MCE British Superbike Championship
Snetterton 300 Circuit, England
July 10, 2016
Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Shane Byrne, UK (Duc Panigale R), 12 laps, Total Race Time 21:52.481, Best Lap Time 1:48.438
2. Dan Linfoot, UK (Hon CBR1000RR SP), -0.257 second, 1:48.223
3. Michael Laverty, UK (BMW S1000RR), -3.943 seconds, 1:48.876
4. Leon Haslam, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -4.070, 1:48.733
5. Jason O’Halloran, Australia (Hon CBR1000RR SP), -4.505, 1:48.782
6. Christian Iddon, UK (BMW S1000RR), -9.723, 1:49.235
7. Glenn Irwin, UK (Duc Panigale R), -9.828, 1:48.710
8. Peter Hickman, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -10.241, 1:48.954
9. Danny Buchan, UK (Duc Panigale R), -11.829, 1:49.351
10. Tommy Bridewell, UK (Suz GSX-R1000), -12.266, 1:48.818
11. Richard Cooper, UK (BMW S1000RR), -12.884, 1:49.357
12. Jake Dixon, UK (BMW S1000RR), -17.901, 1:49.557
13. Luke Mossey, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -18.301, 1:48.913
14. Billy McConnell, Australia (Kaw ZX-10R), -24.386, 1:49.664
15. Lee Jackson, UK (BMW S1000RR), -24.831, 1:49.663
16. Stuart Easton, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -25.049, 1:49.688
17. Jack Kennedy, Ireland (Kaw ZX-10R), -28.292, 1:50.340
18. Filip Backlund, Sweden (Kaw ZX-10R), -30.557, 1:50.661
19. James Rispoli, USA (Yam YZF-R1), -30.955, 1:49.888
20. Ryuichi Kyonari, Japan (Suz GSX-R1000), -36.110, 1:50.340
21. Aaron Zanotti, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -37.951, 1:50.976
22. Martin Jessopp, UK (BMW S1000RR), -41.045, 1:49.987
23. Josh Wainwright, UK (BMW S1000RR), -54.293, 1:52.362
24. Shaun Winfield, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -65.118, 1:51.134
25. Jakub Smrz, Czech Republic (BMW S1000RR), -1 lap, DNF, 1:50.237
26. Jenny Tinmouth, UK (Hon CBR1000RR SP), -1 lap, DNF, 1:51.021
27. James Ellison, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -3 laps, DNF, 1:49.258
28. Howie Mainwaring Smart, UK (BMW S1000RR), -3 laps, DNF, 1:50.701
29. Alastair Seeley, UK (BMW S1000RR), -4 laps, DNF, 1:50.360
30. Vittorio Iannuzzo, Italy (Kaw ZX-10R), -6 laps, DNF, 1:52.467
31. Broc Parkes, Australia (Yam YZF-R1), -12 laps, DNF
32. Josh Hook, Australia (Kaw ZX-10R), -12 laps, DNF
Championship Point Standings (after 10 of 26 races):
1. Byrne, 156 points
2. Haslam, 152
3. O’Halloran, 116
4. Linfoot, 111
5. Iddon, 104
6. Cooper, 98
7. Laverty, 90
8. Ellison, 89
9. Hickman, 82
10. Mossey, 68
13. TIE, John Hopkins/Irwin, 34
24. Rispoli, 3
More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:
O’Halloran claims first win to become sixth different race winner at Snetterton
Jason O’Halloran claimed a hard-fought victory in the opening MCE British Superbike Championship race at Snetterton, taking advantage of a huge moment for his Honda Racing team-mate at Murrays on the final lap, to out drag him to the finish line to become the sixth different race winner in 2016.
The opening lap of race one was full of drama as pole sitter Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne led the pack ahead of Leon Haslam, however as they streamed through Montreal several riders collided with James Ellison, Richard Cooper and Broc Parkes all ending their race prematurely with crashes.
A corner later and Haslam and Byrne both went for the same line into Palmers; the Be Wiser Ducati rider taking to the grass and dropping right down the order in the thick of the pack. At the front O’Halloran and Linfoot were dicing for the lead and the pair also had Haslam for close company.
Just two laps later and Glenn Irwin suffered a technical problem, but caused Peter Hickman and Michael Laverty to take evasive action, the pair crashing out of the race.
At the front the lead changed several times as the Honda Racing pair traded blows for the lead, but further back in the pack, Byrne was taking no prisoners and he was making his way through the field in aggressive fashion.
The Honda Racing pairing went into the final lap with nothing between them, O’Halloran had taken the lead at Riches, but Linfoot was on the attack and reclaimed the position at the end of the Bentley Straight. Linfoot looked like he was going to hold off his team-mate, but a huge moment on the exit of Murrays gave O’Halloran the opportunity he needed and the pair crossed the line with just 0.2s between them.
Byrne had moved into third position but behind there was an intense battle for fourth with Billy McConnell scoring the FS-3 Racing Kawasaki team’s best result of the season as Haslam dropped back to fifth place.
Jake Dixon impressed in only his second event to claim sixth place for the local Briggs Equipment BMW team with Luke Mossey and Tommy Bridewell returning to the top ten, just ahead of Stuart Easton and Lee Jackson. Smiths Racing BMW’s Jakub Smrz and Anvil Hire TAG Yamaha’s James Rispoli scored their best result of the season so far in eleventh and thirteenth respectively.
In race two Byrne emerged victorious, holding off Linfoot to claim the win and with it take a four point lead in the overall standings ahead of Thruxton in two weeks’ time.
Byrne had taken the lead on the opening lap, but behind O’Halloran, Haslam, Laverty and Linfoot were all queuing up to try and take the advantage.
Haslam moved up to second on the opening lap with a move on O’Halloran and then Laverty also pushed the Australian back a further place to fourth. His team-mate Linfoot was determined after missing out on the victory in race one and as they crossed the line to start lap four Linfoot was up to second.
At the front it became a battle between Byrne and Linfoot, with the Honda Racing rider trying to make a move, but the four-time champion was holding him off as behind the trio of Haslam, Laverty and O’Halloran was scrapping for the final podium position.
Haslam had been defending hard but on the tenth lap Laverty made a committed pass at Murrays to move ahead of O’Halloran and Haslam. The ‘Pocket Rocket’ responded instantly, fighting back into fourth place and targeting Laverty ahead of him, however when Jenny Tinmouth crashed on the entry to Nelson unhurt, the race was red flagged.
Byrne had done enough to hold off Linfoot with Laverty claiming the final podium position from Haslam and O’Halloran, who moves up to third in the overall standings. Christian Iddon secured a strong sixth place despite a finger injury after a duel with rookie Glenn Irwin, who equalled his best result of seventh.
Hickman claimed eighth ahead of Danny Buchan and Tommy Bridewell who completed the top ten. It was another disappointing race for James Ellison who retired his JG Speedfit Kawasaki.
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Snetterton, race one result:
Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing)
Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) +0.257s
Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) +10.494s
Billy McConnell (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) +13.135s
Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +14.734s
Jake Dixon (Briggs Equipment BMW) +17.179
Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki) +18.926s
Tommy Bridewell (Bennetts Suzuki) +20.404s
Stuart Easton (ePayMe Yamaha) +27.953s
Lee Jackson (Buildbase BMW) +28.136s
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Snetterton, race two result:
Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati)
Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) +0.562s
Michael Laverty (Tyco BMW) +3.943s
Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +4.070s
Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) +4.505s
Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) +9.723s
Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati) +9.828s
Peter Hickman (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +10.241s
Danny Buchan (Lloyds British Moto Rapido Ducati) +11.829s
Tommy Bridewell (Bennetts Suzuki) +12.266s
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings:
Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) 156
Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) 152
Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) 116
Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) 111
Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) 104
Richard Cooper (Buildbase BMW) 98
For more information visit www.britishsuperbike.com
More, from a press release issued by JG Speedfit Kawasaki:
TOUGH WEEKEND HALTS JG SPEEDFIT KAWASAKI CHARGE
10th July 2016 – It was a disappointing weekend for the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team, with two separate incidents in the opening race seeing James Ellison and Peter Hickman taken out of contention, whilst Leon Haslam suffered with a lack of grip on his way to fifth. In the second race, Haslam secured fourth whilst further bad luck struck Ellison who retired. Hickman, who finished eighth, crashed on oil after the red flag had been deployed.
Having enjoyed a two day test at the Norfolk circuit recently, the JG Speedfit Kawasaki trio immediately hit the ground running during the practice sessions, as they worked through a number of settings. Going into qualifying, Peter Hickman was fourth on combined times, James Ellison tenth and Leon Haslam 11th.
With all three riders easing through the first qualifying session, James narrowly missed out on progressing through to Superpole, securing tenth for the first race. Taking on their first Superpole of the season, Leon secured second whilst Peter took fifth.
Anticipation was high for the opening race, however disaster immediately struck the JG Speedfit team as despite taking a great start James was unluckily involved in an incident at turn two and was taken out of contention. Further bad luck struck on lap four when Pete was also involved in an incident through no fault of his own, crashing out of fifth place. As the sole rider remaining, early race leader Leon struggled with rear grip and slipped back to fifth at the flag.
Eager to make amends in the second outing, Leon enjoyed a strong start to be running in the leading pack. Slipping back to fourth, a red flag brought the race to a premature end meaning he was unable to attack for a podium position. Running in eighth place at the time the red flag was deployed, Peter then crashed unhurt on oil whilst James was forced to retire from 14th.
Disappointed not to make the podium Leon Haslam (5th and 4th) said “It’s been a pretty tough weekend if I’m honest. We’ve had a few problems that we just couldn’t seem to get on top of. In that opening race we opted for the softer tyre but I just didn’t have the grip to keep running with the front guys. Although we hadn’t tried it, we changed to the harder option for race two which stayed consistent and I was actually surprised by the pace we had, but because we hadn’t tried it before our settings were just a little out so I couldn’t quite run with Shakey and Dan. I felt I had the pace to make the podium though and was lining up an attack but unfortunately the red flag stopped that.
It’s not been our best weekend, but we got points on the board and can look towards Thruxton where our goal will be to keep racking up the podium points.”
Having had two crashes through no fault of his own, Peter Hickman (DNF and 8th) said “Today’s not been the best! The weekend was shaping up really well and we were consistently running top five pace and I honestly think we could have been challenging for the podium. Unfortunately, in that opening race Glenn had a problem right in front of me and down we went. In that second outing, our setting just wasn’t right and I couldn’t quite manage the same pace but it’s still good to get some points on the board – particularly as just as the flag came out, I hit the oil and crashed!
Thruxton is one of my favourite circuits though, and the bike is working great so I’m looking forward to getting there and making amends.”
A weekend to forget, James Ellison (DNF and DNF) added “This weekend hasn’t gone to plan. We had a few problems Friday but coming into that first race I was really happy with the package the team had given me and I felt we could be running at the front. Unfortunately we were taken out and couldn’t show what we could do. The team again rebuilt the bike and it was great, but we just had a bit of a problem with the clutch and couldn’t ride competitively.
It’s absolutely gutting, but we’ll move on and refocus – we’ve slipped out of the Showdown position but we’re not far off so I will be looking to get back in at Thruxton.”
GBmoto Racing Team Principal Mark Smith-Halvorsen summed up, “It’s been a very tough weekend for the whole of the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team. I’m absolutely gutted for James, we know what he’s capable of and I’m certain we’ll see him come back at Thruxton ready to fight for the podium. Similarly, Pete had a fantastic weekend up until today and through no fault of his own was taken out from what was looking like a strong result. He managed to get some points in race two, but again suffered a crash afterwards that he couldn’t prevent.
On the other side, although Leon wasn’t able to make his podium challenge in the second outing, he still rode two good races to get points on the board and strengthen his Showdown position. We’ll now regroup ahead of Thruxton, where we’ll be looking to get the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team back where we belong. ”
More, from a press release issued by Be Wiser Ducati:
Byrne Victorious At Snetterton To Lead Title Race
Be Wiser Ducati rider Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne took over the lead in the title race of the 2016 MCE British Superbike Championship with a podium and a victory at a dramatic round five of the series Shane Byrneheld at Snetterton in Norfolk today.
Aboard the factory-supported Be Wiser Ducati Panigale R, the 39-year-old Londoner stormed to pole position courtesy of a Datatag Superpole lap inside the lap record to start today’s first race from P1 on the grid but it very nearly all went wrong on the opening lap for the four-times champion when he was forced wide and onto the grass, re-joining in last position.
From there, Byrne showed his true class and aided by a new lap record, he tore through the field to claim a brilliant third at the chequered flag to record the 162nd MCE BSB podium finish of his career.
The new lap record meant that Shakey started race two from pole position again and he immediately grabbed the lead although he had a group of riders queuing up behind him. However, on lap six, he upped his pace and it allowed him to break away from the chasing pack, only Dan Linfoot able to go with him. Throughout the second half of the race though, Byrne controlled affairs from the head of the field and with the race ending early due to a red flag, he duly took his third win of the year, and the 71st of his career, to retake the championship lead.
Team-mate Glenn Irwin, meanwhile, started the first race from 11th place and with good pace throughout practice and qualifying he was hopeful of securing two good results. The race started well too as he moved up to a fine fifth place but the 26-year old’s race ended early when a technical problem with a gearshifter caused him to retire at the end of the fourth lap.
The Carrickfergus rider did, however, get to start the second race from the more advanced position of fifth on the grid. A poor start put him back in tenth but he regrouped and was soon back up to seventh, less than two seconds behind his team-mate. At half race distance he moved up to sixth and although he got pushed back a spot by Christian Iddon, seventh was a deserved way for his and the Penrith-based team’s weekend to end.
Shane Byrne: “The first race was very annoying as I had good pace and was confident that if I could get to the front I could manage the tyre and the race. Leon tried to pass me though and if I hadn’t have lifted the bike up we’d have both been down. I re-joined in dead last and abused my bike for the rest of the race, treating each lap like a qualifying lap. I paid the price towards the end with grip so I just brought the bike home for third. I knew tyre life would again come into play in the second race so I made a conscious decision to start steadily. I could see Dan was still with me towards the end of the race where I was all set to pull the pin in the last four laps but the red flag came out so it saved me the effort!”
Glenn Irwin: “The team made some good changes prior to the first race and it gave me the best feeling I’ve had all year so it looked like a podium was within our grasp. However, the bike started to Glenn Irwincut out quite considerably on lap five and I had to retire but luckily, we get two BSB races in a day and two chances of a result. In race two, I had to ride without a quickshifter but, after an average start, I was able to make some good progress and the bike’s certainly as quick as anything else out there now. I was losing grip so the red flag probably played into my hands and overall, it’s been a good weekend for me and I feel more confident now.”
Phil Borley, Technical Director: “It’s been an excellent day for Shakey although it’s obviously a shame about the coming together with Leon in race one. Had it not been for that we could have been looking at a double win but we’ve got to be pleased with first and third and with the championship lead ours once more, it’s very much onwards and upwards for Shakey. Glenn made good improvement in both races and it’s a shame an electrical problem caused him to drop out of the first race. We thought we’d cured it but it came back on his sighting lap so to ride for the entire race without a quickshifter was a great effort. His confidence is improving all the time and he had good race pace this weekend so he’s doing a great job.”
More, from a press release issued by Anvil Hire Yamaha:
Rispoli takes his first points of the season at Snetterton
James ‘The Rocket’ Rispoli took his first points of the season at the Norfolk based Snetterton race circuit this weekend, after making major strides with the setup of his Anvil Hire Yamaha YZF-R1. Shaun Winfield struggled with his machine all weekend, with mechanical issues plaguing the 22-year-old, but he rode hard in both races on Sunday.
Following three positive free practice sessions for James Rispoli, where he ended in seventh place in tricky wet conditions on Saturday morning he headed into the afternoon’s qualifying session high in confidence.
However, after improving on his personal best time in Friday’s dry free practice two, Shaun Winfield struggled to improve due to an issue with his machine. The team would work hard and send the 22-year-old out into qualifying.
Prior to the shoot out for pole position, Shaun’s side of the garage made an engine change to his machine, with Rispoli confident of achieving Q2.
From the lights the American climbed the leader board, however in the final minutes he couldn’t improve on his time and dropped out of the vital top 18, qualifying in 22nd ahead of Alastair Seeley and three-time Champion Kiyonari.
However, Shaun Winfield could only complete three laps in Q1 due to further issues with his misbehaving machine, meaning he would line up in 30th place for the first race on Sunday.
During morning warm up on Sunday morning, Rispoli lapped quicker than he had all weekend long in the short 15-minute session, sending the American into the first race high in confidence.
Race one saw both riders get good starts, and after lap one James had moved into the top ten from his starting position of 21st, with Shaun looking to move forward. James was then embroiled in a battle for tenth position. Midway through the 18 lap race, Rispoli’s rear grip started to fall away and he dropped back in the pack.
The American continued to circulate and fought off charges from Filip Backlund and Alastair Seeley to cross the line in 13th place, taking his first points of the season.
Shaun Winfield started to make his way through the pack, moving up to 20th place at mid race distance. However, his rear tyre started to lose grip just like his team mate and he lost out to the chasing pack, crossing the line in 22nd position.
Courtesy of his lap time in the first race, James moved upto 17th on the grid after posting his fastest lap of the weekend, with Shaun moving up two places to 28th.
From the start James got a good start again, and started to run inside the top 15, battling with James Ellison. ‘The Rocket’ worked hard to keep his position, however then just like race one his rear tyre started to lose grip, and he dropped back in the pack taking 19th position.
Shaun Winfield also got a great start and ran on the back of the group that included Rispoli and Ellison, however after six laps Winfield developed arm pump and struggled to get the bike stopped into corners. Then mid-way through the race he ran on at turn two, dropping back in the pack, eventually crossing the line in 24th.
A delighted James Rispoli said after the weekend: “It’s been a struggle to be honest, the last few rounds have been tough, and sometimes that’s where people break but we didn’t we stuck together as a team. For us to finally find some light with the bike is awesome, we have found some form again that we had at Silverstone.
“We found some positives where I can push and start riding this bike, race one was great we know some people had misfortune but sometimes that is where the confidence has to come from. We ran in the top eight again right off that front group for 70 percent of the race, we now have a tyre issue that we didn’t find before because we couldn’t run that pace, so it’s all positive because we are now running that pace.
“Race two for us again was great, I made some really good moves on some guys and I was running near the top 12 for a good portion of the race. I do see a lot of light after this weekend, the team worked well and we will move forward now. It’s not easy here, you can’t give an inch it’s very difficult and to find that light is great for us, and I can’t wait for Thruxton now.”
Team mate Shaun Winfield added: “It’s been hard work this weekend, we lost a lot of laps with engine problems and the weather. After race one I had doubled the amount of laps I had done all weekend, being that far down was tough and we hardly had any data to go off. Race one was tough, because after five laps we were in the unknown really, the tyre went off after six laps, but I did my personal best in the first few laps.
“I got arm pump because I compensating for my shoulder, so when your breaking at the end of the straights its tough.
“Race two we made a few changes to make the tyre life better, I was running 25th and I ran some good pace, but then I ran on at turn two because I had no engine breaking and the group had gone. Then arm pump kicked in again and I gritted my teeth and rode through it. It’s been a hard weekend for us, my team have worked so hard so I must thank them, roll on Thruxton.”
A pleased Team Owner Rob Winfield summerised: “This weekend has been tough, but we have found a lot of positives. It’s great that James has picked up his first points of the season, and he’s starting to find his form again. Shaun has struggled with technical trouble and then arm pump but he’s worked so hard to ride around that, and his team have been fantastic with the amount of work they’ve had on. Overall I’m happy and we’ll move onto Thruxton excited and confident.”
The MCE British Superbike roadshow now heads to Thruxton in two weeks’ time for round six of the series.
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
BENNETTS SUZUKI TOP-10 AT SNETTERTON BSB
Bennetts Suzuki’s Tommy Bridewell took two top-10 finishes at Snetterton, recovering from a difficult qualifying to take eighth and 10th in the two races aboard his Bennetts Suzuki GSX-R1000 today.
The fifth round of the MCE British Superbike championship saw Bridewell take a good haul of points away from the Norfolk venue, despite a tricky qualifying session which saw him start the opening race from the fifth-row of the grid.
A strong start in race one allowed him to climb to as high as fifth place at one stage, before tyre-wear curtailed his charge and eventually saw him surrender positions to cross the line in eighth place.
Race two started with Bridewell moving up to ninth position and part of a 20-wheel train of riders all looking to move towards the front of the race. Unfortunately, he struggled to maintain his early race pace, and was awarded 10th place when the red flags came out, bringing the race to a premature end.
Tommy Bridewell:
“It’s been a bit difficult this weekend. I tried a bit too hard in Q2 yesterday and went slower as a result, so it made race one a bit trickier, having to come from 15th on the grid. But I got a good start and got up to fifth at one point. Unfortunately, we suffered with a little bit of chatter from the rear this weekend, and it hampered our races a little bit. It’s frustrating as it’s prevented us from being where we know we can be, but everyone in the team is working hard to find the right setting to allow us to get back amongst the podium fight.”
Ryuichi Kiyonari’s run of bad luck continued. After completing the sighting lap for race one, the team noticed an issue with his hard-option rear tyre. As a result, he was forced to run the softer tyre, but with his GSX-R1000 set-up for the harder tyre, he ran out of grip mid-way through the race. Circulating outside of the points, he called it a day and retired to work with the team to make changes for race two.
Starting the second race from near the back of the grid, the former BSB Champion started strongly, before a mistake saw him run off track, re-joining in last place.
While he was ultimately disappointed to finish outside of the points in 20th place, the team took the positives, with Kiyonari lapping at a pace more comparable with riders inside the top-10.
Ryuichi Kiyonari:
“There aren’t a lot of positives from this weekend. It’s a shame but this is racing and sometimes it happens. The first race we had to use a different tyre. In the second race I felt a lot better, but I made a mistake on lap one at the end of the back straight and ran on. When I re-joined, my lap times were good, but I was too far back to get into the points. The bike’s not quite how we want it yet and we’re still searching for solutions to a few little issues, but I will keep working, keep training, and keep practicing and try again at Thruxton.”
Martin Halsall – Team Owner:
“Bit of a frustrating one today. We’re having a couple of little issues with our set-up on both sides of the garage, which is just holding us back at the moment. That said, we’re not a million miles off, and the pace of both riders has been the same as those running well inside the top-10.
“Kiyo’s suffering from a bit of bad luck at the moment. An issue outside of our control has hampered race one, and obviously he’s made a mistake in race two and it’s cost him. But his times were there, and his commitment is without question. Now, we’ll assess the data now and come up with a plan for the first practice session next time out at Thruxton.”