As the R&G British Talent Cup heads for Snetterton, it’s Evan Belford (City Lifting/RS Racing) firmly in the driving seat with a 32-point advantage after two classic showdowns at Knockhill. However, there’s much more to the story as Amanuel Brinton (Kovara Projects/RS Racing), first time winner in Scotland and key protagonist of those duels, is now second overall after returning to the BTC with a bang. Will Snetterton see them share the spoils again?
Belford has the most wins – two, equal to Harrison Dessoy (Microlise Cresswell Racing/Eastern Garage Racing) – but the points leader has paired it with the kind of consistency Dessoy is still searching for. Not off the podium since the very first race of the season, Belford is very much a threat at the front on track in each race – but he’s also perfectly balancing risk vs reward.
Brinton, meanwhile, has a 100% podium record, and he’s the only rider in the field who can say that. He’s actually not finished further back than second, but he’s trailing those 32 points as he also races in the European Talent Cup so he wasn’t there at Donington as Belford took 36 points in his absence. Can he keep that roll going and, win a first win under his belt, will we see another step forward at Snetterton?
Dessoy, meanwhile, wants to get back on the box after scoring zero points at Knockhill, seeing himself drop to fifth overall as Sullivan Mounsey (Wilson Racing / Maddison Media) and Harley McCabe (McCabe Racing) move up. McCabe thanks to a solid weekend in Scotland on the fringes of the podium, but Mounsey thanks to two more rostrum finishes. That’s what the number 4 will want to repeat as a minimum at Snetterton, having followed up his first win of the season at Donington with an expensive 0 in Race 2, denting his charge.
It’s a tight group looking to cut their gap to the top, with Mounsey 49 points off Belford, McCabe 51, Dessoy 54 and Julian Correa (Microlise Cresswell Racing) 56 in arrears – so everything could change again at Snetterton. Ryan Frost (Talentum Motorsport by Azure Notions) also remains one to watch, with a wildcard now having turned into a very successful season so far. He's just 63 points off the top, seventh overall and with three top five finishes to his name too. Will a first podium be on the cards soon?
Tune in for another classic weekend of R&G British Talent Cup action on the Road to MotoGP™, with Race 1 on Saturday at 14:50 (GMT+1) and Race 2 on Sunday at 11:10!