Road Race Academy starts race season in style.

Members of the ACU Academy's road race stars got their season off to a brilliant start at the first major race meeting of the season last weekend at Snetterton, host of the first Motorcycle Racing Organisation (MRO) meeting of 2003.

Generally seen as the stepping stone from club to National level racing, the MRO series is a hot bed of talent and always fiercely contested.

2002 Aprilia Superteen Champion Jon 'Jon Boy' Lee used the meeting to have his competion debut with his new outfit, Team UK1 Racing.

The squad has been created in association with the ACU Academy to offer the teams brightest young talents a free-of-charge ride at top British National level and, if sufficient talent is found, on to Spanish and World level.

Lee soon proved he'd lost none of the talent that took him to the Superteen crown last year, securing a win and a second place in his first two rides on the 125GP Honda, on the Saturday.

The next day, Lee looked likely for a comfortable second, until he crashed while passing a back marker. Although disappointed, 'Jon Boy' resolved to take the lesson from Snetterton and make amends at the first BSB round of the season this weekend.

One beneficary of Lee's demise was fellow Academy rider Rob Guiver, whose charge to the front saw him take an excellent second, beating the MRO lap record in the process. Ironically, this was previously held by his boss, Steve Patrickson!

In the 125 Aprilia Superteen class the Academy boys had an equally good day, with Alex Lowes securing a front row start for both races and finishing in the top ten, along with brother Sam who started from the second row.

But is was Scottish Academy rider Kev Coghlan who set the field alight with a super ride, during which he led twice. Unfortunately for Coghlan, a couple of mistakes relegated him to third place, but a fine podium finish was his all the same.

The Academy racers now turn their attention to the first round of the National Championships, at Silverstone, this weekend.