BRANDS Hatch was the venue for Round 7 of the National Superstock 600 Championship, and Puriton motorcycle racer TJ Toms was hoping for a change in fortunes after the last round, writes Alan Heal.

At Knockhill two weeks ago, a broken gearbox, lack of rear wheel grip and an overheating engine frustrated him, although he still managed to bring the bike back in 12th place and earn some valuable points.

For this round they used the full 2.43-mile Grand Prix circuit, and Toms’ confidence was high as he took to the track in the first of two Practice sessions.

Unfortunately, after just three laps he suffered yet another mechanical failure when the clutch on his Kawasaki ZX-6R bike broke, and he was forced to retire.

With a new clutch fitted, Toms took to the track in the second Practice session, but drizzle falling within the first few minutes spoilt any chance of fast lap times and all the competitors returned to the pits.

The forecast for the rest of the weekend was hot and dry, so as the rain became heavier there was no benefit for trying a wet set-up and Toms abandoned the rest of the session.

In qualifying, he was lapping well but missed a vital message on his pit board and came in late for new tyres to be fitted, so by the time he returned to the track there was insufficient time to get the tyres up to temperature and he finished 14th quickest.

Starting from Row 5 on the grid, Toms made a lightning start to the race and had passed five riders before getting tangled up with another competitor going into Paddock Hill Bend, and they both tumbled into the gravel.

Toms said: “I’m OK and the bike is not too badly damaged, but I’m disappointed because I’d started so well.”

He will be back in action at Thruxton on August 5, and you can follow his progress at tjtoms.com, on Twitter @TJSquidge or on Facebook with TJ Toms Racing.

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Bridgwater Mercury:

TURN: Dean Nicholls in action. Pic: Alan Heal

HIGHBRIDGE sidecar ace Dean Nicholls was in action at Brands Hatch at the weekend for the latest round of the British Sidecar Championship.

Nicholls and passenger Kenny Cole have scored points in all but three races this year, pushing them up to ninth in the Championship table.

They completed the practice session 11th and qualified 14th quickest.

Conditions on Saturday for Race 1 was hot and sunny with an air temperature of 29 degrees and a track temperature over 40 degrees and, despite using slick tyres, they can lose grip if too hot.

Nicholls said: “I got a good start but, after just a few laps, the engine started to overheat and the heat from the exhaust burnt through my leather boot.

“Despite the pain, I struggled on to finish 13th.”

For Race 2 on Sunday, Nicholls started 13th and, at the end of the first lap, he had moved up to sixth.

However, on lap two, his gearbox failed and he was forced to retire.

Round 7 at Thruxton is on August 5. You can follow him on Twitter @TeamLickRacing or on Facebook with Team Lick Racing.