05/07/09 Another Podium for Cooper, Centurion & WP Suspension
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Centurion Racing took their second consecutive podium with youngster Dan Cooper at round six of the Fuchs Silkolene British Supersport Championship at Knockhill by gaining a third place in the 25-lap race and is now sitting in a very close battle for third place in the overall Championship. His team-mate Tom Grant secured a strong seventh place, making a welcome return to the circuit that he suffered horrendous arm injuries at last year, which finished his season.
Tom Grant had a small crash during qualifying on Saturday but luckily both the rider and bike suffered minor damage. He put in a great lap time and qualified in fifth place on the grid, with only one second separating the top 18 it was important to put in a good qualifying lap, Cooper ended up in ninth place on the grid on the third row.
The 25-lap race was action packed and full of excitement from start to finish. Grant gained a fantastic start and was sitting in a good third place at the end of the opening lap with Cooper in seventh. Cooper was fighting his way through the pack and putting in some unbelievable passing manoeuvres. Race leader Steve Plater crashed at the Hairpin on lap eight promoting Centurion Honda boys to third and fourth.
Cooper made a move on his team-mate Grant into the fast turn one for third and was soon chasing down the front runners of James Westmoreland and Ben Wilson. The top three diced for the remainder of the race swapping positions on a number of occasions. Wilson gained the win with Westmoreland and Cooper in second and third. Grant was unfortunate to run wide at the Hairpin on lap 15 and was unable to push his way back through the field and was only able to salvage seventh.
A delighted Cooper commented "I'm made up with the consistent results that I've been having recently and hope it will continue for the rest of the year and that I can finish in a good place in the overall Championship standings. We had to do a bit of work on the bike to get it set up right for Knockhill but it was mega by the time race day came. I was stuck in a proper battle and it was good fun to be dicing with them all. The opening laps were a bit frantic but I wanted to ensure that the leaders didn't get away. I'd like to thank all the Centurion team and all my personal sponsors for all their help so far."
