Lewis was on fire despite the cold weather
Sunday 17th November seen the final round of the IMC 3 round Snowflake series. Despite the cold temperature, it was hotting up to be an extremely tight finish between our 2 WM Racing Bucci Moto BR10GP Riders Lewis Mullen and Peter Willis.
In the County Antrim circuit of Nutts Corner the morning got off to a cold start. Running the longer track this time compared to the first round, both riders took full advantage of the free practice sessions for both Junior Gearbox and MiniGP, since they were reduced to 3 laps only.
Qualifying
A 4 lap qualifying got underway at 11:30am. Mullen was straight out on track at the front of the pack with Willis holding back for clear track. On Lap 2, Willis set a great opening lap of of 1:14.015 to take the lead but began to reach the slower traffic. Mullen running at the front with the 140cc and 65cc class starting to really set a fast pace and come the last lap put in an impressive 1:12.379 to take Pole Position. Peter never improved on his lap and took 2nd.
Next up after a short break was the MiniGP class, 4 lap qualifying. Willis this time was first out on track at the front and straight away started posting consistent lap time of 1:13 and his fastest lap of 1:13.264. Mullen had really settled into his rhythm on the Bucci Moto BR10GP bike with his lap time coming down each lap. On the last lap Mullen posted a 1:12.625 to take 2nd on the grid behind Sherman-Boyd with Willis in 3rd.
With qualifying over, it was all to play for with 2nd and 3rd place still to be decided between the 2 WM Racing Riders in the Junior Gearbox Class. With Mullen in Pole for the Gearbox 125cc class. Willis was 2nd but 2 rows back split by 3 140cc riders.
BMW Autoparts Junior Gearbox Race 1
Race 1 got underway just after 1pm with the track in perfect condition with plenty of grip. Mullen and Willis got off to a great start, and Willis took an early lead on lap one but Mullen was close behind. Both riders were putting in consistent 1:12min laps, it was all coming down to the last lap. Mullen was close behind coming out of turn 7. As they approached the penultimate corner Mullen tried an outside line but there was nothing in it going into the last corner. Mullen managed to get an amazing drive out of the last corner and as they pushed for the line he pipped Willis for the win by 0.037 with lap time of 1:11.991.
BMW Autoparts Junior Gearbox Race 2
Race 2 was geared up for another great battle for supremacy. The lights went out and Mullen got another great start and took and early lead. Willis didn’t get the start he needed, going into the 1st turn in 4th. Mullen controlling the pace from the front Willis was slower making his way through the pact to 2nd. Coming into the last lap Willis took the lead from Mullen on the brakes into the top right hand bend. Mullen not giving up, pushes Willis right to the line and similar to race 1 getting great drive out of the last corner and taking the win by 0.607.
BMW Autoparts Junior Gearbox Race 3
Race 3 got underway at just after 3.30pm with a slightly damp track as the temperature dropped and rain wasn’t far away. Both riders got off to a good start, but Mullen, full of confidence from the early race wins was hard to beat. In the damp conditions he was still managing to put in consistent 1.12min laps and pulled out an early 5 second lead over Willis in 2nd. As the race progressed, Mullen was unbeatable and crossed the line in 1st by 7.8 seconds over Willis. With the hat trick of wins in the Junior Gearbox class for Mullen it secured 2nd place in the champions with Willis securing 3rd overall.
David Clint P&D Mini GP Race
In qualifying it was Ruben Sherman-Boyd that put in the fastest Junior lap with Lewis Mullen and Peter Willis following. In the Junior field, Ruben Sherman-Boyd, Lewis Mullen and Peter Willis all proved themselves worthy of sharing the track with the Seniors, putting themselves well in the mix and holding their own against older and more experienced competition. Both Mullen and Willis were quick off the line onboard their Bucci BR10GP machines, Sherman-Boyd having to fight his way from the back in all 3 races. Mullen was able to hold him off in Race 2 to claim his maiden victory in the newly revised format. Both Mullen and WM Racing Team-mate Willis demonstrated well the performance of the new machines. Given their limited track time they had no difficulty in running with the cc advantage offered by both the Conti machine of Sherman-Boyd or the Kayo MR150 of Class Champion Jack Ferris. Sherman-Boyd secured the Overall with Mullen in 2nd and Willis in 3rd, but boy they were close!
The last MiniGP race of the day brought the IMC winter series to a close for WM Racing Bucci Moto Ireland. An amazing result for WM Racing with a 2nd and 3rd in the 125cc Junior Gearbox and MiniGP Class. Considering both riders only getting on the bikes 2 weeks before the 1st race this was a tremendous achievement. Taking this achievement into winter testing on the 1st December and the new arrival of the BR12GP, Mullen and Willis are looking forward to 2020.
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