21-year-old Brendan Roberts secured the National Superstock Championship this weekend with three rounds of the series still remaining. Taking Pole Position, setting the fastest lap and also the race win, Roberts certainly sealed the title in true style. The young Australian dominated all weekend at the 2.12-mile Croft Circuit. Varied weather conditions throughout the weekend proved challenging for him but this did not deter him from topping the time sheets in every session.

With the race being declared as wet and not having a morning warm up or a wet session, the riders were given two sighting laps before being thrown straight into the 16-lap race. A steady start for Roberts saw him slip back to fourth place but he was soon finding his feet in the damp conditions and began to move forward through the field.

A battle with Irishman Marshall Neil proved interesting for the initial laps of the race allowing front runners Steve Brogan and Aaron Zanotti to make a break from the chasing pack. A tidy manoeuvre on lap three saw Roberts move up to third and he was soon hunting down Championship contender Zanotti, a tidy pass on him into turn one on lap 10 enabled Roberts to move a step closer to clinching the title.

With a huge 76-point lead going into Croft he only needed a strong finish to take the title, but Roberts had other plans and wanted to ensure that he meant business and took another race win. A strong pass on Brogan down the start/finish straight on lap 12 saw the Grantham based rider take to the front and bridge a gap of nearly two seconds in the remaining four laps and seal a confident win.

A delighted Roberts commented "What a weekend, I surprised myself during practice and qualifying with the times I managed. I feel riding with the Europeans in an even tougher series has helped me out 100% and its starting to show. To get me to where I am now I couldn't have done it without the support of my family and friends. A big thanks has to go to Jonny and Chris from Moto-Direct for taking an interest in my career and Niall Mackenzie for his advice and friendship since I've been in the UK.

Roberts will next be competing at Cadwell Park on August Bank Holiday weekend in the National Superstock series.

CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
ROBERTS 196 CHAMPION
ZANOTTI 111
LAVERTY 101
HUTCHINSON 100
QUIGLEY 88