Buckley secures another Welsh Open Cup win

Mark Buckley has got his season back on track with two stunning wins at the Welsh Open Cup meeting, just weeks after almost being forced out of racing by a lack of cash.

03 Aug 2010

After a tough Isle of Man TT, Buckley warned his OTSS Racing team may not be able to contest the rest of his 2010 schedule due to a lack of funds.

However, the team and its backers pulled out all the stops to keep his campaign going and were rewarded at the weekend with a dominant performance at the Welsh circuit of Aberdare Park.

Last year, Buckley took seven wins from seven starts and lifted the coveted Welsh Open Cup, previously won by greats like Ian Lougher and Jason Griffiths. It was always going to be tough to repeat that form, and Buckley was focused on retaining the Open crown.

Even that would be a big ask, with William Dunlop, former Open winner Mick Goodings and rising BSB star John Simpson on his heels.

The first outing on the OTSS Racing ZX6 Kawasaki was the Welsh Open heat. Conditions were tricky as the weather and a newly laid track surface made the task ahead even more daunting, but this didn't phase the flying Scotsman as he got the hole shot and led the race from flag to flag.

That put Buckley on provisional pole for the final on Sunday.

Next up was the 600 Park challenge, where Buckley was pushed all the way and had to settle for second.

Sunday saw glorious sunshine and a record crowd turning out to watch some great racing around the 0.9 mile Welsh circuit. The day started off similar to the closing race of Saturday as Buckley brought the Kawasaki ZX6 home in second place again in the 600 Park challenge race.

Then all eyes were focused on the OTSS Racing rider as he was getting prepared for the main event of the weekend, the Welsh Open final. A change in the regulations saw Buckley start from the third row, as the first heat he won was in the rain and the remaining heats were run in dry conditions.

Buckley put this aside and focused on retaining his title. Lap one saw Buckley ease into third after a scintillating start. By lap two he was up to second and ready to take the lead from Goodings. The Scotsman got the signal from his pitboard that he had to make his move, which he did on lap seven, and then got his head down and made a break from the pack.

Buckley crossed the line ahead of Dunlop to once again win the illustrious Welsh Open title.

He said:

"It has been such a fantastic weekend for the whole team and myself. Everyone at Aberdare make you feel so welcome which goes a long way nowadays."

"I was hungry for race wins this weekend and of course I wanted to take the Welsh Open title back home with me for the second year. I am so happy to have done it again and am grateful to all the people that made it happen."

"A special thanks goes to Kawasaki UK, Nick Morgan, and his team at MSS Colchester Kawasaki who pulled out all the stops and got me on the grid. As always my team worked beyond there means and they should be very proud of what WE have done."