Ben Wilson had the ride of his life at Silverstone on Sunday when he made his debut for his new team EHA Racing on the Aprilia RSV4RF in round one of the 2016 National Superstock 1000 championship.
The engine stalled as the race came under orders and he was last of 43 riders to get away but rode like the wind to finish in a very respectable seventh place to pick up nine championship points.
Inclement weather conditions affected free practice and qualifying but the 34-year-old rider from Kirton was able to push on to secure sixth place for a second row start to Sunday’s 11 lap encounter.
His race was nearly over before it began as the bike stalled on the start line as the riders came under orders. But luckily Wilson was able to get it fired up and joined the race from dead last in 43rd place.
Ploughing through the back markers to 26th at the end of the first lap, by lap five he was into the top ten in ninth position and by this time had caught the attention of the television commentators and the camera was following him as he got through to seventh place.
But he was too far back from the group ahead who had a ten-second advantage and although he maintained his speed and brought the gap down to less than four seconds he had to be satisfied with seventh place at the chequered flag.
Wilson said: “The wheel spun up on the line and then the traction control kicked in and it stalled.
“But we got going again although I was 43rd and last rounding the first corner. I got through the back markers unscathed and then picked off the midfielders a few at a time until I reached seventh. The gap was just too big to get any further up the field so I settled for seventh.
“Another couple of laps and I would have reached the fifth and sixth place riders but in the circumstances I am happy with seventh from the back of the grid.
“My new leathers were late arriving and were not comfy as I didn’t have time to get them bedded in so I had to resort to wearing my Gearlink ones but I will have the new leathers sorted in time for round two.
“I have to thank my team for their hard work in getting the bike prepared so well for me, it worked really well. We are going to get some testing in before the next round to adjust one or two things and we should be on the money at Oulton.”
The next round is at Oulton Park in Cheshire over the May Day bank holiday weekend of April 30 to May 2.
