Lambretta Racing: SIP Scootershop and Mike Bonett
A win on the comeback with his Lambretta
For three years it was quiet around one of the most famous British Lambretta racers: Mike Bonett. But on September 25, he celebrated his comeback at the popular Cadwell Park race track in Lincolnshire, England. With fresh SIP parts on his JB Tuning Lambretta, he celebrated a win in the Super Scooter class in the first of three British Scooter Sport Organisation (BSSO) rounds for his debut. He relegated Darren Conneely (Lambretta 205) and Ioannis "John" Chitoglou (Vespa Hornet PK 184) to the places.
In qualifying on the 3.6 km, 18-turn circuit, Mike finished an excellent second behind Darren. "With this placement I had a really good start, which I was very happy about, because after all I haven't raced for three years," Mike tells. And the race itself and his Lambretta also went perfectly: "I had a lot of fun with Darren and just managed to get across the line in front of him and take my first win in three years. I didn't expect to win this weekend or be as competitive as I was, especially after practice. I just had problems with the setup and felt rusty going into the race."
Things didn't go quite as smoothly in the second race, which Mike had to end after three of five laps. The material was acting up: "In this race I managed to set the fastest lap and everything was going well until the carburetor came loose on the penultimate lap. After working hard to chase Darren and catch him up after a bad start. I was very disappointed when the carb came off the rubber, which knocked me out of the race and ended my second run. That really sucked."
After Mike got his Lambretta back up and running, he took to the grid for the third time, but this time the problems were even more severe. Although he made a perfect start and led the field for a lap and a half, after the "Gooseneck" Darren and John chased past him in the Mansfield turn. Coming out of the 90 degree left turn, a bad feeling crept over him as the rear end handling was sub-optimal. Two corners later it was all over for his Lambretta: "Before The Mountain I tilted to the left and felt the rear end wobble. I almost crashed, but somehow managed to stay on the scooter. However, a quick look behind quickly made me realize that I had a puncture. Unfortunately, another DNF ("Did Not Finish" - ed.). I've never had a puncture before, so I guess it was bound to happen at some point."
The adversity with his Lambretta can't dampen his spirits, though: "It was still a good weekend. For me, it was nice to still be up front and win. It was great to be back on the track. I loved it as always!"
We at SIP Scootershop are also very happy that Mike is back on the track and that we could support him in his comeback. Mike also seems happy with the collaboration, "Thanks again to Jesco and the SIP Scootershop Team for helping me with the parts. I am very impressed with the SIP Performance (Vape) ignition, it was flawless over the weekend."
We look forward to many races and victories together with Mike Bonett.
The next races of the BSSO will take place on October 23 and 24 at the Race Track of Lydden Hill. We are curious to see if Mike can repeat his success from the first race.
