Local rider notches up national podium

The weekend of the 31st of August and the 1st of September saw the Superbike Grand National held at Castle Combe along with the penultimate round of the ACU National 250GP and N G Cup 250cc Championship. 

Broughton Gifford’s Travis Vince was in action on his TZ 250cc Yamaha. He finished his first race in fifth place overall but first in the N G Cup class and set the fastest N G Cup class lap of the race. His second race was held in changeable weather conditions, which caught out early race leader Rhys Hardisty, who slid of his machine at the esses. Travis passed Thomas Lawlor and then Simon Hunt, also on TZ 250cc Yamahas, and had moved up to third place overall and again led the N G Cup class with another N G Cup class fastest lap he remained unchallenged until the finish. 

In his final race, Travis and Simon Hunt were locked in a great dice for fourth place overall but as the pair went into the final chicane, Simon Hunt touched Travis’s machine which saw them both crash out. Travis is currently in fourth place in the N G Cup championship and over the weekend got to meet one of the racing guests who attended this meeting,  former World Superbike Champion Carl Fogarty. Back in the 1980s Travis’s dad, Darrell Higgins, raced 250cc machines at British Championship events and competed alongside Fogarty. The pair spoke about some of their dices. 

Broughton Gifford’s sidecar driver, Andy King, and passenger, Alun Thomas, retired from their first sidecar race with a flat tyre, but finished in ninth place on their Townsend Motors-backed 600cc Ireson outfit. Melksham’s Russell Hynes notched up a fifth and two fourth places in his 700cc Streetstock races on his 675cc Triumph. This was his last event as he has decided to retire from racing after 24 years.