Walker makes good progress at Oulton The Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki Racing team were back in British Superbike Championship race action at the weekend with Chris Walker again excelling at the Oulton Park venue. Scene of his memorable victory earlier in the year, Walker was in fine form all weekend and was rewarded with three top twelve finishes and 16 hard earned Championship points. Still nursing the two broken heels he sustained at the previous round at Knockhill, Chris’ weekend got off to a great start when he placed seventh in Saturday’s opening race having come through from 15th on the grid. Edging ever closer to the top six of the Championship, the dry weather was just what Chris was hoping for and Sunday carried on in a similar vein. Although he wasn’t able to replicate the top ten result, his lap times were on a par with those around him and 11th and 12th didn’t truly reflect upon how well he was riding. There’s little to choose between at least ten riders in the series and with 82 points, Chris has now moved back up to 8th overall in the title table. For team-mate Gary Mason, deputising for the injured James Hillier, it wasn’t such a kind weekend with mechanical issues thwarting his chances in all three races. an electrical fault ruling him out of Saturday’s race. The problem repeated itself in Sunday’s opening encounter but the Lichfield rider battled his way to the end and had his efforts rewarded in the final race of the weekend with a solid 18th place. Third team member Kyle Wilks brought his 600cc Kawasaki home in 20th place in the Metzeler National Superstock 600cc Championship race. Speaking afterwards, team owner Pete Extance commented: “Chris worked really hard all weekend and despite still struggling with his injuries and being in a lot of pain, he put in three fantastic performances. It was quite a tough schedule this weekend with three races and not a lot of time inbetween sessions but he gave it 100% as always and grabbed a solid haul of points. It’s enabled him to move up two places in the Championship and he’s still well within striking distance of the Showdown places so there’s plenty to be positive about. With two more weeks until the next round, his heels should have improved further so that he can move more freely on the bike and ride as he’d like to and we’ll be looking for some strong rides again there.” “Gary joined us for the weekend, standing in for James, and it started well with some good performances, close to the top ten, in Friday’s wet weather. In the dry though, we struggled to find a good set up and with not as much track time this weekend it was hard going so it’s a real shame his efforts were thwarted by mechanical problems. He also had a few problems in the last race but he kept going until the end and it was pleasing to see him get a finish. He’s been a pleasure to work with and all the team would like to thank him for all that he did and wish him all the best for the remainder of the year.” The series now heads to Brands Hatch, Kent with round 7 taking place on July 20-22. More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision: MCCONNELL AND RICHARDS SHARE THE MOTORPOINT BRITISH SUPERSPORT SPOILS Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph celebrated a double win in the sixth round of the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship protected by Datatag at Oulton Park as Billy McConnell and Glen Richards shared the victories during a dramatic weekend. McConnell took his second victory of the season as he was elevated from third to become the race winner when the leading duo of Glen Richards and Jack Kennedy clashed at Lodge for the final time and crashed out of contention in the Sprint race. Pole sitter Richards had taken the early initiative but Kennedy was upping the pace and grabbed the lead keeping his Martrain Yamaha ahead until the penultimate lap. Richards regained the lead and had the edge running into Lodge Corner for the final time as Kennedy tried to move through on the inside, but he crashed out taking Richards with him. Ben Wilson took second place for Gearlink Kawasaki ahead of Luke Mossey aboard the third Smiths Triumph. Glen Richards then scored a sensational Feature race win as he made amends for crashing out of yesterday’s race. Richards had a flying start on the opening lap before McConnell snatched the lead, only for title leader Kennedy to pass both of the Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumphs. The Mar-Train Yamaha’s lead was short lived as Richards returned the move to push himself back to the front of the pack. Richards rode defensively as McConnell then moved second ahead of Kennedy which he then held until the finish. Kennedy held third to maintain his position at the top of the standings with Ben Wilson and Luke Mossey completing the top five. Richards said: “We came out to show what we can do in that race. I didn’t know who was behind me and I didn’t want to look round in case I made a mistake. I wanted to control the race, keep my rhythm and it is almost a three horse race, with Jack not only having me to worry about but also Billy.” Motorpoint British Supersport Championship protected By Datatag, Oulton Park, Sprint race result: 1. Billy McConnell (Smiths (Gloucester) Triumph) 2. Ben Wilson (Gearlink Kawasaki) +2.812s 3. Luke Mossey (Smiths (Gloucester) Triumph) +3.547s 4. Pauli Pekkanen (777RR Triumph) +7.465s 5. Kev Coghlan (Colin Appleyard Macadam Yamaha) +12.012s Motorpoint British Supersport Championship protected by Datatag, Oulton Park, Feature race result: 1. Glen Richards (Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph) 2. Billy McConnell (Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph) +0.421s 3. Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Yamaha) +3.493s 4. Ben Wilson (Gearlink Kawasaki) +11.851s 5. Luke Mossey (Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph) +11.919s Motorpoint British Supersport Championship protected by Datatag, standings after Oulton Park: 1. Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Yamaha) 198.5 2. Glen Richards (Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph) 189 3. Billy McConnell (Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph) 174 4. Ben Wilson (Gearlink Kawasaki) 154 5. Sam Warren (Seton Tuning Yamaha) 123 For more information please visit www.britishsuperbike.com More, from a press release issued by Mar-Train Racing: KENNEDY OVERCOMES ‘ARGY-BARGY’ AND TYRE PROBLEMS TO MAINTAIN TOP SPOT The Mar-Train Racing Yamaha of Jack Kennedy still tops the British Supersport Championship table by 9.5 points after an eventful weekend at Oulton Park. Despite a coming together with main championship rival Glen Richards in the opening race at Oulton, which saw both men crash out at the final corner; then tyre problems in the closing laps of race two, which forced the Dubliner to settle for third place on the podium Kennedy’s title aspirations on the R6 Yamaha are still in very good shape. Jack Kennedy: “My Oulton Park results were mixed just like the weather. I worked hard in race one, leading for the most part, only to get tangled up with Richards on the last corner and in sight of the chequered flag. With us both wanting the same line and neither likely to give in, it ended in disaster and my first DNF of the season. I wasn’t too happy as I figured I had the racing line but that’s racing. Race two was a great battle; I was just disappointed I couldn’t fight for the win at the end but grip issues made it impossible to push any harder and I had to settle for third. I’m still leading the championship and looking to extend it at Brands in two weeks’ time. Big thanks to Tim, Andy, Paul, Cliffy, Stuart and whole Martrain crew for their great effort at the weekend.” After taking his first championship points at Knockhill just a fortnight ago, championship rookie Taylor Mackenzie added to that tally during the weekend at Oulton with two finishes inside the top fifteen [12th & 14th]. Taylor Mackenzie: “I’m really happy with how the weekend went at Oulton. I had two solid points’ scoring finishes and shaved a fair bit off my lap times from the previous visit there earlier in the year. Hopefully we can continue to make good progress and the goal is to work my way up into that top ten.” Tim Martin Team Principal: “Our lead has obviously been cut this weekend but we never expected to run away with it the nature of this championship doesn’t allow that. There’s a long way to go but in hindsight, we should have won that first race and I’m sure any neutral watching will agree with me. It’s done and dusted, so we just put it behind us now and move on. We tried a few things to improve tyre life in the second race but after strong early laps, Jack did the sensible thing to bring it home for another podium when he’d used the best of his rear tyre. Taylor also got some more points in the bag and made progress and I’m confident there’s a lot more to come from the lad.” Motorpoint British Supersport Championship Protected By Datatag, Race 1: Billy McConnell (Smiths (Gloucester) Triumph) Ben Wilson (Gearlink Kawasaki) +2.812s Luke Mossey (Smiths (Gloucester) Triumph) +3.547s Pauli Pekkanen (777RR Triumph) +7.465s Kev Coghlan (Colin Appleyard Macadam Yamaha) +12.012s Motorpoint British Supersport Championship protected by Datatag, Race 2: Glen Richards (Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph) Billy McConnell (Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph) +0.421s Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Yamaha) +3.493s Ben Wilson (Gearlink Kawasaki) +11.851s Luke Mossey (Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph) +11.919s Motorpoint British Supersport Championship protected by Datatag, standings after Oulton Park: Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Yamaha) 198.5 Glen Richards (Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph) 189 Billy McConnell (Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph) 174 Ben Wilson (Gearlink Kawasaki) 154 Sam Warren (Seton Tuning Yamaha) 123 More, from a press release issued by John McGuinness’ publicist: McGuinness battles hard for more Championship points Morecambe’s John McGuinness battled hard on Sunday to pick up two more points at the latest round of the Metzeler National Superstock 1000cc Championship. Held at the Oulton Park circuit in Cheshire, the Padgetts Honda ace overcame being pushed wide on the opening lap to end the shortened race in 14th place. After wet weather seriously affected Friday’s schedule, John continued his recent short circuit form in qualifying on Saturday when weather conditions were a lot more favourable. Ending the two sessions in 8th place, John lined up on the second row of the grid for Sunday’s 14-lap race and a good start saw him go into the first corner in a strong sixth place. However, the next two corners saw him get pushed wide after a couple of over-zealous overtaking attempts from some of his fellow competitors and he completed the first lap back in 15th place. With lap times between the field extremely close, moving forward proved difficult although a safety car period allowed the pack to bunch back up. Moving up to 14th, John was looking to climb further still in the final third of the race but his hopes were dashed when the race was stopped due to an incident with five laps of the race still to run. The results were taken at the end of the ninth lap and a slightly disappointed John later commented; “14th wasn’t what I hoped for today. Oulton’s one of my favourite circuits, as well as being my local one, so having placed so well in qualifying, I was looking for more of the same in the race. A top ten result was the least the team and I deserved this weekend and after making a really good start, I was confident of challenging the top six. No sooner had I gone into the first corner though, I was being pushed wide and that put me off line for the next section down the Avenue and into Cascades. There were some really desperate moves being pulled out there and it was a battle just to stay on track and although I regrouped, by that time I was mired deep in the pack. It’s such a tough class that it’s hard to fight your way back from that but I kept going and if it wasn’t for the red flag, I’m sure I would have been knocking on the door of the top ten. Like I say, it’s not what any of us wanted but we’ll come back stronger at Brands next time out. It’s another of my favourite circuits so I’ll be firmly aiming at the top six once more.” John flew out to Oschersleben,Germany immediately after Oulton for a test session with the Honda TT Legends World Endurance team in preparation for the forthcoming World Championship rounds both there and at Suzuka, Japan. His next meeting though will be the next round of the Superstock series at Brands Hatch, July 20-22. More, from a press release issued by Doodson Motorsport: Solid Foundations for Doodson Motorsport The Doodson Motorsport British Superbike Team set solid foundations for the rest of the season after overcoming a challenging weekend fielding a new two rider team at Oulton Park event over the weekend. Following the mid-season switch to Honda machinery a second CBR1000RR Fireblade was built in the space of a week with the team welcoming aboard David Anthony for the latest round of the hard fought BSB championship. With the stage set for three races the weekend schedule was hectic, and following a saturated opening day on track, “Aussie Dave’s” acclimatisation to the Honda was cut short after being punted off by Alistair Seeley after only three laps of qualifying. Although the Australian was uninjured the bike had cart-wheeled through the gravel trap. Once back to the pits the team finished rebuilding the machine as pit lane opened for the first race. Unfortunately Anthony retired during the race with a technical issue, whilst teammate Tom Tunstall continued to build confidence, finishing 19th and setting his fastest laps of the weekend in the final two laps. Race two saw Anthony knock another second off his lap time taking 18th at the flag with Tunstall hampered by bike set-up two places behind. The final race saw Yorkshireman Tunstall retire on the opening lap after a sensor failure causing the bike to stall and misfire. Meanwhile AMA [American Superbike] regular Anthony was embroiled in a five way scrap for 19th but missed out on another top 20 finish. Anthony concluded, “It’s great to be back in BSB with the Doodson Motorsport team, I need more time on the bike right now and I’m looking forward to getting to Brands and moving forward there” Rider and team owner Tom Tunstall summed up the weekend: “When you remember that it has been our first weekend with two riders, two bikes, a new team structure, combined with the tight schedule and Dave being new to the Honda I’m pleased with how the team worked and we’ve built some good foundations to build on. “We’ve still got more potential to extract from the bikes and this will come, we just need more track time to optimise set-up, understand how the bike reacts to changes, and keep the good progress going”. The second half of the 2012 season kicks off in less than two weeks time as the teams return to Brands Hatch GP circuit over the weekend of July 20th-22nd. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Josh Brookes took three podiums for his weekend efforts at round six of the British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park and maintains second place in the standings as the series moves to Brands Hatch in a fortnight’s time. The Australian backed-up his second place in Saturday’s opener with another second rung on the podium in race two on Sunday; followed-up with third place in the final encounter after a miraculous high-side save, breaking his screen and denting his tank as he fought to stay in control of his Tyco Suzuki GSX-R1000. Josh Brookes: “I got quicker as the weekend went on. I was never out of the top three and better than the last time we were at Oulton. In that last race I tried everything I knew to stay with Tommy as I knew if he got away there would be no pulling him back, but I came out of the chicane and high-sided. I had my hands off the bars and feet flapping and I literally fell back onto the bike. I just worked my way back up through the pack then. I gave it everything to stay with Haga and Shakey after that. I think Nori possibly went to sleep a little on the last lap, maybe settling for third, but he didn’t cover the line into Lodge and I was able to get in and take my third podium.” Alastair Seeley had another tough weekend starting with a retirement in Saturday’s opener when his back brake locked solid whilst challenging in the top six. In Sunday’s two races the Carrickfergus man took 11 points in eighth and 13th positions. Alastair Seeley: “I was disappointed on Saturday with the brake problem as I was riding strong. In the second race I picked them off to go sixth then towards the end the bike was moving around and sliding a bit and I dropped to eighth. In the third race I got beat up on the first lap and dropped off the group and to be honest the set-up changes we made didn’t help. We need to regroup and give it another go at Brands.” 18-year-old New Yorker PJ Jacobsen impressed on his National 1000cc Superstock debut with a strong seventh place from his fourth row grid position on the Tyco Suzuki GSX-R1000. He was in a six rider train all challenging for the minor podium positions when the race was red flagged at two-thirds distance, but gained huge respect from his rivals and the large contingent of Tyco Suzuki guests and staff at Oulton Park. PJ Jacobsen: “That’s the craziest track I’ve ever ridden with blind corners that you really need to be on the gas with if you want to be putting in the lap times. I got caught out by the safety car going in, as I’ve never raced in that situation before, but I loved the experience riding the Tyco Suzuki and I’d like to thank Philip and the boys for the opportunity. Hopefully we can do it again.” Philip Neill – Team Manager: “That was a positive weekend all round. Josh continued what is turning into a superb season, increasing his podium tally to nine. It’s important to keep adding podium credits if you want to be a championship contender and Josh has more than confirmed he will be just that. “Alastair had a strong qualifying and some steady results, but unfortunately what looked like being his best result on Saturday was spoiled by a rear brake problem, which was not his fault but these things can happen at times in racing. Reaching the all-important top six is a big task now but I still believe Alastair can do it with some good tracks coming up for him. “PJ has impressed us this weekend both on and off the track. To jump on a bike he had never ridden before, on one of the most difficult BSB tracks in the series for the very first time and finish seventh, is testimony to the lad’s ability on a motorcycle. Obviously this was a one-off ride but we would relish the chance to work with him again should the opportunity arise.” Oulton Park, race two result: 1. Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) 2. Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) +3.383s 3. Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +6.141s 4. Michael Laverty (Samsung Honda) +6.262s 5. Noriyuki Haga (Swan Yamaha) +6.552s 6. Ian Lowry (Padgetts Honda) +11.761s 7. Tommy Bridewell (Supersonic BMW) +12.442s 8. Alastair Seeley (Tyco Suzuki) +13.268s 9. Alex Lowes (WFR Honda) +13.305s 10. Graeme Gowland (WFR Honda) +15.015s Oulton Park, race three result: 1. Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) 2. Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +1.135s 3. Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) +1.483s 4. Noriyuki Haga (Swan Yamaha) +1.619s 5. Michael Laverty (Samsung Honda) +3.298s 6. Alex Lowes (WFR Honda) +7.093s 7. Ian Lowry (Padgetts Honda) +9.965s 8. Tommy Bridewell (Supersonic BMW) +10.298s 9. James Westmoreland (WFR Honda) +10.864s 10. Graeme Gowland (WFR Honda) +11.191s British Superbike Championship standings: 1. Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) 234 2. Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) 206 3. Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 205 4. Michael Laverty (Samsung Honda) 146 5. Tommy Bridewell (Supersonic BMW) 104 6. Noriyuki Haga (Swan Yamaha) 102 10. Alastair Seeley (Tyco Suzuki) 78 More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: MotoDex Performance First team rider Jesse Trayler took his third successive finish in the Metzeler National Superstock 1000cc Championship at Oulton Park in Cheshire on Sunday with a solid 22nd place. The Dunmow, Essex rider found the going tough during qualifying and found himself back in 33rd place and on the ninth row of the grid, but a brilliant start in the race saw him leap up half a dozen places on the first lap. Trayler continued to advance through the pack and was up to 24th when the safety car came out on lap seven due to an incident. But when racing resumed two laps later, the race was stopped and the result was declared with Trayler in 22nd place. It was another solid performance as he continues to get to grips with the 1000cc GSX-R Suzuki and he is hoping to progress further at Brands Hatch in two weeks time. Jesse Trayler: “I’m a bit disappointed as I really wanted to thank the team by bringing home a big bag of points this weekend. I got off the line like a rocket but by the time I’d got to the front of the pack I was in, the leading pack had pulled away by a massive amount and there was no chance to catch them in time. When the Safety Car came out and bunched us back up again I was all fired up as it was going to give me a second stab at it and I was picking them off but then the red flag came out and that was it.” Tony Dexter – Team Owner: “I knew we’d be on the back foot for this race as the rest had already competed here and had accurate data straight out of the box, so with Friday practice held in torrential rain we had little opportunity to give Jesse the bike he needed for the race. “We acquired some data from another team which we used for Q1 only to find with their gearing we could only pull four gears which gave Jesse an awful lot of work to do and yet again he delighted me with his outstanding race craft and utter gutsy determination. We just didn’t have the time to give him the proper weapon to do the job but he rode the wheels off the bike and I can’t ever ask for more than that. Points mean nothing to me at this stage, yet again I was delighted with Jesse’s professional approach to the whole weekend. The whole team is heading to Brands Hatch with our heads held high as we know we are now in sight of getting a lot further up the field very quickly.” Metzeler National Superstock 1000cc Championship (9 laps): 1 David Johnson (BMW) 2 Victor Cox (Kawasaki) 3 Keith Farmer (Kawasaki) 4 Jason O’Halloran (Honda) 5 Howie Mainwaring (BMW) 6. Steve Brogan (BMW) 22 Jesse Trayler (MotoDex Suzuki) Championship Standings (after 8 rounds): 1 Farmer 111pts 2 O’Halloran 105 3 Storrar 98 4 Brogan 90 5 Johnson 90 6 Cox 89 More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Team Suzuki Català has won the 24 Horas Frigo de Motociclismo race at the Montmelo cicuit in Catalunya, Spain with a total of 736 laps aboard their GSX-R1000 Suzuki, beating Yamaha Folch Endurance by one lap – after recovering from a broken chain and running out of fuel! Team riders Del Amor, Casas, Bonastre and Alarcos led virtually every lap of 18th Anniversary event to score their sixth victory aboard the Suzuki Spain and Dunlop-supported GSX-R1000. Watched by more than 23,000 spectators, Suzuki Català took the lead early on when Yamaha Folch Endurance rider David Checa crashed and then in the early hours of Sunday morning stopped on the main straight; which led to his disqualification. Team Suzuki’s victory wasn’t without drama as Javi Del Amor ran out petrol just as he was due in for a fuel pit stop. He had to push the GSX-R1000 back to the pits; which cost the team more than three laps, reducing the lead over Yamaha Folch from eight laps to four. And then a broken chain cost them a further two laps, reducing the gap between the two top teams even closer, but a smooth run to the finish ensured victory for the Spanish team in one of the closest-ever finishes. Said Team Manager Eduard Català‘s: “This victory has been hard work and hard fought, both by the riders and the whole team, but the support of Suzuki and Dunlop has been excellent and I would like to dedicate this victory to them.” More, from a press release written by Shandra Crawford and issued on behalf of Sarros Racing: Sarros Wins Two In The Heat At Buttonwillow Raceway with WERA With no relief from the scorching temperatures in sight, Corey Sarros dominated the Formula 1 and A Superbike grids this past Sunday, July 8, 2012, taking his Pirelli-shod Slime Suzuki GSX-R1000 to back to back wins at the WERA West round held at Buttonwillow Raceway Park. Formula 1 saw Sarros take the holeshot and never look back. The class points leader gapped his competitors and crossed the finish line 18 seconds ahead of second place. A Superbike, the last race of the day, saw a repeat performance from the points leader, with Sarros again getting the holeshot and outpacing his competitors, taking the checkers 8 seconds ahead of second place. Corey Sarros had this to say, “It was 106 degrees in the shade, and very tough riding conditions. After two days in the heat, everyone was getting exhausted. My plan was to just get out in front and not waste time. The Pirellis we chose to run were the SC2 green front and SC1 blue rear. They held up really well in the heat and stayed sticky the entire race. I really want to thank Corey and Chris at CT Racing for all their help, they have been really great to work with. I had some really good results this weekend, and am making good progress with bike set up. I’d also like to thank KFG Suspension for all the help with that. Additional thanks goes to Let’s Ride Track Days, Nexx Helmets, Motoyard Trackdays, Crossfit Inferno, the Pit, Vortex, Lougheed Race Engines, Munch Industries, and my pit crew this weekend – Justin and Anthony. I will keep giving you all more podium finishes.”