Fabulous Farquhar takes another five timer For the second successive weekend, Ryan Farquhar won five Irish National road races in a day when he dominated proceedings at Saturday’s Bush meeting. The KMR Kawasaki rider was again in imperious form and won every race he started, the 125cc/450cc, Supersport, Supertwins, Superbike and Grand Final, to move onto 26 wins for the season. After practice was wiped out due to rain, the riders receiving just a handful of controlled laps instead, Ryan’s day started in fine style with a start to finish victory in the Supertwins race, and there was further joy for the team with Jamie Hamilton taking second and Paul Cranston in sixth on a third KMR Kawasaki. Another start to finish victory then followed for Ryan as he dominated the Supersport race, his eventual winning margin being a commanding 16 seconds. The first Superbike race was a lot closer affair though as Ryan had to see off a last lap charge by Derek Sheils. With his lead over Sheils being less than he thought, Ryan got overtaken on the final lap but he was able to fight back and complete his hat-trick with a 0.463s victory whilst Hamilton crossed the line in seventh. Keen to make no mostakes in the Grand Final, Ryan grabbed the lead from the start and promptly pulled away from the rest of the field as he swept to yet another win. The gap on this occasion was 15 seconds with John Burrows taking second as Hamilton claimed a brilliant third, his first podium in the Superbike class. That just left the 125cc/450cc race for Ryan and he not only led the 450cc class but also the 125cc class when the red flag came out due to rain after four laps. The result was taken and so Ryan wrapped up yet another five timer. Speaking later, a delighted Ryan said: “It’s been another great day for me and the team and although conditions were again tricky, the club did a good job in getting every race run so to come away with five more wins is superb. The weather was very up and down, a bit like last weekend’s Mid Antrim meeting and so I opted to ride my 600 in the two big bike races as it was a lot more manageable in the conditions. Everything went to plan except for the first Superbike where there was a bit of a hiccup with my pitboard. Going into the final lap, I was given a ‘+12′ board so backed right off and cruised round the first part of the lap.Needless to say, it was a huge shock when Derek came flying by! It was certainly a wake up call and so I tucked in behind him and got by as soon as I could. Luckily, there was enough of the lap to find a way by and I was able to take the win once more – it was a good last lap for the spectators but not for me!” “The rain had been on and off during the day but it was only in the final race of the day, the 125/400, that it really came on heavy, so it was a good decision to end it early. I was obviously delighted with the wins but also very pleased for Jamie and Paul. Jamie was over the moon with second in the Supertwins race but when he got third in the Grand Final, he was even more chuffed and it was a great result, particularly given the lack of track time he’d had. I loaned Paul the bike as a thank you to him for letting us use his yard, rather than the wet field, and it was a good result for him in his first ever ride on the bike and in the class. Our other team member, Conor Parkhill also won his race at the Mondello Masters so it really has been a great day for KMR Kawasaki. I’ve got a weekend off now from racing but all the bikes need a good service so I’ll be working hard to get them all fully prepared for Skerries in a fortnight’s time.” Ryan now heads to the Skerries 100 meeting, which takes place on the outskirts of Dublin on Saturday July 7. More, from a press release issued by Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki Racing: No points and broken bones for Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki The Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki Racing team were back in British Superbike Championship action at the weekend but it proved to be a miserable weekend for the team with both Chris Walker and James Hillier crashing heavily. The duo started the weekend well, setting some good times in Friday’s first free practice session but Walker crashed soon after, sustaining breaks to both heels whilst Hillier crashed out of Sunday’s first race, also breaking his heel and a bone in his hand. Walker missed two practice sessions before going back out on track for qualifying on Saturday afternoon where, battling bravely through the pain barrier, he not only qualified but was also just a miraculous 0.6s adrift of the pace setting Tommy Hill. Two 30 laps races around the tight and twisty 1.27-mile circuit was always going to be hard work but it proved to be mechanical, rather than physical, problems that forced him out. Running on the edge of the points, both of Chris’ races ended abruptly with engine problems and, instead of moving into the top six of the Championship, he now find himself back in ninth. Hillier, meanwhile, had qualified just behind his team-mate in 20th place but his race day ended even sooner as he highsided out of the action at the hairpin on the first lap. The nasty looking crash saw James taken to the medical centre, later emerging on crutches with his left foot and arm heavily bandaged. There was further disappointment for the team when Kyle Wilks crashed out of the Metzeler National Superstock 600cc Championship thus bringing to an end his run of points scoring finishes. Pete Extance (Team Owner): “Anything that could have gone wrong this weekend has gone wrong and we’ve ended with five DNF’s, three broken heels and a broken hand so to say it’s been disappointing would be an understatement. The team worked so hard and it’s just been one of those unfortunate meetings where nothing’s gone right. We had high hopes of Chris moving into the top six of the Championship this weekend and although he crashed, he gritted his teeth and was truly heroic in going out to race. The fact that he was thwarted by mechanical problems rather than being held back by his injuries makes it even more disappointing and frustrating for him.” “To then have James suffer an identical injury shows how unlucky we’ve been this weekend. He was on such a high after some great results at the TT but he’s come here and had three crashes, eventually leaving on crutches. We’re just all disappointed right now but a big thanks to the team for all their efforts and also to the medical staff for looking after Chris and James so well. I’d also like to thank Paul Bird’s team for loaning us a swingarm for Chris’ bike as without that, there’s no way we would have been able to have the bike ready. We’ll take stock of everything over the next couple of weeks and, hopefully, both riders will be strong enough to race at the next round.” The next round sees the series return to Oulton Park, Cheshire, the scene of Walker’s memorable victory earlier in the year. The meeting takes place on July 6-8. More, from a press release issued by John McGuinness’ publicist: McGuinness in fine form in Scotland Morecambe’s John McGuinness continued his excellent run of form in 2012 with a fine ride into sixth place at the latest round of the Metzeler National Superstock 1000cc Championship. Competing at the Knockhill circuit in Scotland, the Padgetts Honda ace was extremely competitive throughout the weekend to earn his best result at the short circuits of the year so far. Fresh from his fantastic success at the Isle of Man TT Races at the beginning of the month, John arrived in confident mood and this could be seen when he set the ninth fastest time in the opening qualifying session on Friday. The session ultimately determined the grid with Saturday’s final qualifying session hit by wet weather and so John lined up on the third row for Sunday’s 24-lap race. With good conditions at the 1.27-mile circuit, a great start by John saw him immediately jump up the order and he completed the first lap in a strong seventh. He stayed here for the first third of the race but lost time when he had a nasty slide at the hairpin, which left him three seconds adrift of the leading group. However, he was over five seconds clear of the riders behind him and so he completed the second two thirds of the race racing on his own! When Jason O’Halloran crashed out on lap nine, John was promoted up the order to sixth and he duly completed the race to take 10 well earned Championship points. Speaking afterwards, a pleased John said: “I’m well pleased with today’s result and after two hard week’s of racing at the TT, this weekend has required a totally different mindset but one which I’ve been able to immediately get dialled back into. Short circuit racing is all stop, start and cut and thrust and with a good start and some aggressive early laps, I was able to move up the order and run at a pace very close to that of the leaders. I settled down into a good rhythm only to have a slight moment at the hairpin and that was all it took to lose the tow to the leading pack. After that, I was literally on my own and riding to my pit boards so all I needed was a few trees, walls and bumpy roads to make it like the TT.” “I qualified ninth and finished in sixth so have got to be happy with that and equally pleasing was the fact that I was competitive in both the wet and dry. It was a lonely ride on one hand but also very enjoyable on the other and, like I say, to be running a pace similar to that of the Championship contenders shows I’m riding as well as ever. I always enjoy riding the bike and always enjoy riding for Clive and his team so to get a top six finish has made it a great weekend for all of us.” John now makes his annual visit to the Goodwood Festival of Sport where he will be joined by many of the world’s leading motorsport stars, both past and present. The event takes place next weekend June 30/July 1. More, from a press release issued by Team Hammer: ANOTHER DYNAMITE RACE FOR DANE WESTBY AND M4 SUZUKI M4 Suzuki’s Dane Westby moved into a tie for second place in the 2012 AMA Pro Daytona SportBike title race with a second consecutive outstanding runner-up effort at Barber Motorsports Park on Sunday. Westby again made good use of his front-row grid position and improved starting technique to put himself in contention for victory. The Oklahoman jostled in what started as a six-man leading pack before starting his charge forward on lap 11 of 21 aboard his GSX-R600. ‘The Wolverine’ sliced up from fourth to third and then second on successive laps, and ultimately slotted into the lead on lap 15. Lacking just that extra bit a grip needed to make a final push for the checkered flag in the blisteringly hot conditions, Westby was forced to accept another second-place finish, his second in as many days. “The racetrack was hot and greasy,” Westby said, “I just tried to carve through a couple guys and get to the front. I just didn’t quite have what was required to win this one. I got in front for a bit but they studied where I was strong and weak and made the most of it. I fried the tire up in the beginning stages when I was pushed back a little so I didn’t have a real good tire to make a charge at the end. That’s just how the cards played out.” Westby now has 192 points highlighted by four podium finishes, good enough to stand equal for second in the developing championship race. Suzuki On Facebook SportbikeTrackGear.com’s Elena Myers notched up a top-five finish on Sunday at Barber as well. Following a pair of early red flags, Myers made an excellent start to immediately join the chase at the front. Running in a close fifth early on, the Daytona winner fell back into a two-rider scrap for the position and was then pushed back into sixth, Myers gained the position back on the race’s final lap. The strong result further solidifies her third-place ranking in the SuperSport West Region Championship on 143 points. M4 Suzuki’s Chris Ulrich raced his Suzuki GSX-R1000 into the top ten on Sunday and narrowly missed out in his bid to steal away ninth on the final lap. Meanwhile, Team Venezuela’s Robertino Pietri, still battered and hurting from his big crash at Road America, retired in pain from Sunday’s race, scoring a DNF. Team Hammer will now travel directly to NOLA Motorsports Park in New Orleans, LA for a two-day official test session to be held on June 26-27. The next round of the 2012 AMA Pro Road Racing Championship will take place on July 13-15 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, OH. In 2012, Team Hammer, Inc. is competing in its 32nd consecutive racing season and marks its sixth year of offering technical and logistical support through its Contract Services Department. Riders on Team Hammer-prepared racebikes have earned 52 AMA Pro National race wins; 121 AMA Pro National podium finishes; 4 AMA Pro Championships; 133 Overall National Endurance race wins; 13 National Endurance Championships and assorted other race wins and titles. More, from a press release issued by Speedcell Technologies: SPEEDCELL ENJOYS ANOTHER PERFECT WEEKEND AS SPEEDCELL EQUIPPED RIDERS SWEEP ALL TWELVE PODIUM POSITIONS IN PREMIER CLASSES AT BARBER (Las Cruces, New Mexico)– Speedcell equipped riders domination of AMA Pro Racing premier classes continued at Barber. Speedcell equipped riders took all twelve podium positions in four premier class races over the weekend at Barber Motorsports Park. Superbike Monster Energy Graves Yamaha rider Josh Hayes was unstoppable all weekend at Barber. Hayes, on his Speedcell equipped R1, set his sixth pole position of the season, earned two laps lead bonus points, and finished both races with margins of victory close to five seconds. Saturday’s race was all about the dueling Joshes, the Monster Energy Graves Yamaha teammates distancing themselves from the field to battle it out amongst themselves. Josh Herrin, the Superbike rookie, went to school all race long shadowing Hayes– only losing touch with the master in the final laps. Yoshimura Suzuki Racing’s Blake Young had an eventful ride to third place on his Speedcell equipped GSXR 1000. On the opening lap, Blake narrowly avoided the crashing Ben Bostrom, and late in the race was almost caught by Geoff May when he was hung up by lapped traffic. Sunday’s race was another all Speedcell equipped podium in Superbike. Hayes was following Herrin after his junior teammate grabbed the holeshot leaving the line, but the experienced Hayes slipped under his teammate and never relegated the lead. Herrin, trying to match the pace of Hayes, ran off the track and had to make a charge though the field to claim the final podium position after being relegated to ninth place. Yoshimura Suzuki Racing’s Blake Young, on his Speedcell equipped GSXR1000, also struggled in the opening laps but was able to put his head down and barnstorm through the field, inheriting second place when Herrin ran off course. Six podium positions in two Superbike races over the course of the weekend and all six were occupied by Speedcell equipped machines. Daytona Sportbike Y.E.S. Graves Yamaha’s Cameron Beaubier, on his Speedcell equipped R6, had the race weekend of his young career. Beaubier achieved a lap record, pole position, and two race victories. On Saturday, after a race long battle with teammate Tommy Hayden, Dane Westby and Jason DiSalvo, Beaubier snatched the lead in the final laps and was able to hold off M4 Suzuki’s Dane Westby on his Speedcell equipped GSXR600. Tommy Hayden rounded out the all Speedcell equipped Daytona Sportbike podium. The Sunday Daytona Sportbike race was another victory for Y.E.S. Graves Yamaha’s Cameron Beaubier, the second of his career and his second victory in two days. M4 Suzuki’s Dane Westby was runner up yet again on his Speedcell equipped GSXR600. Championship leader Martin Cardenas, on his GEICO Suzuki GSXR 600, returned to his normal podium form, finishing third. Speedcell equipped machines took all six podium positions from both Daytona Sportbike races on the weekend. Barber was another perfect weekend for Speedcell, where Speedcell equipped machines occupied EVERY podium position in the premier classes. About Speedcell Technologies Speedcell Technologies, a division of Navitus Group, was established in 2008 to create a lightweight lithium battery alternative to original equipment lead acid batteries. Speedcell engineers design and build all batteries in-house, in the USA. Speedcell builds OEM battery replacement and custom battery solutions for specific applications. Speedcell also works with various cell chemistries and builds battery management systems. Speedcell supplies batteries to the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy. Speedcell is a proud supplier to Monster Energy Graves Yamaha, Yoshimura Suzuki Racing, GEICO Suzuki, M4 Suzuki, Y.E.S. Graves Yamaha, Roadrace Factory RedBull Yamaha, SuzukiScoopFans Suzuki. Speedcell also supplies batteries to the Factory Yamaha Snowmobile team. More, from a press release issued by Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship: Reeves/Hawes take the wins but Lovelock/Lawrence extend Championship lead Round 4 of the Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship took the series to the Knockhill circuit in Scotland at the weekend and although it was Tim Reeves and Ashley Hawes who dominated proceedings, two more podium finishes for Roger Lovelock/Rick Lawrence allowed them to extend their Championship lead. Despite the threat of rain never being far away, Saturday’s 18-lap race was held in mainly dry conditions and it was Scott Lawrie/James who grabbed the holeshot, leading the 20-strong field through the sweeping Seat Curve. Reeves/Hawes were in second from Ben Bygrave/Paul Knapton and they soon moved into the lead, overtaking Lawrie/Neave, but further back there was trouble for both Johan Reuterholt/Aki Aalto and John Clarke/Stuart Graham as they both spun out at the end of the first lap although the former was able to restart. Reeves and Lawrie stayed close together for the next couple of laps as Lovelock/Lawrence moved into third whilst a superb battle was taking place for fourth with Bygrave/Knapton, Phil Bell/Tony Belsey, Barry James/Calum Lawson and Ben Holland/Lee Watson separated by less than a second. On lap six, rain began to fall and that shuffled the pack somewhat with the front trio edging away from each other and Holland/Watson taking over in fourth from James/Lawson. Reeves/Hawes were continuing to extend their lead all the time and at half race distance, the gap to Lawrie was up to 4.9s. Indeed, the leading trio were comfortable in their positions and Reeves/Hawes were able to sweep to a commanding 12.4s victory over Lawrie/Neave who clawed back 4 points on Lovelock/Lawrence in third. The battle for fourth went down to the last lap though and it was ultimately decided at the final corner when Holland/Watson spun, handing the position to James/Lawson. Bell/Belsey, competing in the Championship for the first time this season, took fifth ahead of Holland, who was able to rejoin, with the top ten completed by Andy Peach/Charlie Richardson, Bygrave, Craig Chaplow/Darren Tritton and Steve Kershaw/Robin Wilson. Sunday’s second 18-lap encounter around the tight and twisty course saw more favourable conditions and it was Reeves/Hawes who grabbed the holeshot on this occasion. Clarke/Graham were out of luck once more though as they put their outfit on its roof on lap three, fortunately without injury, and this brought out the safety car for a period of four laps as the incident was cleared. When the race resumed under green flag conditions, Reeves again opened up a gap over his pursuers and on lap 12, Lovelock was able to move up to second when Lawrie ran wide. Meanwhile, there was a similarly close battle for fourth with Bell getting past James at the hairpin. As the race negotiated its final third, the front three of Reeves, Lovelock and Lawrie maintained their positions and it was left to the second part of the top six to provide the changes with James/Lawson moving up to fourth and Holland/Watson pushing Bell/Belsey back to sixth at the chequered flag. Peach/Richardson, Bygrave/Knapton, Reuterholt/Aalto and Kershaw/Wilson rounded out the top ten. The results mean that Lovelock/Lawrence continue to head the table with 156 points, their advantage over Holland/Watson now 45 points. Lawrie/Neave are only four points further back in third followed by James/Lawson (85), Reeves/Hawes (84) and Bygrave/Knapton (52). More, from a press release issued by Motorrad Competition: Forés and BMW reemerge at the CEV in Montmeló 25/6/2012 – Xavi Forés has promoted to a second position in the podium after wrestling for a victory up to the end of the race. Berto López has moved up four positions and he finished in a commendable eighth post. The riders of Motorrad Competition have carried out a brilliant race in which they proved their sense of professional pride. As soon as the red traffic light switched off, both Forés and López have put everything into the race, in the search of a rewarding result of the hard work carried out during the whole weekend by all the team. Xavi Forés has executed a master start, getting the most of the power of his BMW S1000RR and achieving a first post in the first turn. The valencian rider has tried to make room in the first laps but considering he could not get it and that his tires were prematurely spoiled, he decided keeping the tires soft. From that moment Forés, Carmelo Morales and Xavi del Amor have waged a long battle in which bend after bend the rider have exchanged positions to the spectators? delight. In the last strecth the tires of the Forés? BMW S1000RR started to degraded more and he decided to keep the pace and Morales, but not running too many risks. In the last turns, the lost laps reappeared, putting the result of the race and the personal safety of the riders at risk. Even though the riders with a lost lap took no notice of the blue flags, Forés could overtake them, but he lost some vital tenths with respect to Morales which were in the end definitive. Even so, after the fateful race of Motorland, as for Forés as for the team, the valencian climbs again positions in the general standings. He holds a third position and he is only three points behind the rider in the second place. On the other hand, Berto López has finished a progressive race which has pushed him to an eighth final position. The rider, who was departing from the eleventh position in the starting grid, could not make up any place in the start so he had to advance in the course of the race. Finally he waged hand in hand with Victor Casas for a seventh pos. but it was beyond him for less than a tenth. After this race, Motorrad has stated that the changes carried out in the cycle part of the BMW S1000RR are positive. Although the victory has not been achieved, all the members of the team are firmly convinced that in a month time in Albacete, there will be a fierce struggle for the highest step in the podium, where Forés already won the championship in 2010.