Promising but painful start to first season for Lewis

NEWMILLS ace, Lewis Mullen has endured a promising but painful start to life in the R&G British Talent Cup.

The Drumglass High School pupil has shown pace from the off but he has also suffered a couple of DNF’s, including a scary high-side at Silverstone during round two when his bike hit him on the back of the neck.

Fortunately his safety gear did their job, with his helmet and leathers consigned to the bin after the incident, which left the teenager battered, bruised and in some pain, but he was able to rejoin the fray for race two when he recovered after losing the front in the wet, running across the gravel trap before finishing 12th, well inside the points.

Prior to his outing at Silverstone during the MotoGP weekend, Lewis impressed during the initial stages of round one at Donington where he qualified 11th before earning a point with a 15th placed finish in his first ever Brtish Talent Cup race.

Unfortunately, race two didn’t go quite as well as he lost the front going into Coppice with just two laps to go, while lying 12th.

And while he admits he still has a lot to learn, both in terms of the circuits, which are all new to him, and racing in the series, he’s in a positive mood looking ahead to round three at Snetterton next month.

“The first round was all right. There were good lap times for only my second time there,” he acknowledged.

“But Silverstone was eventful to say the least! In first practice, my fuel tank fell off and I crashed, but it didn’t end as bad. I had a moment in the last race but I tried to stay upright because everyone was crashing and I knew more people were going to crash [due to the damp conditions].

“I stayed on and got P12 which is all right, while in the first race I got taken out.

“Overall, I’m happy but I know there is some more to come because I want to get inside that top 10.

“I want to push for the best result I possibly can but I’m pretty happy with the pace I’ve shown so far because most people in that championship have been doing it three, four years and it’s only my first time at the tracks, whereas it could be their fifth. So, to not be too far off, I’m happy, but I still know there’s more [to come].”