Riding the PHR Performance Triumph Daytona 660 Hucknall rider Richard Cooper rode to a win in the first race at Thruxton but crashed out of race two in a dramatic last lap in round six of the Pirelli National Sportbike championship at the weekend.

Thruxton is the fastest circuit in the country and also very abrasive so hard on the tyres but Cooper has ridden the circuit many times in the past and was confident he could outpace his rival Edoardo Colombi proving this by completing free practice and qualifying in first place.

Starting race one on Saturday from pole position, Cooper got the hole shot into the first corner. Colombi was right on his back wheel and took the lead on lap two. The pair then exchanged the lead on every lap, eventually joined by Thomas Strudwick and Ash Barnes making it a four way battle in the latter part of the 12 lap race. Cooper was using every inch of the track to try to gain ground and he snatched the lead at Church on the penultimate lap. He held on to his lead on the final lap to take the win with just a 0.2s advantage from Strudwick with Colombi a further tenth of a second adrift in third place.

Cooper said: “I rode a tactical race, I wanted to break the group but also lead at every opportunity. I was watching the big screen and trying to bring a few of the group into play. It's alright racing to the absolute maximum but I need the other riders to stay with us. I said before that the other riders need to raise their level a bit and they have done that this weekend which is great to see. We are constantly working on the bike trying to improve it. I am coming to the end of my career but this bike will go on to world and European championships in years to come so the work I am doing now will hopefully help Triumph in the future.”

placeholder image — Cooper in action at Thruxton

The second race was a close and exciting affair with a red flag halting proceedings after just two laps. At the restart Cooper was third away and was soon dicing for the lead with Colombi. Again the lead was exchanged between the two but this time they were not alone as three or four other riders joined the scrap at the front. It all came to a head on the final lap when Cooper tangled with another rider and the two crashed taking Colombi with them into the gravel at the club Chicane.

Colombi now holds a slender lead of one and a half points over Cooper with the next round at Cadwell Park over the Bank Holiday weekend of August 24/26.