IDWe Racing gained a better understanding of the Kalex Moto2 machine at Round 2 of the BSB British GP2 Championship at Oulton Park. The Cheshire Circuit offers a unique challenge to riders and technicians alike with many elevation changes around the 2.69-mile track. Set up is vital for a fast pace and with no settings for the Kalex going into the race weekend, the team had a steep learning curve over the weekend to get Sam Wilford up to pace.
Qualifying was a struggle to find feeling needed to push for a time that would see Sam start from the front 3 rows of the grid and so it was going to be a hard Sprint Race when Sam finished 15th in qualifying.
Race 1 – 12 Laps
Lining up on the grid in dry conditions IDWe Racing’s Sam Wilford made a good start and made up a couple of places in the opening laps, but the charge was not enough to bridge the gap to the front group and Sam ended up battling with a group of riders and ended the race in 12th place on the road and 4th in the GP2 Class.
Race 2 – 16laps
With the data gathered from Race 1, Sam and crew chief Andy Jamison made some set-up changes for Race 2 which saw a delayed start and ended under a red flag after ten laps. Sam once again made up places in the opening 
laps and was closing in on the riders ahead of him before the red flag stopped the race early. Sam came across the line in 8th place on the road, earning a valuable 3rd place on the podium in the GP2 Championship.
All in all a tough weekend for the IDWe team but coming away with a podium and important points for the championship are strong indicators of just how hard the entire team has worked over the weekend.
Sam Wilford #35
“Quite a difficult weekend for us this weekend, struggling to find a good pace throughout the weekend. We managed to take steps forward in every session, so I’m pleased with the progress, but we have more to do.
We move onto Donington next in 3 weeks which has been a great circuit for me! I cannot thank the team enough and everyone involved in supporting me.
I’m looking forward to Donington and can’t wait to continue working there!
Andy Jamison – Crew Chief
“I think Round 2 of the British GP2 Championship at Oulton Park has been much more of a success than the results might suggest. Technically, the nature of the circuit (unlike anything the Kalex Moto2 was designed to run on) forced me to understand a lot more about the bike and what it needed to work well. It has also exposed areas in which we need significant improvement, and it has solidified the ‘Team’. We are working well as a unit and have a very clear way forward. The podium in the final race was great, but we are under no illusion that the pace was well short of our own expectation. Bring on Donington Park!!”
The team now look forward to the third round of the Bennetts British Superbike GP2 Championship, at Donington Park’s National Circuit on Spring Bank Holiday weekend 24-26 May.
OULTON PARK CIRCUIT STATISTICS
Length: 2.69 miles (4.33km)
Corners: 17
Lefthand: 6
Righthand: 11
Pole Position: Left
Supersport Lap Record: 1:37.483
