| Borrowed bike sees Cann finish second |
| Written by BBC Somerset | |
 Somerset rider Dominic Cann competed in round three of the Dutch round of the British Ducati Desmodue series. Keynsham's Louigi Moto racing team have just returned from a 1200-mile round trip to Assen in Holland for what many regard as the event of the season. The Ducati Club Nederland host the annual Club races to which Ducatisti travel from all over the world to compete at the famous TT circuit. Dominic Cann, last years race winner and lap record holder at the Dutch Grand Prix track was feeling confident but still riding a borrowed machine while the Louigi Moto team continued to build a new bike. Qualifying saw championship leader Kyle Hinton, snatch Pole Position from Dominic by just four-tenths of a second. The pair were a full 5-seconds faster than last seasons Pole time and 3-seconds faster than the rest of the field. On race day, the weather was a scorching 34-degrees so whilst the riders waited in the pit lane prior to their race, they would get off their machines in order to stand in the shade. Dominic’s race was almost over before it had even started after a fellow competitor accidentally knocked his bike over and damaged the controls. "We had to assemble in pit lane 10-mins before the race and it was so hot sat there in our racing gear that we all leant our bikes against a wall so we could stand in the shade for a bit," said Dominic. "The next thing I know my bike is lying on it's side and the controls are all bent. Luckily nothing snapped off and I was able to ride it." Dominic Cann chasing Kyle Hinton The race itself was a cracker as Hinton led from the start and Dominic settled in behind him. The former teammates were in a different class as they pulled away from the chasing pack by some 6-seconds per lap. The two were so close in fact that their lap times were never more than seven-hundredths of a second apart as they enthralled the 10,000-strong crowd with some of the closest racing in the history of the series. Dominic smashed the lap record by almost 5-seconds but failed to overtake Kyle when he had planned. The pair passed the chequered flag with less than half a second separating them. "That was brilliant fun," beamed Cann. "I'm obviously gutted not to win, especially as I felt I was faster today. "I had a plan to make a pass at the final chicane on the last lap and was confident I could pull it off. A lap record is good though considering the damage to the bike." The series now heads to Oulton Park in Cheshire on 7th July, the scene of a double win for the Louigi Moto team 12-months ago. Dominic will be looking to close the gap to the championship leader and get his title chase back on track on what will be the fourth different bike this season. |
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