 'offs' certainly proved that the course was capable of 'biting back' in sections too.

For a full race report, see here.

It's worth noting that this is probably the only round of the series likely to be filmed by a quadcopter with on-board camera! The amazing footage from this top-secret Naked Bikes spy-vehicle is available here!

Not all the team were clad in hi-viz for the night though, with Ben Piringer flying the flag for the team, and coming in 21st.

Ben chasing 'em down

Thanks to everyone who came along, raced, supported and generally made Round 5 a great success!

Summer (series) is here....

If the sudden outbreak of nice weather over the last few days wasn't enough the raise a smile amongst the Naked Bikes team, then the results at last Friday's FNSS round 4 at Milton Keynes certainly were.

Chris Gregory and Paul Daniels put in sterling performances to take 10th and 12th respectively in the Seniors' race, and Nick Towers continued his podium-hungry form to take the top podium step in the Vets, his first win in the FNSS. Nick's win puts him in 4th position overall in the series standings. 

Nick in race-winning form

A full race report is available here - those steps certainly look interesting.

Next round of the series is organised by Naked Bikes - see you there!