RatMally Ambassador Nick Round endured a character-building weekend of pure road racing grit aboard his Yamaha R6 at the famous Oliver's Mount circuit:

The weekend's objective was clear: qualify for the premier Supersport A grid and secure a spot in the prestigious Cock of the North feature race. However, the mountain had other ideas. On the opening lap of qualifying, with cool temperatures and mist hanging in the air, Nick lost the front on the first right-hander. Both rider and machine went flying, with Nick ending up upside down in a bush and the R6 suffering heavy damage, including an exhaust bent at a painful 45-degree angle.

While a battered, bruised, and heavily scratched Nick recovered, his Dad and Uncle went to war in the paddock, pulling a frantic all-nighter to rebuild the smashed machine.

Putting on a brave face and fighting through a lot of hidden pain, Nick rewarded the crew's hard work on Sunday. Charging from the very back of the grid in the Supersport B races, he fought through to secure crucial 9th and 8th-place finishes. These resilient results add vital signatures to his upcoming Manx Grand Prix application. The first crash of the year is out of the way—we regroup and move on to Armoy!