BMW racers end the WSBK season under the floodlights of Qatar – A win and two podium finishes for the BMW S 1000 RR at the BSB season finale in Brands Hatch.
The “Losail International Circuit” near Doha hosts the 2015 season finale of the FIM Superbike World Championship – Tyco BMW rider Michael Laverty celebrates a win and a further podium at the final round of the British Superbike Championship, while Adam Jenkinson is third on his RR in the Superstock class race.
Munich (DE), 21st October 2015. Two major racing series held their 2015 season finales last weekend: the FIM Superbike World Championship (WSBK) and the British Superbike Championship (BSB). The final WSBK races of the year have been held on the floodlit “Losail International Circuit” near Doha (QT). At the last round of the BSB season at Brands Hatch (GB), Tyco BMW rider Michael Laverty (GB) celebrated his first win on the BMW S 1000 RR. Also the Superstock class race ended with a success, with Adam Jenkinson on the podium. Meanwhile in Asia, the BMW racers have started the final spurt in the MFJ Superbike All Japan Road Racing Championship (MFJ). Those riders registered for the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy collected more Race Trophy points with their results (see full rankings below).
FIM Superbike World Championship in Doha, Qatar.
The season finale of the 2015 FIM Superbike World Championship (WSBK) was held under the floodlights of the “Losail International Circuit” near Doha (QT) last weekend. For the BMW Motorrad Italia SBK Team rider Ayrton Badovini (IT) it was a first, having not raced under floodlights before. He finished the first of the two races on Sunday evening in 11th. In race two he was on his way to a top-seven finish on his BMW S 1000 RR, but made a slight mistake in the final stages. This time, Badovini took the chequered flag in tenth.
BMW Team Tóth equalled its best ever result in the WSBK by collecting eight championship points this weekend. Both riders finished in the points at Doha: Gábor Rizmayer (HU) was 13th in both races, Imre Tóth (HU) crossed the line in 14th in race two, after he was 17th in race one.
British Superbike Championship in Brands Hatch, Great Britain.
The 2015 season of the British Superbike Championship (BSB) ended with a great success for the BMW S 1000 RR. At the final round at Brands Hatch (GB), Michael Laverty (GB) celebrated a win and a further podium finish on his Tyco BMW RR in the Superbike class (BSB SBK). The Superbike riders contested a total of three races this weekend. In race one on Saturday Laverty was ninth. In the second race on Sunday afternoon he stepped onto the podium finishing third. Then, in the final heat Laverty was successful in an epic three-way-battle at the front, and celebrated his first-ever win on the BMW S 1000 RR.
The second-best BMW racer at the season finale was Lee Jackson (GB / Buildbase BMW). The 20-year-old youngster was fifth in race one and sixth in race two. Unfortunately in the last race he did not finish. Laverty’s Tyco BMW team-mate Tommy Bridewell (GB) finished 11th twice and 12th once. Peter Hickman (GB / RAF Reserves BMW) was 12th in the first two races and 11th in the final heat. Martin Jessopp (GB / Riders Motorcycles BMW) crossed the line in 16th, 15th and 13th. Billy McConnell (AU / Smiths Racing BMW) came home 15th in race one, but failed to finish the final two races.
In the championship rankings both Laverty and Bridewell were among the six “Title Fighters”. Laverty ended the season fourth overall with 601 points, while Bridewell is sixth with 545 points. In the Manufacturers’ championship BMW is third. Richard Cooper (GB / Buildbase BMW) came to Brands Hatch as the leader in the BSB Riders’ Cup, which is contested by the riders outside of the six “Title Showdown” positions. However, Cooper was injured after crashing in qualifying and was not able to take part in the three races. As he could not score further points, he dropped one position and was 12 points behind the Riders’ Cup winner in the final rankings.
In a dramatic Superstock class (BSB STK) race, which saw numerous retirements, it was Adam Jenkinson’s (GB) turn to represent the BMW colours on the podium. He finished third on his Northern Escalator Installations RR. He was followed over the finish line by Luke Quigley (GB / Formwise Washrooms / Bathams) in fourth place. Dominic Usher (GB / DU Racing BMW) came home seventh to take his place in the top ten. In the overall standings places two to five all went to BMW riders: Alastair Seeley (GB / Tyco BMW) ended the season in the runner-up spot, Hudson Kennaugh (ZA / Trik-Moto BMW) was third overall. Quigley followed in fourth place, with Jenkinson fifth. In the 12 races held this season, Seeley and Kennaugh shared seven victories and a total of 16 podium finishes between them. In the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy rankings both are among the top-15, with Seeley being seventh and Kennaugh 11th.
MFJ Superbike All Japan Road Racing Championship in Okayama, Japan.
In the MFJ Superbike All Japan Road Racing Championship (MFJ), the sixth and penultimate race of the season was held last weekend in Okayama (JP). The best-placed RR rider was Koji Teramoto (JP / Team Tras135HP) in 17th place. Shinya Takeishi (JP) finished in 19th on the BMW S 1000 RR of CONFIA Flex Motorrad39, directly followed by Yuuta Kodama (JP), who finished in 20th place on the second Tras135HP RR. They also collected points for the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy.
2015 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy – Current Standings.
In 2015 the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy comprises a total of 19 international and national championships. Participants in the BMW Motorrad Race Trophy can compete in multiple championships. The points scored in the different championships are calculated separately for each individual race series. The current standings only include points from the race series in which the participant has scored the most Race Trophy points. You can find all the information on the 2015 BMW Motorrad Race Trophy online at the BMW Motorrad Motorsport website:
www.bmw-motorrad-motorsport.com
Status: 21st October 2015
Pos.
Name (Nat.)
Series / Class
Points
1 Roland Resch (AT) AARR SBK 344.73
2 Jordan Szoke (CA) CSBK PR 341.67
3 Matthieu Lussiana (FR) MT1GP STK GP 330.37
4 Markus Reiterberger (DE) IDM SBK 314.29
5 Florian Brunet-Lugardon (FR) FR EU 295.38
6 Roberto Tamburini (IT) STK1000 284.00
7 Alastair Seeley (GB) BSB STK 280.73
8 Michal Prášek (CZ) AARR STK 269.67
9 Cyril Brunet-Lugardon (FR) EU 251.08
10 Pekka Päivärinta / Kirsi Kainulainen (FI) SWC 250.67
11 Hudson Kennaugh (ZA) BSB STK 241.45
12 Eeki Kuparinen (FI) CEV AM 220.80
13 Lukáš Pešek (CZ) AARR SBK 218.18
14 Michel Amalric (FR) FR EU 206.77
15 Michal Šembera (CZ) AARR STK 203.33
16. Michael Laverty (GB/BSB SBK/182.86), 17. Lee Johnston (GB/BMW RRC/181.33), 18. Martin Choy (BG/AARR SBK/178.91), 19. Emeric Jonchière (FR/FSBK STK/177.64), 20. Iván Silva (ES/CEV PR/171.20), 21. Marco Nekvasil (AT/EWC STK/167.00), 22. Janez Prosenik (SI/AARR SBK/158.55), 23. Adrián Bonastre (ES/CEV PR/153.60), 24. Pepijn Bijsterbosch (NL/IDM STK/153.14), 25. Peter Hickman (GB/BMW RRC/152.89), 26. Madjid Idres (FR/FR EU/148.92), 27. Tommy Bridewell (GB/BSB SBK/148.57), 28. Florian Drouin (FR/FR EU/147.69), 29. Lance Isaacs (ZA/RSA SBK GP/145.64), 30. Krasen Kanchev (BG/AARR STK/142.89), 31. Uwe Gürck/Manfred Wechselberger (DE/AT/SWC/140.27), 32. Dominik Vincon (DE/IDM STK/133.71), 33. Mike Roscher/Anna Burkard (DE/SWC/132.93), 34. Fabrizio Perotti (IT/CIV/126.40), 35. Matej Smrz (CZ/IDM SBK/125.62), 36. Marek Szkopek (PL/AARR STK/120.56), 37. Nasarudin Mat Yusop (MY/MSC STK/114.96), 38. Alessio Corradi (IT/CIV/107.20), 39. William Dunlop (GB/BMW RRC/106.67), 40. Bartlomiej Wiczynski (PL/AARR STK/105.33), 41. Michael Leon (CA/CSBK PR/100.00), 41. Bastien Mackels (BE/EWC SBK/100.00), 43. Miloš Cihak (CZ/AARR SBK/96.00), 44. Nicholas Kershaw (ZA/RSA SBK GP/90.97), 45. David Johnson (AU/BMW RRC/88.89), 46. Lucy Glöckner (DE/IDM STK/85.71), 47. Pedro Vallcaneras (ES/EWC SBK/84.00), 48. Michal Fojtik (CZ/AARR STK/81.22), 49. Léon Benichou (FR/FR EU/78.77), 50. Dominic Usher (GB/BSB STK/78.55), 51. Lee Jackson (GB/BSB SBK/78.48), 52. Ireneusz Sikora (PL/AARR SBK/77.09), 53. Billy McConnell (AU/BSB SBK/76.19), 54. Hayato Takada (JP/EWC STK/74.00), 55. Denni Schiavoni (IT/CIV/73.60), 56. Nicolas Pouhair (FR/FSBK SBK/62.67), 57. Marco Muzio (IT/CIV/60.80), 58. Gareth Jones (AU/EWC SBK/60.00), 59. Marco Marcheluzzo (IT/CIV/59.20), 60. Michael Rutter (GB/BMW RRC/56.89), 61. Wojciech Wrobel (PL/AARR STK/56.00), 62. Ryuichi Kiyonari (JP/BSB SBK/54.10), 63. Marc Neumann (DE/IDM STK/53.71), 64. Guy Martin (GB/BMW RRC/53.33), 65. Sebastián Porto (AR/MT1GP STK GP/51.56), 66. Barry Burrell (GB/EWC STK/51.00), 66. Gary Mason (GB/EWC STK/51.00), 68. Stephen Mercer (GB/EWC STK/48.00), 69. Wolfgang Gammer (AT/AARR SBK/43.64), 70. Laurent Aymonin (FR/FR EU/39.38), 71. Luca Oppedisano (IT/CIV/38.40), 72. Daisaku Sakai (JP/MFJ/38.00), 73. Camille Hedelin (FR/EWC SBK/33.00), 74. Martin Jessopp (GB/BSB SBK/32.76), 75. Marcel Irnie (CA/AMA STK/31.42), 76. Johannes Hoffmann (DE/IDM STK/30.86), 77. Federico D’Annunzio (IT/STK1000/28.00), 78. Jeremy Cook (US/AMA STK/27.33), 79. Stefan Cappella (GB/EWC STK/24.00), 79. Shinya Takeishi (JP/MFJ/24.00), 81. Emilien Jaillet (FR/FSBK STK/22.15), 82. Mike Wohner (AT/AARR SBK/18.91), 83. Richard Balcar (CZ/AARR SBK/16.00), 83. Thomas Hainthaler (DE/IDM STK/16.00), 83. Mark Albrecht (DE/IDM STK/16.00), 83. Pawel Gorka (PL/AARR SBK/16.00), 83. Koji Teramoto (JP/MFJ/16.00), 88. Yuuta Kodama (JP/MFJ/14.00), 89. Luca Conforti (IT/CIV/12.80), 90. Johannes Kanzler (DE/IDM STK/11.43), 91. Sabine Holbrook (DE/AARR SBK/10.18), 92. Jean Foray (FR/FR EU/9.85), 93. Chris Schmid (DE/IDM STK/9.14), 94. Bartlomiej Lewandowski (PL/AARR SBK/8.73), 95. Mika Höglund (FI/CEV AM/8.00), 95. Eric Vionnet (CH/STK1000/8.00), 97. Stefan Dolipski (DE/AMA STK/6.00), 97. Fabio Marchionni (IT/STK1000/6.00), 99. Michael Truchot (FR/FR EU/3.69), 100. Maria Costello (GB/BMW RRC/3.56), 101. Noriyuki Tsujimoto (JP/MFJ/2.00), 102. Tatsuya Noda (JP/EWC SBK/0.00), 102. Mohamad Syahnas Shahidan (MY/MSC SBK/0.00), 102. Sandra Stammova (SI/RSA SBK GP/0.00)
More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone:
Australian MotoGP™ debrief with Shinji Aoki
Bridgestone slick compounds: Front: Extra-soft, Asymmetric & Soft; Rear: Soft, Medium & Hard (Asymmetric)
Bridgestone wet tyre compounds: Soft (Main) & Hard (Alternative)
Round sixteen of the 2015 MotoGP™ season was the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island Circuit, where Repsol Honda Team’s Marc Marquez won one of the most exciting contests in years ahead of Jorge Lorenzo and Andrea Iannone who claimed the remaining rostrum positions.
The weather at Phillip Island was unusually stable over the race weekend with all sessions being declared dry, including Sunday’s race where the track temperature remained steady in the high thirty-degrees Celsius range. A new overall race time record was set by Marquez, beating the old mark by thirteen seconds and the reigning champion also managed to set the quickest lap time of the race, clocking a 1’29.280 on the very last lap.
Q&A with Shinji Aoki – Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department
For this year’s Australian Grand Prix, Bridgestone developed a brand new asymmetric front slick. How did this new asymmetric front slick differ from the one that made its debut at Phillip Island last year?
“The asymmetric front slick we developed for this year’s Australian Grand Prix used the same rubber compounds as last year’s version, but this year we changed the areas in which the two compound zones were located on the tyre. Last year’s asymmetric front slick had the extra-soft compound rubber located only on the right shoulder of the tyre, while the centre and left shoulders were comprised of the soft compound rubber. For this year, the extra-soft rubber was used on the right and centre section of the tyre, with the soft compound rubber used only on the left shoulder. At the end of last year’s race, the track temperature dropped significantly which resulted in some riders losing control while braking, so we wanted to avoid a repeat of that situation this year. The change we made this year ensured that the asymmetric front slick had better warm-up performance and braking feel than last year, while still maintaining good cornering stability through the fast left-hand turns. This new development was universally praised by the riders and over the whole weekend we only had one crash in MotoGP across all sessions including the race. I believe our new, safer, asymmetric front slick was a major contributor to this reduction in incidents.”
All of the riders selected the asymmetric front slick for the race, were you surprised that no riders selected the soft compound front slick given that conditions were fine for the race?
“The riders liked that the asymmetric front slick quickly got to its optimum operating temperature, had excellent feel under braking and also provided good durability and stability on the left shoulder of the tyre. Basically, the asymmetric front slick provided all of the advantages of the extra-soft and soft compound front slick combined in one tyre. All these factors made it the unanimous choice for the race, but I think that if temperatures were warmer than they were on Sunday, some riders perhaps would have chosen the soft compound front slick to give them more stability in the braking zones and right-hand turns. However, the combination of safety, performance and control the asymmetric front slick offered convinced the riders it was the best option given the conditions we had on Sunday.”
Only two of the three rear slick options; the soft and medium compound slicks were used over the weekend. Why did the hard compound rear slick remain unused by the factory Honda and Yamaha riders?
“The seaside location of the Phillip Island circuit throws up a lot of possibilities in terms of weather conditions. Ambient temperatures ranging from 10-30°C are possible over the race weekend, so our tyre allocation has to work over a wide range of conditions. The reason the hard compound rear slick wasn’t used this year was that although we had generally fine and mild conditions at Phillip Island last weekend, the track temperatures didn’t reach a high enough level for the hard rear slick to be a viable option. However, just the week before the race ambient temperatures in the Phillip Island area were above 30°C, which would have resulted in track temperatures of around 50°C. In this situation the hard compound rear slick would’ve been a worthwhile option for the factory Honda and Yamaha riders, so we had to include it in our allocation. That said I am very happy with how the soft and medium compound rear slicks worked, as they proved to be very consistent during a gruelling twenty-seven laps of the Phillip Island circuit.”
More, from a press release issued by Pirelli North America:
Pirelli wins ASRA Sportbike race for third straight year at Daytona
Pirelli riders finish first and third at final ASRA Sportbike race for 2015
Daytona, Florida (USA), 21 October 2015 – During the CCS Race of Champions at Daytona International Speedway last weekend, Xavier Zayat on his MDM and Maher Motorsports-backed R6 won the final ASRA Sportbike race of the 2015 season. It was a fantastic finish with many riders fighting for the lead, but Xavier used his Daytona-spec Pirelli rear tire to dominate and win the race. Jason Farrell finished third on his Farrell Performance Kawasaki, also fitted with Daytona-spec Pirelli tires, capping off a successful season for Pirelli.
“For the third year in a row, Pirelli has won this important race at Daytona International Speedway. Since the racetrack was repaved in 2010, it’s been an ongoing journey to develop tires that work on this extremely demanding racetrack and our three years of hard work is obviously paying off; with Pirelli-equipped riders winning the title three years in a row,” said Jeff Johnston, North American Roadracing Manager for Pirelli Moto.
“We’re looking forward to continuing our efforts and success in 2016 at the Daytona 200 race in March, as well as the Race of Champions in October next year,” Johnston added.
More, from a press release issued by Morello Racing:
CHAMPION ELLIOTT TAKES BRANDS VICTORY TO CLOSE OUT A SUPERB SEASON
Newly crowned British Superstock 1000cc champion Josh Elliott took his fifth win of the season, during the final round yesterday at Brands Hatch for Morello Racing.
Eleven podiums from twelve races and a 52 point margin over his main rival in the championship standings, proves just why the 21-year-old Ulsterman is a deserved winner of this year’s title – and a huge prospect for the future in British Superbike.
Elliott, who also added another fastest lap to his C.V during yesterday’s encounter, said of the meeting and his championship winning season…
Josh Elliott:
“It’s an amazing feeling to end the year with a win. It was a hard race but fun at the same time. I got a poor start off the line and gave myself a lot of work to do, but once I got into second place I really put a big effort into catching Hudson [Kennaugh].
“Lap by lap I was catching him and starting to put the pressure on and eventually he cracked just as I was on his back wheel. He crashed at turn two on the last lap and all I had to do was bring it home.
“It’s been a great season and to finish it on the top step was icing on the cake. Special thanks to my Morello Racing team as they improved the Kawasaki ZX-10R every session over a difficult weekend with changeable weather. The bike was the best it has been all year for the race.
“It was especially good to have my family, friends and some sponsors over for the weekend. Thanks to everyone who has helped me this season. I really appreciate it.”
More, from a press release issued by MotoNation:
ALEX RINS DELIVERS THE MOTO2 AUSTRALIAN GP TO SIDI
Second season victory for the Spanish rider, now second in the World Standing.
Alex Rins starred in an extraordinary performance at the Phillip Island circuit on Sunday. The Spanish rider took off from pole position and went on to take a commanding win in the Moto2 Australian GP. This is his second victory of the year after his win in Indianapolis. Rins, who is turning out to be one of the best revelations of the 2015 season, in his rookie year, dominated the race and crossed the finish line ahead of Britain’s Sam Lowes and Italian Lorenzo Baldassarri. All totaled, up so far for the
2015 Moto2 season, Alex Rins has made it to the podium 9 times, with 2 victories, 4 second places and 3 third positions, in addition to 3 starts from the pole position.
It was a double achievement for Alex Rins who, besides having won the race, has managed to pass his fellow countryman Tito Rabat in the World Championship rankings. Now Rins is second in the standings with 214 points, which put him behind the leader, Johann Zarco.
Alex battles it out on the track and shines on the podium in his Sidi Vortice boots, which stand out yet again as the top models for speed and track in terms of performance, comfort and safety.
More, from a press release issued by Quattro Plant Kawasaki:
Magical Mossey secures BSB Rider’s Cup for Quattro Plant Kawasaki
Luke Mossey gave the Quattro Plant Kawasaki team one of their finest moments in racing at Brands Hatch on Sunday with the 22-year old clinching the 2015 British Superbike Rider’s Cup.
The Cambridge rider came into the ‘Triple Header’ weekend 16 points adrift of seventh placed Richard Cooper but the Buildbase BMW rider crashed out in qualifying on Saturday, ruling himself out of the rest of the weekend. With three races to compete in, it put Luke in pole position to overhaul the Nottingham rider and take the Rider’s Cup.
However, he still had to go out and score heavily as Peter Hickman was only three points adrift with his own designs on taking the seventh place position. The first race, held on Saturday, put Luke in the driving seat though as he took seventh place as opposed to Hickman’s 12th.
It was an identical outcome in the second race and it all meant that Luke had overhauled Cooper and led Hickman by 13 points heading into the final race of the 2015 season. It proved to be his best race of the weekend and, part of a terrific seven-rider battle for third, he ensured his debut season in the class was going to end in superb style.
Indeed it did and with sixth place in the race, he moved on to a total of 168 points to clinch seventh place overall and with it the coveted BSB Rider’s Cup, a stunning result for a rookie.
For team-mate Howie Mainwaring Smart, it was also a profitable weekend with the Aylesford-based rider showing some of his finest form. After qualifying for the opening race in 13th place, he took 14th to add two more points to his tally and he improved to 13th in Sunday’s first 20-lap encounter.
However, he saved the best until last and took tenth place in the final race of 2015 and ensure he scored points in the final three races of the season. He also recorded the fastest lap of the race and was only five seconds adrift of the race win as he ended the year in 16th place overall.
Luke Mossey: “It’s been a fantastic weekend for me and we’ve achieved exactly what we set out to do over the course of the three races. With Richard (Cooper) crashing out, it made life a little bit easier but I still had to go out there and do a job and to be sitting here now with the BSB Rider’s Cup has left me a bit speechless. At the beginning of the season, I was struggling to get into the top twenty but the team worked tirelessly all season and bit by bit I edged closer to the front and the second half of the season has been brilliant. The team have been mega so hopefully this puts us in good stead for 2016 where we’ll be looking to be real contenders.”
Howie Mainwaring Smart: “It’s been a rollercoaster season for me with good bits, okay bits and bad bits so it’s nice to have ended on a high. I struggled a bit to begin with this weekend with front end chatter but we made a few small changes to the bike that made a massive difference and I was able to get quicker as the weekend wore on. To take a top ten finish and the fastest lap of the race in the final race of the year is a nice way for 2015 to end so thank you to the whole team for all their hard work.”
Pete Extance, Team Owner: “It’s been a fantastic end to the 2015 season for everyone concerned with Quattro Plant Kawasaki and for Luke to win the BSB Rider’s Cup in his rookie season is a phenomenal achievement. It’s something that’s never been done before so both him and his crew deserve all the plaudits. They worked tirelessly this weekend, as they have done all season, and it’s a fantastic result for both Luke and the team.”
“This weekend brought an end to Howie’s time with Quattro Plat Kawasaki and it was great to see him finish with three points scoring rides. We all saw the real Howie this weekend and for it to culminate with a top ten finish and the fastest lap of the race is proof of what a talented rider he is. He’s been a pleasure to work with and we wish him well for 2016.”
More, from a press release issued by Luke Mossey Racing:
Luke Mossey and the Quattro Plant TECcare Kawasaki team had a steady weekend at the final round of the MCE British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch. The 22-year-old from Royston gained two sevenths in races one and two and was sixth in race three which secured him the Riders Cup trophy, the first Rookie to do so in the history of the BSB Showdown.
The weather conditions at Brands Hatch were changeable throughout the weekend and made the track conditions very tricky. Luke was very cautious on the wet track during practice on Friday. The track was still extremely cold on Saturday for qualifying but Luke knuckled down and worked hard to get to the final session. As spots of rain started to fall Luke was only able to secure ninth place on the grid for race one on Saturday.
He got a steady start in the opening race and was eighth after the opening lap. He had a small battle with James Ellison and then was locked in a dice for the remainder of the race with Danny Buchan. By lap seven he moved up to fifth place but then Danny and Luke ran wide dropping Luke to seventh. He was then racing with Lee Jackson for six place, finally finishing the 20 lap race in seventh place.
He started from sixth place on the grid for the second race. He got boxed into turn one and dropped to eighth after the opening lap. He pushed hard in the cold conditions and was locked in a battle at one point for a podium place. Setting some consistent lap times Luke was looking strong but as the tyre went off he dropped a couple of places, eventually finishing race two in seventh.
For the final race of the year Luke started from seventh place on the grid and he got a good start and was up to fifth. On lap three he was passed by 2015 British Superbike Champion Josh Brookes and he dropped to sixth. He was then locked in a close battle with Dan Linfoot, Christian Iddon and John Hopkins for fifth. Luke fought hard to the end and secured sixth place and 7th in the Championship standings.
Luke Mossey – “What can I say about this season, it really has been a fantastic opportunity to race for the Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki team. I have learnt so much and believe I have really developed as a rider and I couldn’t have done that without the fantastic efforts of the entire team behind me.
It has been a brilliant year and I feel like I have achieved more than I had originally planned to. I have ridden a 600 machine for so long and it was a big jump up to the Superbike class for me but it has been fantastic. I can’t thank the people around me enough for all the help, support and guidance this season. To achieve a couple of podiums in my first Superbike season really was incredible and a great feeling.
If you had told me at Donington that I would have been in a fight for seventh in the Championship, I don’t think I would have believed you. It’s actually quite over-whelming how far we’ve all come in seven months; I was struggling to get in the top 15 at the start of the year and now this. It’s just really special and a year in my career that I will always remember.
A must say huge thank you to my personal sponsors, especially Teccare for their input in helping me to achieve my dream this year in the Superbike Championship. I would also like to thank all the people who have backed me and helped me this season, I wouldn’t be where I am today without my Dad and his continued effort and support. I really appreciate it and thank him for that.
I can’t wait for next season already and hope I can continue to improve and achieve some more strong results.”
Personal Sponsors 2015
TECcare, Sidi, Shoei, GB Racing, SMV, GiMoto, K-Tech, Krombacher, JMC, Moto Gear, ALS, John Wyatt, Graham Godward, Carl Hunter, Ben Brew
Twitter – LukeMossey12
Facebook – www.facebook.com/LukeMosseyRacing
More, from a press release issued by K-Tech Suspension:
Brands Hatch Race Report – MCE British Superbikes
A fantastic five out of nine podiums were K-tech mounted at the final round of the British Superbike Championship round at Brands Hatch. Tyco BMW rider Michael Laverty took his first win of the season in the final race to go with a third place in the previous race, while PBM Kawasaki’s Shane Byrne scored two seconds and a third. But ultimately it was Milwaukee Yamaha’s Josh Brookes that stole the show with two wins and the championship after a superb season.
Brookes made the most of his points advantage coming into the final round of the MCE British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch. Main rival Byrne was always going to be up against it. But Brookes didn’t falter and for the first time since the Showdown format was introduced the title was wrapped up before the last race. But it didn’t detract from the spectacle as Brookes did it in style, scrapping with Shakey in some intense tussles before making his move stick and going on to win with a two and a half second lead to clinch the title. “Once I got in front I tried hard, risked a lot, but gained a lot.” PBM Kawasaki rider Shane Byrne knew he was against it but this didn’t stop him from giving it everything. “I tried everything in the Shane Byrne locker in that race.”
Sunday’s races wouldn’t let the crowd down though. In the penultimate race Brookes again took top spot with Byrne and Michael Laverty following him home, while the final race saw Brookes clip a kerb at Graham Hill bend, sending the new champ sliding to get ready for his celebrations. Laverty had JG Speed fit Kawasaki rider James Ellison and Shakey tight in behind, with Ellison getting in front of the BMW a couple of times, only for Laverty to pass right back. “I knew the boys would have a go, but I just kept coming straight back” Smiles the Northern Irishman.
K-tech equipped Cambridgeshire rider Luke Mossey brought his Quattro Plant Kawasaki home with two sevenths and a hard-fought sixth in the last race to win the Riders cup trophy. “To be where we are now is just phenomenal.”
The two Supersport races were as exciting as ever, even though champion Luke Stapleford continued his winning form in both, taking his tally for the season to 14 wins. But Smiths Triumph Jake Dixon scored two solid second places, with Pacedayz Trackdays Kyle Ryde scoring a fifth and a fourth, and Gearlink Kawasaki riders Ben Wilson and Luke Hedger both scoring a brace of top nine finishes.
Josh Elliott Wrapped up the Superstock 1000 championship at Silverstone on his Morello racing Kawasaki after a season-long battle with Tyco BMW’s Alastair Sealey – both on K-tech suspension. The Northern Irish racer who has been racing since the age of two is hoping to go to Superbikes next season – we wish him luck. Sealey has had four wins and four podiums this year pushing Elliott to the end but the last race wasn’t kind when his bike seemed to lose brakes and crashed at Graham Hill bend. Alastair was luckily unhurt.
Austrailian Ben Currie found lady luck turning her back on him when his helmet had misting issues during qualifying on the Pacedayz Racedays Yamaha R6 in Superstock 600. In the race fourth was a great effort considering the bike then suffered with clutch problems. But Ben remains upbeat and cemented second place in this tough class.
The 2015 season shows how competitive the British Championship is, with all classes posting lap records at most circuits. K-tech suspension are proud to be at every round including the Isle of Man TT, helping their riders with the best suspension, set up, advice and back up you can get and would like to thank all their riders in all racing classes this year. Work has already begun for 2016 products so if you have any questions regarding next year, are looking to have your forks or shock serviced or any other suspension related advice, don’t hesitate to call on 01283 559000.
More, from a press release issued by Josh Daley Racing:
Josh Daley ended the 2015 Motorpoint British Supersport Evo on a high this weekend at the final round of the series at Brands Hatch. Josh secured a strong seventh and ninth places respectively in the two races and finished 10th overall in the Evo Championship standings.
Josh has made drastic progress all this season and has really matured as a rider, improving his lap times at nearly every round this season. He always raises his game on race day with his times always improving over the weekend. He has gained some great results along the way including a podium at Cadwell.
The weather conditions over the weekend at Brands were extremely changeable and it was difficult to know what settings would work best on the bike. As always Andy his Dad worked tirelessly to ensure Josh had the best set-up possible for the two races.
Josh qualified in 19th place for the opening sprint race on Saturday and was locked in a three way battle for sixth in the Evo class and also 15th in the main class. The race was red flagged a lap early due to rain and Josh was making good progress and ended up finishing in sixth place.
He was placed in 18th position for the main race on Sunday and was having a dice with Malachi Mitchell-Thomas. Josh continued to improve his times and ended the season with a strong ninth position.
Josh Daley – “It was a good weekend at Brands Hatch to finish off the season. I had a great battle with Malachi in the second race which was really enjoyable. It’s been a good season and I really feel like we have learnt a lot and gained lots of knowledge and experience.
My Dad, Andy is just brilliant, he fixes my bike, makes it work, does the tyres, my pit board, feeds me – everything and he’s a hero for chasing around after me every weekend and getting me to all the races. Thank you so much.
Thank you also to all the people who have been involved in our team this year, every tiny bit of sponsorship helps and we are really grateful to everyone for their input.
Roll on 2016!”
2015 JOSH DALEY RACING TEAM SPONSORS
INTEK ADHESIVES & SEALANTS – DEVELOP (WWW.DSALES.EU) – FLEETSMART UK LTD – PUTOLINE OILS – NO FEAR ENERGY DRINKS – LINDSTRANDS LEATHERS – SHARK HELMETS – NEVIS MARKETING – DAYTONA BOOTS – IMPACT SAFE-T ARMOR – KAY WELDING SUPPLIES LTD – FJG LOGISTICS LTD – TOILETSPARES.CO.UK – MOTORCYCLE CENTRE ORRELL – MTC EXHAUSTS – SPEEDYCOM.CO.UK – LBF SOLUTIONS – JONES IT UK – HvH FITNESS – GB RACING – PROBOLT – HEL – CLUB 88 MEMBERS – ENVIRONMENT & POWER TECHNOLOGY LTD
Facebook – www.facebook.com/JoshDaleyRacing
Twitter – @JoshDaleyRacing
More, from a press release issued by Joe Collier Racing:
Joe Collier, racing on the Haribo Starmix Triumph, had a stunning end to what has already been a stunning season. Joe sealed the Motorpoint Evo Cup Championship a couple of races ago and finished at the final round at Brands Hatch with a brilliant double Evo race victory.
The weather conditions at Brands over the weekend were much colder and wetter than the team have had all season. Joe played cautious on Friday morning as he did not want to risk doing any damage in the sketchy conditions. He did go out in the second session as he needed some track time but did crash out. Nothing was too badly damaged and he was back out for qualifying on Saturday.
He qualified in 11th place on the grid for the opening race on Saturday. He got a great start and was able to dominate the entire race from start to finish before the red flag came out due to rain on the penultimate lap. Joe moved up to ninth on the grid for the main race on Sunday and he wanted to end his fantastic season on a high note. Again Joe got a good start and once again took full control of the Evo race leading from start to finish and taking his Evo win total to 14.
Joe Collier – “Well it has been a fantastic season this year and I managed to secure the Evo Championship with 14 wins and 21 podiums which is a great feeling. I also ended up 10th in the overall Championship and I can’t thank my sponsors enough for all their help and support this year.
We have run our own little set-up within the Haribo Triumph camp this season but I can’t thank Derek and his team enough for all the help they have gave us all season. A huge thank you to all my personal sponsors who helped make this year happen and most importantly my Dad, who has always supported me in my racing and without him none of this would be possible.
I am actively speaking with teams about next season and hope to be able to get something sorted soon. We’ve had a great year and I am really pleased we were able to lift the Evo Supersport title and hope 2016 is just as good!”
2015 Personal Sponsors
MC Motors – KGN Pillinger – Gemini Control Systems – Robin Hood Harley Davidson – Triumph World – Black Horse Finance – Silkolene – Daytona – Shoei – RST Leathers – Knox – Teng Tools – Jap4Performance
More, from a press release issued by Russo Racing:
2015 ‘STOCK-SIX’ CHAMPION ENDS SEASON WITH TENTH PODIUM OF THE YEAR
Mason Law took his tenth podium of the season yesterday during the final day of racing at Brands Hatch in Kent, confirming his status as – 2015 Pirelli National Superstock 600cc Champion.
Podium number 11 of the season as Mason gets awarded with the championship trophy
Speaking after the podium celebrations and post event presentation of this year’s trophy in front of a packed grandstand at Brands Hatch…
Mason said: “I was happy to end the season with a solid podium at a circuit that has miffed me previously. When the first race start got red flagged and it got announced that it was going to be a six-lap sprint, I was a bit disappointed.
“Those short sprints really aren’t my kind of race; I tend to like the longer races, so for me it was a matter of getting up to speed and getting in amongst them right away.
“I had a few small issues after the re-start and we located those after the race, but with no less than ten podiums this season is something we are proud of, and now we look ahead to see what 2016 may bring.”
More, from a press release issued by Chrissy Rouse Racing:
Rouse ends season with a solid top 10
CHRISSY Rouse made up 11 places in a race of two halves to cross the line ninth as the 2015 Pirelli National Superstock 600 Championship drew to a close at Brands Hatch.
After what began as his worst weekend of the season, the 20-year-old Geordie pulled it back when it counted to break the top 10 in the race and bag himself some more championship points to end the year joint eighth overall.
Friday’s wet conditions had caught out the Team HARIBO Starmix rider and he crashed twice, once during Free Practice and again during Qualifying One, ending the day sixth overall. But by Saturday the weather had changed and Rouse just could not get to grips with the drier track, ending the day in a lowly 20th position, his worst qualifying position of his career.
Knowing he had a huge job on his hands to pull something back during Sunday’s race, he went out for the 12-lap battle ready to fight but also determined to enjoy the last race of the year.
Getting a good start from the line, the 2013 Triumph Triple Challenge Champion carved his way through the pack, making up eight places on the opening lap to cross the line 12th at the start of Lap Two. A crash further down brought out the Safety Car for two laps, and when it pulled in at the start of Lap Four Rouse was quickly on a charge, making up two more places to reach 10th by Lap Six.
But a huge crash involving several bikes stopped the race, and it was restarted as a six-lap sprint some 20 minutes later. Getting another decent start he held his position for a few laps before making a move up to ninth. Although he was just in touching distance of the leading group, time ran out and in the end he had to settle for ninth.
“From where I started on the grid, I have to say I’m quite happy with this result,” he said. “Seriously, that’s my worst grid spot probably in my whole career, so I knew I had a lot of work to do. Before the race my aim was to bring it back in the top 10, and I knew it wouldn’t be easy.
“The first lap was good, I made up a lot of places without anyone crashing in front of me but I just still wasn’t able to get right up to the front group. The race was stopped when I was running 12th but at the restart I had similar pace so I could make up a few more places. It was a busy race and I enjoyed it and I’m happy with ninth. Obviously I’d have liked to finish higher but after the weekend we’ve had I can’t complain.
“It’s been a difficult season at times but I’d like to thank James Jackson, Derek Sanders and everyone involved at Team HARIBO Starmix. Everyone has worked very hard all year to give me the best package possible and it’s just a shame I wasn’t able to reward them with a win.”
More, from a press release issued by Gearlink Kawasaki:
Motorpoint British Supersport
Gearlink Kawasaki had a solid weekend for the final round of the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship at Brands Hatch. Glenn Irwin raced his final race for Gearlink Kawasaki as he moves up to the British Superbike series next season. Glenn was unfortunate to have a technical problem in race one and was forced out but secured a solid podium place of third in the second race. Ben Wilson was seventh and fifth and Luke Hedger gained two good top ten places with a ninth and eighth place respectively.
Glenn was looking strong all weekend and aiming to end his season on a high note, as he was also still in with a fight to secure second in the Championship standings. He was riding strong in the mixed conditions in practice and qualifying and started race one from fifth place. However Glenn suffered a technical problem on the opening lap which forced him out of the race. He dropped several places for the second race and started from 11th, the Northern Irish man got a fantastic start and was up to sixth after lap one. He worked hard to push his way through the pack and was up to second by lap seven. He then got pushed wide at Druids and dropped to fourth. He was then locked in a scrap for the remainder of the race with Jake Dixon for second place in the race the pair worked hard and made several passes and Glenn secured a great third place at the end of the 18-lap race.
Ben Wilson worked hard over the weekend and set some good pace in the wet conditions on Friday. He ended up qualifying in tenth place on Saturday morning for the opening Sprint race later that day. He got one of his famous starts and was up to sixth after the first lap and was in a battle with Kyle Ryde and Joe Francis for fifth place, despite his best efforts Ben just missed out on fifth and ended up seventh after the race was red-flagged on the penultimate lap due to rain. He started from seventh for race two and got an amazing start which saw Ben in third after lap one.
Luke Hedger had another solid weekend in the cold conditions at Brands; he had two really good practice sessions on Friday. During qualifying on Saturday he finished in ninth place for the Sprint race. He got a bad start and was boxed into turn one pushing him to 13th after lap one. He slowly worked his way back through the field to his original grid position of ninth when the red flag came out. He moved to eighth on the grid for race two but dropped to tenth after lap one, he tried to push forwards and managed to secure eighth place after the 18 laps.
Glenn Irwin – “I was gutted to not be able to fight for a podium in race one but due to a technical problem it just wasn’t possible. This dropped me back for the second race on the grid but I really wanted to push to end the season on a high. The opening laps were a bit messy coming from 11th but I soon managed to pick my way through the pack and be fighting with Jake for a podium.
I’m really pleased to end my Supersport season with Gearlink Kawasaki and a podium. Michael and Norma have been brilliant to me over the last two years. They have taught me so much and turned me into a better rider. It has opened a door with one of the best teams on the Superbike grid but I owe all the Gearlink team that as they gave me this opportunity to be recognised and made me into a really good rider and I can’t thank them enough for that.
I can’t wait for my new challenge next year but I will miss the thrills and excitement of mixing it at the front of the Supersport class. Thank you to everyone at Gearlink Kawasaki and all my sponsors who have helped me this season with everything it really means a lot.”
Ben Wilson – “It’s been a very tough season this year to fight at the front where I wanted to be. I have worked hard and the results just haven’t come my way. We tried many different options over the weekend but just didn’t quite have the race pace I needed to fight for a podium. I want to thank Michael, Norma and my entire team for their continued help and support this season.”
Luke Hedger – “It was a good last round to the Championship with two solid top ten finishes. I enjoyed my time this year racing for Gearlink Kawasaki again and they have all been a big help all season. I must thank all my sponsors that have helped me along the way to be able to be on the grid this year.”
MCE British Superbike
James Westmoreland joined the Gearlink Kawasaki team this weekend for the final round at Brands Hatch riding their Superbike for the three days. In the wet on Friday morning James sat in first position for the team. They had little track time and chance to make the changes they required and despite having to retire in race one his secured two 18th places in the two races on Sunday.
James Westmoreland – “I was thrown in the deep end a little bit this weekend but it was a great opportunity to ride with the Gearlink Kawasaki team on their Superbike. We made some changes and we did make some progress over the weekend. I would like to thank Norma and Michael for this opportunity.”
Team Manager Michael de Bidaph – “It has certainly been a mixed weekend for us, everything started off really well on Friday with Supersport and the Superbike but it all went a little downhill after that.
It was a real shame for Glenn in the first race having a technical problem as this could have cost him second place in the Championship. It has been great to work with Glenn over the last couple of years and I am really pleased he has been given such a great opportunity in the Superbike class next year and we wish him all the luck. Ben and Luke also rode really well this weekend and all of them ended up with top ten results over the weekend.
It was good to have James Westmoreland with us for the final round, we made a lot of progress despite the lack of testing and dry track time and the results did not justify the effort James put in.
Lastly I would like to thank all our sponsors who have backed and supported us all season, without them we would not be able to go racing and we really appreciate all the help they give us.”
2015 GEARLINK TEAM SPONSORS
AKRAPOVIC – B & C EXPRESS – DAYTONA – DAMEN LEATHERS – DBR – FERIDAX – FORCEFIELD – GALFER – GB RACING – GEARLINK LTD – GOODRIDGE – JOHNY WILLS PHOTOGRAPHY – K-TECH – MWR AIR FILTERS – NGK SPARK PLUGS – OCTANORM – PERFORMANCE PARTS – PERFORMANCE FRICTION BRAKES – PRO-BOLT – R & G RACING – RENTHAL – ROCK OIL – SAMCO SPORT – SCORPION – SHOEI HELMETS – SIGMA PERFORMANCE – SINNIS – SKIDMARX – SOLO SIGNS – TTS SURFACING LTD – TSUBAKI – VALE LIVESTOCK – WWW.1STCHOICE-FLOORING.CO.UK
#15 – Ben Wilson – #69 Glenn Irwin – #2 Luke Hedger – #6 James Westmoreland
Facebook – www.facebook.com/GearlinkRacing
Twitter – Gearlink Kawasaki
More, from a press release issued by Taz Taylor Racing:
17-year-old Taz Taylor from Mansfield, riding for the RS Racing Honda, turned things round a little bit this weekend at the final round at Brands Hatch. The youngster and his team boss Ryan Saxelby pulled out the RS Racing 125 2 Stroke Honda for the final race of the season. The bike that won the 125 Championship with Kyle Ryde in 2011 and James Lodge in 2010 and they brought it out of retirement at Brands for Taz to ride.
The most incredible race of the year took place on the Saturday between Taz and Scott Deroue. All season a 125 machine has not been able to match the pace and power of the Moto3 bikes. Taz managed to qualify in second place on the grid for the opening race on Saturday. He had never ridden the RS Racing Honda until Friday morning and therefore did not have much chance to test out a practice start.
Taz got a terrible start off the grid and was in a lowly eighth place after the opening lap and he knew he had a lot of work to do on the little 125 machine. He soon got his head down and started working his way through the pack and at one point was two seconds a lap faster than anyone else on the circuit. By lap five of the ten lap race Taz had amazingly got through to first place and was battling with his year-long rival Scott Deroue. The pair went into the most amazing five laps in a battle for the winning honours and on the final lap of the race the pair swapped places, touched elbows and fairings on most corners. They came out of the final turn shoulder to shoulder and it was a drag to the line, Taz took the win by 0.002.
For the second race Taz started from second again and another poor start saw him drop back to sixth after lap one. Again he had his work cut out to push forwards; the pace at the front was much quicker than Saturday so despite Tazs’ great lap times he was struggling to catch the leaders. From lap eight Taz certainly upped his game and was bridging the gap to Scott Deroue and Ed Rendell. Going into the penultimate lap Taz had brought the difference between him and the leaders down from 2.4 to 0.6 and he was lapping nearly a second quicker than the front runners. Unfortunately he made a small mistake on the final lap, Ed Rendell crashed out on the last corner of the lap which promoted Taz to a fantastic second place.
Taz Taylor – “It was a real honour to be able to ride the 125 this weekend for Ryan; I know how much he loved the two strokes and how good the bike was when Kyle and Jonathan rode it. I knew I couldn’t drop to third in the Championship and I couldn’t win it and wanted to try something different and always wanted to have a go a Ryan’s 125.
What an awesome weekend, I didn’t really know what to expect with the weekend as no 125 has been on the podium this year so I wasn’t sure what it would bring. When I was up near the top on Friday I thought maybe, just maybe I might have half a chance of getting on the podium but thought it might be a bit of a long shot on race distance.
I think I’ve had the most fun riding this weekend and the first race with Scott was just mega, we were both fighting so hard for the win and despite my horrendous start I wanted to give it my all. I put everything I had into that last lap and we were touching as we came out of the last turn and I just kept it pinned! I can’t believe I took the win by 0.002, that’s crazy.
I got another bad start in race two but I got held up a bit in the opening laps so didn’t think it would be possible to repeat what happened on Saturday. I got myself up to a podium position place and I could see the leaders and I knew I was getting closer. I made a mistake on the last lap but over the moon to take second.
I just want to thank Ryan and the team for this opportunity this weekend to ride the 125 and it’s been a pleasure and a great experience. I would also like to thank all my personal sponsors this season, without them this wouldn’t have been possible. The year has been fantastic and really enjoyable, I was gutted not to win the Championship but we’ve had some unreal races all season.
Thank you also to my Dad for working all hours so I could race this season, he’s been unreal!”
2015 TAZ TAYLOR RACING SPONSORS
K.C.S, Hookless Holiday Homes, D.L.R, FLG, A-Plant, Eclipse Motorsport, JKT, Shoei, Sidi, Putoline, BD Site Services, Mike Ashton, G.Jones Services, Paul Derbyshire, Forcefield, Two Wheel Centre, Snowy, The Tyre Shop, 4TheWeekend Barbershop.
Facebook – www.facebook.com/RaceTazTaylor