Silverstone mistake costs O’Gorman valuable points in title fight

BY GILES SPENCER
giles@slpmedia.co.uk

Erith motorcycle racer Casey O’Gorman had a setback in his quest to become British Talent Cup champion for 2021 last weekend at Silverstone for round eight of the championship with a crash and his first finish off the podium leaving him with a fight on his hands in the final round.

O’Gorman gambled on a change to slick tyres on a drying track in qualifying and put his Microlise Cresswell Racing Honda second on the grid with a 1:04.163 lap time behind pole man, Johnny Garness.

Race one, held on the Saturday saw O’Gorman hold his second place behind the flyweight Johnny Garness over the first couple of laps before disaster struck when championship leader Belford hit the deck taking the 14 year old South Londoner out with him.

Due to his early exit from the previous race, O’Gorman started Sunday’s race from 18th on the grid, back on the outside of row six.

Making his traditional lightning start, O’Gorman made up seven places to eleventh by the end of the first lap.

Three laps of twenty two down and O’Gorman is up to eighth but has a 1.159 second gap to make up to the leading group of seven.

As if it were a walk in the park O’Gorman reals off two fastest laps in a row to bridge the gap and move up to seventh, then fifth a lap later half a second behind the leader, Carter Brown.

With a more mature head on his shoulders this year, O’Gorman took his time, reaching second position by half race distance before taking over at the top on lap twelve.

After holding the lead for half the race, heart break was to come as leading into the last corner on the final lap, the trio of Brown, Jamie Lyons and Garness mug O’Gorman to demote him off the podium for the first time this year with a fourth place finish, 0.157 seconds off the win.

O’Gorman said, “I started eighteenth and worked my way up to first by mid race. I led till the last corner on the last lap but I miss-read my pitboard and was surprised to see the chequered flag and finished fourth.”

 

Thirteen points from a possible fifty have dropped O’Gorman to third overall on 223 points, eleven behind new championship leader, Brown on 234.

The final round of the championship will be held on the Donington GP circuit on the 1st – 3rd October.

Photos: Cami Photography/Bonnie Lane