Daniel Cooper

It was another solid weekend for the Centurion racing team at round 11 of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Circuit at Silverstone Circuit. James Westmoreland gained a strong fifth place and Dan Cooper a healthy eighth.

After a dramatic free practice crash on Friday, James Westmoreland walked away unscathed but his number one bike was written off and therefore he had to ride his number two bike, which he has not ridden much all season. Finding a good setting in the two qualifying sessions was the key but the 20-year-old from Hull could only gain 10th position on the grid.

Team-mate, 21-year-old Dan Cooper was having an exceptional weekend and set the third fastest time in the first qualifying session on Saturday morning. Dropping back to sixth in the second session the youngster secured his best qualifying position to date in the Supersport class.

Westy gained a good start and made two positions up by the end of the opening lap, Cooper got boxed into the first corner and fell back through the field. An incident on the second lap saw the safety car deployed for two laps, the race fully got underway on lap five and the riders were eager to secure two good results.

Westy worked hard to get through the pack and was locked in a tight battle with Championship rivals Ian Lowry and Chris Martin. Riding consistently fast he was able to fend off the attacks from the chasing riders and secure a fantastic fifth place. Cooper was struggling with injuries to his elbows but still battled through to eighth.

Cooper said “I’m slightly disappointed with the result I got today as I’d been running well all weekend. I’ve got some problems with my elbows all weekend and at half race distance I could barely hold on to the bike and therefore I was unable to make any progress. I do feel that we’ve made some big breakthroughs this weekend and once again the Centurion Team worked extremely hard to help me get everything right. I’m hoping to be fully fit by Brands and finish the season on a high note.”

James Westmoreland took another fantastic podium today for the Centurion Racing team at round ten of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship at Croft circuit. The 20-year-old from Hull secured a brilliant second place in an epic race, where his main Championship rival Ian Lowry crashed out in the closing stages of the re-started race. Dan Cooper gained a solid 15th position.
 
James ‘Westy’ Westmoreland qualified in a good second place after being top of the qualifying table for the majority of the second dry qualifying session. Dan Cooper rode well throughout the weekend and put the Centurion Honda in 10th place on the grid for the 18-lap scheduled race.
 
Westy gained a good start and was in fourth place at the end of the opening lap with Cooper in 13th place. On lap six the race was red flagged after Ashley Beech crashed out into turn one and the race was cut short and re-started as a 10-lap sprint. On the re-start Westy was third at the end of the opening lap and Cooper in 14th position.
 
Westy was hunting down Lowry on the Suzuki, when the Irishman tucked the front going into the complex section, taking evasive action; Westy swerved to miss Lowry and was soon trying to hunt down race leader Richards. The youngster was unable to get the better of the very experienced Richards and he took a stunning second place result for the Centurion team, also moving him 16-points adrift of third place in the Championship.
 
An extremely happy Westmoreland said “I’m so happy with the result that I got today. The Centurion Honda was brilliant throughout the weekend and I managed to get everything out of it that I needed to. Glen rode brilliantly and all credit goes to him, I’ve managed to close down on Lowry in the Championship standings and the gap is now 16-points and we have two rounds to go. I’d like to thank everyone who has supported me and the entire Centurion Honda team for all their help. I hope we can end the season on a high note at Silverstone and Brands.”
 
A disheartened Cooper said “I’m really disappointed with the result that I got today and I was hoping to be higher up in the race. I was doing ok in the initial part of the race and then on the restart I got blocked into the first turn and had to make up a lot of ground. I had a problem with my number one bike in warm up and had to go out on the spare bike, which I’ve never ridden in the dry before, it’s really down on power so I’m pleased I managed to get into the top 15. I’m still having a few problems with my shoulder, which I should be getting operated on at the end of the season. I’m just gutted that I didn’t finish with a top ten result but hopefully things will improve at the last two rounds.”
  
2008 Races
 
Round 11 -      26th - 28th September, Silverstone, Northants
Round 12 -      10th - 12th October, Brands Hatch, Kent

It was a very successful weekend for the Centurion Racing Team at round nine of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship at Cadwell Park. The two regular Centurion Riders James Westmoreland and Dan Cooper were joined this weekend by Tommy Bridewell. All three riders secured strong top 15 positions in the 14-lap races, Westmoreland gained a positive fifth place, Bridewell in 10th and an injured Cooper in 14th place.
 
James Westmoreland had been struggling throughout the weekend with bike set up and a few technical problems during practice, which saw him lose out on vital track time. The youngster from Hull could only qualify in ninth position but he was eager to gain a good start and battle with the front runners. A great start saw Westy lying in fifth place into the first corner, the race was soon red flagged after an incident on the opening lap.
 
After a short delay the race was cut short to 14 laps, Westy did not gain a great start and was in eighth place after the first lap, working hard and digging deep he managed to get passed Chris Martin and Steve Brogan, he was then locked in a tight battle to the finish with Triumph rider Paul Young.
 
Commenting he said “I’m really happy with my results as I raced well after a difficult weekend with set up problems. Cadwell is not a track that suits me and my riding style all that well, so fifth on a bad weekend is good and I’ve managed to close in on Lowry in the Championship and pulled a gap on Martin and Brogan so I’m pretty pleased. Thanks again to all the Centurion team.”
 
Tommy Bridewell became a welcomed member to the Centurion Racing team, despite very little time on the Honda 600 and still recovering from a badly broken leg, Bridewell rode extremely well over the weekend to gain a solid tenth place in the race. As Bridewell battled to get to grips with the Centurion bike around the very difficult Cadwell track his times were consistently improving and a big effort in second qualifying saw him qualify in tenth place, just behind Westmoreland.
 
Riding on the one off CJ Riders Fund number ‘9′ machine Bridewell was boxed into the first corner off the start but still managed to gain a place by the end of the first lap. He then became locked in one of the closest battles of the race in a four man scrap for eighth position with regular front runners Ian Lowry, Chris Martin and Steve Brogan. Getting the better of Brogan and only being 0.2 behind Martin at the chequered flag, young Bridewell rode an exceptional race.
 
Speaking with him “I’m really grateful to the Centurion Team for giving me this opportunity. It was a hard weekend and a difficult track to learn everything all at once, I had to dig deep during qualifying if I was going to get a good grid position. The race was tricky but I really enjoyed it and I was having a good dice with the others. My leg was getting quite sore towards the end of the race but I’m pretty pleased with where I finished.”
 
Dan Cooper was also riding injured and after dislocating his shoulder at Knockhill two weeks ago he was eager to prove he could ride and finish in a good position. He gained 14th place and two points in the overall standings. Fighting through the pain Cooper was adamant that he wanted to ride at the physical track after missing out last year with the same injury.  
 
He said “I knew this weekend was going to be difficult and it was a battle with the time to try and get fit for it. My shoulder is still giving me some grief and there were times I thought about not riding. Cadwell is such a physical circuit and although I was injured I really wanted to ride there as it’s also a great track. I had a couple of problems with the bike during practice but once we sorted them, my aim was just to get some points during the race. It’s definitely put pressure on my shoulder and I know the best thing for me will be to get the operation on it at the end of the year. I’m looking forward to the last three races of the year and hope I’ll be fully fit for them all.”
 
 
2008 Races
 
Round 10 -     12th - 14th September - Croft, North Yorkshire
Round 11 -      26th - 28th September, Silverstone, Northants
Round 12 -      10th - 12th October, Brands Hatch, Kent

It was another solid weekend for the Centurion Racing team at round seven of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship at Oulton Park. The two riders James Westmoreland and Dan Cooper once again scored two healthy top ten finishes with a sixth and seventh place respectively.

James Westmoreland had been running in a good position throughout the weekend despite the inconsistent weather conditions, which played havoc through all the practice and qualifying sessions. He was looking all set for a front row start in the final qualifying session and was just bettered by Ian Lowry and Glen Richards in the closing stages, qualifying in fifth position the youngster was eager for a good result.

Dan Cooper had been riding a new bike all weekend and was trying to adjust to the new machine and find a comfortable set up for the 16-lap race. Struggling through all the sessions Cooper could only manage to qualify in 18th position on the grid.

As they sat on the grid it was confirmed that Marty Nutt would take no further part in the race and Honda’s Steve Brogan went out of the race on the opening lap. Both Centurion riders got good starts with Westy lying in sixth at the end of the opening lap and Cooper making an incredible lunge through the pack and was already sitting in 12th position.

Westy was battling with Rob Frost in the early stages of the race and was soon chasing down James Webb who he was unable to make a move on and had to settle for sixth position overall. Cooper was picking off riders on every lap and was surging through the fierce field. He made strong passes on Ben Wylie, Sam Owens and Ian Hutchinson and was left fighting with the wild Rob Frost. Cautiously making a move on him on the penultimate lap to secure him a very strong seventh place and equalling his best result of the season so far.

Westy commented “I’m pretty pleased with the result I got today is more solid Championship points in the bag. I’m disappointed that I couldn’t get away with the front runners and put up more of a fight but I still got sixth so can’t complain too much. I got stuck behind James Webb and was struggling to find a good safe place to pass him. I’m looking forward to Knockhill in a couple of week’s time.”

Cooper added “It was a whole new experience for me this weekend, as I had a new bike, which I love but it took a little getting used to and setting up. My mechanics worked really hard through the weekend and by the time the race came I was feeling pretty confident. I rode a very hard and solid race and I knew I could do ok if I got a good start, thankfully I did and worked my way through the pack. I just need to work on my qualifying position now as if I get that sorted the results will be a bit easier to obtain.”

2008 Races

Round 8 - 8th - 10th August - Knockhill, Fife
Round 9 - 23rd - 25th August - Cadwell Park, Lincs
Round 10 - 12th - 14th September - Croft, North Yorkshire
Round 11 - 26th - 28th September, Silverstone, Northants
Round 12 - 10th - 12th October, Brands Hatch, Kent

For pictures please contact carlyrathmell@yahoo.co.uk

Friday- the morning session was wet so took it steady in the dodgy conditions aiming to make sure my gearing on the bike was correct and not making any silly mistakes early on in the weekend. I finished 11th which I was fairly happy with and hoping for a dry second session.  It was dry for the second free practice and our aim was to find the suitable tyre for the race, we tried a few tyres and were quite happy with the tyre we were going to use. I ended up in the session 21st on a time of 48.6. I was reasonably happy with time but disappointed with the position.
 
Saturday- the morning session was quite cold so track grip wasn’t the best, my best time was 48.3, which was faster than Fridays time but still only 19th position which I wasn’t too happy about. However I was only 0.9 of a second off of pole and I knew it was close.  I was also happy with my race pace. The second session was warmer and the grip was up, on my qualifying tyre I did a best time of 47.9 which was faster again but remained 19th on the grid. I was really looking forward to the race as I knew it was going to be close and was happy that I had got into the 47’s.
 
Sunday- in warm up my tyre was worn and once I had done e few fast laps I took it a bit more steady, saving myself for the race. As the lights went out I got a good start and was quite aggressive into the first turn, then coming out of Graham Hill Bend Paul Young fell off and I nearly got collected in it and because of this Westy and I had a big gap in front of us to close up. I followed Westy for most of the race and we pulled ourselves up to the back of the group in front but as I just got onto the back of Martin Jessopp with two laps to go the red flag came out and that was the end of the race. I finished 11th which I was pleased about as I started well down the grid. It also showed that your race pace is just as important as your qualifying laps.
 
I would just like to thank the whole Centurion Racing Team for such a fantastic season as it wouldn’t have been possible without them. I didn’t realise how tough this class really is and if Paul and Gary hadn’t of given me this opportunity I would have been racing in my own team and I would have been lucky to get in the top 20, but with this team I have scored a few top ten result already.  Thank you very much to everyone involved.
 
Dan #20

Friday - The track was damp, I was feeling very comfortable and was in fifth place until we had a few problems with the bike and in the last 10 minutes of the session. I dropped back to 21st place on a time of 1 min 43.9. I was feeling confident that we would be faster in second session. During the second session the track was dry and I managed to  knock five seconds off from the first session with a time of 1 min 38.4. I managed to get a race simulation of 19 laps under my belt which enabled me to select the right tyre for the race on Sunday. I was pretty happy with the days work.
 
Saturday- The track was slightly damp again because we were one of the first sessions out on the circuit, I went half a second quicker than Friday’s practice time but our tyre strategy for the session was slightly wrong and it affected my position. I managed to do a 1 min 37.9 and in ended up in 15th place. During the second qualifying I was given a new tyre choice and it worked well. I secured my best time of the weekend of a 1 min 36.6 and 13th on the grid for Sunday’s race. I was pleased with this as it is my first race back after my injury and I was looking forward to the race.
 
Sunday - I used a second hand tyre on for warm up and it didn’t have much grip so I decided to take it a little bit steady so that I was ready for the race. I got tangled up at the start when James Webb went down before the first corner and was 19th after the first lap. I had to get my head down and start plugging away and managed to get myself through to 14th place before the safety car came out at half distance and then the red flag.

On the restart I started 15th on the grid and managed to get a slightly better start and started working my way through the field again in the short eight lap race. I got up to ninth position on the last lap until I hit a neutral going into the Foggy Esses and had to take to the grass losing seven places in the process and finishing the race 16th. Overall I am very pleased with the weekend as I feel I am more comfortable on the bike and I am now more aggressive.

Even though my result hasn’t been as good as I would have liked I know I have ridden well and with our test at Brands Hatch coming up before the last round I am confident we are going to be at the sharp end of the field. I would like to thank the whole team for this weekend and also Dunlop for giving me good tyres. We are starting to make good progress and next season is going to be exciting, I can’t wait.
 
Thanks
Dan # 20

I got caught up in the first corner trying to avoid James Webb’s crash and was sitting in 19th after the first lap and knew I had a lot of work to do. I got a better start in the restart and was slowly working my way through the pack when I hit a false neutral into the Foggy Esses and I ran onto the grass losing seven places. I’m gutted not to have got a better result but I did feel much more confident on the bike. I’d like to thank the team and also Dunlop for helping me this weekend. I’m looking forward to Brands and hope I can finish the year on a high note.

Coops #20

As you are probably now aware I haven’t raced for quite a while, because of my dislocated shoulder which I did at Croft. I can safely say now that after going to a special gym for these kind of injuries every day for the past six weeks I am now fully fit for Donington this weekend, I can’t wait for this as it’s a mega track. Since my shoulder has been fully fixed Tom (Bridewell) and myself have been quite busy at the weekends. We’ve been out on the Jet Skies a fair bit down near Southampton, the waves down on the south coast are much better.

We also bought some inflatables that we can tow on the back of the boat, one of them is a three man banana boat, which we ended up having some fairly big crashes on, some bigger than what we have on our race bikes!! Funny though!

I am pleased to say that Westy and I were both asked at Cadwell if we wanted to stay with the team for the 2008 season and I knew my answer straight away! It’s nice to know that I have my ride sorted for next year and with such a great and professional team. I am really looking forward to the last two rounds but will be gutted on Sunday at Brands because our season will be over, it has gone so quick this year. Anyway when I speak next I will be able to let you know how Donington went, so speak soon!!

C-ya
Dan #20

Friday - I went out for the first session with the aim of getting the bike set-up because we have never been around this track before in dry conditions. Unfortunately we chose the wrong tyre and had I suffered with grip problems, I ended the first session in 19th placce and the second session in 16th position.
 
Saturday - After Friday I was confident we could have a good day and gain a good position on the grid, we managed to find a better tyre and I felt a lot happier.  I ended the first session in 15th position, which I was fairly happy with, but I knew I could go faster as I got held up on my faster laps.  I was confident we could be on the third row of the grid for the race if I managed to get a good second session in.
 
In the second session my race pace was a lot better and I managed to go 0.4 seconds faster, which put me 12th on the grid and my best qualifying of the season. I was very pleased with the days work and confident for the race on Sunday.
 
Sunday - After warm-up I felt really comfortable and was looking forward to the race. I didn’t make the best of starts in the race and was 13th after the first lap when the safety car came out on the track for three laps.  After the restart I got past Sam Owens and was into 11th place and I had my sights set on catching the group in front. After three or four laps I was catching the group quite quickly when I went into the first corner a bit too fast and I ended up in the gravel. 

I have dislocated my shoulder but Richard Brown and I will be working hard now to get it fixed ready for Cadwell in two weeks time. Even though we haven’t had a good result this weekend I am happy with the way it has gone because we are definitely getting closer to the front boys and we are starting to prove we can run with them.  I can’t wait now for Cadwell, which is going to be very demanding for me with my arm but I am confident we can be at the front again. I would like to thank Gary Stubbington, Paul Rees, and all of my crew this weekend for providing me with the best equipment for the job. I believe we are going to get stronger and stronger and get some good results before the end of the season. Also thanks to Dunlop for providing good tyres this weekend.
 
Cheers
 
Dan #20

Friday - The conditions on track were very wet and once I had done a few laps to check my gearing and set up of the bike I pulled in because I didn’t think there was any point in carrying on. I ended the session in 11th position. After this I was to lose one of my best friends, Ollie Bridewell in an incident that occurred at the track. I thought of him as my brother and I am totally gutted that he’s gone. We didn’t go out again on Friday.
 
Saturday - The weather was very much the same as Friday, which resulted in long delays, we managed to get one practice session in the afternoon. Which I ended up 4th, I  was very pleased as the riders in front of me would of had new tyres for this session where I was using the tyres I had for the race at Oulton Park last weekend. I found it very hard riding the track on Saturday after what had happened with Ollie the previous day. I had to concentrate hard on keeping focused and trying not to think about the accident.
 
Sunday-  I woke to see glorious sunshine and I wasn’t too sure how I felt about this as we hadn’t had a dry practice previously on the new 07 bikes. We had a 30 minute practice session and I managed to get down to a decent lap time and ended the session 11th. I was looking forward to the race.  I got a terrible start but then made a few places going round Gerrards and ended the first lap in around 15th place. It took me a while to get past Paul Young and once I had done that the group in front of me had pulled a slight gap. I set off after this group and with around ten laps to go I had caught them. I got past Aaron Walker when he made a mistake at the first chicane and next in my sights was my team mate Westy, this is when I realised that my rear tyre wasn’t quite as good as Westy’s and I couldn’t get the power down out of the corner to get close enough to him to make a pass on him.  Martin Jessopp then came past with two laps to go and I ended up finishing the race in 13th position. I was pleased with this as it has been the hardest weekend I have ever had. 

“Ollie mate our weekends out having fun will never quite be the same but we will try and have fun and I am sure you will be up there watching us, making sure we are doing it right.  I will miss you dear bruv. R.I.P #46″
 
Dan #20