Leon Morris Takes Double Win in Ducati 848 Challenge Opening Round

The opening round of the Rapid Solicitors Ducati 848 Challenge at Brands Hatch saw Hampshire’s Leon Morris winning both closely contested races. Soon after it started, the first race became a four way battle with Mike Edwards, Leon Morris, last year’s Champion Darren Fry and Kenny Gilbertson all going for the win.

A costly missed gear around Clearways allowed Edwards and then Fry to pass Morris, and it was Edwards who led at the half way stage. Morris managed to move into first place on the twelfth lap, and finally took the chequered flag. It was Gilbertson who took third on his Ducati 848 Evo.

Race Two saw the grid line up in the order of the fastest laps from Race 1, so Morris was in pole with Gilbertson, Edwards, and Fry alongside him on the front row.

The race saw Morris and Gilbertson swap places several times, before the latter crashed out on Graham Hill Bend losing the front, as both he and Morris went for the same racing line. Edwards was now again Morris’s nearest rival, while Fry settled for third place without the strength to push the leading two riders.

“Although unable to stick with the front group, Cheetham had put some space between him and a second group of Poll, Brown, Skipper, and Ivanov, with another tight group of Jordan, Holden and Hopkins chasing hard. Despite a late Edwards charge on the last lap, Morris held on for his second win of the weekend, with Fry taking third and Cheetham fourth,” Ducati explained.

“It’s been a fantastic weekend for myself and the team. We made a very late decision to race this year, so this is a great reward for all the hard work the team have put in over the last few weeks,” Morris said after the Brands Hatch round.