It was tight - it was very tight, in fact it was less than two hundredth of a second, but a win is a win and the entire Embassy Racing Moto team is delighted to have picked up maximum points at what was, shall we say, an interesting round 5 of the BSB Superstock Championship at Snetterton this weekend (20th May).
It all began straightforward enough. The bikes were ready, the team was happy, the rider was focused, and even the weather was acceptable. Friday’s free practice began and Glen was up at the sharp end, swapping fastest lap times with Steve Brogan and Kieran Murphy. Nothing out of the ordinary for 15 minutes until Glen failed to appear. It was clear that he’d had some kind of problem but there was no information on the timing screens so it was a case of wait and see.
After just a few minutes and more than a little concern, the slimline Australian wandered casually into the pits explaining that he’d had a 150mph get off at the end of the back straight. He was OK, his leathers were a bit second hand, the bike was battered - and he’d still posted the quickest time of the session!
A false neutral going down the gears had created a "straight on" moment and although under normal circumstances Glen could have safely run onto the grass, there was a bike cruising off the racing line directly in his path. A split second decision had to be made, T-bone or get off. Glen did the only thing he could, jumped off the bike, avoided the other rider and went for a bruising slide. Although thankfully he was still in near perfect shape to continue with the weekend, his favourite race bike was not.
Introduce the spare Embassy Racing Yamaha R1. One rider, two bikes - a crucial part of the Moto equation if you want to challenge for a two wheel Championship. Fortunately we had time to change the settings on the second bike, make some other adjustments, and aside from a small deficit in power, Glen had a perfect replica to qualify.
If the incident had dented his confidence, if the second bike wasn’t quite as good as the first, it didn’t show. In the combined qualifying sessions, Glen put the R1 on the grid in 3rd behind lee Jackson and main Championship rival, Hudson Kennaugh.
Sunday lunchtime was clear, bright and still. The threat of rain had disappeared - it was going to be a race. Glen was totally focused, confident yet relaxed - the perfect state for a motorcycle racer and it showed. As the lights went out, Glen rocketed clear of both riders in front to lead into turn 1. Within moments, Kennaugh had recovered and used his bikes power advantage to pass back and take the lead.
Getting a good tow from the race leader, Glen stayed on Kennaugh’s back tyre and on the second lap posted the weekends first, fastest and new lap record of 1:07.499.
Consistently lapping faster, Hudson and Kennaugh opened up a second or two over the rest of the field - it was going to be another monumental battle between the series’ best two riders.
With Kennaugh leading, Glen never quite got within striking distance, but his constant presence eventually paid off. Coming into the Russell chicane at the end of lap 13, Kennaugh had a moment, backed off and looked behind him. In that moment everyone watching knew that this was Glen’s chance - he didn’t miss it - powering onto the start finish straight to begin lap 14 in the lead.
Using incredible skill, bravery and sheer determination, Glen kept the faster bike behind him to take the chequered flag less than a bike length in front of Kennaugh.
What a race.
The result gives the Embassy Team a 34 point lead over second place Kennaugh as we have a short break before the double header round at Mondello Park on June 15th.
Don’t miss it - the Superstock Championship fight is well and truly on and looks like it will go all the way.
