Seton Tuning Racing success in European 6 Hour Endurance Motorcycle Race
Seton Tuning Racing is celebrating an impressive 6th place in their first ever European Endurance race in the NG Sport 6 hour Moto at Spa Francorchamps, Belgium on Sunday 14th August 2016.
The two rider team of Phil Seton, Team Owner and Bob Collins only came together at the eleventh hour after two of the original three riders had to withdraw due to work commitments and injury. Seton managed to draft in experienced national racer Bob Collins who managed to secure the correct race licence and paperwork to be eligible to race.
Bob arrived with his road-going Kawasaki ZX-10R, which had to be converted overnight to a race bike. Colchester based MSS Kawasaki helped with the supply of parts and advice, allowing the team to make the transition in time for the practice sessions.
Phil Seton set the fastest qualifying time of the pairing on his Seton tuned Yamaha R1, giving the duo a 15th place start position for race day.
The race provided lots of drama. A slow start from the flag pushed Phil Seton down to 28th and a start-line incident saw the field ride behind the safety car for the opening half hour of the six-hour event.
With the race back on both Bob and Phil consistently picked off riders ahead of them, elevating the team towards the top ten positions by mid-race distance.
Team pit stops were especially challenging. With just one mechanic and the help of Phil’s girlfriend, the two riders became both racer and mechanic for the day, limiting their own rest and recovery time between riding sessions. With only one set of wheels with him, Bob Collins had the added pressure of warming up cold tyres on his initial laps with fresh rubber.
In the closing few laps of the race, Bob Collins edged through to claim the duo sixth in class and sixth overall at the chequered flag. A fantastic achievement for the team’s first European race against a packed field of 62 teams.
Phil Seton, Team Owner: “This weekend has been a very intense experience. It all came together so quickly and we’ve had to work with a skeleton team and resources. The track is unbelievably fast, I had never ridden it before and couldn’t believe just how fast it was. This is a fantastic achievement for the team, everything considered. We’d like this to pave the way for more European Endurance racing. We definitely need to run three riders and more pit crew, so we will be actively seeking sponsors to allow this to happen. A huge thank you to Bob for stepping in at the last minute, and to Dominic Huggett and Kerry Murphy for their hard work in the pits. We feel positive that we can achieve podium places in the future.”
Bob Collins “ Spa Francorchamps is a magical place when the sun is out and the conditions are right. I’ve raced all over the world but this is my favourite place to ride. Thanks to Phil for the last minute call, it’s been a hectic few days but well worth it. We are really pleased with our results.”
ENDS
Attached Pictures: Phil Seton (Red Bike) in action, Bob Collins (black bike) in action this weekend.
Phil Seton is the owner of Seton Tuning Ltd based in Fingringhoe, Colchester, Essex. Seton Tuning Limited are specialists in 4 stroke motorcycle tuning and race bike preparation.
Bob Collins (29) is from Beckenham in Kent and has raced motorcycles for the past 13 years at club, national and international level.
