A Super season justifies Leon Dugdale’s decision to make his motorcycling return
Heysham motorcyclist sped to the Supersport 600 Championship title this year.
A Heysham-based motorcyclist has left the opposition trailing after tasting success in this year’s Supersport 600 Championship.
Leon Dugdale, competing with Preston & District Motorcycle Club, took top spot aboard his Kawasaki ZX-6R at the end of the four-round competition at Wigan’s Three Sisters Race Circuit.
It proved quite the return for Leon, who was only in his second year of competition after taking an extended break from the sport.
He explained: “It (victory) was a bit of a surprise considering last year was my first year back racing since 2009.
“I’d missed it. The fact is, on the adrenaline side of things, nothing compares to it; it’s like a reawakening.
“I’d ended up third in class but my lap times were getting faster so I thought ‘I’m going to push for it this year.’”
Victory in this year’s championship was a reward for the hard work undertaken on and off the track.
Completing lap times fast enough for a good grid position - and then transferring those into race performance - might be one thing, but it has to be combined with getting in the best physical condition.
“Qualifying in the morning dictates where you’re going to be on the grid for the first race,” Leon added.
“In the third third round, something in my head clicked and I ended up having a two-second gap between myself and second place.
“I was absolutely flying. My lap times were around 57.6 seconds and the top speed was about 140mph.
“At the same time, it’s hard work on a big bike; there’s no rest and I have to train at a gym.
“I’ve just recently raced at Oulton Park, which was a bit of an eye opener but was enjoyable!”
Supported by his parents, as well as partner Rebecca, and backed by Steve Evans, the managing director of Alan Dick Engineering, and Alpha Signs & Design, Leon has his sights set on moving up the motorcycling pyramid.
He admitted: “The next target is to complete my Clubman Licence and then get a National one.
“I have to do 10 races within a certain percentage of the front of the grid, so that helps me go to the National Licence.”