In his own words, Sam’s second event of the season did not go according to plan!

This time it was the turn of Donington Park to host the Thundersport GB Motorcycle Club – the first bike races of the circuit’s 40th anniversary season – where the schedule of 38 races and more than 390 racers provided great entertainment for the crowds.

For our sponsored rider, Sam Osborne, qualifying was not the perfect start to the weekend. Hampered by bikes issues, he qualified 19th.

In Race 1, he got a really good start and moved up to 8th and 1st in class with things feeling good. After 10 laps and continuing to push hard, he managed to out brake himself at the notorious Foggy Esses, the left-right flick at the end of the main straight. Sam had to run straight on, turn around and then wait to safely rejoin. This put him back to 17th and 4th in class.

Sam describes his start in Race 2 as an absolute nightmare losing a few places. But he picked his way through the pack to finish 18th overall and 6th in class.

Another poor start in Race 3 was followed by an enjoyable race with his team mate Sam Mcfarlane.  Sam finished 15th overall and 5th in class.

According to Sam and his MSG Racing team, there is still a lot of work to do on the bike which they hope will be completed by the time Thundersport GB turns up at Snetterton in a month’s time.

Motorsport Electrical Connectors

Lane Electronics offer a specialist service for motorsport connectors under the banner of Lane Motorsport. We are an official distributor for Souriau’s wide range of high performance electrical connectors designed specifically for the harsh environments found in all types of motorsport. Souriau’s 8STA circular connectors push the boundaries when it comes to contact density, miniaturisation and weight reduction. Now available assembled to order at Lane Electronics, they are designed specifically to withstand shock, vibration, corrosive fluids and temperature extremes, typical of the environment found throughout all forms of motorsport including Formula 1, Indy cars, GP2, World rally cars, endurance racing including Le Mans 24 hours, as well as World Superbikes and Moto GP.

Sam Osborne has made his racing comeback and it was certainly a roller-coaster weekend at the iconic Brands Hatch circuit.

The weekend started with a test day and is was definitely, well, testing!! Sam managed just one session as persistent bike problems and bad weather took their toll. Sam’s new bike, a Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9, suffered with oil and water leaks as well as a failing quickshifter and it was left to Sam’s team-mate Gav to get everything sorted for qualifying. Sam qualified – 25^th after just 3 laps as his gear link snapped leaving him with no gears.

Regular readers will know that several classes of bike line up for each of the three races including Sam’s Thundersport GP1 Sportsman class.

After a tentative start in Race 1, Sam began to “find his rhythm” and ended 5th in his class and 15th overall.

Because of damp conditions in Race 2, Sam gambled with a wet front and dry rear tyre. Although it provided “some interesting moments” the gamble paid off and Sam finished 2nd in class and 11th overall.

Race 3 was another damp race and for reasons known only to himself, Sam decided to use a tinted visor which meant he was unable to see the damp patches. Despite this, he finished 5th in class and 10th overall.

Sam has told us that he is so happy to be back racing after his head injury. “To be honest I just wanted to get through the weekend without a crash.” He says. “My 1000cc bike is going to take some time to get used to, but I feel like I’ve already got a great connection with it and Brands Hatch has been a great step in the right direction.

Sam Osborne Lane Motorsport Bike Racer

You may remember that our sponsored bike rider Sam Osborne had to stop racing just after the season’s start last year after being diagnosed with Post-Concussion Syndrome. He sustained a head injury during a crash at a testing session at the end of 2015, the consequences of which only became apparent a few months later. Now, Sam is on course to return to racing in 2017 and will compete on a bigger bike, a Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9. To get to know his new Suzuki, Sam has just returned from a 3-day track weekend in Cartagena, Spain – away from our winter – where he hoped to get the best preparation to start the new season in the best possible shape.

The result of Sam’s Spanish weekend? Very productive were his exact words, as well as “I feel like I already know the bike. I can see the bike has great potential and is definitely not lacking in power. With the amount of power slides and wheelies I was having in Spain, it’s absolute animal!”

Sam plans to enter both the Thundersport GP1 Sportsman series, as well as take part in the No-Limits programme with which includes sprint as well as endurance races. Riding in both series will mean that Sam is racing on most weekends but if successful, his move up the racing rankings will come that much quicker.

We wish him well and look forward to bringing you some very positive news as the season gets underway.

Motorsport Electrical Connectors

Lane Electronics offer a specialist service for motorsport connectors under the banner of Lane Motorsport. We are an official distributor for Souriau’s wide range of high performance electrical connectors designed specifically for the harsh environments found in all types of motorsport. Souriau’s 8STA circular connectors push the boundaries when it comes to contact density, miniaturisation and weight reduction. Now available assembled to order at Lane Electronics, they are designed specifically to withstand shock, vibration, corrosive fluids and temperature extremes, typical of the environment found throughout all forms of motorsport including Formula 1, Indy cars, GP2, World rally cars, endurance racing including Le Mans 24 hours, as well as World Superbikes and Moto GP.

Once again, we are exhibiting at the Autosport Engineering show which takes place at Birmingham’s NEC starting January 12^th. Come and see us on Stand E391. It’s Europe’s biggest and most influential motorsport technology trade show, bringing the industry together to showcase the latest cutting-edge machinery and components on the eve of the new season.

Lane Motorsport people will be available to discuss the latest circular connectors from SOURIAU’s 8STA Series, along with a comprehensive selection of connector accessories from HellermannTyton and Weald Electronics. When put together, these products make a comprehensive motorsport electronics and electrical interconnection package which is also available to specify and purchase online.

If you are not going to the show or can’t wait to discuss our products or services, please email motorsport@fclane.com or call us on +44 (0)1403 790661.

As we have reported before, each year LU Motorsport (Loughborough University Motorsport) develops, builds, tests and races a new single seat race car. From CAD to test circuit, these vehicles are designed from a blank sheet of paper, with the knowledge and expertise from over a decade of racing experience.

LU Motorsport has had a good 2016 and is already starting to think about next year’s design with new students joining the team.  Old team members are starting new jobs and we hope they will keep in touch with Lane Motorsport.  8STA connectors are planned to be used again 2017 and we look forward to helping the new members of the team choose the right solutions from the vast selections of connectors, accessories and tooling to build a winning LU Motorsport car.

The racing car is designed to be both competitive on the track and in the business world. The Formula Student competition requires every team to assume their vehicles are to be sold to the open market. Consequently, the vehicles must be high performance, low cost, easy to maintain, reliable, aesthetically pleasing and suitable for mass or lean production.

The LU Motorsport team is run and managed solely by students of Loughborough University. Every year, the team recruits new students to join and the team competes at race events across Europe. The team comprises students from all years and all disciplines – from automotive engineering to finance.

Last year we told you about our involvement with Loughborough University and its exciting racing car project which did so well in last year’s Formula Student competition. You may remember Lane Motorsport provided a variety of Souriau 8STA connectors for use throughout the car. Loughborough University ended 2015 as the 3^rd UK team in the World rankings and, now, the team has unveiled its car for 2016 – the LFS16.

Formula Student is an international engineering competition which challenges student teams from around the world to conceive, design, build, cost and compete as a team with a small single seat racing car. The vehicle must be suitable for a 1000 unit production run and must also be affordable to the weekend racer costing a maximum of $25,000. This year, no less than 528 teams from all parts of the World are taking part and 2016 event venues include Italy’s Riccardo Paletti Circuit, Silverstone in the UK and Austria’s Red Bull Ring.

The cars are judged on a number of criteria including engineering design, cost and sustainability as well as the ability to present the project in a business-like manner. Scrutineering is strict, covering such static parameters as tilt, noise and braking as well as dynamic events that include acceleration, sprint, endurance and fuel economy.

Describing the new LFS16, Team Leader Jamie Shone commented “We had a great 2015 and were fully committed to improving both the car and the way the team operates for the 2016 season. Our new car has greatly improved dynamic characteristics as well as a new modified 607cc Triumph Daytona 675 engine married to a Mitsubishi TD03 Turbocharger. We have worked very hard to improve the new car’s drivability with a much improved chassis design and we are all looking forward to seeing how the car performs this year”

At the time of writing, performance figures were not available, but we will bring you details of how the LFS16 does in competition during the rest of the year.

Lane Motorsport product offering is based around the Souriau 8STA and 8TA series of high performance circular connectors as well as a wide range of compatible connector accessories including nut plates, gaskets and lightweight caps produced by Weald Electronics, protective boots from HellermannTyton as well as a complete range of tooling. Lane Motorsport’s click to connect “Store” allows customers to select a standard product or “build” application specific connectors from many hundreds of in-stock components.

As we reported back in May, our sponsored rider Sam Osborne had to pull out of this year’s Thundersport GB Series after just three rounds. The reason? Sam was diagnosed with Post-Concussion Syndrome after sustaining a head injury during a crash at a testing session late last year.

We talked to Sam yesterday and were delighted to hear that he is very much on the mend and, in his own words, he “feels much better in himself” and is very confident that he will be able to return to the track in time to prepare for the 2017 season.

With his health improving and the symptoms of Post-Concussion Syndrome gradually subsiding, Sam is scheduled to have an MRI scan to ensure that there is no lasting physical damage. As soon as the symptoms completely disappear, Sam will undergo a series of tests which, when completed, will allow him to get his racing licence back.

Sam had very mixed results in his three rounds of the 2016 Thundersport GB Series. He won in his class, he crashed out during horrendous weather and he had top ten finishes. He is very confident that he will improve on these performances during the 2017 season.

Sam, who rides for the leading Suzuki specialist tuning and racing team MSG Racing, is sponsored by The Motorsport Division of Lane Electronics.

After just three rounds of the 2016 Thundersport GB Series, our sponsored rider Sam Osborne has been forced to pull out of future events and put his racing career on hold.

During what he describes as a “casual” track day at Snetterton last December Sam, who rides for the leading Suzuki specialist tuning and racing team MSG Racing, contrived to run himself over sustaining a head injury that has proved to be more serious than was first thought. As a result, Sam has experienced issues with his eyesight and balance as well as dizziness, fatigue and headaches.

After many trips to the doctors, Sam has just been diagnosed with Post Concussion Syndrome which in effect means he has been regularly suffering with concussion-like symptoms since the Snetterton crash five months ago.

“Obviously i’m glad and relieved to finally find out what’s wrong with me although unfortunately it means I have had to suspend my racing licence as it’s not safe to continue racing in my condition.” Sam Osborne says. “Not only would it be very dangerous for other riders it could also leave me with permanent damage if I was to suffer another concussion on top of what I’m experiencing now. It is a nasty condition to have and one I have never heard of before. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.” Sam adds.

For Lane Motorsport, Managing Director Simon Hammerton says “We are all gutted for Sam who now has to sit out the rest of the season. But it is always better to be safe than sorry and we all hope he won’t be out for too long and back racing in the near future.”

Many of you will have heard the expression – bad day at the office – and some of you will have had that experience. However, when your “office” is a race track and you’re riding a beast of a bike, such a day is not good for the rider or the bike.

The third round of this year’s Thundersport GB Series took place at Snetterton in Norfolk around the 2 mile, 3.22km, 200 circuit. Sam Osborne, who rides for the leading Suzuki specialist tuning and racing team MSG Racing and is sponsored by The Motorsport Division of Lane Electronics qualified 3rd in his class and 8th overall with an impressive 1.15 lap time.

“I was very happy with the qualifying time” says Sam “As during testing I was only managing 1.18/1.19s. Things were looking OK.”

Sam Osborne (photo by Alan Lygo)

After another good practice session at Donington Park, Sam Osborne had every reason to feel confident going into the three-race fixture that made up the second weekend of the 2016 Thundersport GB season. Unfortunately for Sam and many other competitors, the weather had other ideas. Sam, who rides for the leading Suzuki specialist tuning and racing team MSG Racing, is sponsored by The Motorsport Division of Lane Electronics.

In Race 1, Sam qualified seventh on the grid and was soon leading his class and was second overall. It began to look like Sam would repeat his success at the first weekend of the season and take the chequered flag in his class. Like all the other bikes in the race, Sam’s Suzuki GSX-R 600 was on dry tyres so when it began to rain he ‘toned it down a bit’ in the expectation that there would be a race-altering lack of adhesion flag or even a race-stopping red flag as the rain started to get worse. The flags never came and, despite being ‘careful’ Sam had what he describes as a ‘massive high side’ coming into McLeans.

After more than ten riders went down, the race was stopped. Sam’s bike (and Sam!!) were both damaged and were unable to join the restart just ten minutes later.

Despite a possible broken hand and a badly damaged bike, Sam managed to get home in 8th place in Race 2 and did even better in Race 3, coming 4th.

Sam Osborne (photo by Gavin Elliott)

A brilliant achievement by a brilliant rider.

Thankfully, both rider and machine can be fixed – hopefully in time for the next race meeting at Snetterton at the end of April.

Lane Electronics’ Motorsport Division

We established a Motorsport Division around three years ago to offer high performance electronic connector solutions for multiple applications across racing platforms including cars, bikes and boats at all levels of the sport. Our products – such as the latest circular connectors from Souriau’s 8STA Series – are used extensively in bike racing.

If you have any questions about our motorsport connectors or any of our other connector products or services, please email sales@fclane.com or call us on +44 (0)1403 790661.