Centurion Racing‘s Dan Cooper picked up his first bronze replicas at the 2011 Isle of Man TT after two solid rides on Monday.
The Stroud rider was going well at the start of Supersport One before the red flag came out, and after some adjustments to the front end of the Triumph machine, he made a similarly good start in the restarted race to move up to 31st.
Cooper lost four places after pitting at the end of lap one but a blistering final lap of 118.055mph saw him claim a bronze replica for finishing 27th.
In the evening's Superstock race, Cooper put in a first lap at 117.160mph to move up to 37th after finishing qualifying in 53rd. The 24-year-old did climb as high as 24th but was penalised 30 seconds for speeding in the pit lane. A 119.199mph final lap brought him back up to 35th, earning him a second bronze replica.
Cooper later admitted there were still things he could improve on despite being happy with the results on Monday.
“I really enjoyed the Supersport race and with the front end feeling a bit light in the first start, we made a few changes in time for the re-start and the Triumph worked a lot better. It took me a while to get back into my rhythm and there were a couple of oil flags out on the course so I took it steady on the first lap and then got into my stride. I perhaps should have gone a bit quicker on my first lap but I’m learning all the time and, fortunately, I caught people in places where I could pass straightaway so I had a good go on the final lap and was delighted with an 118mph lap to finish 27th and pick up a bronze replica.”
“There was a long gap in between the two races so it meant a lot of hanging around and it took me a while to get into the Superstock race. It was also getting quite dark and gloomy and I was wary of rain coming on but it was a trouble-free race. I was obviously disappointed to get the penalty and also to miss out on a 120mph lap but it’s another solid four laps and another bronze replica so I can’t complain.”
Team owner Paul Rees added that Monday was a hugely successful day for the Centurion Racing outfit with valuable experience gained.
“I’m chuffed to bits with today’s results and to pick up two bronze replicas in Dan’s second TT, and our first, is brilliant. Both races saw Dan put in some really good lap times and, more importantly, complete both races so it’s been a really valuable day in terms of mileage and knowledge. Dan’s really enjoying himself and you can see he’s learning more and getting more and more confident in each and every race with his increase in lap speeds. Both bikes are working really well and he brought them home safe and sound each time so we’ve had a very good day.”
