Editorial Note: American James Rispoli, riding his Quattro Plant FS-3 Racing Kawasaki ZX-10RR, finished fifth in 11-lap Superstock 1000 Race Two (which was held in drying conditions). The race was won by Danny Buchan on a Morello Racing Kawasaki ZX-10R. Rispoli finished 26.189 seconds behind Buchan.
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship
Oulton Park, England
September 17, 2017
Race Two Results (drying conditions, all on Pirelli tires):
1. Dan Linfoot, UK (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), 18 laps, Total Race Time 28:54.097, 1:35.384
2. Leon Haslam, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), -0.054 second, 1:35.274
3. Bradley Ray, UK (Suz GSX-R1000), -0.114, 1:34.888
4. Peter Hickman, UK (BMW S1000RR), -1.514 seconds, 1:35.232
5. Josh Brookes, Australia (Yam YZF-R1), -1.730, 1:35.201
6. Jake Dixon, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -3.265, 1:35.383
7. Shane Byrne, UK (Duc Panigale R), -4.062, 1:35.212
8. Jason O’Halloran, UK (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -4.607, 1:35.395
9. Christian Iddon, UK (BMW S1000RR), -12.554, 1:35.697
10. James Ellison, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -18.395, 1:35.537
11. Sylvain Guintoli, France (Suz GSX-R1000), -20.332, 1:36.367
12. Glenn Irwin, UK (Duc Panigale R), -23.194, 1:36.267
13. Jakub Smrz, Czech Republic (BMW S1000RR), -23.265, 1:36.608
14. Michael Laverty, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -24.606, 1:36.906
15. Lee Jackson, UK (BMW S1000RR), -24.756, 1:36.433
16. Martin Jessopp, UK (BMW S1000RR), -29.838, 1:36.899
17. Dean Harrison, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -57.876, 1:38.363
18. James Westmoreland, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -8 laps, DNF, 1:38.315
19. Aaron Zanotti, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -10 laps, DNF, 1:40.735
20. Shaun Winfield, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -13 laps, DNF, 1:38.046
21. John Hopkins, USA (Duc Panigale R), -15 laps, DNF, 1:35.874
22. Tommy Bridewell, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), -17 laps, DNF, no lap time recorded
23. Luke Mossey, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), DNS
More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Racing Vision:
Haslam grabs MCE BSB Championship lead as rookie Ray scores debut podium
Leon Haslam and Dan Linfoot shared the race victories in a dramatic opening round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship Showdown, putting the JG Speedfit Kawasaki back to the top of the standings as rookie Bradley Ray celebrated a debut podium finish at Oulton Park.
There was drama before the first race even got underway for Showdown contender Jake Dixon as the RAF Regular & Reserves Kawasaki team worked right up until the grid left for the warm up lap before he could exit the garage after his crash in warm up. Dixon started last and from the pitlane, but a determined ride from the 21-year-old saw him heroically carve his way through the pack to finish the race in an incredible fourth place.
Silverstone race winner Linfoot had fired himself into the lead on the opening lap from Showdown contenders Josh Brookes and defending champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne with Peter Hickman, Haslam and Christian Iddon in close contention.
Brookes had moved into second place by the end of the first lap with the leading pack chopping and changing positions with Hickman soon up to second by the fourth lap. The Smiths Racing BMW rider was pushed back into third a lap later as Iddon moved ahead for Tyco BMW.
John Hopkins on the Moto Rapido Ducati was on a charge though and he surged his way into third a lap later as Linfoot continued to edge away at the front. Iddon was trying to close the gap, making a mistake which saw him run on through the chicane and then rejoin, still holding second but with Hopkins, Haslam, Hickman, Brookes and Byrne still ready to make their move.
Iddon though crashed out of contention on the tenth lap, elevating Hopkins and Haslam into second and third respectively as Byrne was dropping down the order on the Be Wiser Ducati. On the 15th lap there was drama for Linfoot as a problem with the Honda Fireblade saw him forced to retire and bring out the red flag, and that put Haslam into a winning position after he had made a move on Hopkins just a lap earlier.
James Ellison was able to get ahead of his McAMS Yamaha team-mate Michael Laverty to hold fifth place as Bradley Ray moved up to seventh in the closing stages as the rookie moved ahead of Showdown contenders Hickman, Byrne and Jason O’Halloran who bounced back from his crash yesterday.
A dry race two saw Linfoot secure his second race win in the Championship, coming back from the disappointment of a race one retirement to score a fantastic victory, holding off Haslam and rookie Bradley Ray to the line as the leading trio were covered by just 0.114s.
At the start Leon Haslam launched into the lead ahead of Dixon and Linfoot, but the RAF Regular & Reserves Kawasaki rider moved ahead on the opening lap to push his JG Speedfit Kawasaki rival back into second place.
Byrne started from the fourth row and he was pushing into the top ten by the second lap, but at the front Dixon was leading the pack from Linfoot, Haslam, Iddon and Hopkins. However after scoring a podium in race one, the American crashed out unhurt on the Moto Rapido Ducati.
Dixon was holding the lead, but Haslam was making a fight back, passing Linfoot into Lodge on the eighth lap with Ray also joining the scrap for the podium. On the tenth lap though Haslam hit the front of the pack with a decisive move at Lodge on the brakes. Dixon was dropping back and Linfoot had moved into second for Honda Racing and was waiting to make his move on the race leader.
Rookie Ray had moved into third place with a lunge on Dixon at Old Hall on the 15th lap. The 20-year-old was in close contention; however the podium order went down to the wire with Haslam leading as the trio crossed the line to start the final lap.
Linfoot made his move at Old Hall to take the lead but Haslam instantly fought back to move back ahead on the JG Speedfit Kawasaki. It wasn’t over though as Linfoot did everything he could to make a move back and he did just that and the pair crossed the line virtually inseparable but it was the Honda Fireblade who had the edge.
For Ray the third place marked his debut podium finish in MCE BSB as he became the 15th different podium finisher in the 2017 season and score the first top three finish for the new Suzuki.
Hickman was the second of the Showdown contenders, finishing in fourth place after fighting his way ahead of Brookes and Dixon with Byrne finishing seventh to drop to third in the overall standings.
O’Halloran was the sixth of the Showdown riders in eighth place after getting ahead of Iddon and Ellison who completed the top ten for McAMS Yamaha.
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, Race 1 result:
1.Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki)
2.John Hopkins (Moto Rapido Ducati) +0.314s
3.Josh Brookes (Anvil Hire TAG Yamaha) +9.690s
4.Jake Dixon (RAF Regular & Reserves Kawasaki) +11.464s
5.James Ellison (McAMS Yamaha) +12.369s
6.Michael Laverty (McAMS Yamaha) +12.630s
7.Bradley Ray (Buildbase Suzuki) +18.370s
8.Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) +19.903s
9.Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) +20.497s
10.Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) +20.758s
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, Race 2 result:
1.Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing)
2.Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +0.054s
3.Bradley Ray (Buildbase Suzuki) +0.114s
4.Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) +1.514s
5.Josh Brookes (Anvil Hire TAG Yamaha) +1.730s
6.Jake Dixon (RAF Regular & Reserves Kawasaki) +3.265s
7.Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) +4.062s
8.Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) +4.607s
9.Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) +12.554s
10.James Ellison (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +18.395s
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings after Oulton Park:
1.Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) 571
2.Josh Brookes (Anvil Hire TAG Yamaha) 549
3.Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) 548
4.Jake Dixon (RAF Regular & Reserves Kawasaki) 541
5.Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) 530
6.Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) 517
For more information visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Leon Haslam
JG Speedfit Kawasaki
Championship leader, Race 1 winner
“I had to keep telling myself in the second race “championship, championship” especially when Brad was nipping at my heels in the final few laps. We rode hard and strong today and that has paid off. I have to say congratulations to Brad and Dan for that (second) race.
“Conditions have kept changing today and that hasn’t been easy, so I have to thank the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team, I was frustrated not to get the win in race two but we have a good position now moving into Assen.
“I can’t wait to get there; we had a double win there last year, but anything can happen and there are a lot of people who can challenge for podiums in this championship.”
Dan Linfoot
Honda Racing
Race 2 winner
“It has been said before that these wins don’t come on the back of cereal boxes and it isn’t easy at all. I took a win at Silverstone in the wet conditions but I told myself that because everyone crashed out it handed it to me a bit and it was a bit gifted.
“To take a win in the dry has been the aim and race one today was strong in the wet but we had a problem that dropped me out and that wasn’t ideal obviously but the boys changed the motor between races and I never thought I would be here on top of the box.
“Jake led early on and I was comfortable sitting in the group as there were a few damp patches around and I just hung in there and waited until the end. Leon was leading and I had the strongest last lap I could do and I passed him, he got me back and I knew I had one more chance.
“It did get a bit scrappy but it was a win and I am looking forward to Assen and Brands Hatch now.”
Bradley Ray
Buildbase Suzuki
First podium finish in MCE BSB Race 2
“I am speechless to be honest; to get my first podium finish in the Superbike class on the new Suzuki is unbelievable. At the start of the year I said to the team lets aim for top tens and to score points then we will be happy as we are developing the bike, so to come away with a podium is incredible.
“I was pushing on quite hard and caught the boys and took the podium which was a great experience for me too to follow Dan and Leon for those laps. I have learnt a lot today and we can work from this and try and keep the ball rolling.”
More, from a press release issued by Smiths Racing:
Top Four For Hickman At Oulton Park
Lincoln rider Peter Hickman put in a superb ride to finish fourth in the second MCE British Superbike Championship race at Oulton Park today to keep both himself and the Gloucester-based Smiths Racing BMW team in Showdown contention.
And with an eighth place finish in the first race at the Cheshire venue, there’s still everything to play for in the final five races going into the next round at Assen in The Netherlands in two weeks’ time.
Having qualified in eighth place for the opening 18-lap race around the undulating 2.69-mile circuit, Hickman lined up in the middle of the third row although conditions were vastly different to qualifying as rain had made the track wet. The race started well for the 30 year old as he made a great start and moved up to third on the opening lap but as the race wore on, he slipped down the order and had to settle for eighth as the race ended early on lap 15 following a red flag.
The changing track conditions meant that Peter’s fastest lap was only good enough for a fifth row starting position for the second 18-lap race but a strong start to the race put him up to eleventh at the end of lap one. From there he moved up to seventh at half race distance, where he was the fastest rider on track for the second part of the race. Fighting to the flag, he overhauled Josh Brookes on the final lap to secure fourth place and although he’s dropped back to fifth overall in the points table, it’s still very close amongst the leading riders.
Team-mate Lee Jackson suffered a heavy spill at Old Hall Corner in the second part of qualifying which left the team with plenty of work to do but the bike was rebuilt and he took his place on the grid for the first race, lining up in 18th. A good ride by the 22-year-old Lincolnshire rider saw him immediately move up into the points and he was able to take 12th place at the flag.
He also put in a strong lap during the race which meant a row three start but he wasn’t able to find the pace required to run with the top ten runners although he still picked up another point for 15th place at the chequered flag.
Peter Hickman: “The first race was very average and that was down to me so apologies to the team. I’ve had a decent wet setting all year but haven’t had to push hard so when I did that today, the setting wasn’t quite right. The red flag did me a favour as I was slipping back through the pack and because of that I was deep on the grid for the second race. Starting from 14th was always going to be difficult, especially in mixed conditions, but the bike was awesome and the tyres mint so I was able to keep moving forward. I was the fastest rider on track in the second half of the race but I needed to get by Josh and Shakey quicker than what I did. Loads can still happen but I need to be less cautious and get stuck in sooner.”
Lee Jackson: “It’s been another challenging weekend and I’m disappointed with myself for not getting more out of it. Obviously the crash in qualifying didn’t help but I felt pretty good in the wet and if I could have got going a bit sooner, I think I could have finished in the top ten. In the dry though, I just really struggled and didn’t have the pace to run with the riders around me. Having started from ninth, I was hoping for a top ten position so 15th is disappointing but I’ll keep pushing and look to have a strong outing next time out.”
Rebecca Smith, Team Manager: “The first race was tough given the conditions and Peter especially found the going tough as he struggled for grip. The red flag went in our favour as he was regressing at the time but to go from 14th to fourth in the second is exactly what we want from him at this stage of the season given our Showdown position and we can’t ask for any more. Lee had a good first race which put him in a strong position for the second but just as Peter had struggled for grip in the wet, Lee experienced the same in the dry although he still brought the bike home for a point. Peter scored some decent points today so we’re still very much in Showdown contention.”
More, from a press release issued by Be Wiser Ducati:
Tough Day At Oulton Park For Be Wiser Ducati
The Be Wiser Ducati team of Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne and Glenn Irwin had a challenging day at Oulton Park today with five-times and defending champion Byrne scoring a best position of seventh in the two MCE British Superbike Championship races to slip back to third overall in the title chase.
Having qualified in second place on the factory-backed Be Wiser Ducati Panigale R for today’s opening 18-lap race, which comprised the first round of the Showdown, the dynamics changed from a dry circuit to a wet one to give Byrne and his five other ‘Title Fighters’ more to contend with.
It started well for the Sittingbourne-based Londoner in the opening race as he slotted into fourth right in the wheel tracks of his Showdown rivals but it was soon clear all was not well and a misting visor meant he slipped back through the pack to end up ninth at the flag.
However, the result meant he was back on the fourth row for the second 18-lap encounter around the Cheshire circuit but was soon up inside the top ten and by lap five was up to seventh as he started to close in on the group of riders in front of him. By half race distance, he was one of the quickest riders on track and a podium position looked a possibility but a couple of mistakes, combined with a lack of grip towards the end of the race, saw him end up in seventh place.
Meanwhile Irwin had to start the first race from the fifth row and with a great start, he was up to ninth at the completion of the first lap. But that was as good as it got for the Ulsterman from Carrickfergus as he dropped back to eventually claim 11th at the flag.
The 27 year old started the second race one place and one row behind his team-mate Byrne but ended the first lap in 15th place. Aiming for a top ten position, it proved to be a punishing race for Glenn and after running on at the chicane, he had to settle for 12th place at the conclusion of the race and now occupies 11th in the series standings.
Shane Byrne: “It’s a bit difficult to find the words at the moment and after having three poor rounds, I was feeling really positive coming into Oulton Park, especially after finishing first and second here in May. This was the part of the season I was looking forward to the most and where the real stuff was going to start but Friday was a disaster ending the day over a second off the pace. Fair play to the team, they turned the bike around for qualifying and it was only my mistake that cost us pole. We had a wet warm up today but I was quick and thought the race would be ok but after about three laps of the race, I was really struggling to see. I don’t know what caused it but I couldn’t see a thing and when I saw 10 laps to go on my pit board, my heart sank. I tried everything to clear the visor but ended up ninth whilst a poor lap time gave me a poor grid position for race two. I knew what I needed to do and got my head down but when you try hard like that, you end up making mistakes, which is what I did. I’m not even going to look at the points table but all I know is that things can change quickly in bike racing and this is far from over.”
Glenn Irwin: “It’s been a tough day’s racing and I’m still struggling after my Knockhill crash, not with any injuries but more with my confidence, which is subsequently taking the edge of my riding. The nature of the circuit means the bike is often unsettled and when the bike became upset, I was backing off a bit so I’m naturally disappointed with my results. I’ll go away for a couple of weeks now and look to bounce back at Assen with two good rides.”
Stuart Bland, Team Co-ordinator: “It’s been a very disappointing weekend and the steamed up visor for Shakey set off a chain of events whereby he had a poor starting position for race two and then used up a lot of his tyre trying to catch the leading group. He pushed very hard and almost got to where he needed to be but it wasn’t to be. Glenn’s still struggling with his injuries but where Silverstone masked them, with it being so flat, the undulating nature of the Oulton circuit meant it didn’t. Dan Linfoot winning did us a favour as it took some points off Leon and 23 points off the lead isn’t the end of the world, we’ve come back from a lot worse.”