After almost two months without any action, the ROKiT Rookies Tracker Kawasaki British Superteen riders are revved up and ready to go as the series returns this weekend – with Kalvin Kelly leading the points with two rounds to go.
The squad’s seven riders will be back on track from Friday afternoon when the action kicks-off at the Cheshire circuit– and the stage is set for what looks likely to be a huge battle over the final two rounds with three Rookies sitting in the top five.
Kelly, who at 16-years-old is the youngest of this year’s Rookies, took the championship lead at Brands Hatch in August after a strong podium run which began with his first series win at Knockhill in June.
Since then, the rider from Pudsey, Leeds, has banked a string of strong finishes to now lead the championship by 13 points with two race weekends to go.
“Coming into this weekend, I am the man who everyone will want to beat,” he said. “But nevertheless I’m heading to Oulton Park feeling confident.
“It’s been a long summer, several weeks since our last race so I’m raring to go and I can’t wait to have some fun out on the track.”
Not far behind and sitting third in the points is Australia’s Brodie Gawith. Gawith has taken quickly to the UK tracks this season and enjoyed a string of strong results in the most recent rounds.
Last time out he celebrated a win and a second, just missing out on a double win by a mere 0.007secs and the 20-year-old from Victoria will be looking for more of the same in Cheshire in his bid to claw back the 22 points separating him from team-mate Kelly.
Just 11 points adrift of Gawith and five behind the rider sitting in fourth position is Chloe Jones in a very close fifth. The 20-year-old from Daventry has yet to score a win yet this season but after two third places so far, is perfectly poised to do so this weekend.
Jones was the first ROKiT Rookie to stand on the Tracker Kawasaki British Superteen podium when she took third at the opening round at Oulton Park, so will be looking to go one or even two better this weekend.
The eight-round championship, brand new to this year, has just two rounds left to run – this weekend at Oulton Park before the finale at Donington Park later this month.
Running as part of the Bennetts British Superbike support series, the new one-make championship pits young riders against each other on identical Kawasaki Ninja ZX-4RR machinery.
The championship kicked-off at Cheshire’s Oulton Park in early May and will conclude at Donington Park in just over a fortnight, meaning this weekend’s two races will be vital in helping decide the champion on September 29.
Championship positions ahead of Oulton Park:
1. Kalvin Kelly 211
2. Lewis Smart 198
3. Brodie Gawith 189
4. Ted Wilkinson 183
5. Chloe Jones 178
From Press Office of ROKiT Rookies, Photos : Bonnie Lane
