CONNOR Behan kept the Aprilia 125 Superteen championships alive by clawing back 15 points over leader Craig Morley at Pembrey at the weekend. Many expected Ely-based rider Morley to claim the title at the Welsh circuit and luck seemed to be on his side wh

CONNOR Behan kept the Aprilia 125 Superteen championships alive by clawing back 15 points over leader Craig Morley at Pembrey at the weekend.

Many expected Ely-based rider Morley to claim the title at the Welsh circuit and luck seemed to be on his side when Behan suffered engine problems early in the first race and failed to finish. Yet, with Morley in second place in the final lap, and with the title within grasp, he crashed as the red flags came out after another rider went down.

Behan capitalised on this rare mistake and pulled off the performance of his life to win the next three races. Morley kept the Northwich-based rider under pressure throughout, and finished in second place in each of these races.

The former City of Ely Community College pupil's father and manager Mark Morley said: "Pembrey is a very fast track and, due to Craig being significantly taller and heavier than many of the other riders, it is not suited to his style of racing. There was a lot of rain in the warm-up on Friday, and we were hopeful that this would continue throughout the weekend, because Craig has always been able to cope with wet track conditions better than the other riders, but unfortunately this didn't happen."

Morley is still set to claim the title at the final race meeting of the year at Brands Hatch on October 7 and 8. He takes a 93-point lead into this event and just needs an eighth place finish in one of the four races to secure the title, regardless of Behan's performance. During the weekend, Morley will also be racing in the Supersport 600 for the first time, as a practise for next season.

Morley is expecting to move up to an esteemed new event next year, the Suzuki 600 Superstocks, and this will be screened on live television. Anyone interested in sponsoring him should contact Mark Morley on 01353 688410 or 07745 894334.