Paul Young

I am very excited to announce that on Monday 24th November, I will be flying to Qatar to join Team Triumph-SC for the 3 day WSB/WSS Pirelli test at Losail circuit. This the first pre-season test for factory supported WSB & WSS Pirelli development teams.
 
I have been in regular contact with Stefano Carrachi, the owner of the official Triumph WSS team, since October when he came to visit me at the final round of the British Championships. We are both very keen to work together in some way this season, although the exact nature and structure of that relationship has not been decided as yet. At this stage, I will simply be attending the pre-season test to assist the team in their preparations for the 2008 season.
 
Team Triumph-SC has a very difficult job ahead of them, having only just started the development of their Triumph 675 race bikes, and with only 3 months before the start of the WSS season. Hopefully my long experience with the Triumph will go some way to help Team Triumph-SC with their development program and start the season as competitively as possible.
 
Of course, I hope there is a permanent place for me on the team as a rider. If this is not possible, there is still a willingness on both sides to continue to work together regularly in the future.

For anyone interested in reading about my exploits in the land of the rising sun with Team Suzuki Sweden, go and buy the latest edition of Superbike Magazine. You can’t miss it. It has a little picture of me on the front cover. And inside you’ll find an article I wrote about competing in this years ‘Suzuka 8 Hour.’ Those of you with a more delicate disposition please beware, there is a little bit of ‘blue’ language involved, and possibly some rude pictures on other pages too.

International Motorcycle and Scooter Show 2007

Organisers have announced an all-star line-up of big-name riders and celebrities due to attend the Show, including World Superbike Champion James Toseland, British Superbike (BSB) star Chris Walker, The Long Way Down’s Charley Boorman, legendary motorsport commentator Murray Walker, The BBC’s Hairy Bikers as well as a host of other racers from MotoGP, World Superbike and BSB.

The impressive array of stars scheduled to be at the NEC on various dates throughout the Show will be the closest thing you’ll get to an out-of-season race paddock, filled with the biggest names in motorcycle racing. British racing legend and soon-to-be MotoGP rider James Toseland will open the Show to media on the 22nd (press day), with Troy Corser and Leon Haslam joining in the fun. MotoGP rider and Valentino Rossi’s 2007 team-mate at Yamaha, Colin Edwards, is also set to jet over from the US to make an appearance.

This year’s Show takes place on the new dates of 23rd November - 2nd December (Press Day - 22nd November), in new halls 1, 2, 3, 3a & 4. Ticket prices have been frozen for a third consecutive year making the Show even better value. For more information visit Motocycle & Scooter Show web site.

The end of the 2007 season proved to be a cruel twist of fate for me. The final two BSS rounds promised so much yet yielded so little. At Donington I made some changes to my chassis setup which proved to be a revelation. The PYR Triumph 675’s were handling better than ever before. Never in the past two seasons had I been so certain of being able to run in the top 5 and be fighting to get on the podium in a fully dry race. Instead, history now shows that I scored two DNF’s in the last two races. At Donington, whilst fighting for a podium place with 3 laps to go, my first

ever mechanical DNF caused by a broken valve spring. And at Brands Hatch, knocked off my bike at turn three on the first lap. Again, the times I know I could have done in the race would have been good enough to be on the podium.
As a result of these non results, instead of moving up to finish 8th or 9th in the Championship I slipped back to 13th. I think that number says it all really!
 
Although it was a tough year, there was a lot to celebrate and be proud of. My only personal goal going into 2007 was to put the Triumph 675 on the British Supersport Championship podium at least once, and be the first to do so. Mission accomplished.  Now, mission 2008………….
 
A big thankyou all my supporters, known and anonymous, and all my sponsors, for giving me the opportunity and encouragement to do what I love to do.

Paul Young had a mixed meeting at Donington Park, in the penultimate round of the British Supersport Championship. A promising result was snatched from the Triumph mounted privateer with 3 laps of the race to run.

From 16th place on the grid Paul picked his way through the field early in the race to be up in 8th place by the 3rd lap. As the leading group broke away from the pack, the PYR Triumph 675 was right there with them.

Following a red flag on lap 10, the race was restarted as an 8 lap sprint. Paul’s start wasn’t so good this time, dropping him back to the middle of the pack by the first corner. But new found confidence in the Triumph’s handling allowed Paul to carve his way back up to 8th before the race had even completed 1 lap.

Again, Paul broke away with the leading group. By lap 4 Paul had slotted his Triumph into 6th position and was hounding eventual 3rd place man, Billy McConnell for 5th position.

Then with 3 laps to go, Paul’s fantastic run was cruelly brought to a halt by a rare mechanical failure. Paul’s only mechanical DNF in two seasons of racing the Triumph.

Paul Young: “I couldn’t believe what had happened. Of all the races for something to go wrong it had to be this one!! I’d changed a few things on the bike’s chassis set up for this weekend, and it was handling the best it ever has. Really responding to the way I like to ride, which made it so much easier to make passes than before.
Damn it, I was enjoying that race so much!! There’s nothing like being up at the front of the race and getting ready for the last lap scrap for a podium place.
Now all I can hope is that the bike works just as good at Brands Hatch. If it does, I’ve never felt so positive about the possibility of another podium before the season’s over.”

-END

Team PYR would like to thank all of you who bought raffle tickets in aid of LOROS.

The lucky winner was Mandy Hill from Market Harborough. As Mandy was unable to attend Donington she auctioned her prize and raised more cash for the charity. Elizabeth and Tom Brain were the final winners. They enjoyed a day with the Team and VIP hospitality, kindly supplied by Hawk Kawasaki.

The raffle raised almost £600 for the Leicestershire based hospice.

Thank you!

- PRESS RELEASE - Paul Young Racing 7/8/07

Paul Young Racing is offering the fantastic prize of a ‘day out for two’ at the forthcoming British Superbike Championship round at Donington Park. This fundraising event is in aid of the Leicestershire-based charity ‘LOROS’.

The British Superbike Championship is the World’s leading domestic motorcycle racing series, attracting many top international riders and average spectator crowds of over 25,000. The competition is for a ‘VIP Day Out’ at the Donington Park round on Sunday 23rd September 2007. In addition to winning the highly sought VIP guest passes, this prize offers a unique, money-cannot-buy opportunity for the winner to walk onto the British Supersport grid with Team PYR for the pre-race grid procedure. Smile… all rounds are televised!
 
The prize includes:
 
• 2 x Entrance Tickets to the British Superbike Championship, Donington Park, Sunday 23rd September 2007
• 2 x VIP Hospitality Passes
• ‘Welcome Pack’ containing team and event information.
• 1 x British Supersport Championship Grid Pass for an escorted walk onto
the grid with Team PYR
 
Prize Draw Tickets cost £1 each and can be purchased from LOROS Fundraising via
Email: fundraising@loros.co.uk  or
Telephone: 0116 231 8431/32

For information about LOROS click here to view their website.

DRAW DATE: TUESDAY 18th SEPTEMBER
PRIZE DATE: SUNDAY 23rd SEPTEMBER
 

Hinckley based privateer motorcycle racer Paul Young made history on the 1st of July by recording the first British Championship podium for the Triumph Daytona 675, a motorcycle designed and produced in a factory just down the road from Paul’s home.

Scotland’s Knockhill race circuit produced all it’s usual drama, with weather conditions changing dramatically by the minute. The much delayed British Supersport Championship race was eventually started in the most difficult of conditions. A mostly dry track was dissected just after the tricky Glenvargill chicane by a torrent of water, which remained in full flow for the entire race.

The weekend started unceremoniously in qualifying, with Paul’s first crash of the season. Left without the security of a spare bike, Paul played it safe for the remainder of qualifying and ended up with 12th position on the grid.

Action on the grid just before the race was frantic, with tyre combinations of all types being fitted for the tricky conditions. Paul’s tyre combination of a wet front and full dry rear wasn’t his ideal choice, but proved effective enough to carve through the field, passing all but one of the factory supported riders, and hunt down championship leader Michael Laverty. Despite taking half a second per lap out of Laverty’s lead in the closing stages, Young ran out of laps and finished 2nd, just 1.8 seconds behind pole sitter Laverty.

Paul Young “I just can’t describe how much this means to me. I’ve spent the last 2 years working towards this and it’s been a real hard slog. Running the team, developing the bike, racing it, and trying to hold down a full time job to help pay for it all. And now I’ve achieved my aim for this year, to put the little Triumph on the podium, it’s a real dream come true.

I enjoyed every moment of that race. It might have looked a bit sketchy to the spectators when I had it sideways every lap over the river crossing, but it was all pretty cool and controlled.  I suppose it’s a pity that I didn’t have a wheel ready with a dry front tyre on. It would have been a lot better for these conditions and I’d probably be celebrating a victory instead.

I just hope this performance proves to people that I’ve got the commitment and drive to win at this level, and that the bike has the potential to win at this level. If I can do this with virtually no budget, think what could be possible with a major sponsor behind the team.”

The British Supersport Championship returns to Oulton Park in Cheshire on July 15th, then it’s on to Paul Young Racing’s and Triumph’s local round at Mallory Park in Leicestershire on July 22nd.

In addition to his British Championship campaign, Paul Young will be flying out to Japan the day after the Mallory Park BSS race to compete in the Suzuka 8 Hour Race, round 3 of the World Endurance Championship. This will be Young’s 4th appearance at this famous event were he has collected two podium finishes.

Super Production class in 2003 with Corona Suzuki USA, and Superbike class in 2006 with the same Suzuki Sweden Team he will ride for in 2007.

Young: “Suzuka is such a special race, it’s great to be going back. The team are great and I love working with them. And it makes a nice change from all the work and responsibility of running my own team in British Championship.”

— Ends —

Paul Young Racing
Phone: +44(0)1455851467
Mobile: +44(0)7939255128
Fax: +44(0)1455851468
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PYR Triumph is all set for round 1 of the British Supersport Championship, to be held at Brands Hatch, Kent, on April 6-8th April 2007. Please come and show your support for a British Machine amongst so many Italian and Japanese models the grid!

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