Seeley and Irwin win but McConnell leads title chase ahead of finale
Alastair Seeley maintained his hopes of regaining the Motorpoint British Supersport crown with victory in the Sprint race while Glenn Irwin took the honours in the feature race at Silverstone.
The two title favourites Billy McConnell and his Smiths Triumph team-mate Graeme Gowland however had a tough weekend at the Northamptonshire circuit, scoring damage limitation points. Australian McConnell still heads into the final at Brands Hatch with an advantage of 18 points over his team-mate..
Gearlink Kawasaki’s Irwin had made the running in the Sprint race, in difficult drying conditions with his fellow Ulsterman Seeley, on the MarTrain Yamaha in close contention, while Gowland pulled out of third place with a technical problem.
Seeley went ahead at half distance as Irwin was sidelined by a machine problem, en route to a seventh victory of the season. Taylor Mackenzie came through to take his first podium in the series, on the Tyco Suzuki, from James Rispoli on the Team Traction Control Yamaha after the pair battled it out on the final lap. McConnell struggled into seventh place.
Irwin was keen show what might have been, taking the early lead and then despite determined and close challenges heading off Luke Stapleford on the Profile Triumph to take the victory, his fourth of the season by a third of a second. Luke Mossey ran third ahead of Seeley and Gowland while Rispoli edged McConnell back into seventh place.
Alex Olsen, already assured of the Supersport EVO crown, was the top finisher in each of the races in that class.
Motorpoint British Supersport Championship Sprint race result:
1: Alastair Seeley (MarTrain Yamaha) 19m 53.944s
2: Taylor Mackenzie (Tyco Suzuki) +9.286s
3: James Rispoli (Team Traction Control Yamaha) +9.683s
4: Luke Mossey (Techcare Profile Triumph) +16.980s
5: Sam Hornsey (Anvil Hire TAG Triumph) +18.127s
Motorpoint British Supersport Championship Feature race:
1: Glenn Irwin (Gearlink Kawasaki)
2: Luke Stapleford (Techcare Profile Triumph) + 0.330s
3: Luke Mossey (Profile Triumph) +0.882s
4: Alastair Seeley (MarTrain Yamaha) +0.967s
5: Graeme Gowland (Smiths Triumph) +8.021s
Motorpoint British Supersport Championship standings:
1: Billy McConnell (Smiths Triumph) 349 pts
2: Graeme Gowland (Smiths Triumph) 331
3: Alastair Seeley (MarTrain Yamaha) 315
4: Glenn Irwin (Gearlink Kawasaki) 270
5: Luke Stapleford (Techcare Profile Triumph) 250
For more information please visit www.britishsuperbike.com
More, from a press release issued by RoadRace Factory/Red Bull:
The first of our two British SuperSport rounds was set at the internationally renowned Silverstone Circuit in Towcester, UK. When we arrived on site, the enormous circuit impressed upon us all, the value that the British people place on their motorsports. It was easy to see why this facility has played host to MotoGP and Formula One. Apart from things being on the opposite side of the road, everything was just like it is back in the US. We found ourselves surrounded by race trailers, crews setting up the paddock, the smell of race fuel and scooters racing through.
We don’t want to understate the fact that the paddock is massive and proper. From the full factory teams down to the local heros trying to make it, everything is done in style with an eye for presentation. We rolled into the paddock in our transporter (on loan from the MXGP Factory Yamaha MX team) and heads turned. We’re guessing it’s not every weekend the factory Yamaha MX team arrives at a Superbike race. BSB officials and curious crews immediately greeted us; apparently word had gotten out that we were going to be attending the races. We had plenty of offers for assistance and in no time, we had the garage all set and ready for free practice on Friday.
With the weather predicted to be clear and warm, the guys were eager to get going. We had free practice scheduled for 9:30 in the morning. The excitement in the garage was electric. Finally, after all the waiting and preparation, Jake and Tomas were going to be turning their first laps in the British National Series at one of the premiere circuits in the world. As is becoming Jake’s modus operandi, he went out and was immediately quick. After a few sighting laps, he began to go faster and faster. Tomas on the other hand was finding it difficult to get around the track with any real quickness. After the first free practice, Jake was up in eighth place while Tomas was struggling in P22. Hopefully Tomas’ issues that arose in the first session would be resolved by the second free practice that was scheduled for 1:45.
The bikes leave the pits as a large group; it’s a crazy but very exciting thing to witness. Every rider just waiting in a large herd for the green flag to be waved then it’s a mad scramble down pit out. Jake and Tomas were ready to improve their times and show the locals what they could do. Jake continued his pattern of lap after lap improvement. Thing is, as he went faster and faster, so did all the others around him. At the end of the session, despite his vastly improved speed, he remained in P8. Meanwhile, Tomas’ problems from free practice one were solved only to have a new set of issues arise. His times improved but not enough to make an impact and he would cross the line in P24.
Saturday would be different, we knew that despite the incoming rain, we could run strong and improve as qualifying action got underway. As predicted the rain came and the conditions deteriorated quickly. When the first qualifying session opened the both riders prepared as best they could and headed out. Tomas felt strong in the rain but something was amiss in his set-up. He was circulating but not at a comfortable pace. Jake meanwhile was hauling the mail up in P2 as a red flag was flown and the riders were called in. Six minutes left on the clock and the riders were allowed back on the track to finish the session. Tomas continued to get accustomed to the conditions and his set-up while Jake was going to capitalize on the slightly improved conditions. On his first flying lap, Jake had a moment in Stowe corner and re-injured his shoulder. With the session completed and only a few hours until the Sprint Race, it would be a last minute call if Jake would suit up and race.
Both riders suited up and left the garage for the sighting lap. On the grid both riders took their respective positions awaiting the warm-up lap. As the riders made their way around the circuit Tomas pulls into his starting position while Jake pulled into the pits. Unable to ride, Jake would not participate in the 9 lap Sprint Race, leaving Tomas to be the standard bearer for the team. Although the sun had come out, the track was still improving yet there remained areas of moisture. Fitted with the proper combination of Pirelli’s, Tomas was able to make a great start and battle for the entire race. He would continue to struggle with set-up however and would only manage a slight improvement to finish in P20. Data acquired and notes taken, the team would work through the evening to get everything in line for the final race on Sunday.
Sunday would be a drastically different day than Saturday both in terms of weather and results. The sun was out and it would be a perfect day for racing. Jake was still nursing his shoulder and a final decision as to whether or not to ride would be a last minute call. He opted to sit out the 10 minute warm-up session while Tomas needed to go out and prove the fixes to his set-up were effective. It appeared that they were as he immediately felt better and became excited for the race. This time, the riders would grid for the race without Jake, leaving Tomas as the solo RoadRace Factory rider on the grid. The revs went up, the lights went green and the field launched down the long straight towards Copse corner.
With a marked improvement in his set-up, Tomas made a great start and was up in the middle of the pack around 15th in the early stages. Finally feeling strong and comfortable, he was able to fight the entire race. At the mid point, the group that Tomas was riding with had attacked and relegated him outside the top twenty. After some good racing in the last third of the race, Tomas was able to move up to P20, which is where he would eventually cross the line.
It wasn’t the best of weekends in terms of racing, but in terms of experience it was invaluable. We can’t thank the Officials of the British Superbike Series and the friendly people we met enough for their hospitality and generosity. We now move onto Brands Hatch for the final round, see you there.
Danny Walker – “You know, sometimes in racing things don’t always go the way you planned them. Am I bummed for Jake? You bet! I know he puts everything on the line to race and we had hoped that his shoulder wouldn’t be an issue. It wasn’t really up until the get-off. After the first few sessions, he said it wasn’t even bugging him but when he hit it, it just aggravated the problem and he couldn’t continue. It sucks, but that’s racing. Now we’ll just get him checked out and rested for the next round. I know, if he’s healthy and feeling good, he can run up front in this series.
Tomas, we knew was going to struggle a little bit. He hadn’t been able to test the set-up prior to coming over here like Jake. So he didn’t have the track time in to really dial in his bike. You know, but by the end of the weekend, he was feeling good and his attitude was really positive again so we knew he’d do well in the final race. We know he’s a much more capable rider, so we’re going to head to Brands Hatch a little early and get him some time on the bike and really nail the set-up so he can start flying out of the gate on the next race weekend.
I want to thank everyone who came down the garage and showed his or her support for our effort and just said “Hi” to us. We didn’t expect to be that well received and that just made us feel great all weekend. Now it’s time to head back to the shop and refocus for Brands Hatch.”
Jake Gagne
“It was great to be at the track and in the series. The people we met were all really great and friendly. I was pretty pumped to be racing over here and to see how we stacked up against the best in the British SuperSport series. The track was awesome and I liked the layout a lot. Everything was going great up until I had the little mistake. I knew my shoulder was sore from the last race in the US but then when I took the hit I knew that was it. I’m looking forward to healing up and being ready for Brands Hatch.”
Tomas Puerta
“It was a really good experience to be here racing BSS at Silverstone. Unfortunately we had some problems early in the weekend and weren’t able to properly fix them until just about race time. The race felt good and the bike felt great. I was able to run faster than I had all weekend and was happy to be fighting. Now we go back to Southampton and work on set-up for Brands Hatch.”
Danny Walker
“You know, sometimes in racing things don’t always go the way you planned them. Am I bummed for Jake? You bet! I know he puts everything on the line to race and we had hoped that his shoulder wouldn’t be an issue. It wasn’t really up until the get-off. After the first few sessions, he said it wasn’t even bugging him but when he hit it, it just aggravated the problem and he couldn’t continue. It sucks, but that’s racing. Now we’ll just get him checked out and rested for the next round. I know, if he’s healthy and feeling good, he can run up front in this series.
Tomas, we knew was going to struggle a little bit. He hadn’t been able to test the set-up prior to coming over here like Jake. So he didn’t have the track time in to really dial in his bike. You know, but by the end of the weekend, he was feeling good and his attitude was really positive again so we knew he’d do well in the final race. We know he’s a much more capable rider, so we’re going to head to Brands Hatch a little early and get him some time on the bike and really nail the set-up so he can start flying out of the gate on the next race weekend.
I want to thank everyone who came down the garage and showed his or her support for our effort and just said “Hi” to us. We didn’t expect to be that well received and that just made us feel great all weekend. Now it’s time to head back to the shop and refocus for Brands Hatch.”