Credit goes to thrifty Wilkinson (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Credit goes to thrifty Wilkinson

12:10pm Thursday 15th January 2009

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BIKE racer Adrian Wilkinson has come up with a two-wheel championship to beat the credit crunch.

Adrian, who competed in last year's Thundersports GB series, has teamed up with a group of fellow riders to launch a low-cost series for 500cc machines.

Named the Thundersport500, will form part of the hugely-popular 2009 Thundersports GB championship.

“Everyone knows that going bike racing is expensive, and as the recession hits harder, the situation is only going to get more difficult,” said Adrian, a freelance lighting technician who runs his own company, Industrial Light and Sound, based at Lomeshaye Business Park near Nelson.

“What we’ve come up with a budget series for 500cc Parallel Twins, such as the Honda CB500, the Kawasaki ER5 and the Suzuki GS500. You can pick one up for as little as £500 and prepare it yourself.

“The regulations are carefully designed to keep the costs down, and the only modifications that are allowed are safety ones.”

And Wilkinson, who races a Suzuki TLR1000 and a Honda CB500, was quick to refute suggestions that a 500cc bike would be too slow compared with the more-popular 1000cc machines.

“It’s all about enjoyment. Obviously they are slightly slower, but not by as much as you would think, and they are enormous fun. I rode my 12-year-old CB500 in the Race of the Year meeting at Mallory Park and had great time, lapping only three seconds slower than the 1000cc guys.

“The real attraction is that we’ll be racing at all the top British circuits such as Oulton Park, Mallory and Donington, as part of the Thundersports GB programme which is televised on the satellite Motors TV channel.”

And Wilkinson looks to be onto a winner, with 25 riders from all over the UK already signed up for the season, which starts at Mallory Park on March 13 and takes in the MotoGP meeting at Donington in July.

“We’re hoping to get 40 plus, which should be easily achieveable, and shows that the demand for this sort of racing in this sort of economic climate is definitely there.”

Anyone interested in learning more can visit www.thundersportgb.co.uk for more information.

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