MOTORBIKE racer Luke Hedger finished an unusual and shortened Bennetts British Superbike season in high spirits after a string of positive rides.
Having dominated the No Limits Endurance Championship in 2019 and getting on the podium at Oulton Park at BSB both Hedger, from Hereford, and team owner Chris Cunnington were keen to see what could be salvaged from a very bleak year in 2020.
With a massive crash in pre-season testing the Kawasaki had to be completely rebuilt and fast, so the crew chief put everyone on the job to get the bike back to top form, however there were some teething problems along the way.
How the season went:
Round 1- Donnington Park National Circuit- It was a tough start for Hedger as he started to progress but then pushed too hard in the Friday session coming off.
He made up for it in the first race after qualifying mid-pack in 15th he progressively moved up to eighth place. Hedger was still disappointed in this as he knew that he had more to get from the bike.
The second race was extremely disjointed and finally scrambled over the line in 11th place.
Round 2 – Snetterton
With only one race at Snetterton it was all to play for. Hedger had demons at the course after a high speed crash and the bike spitting him off at testing back in 2019.
He got off to a great start moving just outside the top ten by the end of the first lap then it all went wrong in a dramatic collision with another rider completely taking him out.
A did not finish result compiled a disappointing weekend for the entire team.
Round 3- Silverstone National
CPD Kawasaki had hoped to arrive at Silverstone with some good luck but they found themselves hindered all weekend with various technical issues.
Hedger started race one in 19th place on the grid but he was still only 1.1 seconds off the pole sitter.
The Hereford rider had a great start and gained places at every opportunity landing himself just outside the top ten in 12th place.
Race two saw the bikes momentum plummet towards the end of the race and the power was down forcing Hedger to remove himself from the race, retiring on lap 21 or 24.
Round 4- Oulton Park
Oulton Park is one of Luke Hedgers favourite tracks which he proved in 2019 by getting a podium finish at the circuit.
This was to be their most successful weekend, one which the entire team thoroughly enjoyed, the bike was running seamlessly and Hedger was in peak physical form.
He gained his best grid position all season and took full advantage moving into sixth place where he remained for the entirety of the race.
Race two got underway and he kept his grid position and was consistent throughout the race despite the first temperature drop of the season.
Hedger gained another sixth place finish and went into the penultimate round knowing they could remain on par with the front runners.
Round 5 – Donington Park GP- The penultimate round came around quickly and so did the bad weather.
Saturday was brought to an abrupt halt with the organisers calling it for the day, but nothing was going to deter Hedger as he loved the wet weather.
Both races were rescheduled for Sunday.
The first race Hedger and the CPD team were slightly caught out with a marginally incorrect set up just due to the changing weather conditions.
However, Hedger overcame any problems missing out on a top-10 finish by a whisker and finishing 11th.
In the second race Hedger found his sweet spot going from 11th on the grid to finish seventh after working his way through the field.
Round 6 – Brands Hatch- The final round was at the infamous Brands Hatch, where Hedger had just one final race of the 2020 season.
Hedger got off to a flying start and continued to be consistent throughout the weekend.
He qualified and finished in eighth position to finish the season on a high.
