Centurion Racing rider Daniel Cooper put in two excellent rides at the Isle of Man TT Races yesterday to claim a pair of top 15 finishes including a superb tenth place in this morning's four lap Monster Energy Supersport race.
Still in discomfort from the shoulder he dislocated whilst racing in the Superbike race yesterday, 26-year-old Cooper from Stroud was in superb form on the Centurion Racing Triumph Daytona 675 and a new personal best for the class on the opening lap of 122.336mph placed him in 11th. Maintaining station on the second lap with another near 122mph lap, Dan and the Cornwall-based team had another excellent pit stop meaning they were pushing hard for a top ten position.
With Gary Johnson and the MV Agusta retiring at the beginning of lap four, they were promoted up into the final top ten spot and Dan was able to hold on to the position with a final lap of 122.128mph, winning another silver replica in the process.
In the afternoon, the 2006 British 125cc champion switched to the 1000cc Honda Fireblade for the four lap Royal London Superstock race which would test his shoulder to the limit but a strong opening lap of 122.833mph placed him comfortably inside the top 20. Lapping at an almost identical pace, Dan held station on the second lap but jumped up to 15th a lap later, aided once again by a slick pit stop.
With an excellent final lap of 123.561mph, Dan brought the bike home for 15th place and a bronze replica, thus maintaining his 100% record of finishing every TT race since he made his debut in 2010.
Dan Cooper: "It's been a tough few days and I'm worn out now! It was always going to be hard work but with the shoulder problem it's been worse but I've got through the day and am looking forward to a day off and some rest now. I'm happy with tenth place in the Supersport race although at the same time I was hoping for slightly better but apart from Gary, no-one dropped out so it was a strong tenth place. The Superstock race was always going to be tougher and each time I went over Ballaugh Bridge I was convinced the shoulder was going to pop out again. I posted some consistent laps though and I'm really pleased to keep my 100% finishing record so I'll be hoping for more of the same in the final two races."
Paul Rees, Team Manager: "We're really pleased with Dan's performances in both races today and he's notched up two more excellent results. It was a bit of a struggle for him with the shoulder and both races were hard work so a big thanks to Isla Scott for the excellent physio work she's done on Dan. The Supersport race was always the one where we felt the most confident and tenth place and another silver replica is a great result. There were another four laps to get through in the Superstock race and with extra pressure on the injury, Dan did a great job to bring the bike home in 15th for a bronze replica. The team are well chuffed whilst the mechanics have done a great job once again with both bikes completing the race without any issues. All in all, it's been a good day at the office and we're all looking forward to a day off now."
As in previous seasons, Centurion Racing will continue to show their support for Help for Heroes, their chosen charity, by displaying H4H logos on the bikes and team attire. Team Principal Paul Rees, who spent 20 years in Her Majesty's Royal Marine Commandos, was given permission to have the bikes carry the H4H logos in order to encourage the public to be more aware of this charity that supports our Armed Forces, many of whom are making daily sacrifices in Afghanistan.
Centurion Racing would specially like to thank Arai, FTR, GPR Racewear, Dunlop, RichArt, R2 Logo Print & Embroidery, Akrapovic, SW Commercials, 2K Coachworks, Fuchs Silkolene and Daytona for personally supporting Dan, and all our friends and followers.
2013 TT Race Schedule
Wednesday June 5 - 10.45 SES TT Zero (one lap) / 12.00 Monster Energy Supersport Race 2 (four laps) / 14.15 Sure Sidecar B (three laps)
