BOB FARRINGTON’S assault on the Northern Formula 400 Championship was strengthened following victory in a rain-affected race at Cadwell Park.

The 57-year-old motorcyclist, of Rawcliffe, near Selby, arrived leading the championship by seven points but extended his advantage in the most testing of conditions.

In freezing cold temperatures and heavy rain, Farrington had to go out in practice with a front wet and a new dry rear tyre as there was no time to put full wets on.

Qualifying on the second row of the grid, in improving weather, Farrington took a chance on dry tyres on a grid which saw all combinations used by different riders.

Getting away in fourth, there were a number of incidents as the race continued with crashes and a bike blew up. By lap four, the circuit was drying out with Farrington in third place.

By the sixth lap, he had moved up to second and posted the fastest lap time.

Catching leader Chris Smith, he took the inside line to pass at the Old Hairpin and got round Barn Corner safely to take the chequered flag.

Not until after the race did Farrington learn that Smith had come off at Barn and the oil from his bike had brought down a number of other riders. The race was then red-flagged.

As a result of this win, Farrington now leads the Formula 400 Championship by 22 points and the 3Parks Championship (Cadwell, Mallory and Oliver’s Mount) by three points.

Farrington’s final race was amalgamated with the Formula Lites. He started from the back of the grid and fought his way through the pack to a remarkable second.

He will next be in action at the Cock Of The North, at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough, on July 23 and 24 before beginning preparations for the Isle of Man Grand Prix to be held in August.

There, he will be riding his Suzuki GSXR 600 in the Junior race, his Suzuki GSXR 750 in the Senior race and his Kawasaki ZXR 400 in the Ultra Lightweight race.