Garness provides a double edge closer to the title

Jonny Garnes (MLav VisionTrack Academy) did it again and his Race 1 win at Thruxton not only kept his result alive but also gave the No. 57 his first attempt at the crown on Sunday. He now leads team-mate Carter Brown by 89 points and needs to make it 100 or more by the end of race two to become the 2022 Honda British Talent Cup champion. Brown is now his only challenger.

Garness’s performance in race one says it can’t be counted either, as he ran away after an early duel with Silverstone sparring partner Rhys Stevenson (Rocket Racing) before Brown moved into third and was able to catch and pass the No.23 for second . Can Garnes’ only Cup challenger do it again on Sunday?

On Saturday, however, Garness converted pole with over a second to go in a hellshot and began to hammer away, with Stevenson once again the only rider in real trouble early on. The No. 23 did manage to take the lead after just a few laps, but it was short-lived as Garness fought back and then didn’t look back, running away into the lead.

The focus then shifted to Brown as the No. 74 pushed Stevenson, and as he passed, he also began to chip away at Garness’ lead. But as he headed wide and then ran out of laps, he was forced to settle for second by just over two seconds, with Stephenson rounding out the podium.

Behind the podium there was a huge battle for fourth place between Matthew Ruisbrook (Microlise Cresswell Racing), Harrison Crosby (Banks Racing), Evan Belford (City Lifting by RS Racing) and Emmanuel Brinton (Mortimer Racing /Victoria House Racing Academy), from a grinding position and changes in everything. He made it to the final chicane and then the drag to the line with just 0.166 separating the top four over the line. In the end Ruisbroek got ahead of Crosby and Brinton, while Belford had to settle for seventh place.

The battle for eighth was also tight, with Lucas Browne (SP125/Amphibian Scaffolding) beating Sullivan Mounsey (Wilson Racing/J&S Racing), Harrison Mackay (Wilson Racing/Super Soco) and Clayton Edmunds (MJL Racing).

It was a tougher round for Microlise Cresswell Racing as Kiana Weyer broke his leg in practice and was out, and early contact between Harrison Desa and Julian Correa in the first race ruined their day.

That wraps up on Saturday, and Garnes’ focus remains on his first match point on Sunday. Can he do it, or does Brown have the last rack left in the locker? We will find out at 14:55 (GMT +1)!

Johnny Garness had a campaign at the front near the start of Race 1, but the hammer fell even earlier on Sunday as the No. 57 pulled away to take the win for the No. 10 of the year. Teammate Carter Brown managed to move into second place after battling in a larger group for the final podium places, and with the Red Flagged race just short of the full distance, the #74 takes a valuable 20 points. Evan Belford finished third and returned to the podium.

Off the line, Rhys Stephenson got a good start from pole and immediately moved to close Garness, but the #57 was able to quickly beat him to take the lead. He didn’t look back after that, taking win number 10 with apparent ease and impressing again.

At the back, Stevenson vs. Brown vs. Belford was initially a battle for second place, but little by little a four-way battle at the back was able to take the stage. Brown got back to Belford and then held off Stevenson, and when the Red Flag came out on 13 of the 14 laps due to Matthew Ruisbrook’s crash, it was enough for the No. 74 to finish second. Belford is third, while Stephenson is off the podium for the first time since the British Grand Prix. Ruysbroek subsequently walked away from the accident.

Harrison Crosby and Emmanuel Brinton continued in a fierce battle for five-plus, while Lucas Browne lost some distance while dodging the action to finish seventh.

Clayton Edmunds held off Harrison Mackay (Wilson Racing/Super Soco) for 8th and 9th respectively, with Ollie Walker (SP125) leading the top ten in the following group.

And so it comes to Snetterton. Garness needed to score 100 or more points and is now at 94, so it’s hard to argue with No. 57 next timeout. Can Brown pull something out of the bag? We will find out from September 9 to 11!