Saturday night saw a dramatic start to the second season of DTRA National Hooligan racing and it was a tense night for Sideburn rider, Grant Martin. The format of the UK series sees each rider compete in three heat races with the results of their combined finishes determining their grid position in the final.
In only his second ever Hooligan race meeting, and under the floodlights of the Adrian Flux Arena, King’s Lynn, the 30-year- old squeezed everything out of his stock engine Maidstone Harley-Davidson Street Rod to finish first, first and second. That put him in second position on the grid of the 12-rider main.
Grant got the holeshot in the final and held the inside line, putting together a clean race.
Fresh off the podium Grant said 'I knew that Lee Kirkpatrick [#152, slid out on the last lap] was riding really well and putting the pressure on me, so I knew I needed to just hold that inside line, I knew he couldn’t go the long way round.
'It feels great to have got the win, it’s a lot of weight off my shoulders, I was struggling in practice but I feel really positive about the rest of the season and the bike.
RESULTS
1. Grant Martin (Harley-Davidson)
2. Leah Tokelove (Indian)
3. Jonathan Falkman (Indian)
The next round of the championship is at Hells Race, Lelystad, Netherlands on 6 May
GRANT’S HARLEY-DAVIDSON STREET ROD Based a 2016 Street Rod, the Maidstone H-D hooligan has been fitted with a side-mounted fuel tank and alloy seat unit, made by T&S Engineering. The suspension has been altered for racing with longer Öhlins adjustable rear shocks and Öhlins fork internals in the stock Street Rod USD forks. 19in wheel rims have been laced to the stock Harley hubs. The liquid cooled, 750 V-twin engine has been left stock, with just the addition of an S&S Teardrop air cleaner and T&S stainless exhaust.
MORE ABOUT DTRA HOOLIGANS Run the Dirt Track Riders Association and sponsored by Indian Motorcycles, the level of competition in the championship has increased massively since the final round of 2017. The championship is for post-1980 road bikes with standard, unmodified main frames fitted with engines from the same make and model. Front brakes are removed.
Photos: Tom Bing. Podium shot: Caylee Hankins
