Shakey becomes fifth different winner in emphatic style at Brands Hatch

Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne has become the fifth different winner in the 2016 MCE British Superbike Championship as the home hero claimed an emphatic victory in the second race at Brands Hatch after a fierce fight to the finish with Richard Cooper and race one winner Leon Haslam, who now holds a three point lead in the standings.

In the opening race Haslam had carved his way through the pack as at the front of the field his JG Speedfit Kawasaki team-mate James Ellison, Luke Mossey, Richard Cooper and Tommy Bridewell scrapped it out for the advantage.

Haslam had to use all of his experience to close in on the leaders after an early safety car period when the Nissan GT-R was deployed when James Rispoli, Jenny Tinmouth and Vittorio Iannuzzo crashed out at Druids.

The ‘Pocket Rocket’ first battled his way ahead of Cooper and Mossey, with the leading quartet inseparable and covered in the closing stages by just 0.3 seconds. Haslam’s hopes of victory came down to the final lap and the JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider put in an incredible last lap to first pass Tommy Bridewell into Paddock Hill Bend and then out-drag his team-mate Ellison to the line by just 0.057 seconds. Bridewell completed the podium to reward the Bennetts Suzuki team with their first podium finish of the season and Suzuki’s first since 2014.

In race two Mossey and Ellison again got a lightning start off the line and the pair traded blows to hold the lead ahead of Cooper and Haslam. The Nissan GT-R Safety Car was deployed on the ninth lap when Michael Laverty suffered a technical problem with his Tyco BMW.

Ellison held the lead and when the race resumed Cooper was pushing him all the way as Ellison was forced to retire with a technical issue. Four-time champion Byrne though was ready to bounce back from his ninth place in race one and he was moving up the pack rapidly; joining the fight for the victory between Cooper, Haslam, Mossey and Bridewell.

Byrne then delivered a master class of moves at Clearways, first on Bridewell and then just four laps later on Haslam, leaving just Cooper ahead of him in his quest for his first win of the season. The Be Wiser Ducati rider left it until two laps remaining to make his move; completing the hat trick at Clearways to take the lead and hold off his rivals to the line.

Cooper returned to the podium ahead of Haslam who now holds the lead in the standings by just three points ahead of Knockhill next month. Bridewell narrowly missed out on a double podium finish in fourth place with Dan Linfoot and Honda Racing completing the top five which represented as many different manufacturers.

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch Indy, race one:

Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki)

James Ellison (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +0.057s

Tommy Bridewell (Bennetts Suzuki) +0.458s

Richard Cooper (Buildbase BMW) +0.801s

Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki) +2.216s

Michael Laverty (Tyco BMW) +2.325s

Peter Hickman (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +5.235s

Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) +5.415s

Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) +5.847s

Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) +8.333s

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch Indy, race two:

Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati)

Richard Cooper (Buildbase BMW) +0.554s

Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +1.778s

Tommy Bridewell (Bennetts Suzuki) +2.549s

Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) +2.892s

Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) +3.616s

Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) +4.012s

Peter Hickman (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +4.410s

Stuart Easton (ePayMe Yamaha) +7.539s

Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) +9.465s

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings after Brands Hatch:

Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) 93

Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) 90

Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) 86

Richard Cooper (Buildbase BMW) 74

Michael Laverty (Tyco BMW) 66

Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) 62

For more information visit www.britishsuperbike.com

Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne

(Be Wiser Ducati)

Race two winner

“It is so rubbish when you finish second or third, but to take the win makes such a difference! I’ve said it before, it’s once position in the greater scheme of things, but the difference between winning and losing is everything and I’m sure the boys will agree.

“Leon’s had a fantastic weekend, he’s scored more points than anyone this weekend, but to win the first one and have a third, whilst it’s a fantastic result, if it’s the other way round, it’s much better, you peak off the first.

“I had an average first race and came back and won the second one, it was just maybe a little bit overwhelming. It was a good feeling to come from that far back, the bike worked fantastic, and all credit to the team for that.”

More, from a press release issued by Be Wiser Ducati:

Brands Hatch Victory For Byrne

Be Wiser Ducati rider Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne secured his first win of the 2016 MCE British Superbike Championship season with a superb victory in the Shane Byrnesecond race at today’s round three held at his local Brands Hatch circuit.

Aboard the factory-supported Be Wiser Ducati Panigale R, the 39 year old Londoner bounced back from a disappointing ninth place in the opening 30-lap race around the tight and twisty Indy track at the Kent venue to record his 69th career victory and with it, holds second place in the title race just three points adrift of leader Leon Haslam.

The four times champion lined up on the front row for the opening 30-lap race but a disastrous start left him deep in the pack and he found himself down in 15th place at the end of the first lap. But Byrne dug deep and despite the tight nature of the Indy circuit making overtaking hard, he fought his way up to ninth for seven valuable points at the flag.

However, despite a row two start for race two, Byrne was keen to make amends and made a better start to hold a top seven place in the early stages of race two. A safety car period bunched up the field and once the race was back on again, Shakey started his charge through the pack. By two thirds race distance, he was up into third but he wasn’t content with that and aided by the fastest lap of the race, he took second place and closed in on race leader Richard Cooper. With two laps to go he grabbed the lead and he wasn’t to be denied taking a brilliant win to get his 2016 championship campaign firmly back on track.

It was Byrne’s seventh win on the Brands Hatch Indy circuit and Ducati’s first British Superbike Championship win since 2010.

Team-mate Glenn Irwin had a challenging weekend and for the first time this season, he failed to score points in one of the races. In the early stages of the first race, although he was running with Byrne for a time, the 26 year old from Carrickfergus was unable to match Shakey’s pace as the race progressed but took a solid 13th place at the chequered flag.

Starting the second race from an improved 12th position on the grid, the Ulsterman was inside the points in 12th place for most of the race but with ten laps to go, the Be Wiser Ducati Panigale R encountered a technical problem and he was forced to retire to record his first DNF of the year for Paul Bird’s Cumbria-based team.

Shane Byrne: “It’s great to get the first win of the season and I’m sure it’s the start of some really Shakeygood times for us. The bike’s proving hard to get off the line at the moment and the first race was dreadful whilst the second one was average and that gave me a better chance. In race two, I was able to get with the leading group and with two laps to go, I managed to get by Richard by running up the inside at Clearways where I was able to get the power down more effectively and held on for a victory. We have our first batch of upgrades coming in the next few weeks, so we’re in a good place for the next round. All credit must go to the team so a massive thank you to Paul Bird, Be Wiser, Ducati UK, Ducati Italy and all my crew for working so hard for me.”

Glenn Irwin: “It’s been a frustrating weekend as I felt I had the pace to finish higher up but it’s such a difficult circuit to overtake on and I was getting held up in places by other riders. I struggled, like Glenn IrwinShakey, to get the bike off the line so it was tough out there but there are plenty of positives to take away with us. The team made a few changes to the bike for race two and it was the best it’s been all season so we’ll take that away with us and regroup for the next round.”

Paul Bird, Team Owner: “I think today is the start of a new beginning for us and we’ve shown just how good the combination of rider and bike can be. Obviously, getting off the line caused a few problems for both riders but we should have that all sorted next time out and Shakey managed the tyres excellently in race two. The lap times dropped in race two and it was a great win for us. Hopefully, it’s the first of many this season.”

MCE British Superbike Championship Race One (30 laps)

1 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)

2 James Ellison (Kawasaki)

3 Tommy Bridewell (Suzuki)

4 Richard Cooper (BMW)

5 Luke Mossey (Kawasaki)

6 Michael Laverty (BMW)

9 Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati)

13 Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati)

MCE British Superbike Championship Race Two (30 laps)

1 Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati)

2 Richard Cooper (BMW)

3 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)

4 Tommy Bridewell (Suzuki)

5 Dan Linfoot (Honda)

6 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)

DNF Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati)

Championship Standings (after three rounds)

1 Haslam 93pts

2 Byrne 90

3 Iddon 86

4 Cooper 74

5 Laverty 66

6 O’Halloran 62

14 Irwin 20

The next round takes place at Knockhill in Fife over the weekend of 24/26th June and for further information, please visit www.pbmuk.net and www.pbmuk.net

More, from a press release issued by JG Speedfit Kawasaki:

JG SPEEDFIT KAWASAKI CLAIM FIRST 1-2 AND TAKE MCE BSB LEAD!

It was a strong weekend for the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team, claiming their first ever MCE British Superbike Championship 1-2 finish in the opening race before a further podium in the second outing gave Leon Haslam the series lead.

Using the practice sessions to dial the JG Speedfit Kawasaki machines into the short 1.2 mile long circuit, all three riders impressed with James Ellison topping the final practice session, as Leon Haslam logged tenth following a heavy crash at Clearways and Peter Hickman in 11th. Continuing their form into qualifying, James missed out on pole position by just 0.028s whilst Leon secured seventh and Peter tenth.

With the predicted wet weather failing to materialise for race day, the opening outing was a scintillating encounter. Grabbing the holeshot, Ellison ran at the front for the majority of the race in an almost carbon copy of the 2015 event. Running in sixth for the opening half of the race, Leon then began carving his way through the field to be in third at the start of the final lap. Swiftly moving past Bridewell, he followed James into the final corner and was able to just draft past him at the line to claim his second win of the season by 0.057s to secure the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team’s first ever 1-2 finish. Similarly, Peter was able to work through the pack from his fourth row start to claim seventh place at the flag.

Ellison again started from the front row for race two whilst Leon and Peter moved forward to sixth and seventh respectively. All three enjoyed strong starts to the race, and things were shaping up to be a repeat of the opening encounter however disaster struck on lap 15 when an electrical fault forced James out of the lead. Unable to find the same grip from the earlier race, Leon still secured another podium finish with a third place, giving him the series lead. Another good race from Peter saw him claim eighth place at the line.

The GBmoto Racing run team now head back to their workshop before leaving for the Isle of Man TT on Thursday.

New MCE British Superbike Championship leader Leon Haslam said, “After the crash on Saturday, I would take a win and a third place all day! The bike felt really good in both races – I actually felt comfier in the second outing but I just didn’t have the same grip so couldn’t go with the two front guys. I’ve never won at the Indy track before, coming here it was probably the circuit I was dreading the most so to walk away with two trophies and the series lead is brilliant and sets us up for the rest of the season.

We move onto Knockhill next which is a circuit I enjoy and one that I’ve had some good results at before so I’m looking forward to going there – like here, the short nature means it’s going to be a scrap but hopefully we can continue this form.

Disappointed to be forced out of the second race, James Ellison said “I honestly don’t know what to say! That first race was good and I felt strong so to just miss out like that is gutting – but it’s great to see the team up here claiming our first one-two and it shows the strength of the package we have. In the second race, I was feeling good again and although it was closer at the front I thought we could win but an electrical fault robbed us of the chance.

It’s a long championship though and we’ve now got a setting with the bike that I feel real comfortable with. We know what we’re capable of so we’ll regroup and come out ready to challenge for further podiums at Knockhill”

Having set a new personal best around the Indy circuit, Peter Hickman said “I’m really happy with today. The shorter Indy track has never been one of my favourites so walking away with two top eight places is fantastic – if you had told me that at the start of the weekend I would have taken it. We made some changes to the bike ahead of race two which was a definite improvement so we know what direction we need to go with on the bike at Knockhill too.

We now have a few days to rest before heading to the Isle of Man, which couldn’t be any further from this weekend!”

GBmoto Racing Team Principal Mark Smith-Halvorsen concluded, “What a fantastic weekend for the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team! All three riders have proved how competitive they are and we leave here with further trophies as well as the Championship lead. I’m absolutely crushed that a very small electrical problem ruled James out of what certainly could have been a race winning ride but we know what he can do and I’m sure we’ll see him bounce back at Knockhill.

The highlight of the weekend though has to be Leon’s performance in both races which has seen us propelled to the top of the standings. It’s been incredibly close again today and it’s still all to play for, for all three riders, so I look forward to heading north and seeing what Scotland brings!”

More, from a press release issued by Smiths Racing:

Mainwaring Smart Battles Hard For Points At Brands Hatch

The Gloucester-based Smiths Racing BMW team were back in action this weekend for round three of the MCE British Superbike Championship and whilst it proved to be a challenging weekend for both Howie Mainwaring Smart and Jakub Smrz, it was Howie who was able to give the team their second best result of the season.

A crash on Friday put Mainwaring Smart very much on the back foot and he qualified in 26th place, albeit just over a second off the pole position time. It was going to be hard work for the Aylesford rider in the first race with the short Indy circuit making it difficult to overtake but he dug deep and was unlucky to miss out on the points on the Smiths Racing BMW, crossing the line in 16th place, but still only 14 seconds off the race winner Leon Haslam.

The result gave him the better starting position of 18th for the second 30-lap race and he made it count with some determined riding. In the points as early as the fifth lap, Howie was part of a four-rider battle for 13th place and with 20 laps gone, he consolidated 13th to eventually cross the line to take his second best finish of the season, to add to his 11th place in the previous round at Oulton Park for the former double British Supersport champions and TT winners.

For team-mate Smrz, the weekend started well when he posted the ninth fastest time in Friday morning’s first free practice session, a position he matched later in the afternoon when he improved his time. But the Czech rider unfortunately crashed early on during Saturday morning’s final practice session at Graham Hill Bend and although nothing was broken, damage to his ribs meant it wasn’t possible to continue and he was forced to sit out the remainder of the meeting.

Howie Mainwaring Smart: “A big crash on Friday meant I lost an awful lot of time during the free practice sessions and even in qualifying, I was nowhere near the pace I needed to be. I was naturally a bit down but we made some big changes today and although I couldn’t get into the points in the first race, I made good progress to go from 26th to 16th. We made further progress in race two and were able to fight for some good points and it was nice to be involved in a real good battle. The team worked really hard all weekend so full credit to them as we’ve definitely made a step in the right direction.”

Jakub Smrz: “It’s a real shame what happened on Saturday as I really like the Brands Hatch circuit and everything had been going so well on Friday. The team had done a great job with the bike since Jakub Smrzthe last round and I was a lot happier and more confident, which could be seen from my lap times on Friday. I was sure we were on for some good results but, unfortunately, I crashed on Saturday and although I didn’t break anything, I did a lot of ligament damage around my ribs and the pain meant it wasn’t possible to continue. It’s disappointing but that’s racing and we have a five-week break now before the next round so I’ll work hard on my fitness and ensure we come out fighting at Knockhill.”

Rebecca Smith, Team Manager: “It’s been a challenging weekend for sure and I’m gutted for ‘Kuba’ as he was showing some great form before his unfortunate crash. It’s good that we’ve a break in the calendar as he can concentrate on getting fit for Knockhill at the end of June and continue with the progress he’d made this weekend. We’ve had a lot of issues this weekend and Howie was struggling with his confidence too so it took a long time to get to the place where we wanted to be. In the end, it all came good for him in the second race so we’re looking forward to going testing in a couple of weeks to ensure we come back stronger at the next round.”

The fourth round of the series heads north of the border to Knockhill, Scotland with the meeting taking place on June 24/26th. For more information, please visit www.britishsuperbike.com and www.britishsuperbike.com

More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:

BRIDEWELL & BENNETTS SUZUKI PODIUM AT BRANDS BSB

Tommy Bridewell took his and the Bennetts Suzuki team’s first podium finish of the season after he finished third in the opening race at Brands Hatch, at the third round of the MCE British Superbike Championship today.

Starting from the second row of the grid, Bridewell pushed through to fourth place in the opening stages and escaped with the front-runners. He then moved his way up to third place before progressing to second; his sights set on the win. Unfortunately, he relinquished second place on the final lap, but crossed the line in third to take his first podium-finish of 2016.

Race two saw the Wiltshire-born rider again start from the second row, before he finished the 30-lap race in fourth position, capping a solid weekend for him and the team and kick-starting his season, as he moved from 18th-to-ninth in the championship hunt.

Tommy Bridewell:

“It feels good to get that first podium of the season, especially after the start we had and some of the bad luck we’ve suffered. I felt really confident coming into the weekend. We had the test at Anglesey, which was positive for us, and I’ve known all along that the potential was there in both the team and the GSX-R1000. It’s still a competitive package. I knew we shouldn’t be down in the positions we were in at the first two rounds, and here we’ve been up at the sharp-end all weekend and fast in every session. I felt very comfortable in the first race and it was good to be at the front. In race two we had a small issue with rear grip; it dropped-off a lot earlier in the race than it had in race one, which meant I couldn’t maintain my pace. It was a shame to miss-out on another podium, but it’s done our championship position a lot of good. We’ve got the Snetterton test next and I fully-expect the same sort of performance at Knockhill.”

Martin Halsall – Bennetts Suzuki Team Owner:

“Tommy had the speed all weekend to challenge at the front and the podium in race one is the result of the hard work that he and everyone in the team has been putting in. It feels great to get that first one of the season and also our first as a team with the big Suzuki. We didn’t have the best start to the season, but we knew the potential of Tommy and the package we had, and it was just a case of getting some small issues ironed-out. In race two we didn’t quite have the pace to get back onto the podium, but it’s a weekend that’s really kick-started Tommy’s season. We’ve got him up into the championship top-10, and now we can focus on fighting for more podiums and bridging the gap to the Showdown places. It’s still a bit of a bittersweet weekend, however, as I think we could have had two GSX-R1000s fighting at the front this weekend, as Ryuichi Kiyonari had the pace in practice before crashing and fracturing his collarbone. But we’re sure he’ll be bounce back and be in the mix next time out.”

More, from a press release issued by Luke Mossey Racing:

 Luke Mossey – Brands Indy

Quattro Plant TECcare Kawasaki

Luke Mossey and the Quattro Plant TecCare Kawasaki team had a positive weekend at round three of the MCE British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch Indy. Luke secured his first ever pole position and gained a fifth and 10th place respectively in the two British Superbike races.

Luke was feeling confident coming to Brands Hatch this weekend and was eager to have two solid races after the disappointment at Oulton Park.

The 23-year-old from Cambridge was consistently in the top few positions during the practice sessions. He was sixth in the second and third sessions but was really looking forward to a strong qualifying session. The Quattro Plant Teccare team worked extremely hard to ensure Luke felt comfortable on the Kawasaki ZX-10R.

The youngster put his mark down early on in the opening qualifying session and despite two red flags he was happily sitting at the top of the leader board. He followed that up with being quickest in second qualifying session and was eager for the final stage. He had to build up to a quick time and put in a fantastic lap time to secure his first ever pole position with a time of 45.275.

He got a good start in the first race and was into second by turn two and he made a pass on James Ellison for the lead and then the safety car was deployed. Luke continued to lead for several laps but struggled with a bit of confidence in the latter half of the race and dropped down to fifth where he finished after the 30-lap race.

His time in race one once again sat him on pole position for race two and he was eager for a good result. He got a great start and got the hole-shot; for the opening half of the race Luke was fighting for the win with James Ellison but his pace dropped off in the second half of the race due to grip problems and he had to settle for 10th.

Luke Mossey – “Everything felt perfect this weekend on my Kawasaki and I was really looking forward to a strong weekend. I wanted to make amends for Oulton Park and we found a really good set-up early on Friday which helped me massively.

“I felt really comfortable on the bike and happy with the lap times I was producing throughout the weekend. Qualifying couldn’t have gone any better and it was brilliant to gain my first ever pole position, it was a credit to the team and how hard they worked.

“I got to the front in race one and everything felt good, the safety car caught me a little off guard and I lost a bit of confidence when it pulled back into the pit lane and I dropped a few positions. I was happy with fifth and it showed we had made good progress from Oulton Park.

“I was on pole again for race two and we didn’t make many changes to the bike between sessions as it felt good. I got a great start and was leading and having a really good battle with James (Ellison) for several laps. After half distance I just couldn’t get the grip I needed to push hard at the front and knew I was dropping back.

“I didn’t change the way I was riding or anything but just couldn’t keep the pace I’d managed to have all weekend. I am disappointed with the second race result but really pleased generally with how the rest of the weekend went. The Quattro TECcare Kawasaki team worked really hard all weekend and I know we can continue to make progress through the year.”

Personal Sponsors 2016

TECcare – Feridax – Sidi – Shoei – GB Racing – SMV – GiMoto – K-Tech – Krombacher – JMC – ALS – John Wyatt – Graham Godward – Ben Brew – Forcefield – Cool Milk

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More, from a press release issued by Quattro Plant Kawasaki:

Strong weekend at Brands for Quattro Plant Kawasaki

Bournemouth-based Quattro Plant Kawasaki were back in action at Brands Hatch this weekend, contesting the latest rounds of the MCE British Superbike, Dickies British Supersport and Hyundai Heavy Industries British Sidecar Championships and they were able to score some strong results in all three classes.

Luke Mossey set the trend when, keen to make amends from the previous round at Oulton, he claimed his first ever British Superbike Championship pole position during qualifying on Saturday. It put the Cambridge rider in a confident mood for Sunday’s opening 30-lap race and at one-thirds race distance he overhauled fellow Kawasaki rider James Ellison to take the lead. With the racing close though, he slipped back in the final third and eventually crossed the line in fifth place. He was again in pole position for the second race but it ultimately followed a similar pattern as he led in the early stages only to slip back as the race wore on. With the safety car coming out on lap ten, he dropped from first to fourth and with a lack of grip in the final third of the race, he was powerless to respond and dropped back to tenth.

A qualifying crash for team-mate Filip Backlund left him in 24th place on the grid and very much on the back foot for the first 30-lap race but the Swedish rider fought from start to finish and although he wasn’t able to make it into the points, he took a solid 18th at the chequered flag. He was able to start from the slightly advanced position of 21st and the seventh row for the second race eventually finishing the race in 17th place.

Meanwhile, for Supersport rider Andrew Reid, everything was going to plan in Saturday’s ‘Sprint’ race as he led for the first half of the race. However, with rain in the air, conditions were very tricky and with six riders battling for the lead, positions were changing hands frequently. In the second half of the race, Andrew was shuffled back slightly and had to settle for fourth at the chequered flag. Sunday’s race was run in dry conditions and although he ran in second place in the early stages, the County Antrim rider didn’t quite have the pace to go with the leaders and fourth place was again the outcome. Nevertheless, the weekend’s results have seen him maintain his Championship lead with his advantage over James Westmoreland now slightly reduced at six points.

Also in action was the sidecar pairing of Ricky Stevens and Ryan Charlwood and, after qualifying in third for the first race, the duo fought tooth and nail with Tim Reeves/Gregory Cluze in both 15-lap races. They ultimately had to settle for a pair of second place finishes but it was extremely close in both encounters, just 0.053s separating them on Saturday and 0.370s the difference in Sunday’s race. With three second places from the first three races, they’re now 15 points behind Reeves in the Championship table.

Luke Mossey: “I was pretty pleased with my first race result and to get back in the top five again was where I feel I should be. I felt comfortable when I was leading both races but from about half race distance in the second, I struggled for grip and couldn’t get the bike to do what I wanted it to do. It’s frustrating but it’s two top tens and the potential’s definitely there so I’ll look for better results at Knockhill next time out.”

Filip Backlund: “I’m happy that I’m improving each time I go out on the bike and whilst I’m not getting the results I want, we’re making progress. Sometimes the steps are small, sometimes they’re big but the important thing is that we’re improving and that’s all we can do. I’m now looking forward to the break in the calendar as there’ll be a big difference with my collarbone and muscles next time out so I’m definitely going to be fired up for Knockhill next month.”

Andrew Reid: “Some weekends you don’t do anything differently to what you’ve done before but things don’t click into place like you’d want – and that’s how this weekend’s been. We had a few little issues in practice and qualifying which we didn’t completely erase but it hasn’t been a bad weekend by any means and we’ve scored some solid points. I extended my lead again after the second race and being in the lead is obviously key. I’m fighting fit and raring to go for the next round so we’ll come back strong.”

Ricky Stevens: “It’s been an excellent weekend for us again and although we couldn’t quite a pull off a win, we had two tremendous battles with Tim, a five-time World Champion, and only narrowly missed out on each occasion. Both races were extremely enjoyable and the bike was working really well so a big thanks to the team. We’re in a good position in the Championship and we head to Knockhill next where we’ll be aiming to repeat our double victory of 2015.”

Pete Extance, Team Owner: “It’s been a mixed weekend for the team here at Brands with a few highs and lows and mixed results along the way. Luke rode superbly in qualifying and everything went perfectly but it just didn’t come together on race day, the safety car periods in particular upsetting his rhythm. Fifth and tenth were all he had to show for his efforts whilst Filip also found the going tough. He was only 0.8s off pole in qualifying but found himself a long way back on the grid although he brought the bike home in both races for two finishes.

“Andy also had a mixed weekend but the most important thing for him was that he scored two solid results to maintain his Championship lead which is great for both him and the team. It was Ricky and Ryan who got our podium finishes this weekend and I’m really pleased for them. The win eluded them but the finishes were good for their title challenge and there’ll be eager to get that first win at Knockhill.”

There’s now a five week break before the next round at Knockhill on June 24-26 but the team now turn their attention back to the roads and the Isle of Man TT Races with James Hillier amongst the favourites for honours in all classes.

More, from a press release issued by ePayMe Yamaha:

Easton scores season best finish for ePayMe Yamaha at Brands Hatch

The ePayMe Yamaha team returned to the top ten in the third round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch yesterday as Stuart Easton claimed his best result of the season with a hard-fought ninth place in race two.

The team had worked hard throughout the weekend to work through various setting changes to master the 1.2-mile Indy circuit and in Datatag Qualifying John Hopkins had a strong showing to reach the final stage of the three, to line up ninth on the grid. Easton was unlucky in qualifying to have his best laps halted with red flags, which narrowly put him outside of Q2 to start 21st on the grid.

Hopkins and Easton delivered determined performances in both races. Hopkins struggled with chatter problems despite the best efforts from the team, but the American fought hard to just miss out on the top ten in twelfth place, just ahead of Easton in 14th.

The team made further changes before the second race and again Hopkins and Easton fought hard to secure valuable points with Hopkins just missing out on the top ten in eleventh place. Easton continued to progress through the field to claim ninth place to score his first top ten finish of the season.

Hopkins said: “Brands Hatch Indy is one of those circuits where there is such a small margin in it; everything is down to the absolute millisecond. We definitely had the best amount of dry track time over the course of the weekend so we managed to test quite a lot and we changed the bike multiple times during the sessions and we improved a lot.

“I was just struggling at Graham Hill Bend and Surtees with some bad chatter where I was pushing the front. In qualifying we had cured it a little and with a new tyre I was able to get in the lap for Q3, but unfortunately we didn’t find a complete cure for it. I gave it absolutely everything I had in the races and that was to the limit of where we were at then.

“We found something that worked with Stuart in race two and all I wish was that it had been a triple-header weekend because I really just wanted to get back out again for another race with that improvement. I think going forward that could help us at the next round and we also have the Snetterton test before Knockhill too which is great.”

Easton said: “It was a real mixed weekend really as my qualifying jinx continued as I just got unlucky with the red flags and having to come back into the pits twice during Q1 and with the Indy circuit being so close I just missed out. We made some improvements with the front end and in race one I was able to come through from 21st on the grid to 14th and finish behind Hopper. It isn’t the best result but that doesn’t really reflect the progress we made, especially to move up the order on the Indy circuit which generally isn’t one of the easiest circuits to do that as everyone is so close on lap times.

“The bike felt the best it has all year and I was really looking forward to race two. I started a bit further forward in 16th on the grid and was able to make progress again and come through to finish ninth, which is my best result of the year. It isn’t where I want to be but I really feel that we are moving forward and I have to thank the team as we did really improve at Brands Hatch.”

Team manager Tommy Hill commented: “The weekend again started ok for us with John instantly showing his pace and running up the front where we know both him and the team are capable of being. Unfortunately he was suffering from real chatter problems and I went out to watch trackside and it was obvious he was having more of an issue than any other rider on track. We worked hard on Saturday night with some ideas of how we could improve and try and find a solution, which we hoped would work after warm up, but the problem returned in the race. It was disappointing for him as we know there is so much more there to unlock.

“On Stuart’s side he was really struggling at the start of the weekend but with some big chassis changes when it came to raceday he was feeling more comfortable and he really delivered a brilliant performance to come from 21st on the grid through to 14th, especially as the Indy circuit needs big moves to overtake on such a short lap. It was great to see progress for him and I think we are getting closer to unlocking what we know we are all capable of with Stuart’s home round next at Knockhill.”  

More, from a press release issued by James Rispoli’s publicist:

Rispoli ready to bounce back after bruising Brands Hatch

America’s James Rispoli is determined to bounce back at the next round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship next month after ending a bruising weekend at Brands Hatch with the Anvil Hire TAG Yamaha team.

Following a positive test at the Kent circuit ahead of the event the Rocket had high hopes for the next two races of the season. The team focused on working through a magnitude of changes on the opening day, but a crash ended their progress prematurely.

A determined Rispoli was feeling positive of further improvements ahead of qualifying, however a high-speed crash during the first stage saw the 24-year-old left battered and bruised and facing a seventh row start in the opening race.

In morning warm up the team made further changes and a sore Rispoli was focused on scoring some strong points with a damage limitation performance, but the race ended prematurely after a move from Jenny Tinmouth forced a collision causing the pair to crash out at Druids. The crash left a hurt Rispoli deciding to sit out race two ahead of a trip home to Florida to recuperate ahead of the official test at Snetterton next month (June 15/16).

Rispoli said: “It was a tough weekend for us really. We started off on the back foot in FP1 and it seemed like we could never recover from there. Everything we tried to make it work better had a small improvement but it was never enough and we couldn’t be on the form that we needed to be on. It was really tough to be honest and frustrating to be at a track where it is so tight and to be so close but so far away.

“We kept trying to dig out of it and I was trying harder and harder to just get through that little extra bit to make it work, we made changes and it just didn’t seem as if anything was going our way. It seemed that none of the changes were one hundred percent working. We had a small off in FP2 which hindered our work and then in FP3 we kind of got it back together and it felt good.

“I had thought that we could qualify quite well, but then I had a massive high-side following the two Honda boys. I was riding at the limit of where we were right at that moment. The good thing is I wasn’t badly hurt and we can keep trying to move forward. I got back on the bike and showed some strength to go back out in race one.

“We made some more changes for the race and that didn’t seem to quite work either, so it has been very hard to not be able to ride as fast as I wanted to at the weekend. Then to have a small off in race one by getting a bit of help was really disappointing. At that point we were not going to be able to show a real account of ourselves and it was time to call the weekend. We were at the point where I could hurt more and we were not going to move forward.

“We now need to assess and continue to move forward, I need to chill and come back stronger ready for the Snetterton test and get back on the form that we had. We know we can run in the top ten and be there, we just need to get the setting right and then we can run at the front.”

For more information please visit www.jamesrispoli.com