NOVICE racer Liam Turberfield was the leading newcomer in the latest round of the North Gloucester Road Race Championship at Thruxton.

The 26-year-old from St John’s, Worcester, was eighth overall in his first championship race at the Andover circuit and took fifth in class for a personal best.

Turberfield also did an open newcomers race for novice riders and, despite coming up against more powerful machines, finished in 17th place.

He qualified for the championship race in seventh place on the grid after negotiating a few battles and securing a best lap time of one minute 29.7 seconds.

After a poor start, Turberfield found himself in the middle of the pack for the opening few corners with an array of riders scrambling for position.

“I ended up eighth after the first lap and stuck it out to the finish,” he said.

“I was fifth in the class and improved my lap times again, this time managing 1.28.7.

“I was slightly disappointed not to have been battling for the podium but am realistic to realise a fifth-place finish is a solid result, a personal best and, once again, the first newcomer in the race.”

The Worcester racer also took part in an open newcomers event with no regulations on machinery.

Riding his 18-year-old 600cc R6, Turberfield started 21st on the grid in a field of 35 and had several tough laps before finishing 17th.

“I was never going to do much against brand new 1000cc bikes but I had a go anyway because it is good practise and always handy to attempt another race start,” he admitted.

“I had a massive slide from the rear tyre on one of the fastest parts of the track and I had to back off a bit in order to finish the race.

“With the tyre passed its best, I had to check behind to see whether anybody was near me so my position didn’t change.

“I was very pleased with my performance and the bike is running well.”

Turberfield plans to treat his bike to a service and brand new set of tyres before the next championship round at Anglesey on August 14 until 16.