14th December 2014

Banks Racing Winning Team British Motostar Championship 2014

Motul Motostar British Championship 2014

Merry Christmas to all our Sponsors, Supporters and Friends

What a fantastic season it has been for Banks Racing and team rider Ed Rendell. With five wins and twelve podiums from twelve starts and securing their first British Championship the team has gone from strength to strength and are looking forward to new challenges in 2015.

Junior Academy News

For the 2015 Motostar Championship the team are going back to its roots and helping a young rider find his way to the top of the Motostar Championship on board the teams championship winning Honda RS125 with the option to ride a Moto3 Grand Prix bike in 2016. We will also be challenging for the Moto3 championship with the teams current 2013 championship-winning bike.

Sincere thanks to all our sponsors

None of this would have been possible without our dedicated sponsors and supporters. We owe them so much and our results are as much due to them as it is to the team and riders. We are preparing now for 2015 and hope you are all in a position to be able to get in touch soon to pledge support for the new exciting season ahead of us. With the possibility of extra races and the excellent worldwide TV coverage we now get there has never been a better time to be part of this family run team from the North of England. If you can help in any way at all or would like to discuss the various sponsorship options available call Pete on 07762 428210, email Pete by clicking here, or visit the team website www.banksracing125.com where donations can be left via PayPal.

24th October 2014

Banks Racing Winning Team British Motostar Championship 2014

Motul Motostar British Championship Round 12

Rendell takes 12th podium with a win and crowned Champion of Champions

What a fantastic end to the 2014 season for Banks Racing and team rider Ed Rendell. After a strong showing in qualifying Ed started the race on the front row of the grid which was an all two-stroke line-up with the first Moto3 in 5th place.. Ed lined up on row one to everyone's surprise on a bright pink bike to celebrate winning the British Motostar GP125 Championship and this certainly had the commentators and TV crew taking notice. Ed made a fast start and was always close to the front but several riders crashed out including Ed's only rival for the Champion of Champions title and although that should have lifted the pressure off of Ed he raced on like a true champion to finish second overall to KTM 250 mounted Joe Irving and take the GP125 class win. Ed's impressive tally of achievements includes 12 podiums from 12 starts and five race wins and was also crowned Champion of Champions and all the team sponsors and friends went home happy to have been part of this small family team from north Northumberland. We have a two rider test planed before the winter sets in then the work begins preparing the bikes to the highest race winning standard and we thank all the 2014 team sponsors and hope they will continue their much valued support into 2015 and we would welcome any further interest from potential sponsors to help keep our bikes at their best.

If you can help in any way at all call Pete on 07762 428210, email Pete by clicking here, or visit the team website www.banksracing125.com where donations can be left via PayPal. Many thanks to Alan's Photos and Barry Clay for their photos and a special thanks to Ed's dad, Ray, for getting Ed to all the meetings usually with ten minutes to spare before first practice.

Thank you to all those that have helped out out this year making it one of the most successful to date.

9th October 2014

Motul Motostar British Championship Round 11

The ride of a champion, from back row to the podium

Friday's free practice sessions were held in good weather and after the two twenty minutes sessions both the team and rider Ed Rendell were ready to go for a front row qualifying position on Saturday morning. Heavy rain started to fall an hour before the first of two qualifying sessions so with the wet tyres fitted Ed set off on a steady lap to check the track. At the end of the first lap he pulled in to adjust the engine temperature then set off to set a qualifying time. Sadly he fell on his first flying lap and was unable to continue. With the bike ready for Q2 we were ready to make amends but the rain had become so heavy our second session was cancelled leaving Ed to start on the back row of the grid and bring to end his run of ten podiums from ten starts. Ed made a good start passing people every lap and was soon running 4th in the GP125 race. He battled on for the few remaining laps and sensationally crossed the line in third place securing his eleventh podium of the year and setting the forth fastest lap of the race including those set by the 250cc Moto3 bikes. A well deserved result from a worthy champion.

There is still one more round to go in the championship and the team will still be putting everything possible into the bike to keep Ed's run of eleven podiums from eleven starts ongoing. To keep improving and maintain the bike at their best the team needs more sponsors and if you can help in any way at all call Pete on 07762 428210, email Pete by clicking here, or visit the team website www.banksracing125.com where donations can be left via PayPal. With the team leading the British Championship it is more important than ever that we renew parts before their mileage is up and a small amount of extra funding is desperately needed and would be much appreciated. Round 12 of the Motul Motostar Championship is at the Brands Hatch GP circuit on October 17th 18th and 19th. If you can't make it catch it on British Eurosport. Thanks go to Barry Clay for the photo.

Thank you to all those that have helped out out this year making it one of the most successful to date.

22nd September 2014

Motul Motostar British Championship Round 10

Ed Rendell with Banks Racing 2014 British Championship winners

The Assen circuit known as the Cathedral of Speed in the Netherlands proved to be lucky again for Ed Rendell and his team Banks Racing. Ed secured his first Motostar race win there last year and now 12 months later Ed was crowned British GP125 Champion after another podium finish in the Motostar race. This is an incredible achievent for both Ed and the team. Three years ago Ed suffered serious injuries and was not expected to be able to return to racing but after chatting with Pete Banks both agreed to join forces for the 2013 season with Ed finishing runner up in the championship. This is also a brilliant achievement for the team who are based in the top north east corner of England who are a small low budget family team who many times have taken on the bigger and financially better off teams, beat them across the finishing line and bringing home a British Championship title to the North East of England is something special.

There are still two more rounds to go in the championship and the team will still be putting everything possible into the bike to keep Ed's run of ten podiums from ten starts ongoing. To keep improving and maintain the bike at their best the team needs more sponsors and if you can help in any way at all call Pete on 07762 428210, email Pete by clicking here, or visit the team website www.banksracing125.com where donations can be left via PayPal. With the team leading the British Championship it is more important than ever that we renew parts before their mileage is up and a small amount of extra funding is desperately needed and would be much appreciated. Round 11 of the Motul Motostar Championship is at the Silverstone GP Arena circuit on October 3rd 4th and 5th. If you can’t take it catch it on British Eurosport.

Thank you to all those that have helped out out this year making it one of the most successful to date.

12th September 2014

Motul Motostar British Championship Round 8 and 9

Double podium at Donington Park

Round 9 of the British Motostar Championship took place at Donington Park with races held on Saturday and Sunday. The Saturday race which was carried over from the rained off Cadwell Park round took place a few hours after qualifying for Sundays Donington round. With a championship win so close now Ed knew exactly what he had to do and he delivered a perfect race setting a personal best lap on his way to 3rd place and his eighth podium of the year. Sunday's race was held in warmer conditions that saw many riders crash out with the track offering less grip than the day before. Ed was determined to go for another podium finish and despite a couple of near off moments bettered his personal best lap time that he set the day before to come home in 3rd place and win his ninth podium of the year. Next round is Assen, in the Netherlands, at the famous Dutch TT circuit where once again the teams goal is another podium then it will be time to add up the points and see exactly where we are in the standings. Many thanks to John Manclark for the great photo.

To keep improving and maintain the bikes at their best the team needs more sponsors and if you can help in any way at all call Pete on 07762 428210 or email Pete by clicking here, or visit the team website www.banksracing125.com where donations can be left via PayPal. With the team leading the British Championship it is more important than ever that we renew parts before their mileage is up and a small amount of extra funding is desperately needed and would be much appreciated. Round 10 of the Motul Motostar Championship is at Assen, home of the Dutch TT on September 19th, 20th and 21st. If you can’t make it catch it on British Eurosport.

Thank you to all those that have helped out out this year making it one of the most successful to date.

1st September 2014

Motul Motostar British Championship Round 8

Strong qualifying but no race for Ed Rendell at Cadwell Park

Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire was the venue for Round 8 of the British Motostar Championship and some strong performances in the qualifying sessions saw Ed ready to line up on the grid second fastest GP125 bike and forth overall. After two days of dry testing and qualifying race day started with light rain in the air that was forecast to get heavier as the day went on. For once the forecasters were right and by the time the Motostar race lined up on the grid at five o’clock the heavens had opened. After a couple of wet practice laps the organisers decided to cancel the race and have a double header at round nine at Donington Park. Safety has to come first but had the race been able to go ahead there was a good chance of Ed finding the same form he had to win the wet race at Oulton Park and increase his championship lead.

The Cadwell race will now be held on Saturday afternoon at Donington and then another race on Sunday. If you can't make it to Donington tune into Eurosport 2 on both days where the races may be shown live. Cadwell also hosted the annual CJ Riders Fund charity cycle race and once again team member Alan Green was taking part, this time on a tandem partnered by Ed's brother Ollie Rendell. A podium looked a strong possibility until they had to momentarily stop to miss a fallen youngster but their efforts still raised quite a lot of money for the CJ cycle race and many thanks to all those that donated and thanks to Gill Sweeney for the picture of Alan and Ollie.

To keep improving and maintain the bikes at their best the team needs more sponsors and if you can help in any way at all call Pete on 07762 428210, email Pete by clicking here or visit the team website www.banksracing125.com where donations can be left via PayPal. With the team leading the British Championship it is more important than ever that we renew parts before their mileage is up and a small amount of extra funding is desperately needed and would be much appreciated. Round 9 of the Motul Motostar Championship is at Donington Park on 5th, 6th and 7th August. If you can’t make it catch it on British Eurosport.

Just like to give a massive thankyou to all the following sponsors and supporters, without them we could not race. Thanks especially go to K Cabs of Amble and Malcolm Madell for coming on board.

12th August 2014

Motul Motostar British Championship Round 7

Ed Rendell wins and Vasco van der Valk grabs 9 points in debut ride at Oulton

Ed Rendell riding the Banks Racing Honda RS125 brought home win number four just seven days after winning at Thruxton. After qualifying 3rd Sunday morning brought terrible conditions with heavy rain and strong winds and at one point it looked like the meeting would not go ahead. Great work by the BSB staff cleared the standing water and Ed and his teammate for the weekend Vasco van der Valk lined up ready to start a 10 lap race in the wettest conditions of the day. Ed made a good start closely behind Brad Ray and Tom Booth Amos. A couple of laps into the race Ed passed Brad and set about catching Tom. With Ed right on his tail Tom crashed at Lodge corner forcing Ed to brake heavy. He was lucky not to loose the front but managed to stay on but lost three seconds to the following riders. For the remaining laps Ed managed to hold off Moto3 championship leader Jordon Weaving and Jason Uribe to take the win and 2nd place overall. Vasco van der Valk although only 14 years old and making his debut at the tricky Oulton Park circuit and riding a much more powerful Moto3 bike than he usually races had a very impressive weekend finishing 7th in the Moto3 race and 8th overall. A good weekend for the team and a great pleasure working with both riders. Thanks to Gill Sweeney for braving the rain for the great photos.

To keep improving and maintain the bikes at their best the team needs more sponsors and if you can help in any way at all call Pete on 07762 428210, email Pete by clicking here, or visit the team website www.banksracing125.com where donations can be left via PayPal. With the team leading the British Championship it is more important than ever that we renew parts before their mileage is up and a small amount of extra funding is desperately needed and would be much appreciated. Round 7 of the Motul Motostar Championship is at Cadwell Park on August 23rd 24th and 25th. If you can’t make it catch it on British Eurosport.

5th August 2014

Motul Motostar British Championship Round 6

Win number three for championship leader Ed Rendell

Following on from previous wins at Oulton Park and Knockhill Ed Rendell again stood on the top step of the podium at the fast and bumpy Thruxton circuit. After a five way battle with fellow GP125 rider Taz Taylor and Moto3 riders Jason Uribe, Mike Brouwers and James Hobson Ed managed to pull out a one second gap to finish third overall and race winner in the British Motostar 125 Championship extending his lead over Taz Taylor to 42 points. Photo shows Ed celebrating his win and Steven Banks collecting the winning team award.

To keep improving and maintain the bikes at their best the team needs more sponsors and if you can help in any way at all phone Pete on 07762 428210, email Pete by clicking here or visit the team website www.banksracing125.com where donations can be left via PayPal.a> With the team leading the British Championship it is more important than ever that we renew parts before their mileage is up and a small amount of extra funding would be much appreciated. Round 7 of the Motul Motostar Championship is at Oulton Park on August 8th, 9th and 10th and we are hoping that young Dutch rider Vasco van der Valk will be making his Motostar debut in the UK onboard the teams Honda Moto3 bike.

27th July 2014

Motul Motostar British Championship Round 5

Five podiums from five starts

Following the teams home round at Knockhill the championship moved 470 miles south to Brands Hatch for round five of the Motostar British Championship. Scorching heat forecast for the whole weekend was always going to make life difficult both on and off the track and rider fitness to cope with the heat would be a major factor. Friday's free practice and Saturdays qualifying sessions saw Ed end the first two days second in the 125 class with a bike that had become difficult to jet with detonation heavy in early sessions and then none at all despite being on unusually small jets. Several new parts were fitted for Sunday's race but the previous jetting oddities meant we had no choice but to play safe for the fourteen lap 35 mile race. Ed made a good start in the top six who quickly pulled away from the remaining pack to finish the GP125 race in third place and take his fifth consecutive podium of the year and raise his points tally to 106, thirty seven clear of Fireplace Warehouse rider Taz Taylor and forty clear of Spanish Championship and Red Bull Rookie rider Brad Ray.

To keep improving and maintain the bikes at their best the team needs more sponsors and if you can help in any way at all phone Pete on 07762 428210, email Pete by clicking here, or visit the team website www.banksracing125.com where donations can be left via PayPal. Round 6 is at Thruxton on August 1st, 2nd and 3rd. Thanks to Gill Sweeney for the photo.

23rd June 2014

Motul Motostar British Championship Round 4

Rendell extends his championship lead with another win

Round 4 of the British Motostar Championships took place in Scotland at Knockhill and team rider Ed Rendell put in another stunning performance to qualify in first place for the British 125 championship race heading the second row of the grid. Although still 130 miles from the teams Northumberland base Knockhill is the teams home round and were hoping for a good result and Ed did not let us down. Just before the race a there was a light falling of rain but the race began with everyone on slick tyres. On the first lap Ed had a massive slide but managed to save it and was soon back on the pace and he and Taz Taylor were opening up a gap over the other 125's. A few laps in Taz had a similar slide to Ed's at the hairpin and he was unlucky not to save it and crashed out of the race. Ed maintained a seven second lead over E3's Arnie Shelton to take his second win of the year and now has a 41 point lead over FPW's Taz Taylor.

The championship now moves 330 miles south for the team and round five of the championship will be at Ed's home circuit, the Brands Hatch GP circuit. Left photo shows Ed on the podium with Mark Bass collecting the winning team award and in action with Taz Taylor at Knockhill hairpin and thanks to Gill Sweeney for the photos. See more photos on the Pete Banks Facebook page. To keep improving and maintain the bikes at their best the team needs more sponsors and if you can help in any way at all phone Pete on 07762 428210 or email Pete by clicking here or visit the team website www.banksracing125.com a>where donations can be left via PayPal. Round 5 is at Brands Hatch in Kent on July 18th 19th and 20th.

23rd June 2014

Motul Motostar British Championship Round 3

Snetterton 300 with Ed Rendell and Tom Booth Amos

Round 3 of the Motul Motostar Championships took place at the Snetterton 300 circuit and joining Ed Rendell for this round was 17 year old Tom Booth Amos who made his debut on the teams Moto3 bike. Free practice 1 was good for both riders with Ed 2nd overall and Tom 5th overall and 2nd Moto3. This was backed up in FP2 with another 2nd for Ed and 5th for Tom in the Moto3 category. Qualifying was a different story with Ed crashing heavily with no time set. Both Ed and the bike took a heavy blow and with just two laps put in by Tom he was off too but fortunately with little damage to him or the bike. It took several hours to get both bikes out in time for final qualifying and both riders rewarded the team with strong qualifying positions with Ed 2nd in his class and Tom 7th on the Moto3. The race started well for both riders and despite suffering from the previous days crash Ed battled with Jason Uribe's Moto3 to take 2nd in the GP125 class earning himself another podium and a 16 point lead in the championship. Tom was not so lucky and slid off but not before proving he can be a championship contender. Both riders are looking for sponsorship to keep them onboard the bright yellow Banks Racing machines so please get in touch if you can help and many thanks to the Ed and Tom's supporters who go along way to making racing a possibility for them.

Just like to say a massive thankyou to the team for all the hard work they put in to get both bikes back on track, thanks to Mark Bassy Bass, Steven Banks, Alan Green and Colin Swinney. Also many thanks to Ed and Tom for giving their best to put the Banks Racing bikes at the front end of the field. To keep improving the team also needs sponsors and if you can help in any way at all phone Pete on 07762 428210 or email Peter directly by clicking here or visit the team website www.banksracing125.com where donations can be left via PayPal. Round 4 is at Knockhill June 27/28/29th, see you there. Thanks to Chris Pearce and Barry Clay for the pictures. Motul Motostar British 125 Championship 2014 results

12th May 2014

Motul Motostar British Championship Round 2

Pole position and race win at Oulton Park

Ed Rendell riding the Banks Racing GP125 Honda was in stunning form all weekend at the Cheshire circuit of Oulton Park. Ed topped the times sheets in both Saturday free practice sessions with the fastest times and ahead of the Moto3 machines. In first qualifying on Sunday Ed was again the fastest 125 only headed by one KTM Moto3 bike. In the final qualifying Ed pulled out all the stops to go fastest overall with a stunning lap of 1 minute 46.688 seconds that put him in pole position for Monday's race. Ed on the GP125 made a brilliant start and led the race into the first corner with KTM 250 riders Joe Irving and Jordan Weaving on his tail the trio quickly pulled away from the rest of the 33 rider line-up. And that is how it stayed for the next 14 laps with Ed leading over the line on no less than twelve laps. With one lap to go Ed was right on the tail of Joe and Jordan when a five rider group appeared in front. Jordan got through them first while Ed and Joe got held up a little. Both riders set about closing down Jordan when Joe Irving lost the front at Hizzy's chicane crashing out and forcing Ed to take avoiding action. Ed came home a clear winner of the GP125 by seventeen second and now leads the GP125 championship by ten points from Ryan Saxelby and is joint overall leader with Jordan.

The team needs to make further upgrades to the GP125 and also now have the championship winning Moto3 bike to run along side the GP125 bike and would welcome some sponsorship to help us get both bikes on the grid. We had to delay the Moto3 bike debut until some promised sponsorship arrives so we can be confident we have the whole package to offer to the right rider. We still need help to put a spares package together for the Moto3 so if you are thinking of getting involved with this small but successful team please contact Pete Banks on 07762 428 210 or email Pete by clicking here, Donations of any size to help with the day to day running costs of the team can be made via the PayPal button on the team website or visit us in the paddock or www.banksracing125.com, Many thanks to Glyns Photos for the photo of Ed at Oulton Park on his way to pole position.

26th April 2014

Motul Motostar British Championship Round 1

Round 1 Podium for Ed Rendell

Ed Rendell started the season in dynamic stile with a front row start and second place finish in round 1 of the Motul Motostar British 125 Championship held at Brands Hatch last week. Riding the same Banks Racing Honda RS125 as last year but with upgraded engine parts and rear Ohlins suspension Ed put the RS125 in 3rd place on the grid only headed by Joe Irving on his Redline KTM Moto3 and Ryan Saxelby on his Seel Honda. Ed made a good start and soon the front five had broken clear of the perusing pack and the three Moto3 machines and two GP125 bikes were all lapping in at similar times. Lapped riders are to be expected on the short Brands Hatch Indy circuit and split the pack up slightly and Joe Irving had pulled away a little leaving Ed, Jason Uribe, Jordan Weaving and Ryan Saxelby all fighting for a podium. The race was looking to produce a thrilling final few laps when the chequered flag came out on lap 16, the race had been shortened from the scheduled 22 laps due to earlier delays. Ed took his second place podium alongside GP125 winner Ryan Saxelby and third placed Brad Ray. A great start to the season for both Ed and the team and a special thanks must go to Paul Wilcox for supplying the bike upgrades and to all the others sponsors who have come on board to make the 2014 season possible.

The team needs to make further upgrades to the GP125 and also now have the championship winning Moto3 bike to run along side the GP125 bike and would welcome some sponsorship to help us get both bikes on the grid. We had to delay the Moto3 bike debut until some promised sponsorship arrives so we can be confident we have the whole package to offer to the right rider. We still need help to put a spares package together for the Moto3 so if you are thinking of getting involved with this small but successful team please contact Pete Banks on 07762 428 210 or email Pete by clicking here. Donations of any size to help with the day to day running costs of the team can be made via the PayPal button on the team website or visit us in the paddock. www.banksracing125.com Many thanks to Steve Russ for the photo of Ed recovering from an out of seat “moment”.

14th April 2014

Motul Motostar British Championship Round 1

Ed Rendell completes successful test at Donington