PURITON racer TJ Toms was in action at Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire for Round 9 of the National Superstock 600 Championship at the weekend, writes Alan Heal.

Toms has been growing in confidence this season and is attracting attention from the larger teams with his impressive performances, placing him 13th in the championship table.

He was keen to impress in front of what is generally the highest attended meeting of the year; Cadwell Park’s twisty and undulating nature – and a spectacular mountain section – has marked it out as one of the best circuits in the country.

In the first of two scheduled practice sessions, Toms had completed just two laps when his gear lever broke and he returned to the pits, but after adjustments his lap time improved by almost two seconds to qualify 10th.

Toms made a lightning start and was in seventh at the end of the first lap.

When a rider crashed on lap six, the race was stopped while debris was removed from the track.

Reduced to six laps, Toms made another great start from eighth, and was battling in the leading group when another crash brought out the red flags again.

For the second restart he lined up seventh on the grid, and with the race now reduced to five laps he was immediately involved in a fierce battle, eventually crossing the line in sixth.

Toms said: “It was a really tough weekend but another good points-scoring finish has moved me up to 12th in the table.”

Toms will be back in action at Silverstone on September 9.

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ALSO in action at Cadwell Park was Highbridge sidecar ace Dean Nicholls and passenger Kenny Cole for Round 8 of the British Sidecar Championship.

They qualified in 11th place and would start the first of two scheduled races from Row 6 on the grid, which led to a battling sixth-placed finish. 

They started from Row 2 for the second race, and again finished sixth, to maintain ninth place in the championship standings.