In just his second season contesting the FIM Flat Track World Championship powered by Anlas, Kineo, Blackburst and HKC Koopmann, British lion Tim Neave (Yamaha) has roared into title contention and at the halfway point of the season currently sits third in the points and within striking distance of the lead.
The twenty-nine-year-old started out in Flat Track while he was still a teenager before focussing on more conventional asphalt-based activities. However, following a major practice crash in 2022 and a series of mechanical problems at the start of 2023 he became disillusioned with road racing and last summer, when he was offered the opportunity to revert to his first love, he jumped at it.
He ended the year in eleventh with the high points a pair of fifth-place finishes in Boves-Cuneo in Italy and Pardubice in the Czech Republic and went into the winter determined to be better prepared this time around.
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Can Neave close the gap on Halbert at 2024 FIM Flat Track World Championship Round 4 in France? – Preview
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Neave third as Halbert extends 2024 FIM Flat Track World Championship lead with victory in Great Britain – Race Report
“I went in a bit blind last year,” admitted Neave. “I hadn’t ridden Flat Track properly for quite a few years and I honestly thought that I’d be able to rock up and the level would not have changed! Well it had and that really opened my eyes. I realised I needed the bike to be a lot better and also that I needed to get my riding back up to scratch. It was all such short notice that we had to make the best of what we had – the bike set-up wasn’t great, it was under-powered and I was on old tyres.
“So this year Inizio UK has jumped onboard and bought a brand-new motorcycle and with the help of my sponsors we’ve turned it into a good race bike. I’ve done a proper pre-season testing programme, trying lots of parts and different set-ups to turn the bike inside out and understand what I like.”
A storming second at this year’s opening round at Boves-Cuneo was a sensational start to the season, although Neave thinks the jump and more twisting nature of the TT course was better suited to his riding skills and current stage of engine development than the faster oval tracks that make up the remainder of the calendar and which call for more raw power.
“I was down on horsepower in Italy, but the bike worked fantastic and we got a second-placed finish. Before the next round in Germany we tested on a big oval which really highlighted my weaknesses with the bike set-up that were masked on the TT course.”
After slipping to eighth at round two in Meissen in Germany, Neave was at the front for round three on home ground at King’s Lynn last month where a fighting third lifted him back into a medal position, just fifteen points behind leader Sammy Halbert and seven adrift of defending champion Ervin Krajčovič heading into round four this coming Saturday (7 September) at Morizès in France.
“Sammy’s on a win-streak, he’s at the top of his game and he’s got a really good bike underneath him and Ervin’s not far behind. They are the lads I have to start beating without a shadow of a doubt. I’m getting better all the time so who knows? Sammy and Ervin had a little bit over me at King’s Lynn – we’re definitely closing the gap, but we haven’t done it just yet. Ask me again after Morizès and I might have a different take on things…”
The first Heat at Morizès is scheduled to get under way at 16:00 local time on 7 September. For more information click here.
Words by FIM Flat Track – Images by Jesper Veldhuizen
