Melton racer Ant Hart roars back in championshiop contention

Antony Hart secured six runners-up finishes at Mallory EMN-170531-083208002

The third round of the various championships saw the Melton rider make the short trip to his home circuit of Mallory Park.

The Hart team ran three bikes, with three championship races on each bike plus the feature race, the Charlie Sanby Trophy.

Riders had to contend with rain for race one, a great horse power leveller which Hart, aboard the 500 Manchester Yamaha, was keen to exploit in the new superbike class.

A terrific first lap put Hart into the lead which he held for four laps until one of the more powerful bikes caught him and went past, but the Melton rider held on to a fabulous second place at the flag.

The rain had stopped for the 350 GP Championship opener, and Hart claimed another second place finish after another fast and furious race.

The Leicestershire rider qualified in pole position for the feature race, and just as the race was called the heavens opened with torrential rain, sparking a frantic rear wheel change.

The effort proved worthwhile with another excellent runners-up place.

The day ended on the 125, the most competitive championship in the club, this time in dry weather.

Hart worked his way into second place with a plan for a late attack, but on the last lap a group of back markers appeared at the final corner which spoilt his plans, leaving him to settle for another second place.

Hart’s dad and mechanic Ron said: “With such extreme weather conditions we were very pleased to finish the day with no crashes or mechanical breakdowns and four second places really was a great result.”

Sunday was a total contrast to Saturday with blue skies, gentle wind, and perfect racing conditions.

The dry track allowed the superbikes to exploit their horsepower advantage, but Hart rode the Len Manchester 500 to a pair of fourth-place finishes, less than 12 seconds down on the leaders, and second in class to stay in the hunt for the championship.

Two more great races in the 350GP brought two more second places, leaving right back in contention after a disastrous start to the season.

Ending the weekend on the David King Honda in the 125, Hart won a thrilling first race by less than a tenth of a second, but settled for third in race two after a race-long three-way battle for the lead.

The next round is at Cadwell Park, in Lincolnshire.