Double Success For Be Wiser Ducati At Thruxton
The Be Wiser Ducati British Superbike Championship Team had double reason to celebrate at Thruxton today with Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne winning the opening MCE British Superbike Glenn IrwinChampionship race at the Hampshire circuit and team-mate Glenn Irwin taking his maiden podium in the class in the second race.
Having qualified on pole position for the third meeting in succession after a dominant weekend on the Penrith-based team’s factory-backed Ducati Panigale R, Byrne’s dominance continued in morning warm up when he was again comfortably quickest and that form continued in the first 20-lap encounter. A perfect start gave him the lead immediately and his lead was almost five seconds as the race approached half race distance before it was red flagged due to an accident.
The race was restarted over 12 laps and once Byrne, from Sittingbourne, had disposed of Michael Laverty at the end of lap two, he served up a repeat performance to take his 72nd career BSB win, eventually taking victory by just over three seconds.
The second race around the ultra-fast track saw him make an ideal start to lead at the end of the first lap but all hopes of a second win were dashed moments later when the gear linkage broke and the 39-year-old four-times champion had no option other than to pull in to the pits and retire. Despite that, Shakey still leads the series going into his home round at Brands Hatch in two weeks’ time.
Carrickfergus rider Irwin had to start from 24th on the grid for the opening race after crashing in qualifying but the determined Ulsterman gave an indication of what lay in store for the day when he posted the second fastest time in morning warm up. Good progress was made in the initial part of the first race and he converted that into a result in the second part with a solid 11th although he did climb as high as sixth at one stage.
A good lap time put him eighth on the grid although he struggled off the line and had dropped back to twelfth at the completion of the first lap. By lap three, that had become 14th but from thereon in he put in a scintillating ride as he picked off the riders in front of him one by one. With two laps to go, a podium was very much in his sights and he overtook Leon Haslam to take a brilliant third place in his first year in the class.
Shane Byrne: “The stoppage in the first race didn’t really do me any favours as I’d got out front and was managing the tyres so the red flag came at the wrong time although safety’s obviously paramount. When Michael took the lead in the re-start I wasn’t too concerned but I knew I couldn’t Shane Byrnestay behind him for too long otherwise it would be a freight train. I got by him but possibly punished my tyres trying to break away from him and the last few laps were a bit sketchy but we got the job done. The second race started well but the gear linkage breaking is just one of those things. I know how meticulous my team are, they’re almost obsessive and prepare in the same way that I do, always giving 100%. That’s why we work so well together. It was no-one’s fault although it was difficult to sit in the pit box knowing I could have been faster than what the leaders were lapping at! I really wanted to reward the whole team with a double this weekend but the positives, and there are a lot of them, far outweigh the negatives.”
Glenn Irwin: “We made a few changes in morning warm up which worked not just for one lap but for a good deal longer and that put me in a good position for the first race. We sacrificed the result in the first race to make sure we got a good starting position for the second and it definitely worked although it was certainly a strange first race with the lack of grip. The team did a really good job this weekend and I’m delighted to have got my first podium. I perhaps could have gone quicker earlier than what I did but to be standing here now in third, after being way off the pace at the beginning of the season is brilliant. The Ducati’s not just an iconic motorcycle, it’s a very fast one too!”
Phil Borley, Technical Director: “It’s been a very good day although, of course, we’re disappointed that Shakey couldn’t take the double win after the gear linkage broke. Glenn made up for that disappointment in the second race with his first ever podium and he put in an excellent ride. He was a bit down after his crash in qualifying but he had good pace on race day and it’s been a good weekend for him with some fine results. Shakey may have retired from the second race but I think it’s fair to say he had the measure of everyone this weekend. He was strong throughout the weekend and even when the tyres were going off and grip levels not at their best, he was able to pull away. The next round at Brands Hatch is on his favourite circuit so let’s hope the bike the works equally well there.”
MCE British Superbike Championship race one (12 laps)
1 Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati)
2 Michael Laverty (BMW)
3 Luke Mossey (Kawasaki)
4 Tommy Bridewell (Suzuki)
5 James Ellison (Kawasaki)
6 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
11 Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati)
MCE British Superbike Championship race two (18 laps)
1 Michael Laverty (BMW)
2 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
3 Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati)
4 Luke Mossey (Kawasaki)
5 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
6 Peter Hickman (Kawasaki)
DNF Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Kawasaki)
Championship Positions (after six rounds)
1 Byrne 181pts
2 Haslam 166
3 O’Halloran 146
4 Laverty 135
5 Linfoot 118
6 Ellison 109
12 Irwin 55
The next round takes place at Brands Hatch in Kent over the weekend of 5/7 August and for further information, please visit www.pbmuk.net and www.pbmuk.net
More, from a press release issued by Smiths Racing:
Solid Points For Smrz And Smiths At Thruxton
The Gloucester-based Smiths Racing BMW team were back in action this weekend with the sixth round of the MCE British Superbike Championship taking place at their home track of Thruxton Jakub Smrzwhereby both Jakub Smrz and Luke Stapleford enjoyed a productive meeting.
Czech Republic rider Smrz brought his form from the previous round at Snetterton, which saw him claim a fine 11th place in the first race, to the super-fast Hampshire track and his 13th in qualifying was his best performance of the season so far. It gave him a strong starting position for today’s opening race and he was running on the edge of the points when the race was stopped on the tenth lap due to a crash.
On the restart, it didn’t look like there’d be any chance of points as he completed the first lap in 25th place but he soon started to move forward on every lap and with the grip of the tyres staying constant, he crossed the line in ninth place to take his and the team’s best result of the season so far. He then ensured there were more reasons to smile when he took 12th place in the second race to record his first double score of the season.
World Supersport ace Luke Stapleford was having a one-off ride on the Smiths Racing BMW S1000RR this weekend which was only his second ever on a Superbike. The reigning British Supersport Champion put in some solid performances throughout the weekend and with his tyres also remaining constant, he was deservedly rewarded with 14th place in the opening race before finishing 17th in race two.
Meanwhile, in his farewell appearance for the double British Supersport Championship-winning team, Howie Mainwaring Smart put in two determined rides but there was to be no fairy-tale swansong as he retired from both races.
Jakub Smrz: “It’s the first weekend where I can say everything went pretty well and whilst I’m not totally happy, I’m a lot more satisfied with how we performed. I got two good points scoring finishes and neither of them were handed to me, I got them from riding well. We had some good ideas with the set-up which helped a lot and it was nice to be able to move through the field and overtake people. It was great to get a top ten finish in the first race and we weren’t far off in the second race so it’s good to be so much stronger this weekend.”Luke Stapleford
Luke Stapleford: “It’s been quite a frustrating weekend as it’s clear the team have everything in place to be competitive and inside the top ten but, for whatever reason, that’s not been happening. I thought I’d be higher up than what I was but it’s quite a hard bike to ride and things just weren’t all linking together. I tried my hardest and, as always, I gave 110% and hope the input I gave to the team was valuable.“
Howie Mainwaring Smart: “To end my association with Smiths Racing with a double DNF was disappointing and I wish them well for the rest of the season and thank them for the opportunity. It’s even more frustrating as we found something today and I felt the best I have done all season on the bike but now I’m concentrating on the next step in my career.”Howie Mainwaring Smart
Rebecca Smith, Team Manager: “It’s nice to come away from a weekend with better results and a better haul of points and Jakub proved how strong he is on used tyres. He was able to manage tyre life better than others and that could be seen in two good results. It’s been a difficult weekend after parting company with Howie and that’s been a new experience for us as we always have a close relationship with our riders. We’re going to go away and have a good long think about the direction we go in and will hopefully get some decent testing under our belts before the next round.”
MCE British Superbike Championship race one (12 laps)
1 Shane Byrne (Ducati)
2 Michael Laverty (BMW)
3 Luke Mossey (Kawasaki)
4 Tommy Bridewell (Suzuki)
5 James Ellison (Kawasaki)
6 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
9 Jakub Smrz (Smiths Racing BMW)
14 Luke Stapleford (Smiths Racing BMW)
DNF Howie Mainwaring Smart (Smiths Racing BMW)
MCE British Superbike Championship race two (18 laps)
1 Michael Laverty (BMW)
2 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
3 Glenn Irwin (Ducati)
4 Luke Mossey (Kawasaki)
5 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
6 Peter Hickman (Kawasaki)
12 Jakub Smrz (Smiths Racing BMW)
17 Luke Stapleford (Smiths Racing BMW)
DNF Howie Mainwaring Smart (Smiths Racing BMW)
Championship Positions (after six rounds)
1 Byrne 181pts
2 Haslam 166
3 O’Halloran 146
4 Laverty 135
5 Linfoot 118
6 Ellison 109
19 Smrz 19
23 Mainwaring Smart 15
26 Stapleford 2
The seventh round of the series takes place at Brands Hatch in Kent on August 5/7th . For more information, please visit www.britishsuperbike.com and www.britishsuperbike.com
More, from a press release issued by JG Speedfit Kawasaki:
JG SPEEDFIT KAWASAKI TURN AROUND A DIFFICULT WEEKEND AT TITLE SPONSORED EVENT
The JG Speedfit round of the MCE British Superbike Championship proved to be a difficult weekend for the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team, with all three riders struggling throughout practice and qualifying. However working hard overnight, the team were able to turn it around on race day to be challenging for podiums and leave with two riders in the Showdown.
The three JG Speedfit Kawasaki riders, James Ellison, Leon Haslam and Peter Hickman came into the JG Speedfit round at Thruxton looking to build on their tally of four wins and five podiums. Unfortunately from opening practice the trio suffered with technical problems, leaving Pete in 12th, James 14th and Leon 15th after final practice.
Moving into qualifying James continued to struggle, securing a 23rd place starting position for the opening race. Leon similarly struggled, taking 15th whilst Pete was able to take a step forward, setting his fastest ever lap around Thruxton and just missing out progressing through to Superpole by 0.007s.
The opening race proved a dramatic affair, with it initially being red flagged after ten laps – meaning the riders would run the second attempt over twelve laps, using the same tyres from the first part. Enjoying a good start, James rode a fantastic race to claim a hard-earned fifth place whilst despite running comfortably in the top ten both Pete and Leon suffered as the tyres wore on, eventually taking 12th and 13th at the line.
Making further changes ahead of the second race, the team were able to turn their weekend around and it proved a stronger outing. Comfortably running in second place for the majority of the race, Leon again suffered from a lack of grip in the closing stages, slipping back to fifth. Equally unable to maintain their pace over the final few laps, Pete was still able to secure sixth whilst James took seventh place to rejoin the all-important top six in the Championship standings.
Happy to be back in a Showdown position, James Ellison said, “Obviously I’m not leaving here peaking with how we did, but looking at how badly we were struggling on Friday morning and even yesterday, it’s been a good day. I’ve got to say a massive thank you to the team for their incredible work. They haven’t stopped all weekend, trying to get the bike fixed as best as they could, changing so many things and thanks to that effort we were able to turn things around and actually leave here back in a Showdown position.
We know what we need to change for Brands Hatch so I’m confident we’ll be back to where we should be and we can get back onto the podium.”
Struggling all weekend, Leon Haslam added “It’s been a disaster of a weekend really. From the off we’ve all struggled with the engine configuration and it’s meant we’ve been on the back foot the whole time. I knew we would do better in the races, and full credit to the team too as they were able to get us in a much better position today. The pace car destroyed our chances in that opening race, I felt we would be capable of a top five at least but unfortunately the additional laps on the tyre just meant we couldn’t maintain that pace.
The second race was better and I felt really comfortable sitting in second but with four laps to go the tyre just completely dropped off and we couldn’t stay there. It’s certainly frustrating, but after all the difficulties to have been challenging for the win with four laps to go in race two shows just how far we’ve come since first practice.”
Disappointed with the weekend, Peter Hickman said “It has been a really disappointing weekend for the whole team. I was probably the strongest of the three during practice but during the races I just couldn’t seem to catch a break. The opening part of that first race was going well and exactly how I thought it would, but with the red flag and the countback it meant by the time I started the re-run my tyre had already done 14 laps and I just wasn’t able to match my earlier pace.
The second race went better and the bike felt good but starting from 13th meant I had to use my tyre a little more to get towards the front and just slipped back to sixth on the last lap. It’s not great but it’s definitely more where we need to be so I’m happy.”
GBmoto Racing Team Principal Mark Smith-Halvorsen concluded, “This weekend was not a true reflection of where the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team, or our riders, should be. We struggled from the very opening practice with some technical problems, but the guys in the garage worked unbelievably to turn it around. To have all three riders in the top seven in race two and even challenging for a podium was a testament to the hard work they put in. It’s also great to have James back in a Showdown position too – he slipped out through no fault of his own at Snetterton, so to immediately come back in at the next round is brilliant.
Away from our results, the JG Speedfit round was a fantastic event and I hope our many guests enjoyed their day with the team. We now have two weeks to solve the problems we experienced this weekend, and I fully expect to see our three riders back challenging for podiums and race victories at Brands Hatch.”
More, from a press release issued by Quattro Plant Kawasaki:
Superb weekend at Thruxton for Quattro Plant Kawasaki
Bournemouth-based Quattro Plant Kawasaki enjoyed a superb meeting at their local circuit, Thruxton, at the weekend with Luke Mossey excelling in the MCE British Superbike Championship races and Andrew Reid and Ricky Stevens/Ryan Charlwood taking two wins apiece in their respective British Supersport and Sidecar Championships.
Mossey was strong throughout the three BSB practice sessions once more, consistently running inside the top three, and he converted his fine form into an excellent qualifying position this time around to line up in fourth and on the second row for Sunday’s opening 20-lap race.
The Cambridge rider started strongly and was running in sixth place when the race was red flagged and restarted over twelve laps. It was a similar story in the restart though and by lap five he was running in fifth. Indeed, he got stronger as the race wore on and once he overhauled Jason O’Halloran, he moved into third and he comfortably held onto the position for his second podium of the season.
It was a similar story in the second race later in the day when slight rain saw the start delayed and shortened in distance to 18 laps. A solid start put Luke in seventh place and although he couldn’t replicate his podium position, he overcame a clutch problem to take fourth and although he only moved up one place to ninth in the Championship table, he closed the gap to sixth to just 12 points.
For team-mate Filip Backlund, it was again a challenging weekend but both he and his team made improvements throughout and he started the first race from 19th on the grid. It didn’t look like he’d make it into the points as he slipped outside the top twenty but the stoppage played into his hands and in the restart he continually moved forward to take another Championship point in 15th. The Swedish rider then followed this up with 18th in the second encounter.
There was joy for Dickies British Supersport Championship rider Andrew Reid though and after a few disappointing outings recently, the Northern Irishman got back to winning ways with a superb double victory in the two races. Saturday’s ‘Sprint’ race saw the Quattro Plant Cool Kawasaki rider take the lead on the ninth lap before edging away to take his third win of the season and he then made it four in Sunday’s ‘Feature’ race.
Starting from the second row of the grid, Andy moved into the lead early on but on the 12th lap, he dropped back to second and had to do the hard work all again. Fighting back, he regained the lead on the 14th of 16 laps to take a superb double victory and move back up to second overall in the Championship.
For sidecar team members Stevens and Charlwood, it was a more than successful weekend and, keen to extend their advantage in the Championship, it all started perfectly with their first win of the season in Saturday’s opening eight-lap race. The duo had already claimed pole position and after taking the lead on the fifth lap, they held on to claim their first win of the season.
The second race later in the day again saw them come from behind, this time taking the lead on the sixth lap after being thwarted by Tim Reeves on earlier attempts. That just left Sunday’s third race to negotiate but an overtaking manoeuvre by Reeves on the opening lap put them on the grass and although they rejoined the race, climbing as high as seventh, a technical issue put them out on the fourth lap. The results mean they’re now back in second overall albeit just eight points adrift of Reeves.
Luke Mossey: “I knew we had good pace all weekend as right from the first session we were running close to the front. It was clear the harder SC1 tyre was what we’d be using in the races even though the last ten laps would be loose. I saw Jason coming back to me as there was plenty of smoke coming off his tyres and I was delighted to get my second podium of the year. The second race was very similar except for the clutch problem that meant I had to adjust it during the race. I was happy with my choice of tyre again and delighted with my results so to have my best weekend of the year at the team’s home round is fantastic.”
Filip Backlund: “In one way we made further progress this weekend, particularly in qualifying, the bike is good and the team are working hard but I need to go quicker and find that little bit extra myself. I’m losing too many places in the first few laps and whilst I can fight back in the second half of the race, I’ve already lost too much time so instead of tenth, I’m battling for 15th. It’s taking me too long to get going and I’m easing myself into the races instead of going for it from the word go. There are too many good riders in BSB so I can’t afford to do that. I’ll keep working hard and the goal for Brands is to be sharper and stronger and have the mindset to get into my rhythm a lot earlier.”
Andrew Reid: “I dug really deep for this round and after the disappointments of late, it’s fantastic to win again. When I was sat on the line on Saturday, I knew I needed the win no matter what and that was my approach throughout the race. I had good pace throughout, especially when the tyres started to lose their grip, but it was really hard work with the heat. Our race pace was stronger than our single lap pace but in the second race on Sunday there wasn’t much grip out there and there was nothing left at the end. It’s four years today since my Dad passed away and I dug even deeper so the second win’s for him. It’s an emotional day but it feels good to be back on top.”
Ricky Stevens: “It’s been a mixed weekend for sure and whilst I’m over the moon with the two wins on Saturday, I’m disappointed with the outcome of Sunday’s race. Saturday couldn’t have gone any better – the bike was working well, our lap times were strong and consistent and on each occasion, we came through to take the lead, pull away and win the race. I felt the move Tim made on Sunday was very harsh, to say the least, and it’s certainly took the edge off the weekend. Fortunately, we were able to keep control but grass got sucked into the radiator and the engine overheated and then expired. We’re gutted to have lost the lead in the Championship but pleased to give the team their first sidecar victories.”
Pete Extance, Team Owner: “It’s been a fantastic weekend for all the team and sponsors with two wins in Supersport, two wins in the Sidecars and a great third and fourth in the Superbikes with Luke. Andy gave Kawasaki their first ever win at Thruxton in the Supersport class and with all the Championship positions looking good, we’re very happy. Well done to all the riders, staff and hospitality crew for an unforgettable weekend. We’re all looking forward now to the next round on the Brands Hatch GP circuit.”
The series now heads to Brands Hatch, Kent with the meeting taking place on August 5-7.
MCE British Superbike Championship Positions (after six rounds)
1 Shane Byrne (Ducati) 181pts
2 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki) 166
3 Jason O’Halloran (Honda) 146
4 Michael Laverty (BMW) 135
5 Dan Linfoot (Honda) 118
6 James Ellison (Kawasaki) 109
9 Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki) 97
26 Filip Backlund (Quattro Plant Cool Kawasaki) 2
Dickies British Supersport Championship Positions (after six rounds)
1 Tarran Mackenzie (Kawasaki) 154pts
2 Andrew Reid (Quattro Plant Cool Kawasaki) 153
3 James Westmoreland (Yamaha) 153
4 Luke Jones (Triumph) 104
5 Benjamin Currie (Yamaha) 91
6 David Allingham (Yamaha) 85
Hyundai Heavy Industries British Sidecar Championship Positions (after five rounds)
1 Reeves/Cluze (LCR Yamaha) 186pts
2 Stevens/Charlwood (Quattro Plant Cool Kawasaki) 178
3 Holland/Watson (LCR Kawasaki) 155
More, from a press release issued by RAF Regular & Reserve/Briggs Equipment BMW:
Disappointment at Thruxton for RAF Regular & Reserve/Briggs Equipment BMW
Round six of the MCE British Superbike Championship at Thruxton on Sunday promised plenty for the RAF Regular & Reserve/Briggs Equipment BMW team but riders Jake Dixon and Alastair Seeley left the Hampshire venue extremely disappointed after grip issues in the two races left them pointless.
Both riders showed great form in Saturday’s qualifying session to be amongst the nine quickest riders and both, therefore, making it through to Q3 for the first time. Each rider then completed their single ‘Superpole’ lap around the 2.35-mile circuit and it was Alastair who fared best taking the eighth fastest lap although Jake was only 0.065s further back in ninth.
It put them in a strong position for Sunday’s opening 20-lap race but it didn’t quite go as expected with Jake running in 11th and Alastair 20th when the race was stopped on the ninth lap due to a crash involving Stuart Easton. It was restarted over 12 laps but both riders were out of luck, Alastair retiring on the seventh lap and Jake dropping back to 17th as grip from the tyres dropped away dramatically as the race wore on.
It meant they were both lower down the grid for the second race which was delayed due to light rain falling. Ashby resident Dixon completed the first lap in 13th place and Seeley 17th but again the same tyre issues affected them. They both battled on gamely but the lack of grip meant they were powerless to respond and eventually crossed the line in 16th and 22nd place respectively.
Jake Dixon: “The weekend was going so well and I couldn’t fault how Friday and Saturday went but race day’s been a completely different story. I had really good pace in free practice and qualifying and was able to do both fast, single laps and long, consistent runs so felt confident that we’d be in the mix for top five finishes. It just didn’t happen in either of the races though and it didn’t matter whether it was the SC0 tyre or SC1, I couldn’t make it work. The red flag in the first race definitely went against and in the restart I had no grip left to fight with the front runners. There are positives to take away though; we were fast, made it into Superpole and have all worked very hard so we’ll regroup and look to come back stronger at Brands.”
Alastair Seeley: “I guess you could say I’ve gone from hero to zero from qualifying to the races but tyre life has been against us all weekend even though we did make it into Superpole. That was a good feeling for all of us in the team but in the races, I suffered like Jake and had no grip – none on the entry and none on the exit. I couldn’t brake as hard as I wanted to nor get on the gas hard because the bike was going sideways all the time. In race one I went with the SC0 option but the rear was coming round and almost highsiding me so I had pull in. Switching to the SC1 for race two didn’t help either so to go from the delight of Superpole to no points is disappointing for all of us.”
Lee Hardy, Team Owner: “It was a really proud moment to have both riders in Q3 and it’s a great opportunity to showcase yourself with the camera solely on the one rider for the entire lap! Jake showed good pace in free practice both on a single lap and when on race runs whilst Alastair struggled a little bit early on in the weekend but chipped away and thoroughly deserved to qualify in the top ten. A change in the front spring rate gave him the feel he needed with the front and also helped the rear so for a privateer team to have two riders in Superpole was a great effort.”
“It put us in a strong position for race day but it simply didn’t pan out in the way we thought and at this moment in time we can’t quite understand what happened. We thought both riders would be coming away with two top ten finishes but as each race wore on, both Jake and Alastair dropped back with no grip. It happened to other riders too but for us it’s majorly disappointing and we’re scratching our heads a bit and are wondering what we could have done differently or what we did wrong. We’ll go away and evaluate the weekend and move forward to Brands which shouldn’t throw up the issues we’ve encountered here.”
The seventh round of the series takes place at Brands Hatch, Kent on August 5-7.
MCE British Superbike Championship race one (12 laps)
1 Shane Byrne (Ducati)
2 Michael Laverty (BMW)
3 Luke Mossey (Kawasaki)
4 Tommy Bridewell (Suzuki)
5 James Ellison (Kawasaki)
6 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
17 Jake Dixon (Briggs Equipment BMW)
DNF Alastair Seeley (RAF Reserve & Regular BMW)
MCE British Superbike Championship race two (18 laps)
1 Michael Laverty (BMW)
2 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
3 Glenn Irwin (Ducati)
4 Luke Mossey (Kawasaki)
5 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
6 Peter Hickman (Kawasaki)
16 Jake Dixon (Briggs Equipment BMW)
22 Alastair Seeley (RAF Reserve & Regular BMW)
Championship Positions (after six rounds)
1 Byrne 181pts
2 Haslam 166
3 O’Halloran 146
4 Laverty 135
5 Linfoot 118
6 Ellison 109
20 Seeley 18
21 Dixon 17
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
BRIDEWELL FOURTH FOR BENNETTS SUZUKI AT THRUXTON BSB
Tommy Bridewell finished fourth in the opening race at Thruxton as the Bennetts Suzuki team enjoyed a positive weekend and made big progress with its GSX-R1000s at the sixth round of the MCE British Superbike Championship.
After qualifying on the front row, Bridewell opted for the harder rear tyre for both of the weekend’s races, knowing that the abrasive Thruxton asphalt and tyre life would come into play. In the opening race he rode with his head, keeping in touch with the podium battle while knowing that the race would come to him in the later stages.
Despite a red flag at the halfway stage, Bridewell still held the advantage of the harder rear tyre, with riders having to make the restart on the same tyres they started the race with. In the closing stages the local rider’s lap-times were consistently faster than the riders in front, and he cut through the field to take fourth place at the chequered flag.
His team-mate, Ryuichi Kiyonari also benefitted from his tyre choice, and despite a mistake early on that dropped him to the back of the field, he was able to make his way forward, crossing the line in seventh place and narrowly missing out on fifth.
Both Bridewell and Kiyonari again opted for the harder tyre for race two when a delayed start because of the threatening rain saw the race distance cut to 18 laps. With a shortened race, both were unable to benefit in the same way as race one and finished in eighth and 11th respectively. ,
Tommy Bridewell:
“It’s been a good weekend. The team has worked really well, my Bennetts Suzuki has been great, and I enjoyed letting it hang out this weekend. We knew we were going to have two difficult races. Tyre life was always going to be a real factor. We tried the soft tyre in practice, and even though it’s worth at least half a second a lap, we couldn’t get it to go the distance. But you saw others struggling with it too, which is why the first race really came to us and I was able to just ride around people in the end. It was a shame the second race was cut. I know it was only two laps, but you could see how much the tyres dropped off. I could have made up about seven seconds in those two laps, which would have put us a lot further up the order. But it’s been a really positive weekend. I used the new swingarm – that we tried in practice – in the races, which worked really well. We’ve got a test coming up next to refine our set-up, but I’m looking forward to Brands.”
Ryuichi Kiyonari:
“This weekend was better for me. I had a good pace and the improvements to our set-up made me feel good on the bike. The first race was good, and our tyre choice meant we were a lot faster at the end of the race. I was faster than those in front and I think if I had one more lap I would have had fifth, maybe even fourth from Tommy! It was close but seventh was good. The shortened second race meant we didn’t have the time at the end of the race where the harder tyre would have given us an advantage, so it is a shame I could only take 11th, but overall it was a good weekend where we made some big progress.”
Martin Halsall- Team Owner:
“It’s a little bittersweet to be honest. I think all-in-all we have had a good weekend. The front row shows the raw pace we had. But at Thruxton pace isn’t enough; so much is about tyre wear. We were happy with Tommy’s fourth in race one, and also really happy to see Kiyo competitive again. If he hadn’t had to come through the traffic, I think he could have been even further up the field in the end, and we could have had both riders in the top five.
“We were looking for more of the same in race two but the delayed start and the shortening of the race, although only two laps, did cost us as it was in those final laps where we had the advantage. Some riders’ lap times were three, nearly four seconds slower than us in the end, and over two laps that’s a big chunk of time that both Tommy and Kiyo could have made up on the riders in front, so we’re actually disappointed with eighth and 11th because we could have been a lot higher. But, we have to look at the positives; we’ve bounced back from Snetterton, showed the pace we have, made some big improvements with the bike, and got both riders feeling happier with the big Suzuki. We’ve got two days’ testing to make more steps, and then we’ll look to improve again at Brands.”
Race One Result: 1. Shane Byrne, 2. Michael Laverty, 3. Luke Mossey, 4. Tommy Bridewell (Bennetts Suzuki), 5. James Ellison. 7. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Bennetts Suzuki).
Race Two Result: 1. Michael Laverty, 2. Jason O’Halloran, 3. Glenn Irwin, 4. Luke Mossey, 5. Leon Haslam. 8. Tommy Bridewell (Bennetts Suzuki). 11. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Bennetts Suzuki).