Biker Dean moves up ratings despite crash

But with only one more race to come, at Brands Hatch in mid-October, Hipwell needs a good result if he is to claim fourth place in the championship.

The first attempt to run Sunday’s first race came to a premature end after a few laps when an accident left debris on the track.

At the restart of a shortened race Hipwell got off to a good start, holding his seventh place at the end of the first lap.

He was in the middle of a group of three riders separated by less than half a second as they battled for position.

Hipwell started the last lap still in seventh place, six seconds behind the leading group, but he took the chequered flag in sixth place after the third-placed rider crashed.

After a spate of delays involving other races during the day, the second Yamaha R6 race was postponed from mid afternoon until early evening.

As the riders prepared to line up on the grid the clouds darkened and it started to rain, posing severe problems for them.

Hipwell didn’t get away to such a good start this time, dropping down to eighth place by the end of a dramatic first lap during which two riders crashed out of the race

By the end of the third lap he was gradually closing the gap on the seventh placed rider and was only three tenths of a second behind him as they crossed the start and finish straight.

On the next lap he had marginally closed the gap, but they started the fifth circuit in rapidly worsening conditions.

This lap was to be his downfall as he ccrashed entering a corner, losing the front end.

His machine slid down the track and collided with another machine after another rider had also crashed.

Hipwell managed to recover his bike and restart the engine, but he realised the impact had punctured his rear tyre, bringing his race to an end.

With four other riders also crashing before the lap was over ,the organisers decided, in the interests of safety, to bring the race to an early end declaring it as a result after five laps.

Gray & Adams (Doncaster) Honda rider Michael Wilcox did not compete in the British 125GP Championship race having because he had been discharged from hospital only last week.

He had crashed at Cadwell Park on the August Bank holiday weekend.

Wilcox will not compete at Brands Hatch for the final round, but he is looking forward to taking part in some of the championship races next year.

He has, however, decided to concentrate on more road racing events, such as the Northwest 200, next season rather than putting all his efforts into attempting to win the British Championship for a second time.