Lee Healey, riding the Staxson GSXR1000R, faced a series of setbacks and challenges during the second round of the Pirelli National Superstock with Moneybarn Vehicle Finance at Donington Park.
Healey’s weekend got off to a difficult start in Free Practice 1, where he struggled to find the ideal bike setup. A red flag incident further compounded his troubles, limiting him to just four laps in the session. In the combined practice times, Healey finished 37th overall with a best lap time of 1:37.766, 7.860 seconds off the pace set by Joe Talbot (JR Performance Racing).
Free Practice 2 brought more misfortune for Healey. After making changes to the bike, he was taken out at Coppice corner on his out lap, cutting the session short once again. Reflecting on the incident, Healey stated, “FP2 we were back on track having made some changes, but unfortunately I only managed an out lap before getting taken out into coppice, cutting the session very short again!”
Qualifying proved to be Healey’s first real opportunity to get some laps under his belt. However, the changes made to the bike setup didn’t yield the desired results, and Healey was unable to meet the 110% qualifying time. Despite this setback, he was granted permission to race.
Determined to turn his fortunes around, Healey and his team made further adjustments to the bike setup after qualifying. The changes paid off and in Sunday’s warm-up session, Healey finished 35th with a lap time of 1:37.001, showing the signs of improvement he and the team around him are capable of. With a little more track time the results may well have been different but undoubtably showcase Healey’s ability and potential. Potential we will unquestionably see in future rounds.
In the race, Healey maintained a consistent pace and was closing in on the rider ahead. Unfortunately, he lost the front end of his Suzuki at Goddards corner and crashed out of the race, marking his second off-track excursion of the weekend. Healey commented, “The race was going well, we maintained a consistent pace and was gaining on the rider ahead. Unfortunately, I lost the front at Goddard’s and managed to find myself off the bike again for the second time in as many days!!”
Despite the disappointment, Healey remains optimistic about the future. He noted, “No major damage done, onto the next one. Taking positives from these weekends as we hope for the second half of the season to be stronger as we have a starting point for each track.”
As Lee Healey and his team look ahead to the upcoming rounds, they will no doubt be working hard to fine-tune the bike setup and build upon the lessons learned at Donington Park. With determination and a positive mindset, Healey aims to come back stronger and showcase his true potential in the highly competitive Pirelli National Superstock championship.
The racing community eagerly awaits Healey’s return to the track, knowing that his resilience and dedication will drive him to overcome the challenges faced at Donington Park and fight for strong results in the races to come.
