Melton rider Hart takes Cadwell Park plaudits

The Melton rider ran three bikes at the Lincolnshire circuit with three championship races on each, plus two further feature races, two timed qualifying, and three practice sessions.

Five hours of rain made for the worst possible conditions for practice and qualifying sessions, and opening up on the 500 Manchester Yamaha, Hart chose to start from the back of the grid.

But as the bike got warmer and dryer it ran perfectly and with a very spirited ride he managed to finish eighth overall and second in his class.

Up against bikes with twice the engine capacity who can start much quicker, Hart has to settle for mid-pack on the first lap and then pick riders off lap-by-lap.

But two great rides left him with a sixth-placed finish and a very respectable fourth in the final two races, both second in class.

He then switched to the David King 125 Honda in a very competitive championship with plenty of close-quarter racing.

By the end of lap two, Hart was involved a four-man breakaway group, and with a positive ride, the Leicestershire rider won by three seconds, a comfortable win in this class.

Race two was a repeat of the opener with the main opposition crashing out and the other two tripping over each other which again gave Hart another comfortable win.

He made a terrible start to race three and came around in 12th, but after two blistering laps took the lead on his way to another convincing win which propelled him to the top of the championship standings.

But the 350 Yamaha TZ was always going to be the busiest bike over the weekend with 130 scheduled miles to race.

Careful rides in the club championship took him to three runners-up finishes, moving the team up to second in the championship table.

First of the blue riband races was the ACU with its longer race distance and good prize money.

Having qualified fourth in the atrocious Saturday conditions, Hart got away well, but one competitor was in scintillating form and took a clear lead.

With a sensible and well-judged ride, the Melton racer came home in a safe second position, putting him right back in the championship hunt.

The main feature race was the Colin Breeze Trophy which is awarded to the first unsupported rider home.

Hart had won the trophy for the last two years, but with the race open to any bike, Hart was up against very powerful superbikes in a full grid of 43 riders.

Aboard his nimble Grand Prix bike, Hart managed to qualify second, and after a determined first lap, he came around in third place and held position until the end, retaining the magnificent trophy once again as the first un-sponsored rider home.

Next up for the Hart team is Croft, in North Yorkshire, including another ACU and feature race.