BMW Motorrad HP RaceSupport celebrates 2013 Superstock 1000 title for BMW HP4. The Munich specialists accompanied Sylvain Barrier on his way to his second win of the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup. Munich, 8th October 2013. When Sylvain Barrier (FRA) crowned himself champion at the penultimate round of the 2013 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup at Magny-Cours (FRA), the experts of BMW Motorrad HP RaceSupport celebrated with him and his BMW Motorrad GoldBet STK Team. The Munich specialists played an important part in this success which was Sylvain’s second consecutive title and BMW Motorrad’s third championship win in the series. The FIM Superstock 1000 Cup replaced the European Superstock Championship in 2005 and is held at European rounds of the FIM Superbike World Championship. The BMW Motorrad GoldBet STK Team entered the series in 2010 and was crowned champions in 2010, 2012 and 2013. While the first two titles were won with the BMW S 1000 RR, the team contested this season with the brand new BMW HP4. One of the special features of the bike is the electronic damping system DDC and the FIM Superstock 1000 Cup was the first international championship in which this innovative technology was successfully used. Thus, the BMW HP4 is the first ever bike equipped with an electronic damping system to win an international championship in the history of two wheel racing. One of the main tasks for BMW Motorrad HP RaceSupport this year was to adapt the newly developed BMW HP4 and DDC to the special requirements in racing – on the international stage and in numerous national series. The Munich specialists work very closely with the BMW Motorrad GoldBet STK Team and are on site at all races being a part of the squad. The specialists and the team used the pre-season tests in winter to gain first impressions of what is required to make the BMW HP4 and the DDC a winning racing package. Back in Munich, the data were analysed and the preparation was continued. The work turned out to be impressively successful. Already at the season opener at Aragón (ESP) in April, the BMW HP4 was the bike to beat, with Sylvain being fastest in all sessions and claiming the first ever international race win of the bike and the innovative DDC. Over the course over the season, BMW Motorrad HP RaceSupport continuously developed in close collaboration with R&D in Munich further adaptions and helped the team to prepare the bike for every single rounds. This close co-operation led to continued success. Sylvain has won five of the nine races contested so far, some of them in a dominant manner. At the penultimate round last weekend at Magny-Cours, a fourth place finish was enough for Sylvain to secure the early title win. He leads the Riders’ classification with an advantage of 33 points meaning he can no longer be overtaken at the final round at Jerez (ESP). “We are more than happy and proud to celebrate the early title win with Sylvain and the BMW Motorrad GoldBet STK Team”, commented Berthold Hauser, General Manager BMW Motorrad HP Race Support. “The 2013 FIM Superstock 1000 Cup was the first international championship in which the BMW HP4 was fielded and in which the newly developed DDC was used. This meant that before the season started, we had no references of how competitive our package is in comparison with our competitors. In addition, it is no easy task to adapt new bikes and technologies not only to the special requirements of racing in general, but also to the riding style of each rider and to the individual characteristics of each single race track. With no data available from the previous years, setting up the bike and the electronics is a new challenge at every round. But the very close co-operation of our specialists department, the racing team and the R&D department of BMW Motorrad Motorsport at Munich and the unwavering commitment of every single one involved in this project paved the way to success. Thanks to everybody who was part of this exciting experience which led to such a great result. The reward for this effort is winning the crown with one race to go – and we are delighted that we contributed our part to this success.” More, from a press release issued by Pirelli: TOM SYKES BREAKS LAP RECORD AT MAGNY-COURS WITH THE SAME STANDARD DIABLO SUPERBIKE TIRES IN A SOFT COMPOUND DESPITE LOW TEMPERATURES Sam Lowes and Sylvain Barrier become World Champions in Supersport and Superstock 1000 classes Kawasaki Racing Team’s rider moved closer to the title by winning both SBK races; Yamaha of the Yakhnich Motorsport team and BMW of the BMW Motorrad GoldBet STK win world titles in Supersport and Superstock 1000 respectively, both running on Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa tires Magny-Cours (France) – Over the weekend at the French track of Magny-Cours, the penultimate round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship was one to be remembered by Pirelli. Using the standard Diablo Superbike in soft compound, Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) set a lap record and won both Superbike races and the Pirelli Best Lap Awards, putting a strong claim to the world title. Sam Lowes and Sylvain Barrier, whose bikes were fitted with Diablo Supercorsa tires, also won a race each – the FIM Supersport World Championship (for Lowes) and the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup respectively – giving a large number of spectators many strong emotions to enjoy. The weekend was certainly not easy from the meteorological point of view because of the rain and low temperatures on Friday and Saturday, certainly less than ideal conditions for racing and also for the tires. Although they could not exhaustively try the slick solutions in the days preceding Sunday’s races, Superbike riders have almost unanimously opted for the soft standard tire at the rear, a solution that has been designed to be used with quite high temperatures but already this year has adapted well to rather low temperatures. Until last year the riders would have been forced to use tires in medium SC1 compound, if not in hard SC2 compound in these conditions, at the expense of grip and better performances. However thanks to the new 17-inch Pirelli Diablo Superbike rear tires Pirelli has been able to develop for 2013, a high-performance standard tire in soft compound, this makes it versatile for riders to perform well in a wide range of temperatures, from very high to those close to 15 degrees registered today at Magny-Cours. As a result of these tires, Tom Sykes placed first in Race 1 with a time of 1’38.345 and then in Race 2 with that of 1’37.932. He also managed to break the track lap record that belonged to Noriyuki Haga since 2009, with the time of 1’38 .619, improving it by around 0.7 seconds. The Englishman from the Kawasaki Racing Team has certainly been satisfied over the weekend, recording also a splendid double while Aprilia Racing Team riders Sylvain Guintoli and Eugene Laverty took turns on the second and third step of the podium in Race 1 and Race 2, allowing Aprilia to remain in the lead of the Constructors Championship with a 35 point advantage over Kawasaki. THE PIRELLI SOLUTIONS CHOSEN BY THE RIDERS: The penultimate round of the eni FIM Superbike World Championship has been characterized throughout the weekend by quite low temperatures, with rain on Friday and Saturday. For this reason, the riders were not able to try a lot of the slick solutions available to them in the days before the races. Despite the unknown weather and not exactly mild temperatures, on Sunday no one had any doubts and virtually all Superbike riders decided to use the standard soft rear tire, the Diablo Superbike SC0, which in theory was designed to work best when the temperatures are quite high. At Magny-Cours the brilliant performances surprised everyone, with less than 20 degrees of asphalt and Tom Sykes setting a new track best record. Regarding the front riders’ preferences, they were more or less equally divided between the standard SC1 and SC2 and the development SC1 development (S283) with approximately half of the grid opting for the latter solution. The Diablo Supercorsa was the tire that led Sam Lowes and Sylvain Barrier to victory in their respective championships. PIRELLI BEST LAP AWARD: The “Pirelli Best Lap Award” is awarded by Pirelli to the rider who sets the fastest race lap. A Pirelli representative presents this award during the Paddock Show in a press conference which follows the podium at the end of races 1 and 2 for the Superbike class and at the end of the Supersport race, for a total of three awards each weekend. The time set by the fastest rider is indicated and can be seen in the trophy which is in the shape of a motorcycle instrument panel this year. At Magny-Cours the awards were presented by Pirelli Moto France representatives, the Marketing Manager Maryline Lesoeur, the Racing Manager Pascal Serra, Racing and Stefano De Luca, Sales Agents Manager. The Superbike and Supersport rider who has earned the most “Pirelli Best Lap Award” titles at the end of the season will be elected “Best Lap Winner: fastest rider of the year” and awarded in the usual end of year ceremony. Tom Sykes, having already won 12 Pirelli Best Lap Awards, and Sam Lowes, with 6, are mathematically the “Best Lap Winner: fastest rider of the year” in 2013 for the Superbike and Supersport classes and will be awarded at Jerez de la Frontera in the end of year ceremony. These are the riders who won the Pirelli Best Lap Awards in the penultimate round of the season: WSB Race 1 – Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), 1’38.345 (4th lap) WSB Race 2 – Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team), 1’37.932 (4th lap) WSS – Sam Lowes (Yakhnich Motorsport), 1’41.690 (6th lap) The overall standings after thirteen rounds are as follows: WSB: Tom Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team): 12; Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team): 4; Chaz Davies (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK): 3; Sylvain Guintoli (Aprilia Racing Team): 2 ; Michel Fabrizio (Red Devils Roma): 1; Marco Melandri (BMW Motorrad GoldBet SBK): 1; Jonathan Rea (Pata Honda World Superbike) : 1; Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing): 1 WSS: Sam Lowes (Yakhnich Motorsport): 6; Kenan Sofuoglu (MAHI Racing Team India): 3; Fabien Foret (MAHI Racing Team India): 1; Lorenzo Zanetti (Pata Honda World Supersport): 1 COMMENT FROM GIORGIO BARBER, PIRELLI MOTO RACING DIRECTOR: “First of all I want to congratulate the two new World Champions, Sam Lowes and Sylvain Barrier, and their respective teams. Sam this year has proven to be really a very strong rider having shown consistent performances, especially if you consider the fact that he did not have an easy rival, Kenan Sofuoglu. Until the end of the race he challenged Sam, so congratulations also to him. As for the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup, Sylvain Barrier who has won five of the nine races this year, also undoubtedly fully deserved the title for the second consecutive year and the BMW has proven to be probably the best stock motorcycle of the moment having won – in the last four years – three titles. Regarding tires used this weekend, the Diablo Superbike, in standard SC0 compound, never ceases to amaze and give us great satisfaction. For this weekend the unknowns about temperature were strong and in the days before racing the weather was always bad. It rained often so both the riders and us arrived to Sunday without ever seeing in action the solution used in the races, except in the warm-up this morning. We knew that this solution could work well with not particularly high temperatures, which are the ones that most suit it, but we did not think it could behave so well even with less than 20 degrees. For us this was a pleasant surprise, so we’re really happy with the level in terms of performances and versatility that we have achieved with this tire. The track record set by Haga in 2009 got lowered by almost a second by Tom Sykes. That was the cherry on top and confirmation of what I have just said. This year Kawasaki and Tom Sykes showed that they could do great things and with this round they have effectively mortgaged the title, but obviously it’s better to wait until the final round because the WSBK Championship is no stranger to last-minute surprises. Well done also to Sylvain and Eugene who really had a good battle in Race 2.” THE 2013 PIRELLI STATISTICS FOR MAGNY-COURS ROUND: Total number of tires Pirelli brought: 4352 Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Superbike class: 5 front and 6 rear Number of tires available for each Superbike rider: 32 front and 34 rear Number of solutions (dry, intermediate and wet) for the Supersport class: 4 front and 5 rear Number of tires available for each Supersport rider: 23 front and 26 rear Temperature in Race 1: air 16° C, asphalt 17° C Temperature in Race 2: air 17° C, asphalt 21° C Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli Diablo Superbike tires: 295.9 km/h, in Race 1 by Eugene Laverty (Aprilia Racing Team) at 11th lap Maximum race speed reached by Pirelli Diablo Supercorsa tires in Supersport: 268.7 km/h, Kenan Sofuoglu (MAHI Racing Team India), 11th lap. PIRELLI Founded in 1872, Pirelli is the fifth largest tire manufacturer in the world in terms of sales. Present in over 160 countries, Pirelli has 22 manufacturing sites and employs approximately 36,000 people around the world. Pirelli is a leading producer of premium tires due to its commitment to R&D. Successfully competing in motorsport since 1907, Pirelli is the exclusive supplier of the Superbike world championship, many single marquee championships around the world, and above all it is the sole supplier for the Formula 1 championship for the 3-year period 2011-13. Pirelli Tire North America (PTNA) services NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) member countries through its Modular Integrated Robotized System (MIRS) facility and research and development center at its Rome, Georgia headquarters, its state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Silao, Mexico and its New York City, Montreal and Mexico City sales and marketing offices. The company manufactures, distributes and markets original equipment and replacement tires for export and domestic car/motorcycle applications (US, CA, MX) and Agro/Heavy Truck platforms (MX). More, from a press release issued by KTM: HANIKA IS MOTO3 EUROPEAN CHAMPION Czech rider Karel Hanika, the 2013 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup Champion underlined his talent at the weekend when he won the Moto3 European Championship at the Spanish circuit at Albercete. The 17-year-old has already been signed for the Red Bull KTM Ajo Factory Team to contest the Moto3 GP World Championship in 2014. Hanika, racing in Albercete for the Freudenberg Racing Team on his Moto3 factory bike charged his way from a second grid position to win against a competitive field of 40 riders. Karel Hanika: “I am totally happy,” the Czech teenager said. “I really didn’t think I could win here.” He thanked both his team and KTM, saying that his KTM Moto3 bike had ‘worked perfectly’. “In the end I was able to beat Bryan Schouten (FTR Honda) by just under a second. It was hard work and the bike was sensationally good. Now I’m just really happy about how it all worked out and I can look forward to 2014 when I’ll ride for Ajo Red Bull KTM in the Moto3 World Championship.” Team boss Carsten Freudenberg said he was extremely happy with Hanika’s title victory. “None of us counted on that when we went to Spain. Karel already set the second fastest time out of 42 starters in qualifying and then he won the race from Bryan Schouten. We are speechless and more than happy, also because with this title we can give something back to KTM for the great support that we always get from Mattighofen.” Hanika joins Australian Jack Miller in the Red Bull KTM Ajo Factory Team for 2014. Luis Salom, the current points leader in the 2013 World Championship will move up to Moto2 in 2014. More, from a press release issued by Paul Bird Motorsports: Byrne Beats Pain Barrier To Take Silverstone Victory Reigning MCE British Superbike Champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne put in two of the bravest rides of his career at Silverstone today to maintain his lead in the title chase at the penultimate round of the 2013 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship. The Rapid Solicitors and Minxflix-sponsored Kawasaki ZX-10R rider suffered a heavy spill in practice on Saturday morning in which he severely injured his hip and was only given clearance by the series medical personnel to attempt qualifying. Despite being unable to walk without crutches and being lifted onto his machine by his Penrith-based Paul Bird Motorsport team, the 36-year-old Londoner amazingly set second fastest time to start the first race of the penultimate round from the front row. In front of a good sized crowd and in warm sunshine, both races were 14-lap epics as Byrne and season-long rival Alex Lowes battled throughout and although Lowes edged away in the early stages of the opener, Shakey dug deep in the closing stages to go into the final lap right on the back wheel of the Honda. In true style, the triple MCE BSB champion took the lead half way round the lap only for Lowes to fight back and although Shakey tried his utmost to regain the lead on the run in to the line, he had to settle for second place albeit only 0.094 seconds adrift. But with the fastest lap of the race, Byrne would start race two from pole position to aid his cause. The second race was almost a carbon copy as it all came down to a last lap shoot out once more. Again, Lowes appeared to have the race win sewn up as he defended his lead, preventing Byrne from an overtaking attempt, but Shakey had other ideas and cut a tight line through the final Woodcote corner. They headed for the line almost together and as they crossed the line, a photo-finish soon revealed Byrne had snatched the victory by the narrowest of margins to clinch his tenth victory of the season and 51st of his career to maintain his slender one point lead in the title race heading to the final three races at his beloved Brands Hatch GP track in two weeks time. For the second meeting in a row, team-mate Noriyuki Haga found himself the victim of another person’s crash after he was taken out by a falling Dan Linfoot in the first race. It was particularly disappointing as the incident occurred on the first lap after the Japanese rider had made a good start, running comfortably inside the top eight. The second race offered little consolation as the winner of 43 World Superbike Championship races could only manage 14th place. Shane Byrne: “It’s been a while since I’ve won a race and I’m absolutely ecstatic with the results this weekend. In the first race, I saw that Alex and I had opened up a bit of a gap so I just tried to concentrate on him and not worry about anything else. I made my move towards the end of the race but I messed up my drive onto the back straight and he was able to get back by me. I tried to turn the tables but we were touching fairings in fifth gear and the last thing either of us wanted was to end in up a heap! I had a rest and some physio in between races which helped and although I had a plan, going into the last lap, I wasn’t sure what that was going to be. Alex wasn’t giving me an inch but I managed to square the last corner off a little bit and nipped up the inside although it was obviously closer than I’d have liked. The races were always going to be tough this weekend but the crash obviously made them even tougher and whilst it wasn’t comfortable out there I had to keep going for the entire race distance. We haven’t come this far in the championship to give up at the last hurdle.” Noriyuki Haga: “It’s been a disappointing weekend but there’s not a lot I can say about the first race. I made a good start and was hoping to make my way into the top six when I got hit from behind again. Having missed the entire first race, we then had no data to work with for the second one and the set-up wasn’t quite how I would have liked so I was unable to finish inside the top ten. We have now agreed to change settings and hopefully, with three races at Brands Hatch, I’ll be able to finish the season on a high as I really enjoy that track.” Paul Bird, Team Owner: “Shakey has set new standards this weekend as it looked at one point as if he might not even race and we’d be going to Brands Hatch a bundle of points down on Alex. But the reason he’s a triple British Champion is he never gives up and to achieve the results he has this weekend is the reason. In fairness, he should have had two wins but we’ll settle for these results and take the fight to Brands Hatch. Nori has struggled with the bike this weekend and once again luck wasn’t on his side in race one but he’ll bounce back at Brands Hatch.” MCE British Superbike Championship Race 1 – 14 laps 1 Alex Lowes (Honda) 2 Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 3 Tommy Bridewell (Yamaha) 4 PJ Jacobsen (Suzuki) 5 James Ellison (Yamaha) 6 Jon Kirkham (BMW) DNF Noriyuki Haga (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) MCE British Superbike Championship Race 2 – 14 laps 1 Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 2 Alex Lowes (Honda) 3 Tommy Bridewell (Yamaha) 4 James Ellison (Yamaha) 5 Josh Brookes (Suzuki) 6 PJ Jacobsen (Suzuki) 14 Noriyuki Haga (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) Championship Standings (after 11 rounds) 1 Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 604pts 2 Lowes 603 3 Ellison 562 4 Brookes 546 5 Westmoreland 534 6 Kiyonari 522 12 Farmer (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 93 23 Haga (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 13 More, from a press release issued by MWR Kawasaki: Best Weekend Of Season At Silverstone For MWR Kawasaki The MWR Kawasaki team enjoyed their best weekend of the 2013 season with Harry Hartley claiming a superb fifth place in the Pirelli National Superstock 600 race and James Egan posting another top 20 placing in the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 race at Silverstone today. Having qualified in a season’s best seventh place aboard the MWR Kawasaki ZX-6R, 16-year-old Hartley made a strong start to the seven lap race and the Burnley rider found himself embroiled in a superb six man dice for fourth throughout. Although there was never more than inches between the six riders, Harry moved into fourth place on the fourth lap and despite coming under intense pressure, continued to keep his rivals at bay. On the final lap, Michael Robertson squeezed through and although Harry tried to fight back he just ran out of time but nevertheless, fifth position was an excellent result and recorded both his and the team’s best finish of the season. South African Egan also enjoyed a profitable weekend on the MWR Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R and was able to record his second best finish of the year. Starting in 27th on the grid, James moved forward throughout the race and lapping quicker than he’d done all weekend, he was rewarded with 20th place at the chequered flag, just a fraction away from taking 19th. Harry Hartley: “After all the recent bad luck, it’s nice to get a good finish and I’m delighted with the fifth place result. It was pretty hectic out there but I felt that I had everything under control when I was running in fourth although it was at the back of my mind that I could get knocked off again on the final lap. I stayed consistent and out of trouble and although Michael came by, I tried to get back straightaway but there just wasn’t time to have another go. Overall though, I’m delighted with the result and it’s great for everything to be coming together in the final few rounds.” James Egan: “It’s a shame we can’t start the weekend with the bike we’ve finished with as I was really happy with everything in the race. I got a great start and was not only lapping half a second quicker than what I did in qualifying but also within a second of the guys on the podium which shows the progress we’ve made. I was also only 16 seconds off the second placed rider in the end and it feels really good to know that everything we’ve done this season is coming to fruition. It’s my second top 20 finish of the year so hopefully we can improve further at Brands Hatch and end the year on a high.” Mark Webster: “That’s our best weekend of the year so far and both riders showed good pace in qualifying and in the race, deservedly being rewarded with good results. We knew Harry would be there or thereabouts in the race and he was very close to a debut podium whilst he showed great character and maturity to withstand the terrific pressure he was under. James, meanwhile, got quicker as the weekend wore on and lapped within a second of the second placed finisher in the race which shows just how far he’s come. It’s been a really encouraging weekend and we’ll be looking to carry this on to the last round at Brands Hatch. Another strong result for Harry and points for James would be the perfect way to end the year. Plans are also coming along nicely for 2014 too and we hope to be able to announce everything soon.” Pirelli National Superstock 600cc Championship (7 laps) 1 Luke Hedger (Kawasaki) 2 Callan Cooper (Yamaha) 3 Ben Godfrey (Kawasaki) 4 Michael Robertson (Yamaha) 5 Harry Hartley (MWR Kawasaki) 6 Nick Anderson (Kawasaki) Championship standings (after 11 rounds) 1 Hedger 184pts 2 Simpkin 176 3 Cooper 135 4 Lodge 129 5 Collier 117 6 Hastings 91 16 Hartley 26 Pirelli National Superstock 1000cc Championship (10 laps) 1 Filip Backlund (Kawasaki) 2 Hudson Kennaugh (Kawasaki) 3 Lee Jackson (BMW) 4 Josh Wainwright (Kawasaki) 5 Tommy Aquino (Kawasaki) 6 Marshall Neill (Kawasaki) 20 James Egan (MWR Kawasaki) Championship standings (after 11 rounds) 1 Kennaugh 168pts 2 Jenkinson 148 3 Backlund 125 4 Cox 107 5 Jackson 106 6 Aquino 102 More, from a press release issued by Smiths Racing Triumph: Smiths Racing Triumph Celebrate Silverstone Success The Gloucester-based Smiths Racing Triumph team were in fine form at Silverstone this weekend at the penultimate round of the 2013 Motorpoint British Supersport Championship with both Billy McConnell and Glen Richards in contention for the race wins as McConnell, in particular, shone with a brace of second place finishes. Slight problems in qualifying on Saturday morning kept Billy and Glen down in ninth and 11th respectively but brilliant starts by the Australian duo in the Sprint race later in the day saw them slot into the top six at the end of the first lap. In a typical Supersport race, there was often just a second covering the leading protagonists and at half race distance, Billy led but ended up battling for third as the race progressed. Despite a clash with fellow countryman Jason O’Halloran on the final lap, Billy was able to claim second with outgoing champion Glen in fourth. Today’s longer 12 lap Feature race was even more hectic after a safety car period meant it all came down to a six lap shootout. With less than two seconds covering the top nine riders, Billy and Glen were well in contention with McConnell, celebrating the news he would remain with the team in 2014, rarely out of the top three. However, on the penultimate lap it all went wrong for Richards as he crashed heavily exiting Becketts, fortunately without injury. The final lap saw positions at the front change on every corner but Billy eventually emerged unscathed to take his second runner-up spot of the weekend to strengthen his grip on third overall in the championship. Billy McConnell: “Silverstone’s always been a bit of a bogey circuit for me and I was expecting to come away with a poor result so to come away with a brace of podiums is brilliant. Both races were hectic and the coming together with Jason in race one was unfortunate. We touched but there was no intent and these things sometimes happen in racing. Race two was pretty similar and I had to be careful when the safety car pulled in as the tyres had cooled down but we’ve worked hard this season and it’s all about going for the wins now. We came as close as we could this weekend and it’s great to celebrate the 2014 deal with some good results.” Glen Richards: “We’d been on the pace all weekend but had a bit of a problem in qualifying so I knew our grid position wasn’t a true reflection of where we really were. Saturday’s finish was a good result and I was confident of improving upon that on Sunday. Everything was going well but the sun was making visibility difficult coming out of Becketts and the next thing I knew I was off, maybe because I touched the kerb on the inside. It all happened so quickly and I was fortunate it wasn’t a major accident but apart from being banged around a bit, I’m otherwise OK.” Rebecca Smith, Team Manager: “The first part of the weekend was a bit mixed with good performances in the wet practice sessions which was testament to how well we’ve got the chassis working. But we had a couple of little, niggling issues in qualifying which to be fair could have happened anywhere and at any time. The two races showed our true form and both riders rode strong, sensible races so with two riders in the top four, we were more than happy. Today, Billy had another great ride and we’re back to seeing the old Billy week in, week out. He’s feeling extremely confident for the last round and for 2014 and we’re all looking forward to that. We’re also looking forward to Glen ending the season on a high. He was in contention in both races and it’s such a shame he had his crash in the second race as I’m sure we’d have replicated our results from Saturday if it hadn’t occurred. Fortunately he escaped injury although we’ve got some work to do to rebuild the bike as it’s fair to say there wasn’t much left!” Motorpoint British Supersport Championship Race 1 – 9 laps 1 Alastair Seeley (Kawasaki) 2 Billy McConnell (Smiths Racing Triumph) 3 Luke Mossey (Triumph) 4 Glen Richards (Smiths Racing Triumph) 5 Ben Wilson (Kawasaki) 6 Richard Cooper (Triumph) Motorpoint British Supersport Championship Race 2 – 12 laps 1 Luke Mossey (Triumph) 2 Billy McConnell (Smiths Racing Triumph) 3 Alastair Seeley (Kawasaki) 4 Stuart Easton (Yamaha) 5 Ben Wilson (Kawasaki) 6 Graeme Gowland (Yamaha) DNF Glen Richards (Smiths Racing Triumph) Championship standings (after 11 rounds) 1 Easton 389pts 2 Seeley 383 3 McConnell 314 4 Wilson 301 5 Gowland 236 6 O’Halloran 200 7 Richards 163 For further information please visit www.smithsracing.co.uk or the official championship website www.britishsuperbike.com.