The inaugural season of the National Sportbike championship continues to provide heart-racing action and round six held at Thruxton (August 9-11) was no different. From the six podium positions available from the weekend’s two races, four of those were achieved by Triumph Daytona 660 riders with the highlight being Richard Cooper’s Race 1 victory.

The vastly experienced Cooper led the way by topping both practice sessions on his PHR Performance Triumph while just over half a second further back was Aaron Silvester on the MIH Solutions Macadam Triumph Racing Daytona 660.

Qualifying would see Cooper continue his stunning form and earning pole position, with Thomas Strudwick being the next best placed Triumph rider in fourth. With the top eight riders covered by less than a second, the closeness of the competition and the slipstreaming nature of the high-speed former airfield circuit in Hampshire would go on to provide exciting racing.

Race 1

An incredible start from Cooper and Strudwick on their Triumphs saw them chased hard by championship leader Edoardo Colombi and Triumph-mounted Rhys Stephenson. By the end of the third lap, the top six were covered by less than a quarter of a second with positions continually changing. 

While it looked to be another Cooper versus Colombi battle with the two championship rivals beginning to break away, the gap was unexpectedly closed on lap five with Aaron Silvester bringing the pack together and making it four Triumph Daytona 660s in the top six. The remainder of the race turned into a seven-bike freight train, with places constantly traded from slipstreaming manoeuvres. But it was the experience of Cooper who timed his run perfectly to grab his third win and ninth podium of the season, joined by Strudwick to make it a Triumph 1-2.

Race 2

Cooper got off to another great start and held a 0.6 second lead at the end of the first lap, but an incident further down the field brought out the red flags. With the lights out for a 12-lap restart, it was Colombi who grabbed the holeshot chased by Cooper and Strudwick in third and fourth respectively. It wasn’t long before the #47 of Cooper was back in the lead, with four Triumphs inside the top eight. 

By the fifth lap, the top eight had gapped the rest of the field by over four seconds and continually battled for positions. Silvester had made incredible progress again, charging up to fourth position before asking too much from his front tyre, crashing unhurt on lap seven.

The final lap became a six-bike shootout for glory. Unfortunately it would be a big incident braking into the final chicane that would determine the result. With Cooper crashing, his bike made contact with both Strudwick and Colombi. Amazingly, the #25 was able to stay on and ran over the chicane. Stephenson would finish second for his first podium and Strudwick was classified third, making it two Triumphs on the podium once again.

Only 1.5 points now separates Cooper from the National Sportbike championship lead with ten of the 15 races completed. The 2024 National Sportbike Championship returns to action at Cadwell Park on August 24-26th.

National Sportbike Championship Round 6 - Thruxton

Race 1

1st Richard Cooper (PHR Performance Triumph) 

2nd Thomas Strudwick (TS Racing Triumph) 

3rd Edoardo Colombi (Aprilia)

6th Aaron Silvester (MIH Solutions Macadam Triumph Racing)

9th  Jayden Martin (MIH Solutions Macadam Triumph Racing)

22nd Katie Hand (MIH Solutions Macadam Triumph Racing)

Race 2

1st Ash Barnes (Yamaha) 

2nd Rhys Stephenson (Rocket Racing Triumph)

3rd Thomas Strudwick (TS Racing Triumph) 

7th Jayden Martin (MIH Solutions Macadam Triumph Racing)

16th Katie Hand (MIH Solutions Macadam Triumph Racing)

DNF Richard Cooper (PHR Performance Triumph) 

DNF Aaron Silvester (MIH Solutions Macadam Triumph Racing)

National Sportbike Championship after Round 6 of 10

1st Edoardo Colombi - 197.5

2nd Richard Cooper (Triumph) - 196

3rd Ash Barnes (Yamaha) - 171

4th Thomas Strudwick (Triumph) - 153

6th Aaron Silvester (Triumph) - 104

9th Jayden Martin (Triumph) - 59

26th  Katie Hand (Triumph) - 6