Varying conditions across the weekend proved to be testing, although the smiles in the garage were just as positive as the missing rays of sunshine. A lively start to the inaugural OMG, laughter-fuelled weekend had Gino and Ben both competitively lapping in the top 10, before a crash for each put the team back. However, OMG Racing overcame the situation and whilst they haven’t won any races, they certainly had a lot of fun with those in the garage and the lots of excited fans!
Popular rookie Rea had an electrifying start to the first race, as he bolted through from the 6th row and was in the top 10 by turn one, getting his famous elbows out to gain advantage over his rivals. However, some small issues meant he would finish a tough race outside of the points. In the second outing, Gino would once again get a good start and set good lap times, however brake problems once again hampered progress. Gino put in a sterling effort in tricky conditions to finish 15th and score the team’s first point, beating ex-National Superstock 1000 champion Taylor Mackenzie. Both rides prove that Gino can be a consistent finisher and had it not been for a tumble during the qualifying, he may have been much further up the rankings. However, the bonds formed in the garage are stronger than ever before.
‘My first BSB weekend has been about as mixed as the weather if I’m honest! I'm frustrated with how the races went but we have to take the positives from the whole weekend; we have shown our potential and scored our first BSB point together as a brand new team. Up until my crash in Qualifying, we were at the sharp end in both wet and dry conditions and everything was going to plan. Unfortunately racing doesn't always go to plan, and we encountered some unexpected problems during both races which prevented us showing our capabilities. In the second race I ran off-track twice whilst trying to pass riders in front of me, so to salvage a point scoring finish wasn't so bad. The team have done a fantastic job during our first race weekend together and I'm grateful of everyone's hard work. I'm a bit sore now but really looking forward to regrouping and moving forward at Brands Hatch.'
Stay tuned for OMG Racing UK Suzuki Team team's next races over the 12th-14th of April at Brands Hatch's Indy layout!
