Five timer for Farquhar at Scarborough Ryan Farquhar got his 2012 pure road racing season underway in fine style on Sunday when he recorded five wins at the Ian Watson Spring Cup meeting at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough. The KMR Kawasaki rider overcame the difficult conditions to take victory in the Supersport 600cc, Supertwins and Superbike categories whilst team-mate Jamie Hamilton also enjoyed a strong day with a trio of top four finishes. Like most of the country, the woodland venue enjoyed some bright sunshine but extremely low temperatures and this made life difficult around the 2.43-mile circuit with traction particularly problematical. After taking runner-up in the Superbike heat, Ryan took his opening win of the day in the first leg of the Supersport 600cc where he finished 4.5s clear of Ivan Lintin and promptly followed this up with victory in the first Supertwins race after getting the better of both Lintin and Daniel Frear. Starting strangely from the third row of the grid, Ryan had a lot of work to do in the first leg of the Ian Watson Spring Cup Superbike race and with overtaking never easy, he had to bide his time but he gradually moved his way through the pack and eventually took the lead from Derek Sheils on the penultimate lap, eventually crossing the line 2.7s clear. There was then drama for Ryan in the second Supersport race when the 600cc Kawasaki fell from under him on the warm-up lap but he quickly regrouped to take his fourth win of the day and this soon became five with another start to finish victory in the Supertwins race. However, just as it looked like he’d win 6 races from 6 starts, Ryan was forced to retire on the second lap of the Ian Watson Spring Cup, his third race in quick succession, as he lost feeling in his hands, thus preventing him from retaining the feature trophy. Meanwhile, Hamilton, having his second outing at Oliver’s Mount, also enjoyed a good day with the highlight being an excellent runner up spot behind Ryan in the second Supertwins race, the gap between Ryan, Jamie and third placed Lintin just 1.9s at the chequered flag. Third in the opening Supertwins race, Jamie, clearly getting to grips with the course, also had a strong ride on the ZX-10R Superstock Kawasaki in the second Superbike race as he came home in fourth place. He’d earlier taken ninth in the opening leg. Speaking afterwards, Ryan said; “It’s been a really difficult day with some really challenging conditions and although I’m disappointed not to have taken the Ian Watson Spring Cup, coming away with five wins is very pleasing. With some overnight rain and the low temperatures, it was really hard to know what tyres to go with as some of the track was dry, some damp and some wet and with the likes of the North West 200 and TT coming up, I knew I had to be extremely careful, especially as I slipped off the 600 in morning warm-up, albeit at low speed. Once the races started though, I was able to get into a good rhythm and with Dan Frear, Ivan Lintin and Derek Sheils all riding well in the various races, I had to work hard for all the wins and it was good to come out on top.” “In the final race though, I lost all feeling in my hands with cramp, which was probably a combination of the cold weather, all the heavy braking, three races on the trot and a lack of fitness on my part as I’ve simply had no time to train due to working flat out to get all the bikes ready! It was disappointing to end the day like that but 5 wins is still a good return. Jamie had a great day too and is going about his racing in an excellent manner, taking his time to learn the circuits and building things up gradually. He was riding really well on the Supertwin but also did a superb job on the big bike, ending up with a strong 4th place in the second Superbike race, and he’s a great asset to the team. Overall, it’s been a good day’s racing so we can now look forward to the Cookstown 100.” The Cookstown 100 is the first road race on the Irish calendar with the race taking place on Saturday April 28. More, from a press release issued by RNR Repsol Racing: Carolina Motorsports Park, ASRA Team Challenge Report Although Thrashed Bike Racing won overall, RnR Repsol Racing was able to win GTU and placed fourth overall. Rick Beggs and Terry Taylor rode the Repsol sponsored Kawasaki to an almost flag to flag win in GTU, even with a needed splash and go three laps from the end, where Crew Chief Mike Crawford got the bike back out in 12 seconds. The Dunlop tires went the whole distance, with the help of Pitbull, Woodcraft, CRG, Teknic, Lizzy Leathers, Under the Black Hat Photography, Full Spectrum. Be sure to check out ~http://www.rnrcyclesracing.com~ for a full report! More, from a press release issued by Seton Tuning Yamaha: The Seton Tuning Yamaha quartet of Sam Warren, Ben Burke, Bjorn Estment and Mark Wilkinson all scored points at the second round of the 2012 MCE British Superbike championship at the ultra-fast circuit of Thruxton in Hampshire (13-15 April). At a circuit that has become dominated by the Triumphs in recent seasons, Sam Warren looked to extend his lead in the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship Protected by Datatag. The 29 year old Derbyshire rider qualified in the middle of the second row for the opening 12 lap sprint on Saturday afternoon. A spirited and determined performance saw Sam lead the middle portion of the race, eventually taking the chequered flag in second spot behind Glen Richards to extend his lead to 19 points over Ben Wilson. Scoring the fastest lap time of the race, 1:17.188s, Sam took the overall lead in the Speedy Fastest Laps League, and lined up on pole position for the main 18-lap Supersport event. A sluggish start saw the Yamaha rider forced back to 6th at the close of the opening lap but still in contention for his fourth podium finish in a row. Thruxton is renowned for close, fast-paced action, and this was to be no exception. Wilson took the early lead with a brace of Triumphs and the Yamaha duo of Sam and Jack Kennedy hounding the Kawasaki over every inch of the 2.36 mile circuit. Moving up to third on the brakes into Club on lap 6, Sam would then briefly enjoy the lead on lap 9 as the six-wheeler produced an exhilarating battle at the front of the field. With the order swapping with every lap, Sam looked to be in a strong position for a final draft pass into the Club chicane. However, after taking Wilson for fourth, Sam had reached the grip limit of his tyres on this highly abrasive tarmac and paid the ultimate price, crashing out of arguably the race of the season to date. As a result, Sam has relinquished his championship lead by half a point to fellow Yamaha rider Jack Kennedy. However, Sam will look to regain the lead in the title race as the series heads to his home circuit of Oulton Park in three weeks time. ben_burke_thruxton.jpgThe Seton Tuning Yamaha trio of Ben Burke, Bjorn Estment and Mark Wilkinson all got their championship challenges off the mark with their first points of the season in an equally hotly contested Metzeler National Superstock race. Relishing the chance to unleash the full potential of the Seton Tuning Yamaha in the dry for the first time this season, all three riders improved significantly upon their grid positions to all finish within the points as the chequered flag signalled the end of the 14-lapper. Ben made a blistering start from the lights, elevating his Yamaha up to fourth at the Complex on the opening lap to be running at the sharp end. The young Australian rider locked horns at the head of the field throughout proceedings and looked to be assured of a podium finish. Tim Hastings was the runaway victor, but five riders vied for the final two podium slots. With the lap counter running down, Ben hit third and looked strong for at least 16 points. However, as the leaders headed into the final lap, back-markers would come into play, and Ben would be squeezed into fifth as they reached the breaking zone for Club on the final lap. Bjorn and Mark, starting from the fifth and seventh rows respectively, worked impressively throughout the race, gaining confidence and position with each successive lap. Bjorn would bring his Yamaha home in 13th while Mark would complete the point-scoring positions with a strong 15th in just their second outings for the team. More, from a press release issued by Birchall Racing: SECOND PLACE FOR BIRCHALL RACING AT MAGNY COURS Mansfield brothers Ben and Tom Birchall rode to a fine second place in round one of the 2012 FIM World Sidecar championship at Magny Cours in France on Saturday. The Mitchells of Mansfield supported team headed off to France directly from Brands Hatch where they scored a brace of second places to take the overall win in the opening rounds of the Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar championship. In the opening round of the world championship Ben and Tom held second place throughout the two qualifying sessions behind current world champions Pekka Paivarinta and Adolf Hanni and began their race from a front row grid position. But the Mansfield pair did not get the best of starts and found themselves in sixth place at turn one. They soon recovered and set about catching the riders ahead and at the end of the first lap they were up to fourth and right on the tail of Jorg Steinhausen and Greg Cluze. They passed Steinhausen on lap three and Tim Reeves/Ashley Hawes one lap later to take up second place to give chase to the leaders, Paivarinta/Hanni who by this time had established a five second advantage over the rest of the field. By lap eight of 10 realising that he had insufficient time left to catch the flying Finn, Ben eased off and concentrated on protecting his second place. The red flag then brought the race to an early end and a result declared at eight laps giving Ben and Tom a creditable second place. “That was a good solid result for us,” said Ben. “I am pleased to get some safe points in the bag. After a bad start I realised I had a lot of work to do and did well to get through so quickly from sixth to second which proves what a strong package we have this year. Had I got away a bit quicker things could have been different but I left myself a bit too much to do in such a short race. The usual race distance is 22 laps but we only had 10 this time and that was just not enough to reel in the leaders.” The Birchall brothers now turn their full attention to the Isle of Man TT races and make the final preparations for the two races there. Practice week takes place from Saturday, May 26 through to Friday, June 1st. The first three-lap race is scheduled for Saturday, June 2 and Race two is set for Wednesday, June 6. The next round at the Hungaroring in Hungary is not until June 10 just after the Isle of Man TT races when Ben and Tom will be seeking a top result to stay in touch with Paivarinta/Hanni who lead the championship by five points. More, from a press release issued by SGR Racing Monday, April 16, 2012 – SGR Racing’s Xavier Zayat enjoyed a solid weekend at Thruxton as he finally got his 2012 Monster Energy Motostar British Championship and Motostar Cup campaign underway. The 13-year-old from New York had been disappointed when the opening race at Brands Hatch on Easter Monday was postponed, but was determined to make a good impression when he got to line up for his first UK race at the Hampshire track on Saturday. Starting from 16th on the grid for the Brands Hatch race, the youngster enjoyed a steady battle to cross the line 15th and 11th in the Cup as he got to grips with the high speed track. And it was more of the same on Sunday afternoon, in a dramatic race which was stopped on Lap Six and restarted over five laps. The youngster finished 19th overall and 13th in the Cup, and now sits 13th in the Cup point standings. “It’s been an awesome weekend at an awesome track, and although it has taken a while to get used to it, I’ve really enjoyed it,” he said. “It is so different to Brands Hatch, which was so different to anything else I’d ever ridden before I came to England. “I’ve never been anywhere so fast as this circuit and even though it has been hard it has been experience racing here. I’m kind of happy with my result, but I know it’s not my best and I know I can do better. From here I just need to learn from my little mistakes and take everything I’ve learned to the next round.” Team Owner Steve Kinghorn was pleased with his young rider’s performance. “It’s been great,” he said. “Xavier is coming away with his first points of the year from his first race at a difficult track. We couldn’t have asked for more from him. “He’s had to learn a lot here this weekend and he’s done a great job we’re all proud of him and look forward to seeing what we can achieve at Oulton Park in a few weeks’ time. I’d like to thank everyone in the team, Xavier and his family and all of our sponsors for everything they have done to get us to where we are.” The SGR Racing team will be back in action for Round Three at Oulton Park, Cheshire in three weeks’ time. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Tyco Suzuki’s Josh Brookes put in an amazing ‘from-the-back’ victory in the second race at today’s British Superbike Championship second round at Thruxton in Hampshire. The Australian – who also put in a similar hard-charge from a sixth-placed, second-row start in race one to finish on the podium – put the TAS Racing GSX-R1000 Suzuki into second place in the Championship from 10th after last weekend’s opening race at Brands Hatch. Brookes, who was in 13th place on the opening lap, charged through the field and took the lead just minutes from the end of the second 20-lap race. Team mate Alastair Seeley, who held second place in the Championship table coming to Thruxton, had a tough day finding the sweet spot with his dry set-up and posted uncharacteristic finishes of 15th and 21st. Manxman Conor Cummins enjoyed his second consecutive weekend racing in British Championship, and although he was also struggling to find the perfect set-up for the ultra-fast Thruxton circuit, he scored National Superstock points in 12th place. Guy Martin made his Tyco Suzuki debut in preparation for the upcoming international road races, but retired in the early stages of the same race. Josh Brookes: “I knew at the start of the first race I had slight clutch slip, but in a strange way it also helped me preserve my tyre, which came into its own in the closing stages. I’m not as close to the front as I’d like to be for the second race but I know we have the pace as we’ve been up there all weekend with our times. It’s just a matter of getting a decent start and getting in amongst them. “Race two was a satisfying win. I knew from race one I could do it, but I also knew after race one I needed a good start. I messed the start up and thought immediately, ‘this is going to be tough’ especially after one lap as I could see the leaders were so far away. The team did a great job for me today and I had so much confidence in the new GSX-R that I could pass almost anywhere. Once I had a clear track I set out to make smooth fast laps with not a single mistake, because that was my only chance to catch the leaders. Once I caught them… I knew I’d win.” Alastair Seeley: “It’s been a character-building weekend to say the least. In the wet we have already proven how fast and competitive our package is, but I struggled to replicate that in the dry and I’m very disappointed what we achieved today. I’ll take a day or two to reflect then it’s re-load and go again at Oulton.” Philip Neill – Team Manager: “After a great start to the Championship last week with Alastair, it’s especially satisfying to have a 100 per cent podium record and also to hold second place in the Championship at this point. Josh was obviously at his very best today and we all know how good he is when he’s in that kind of form. However, I must say I do believe that second race was the best I’ve ever seen him ride. “I’d like to give a special mention to Josh’s crew today as together with Josh and the K-Tech Suspension engineers they have worked superbly all weekend. They stayed fully focused, concentrating on achieving the best possible race set-up and it paid off. Obviously there is a long way to go in the Championship, but hopefully we have given our new title sponsor Tyco and of course Suzuki the best possible start. “Alastair struggled this weekend in dry conditions but was at his brilliant best in the wet. Unfortunately at Thruxton if you are a bit off with set-up it is hugely magnified. It just wasn’t his weekend but I’m confident he’ll be back stronger at the upcoming rounds.” Race one result: 1 Ian Lowry (Padgetts Honda) 2. Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) +2.794s 3. Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) +13.136s 4. Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +13.566s 5. Stuart Easton (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +14.435s 6. Michael Laverty (Samsung Honda) +18.433s 7. Jon Kirkham (Samsung Honda) +18.473s 8. Luca Scassa (Padgetts Honda) +19.867s 9. James Westmoreland (WFR Honda) +24.609s 10. Graeme Gowland (WFR Honda) +26.896s 15. Alastair Seeley (Tyco Suzuki) Race two results: 1. Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) 2. Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) +0.664s 3. Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +1.443s 4. Stuart Easton (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +1.526s 5. Ian Lowry (Padgetts Honda) +2.719s 6. Luca Scassa (Padgetts Honda) +15.445s 7. Jon Kirkham (Samsung Honda) +15.722s 8. Alex Lowes (WFR Honda) +16.969s 9. James Westmoreland (WFR Honda) +17.188s 10. Noriyuki Haga (Swan Yamaha) +19.011s 21. Alastair Seeley (Tyco Suzuki)