Team Tiger head back to Morgan Park Raceway in Warwick for round 2 of the Southern Downs Road Race Series. The weather gods continued to shine on the series, producing another stunning weekend of racing. With the crew entered on their Honda CBR250RR’s in the 250/300 Production class and in the Formula 4 class it would be a typical busy weekend on track. Joining in the 250cc fun is Adam Dickson, the youngest of Gary’s sons making his race début on a Yamaha FZR250 in the 250 Production class.
Adam Dickson learning the ropes
As per normal, the 250/300 Production class shared the grid with the Moto3 class, with 19 production bikes and 6 Moto3’s it was a very healthy looking grid. The top 4 spots were claimed by some rapid Moto3’s. Simon was the first of the Production bikes, in 5th with a qualifying time of 1:28.790. Kieran, who once again skipped the first qualifying session, scraped onto the 3rd row with a 1:33.388, to put him beside his new 250cc nemesis Tony Carroll (#4 Honda CBR250RR) who qualified 8th. Gary was not taking risks as he had booked in a cruise the following week, however he did learn that a couple of seconds meant a whole swag of places! His 1:37.503 pushed him back to 16th! Adam found it good to be on a grid with all similar bikes, continuing to get more comfortable on the bike and qualified 21st with a best time of 1:41.006.
Gary Dickson stretching his arms and waving to the crowd
The formula 4 grid was experiencing a glut of fairly fast 400 riders, the front row being locked out by Leigh Holmes (#35 Kawasaki ZXR400), Tony Carroll (#4 Honda VFR400) and the rapidly improving Chris Dunster (#66 Honda RVF400). Simon held onto 4th with a 1:28.856, with 4 more 400’s on his tail, getting a good run into turn 1 was going to be crucial. Kieran made his job of remembering his grid position easy by bagging 9th with a lap of 1:33.749. Gary’s 1:36.535 giving him the same privilege, and taking 16th.
Simon Dickson with Glenn Chandler and Sarah Fairbrother hot on his tail
Race 1 in the 250/300 Production class saw Simon get away, chasing the Moto3’s. While losing the tow after the first 6 corners he had already opened up a small gap to Glenn Chandler (#22 Honda CBR250RR) and Sarah Fairbrother (#14 Moriwaki MDH250). A class win and a best lap of 1:28.305 a nice start to the weekend. Kieran managed to hold off Tony ‘The Veteran’ Carroll (#4 Honda CBR250RR) by 0.2, to finish 3rd in class with a best lap of 1:31.948. Gary’s got to see first hand how a lot of the newer riders were settling into the class, his best lap of 1:34.910 put him all the way back in 10th (15th outright)! However thoughts of a relaxing cruise stopped him from pushing too hard. Adam survived his first ever race, although he finished in a gap it was clear he has throughly enjoying the buzz of pushing to the limits, a he set a new PB of 1:40.350.
Kieran McGeown on the gas through turn 3
Formula 4 race 1 was a full on melee of 400’s and 250’s. Simon got caught with the 400’s of Kyle Mountney (#54 Kawasaki ZXR400), Wadi Nadzri (#828 Honda VFR400) and Callum Barker (#47 Suzuki GSXR400), as one point pushed back to 7th, Simon pushed hard and got back to 4th and closed down most of the Chris Dunster (#66 Honda RVF400) had opened. A best lap of 1:27.898 and some great racing made for an enjoyable 4th place finish. Kieran in front of the next pack and crossed the line in 8th with a best lap of 1:32.018, new comer Daniel Lardner (#250 Honda CBR250RR) was beginning to really show his potential finishing only 2 seconds behind Kieran. Gary stepped up the pace, putting down a 1:33.751 on his way to finish 13th. With plenty of action around him and good conditions, he was finding his groove.
Simon carving up turn 4
After a birthday dinner for Simon where everyone ate more than they should have it was back to the track Sunday morning, greeted by perfect conditions. The 250/300 Production class was first off the rank for their long race, 8 laps of racing with 2 warm up laps to check out the track.
Gary hunting down Mark Torrance
Simon slotted in behind Glenn and Sarah who got good starts, making his way past Sarah on lap 2 and Glenn on lap 3. Simon was able to push at a pace that opened up a slight gap to Sarah and Glenn, finishing first in class with a best lap of 1:28.592. Kieran again was able to keep Tony at bay, and managed to finish just over 2 seconds behind Glenn for 3rd in the class. 2 laps below 1:30 in a row, and a best of 1:28.592 had Kieran looking like he was finding his previous form. Gary wedged himself between Jason Seely (#125 Kawasaki Ninja 300) and Mark Torrance (#12 Honda CBR250RR) to claim 8th 1:34.461, with plenty of position changes over the course of the race it was another fun run! Adam ended the race with a bit of space around him, unable to keep up with the group in front and able to escape the riders behind, although Michael Cullen (#64 Honda CBR250RR) did manage to overtake Adam on the final lap after an off track excursion saw him drop down the order earlier, the faster rider giving Adam a target and enabling him to set his fastest lap of the race – 1:37.157 over a second faster than his next fastest lap.
Kieran gets the final turn nailed
Formula 4 race 2 and Simon was on a mission, a strong start saw Simon slot into 3rd, the top 4 running a quick pace, and quickly breaking away from the next group. After making a move into second, Tony Carroll and Leigh Holmes upped the pace, Chris Dunster had been sitting patiently behind Simon and decided he could follow the other 400’s. Simon was unable to keep in the slipstream and had to settle for 4th place with a very respectable best lap of 1:26.909. Kieran was searching for a way past David Waters (#193 Honda VFR400) all race but could not get the job done as he was being hounded by rookies Michael Cullen (#64) and Daniel Lardner (#250 Honda CBR250RR), he was able to hold them off and claim 9th with a best lap of 1:31.913. Gary finished the race in a lonely 15th, with a best lap of 1:34.663, but every point counts at the end of the season.
Adam battles for position with Mark Torrance and Liam Van Booma
Race 3 for the 250/300 Production class was a shorter 6 lap affair, Simon again lead Sarah and Glenn across the line to take the class win, best lap of 1:28.748. Kieran was able to put a gap between himself and Tony, however he could not hold onto Glenn and took another 3rd place finish with a best lap of 1:30.549. Gary was tangling with with a group of 6! However he crossed the line as the tail, a 1:35.194 the best lap he could muster in the heat. Adam was in a 3 rider battle with newcomer Liam Van Booma (#667 Honda CBR250RR) and Mark Torrance. While he crossed the line 3rd of the trio, there was less than half a second covering all three and he was battling rather than following to add to the excitement.
Kieran trying holding onto the lead group
Formula 4 Race 3, Tony and Leigh checked out straight away, Simon could not get away from Callum, Kyle or Wadi. Wadi lead the group, however a miscount on the laps meant he slowed down to celebrate on the last lap, letting Callum, Kyle and Simon past. Simon finished in 5th with a best lap of 1:28.412. Kieran kept ahead of the evergreen Ray Clacher to take 7th, with a best lap of 1:32.282. Gary had a close race with Mark Torrance, who relegated him to 14th, with a best lap of 1:35.791.
Simon stalks Glenn while Kieran hold off Tony Carroll
Race 4 was another 6 laps session, Simon stalked Glenn and Sarah for the first lap then made his move to take the class lead and put down a pace fast enough to hold the lead to the end. A best lap of 1:28.941 on his way to a 4th win from 4 races to continue a perfect start to the season. Kieran tried to latch onto Glenn but an early gap meant Kieran was out of the tow and could not close it up. A best lap of 1:31.352 and solid weekend of 3rd place finishes giving Kieran vital points to close up to Tony Carroll in the championship, only 2 points separate them now. Gary managed to better Mark Torrance in the final race, claiming 10th, however right behind Mark was Adam, who managed to take another second off his best lap to put in a 1:36.199 and a 12th place finish to end his first foray into racing on a high! Next time he will be looking to catch his dad on track!
Gary and Ray Clacher have a combined age 6x that of Eric Markey
The final race for the team was Race 4 for the Formula 4 class. Simon set off like a scalded cat to try and hold onto Tony and Leigh for as long as possible to build up a gap to the chasing 400’s, a successful first couple of laps mean he had a gap back to Callum, and Wadi. Chris Dunsters weekend had ended earlier with a broken rear shock, and Kyle was out with a brake failure. A 3rd place finish with a best lap of 1:27.741 was a nice way to move up to 3rd in the Formula 4 standings. Kieran was playing race craft games with Ray Clacher, this time the 400 rider getting the better of him. A best lap of 1:32.126 and an 8th place finish completed a great weekend of racing free of issues. Gary locked horns with another rookie, Eric Markey (#192 Honda CBR250RR) and Eric showed he was a fast learner. Gary best of 1:36.370 was not enough to keep the rookie at bay, and Gary took a lucky 13th place finish. An incident free weekend for the team meant Gary could go on holidays, where his main battle would be trying to exercise more than he eats.
Simon takes a bow after a fantastic weekend of racing
Thankyou to our sponsors, family and friends. Another great weekend at the track, and another fantastic event run by the Motorcycle Sportsmen of Queensland. CaraData, Penrite, Xcite bikes, Litetek and Kaiser Bass provide us with excellent products and support to help us achive our best.
Meeting Statistics |
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| Simon Dickson | Kieran McGeown | Gary Dickson | Adam Dickson | |
| Fastest Lap – 250 Production | 1:28.305 | 1:29.959 | 1:34.461 | 1:36.199 |
| Fastest Lap – Formula 4 | 1:26.909 | 1:31.913 | 1:33.751 | N/A |
| Total Laps (racing & qualifying) | 69 | 62 | 66 | 32 |
| Average race start lap time | 1:32.982 | 1:35.823 | 1:39.954 | 1:43.396 |
| Average race flying lap time | 1:29.016 | 1:32.216 | 1:36.072 | 1:38.590 |
| Qualifying Time – 250 Production | 1:28.790 | 1:33.388 | 1:37.503 | 1:41.006 |
| Qualifying Position – 250 Production | 1st (grid spot 5) | 4th (grid spot 9) | 10th (grid spot 16) | 15th (grid spot 21) |
| Qualifying Time – Formula 4 | 1:29.091 | 1:36.054 | 1:34.346 | N/A |
| Qualifying Position – Formula 4 | 4th | 14th | 9th | N/A |
| Best Finish – 250 Production | 1st | 3rd | 8th | 12th |
| Best Finish – Formula 4 | 3rd | 8th | 13th | N/A |
| Round Points – 250 Production | 100 | 72 | 46 | 31 |
| Series Points – 250 Production | 200 | 134 | 101 | 31 |
| Series Position – 250 Production | 1st | 4th | 5th | 20th |
| Round Points – Formula 4 | 68 | 52 | 29 | N/A |
| Series Points – Formula 4 | 136 | 103 | 72 | N/A |
| Series Position – Formula 4 | 3rd | 6th | 10th | N/A |
Full results and lap times available at Mylaps