By Road Racing News Rising Star of the year award goes to, drum roll, ‘Tommy Club’ member Brad Vicars.
Linking up this year with Robbie Silvester’s respected VRS Racing outfit, Tadcaster’s Vicars has grown and grown in stature throughout the 2019 roads season, establishing his place as one of England’s fastest rising roads talents.
Multi times time a top ten finisher at the Cookstown 100 and Southern 100, July’s Barry Sheene Classic which marked the beginning of a fresh, enterprising new era for Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough, proved hugely productive for the 2017 Newcomers A Manx GP winner.
Ending the two day meet with no less than three top three finishes, Vicars illustrated again why he is widely touted as a proven specialist of North Yorkshire’s ‘Mini TT’.
Following his Barry Sheene Classic exploits, attentions then turned towards his third Manx Grand Prix venture.
5th, 6th within the Lightweight class encounters, the blue riband Senior race saw Vicars double his Manx GP rostrum finishes tally, finishing a brilliant third, along the way joining the prestigious ‘Tommy Club’ courtesy of a new personal best lap speed of 121.193 mph.
Photo by Mark Corlett
Returning from Manx shores in early September, it wasn’t long till the next and final roads outing of 2019 for the Tadcaster racer, the iconic Scarborough Gold Cup meeting.
The showpiece Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough event would see Vicars show more impressive, accomplished form around the ‘Mount’, plus mix it with various roads giants including Ian Lougher and Lee Johnston.
Runner-up within the second Supersport A, Super Twin races, the feature Steve Henshaw International Gold Cup would yield a solid 4th place finish, finishing in front of seasoned Scarborough exponents including York’s Joe Thompson and Senior Manx GP runner-up Stephen Parsons.
Most definitely one to watch in the future, new ‘Tommy Club’ member Vicars has all the components to go onto add countless first rate results, accolades, tumultuous moments to an already increasingly accomplished road racing CV.
Words by Stevie Rial
