Motorsport: Hurricane Howie blows through the pack to take top 10 finish

Jun 20 2008 by Richard Fletcher, Chester Chronicle

BIKING talent Howie Mainwaring has shown that his recent crash which denied him a podium finish has only made him even more eager to succeed after registering two top 10 finishes.

The Frodsham speed merchant has been beset with mechanical and money problems during this National Superstock Championship season, culminating in a fall at Brands Hatch when his brakes seized up while chasing a podium place.

Brakes have continued to be a problem, but despite the setbacks Howie has shown glimpses of his ability with two top 10 finishes in a row.

At Donington Park on May 26 he came in ninth, followed by an eighth place on Sunday at Snetterton.

The Snetterton finish even came despite starting in 18th position on the grid – caused by further brake failure – and it is a frustrating sign of what Hurricane Howie could achieve without all the problems.

Mainwaring said: “For the season I’m aiming for top five at each round to gain points. There’s no way I’m going to win it or come second, but fifth would be good.

“We’ve had a brake problem and been struggling with that. It came back with a vengeance at Snetterton. Then we got brake pads from the factory and they worked really well despite being fitted just 10 minutes before racing.

“It’s a shame really because every year seems to be last minute. It’s not good enough at the British Championship. It’s hard to cope and keep up but it’s getting better.”

His determination to succeed was shown after his Brands Hatch crash, when he actually tried to get back on his Suzuki GSXR 1000 and finish the race. Next comes Oulton Park on July 18-20 when Mainwaring is hoping to push a few places higher and get on to the podium.

First he must find a way of competing with some of his competitors’ factory bikes, run by their teams, and he added: “Now we need to see what Suzuki have got planned for next year. At the moment it’s cost price but we’re still running it ourselves. At Snetterton we struggled to sort tyres and the finance issues are ongoing.”