Bennetts British Superbike Championship
Donington Park, England
April 1, 2018
Race One Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Bradley Ray, UK (Suzuki), 18 laps, Total Race Time 27:12.977, Best Lap Time 1:29.949
2. Shane Byrne, UK (Ducati), -0.383 second, 1:29.978
3. James Ellison, UK (Yamaha), -0.721, 1:30.005
4. Dan Linfoot, UK (Honda), -3.174 seconds, 1:30.072
5. Luke Mossey, UK (Kawasaki), -4.430, 1:30.228
6. Glenn Irwin, UK (Ducati), -4.671, 1:29.991
7. Jason O’Halloran, UK (Honda), -6.191, 1:30.131
8. Peter Hickman, UK (BMW), -8.822, 1:30.370
9. Leon Haslam, UK (Kawasaki), -13.792, 1:30.169
10. Michael Laverty, UK (BMW), -14.224, 1:30.509
11. Jake Dixon, UK (Kawasaki), -14.350, 1:30.447
12. Josh Brookes, Australia (Yamaha), -17.143, 1:30.625
13. Danny Buchan, UK (Kawasaki), -21.039, 1:30.344
14. Christian Iddon, UK (BMW), -24.931, 1:30.673
15. Taylor Mackenzie, UK (Ducati), -30.296, 1:30.937
16. Richard Cooper, UK (Suzuki), -31.246, 1:31.401
17. Gino Rea, UK (Suzuki), -39.847, 1:31.248
18. Tarran Mackenzie, UK (Yamaha), -42.094, 1:31.709
19. Sylvain Barrier, France (BMW), -46.262, 1:31.917
20. Mason Law, UK (Kawasaki), -46.596, 1:32.368
21. Dean Harrison, UK (Kawasaki), -51.820, 1:32.196
22. David Johnson, Australia (BMW), -64.789, 1:33.082
23. Martin Jessop, UK (BMW), -80.031, 1:33.082
24. Carl Phillips, UK (Kawasaki), -82.154, 1:33.587
25. Connor Cummins, UK (Honda), -86.861, 1:34.206
26. Shaun Winfield, UK (Yamaha), -89.871, 1:34.149
27. William Dunlop, UK (Yamaha), -90.033, 1:34.355
28. Kyle Ryde, UK (Yamaha), -2 laps, DNF, 1:32.753
29. Tommy Bridewell, UK (Suzuki), -2 laps, DNF, 1:32.327
30. Jakub Smrz, Czech Republic (BMW), DNS
More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:
Young gun Ray celebrates first Bennetts BSB race win in Donington Park opener
20-year-old Bradley Ray celebrated his first race win in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship in the opening race of the season at Donington Park today (Sunday), holding off the last lap challenge from defending champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne and James Ellison.
On the opening lap of the race home hero Leon Haslam had initially grabbed the advantage on the JG Speedfit Kawasaki after Byrne had a disastrous start off the line and dropped down the order dramatically.
Ellison was instantly on the attack and took the lead on the opening lap for the local Anvil Hire TAG Yamaha team with Ray holding third place with Jason O’Halloran and Danny Buchan in close contention.
Ray was piling the pressure on Haslam though and he made a move on lap three to move into second place and ready to target Ellison. A lap later and Tommy Bridewell and Kyle Ryde had a premature end to their race when they crashed out, but both were soon up on their feet.
Ray moved to the front of the pack for the first time on the sixth lap with a determined move on Ellison at Redgate with Ellison and Haslam still in close contention, but behind the there was a scrap between Luke Mossey, Dan Linfoot and Danny Buchan with Byrne soon moving into contention.
Linfoot and Mossey were trading blows on track, but Byrne was soon ahead and with four laps to go the leading trio were inseparable in their quest for the first victory of the season.
The battle for the win went all the way to the finish line and on the exit of Melbourne for the final time Ray had a moment which pushed him out of the seat, but he wasn’t giving Ellison and Byrne an inch.
The defending champion though took the advantage, moving ahead of Ellison to finish second as the Buildbase Suzuki team celebrated the first victory of 2018.
Dan Linfoot won the war for fourth place ahead of Mossey and the returning Glenn Irwin as Jason O’Halloran dropped back to seventh on the final lap. Peter Hickman was eighth after he made a move on Haslam with Michael Laverty completing the top ten.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Donington Park, Race 1:
1.Bradley Ray (Buildbase Suzuki)
2.Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) +0.383s
3.James Ellison (Anvil Hire TAG Yamaha) +0.721s
4.Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) +3.174s
5.Luke Mossey (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +4.430s
6.Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati) +4.671s
7.Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) +6.191s
8.Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) +8.822s
9.Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +13.792s
10.Michael Laverty (Tyco BMW) +14.224s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings after Donington Park race one:
1.Bradley Ray (Buildbase Suzuki) 25
2.Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) 20
3.James Ellison (Anvil Hire TAG Yamaha) 16
4.Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) 13
5.Luke Mossey (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) 11
6.Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati) 10
7.Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) 9
8.Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) 8
9.Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) 7
10.Michael Laverty (Tyco BMW) 6
The opening round of the 2018 Bennetts British Superbike Championship take place this Easter weekend at Donington Park. For more information visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Bradley Ray
(Buildbase Suzuki)
Donington Park, Race one winner
“From qualifying and from the practice pace we had, I knew we could run the pace of the top five but I did not expect to lead a race from the third or fourth lap in to the end of the race and win in!
“The last two laps I was thinking ‘this is real now, we’ve got to try and concentrate and get the job done’ and I did make a few mistakes getting a bit excited but honestly I can’t thank the team enough for the effort they put in through the winter and getting the bike set up and changing the areas that I struggled a lot last year, so I’m hoping we can be up with the front boys for the rest of the year and be challenging for podiums more often.
“The bit that got me, the second to last lap I came round with +1.2 and I thought ‘if I can keep this pace to the last lap we should be okay’ and I came round onto the last lap and I had +0 and I heard a bike behind me and I thought ‘oh no’ but I tried to keep my cool through the whole race.
“I had a big moment out of the Foggy Esses on the last lap and I thought ‘oh no’ and I could hear a bike coming up the inside so I braked as late as I could and just went straight to the apex and stopped the bike, and the coming out I heard a different bike, I heard a Ducati, and I thought ‘I know exactly who that is’ so I just went straight to the apex again for the last corner, stopped it and just fired it out and hoped it would be enough and luckily it was.
“It was just an unbelievable feeling to cross the line first, and to lead that many laps with a fairly good pace was quite good and an eye-opener for us and the team.
More, from a press release issued by Be Wiser Ducati:
Podium For Shakey & Top Six For Irwin At Donington
The Be Wiser Ducati Racing Team got their 2018 Bennetts British Superbike Championship campaign underway in fine style at Donington Park today with reigning champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne taking second place and team-mate Glenn Irwin sixth in the opening race of the new season.
With yesterday’s free practice sessions being severely affected by wet weather, and a heavy spill for Irwin which necessitated a hospital check-up, today dawned dry but with very cold temperatures as organisers shuffled the race schedule to counter the worst of the Easter weather. Both riders were in good form in the final free practice session this morning and they carried this into qualifying with 41-year-old Londoner Byrne placing third and Northern Ireland’s Irwin tenth ahead of the afternoon’s 18-lap race.
At the start, Byrne’s good work was undone, however, when he pulled a big wheelie off the line and by the end of the first lap, he’d dropped back to ninth with Irwin two further places back. Consolidating their positions in the early stages, both riders started to move forward on the factory-backed Be Wiser Ducati Panigale Rs and by lap six, six-times and defending champion Byrne was up to sixth and Irwin ninth.
With consistent lap times, Byrne was able to reel in the riders in front and having moved up to third on lap 12, he was close enough to challenge for the lead. He managed to get by second placed James Ellison at the Melbourne Hairpin on the final lap and although an overtaking manoeuvre on leader Bradley Ray may have been possible at the final corner, he opted for caution and settled for second place and 20 solid points.
Irwin’s race followed a similar pattern and he overtook riders throughout eventually crossing the line in sixth place, no mean feat given he was taken to Nottingham Queen’s Medical Hospital after the Carrickfergus rider’s crash on Saturday. And with both riders putting in strong lap times, they’ll line up in second and third on the front row of the grid for tomorrow’s second race.
Shane Byrne: “It hasn’t been the easiest of weekends so far with the weather and cold temperatures and qualifying was particularly tricky as I had a number of moments. We made a slight mistake, but I was reasonably happy with the front row of the grid, but all the hard work disappeared when the bike went vertical the moment I dropped the clutch. I lost a lot of ground, but I didn’t panic and stayed calm. I kept chipping away and made some good moves forward and I was being very careful not to use too much of the tyre, so I still had some left at the end. In that sense, I managed the race well and having overtaken James, there was a chance to go for the win, but it would have been a bit of a lunge and I obviously didn’t want to go down myself or take out Brad. It was a good, fun race and I’ve come away with 20 points so a big thanks to the team, it’s a positive way to start the season.”
Glenn Irwin: “After the crash in practice, standing here now with a sixth-place finish is very pleasing, particularly with how I rode in the race. I had a small problem off the line with the clutch but other than that the race went really well, and I had no problems at all with my injuries, so I’ve got to say a big thank you to the medics for looking after me so well. I made some good moves forward throughout the race and no-one overtook me and whilst I can make some improvements to both myself and the bike, we’re in a good position for tomorrow’s race.”
Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-Ordinator: “It’s a very good start to the season and with both riders in the top six, we’ve got to be happy. Obviously, Shakey’s target is to be on the podium in every race and to come through from ninth to second shows how well he was riding and how well the bike was working. He could maybe have passed both riders on the last lap to take a great win but we’re still happy with second whilst Glenn came through the pack in a similar way. We’ve seen him do that in the past and his race pace is always strong so with both riders on the front row for tomorrow’s race, we’ll be pushing to have both riders on the podium.”
Result:
Bennetts British Superbike Championship Race One (18 laps)
1 Bradley Ray (Suzuki)
2 Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati)
3 James Ellison (Yamaha)
4 Dan Linfoot (Honda)
5 Luke Mossey (Kawasaki)
6 Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati)
For further information, please visit the team’s new and updated website, www.pbmuk.net and the official website of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship www.pbmuk.net
More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing BSB Press Office:
SOLID START TO 2018 FOR HONDA RACING AT DONINGTON PARK
The Honda Racing British Superbike team kicked off the 2018 season in fighting style today at Donington Park scoring a double points finish, with Dan Linfoot fourth and Jason O’Halloran seventh. The opening race of the 2018 Bennetts British Superbike Championship season took place this afternoon, having been brought forward due to weather conditions at the Leicestershire circuit.
With yesterday’s practice sessions affected by wet weather, today’s forecast saw dry but cold conditions at the 2.4873-mile circuit. Both Linfoot and O’Halloran started the day with positive times and wrapped up a shortened qualifying session sixth and ninth respectively, meaning a second row start for O’Halloran and a third row for Linfoot, ahead of the opening race.
Both Honda men charged their CBR1000RR Fireblades off the line as the lights went out and settled into good rhythms during the opening laps. Unfortunately The O’Show was run wide and lost momentum and some places, but soon got back into the leading pack catching his teammate up in the process.
With Fireblade paint being swapped during the closing stages of the 18-lap race, both Linfoot and O’Halloran wanted fourth place and went about trading places for the spot. Unfortunately for Aussie O’Halloran, a technical issue hampered his fight, as a broken gear lever in the final lap pushed him back to seventh place, while Linfoot crossed the line fourth.
Tomorrow’s second race will see the Honda duo line up on the grid with Linfoot fifth and O’Halloran hot on his heels in sixth place. The second race is scheduled to take place at 1630.
#4
Dan Linfoot
I’m quite happy after today, of course I would have loved a podium and being the first place off is a little frustrating, but the bigger picture is that it’s a long season and fourth is a good way to start really, so I can’t be too disappointed with that. The race was difficult, but also enjoyable as we were close with other riders and I enjoyed some of the overtaking moves. The tyre situation was difficult it was spinning a lot from lap one, so I had to settle into the CBR and I could see the other guys having similar issues, so I just made a plan to get stuck in and go with it. I finished three seconds off the win, which I’m happy enough with and we have a decent grid position for tomorrow, so we now have to see what the weather does overnight and tomorrow. The Fireblade feels good and I’m very happy with the new engine specification, it’s nice and calm out of corners and fast on the straights, which some other riders have commented on, so that’s good feedback for the lads and the work they have done over winter. We do have some things to brush up on and improve for tomorrow, but I am content on where we are and we now need to focus on being ready for when the guys up the pace at the front and when the weather improves, so we can move with them and continue building.
#22
Jason O’Halloran
Race one was good, we got a good start from the line and I got up to third place, I was feeling really comfortable and was in a good rhythm when I got run wide. I lost about four places and a lot of momentum and just went backwards. After a few laps I started to build up again and from that point I felt strong and was able to make some good passes to get closer to the front. I managed to get into fourth and could see the guys in front weren’t that far away and then I started to have a good battle with Dan, which was good fun! We swapped places a few times at the end of the race and I was pushing for fourth, but unfortunately on the last lap my gear lever broke and I ended up crossing the line seventh. I am disappointed to not finish fourth, but that’s racing sometimes and you have to take the highs with the lows, and the lows with the highs. I think we can take confidence to know that we had good speed for the little amount of dry track time we’ve had this weekend and I feel confident in the package we have. I know that with a few small tweaks here and there, it won’t be too long until we’re fighting at the front.
Havier Beltran – Honda Racing team manager
Well it’s not been ideal conditions for the start of the championship really, it’s been cold and wet all weekend, but yet today for the start of the race the track starts to warm! I’m really happy for both Dan and Jason with their ability to move forward in the latter part of the race and pull back some places. Dan finishing fourth was great, I know he’s upset not to be on the podium, but it’s a long championship and there’s time for that, we know he’s got race wins and podiums in him, so if we continue in this way I’m sure it won’t be long until he’s up there. I’m upset for Jason having a technical issue at the end, which seems to have been a broken gear lever, which saw him drop back some places. But overall I am happy that we started strong and both riders finished the race scoring points. It goes to show that both Dan and Jason are keen and ready to fight with their battle on track and we couldn’t ask for better than that really, it may have lost them some time, but I am pleased with the performance and starting the opening race strong. I’m looking forward to the second race tomorrow, we’re starting well from the second row, so with today’s results behind us we know what we’ve got to do and keep building on that.