barrygrussell
Senior Member
View attachment 11316Many people know about Luke's wrist-shattering highside at Thailand Circuit last Sunday, but many of us missed the fact that one week earlier he clinched the MMRRC title at Bira. The All Thailand Championship combines the MMRRC and R2M series that are run at Bira and Thailand Circuit respectively.
It has been an up-and-down season for the main contenders, with DNFs and international commitments spoiling title favourite 'Stamp' Apiwat Wongthananon's challenge and a shoulder injury taking out Colin Butler for the second half of the season. Until Luke's injury he and 'TheBell' Aekkachai Chiengwong had fared better, with Luke leading the All Thailand championship as they went into R2M Round 4. His injury - five breaks to his right wrist - is expected to keep him out of the saddle for three months and hands the R2M and combined title to either Stamp or TheBell.
It's worth reminding ourselves that, along with Colin Butler, Luke made his road racing debut just 18 months ago in the R2M SuperNaked series. The pair dominated that series, with Luke winning the championship, and moved into Superbikes, literally fast-tracking through the novice and rookie classes to hit the SB-1 pro-class by the end of the season. This season they both ran in Panadda Racing livery and were on the pace from the first race, pushing themselves close to and occasionally beyond their limits as they constantly strived to improve bike set-up and their own skills.
View attachment 11317The new champion’s laid-back style, sense of fair play, courage and ruthlessness on track hark back to the era of the gentleman racer and makes him a popular figure in the Thai paddock. The last two rounds of the championship, which were both held over the last weekend in October, saw all these qualities in play. In between practice sessions and races Luke could be seen chatting with fellow racers and friends or dozing in front of a giant fan. A problem with restoring his suspension settings for Bira in meant that his ride behaved more like a wild bull than a Fireblade during Saturday’s fourth round race but, despite several out-of-the-seat moments, Luke held on to his bike and wrestled it into second place. The following day saw Luke and his Honda looking more settled and, as Stamp scampered away at the front, Luke engaged first in a pitched battle with TheBell who was clearly holding him up and then, as his fork oil began to heat up, he was forced to fight a worsening chatter problem which enabled Panadda teammate Ben Fortt to get uncomfortably close. He held onto second place by a tenth of a second to take the MMRRC title and an 11 point lead in the All Thailand championship.
Neither Luke nor Colin have confirmed their plans for 2013 but both have established themselves as formidable superbike racers. They are sure not only to perform well wherever they go, but also to add value to their teams through their professionalism and sportsmanship.
It has been an up-and-down season for the main contenders, with DNFs and international commitments spoiling title favourite 'Stamp' Apiwat Wongthananon's challenge and a shoulder injury taking out Colin Butler for the second half of the season. Until Luke's injury he and 'TheBell' Aekkachai Chiengwong had fared better, with Luke leading the All Thailand championship as they went into R2M Round 4. His injury - five breaks to his right wrist - is expected to keep him out of the saddle for three months and hands the R2M and combined title to either Stamp or TheBell.
It's worth reminding ourselves that, along with Colin Butler, Luke made his road racing debut just 18 months ago in the R2M SuperNaked series. The pair dominated that series, with Luke winning the championship, and moved into Superbikes, literally fast-tracking through the novice and rookie classes to hit the SB-1 pro-class by the end of the season. This season they both ran in Panadda Racing livery and were on the pace from the first race, pushing themselves close to and occasionally beyond their limits as they constantly strived to improve bike set-up and their own skills.
View attachment 11317The new champion’s laid-back style, sense of fair play, courage and ruthlessness on track hark back to the era of the gentleman racer and makes him a popular figure in the Thai paddock. The last two rounds of the championship, which were both held over the last weekend in October, saw all these qualities in play. In between practice sessions and races Luke could be seen chatting with fellow racers and friends or dozing in front of a giant fan. A problem with restoring his suspension settings for Bira in meant that his ride behaved more like a wild bull than a Fireblade during Saturday’s fourth round race but, despite several out-of-the-seat moments, Luke held on to his bike and wrestled it into second place. The following day saw Luke and his Honda looking more settled and, as Stamp scampered away at the front, Luke engaged first in a pitched battle with TheBell who was clearly holding him up and then, as his fork oil began to heat up, he was forced to fight a worsening chatter problem which enabled Panadda teammate Ben Fortt to get uncomfortably close. He held onto second place by a tenth of a second to take the MMRRC title and an 11 point lead in the All Thailand championship.
Neither Luke nor Colin have confirmed their plans for 2013 but both have established themselves as formidable superbike racers. They are sure not only to perform well wherever they go, but also to add value to their teams through their professionalism and sportsmanship.
