MCE British Superbike Championship

Brands Hatch, England

July 19

Qualifying Results (all on Pirelli tires):

From Qualifying Knockout Session Three:

1. Shane Byrne, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:26.131

2. Chris Walker, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:26.189

3. James Ellison, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:26.385

4. Jakub Smrz, Czech Republic (Duc 1199 Panigale R), 1:26.504

5. Tommy Bridewell, UK (Yam YZF-R1), 1:26.681

6. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Japan (BMW S1000RR), 1:26.728

7. John Hopkins, USA (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:26.775

8. Josh Brookes, Australia (Yam YZF-R1), 1:26.865

9. Richard Cooper, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:26.881

10. Dan Linfoot, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:26.899

From Qualifying Knockout Session Two:

11. Howie Mainwaring, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:27.244

12. Stuart Easton, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:27.403

13. Jon Kirkham, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:27.584

14. Peter Hickman, UK (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:27.689

15. Josh Waters, Australia (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:27.811

16. Barry Burrell, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:27.845

17. Michael Rutter, UK (BMW S1000RR), 1:27.879

18. Ian Hutchinson, UK (Yam YZF-R1), 1:28.020

19. Lee Jackson, UK (BMW S1000RR), 1:28.183

20. John Ingram, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:28.620

From Qualifying Knockout Session One:

21. Patric Muff, Switzerland (BMW S1000RR), 1:28.389

22. Aaron Zanotti, UK (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:28.491

23. Martin Jessopp, UK (BMW S1000RR), 1:28.750

24. Keith Farmer, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:28.770

25. Ben Wilson, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:28.924

26. Gary Mason, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:29.054

27. Jenny Tinmouth, UK (Hon CBR1000RR), 1:29.849

28. Rhalf Lo Turco, Brazil (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:31.208

More Americans competing at Brands Hatch:

James Rispoli, riding his Team Traction Control Yamaha YZF-R6, was 16th in Motorpoint British Supersport qualifying. Rispoli’s best lap time was 1:31.937. Jake Dixon, who rode a Yamaha, earned pole position with a 1:29.072. The in the 12-lap Supersport “Sprint” race, Rispoli finished eighth, 8.853 seconds behind winner Alastair Seeley and his Yamaha YZF-R6.

Jayson Uribe was 14th-fastest overall and ninth in the Moto3 class in Motul British Motostar qualifying on his FPW Racing/R5R Honda. Uribe’s best lap time was 1:40.735. Joe Irving, riding a Moto3-class KTM, earned pole position with a time of 1:46.448.

Anthony Alonso was 19th-fastest overall and ninth in the 125cc class in Motul British Motostar Free Practice Two on his SP125/BARF Racing Honda. Alonso’s best lap time was 1:40.334. 

Former AMA Pro regular Ben Young, a resident of Canada, was 30th out of 41 riders in 1000cc Superstock Qualifying. Riding his Team WD-40 Kawasaki ZX-10R, Young turned a best lap time of 1:30.724. Danny Buchan, riding a Kawasaki ZX-10R, earned pole position with a time of 1:28.262.

More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:

ROUND FIVE 19-20 JULY BRANDS HATCH GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT

BYRNE CLAIMS HOME POLE POSITION AS BROOKES CRASHES TWICE

Results

Datatag Extreme qualifying:
1: Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 1m:26.131s
2: Chris Walker (Lloyds British GBmoto Racing Kawasaki) +0.058s
3: James Ellison (Lloyds British GBmoto Racing Kawasaki) +0.254s
4: Jakub Smrz (Millsport Ducati) +0.373s
5: Tommy Bridewell (Milwaukee Yamaha) +0.550s
6: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Buildbase BMW) +0.597s

Report

Shane “Shakey” Byrne saved his best until last in a dramatic Datatag Extreme Qualifying session at Brands Hatch. The triple-champion waited until the closing minutes to claim pole position for the fifth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship on the Grand Prix circuit.

Byrne continues his bid for a record fourth title win, but only completed a handful of laps in the first two elements of the grid-deciding session. “The bike was not working for me in Q1 and Q2 and I thought it best the team worked on it rather than me staying out on track,” said Byrne. “Your confidence takes a battering when you are losing the front end, but thanks to the team and the changes made it possible.”

Byrne’s third pole came with a lap in 1m 26.131secs, just 0.058secs up on Lloyds British GBmoto Kawasaki’s Chris Walker. His team-mate James Ellison completes the front row of the grid after his spell at the top earlier in the session.

It was a dramatic session for Josh Brookes who crashed twice during the three sessions, with the Australian crashing out first at Westfield in the opening session, with very little damage to the Milwaukee Yamaha. However in his quest to make amends he again crashed out of contention at Sheene Curve where his bike took a battering.

Jakub Smrz heads the second row on the Millsport Ducati ahead of Milwaukee Yamaha’s Tommy Bridewell while Ryuichi Kiyonari, fresh from his triumph in the previous round at Knockhill, was sixth aboard his Buildbase BMW. John Hopkins starts his Tyco Suzuki from the third row with Richard Cooper and Dan Linfoot completing the top ten.

For more information please visit www.britishsuperbike.com

More, from a press release issued by Buildbase BMW Motorrad:

Buildbase BMW Motorrad’s Kiyonari and Jackson get stuck in at Brands Hatch.

Ryuichi Kiyonari and Lee Jackson have each taken a second-row start in their respective classes at Brands Hatch, with Kiyo sixth in the first MCE British Superbike race and Jackson fourth in the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 race. Additionally, Jackson is filling in for James Westmoreland by riding the team’s second BSB-spec bike while Westmoreland recovers following an operation on his thumb.

Kiyonari made history last time out, taking BMW Motorrad’s first ever BSB win at Knockhill in Scotland. The stunning feat was also the Buildbase BMW Motorrad team’s first win and first podium finish and put the Japanese rider instantly into the top six Showdown places.

Despite the recent heatwave, Brands Hatch has had both rain and shine, with early sessions wet and today’s Qualifying treated to the full force of the sun. The changing setups proved to be a challenge for the teams and technicians present, but by the end of Saturday the pace at the Kent circuit was rapid.

Kiyo has secured a second row start with a respectable sixth place qualifying result. The Japanese rider also took the time to show his team mate and temporary fellow BSB racer Lee Jackson a rapid line around the circuit during qualifying. Jackson displayed impressive maturity and huge skill, managing to keep up with Kiyo during Q1 and leaping up from 21st to 12th in the standings.

The young Lincolnshire rider eventually qualified in 19th place, an impressive feat considering this weekend marked his first time ever on a British Superbike spec machine in competition conditions – and that he is also simultaneously qualifying and racing in the Superstock class this weekend.

Stuart Hicken, team owner, said: “Despite the changing weather conditions, it’s started coming together at Brands Hatch. Kiyo is in the top six and he’s got more to come on race day. Lee Jackson has done very well for his first time on the BSB bike, getting through to Q2 and keeping with the top twenty overall and, at times, the top ten. All this considering he also qualified fourth for the Superstock race. He’s going to have a busy day tomorrow, but it’s already proving worthwhile for him and it’s a great opportunity.”

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch GP, Datatag Extreme Qualifying:

1. Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 1m:26.131s2. Chris Walker (Lloyds British GBmoto Racing Kawasaki) +0.058s3. James Ellison (Lloyds British GBmoto Racing Kawasaki) +0.254s4. Jakub Smrz (Millsport Ducati) +0.373s5. Tommy Bridewell (Milwaukee Yamaha) +0.550s 6. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Buildbase BMW Motorrad) +0.597s7. John Hopkins (Tyco Suzuki) +0.644s8. Josh Brookes (Milwaukee Yamaha) +0.734s9. Richard Cooper (Anvil Hire TAG Kawasaki) +0.750s10. Dan Linfoot (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) +0.768s

The MCE British Superbike round at Brands Hatch on 20 July will be shown live on British Eurosport 2 from 12:30pm. Tickets are also available on the gate. For more information visit www.brandshatch.co.uk or call 0843 453 9000.

More, from a press release issued by SMR:

SMR ANNOUNCE CONTINUATION OF MILWAUKEE PARTNERSHIP INTO 2015

Shaun Muir Racing (SMR) will continue their title-winning ambitions into the 2015 MCE British Superbike Championship and are delighted to announce the renewal of their title sponsor Milwaukee.

The Milwaukee Tool Corporation is the industry-leading manufacturer and marketer of heavy-duty, portable electric power tools and accessories. Milwaukee first joined the SMR team in 2013 and the new partnership clearly demonstrates their joint intentions to continue their quest for title victories.

Team Owner Shaun Muir said: “I am delighted that we can announce our continued partnership with Milwaukee into the 2015 season with a further option for 2016. We have formed a strong partnership with Milwaukee since our first championship venture in 2013 and together we are striving for results.

“It is fantastic that we are able to make this announcement so early in the current season and it means that we have all the foundations to start planning our 2015 campaign and targeting the best riders. This is the first time in recent seasons that we have been able to confirm our future plan at this point in the Championship and it shows our commitment to the MCE British Superbike Series.”

Milwaukee’s UK and Ireland Commercial Director, Dale McElveen said: “We are delighted to continue our agreement with SMR into the 2015 British Superbike Championship. We are pleased with the brand exposure we have received in our two seasons to date and can definitely identify an increase in our Milwaukee brand awareness in not only the UK, but also Northern Europe as a result of our involvement with SMR and BSB.

“Milwaukee Yamaha is very much a key strategy in our Brand Marketing and the fact that our colleagues in France, Holland and Germany choose to tap into our activity here in the UK is a testament to the acceptance of BSB as a top class Championship and the premier Superbike event in Europe.

“Our Milwaukee Fanzone at all events allows us to interact with thousands of fans at each BSB round which again is a key driver to our continued involvement.”

General Manager, Sale and Marketing, Yamaha Motor (UK) Adam Kelley concluded: “The British Superbike? Championship continues to be recognised as the leading domestic Superbike championships in the world. It is a key element of the commitment to our racing programme and we are extremely pleased to confirm the relationship with SMR and Milwaukee will continue into the 2015 championship.

“The strong partnership between SMR and Yamaha has? already delivered a British Superbike title and countless podiums since its inception and we look forward to focus, alongside Milwaukee, to deliver more success.

“Everyone in the Yamaha camp is excited and proud to be involved for the rest of the season and into next year.”

For more information visit www.milwaukeeyamaha.com

More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:

BIMOTA ALSTARE JUNIOR TEAM SET FOR MCE BRITISH SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP DEBUT

The international draw of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship continues as the Bimota Alstare Junior team has announced they will line up on the grid at the next three rounds of the season with Christophe Ponsson from France.

The Bimota Alstare Junior Team is a dynamic, newly-launched satellite squad of World Superbike and Supersport title-winners Alstare, who remain one of the most successful teams competing on the world stage.

Bimota Alstare Junior Team Manager Benjamin Batta is now turning his attentions to the fiercely-competitive British racing scene as he bids to launch careers of upcoming riders in the sport. The team are set to make their debut at the next round of the season at Thruxton, followed by appearances at the Oulton Park triple-header and the August Bank Holiday round at Cadwell Park.

Ponsson made his racing debut in 2011 in the European Superstock 600 Championship, scoring a best result of tenth, and then has continued to progress through the ranks, competing in the European 1000cc class last season.

Ponsson has taken on the CEV (Spanish) Superbike Championship this season with the Alstare Junior team as they continue their development work of the new BMW-powered Bimota BB3 and has been making positive progress over the opening four rounds.

Benjamin Batta said: “The Bimota Alstare Junior Team are very happy to race with wildcard appearances in the MCE British Superbike Championship and we want to thank all the organisations who have made this possible with their cooperation and efficiency. Although the British circuits are unfamiliar for Christophe he is very excited and happy to take on this new challenge.”

MCE BSB Series Director Stuart Higgs concluded: “I’m delighted to welcome the Bimota Alstare Junior team to the championship together with Christophe. Both Bimota and Alstare have huge pedigree in the history of Superbike racing and its fantastic news for the MCE BSB to have them represented and add the seventh manufacturer to the Championship.”

For more information please visit www.britishsuperbike.com

More, from a press release issued by Milwaukee Yamaha:

MILWAUKEE YAMAHA READY TO COME OUT FIGHTING IN BRANDS HATCH RACES

The Milwaukee Yamaha team are ready to come out fighting for podium finishes at the fifth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch tomorrow after Tommy Bridewell and Josh Brookes qualified in fifth and eighth place respectively.

The opening qualifying session for Brookes started strongly as he initially hit the top of the times; however he crashed out at Westfield after only one flying lap. The Milwaukee Yamaha returned to the garage and the team soon had the Australian back on track for the end of the session. Brookes claimed his place in Q3, although he suffered another high-speed crash at Sheene Curve whilst pushing for the pole position, which left him with the eighth fastest time. However Brookes is ready to battle in the two races on the Grand Prix circuit tomorrow.

On the opposite side of the garage Bridewell continued to build momentum throughout the weekend and after testing the different tyre options in the opening two qualifying sessions, he was ready to challenge in Q3. Bridewell’s fifth place qualifying result equals his best performance of the season.

Brookes said: “Qualifying one started fine and I got a run in and then tried to improve and got on the gas too early and the back end let go and it low-sided and luckily didn’t do too much damage to the bike or to me. In qualifying three everything was back to normal and I forgot about the crash and just wanted to go faster, the first flying lap was ok and then on the second lap I could tell I was improving from my dash. I knew I was going better than all of my previous laps and I kept my head down to push as hard as I could and the next thing I knew the front end let go and I was down again.

“Unfortunately I didn’t have a better lap time before the crash so I have to start from the third row. The irony is I feel this weekend I had more emphasis on, in my mind, on a good qualifying position and be on the front row to try and then not have to try and make loads of passes. The irony is, that I crashed trying to achieve that and now I am on the third row and have to pass all the people so go fissure. That is the situation we are in for tomorrow and we just have to make the best of it. The boys can fix the bike and it will be fine for tomorrow, going fast you have to expect to crash now and again so I am not surprised but I am annoyed to crash. We just have to get back on it tomorrow and try again.”

Bridewell said: “It was a good qualifying session for me. We have made minimal changes this weekend from what we had at Knockhill and the Milwaukee Yamaha has been working really well. We went out in Q1 and tested the SC0 and then in Q2 we tried the SC1 and we were a bit undecided so we didn’t want to pull our brains out. We decided to think about race tactics so in Q3 we decided to use the SC1 and it worked brilliantly. The team have worked well and I feel fast and consistent, so we now just need a good clean start tomorrow and try to get away at the front. We’ve seen it has been close this weekend and nobody has run away with it so I think it will be two fighting races tomorrow.”

For more information visit www.milwaukeeyamaha.com

More, from a press release issued by Mar-Train Racing:

SEELEY & HARRISON TAKES WINS AT BRANDS & SCARBOROUGH FOR MAR-TRAIN RACING

Alastair Seeley took his second win of the season during today’s British Supersport sprint race on the Brands Hatch GP circuit, halving the deficit to series leader Billy McConnell. The Mar-Train Racing rider is now just 25 points behind McConnell after the opening race at round five.

Seeley said afterwards: “We did a lot of hard work last week at Kirkistown and it paid off today. The strong start allowed me to be aggressive from the start of the race and with Billy not scoring we’ve reduced his lead to just 25 points. We can still make some minor improvements to the set-up for tomorrow, but one thing’s for sure, the Mar-Train Yamaha has plenty of speed as today’s speed trap times showed.”

Team Principal Tim Martin said: “That’s what we needed to get our championship back on track. I was never in any doubt that Alastair would get back to winning ways and it’s pleasing after the effort both he and Andy put in at last week’s test. We just need more of the same tomorrow to keep the pressure on.”

Dean Harrison continued his rich vein of form between the hedges with yet another victory for Mar-Train Racing today at Oliver’s Mount in Scarborough during the Cock o’ the North meeting. We will have a full round-up of Dean’s weekend at Scarborough after tomorrow’s races.

British Supersport Championship sprint race result:

1: Alastair Seeley Martrain Yamaha

2: Graeme Gowland Smiths Triumph +0.177s

3: Luke Jones Acumen Industrial Services Triumph +1.930s

4: Jake Dixon Appleyard/Macadam & Doodson Yamaha +3.377s

5: Luke Stapleford Profile Triumph +7.275s

British Supersport Championship standings

1: Billy McConnell Smiths Triumph 152pts

2: Graeme Gowland Smiths Triumph 131

3: Alastair Seeley MarTrain Yamaha 127

4: Luke Stapleford Profile Triumph 113

5: Glenn Irwin Gearlink Kawasaki 109

More, from a press release issued by Tyco Suzuki:

SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS FOR HOPKINS AND TYCO SUZUKI AT BRANDS

19th July 2014

British Superbike Championship – Round 5

Tyco Suzuki’s John Hopkins will start the opening British Superbike race at Brands Hatch from row three in seventh position. Hopper made a last lap dash in Q3 right at the death, jumping three places, and the rejuvenated American is looking forward to both of tomorrow’s 20-lap encounters at the Kent venue.

John Hopkins:

“Yeah we’ve continued to improve the package and I’m starting to feel at one on the bike. I feel I missed out on a quick lap when Josh Brookes crashed in front of me. But today has been positive and a good start tomorrow is what we need.”

His team-mate Josh Waters will start tomorrow’s opening race from row five and in British Supersport, Taylor Mackenzie finished today’s opening 12-lap race in ninth place.

Team Manager Philip Neill added: “John has made consistent progress this weekend and we are maybe starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel. He seems a lot more confident and seems to be enjoying this weekend, so hopefully we can turn the opening two days into some respectable results.”

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