JAMIE COWARD RETURNS TO THE ROADS WITH TOP FIVE FINISHES AT THE SOUTHERN 100
Jamie Coward made a determined and impressive return to racing at the Southern 100 (9-10 July). He bounced back from the injuries he sustained at May’s North West 200. This allowed him to secure a string of strong finishes on the KTS Macadam Triumph Factory Racing machine.
Coward was forced to sit out the Isle of Man TT following his NW200 crash. However, the popular Yorkshireman made his competitive comeback on the 4.25-mile Billown Course. He showed grit and determination from the first green flag to the final chequered.
Glorious sunshine greeted the field on the Isle of Man for Wednesday evening’s 29.75-mile mass-start event.
Coward lined up in seventh on the grid for his first race back. Despite dropping back slightly off the start, he steadily fought his way through the pack. By lap five, he was running just outside the top eight. Thankfully, he ultimately brought the Triumph Street Triple 765 home in a hard-fought ninth place. It was a strong first step back into competition after his enforced layoff.
In Thursday’s first race, Coward once again started from seventh. He got into his rhythm and worked his way up to fifth by lap two. Holding firm, he secured a fantastic top-five finish. This was a clear sign that the KTS Macadam Triumph rider is back in business.
The final race of the meeting saw Coward once again start seventh. Fellow Triumph-mounted rider Mikey Evans (Smith Racing) started just behind in ninth. The opening lap saw both riders well in the mix, with Evans fifth and Coward sixth.
Coward continued to impress, steadily climbing the order. On the final lap, Coward made a brilliant late move on Rob Hodson. This allowed him to claim a superb fourth-place finish — a best result of the meeting and a clear marker of his return to form. Meanwhile, Evans rounded out the race in ninth on his Smith Racing Triumph.
Coward returns to action for the Armoy Road Races, 25 – 26 July.
Jamie Coward, KTS Macadam Triumph Racing #36:
“After the crash at the NW200 and a nine week lay off, it was a bit of a shock to the system getting back on the bike and took a little while to get back up to speed. But I’m really happy with the progress throughout the Southern 100. I felt better every time I went out and the team made big steps with the bike, having never ridden it here before. We qualified P7 for the three races over the event. We had a P9 in the first race, P5 in the second and P4 in the final race. I set my personal best lap time on the bike so really happy with that. I can’t thank the team enough for all their hard work and also Triumph for their continued support. We’ve got a few more races coming up to finish the year and hopefully we’ll be back on the box soon.”