Dawson’s delighted with top 10 double at Oulton Park

THE three Tyrone teenagers contesting the 2022 Pirelli National Junior Superstock Championship again achieved mixed results and suffered contrasting emotions during round two at Oulton Park over the weekend.

Qualifying didn’t go particularly well for any of them with Killyman’s Cameron Dawson again the top performer in 17th place, while Omagh’s Jamie Lyons managed to come home 31st after an issue-filled session and Aughnacloy’s Andrew Smyth sneaked into the race in 35th position.

For a change, the trio had two races instead of one to look forward to and Dawson, like he did at round one at Silverstone, led the way with two stunning top 10 finishes.

The 17-year-old brought his MSS Performance Ltd Kawasaki home in ninth in both races, with the first coming from 17th on the grid.

“We were looking top 10s before the year’s out and we got top 10s in the second race, so I’m delighted,” he beamed.

“Qualifying was a messy session with a red flag and on the last lap I went for it and coming down the last straight, into the last corner I came up behind a back-marker and I was .3 under my lap time but he got me and ruined me at the last corner.

“But saying that, we were happy enough because I was still faster than I’d ever gone and I was over the moon with my times in the race, although I knew I could have done better in race one but my arms were dead with six laps to go.

“I felt so much more comfortable in the second race thankfully and it was my most enjoyable weekend by far. We’re eighth in the Championship even though we haven’t finished higher than ninth, so we’re happy enough!”

Lyons, meanwhile, suffered a major disappointment when he crashed out just two laps into the first race.

The 17-year-old Omagh Academy pupil managed to haul himself up to 22nd place in just over a lap before disaster struck.

“I finally got bike working in morning warm-up and was looking forward to the race,” he explained. “I got a good start up to 22nd but when the safety car came out a rider in front of me crashed and myself and another rider tangled trying to avoid him with us both crashing.

“Unfortunately I was declared unfit for race two at the medical centre as it looks like a broken scaphoid in my left hand.”
Smyth recovered well from his disappointing qualifying, claiming two top 30 finishes.

In race one he passed eight riders on the first lap but when the safety car came out his progress was slowed, only briefly as it turned our as he finished the race 24th, having started 35th.

In race two, he started 31st after recording the 25th fastest lap earlier in the day but after a poor start he fell back to 35th.
He soon found a good rhythm and managed to finish 26th whilst putting in his fastest lap of the weekend.

“I am happy with both results following a disappointing start to the weekend,” he said.

The Championship continues at Donington Park in a few weeks time.