Stacey falls agonisingly short of lifting British title
Storm Stacey agonisingly missed out on the National Superstock 600 title by the smallest of margins during a dramatic British Superbike finale.
The Eccleshall star had put himself in real contention for pulling off a huge upset after leading for much of the race at Brands Hatch, in Kent.
And then, on the final lap, Shane Richardson, who only needed to finish in the points to claim the title, suffered a mechanical problem.
Suddenly Stacey, 16, making his debut on a 600cc machine with the Team WD40-Stauff Quick Connect Academy this year, was leading the race and heading for the championship.
But he suffered a huge moment at the worst possible time, which relegated him to third giving Korie McGreevy the chance to claim a last-lap victory in the final National Superstock 600 race of the season, taking the title in the process.
Richardson had grabbed the holeshot to be the early race leader but half way round the opening lap Stacey had taken over the front of the pack.
With the safety car being deployed on the start of lap two, the race resumed three laps later as Eunan McGlinchey took the lead whilst Richardson slipped back to 10th.
A 12-rider train formed the mid-race but disaster struck for Richardson on the start of the final lap as he was forced to retire.
With Richardson out, it was a last lap battle between Stacey and McGreevy for the 2019 title.
Taking the lead half way round the final lap, Stacey had a big moment that saw him slip to third as McGreevy grabbed the lead to win the race.
The result left Stacey third in the championship on 155 points during a stunning debut campaign, with McGreevy on 166 and Richardson on 160.
The teenager's season built momentum throughout the year, culimating in a double win at Oulton Park following by an arguably even more impressive finish during the penultimate round at Donington Park, when he carved his way from the back of the field to take second, which had kept his championship hopes alive.
