Eugene McManus Junior delivered his first Motostar win in a thrilling race 1 at Thruxton, only to see his victory celebrations cut short in parc ferme.
Race control deemed McManus had made a pass during a yellow flag so Tom Booth Amos was elevated to P1, Eugene was obviously disappointed, however displayed a mature approach to the decision;
" It's just one of those things, I didn't think I had made an illegal pass but understand and accept the result. It was a great feeling crossing the line first, fair play to the City Lifting boys it was a real battle today."
McManus had started the weekend in his usual steady fashion, sitting in fifth after the two free practice sessions on Friday. He faired much better in Qualifying claiming the fourth spot just 0.281 seconds behind surprise leader Tom Carne. Eugene was full of confidence going into Race 1.
After getting a great start he soon led from Archer, Booth Amos and Rendell. The front four swapped positions throughout the 10 laps with Eugene pinching first place ahead of Booth Amos.
A delighted E15 Team were soon disappointed to see the result reversed but quick to praise The Wee Bull;
Eugene senior;
"I think the decision was harsh and the lad deserved his win today, he will be back out in race 2 determined to put this right, it was a brilliant ride and we are all so proud of Eugene"
Race 2 on Sunday saw McManus Junior starting second behind fastest lap man Jake Archer.
Due to an incident earlier in the program the race was reduced to 11 laps. The same four of Archer, McManus, Rendell and Booth Amos broke away early with Richard Kerr joining the action, a familiar battle ensued with all 5 riders fighting for the podium places.
Laps eight, nine and ten saw Eugene at the sharp end with Archer ahead and it was clear The Wee Bull was looking to make a move to secure the win. Unfortunately he crashed out losing the front on the final lap allowing Archer the top spot and team mate Booth Amos to take the chequered flag ahead of Rendell.
Although Eugene may be disappointed with the DNF he should be proud of his performances this weekend, another huge leap forward in his racing apprenticeship and he will be determined to come back even stronger at Cadwell Park in a fortnight's time.
