Latest News
Click here for our News Archive
Oulton Park and a podium finish
22nd July 08
Practice Session
Friday 18th. The day started dry, but with very dark rain clouds soon followed by the rain for the first untimed session. This session saw Lee in 1st position for most of the time and Conor in 5th place. When the timed session took place conditions were dry but with threatening rain clouds. Lee was straight on the pace in 2nd position behind Brogan; Conor was lying in 15th when we had a technical problem with his no.1 bike which necessitated swapping to his no 2 bike. At the end of the first qualifying session Lee ended in P2 and Conor P14.
Saturday 19th. The track was still damp for second qualifying on Saturday but unfortunately the heavy rain arrived so the times from the first qualifying would count as the grid positions for the races. However Conor topped the timing sheets in the wet with Lee in 6th. This gave teamVanFit Yamaha 4th front row start of the season.
Race 1 Saturday 19thLee at last made a good start and at the end of the first lap was lying in 3rd place with Conor in 12th place. Towards the end of the race Lee came under threat from Marshall Neil and Alastair Seeley who both briefly got past only to crack under the pressure and take each other out leaving Lee to score his first podium of the season. Meanwhile Conor had battled throughout the race finishing a creditable 9th.
Race 2 Sunday 20thLee again made a superb start from the front row and was 3rd at the end of the first lap. Conor also made an excellent start moving through to 9th place. As Kirkham and Brogan pulled clear Lee was left in a 6 way battle for the remaining podium position. Eventually losing out by 0.09seconds at the finish to finish 4th but gaining over 75% of the TV coverage which was excellent for the teams sponsors. Conor was also involved in ferocious 3way battle and finished in a creditable 11th place.
All in all a fantastic weekend for team Vanfit Yamaha as we look forward to our trip North of the Border to Knockhill for round 8
2008 Isle of Man TT
4th June 08
Team VanFit Yamaha rider Conor Cummins scored a superb 5th place in the Superstock race on Monday morning at the world famous TT races.Having had the disappointment of retiring from Saturdays opening TT Superbike race, whilst holding a superb 4th place, Conor rode a faultless trouble free ride to equal his best ever finishing position.
Monday afternoon saw Conor on the Supersort 600 VanFit Yamaha in the first of two Supersport races, unfortunately he retired on lap 3 whilst holding 7th place with electrical problems.
In only Conors third year at the TT he is proving to everyone that it is only a matter of time before he will be standing on the winners podium.
More news later and pictures.
Team VanFit Yamaha had their best weekend ever at BSB.
13th May 08
Oulton - May 2008
After qualifying Conor was in P3 on the front row and led the race for the first lap until he had a moment coming into the hairpin allowing Brogan and Kirkham to slip past him. This seemed to unsettle Conor as he dropped back to 7th however he battled back to take a superb 3rd place and a podium finish.
Lee unfortunately got caught up in a battle of 5 other riders and just couldn't get into any kind of rhythm eventually finishing 9th .
In the Superstock 600 Davy was robbed of a very good qualifying position as they cut short the final session just as he was stringing together a run of very fast laps. He ended up in 10th place.
The Superstock 600 race is always an eventful one but Davy stayed out of trouble to finish a fine 6th and more valuable points.
The season finally starts
1st May 08
At last the season has started...
Thruxton - April 2008
As we arrived at Thruxton everyone's nerves were that little bit more on edge than usual following the aborted Brands Hatch 1st round.
The first hurdle was actually getting the awning up in near gale force winds which were sweeping across the circuit. The weather forecast for the whole weekend was not looking good so we were pleasantly surprised that Friday although overcast and windy, it wasn't actually raining.
Free practice for the Superstock 100 was uneventful with both Conor and Lee on the pace.
First qualifying being in the dry was probably going to be the one that counted as rain was forecast for Saturdays second qualifying. On went the new tyres and away the boys went. At the end of the session Lee Jackson qualified on 4th position giving NCT their first ever front row start with Conor on 3rd row in 11th position.
Davy only had free practice on Friday and with 55 entered into the race with only 40 grid places, it was going to be tough.
Davy was right up at the sharp end finishing inside the top 10. Davy's first qualifying session on Saturday morning saw rain pouring down but that didn't stop Davy chiselling away and ending up in a superb 5th place on the second row of the grid.
Lee & Conor's second session was also damp and the times for qualifying stood as those in the first session.
Davy's second qualifying did dry up and Davy was one of the few who was at the top of the times in both sessions finishing again 5th fastest.
Superstock 100 Race
Conor got a superb start from the 3rd row of the grid and by mid race was on the back of a dice for 7th place but lapping as fast as the leaders. As the race went on Conor managed to overpower Alastair Seeley to take a superb 6th place in his first BSB Superstock race, Lee on the other hand made a poor start from the front row and got caught up in a frustrating battle finishing 12th and a very frustrated rider.
Superstock 600 Race
Davy's race was the last of the day and was effectively cut short because of timing issues for the circuit. He was in a tight bunch of 4 riders throughout the race and rode superbly to claim 5th place, scoring good points at was has been effectively the first round of what promises to be a hard fought championship.
The team came away from Thruxton relieved to have raced and extremely pleased with both Conor and Davy who both now have points on the board.
Testing at Snetterton - March 08
31st March 08
Snetterton - March 2008
After all the planning, bike building etc the VanFit Yamaha team finally got to the official BSB test at Snetterton last weekend.
As we arrived at Snetterton the skies were heavy with snow and the wind was blowing a gale so we were extremely grateful that the organizers had reserved us a garage alongside the Superbike teams.The garage looked superb with all six of the bikes entered in to the 1000 & 600 Superstock championships lined up in their new livery.
Saturday saw a wet and cold day but Davy was straight out on his new R6, to cheers and clapping from the hardy fans of BSB. Lee & Conor sat out the first session until the track dried out but even so the track conditions were atrocious so the times were not great.
Sunday saw snow falling from first thing in the morning and it looked as though we would lose the whole of the day but the sun came out after lunch and both Conor and Davy did three sessions with Davy finishing off running in his no.1 bike
When we woke on Monday morning there was ice and snow everywhere which meant we didn’t get out on track until midday. All three riders went out in each of the sessions available and posted very good times, in fact Davy posted the second fastest time in the Superbike session on his Superstock 600!! Hopefully this bodes well for the forthcoming season.
All in all the weekend was very useful in getting the team and equipment in working readiness for the 1st round at Brands Hatch in just over a weeks time.
Neil Haslam, Team Owner said "The weekend has truly brought the team and the new riders together and despite the weather the whole team is ready for 1st round at Brands Hatch in a few days."
NCT Racing welcomes new team sponsor
13th March 08
PokerStars
NCT Racing are extremely pleased to announce PokerStars as a new
team sponsor. The deal will see the Isle of Man based co's logo's on
the Superstock R1 of Conor Cummins in the BSB Superstock championship
and on both Manxman's Conor Cummins and Chris Palmers bikes in the
international road races, North West 200 and TT.
Neil Haslam said "It is fantastic for the team to receive the support of a prestigious Isle of Man company such as PokerStars"
A Poker Stars spokesperson said "We, (Poker Stars) as an Isle of Man company are very pleased to be able to support local (Manx) riders and be able to help them further their racing careers"
NCT Racing beats Manx2 Plane in head to head
6th March 08
The New Manx2 Air Passenger Route
Monday saw the NCT/VanFit Yamaha bike featured at the launch of the new Manx2 air passenger route between the Isle of Man and East Midlands airport with top Manx rider Richard ‘Milky’ Quail on board racing against a Manx2 plane. (Different runways and the VanFit Yamaha winning - of course...)
Team News
Monday also saw the team out testing at a very cold Cadwell Park . The track stayed damp throughout the morning session so the boys were very cautious especially Davy who was having his first ride on the brand new Yamaha Superstock 600.
Lunchtime saw a quick snow shower but the track dried out in the hot sun and all three of the riders went out for the afternoon session on new rubber. Lee got down to1.32.9 after only a couple of laps which is bang on the pace from last years Superstock times, even more impressive though was Conors time as he was only 0.4sec of Lee's best.
Davy was fantastic all day doing exactly what was asked of him whilst running in one of his 600 R6 Yamahas. Towards the end of the day Davy had the whole circuit to himself and made good use of this time to make adjustments to the excellent Maxton suspension with Richards help. For a young rider Davy is showing a great deal of maturity and everyone in the team thinks he has what it takes to get to the top of the sport.
NCT Racing - Full steam ahead
26th February 08
It is full steam ahead at the moment for the team with 8
bikes to prepare for the 2008 season. The new R6's arrived in their
crates from Yamaha's premier dealership Sheffield Motorcycle Centre on
Thursday to complete a hectic week.
The week started with Neil, Cynthia and Conor attending the official press launch for TT2008 on the Isle of Man. The team took over one of Conors Superstock bikes for the launch, the bike being used for the assembled press photographers and also for display at the Villa Marina for the public launch in the evening. NCT were made to feel extremely welcome by Paul Phillips and the team were afforded top team status throughout the evening.
After travelling back on Tuesday NCT were straight off to Mallory Park on Wednesday to continue with their comprehensive test programme. Conor completed 53 laps using both of his Superstock bikes in cold but dry, sunny conditions coming away with some very respectable times.
NCT's testing programme continued on Saturday with Conor Lee & Davy all out on Yamaha R1's.
The weather was freezing all day but Lee got within 1 second of his
pole time of 2007!! Conor and Davy were staying close and both were
within 1 second of Lee's time.
Both have come away from the session having received a major confidence boost.
Team manager, Neil Haslam said, following the highly succesful TT 2008 launch weekend, "Following on from our amazing success in the 2007 season, adding Conor to the team has elevated us even further and is driving us forward to still greater things this year"
NCT Sign Lee Jackson
20th January 08
NCT
Racing are extremely pleased to sign ex British Superstock champion Lee Jackson
to partner Conor Cummins in the BSB Superstock 1000 championship for 2008.
Team owner Neil Haslam said ‘We have been trying to sign Lee since the Croft round in August 2007 so I am extremely pleased to have secured his services’
Lee brings a vast amount of experience to the team and will work as a mentor to our young riders, Conor Cummins and Davy Haire.
Solway Slate and Tile
3rd December 07
NCT Racing and Solway Slate & Tile Racing are to work together during the 2008 International Road Race Season creating a superb all Manx team of Conor Cummins and Chris Palmer. The deal also sees Solway Slate & Tile become involved with NCT racing for the 2008 BSB Season where Conor Cummins will ride in Superstock 1000 series and David Haire in the Superstock 600 series.
Both Neil and Cynthia are extremely pleased to be working with Joe Grant of Solway Slate & Tile.
New Team Partner for NCT Racing
3rd December 07
NCT Racing are please to announce a new team partner for 2008 onwards, Sheffield Motorcycle Centre, a Premier Yamaha Dealership
At the recent NEC Motorcycle Exhibition trade/press day Conor Cummins, NCT Racings No1 rider was introduced to the worlds press alongside Yamaha Superbike rider Troy Corser and Rob McElnea, the boss of Virgin Yamaha.
NCT Racings’ 2008 plans are to continue with the success of their 2007 season by competing in the BSB Superstock 600 races with current young Irish rider; David Haire, the BSB Superstock 1000 with No1 rider Conor Cummins and also for Conor to compete in the four main International Races: North West 200 the famous Isle of Man TT, the Southern 100 and Ulster Grand Prix
Conor Cummins Joins NCT
8th November 07
NCT Racing is pleased to announce that they have been successful in signing young Manxman, 21 year old Conor Cummins for the 2008 season.
Conor will be making a full time return to the British Superbike Championships in 2008 in the Superstock class, onboard the NCT Racing Yamaha R1’s.
Carrying on from his amazing success on the roads in 07, Conor will also be competing at the NORTHWEST 200, The Isle of Man TT, The SOUTHERN 100 & The ULSTER GP, on brand new NCT Racing Yamaha Superbike & Supersport machines, in addition to the NCT BSB Superstock bike.
Team principal Neil Haslam said “The team are very excited at the prospect of working with Conor. We had a test at Donington Park a few weeks ago, for Conor to meet the team and to work with Richard from Maxton suspension on set up. It was obvious from the start of the day that everything was gelling immediately.
Although it was rather cold on the day with scattered rainshowers and a stiff breeze, Conor performed admirably. He clocked really good lap times taking everything into consideration. We came away from Donington, feeling that the testing was very successful, for all concerned “. With Conor now onboard with NCT, joining our Superstock 600 signing DAVID HAIRE, we feel that NCT will be in a very strong position to challenge for top honours in 2008 both on the roads and on the short circuits.
NCT Signs Davy Haire
5th November 07
NCTRacing are pleased to announce their first signing for 2008.
Emerging young talent Davy Haire from Lisburn, NI, has signed to ride for the team competing in the new Superstock 600 championship.
Davy had an amazing year competing in the Virgin Mobile Cup in 2007 finishing a good 7th overall.
Davy is pictured shaking hands with Neil and Cynthia Haslam, Team directors, after the final round at Brands Hatch on the 15th October 2007.