29th November 2012

New riders for 2013

Banks Racing are pleased to announce two new riders for the 2013 British Motostar Championship. Sixteen year old Adam Mclean from Tobermore in Northern Ireland finished third in the Irish 125/Moto3 Championship and was runner up in the Adelaide Masters Championship finishing up with seven podiums including four wins. Adam now wants to further his career by racing in the highly competitive British 125/Moto3 Motostar Championship, which has riders taking part from all over the world.

Twenty one year old Ed Rendell from Chelmsford joins Adam in the team. Former Thundersport champion Ed returns to the team where he stood in for the injured Brian Clark in 2010. On board the Banks Racing Honda RS125 Ed won the Cadwell Park round only to be demoted for a jump start. Ed also gained fourth place on his first visit to Croft and backed that up with a third place podium at Silverstone again on his first visit to the circuit.. Ed returns to racing after more than a year away and has been training hard to return to racing fitness after an accident in Spain while testing a 600.

Many thanks to the team sponsors for their help in making 2012 possible and we hope the regular newsletters have kept you well informed. The sponsors lists are currently being updated at the team website www.banksracing125.com . Please get in touch if you would like to join the list. We are now looking ahead to 2013 and would love to hear from any interested parties to join us in 2013 and any help at all would be very much appreciated.

We would like to have a testing and training year with a Moto3 bike which have been introduced to our class this year and are looking for team partners or sponsors to help make the switch over possible. Contact Pete Banks on 07762 428210 or email him at pete@banksracing125.com or donations of any size can be made via the PayPal button on the team website.

Written and distributed by Pete Banks

22nd October 2012

More podiums at Brands Hatch

Joe Francis finished the season off in the best way possible after qualifying in 3rd place for a front row start then finishing 3rd in the race after a great scrap with 2012 Champion, Luke Hedger, Jordon Weaving and Cath Green. They were closely followed by out going champion Kyle Ryde and Joe Irving. The 3rd place result moved Joe up to second place in the Monster Energy Motostar Cup Championship and 5th in the Monster Energy Motostar British Championship. In his first year on the Banks Racing GP 125 bike Joe scored seven podiums including a win in the cup class and 2nd in the British Championship race at Cadwell Park. There were also three front row starts resulting in 2nd and 5th places in the two championships, a great result for the team.

Joe is moving to another team for 2013 and we would like to say a big thank you to Joe for the results he has given the team and wish him the very best in 2013.

The Banks Racing team will run two similar bikes next year and would like to hear from any interested riders. Please contact us on the links below.

Many thanks to all of the team's sponsors as well as Joe's personal sponsors for their help in making 2012 possible. The sponsor's lists are currently being updated at the team website www.banksracing125.com . Please get in touch if you would like to join the list. We are now looking ahead to 2013 and would love to hear from any interested parties to join us next year with any help that would be very much appreciated. We would like to have a learning year with a Moto3 bike and are looking for sponsors to help make that happen. Contact Pete Banks on 07762 428210 or click here to email him alternatively donations of any size can be made via the PayPal button on the team website. Many thanks to Chris Pearce for the photos.

Written and distributed by Pete Banks

4th October 2012

Rounds 10 and 11 report Assen and Silverstone

The tenth round of the Monster Energy Motostar Championship was held at the historic Dutch TT circuit of Assen. The race was combined with the Dutch 125/Moto3 championships therefore it was a full grid with an even mix of Dutch and British competitors. Amongst the British competitors Joe qualified 7th just ahead of Cath Green. Joe was in trouble from the moment the flag dropped for the race with a slowing engine. The bike eventually stopping with a cracked cylinder head insert that allowed water into the engine.

With just one day at home in Northumberland a new engine was built from spare parts ready for Silverstone. Joe and the bike did very well in qualifying with Joe securing a front row start in 3rd place in front of Joe Irving, Cath Green and championship leader Luke Hedger. Joe was 2nd fastest in morning warm up and after an enjoyable pit lane walk about presentation made possible because we had a garage allocation at Silverstone we were ready to race.. The race never went to plan because Joe found himself stuck in a group racing for 5th place. A couple of the bikes in the group were an ex factory GP Aprilia and a fully A kitted latest Seel bike and with the circuit having not one but three longer than usual straights these bikes kept getting ahead of Joe only for him to pass them again in the corners. A frustrating race for Joe as he could not run his qualifying lap times due to the traffic leaving him to come home in 4th place in the cup class and 7th in the Monster Energy Motostar British Championship race. It had been a long and tiring twelve days and 1,600 miles of driving. A weekend's rest now and then round 12 at Brands Hatch. Thanks to Tim Keeton of Impact Images for the Assen photo.

Best wishes to one of the team sponsors who has not be very well in recent weeks and we hope to see you back at the track soon.

We would like to thank both Joe's own sponsors and the team's sponsors for their help in making 2012 possible. The sponsors lists are currently being updated at the team website www.banksracing125.com. Please get in touch if you would like to join the list. We are now looking ahead to 2013 and would love to hear from any interested parties to join us in 2013 and any help at all would be very much appreciated . Next round will be at Brands Hatch in Kent on October 12th, 13th and 14th where we would like to see you there but if you can't look out for the news on our website. Contact Pete Banks on 07762 428210 or email him at pete@banksracing125.com or donations of any size can be made via the PayPal button on the team website.

Written and distributed by Pete Banks

12th September 2012

Joe Francis misses out on podium after last lap crash

Fourteen year old Joe Francis from Chester riding the Banks Racing Honda RS125 GP bike continued his good form from the last round at Cadwell Park where he finished second in the British Champioship race and won the Motostar Cup race. In every session at Donington Joe was in the top seven and he posted the 4th best time in the morning warm up indicating we were in for an exciting race from Joe and his fellow competitors. At the end of the first lap Joe crossed the line in 6th place just behind current champion Kyle Ryde and championship leader Luke Hedger. Kyle retired on the second lap leaving Joe in a great battle with Luke Hedger. The pair swapped places several times keeping the crowd on their toes. On the last lap Joe led into the Foggy Esses and left his braking as late as possible to stop Luke getting up the inside when the front wheel locked and he was down, thankfully unhurt. Despite the crash this was another creditable weekend for Joe who continues to improve each weekend. Joe still holds 2nd place in the Monster Energy Motostar Cup Championship behind Luke Hedger and is 4th in the Monster Energy British Championship seven points behind Cath Green. The race highlights can be seen on Eurosport this Thursday the 13th at 10:00pm and may be repeated later in the week. Thanks to Chris Pearce for this weeks photo.

Many thanks to both the team sponsors and Joe's personal sponsors for their help in making 2012 possible. The sponsors lists are currently being updated at the team website www.banksracing125.com . Please get in touch if you would like to join the list. We are now looking ahead to 2013 and would love to hear from any interested parties to join us in 2013 and any help at all would be very much appreciated. Next round will be in Europe at the Dutch TT circuit of Assen on September 21st to 23rd followed the very next weekend at Silverstone. and we hope to see you there. Contact Pete Banks on 07762 428210 or email him at pete@banksracing125.com or donations of any size can be made via the PayPal button on the team website especially if you would like to help with the latest financial challenge of a 1000 mile round trip to Assen followed immediately by the 550 mile round trip to Silverstone.

Best wishes to one of the team sponsors who has not be very well in recent weeks and we hope to see you back at the track soon.

We would like to thank both Joe's own sponsors and the team's sponsors for their help in making 2012 possible. The sponsors lists are currently being updated at the team website www.banksracing125.com. Please get in touch if you would like to join the list. We are now looking ahead to 2013 and would love to hear from any interested parties to join us in 2013 and any help at all would be very much appreciated . Next round will be at Assen in Holland on September 21st, 22nd and 23rd where we would like to see you there but if you can't look out for the news on our website. Contact Pete Banks on 07762 428210 or email him at pete@banksracing125.com or donations of any size can be made via the PayPal button on the team website.

Written and distributed by Pete Banks

30th August 2012

Joe Francis wins at Cadwell Park

Joe Francis and Banks Racing could not have wished for a better weekend with Joe claiming second place in the first practice session, first place in the second practice session and second place in first qualifying securing a front row start. Second qualifying was wet and an electrical problem meant Joe only got in one flying lap but still recorded 9th place. All this was backed up again in Sunday morning warm‐up with another P1 position in the session and then Joe went on to finish second overall and win the Monster Energy Motostar Cup race. Joe battled the whole race with championship leader Luke Hedger and E3 Motorsport rider Joe Irving who were closely followed by Harry Hartley, Arnie Shelton, Callum Bey and Phil Wakefield. Cath Green won the race with Joe second and Joe Irving third with Joe Francis taking the win in the Motostar Cup race. A jubilant Joe and team owner Pete Banks were both on the podium to receive their trophies from former champion Roger Marshall.

Joe never made a mistake all weekend and now lies second in both championships and to make the weekend even better Alan Green, data technician for Banks Racing won the CJ Charity Cycle Race and we would like to thank everyone for their donations to this important charity.

We would like to thank both Joe's own sponsors and the team's sponsors for their help in making 2012 possible. The sponsors lists are currently being updated at the team website www.banksracing125.com. Please get in touch if you would like to join the list. We are now looking ahead to 2013 and would love to hear from any interested parties to join us in 2013 and any help at all would be very much appreciated . Next round will be at Donington Park on September 7th 8th and 9th and we hope to see you there. Contact Pete Banks on 07762 428210 or email him at pete@banksracing125.com or donations of any size can be made via the PayPal button on the team website.

Written and distributed by Pete Banks

15th August 2012

Cadwell Park Monster Energy British Motostar Championship Preview and Chris Jones Cycle Race

After a five week break round eight of the Monster Energy British Motostar Championship resumes at Cadwell Park over the August bank holiday weekend. Team rider Joe Francis has done a brilliant job to be lying in 2nd place in the Motostar Cup Championship and 4th in the British Championship only seven points behind reigning British Champion Kyle Ryde who along with second placed Brad Ray will miss the Cadwell round to race in the Red Bull Rookies Championship. Joe already knows the Cadwell track well and he will be trying 100% to move up further in the championship.

Cadwell Park will also host the Chris Jones cycle race, a charity event to raise funds to assist the medical team to be one of the best in the world. Once again former team rider, race winner and now data technician Alan Green will be taking part under the Banks Racing banner. Alan has previously been on the cycle race podium twice and we can’t wait to see what he has in store for us this year. Each year we do our best to sponsor Alan and anyone wishing to donate please come and see Alan or me at Cadwell or email the team. Small amounts are most welcome and if the team members and supporters all put a little bit in it will make a nice donation for the Chris Jones Fund.

We would like to thank both Joe's own sponsors and the team's sponsors for their help in making 2012 possible. The sponsors lists are currently being updated at the team website www.banksracing125.com. Please get in touch if you would like to join the list and be added to the new fairings that will be ready in the near future and any help at all would be very much appreciated. Next round will be at Cadwell Park on August 25th 26th and 27th and we hope to see you there. Contact Pete Banks on 07762 428210 or email him at pete@banksracing125.com or donations of any size can be made via the PayPal button on the team website.

24th July 2012

Joe Francis strengthens 2nd place in championship

Fourteen year old Joe Francis from Chester strengthened his second place in the Monster Energy Motostar Cup Championship at Brands Hatch last weekend. Joe now has a ten point advantage over third placed SP125 rider Bradley Ray. With no free practice sessions due to noise restrictions on the Brands GP circuit Joe had only two twenty five minute sessions to both learn the 2.4 mile circuit and set a decent qualifying position and he did just that by setting a time good enough to secure a place in the middle of the third row. On Sunday race day the air temperature unexpectedly rose to over 23 degrees and the hot sun set the track temperature much higher than that. With the race starting straight after the first Superbike race the hot temperatures had decreased the surface grip and most of the riders realised straight away conditions were not ideal. A point proven by first lap crashes for Jordon Weaving, Kyle Ryde and SGR Racing's rider Xavier Zayat. Many riders including Joe were experiencing similar troubles as they had in the earlier hot Snetterton round with bikes moving around a lot and front end slides. Joe kept up a good pace finishing 6th in the cup class and 8th in the main race strengthening his 2nd place in the cup championship and 4th place in the Monster Energy Motostar Championship.

We would like to thank both Joe's own sponsors and the team's sponsors for their help in making 2012 possible. The sponsors lists are currently being updated at the team website www.banksracing125.com. Please get in touch if you would like to join the list and be added to the new fairings that will be ready in the near future and any help at all would be very much appreciated. Next round will be at Cadwell Park on August 25th 26th and 27th and we hope to see you there. Contact Pete Banks on 07762 428210 or email him at pete@banksracing125.com or donations of any size can be made via the PayPal button on the team website.

11th July 2012

Podium number two for Joe Francis and Banks Racing

Fourteen year old Joe Francis moved into 2nd place in the Monster Energy Motostar Cup Championship and equal 3rd place in the Monster Energy open championship after stunning performances in both the race and second qualifying. Friday's free practice sessions wet and most of the riders were just putting in steady laps getting a feel for the wet track. Saturday qualifying was held in good conditions with Joe qualifying in 10th place. In the second qualifying session Joe rode really well to improve his time by over half a second and put him just seven tenths of a second from a front row start and only four tenths of a second from heading the second row. With about seven minutes of the session to go Joe found himself alone on the track and no chance of a slipstream tow. It was to late to pull in and as touring is not allowed Joe dug deep to set his best qualifying time without a tow or slipstream. It was clear from this performance Joe was going to be in a position to challenge for a podium in Sundays race.

Another sunny day and Joe made a not so good start in the race but quickly made up positions and by half distance was in a five way dice challenging for 2nd place. After some great battles with Harry Hartley, Tom Carne and Connor Behan, Joe was in 3rd place chasing Phil Wakefield. Connor and Joe battled out the last few laps with Joe missing out on 3rd by less than tenth of a second and he finished 2nd in the cup class. Joe's fastest lap in the race was faster than both the second and third place finisher.

You can watch the race on Eurosport TV on Saturday morning (14th July) at 8-15 am.

We would like to thank both Joe's own sponsors and the team's sponsors for their help in making 2012 possible. The sponsors lists are currently being updated at the team website www.banksracing125.com . Please get in touch if you would like to join the list and be added to the new fairings that will be ready in the near future and any help at all is very much appreciated. Next round will be at Brands Hatch on July 20th 21st and 22nd and we hope to see you there. With no Friday free practice on the GP circuit Joe will have to learn the long circuit during his two qualifying sessions.

9th May 2012

First podium of year at Knockhill

Joe Francis earned his first Monster Energy Motostar Cup podium at Knockhill last weekend. Joe had never been out of the top ten in both free practice and qualifying and appeared to be very at home on the twisty undulating Knockhill circuit. Blessed with fine weather Joe made a good start but dropped back a little after the front wheel pawed the air but soon settled into a good rhythm passing riders on each lap. Due to a couple of crashes on the circuit the safety car was brought out allowing all the riders to close up. The car went in with six laps to go and just when we thought we were going to be in for a fantastic scrap for the podium a three bike crash at the hairpin involving Luke Hedger, Brad Ray and Jordon Weaving brought out the red flags and after some confusion Joe took his place on the podium to collect his 3rd place Motostar Cup trophy presented to him by World Supersport rider Sam Lowes. To top that off Joe got 6th place in the Monster Energy Motostar British Championship race.

A good points haul in both championships saw Joe move up to 4th in the Cup class championship just two points behind Ryan Watson and 6th place in the British Motostar Championship only 8 points behind Brad Ray. And the final good point of the weekend was to see that all the riders who crashed were ok.

We would like to thank both Joe's own sponsors and the team's sponsors for their help in making 2012 possible. The sponsors lists are currently being updated at the team website www.banksracing125.com. Please get in touch if you would like to join the list and be added to the new fairings that will be ready in the near future and any help at all is very much appreciated. Next round will be at Oulton Park July 6th 7th and 8th and we hope to see you there. Thanks to Tim Keeton of Impact Images for the photos.

9th May 2012

Joe Francis moves into 6th place

Joe Francis from Chester claimed another 7th place finish in the Monster Motostar British Championship round held in cold and damp conditions at the 3rd round last weekend at Oulton Park. Saturday's free practice day saw Joe finish the day in 4th position and showing the potential of a front row start but with the weather much colder the next day for qualifying Joe and several others were caught out with the combination of new tyres and a very cold track temperature. The left hand side of the front tyre refused to attract any heat and Joe crashed out at the fast Cascades corner. Both Joe and the bike were not too badly damaged but the new rules meant Joe could not continue in the session. With only two hours between first and second qualifying rushed repairs were carried out and Joe was back on track for Qualifying 2. The track temperature was still cold but Joe recovered well to secure a place on the third row in the shortened session.

Race day was still cold and showers kept wetting the track for the shortened 12 lap race. Just before the race started it became obvious there was a problem with an overheating battery on the bike. A replacement was quickly fitted but still showed a problem. A third battery with lower voltage was then fitted and Joe made his way down for the race just in time. The voltage dropped below what was needed to keep the bike running properly but Joe never gave up and brought the bike home in 7th place after a race long battle with front row starter Tom Carne and the `experienced Arnie Shelton. Without the battery problem Joe would have been challenging for 3rd place in a scrap involving former double 125 champion Christian Elkin and William Dunlop. Joe's efforts were rewarded with 6th place in the main championship and 5th place in the Motostar Academy Championship.

We would like to thank both Joe's own sponsors and the team's sponsors for their help in making 2012 possible. The sponsors lists are currently being updated at the team website www.banksracing125.com . Please get in touch if you would like to join the list and be added to the new fairings that will be ready in the near future and any help at all is very much appreciated. We would also like to thank Kevin Hughes for this week's photos.Next round will be at Snetterton on May 25th, 26th and 27th.

17th April 2012

Double points haul in British Championship debut

Fourteen year old Joe Francis made his debut in the Monster Energy British Motostar championship with two exciting performances at Thruxton. With the Brands Hatch round cancelled Joe had to contend with two rounds at a track he had never seen before and on a totally new type of bike to him but despite more bad weather which hampered him learning the super fast and bumpy Thruxton circuit Joe lined up for the first race on a dry track. This was always going to be difficult as he had only had a handful of dry laps during the two days testing. In the first race Joe got away mid pack but was soon racing with the likes of William Dunlop, Taz Mackenzie and Joe Irvine in a six way battle for 6th place. Taz crashed out splitting up the pack and Joe finished an excellent 7th place just behind William Dunlop. Race two saw Joe make a bad start but he was passing two or three riders every lap and was up to 8th position when the chequered British 125 Championship or the Honda GP125 race bike. Despite some terrible weather at the first two rounds we all return home in a very positive attitude and with plenty of data and knowledge to give Joe a very good chance at his home round at Oulton Park in May.

We would like to thank both Joe's own sponsors and the team's sponsors for their help in making 2012 possible. The sponsors lists are currently being updated at the team website www.banksracing125.com. Please get in touch if you would like to join the list and be added to the new fairings that will be ready in the near future and any help at all is very much appreciated. Also special thanks to Roger Marshall for his help over the last two rounds.

28th March 2012

Successful final test at Donington.

Banks Racing and the teams new rider Joe Francis completed their testing schedule last week with Joe setting some impressive lap times. Early morning fog soon lifted and at the end of the day conditions were perfect and Joe set about reducing his lap times and in the last session of the day Joe set a time that would have stood him in a very good position at the 2011 Donington round.

The day was not all about lap times and work was done onboth set-up and comfort and the test was very satisfactory for both Joe and the team. With Alan Green making the trip up from Bristol to help with the data logging and Martin Knighton doing the timing it was a great chance for the team to work together before the first round of the championship at Brands Hatch over four days at Easter.

We would like to thank both Joe's own sponsors and the team's sponsors for their help in making 2012 possible. The sponsors lists are currently being updated at the team website www.banksracing125.com. Please get in touch, or donations of any size can be made via the PayPal button on the team website, if you would like to join the list and be added to the new fairings that will be ready in the near future and any help at all is very much appreciated.

2nd March 2012

Pre season testing at Donington Park

30th January 2012

British Championship teams meet up at NYRRSC

Northumberland based British 125 Championship team Banks Racing met up with several other teams and riders at Northallerton last Tuesday. Main reason for the journey was to meet up with the team’s 2012 rider Joe Francis from Chester for the first time. The meeting went well and now both Joe and the team can’t wait to begin testing which starts with a familiarisation test at Teeside Autodrome in February. This will be followed a week later with a practice day at Donington Park and hopefully more tests will be arranged before the first round of the championship at Brands Hatch held over four days April 6th to April 9th on Easter weekend. Only three days after round one the team head south again for the super fast Thruxton circuit.

Work is already in hand for the new season with one or two new parts on the way but the team needs help to remain established at the front end of the British 125 Championship. If you would like to get involved in any way at all, large or small, we would welcome your enquiry or visit the team website www.banksracing125.com where you also have the opportunity to leave a donation via PayPal or just a message of support. Please email Pete by clicking here or call 07762 428210 with any enquiries about the team. We must say a big thank you to the 2011 sponsors who helped make 2011 possible and hope they will all be in touch soon to confirm their intentions to help promote this exciting young prospect. Joe has already shown he has talent and together we can do our bit to establish this rising young star at the top.

The picture on the left shows Joe collecting the trophy for winning the Aprilia Championship and the other photo shows Joe trying out for the Red Bull Rookies in Spain last October. Look out for more news and updates in a couple of weeks time. For a full 2012 calendar check out the team website. Click on any picture to make it larger.