If anyone was ever in any doubt as to the quality of competition on offer at Adelaide Masters Series Motorcycle racing events, a quick look down the results sheets from the recent Donington Park British Superbike Support races should convince them.
The Adelaide Masters series is designed to be a stepping stone for up and coming Irish riders, where they can hone their skills before competing abroad, in addition to being a place for established teams to give their future stars some competitive mileage. At the recent Donington Park BSB event, performances by riders who are currently racing or have previously raced in the Adelaide Masters were among the most impressive.
Just one week after they battled around the Mondello Park national track in the penultimate event of the 2012 Adelaide Masters season, Tyco Suzuki's PJ Jacobsen and Millsport Ducati's Lee Johnstone were at it again in Donington. The two Irish based teams fought it out for supremacy in a race long battle that resulted in Jacobsen winning by the smallest margin possible, 0.001 of a second. Despite trying to get past for the entire race, the only time the American was ahead of his Northern Irish rival was in the last few millimetres of the race. The top two were the class of the field leaving all of the British championship regulars struggling in their wake.
Amongst the other notable performers with a Masters pedigree were Superstock championship leader Keith Farmer, who is the reigning Adelaide Masters Supersport champion. Another to lead his division is Farmer's predecessor, Glen Irwin, who heads the BSB Supersport Cup following two more victories. Most impressive of all however is Dubliner Jack Kennedy who has not raced this season at the Masters but has been one of the stars of the event in previous seasons. Kennedy leads the British Supersport series riding for another Irish outfit, Mar-Train racing, and could soon be the first Republic of Ireland rider to win a major British title.
Battling hard on a privateer machine in Superstock at the weekend was Marshal Neill, one of the star performers of the 2011 Adelaide Masters Series. Still recovering his old form following a back breaking accident at Brands Hatch last year, the veteran Ulsterman was running in sixth place until a mechanical failure intervened. Neill was also joined on the Superstock grid by Cody Nally and Gerard Kinghan both of who have made sporadic Masters appearances.
Despite its short history the Adelaide Masters Series is already proving its value and justifying the investment in the sport made by Mondello Park and its headline sponsor Adelaide Insurance Services. The final event of the season on October 6th and 7th will give Irish race fans one last 2012 opportunity, to see riders of British Championship race winning quality, as well as the next generation of local stars, race on home soil.
For further information on the Adelaide Masters Series see the Mondello Park web site www.mondellopark.ie/adelaidemasters