Two fine rides for Walker at Silverstone Chris Walker and the sorrymate.com/SMT Honda team enjoyed a profitable weekend at Silverstone in the penultimate round of the 2010 British Superbike Championship and they were rewarded with two strong top ten finishes. Despite the difficult wet conditions, Walker put in two stirling rides, particularly in the 2nd race where he was outside of the top 15 on the opening lap, to claim 8th and 9th places in the two races and the 15 points gained has seen Chris and the team maintain 10th place overall in the Championship table. With mixed weather throughout the three days of action around the GP circuit, Friday’s opening free practice session was held in the wet and Chris took an excellent 5th place and he repeated this position in the afternoon’s session with a time of 2m09.513s. Saturday saw damp conditions in the morning and Chris took 11th going in to the afternoon’s qualifying session and was hopeful of finishing inside the top ten. Sure enough, it would be one of the best qualifying sessions for the team and Chris successfully made it through to the final segment, eventually posting a best time of 2m07.608s to claim 8th place on the grid. A brilliant start in Sunday’s first 14-lap race saw Chris end the first lap in 4th place and although he’d been pushed back to 7th by lap 4, the race was soon stopped due to rain on parts of the circuit. A 10-lap re-start subsequently followed with the race starting wet and another good start by Chris meant that he was up to 6th by the end of the first lap. Alastair Seeley and James Ellison pushed him back to 8th a lap later and here he remained for the next 7 laps. By now, the rain had stopped and the circuit was drying out rapidly with many of the riders, including Chris, struggling as the wet tyres rapidly lost grip. However, despite sliding around considerably at each corner, Chris hung on and although Simon Andrews managed to find a way through, he was still able to take a fine 9th. With the ninth fastest lap of the opening race, Chris started Race 2, which was cut to ten laps, in 9th on the grid but his race was immediately compromised when Frenchman Loris Baz crashed and his handlebars got caught up with Chris and his Honda, dropping him down the order. Completing the first lap in 15th place, Chris then put in a superb ride in the wet conditions to fight his way through the pack. By lap 3, he’d made it up to 12th and then a stunning fourth lap saw him jump up into the top ten and 9th place. A lap later, he overtook Yukio Kagayama for 8th and although he was unable to climb any higher, the eighth place was an excellent result given the problems on the first lap. Speaking later, team owner Robin Croft said: “It’s been a good weekend for us and Chris immediately liked the track with the bike being well suited to it and we’re very pleased to come away with two top ten finishes. Free practice went very well even though it was again a mixture of wet and dry conditions and we deservedly made it through to the final stage of the qualifying session for the second time this season. In race 1, Chris made a great start before the race was red flagged and we simply ran out of time to get the correct settings on the bike for the re-start and, like most other riders, his rear tyre was in pieces after just a couple of laps.” “He battled his way to a ninth place finish and we were hopeful of improving in race 2. However, when Baz crashed, his handlebars got hooked up with Chris and he was way back at the end of the first lap. But, in typical Chris Walker fashion, he dug deep and showed tremendous grit, determination and skill to fight his way through the pack and to finish 8th was an excellent result. We’ve maintained our tenth place in the Championship and edged away from some of the guys behind so we’re really looking forward to the final round at Oulton. The bike works really well around there and it’s a circuit Chris really enjoys so we’re extremely hopeful of a strong end to the year.” The final round of the British Superbike Championship takes place at Oulton Park, Cheshire on October 7-9. More, from a press release issued by Marty Nutt’s publicist: Excellent 8th place at Silverstone for Nutt Marty Nutt rode an excellent race in Sunday’s penultimate round of the Supersport 600cc British Championship at Silverstone when he brought his Nutttravel.com/Dawn/T&G Yamaha home in a fine 8th place. The Castlerock rider overcame difficult, wet conditions to record his second best result of the season and move up to 13th overall in the Championship table. Immediately gelling with the Grand Prix circuit, a steady first free practice session saw Marty take 13th place but in the dryer conditions in the afternoon, he showed his form was as good as ever with an excellent fifth place. The first qualifying session was again damp but Marty took a more than encouraging 9th place and was hopeful of getting on to the second row in the final qualifying session. However, although he improved his time by four-tenths of a second, he slipped back to 14th and the fourth row as he ran off the track in the closing stages when on a particularly fast lap. Nevertheless, Marty was in confident mood going in to the race and more than hopeful of finishing inside the top ten once more. Conditions were, arguably, at their worst when the Supersport machines came to the line on Sunday afternoon and Marty was one of many riders to run off the track on the opening lap due to the heavy rain and spray but the red flag was soon out due to a first corner pile-up which left TT hero Ian Hutchinson with a fractured leg. Eventually re-started over 8 laps, a great getaway saw Marty up to 11th on the first lap and this soon became 10th as he overtook Graeme Gowland. Lap 3 was even better as he moved past Billy McConnell, Dean Hipwell and Lee Johnston to climb up to 7th although by this time 6th placed Glen Richards was over five seconds clear. He was also being rapidly caught by Alex Lowes at the rate of two seconds a lap but on lap 6, Marty responded and was able to keep his rival more than a second behind him. On the penultimate lap, Marty had to give best to his fellow Yamaha rider though but he was comfortably clear of ninth place and so he crossed the line at the end of the 8 laps in a strong 8th place. Speaking later, a pleased Marty said: “Aye, I’m happy enough with today’s result and I actually felt quite comfortable out there in the wet although the visibility was quite poor and I was struggling to see for a fair bit of the race. I had a bit of luck with the race being red flagged as I got tangled up with Hutchy’s bike when he crashed and was lucky not to go down myself whilst I also ran on at one of the chicanes. Luckily for me, the race was re-started and I got a good start and was able to hold my own throughout the race. I was continually moving forward and as soon as I caught someone, I passed them straightaway rather than sitting behind them for a corner or two. If I’d have qualified a bit better, maybe I could have been higher up but I made a mistake on my last quick lap and ran off the track so I was slightly disappointed with 14th on the grid but today’s result more than makes up for it.” “The circuit was mega and I was learning new lines and picking up time with each lap so it was a shame it was wet as I’m sure a dry race would have seen some really close racing. I’ve got to say a big thank you to my mechanic Andy as he did an awesome job throughout the three days and he had the correct settings dialled in for each session without me even having to say anything. I could just get on the bike and ride it straightaway without having to make any changes so it certainly made my life a lot easier! I’m only two points off 11th place in the Championship now so I’ll be looking to continue this form over to the final round and do all I can to claim that position.” Marty now has a two week break before the final round of the series takes place at Oulton Park, the meeting being held on the weekend of October 7-9. More, from a press release issued by Steve Plater’s publicist: STEVE PLATER DENIED RACE AT SILVERSTONE The combination of worsening weather conditions and hold-ups in earlier races culminated in the Superstock race being postponed at Silverstone denying Steve Plater the chance to race in the penultimate round of the championship. The race will be run over the weekend of October 8-11 at Oulton Park when the Woodhall Spa rider will have two races at the season finale. The weekend was going well for Plater who rides for the Louth based HM Plant Honda team and he completed his qualifying in 12th place for a third row start to the Silverstone race. This grid position will be carried over to Oulton Park where Plater will use the grid position gained at Silverstone for that race while qualifying in the normal way for the final round that was already scheduled for the Cheshire circuit. “I was happy with 12th, or more relieved shall we say, as we have had a problem with the front forks here at Silverstone and Croft but we have now found out what the problem is and solved it. That last qualifying session was the first dry track time on the new circuit. I was down in 24th place when the red flag stopped us. We made some more changes and when we got back out there I was able to move up into 12th.” But come race day the weather took a turn for the worse and a combination of crashes in the other classes and poor visibility caused the Superstock race to finally be postponed on the grounds of rider safety. Speaking to Steve after the announcement was made to postpone the race he said: “Obviously safety is the main priority and the visibility was getting very poor. They got a group of us together for a ride around the track in the course car and we agreed with the organisers that it would be better to run two races at Oulton Park than risk anything with the conditions the way they are here.” Although the timetable for the final two races at Oulton Park has yet to be finalised it is more than likely the Silverstone race will run sometime on Saturday, October 9 and the final race of the season on Sunday, October 10. More, from a press release issued by GBRacing: Lowes and GBRacing win 2010 British Supersport Championship GBRACING supported GNS Racing Honda rider Sam Lowes clinched the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship title in fantastic style with a superb start to finish victory at a rain-hit Silverstone. GNS Racing Honda uses GBRacing engine covers on its British Supersport race bikes to protect the engines from damage in the event of a crash. The 20 year old from Lincoln only needed a sixth place finish to claim the title following a dominant season and after qualifying on pole for the third successive race for Gary Stubbington’s Southampton-based team, he was confident of a good result. However, just before the start of the race, the rain arrived and following a crash on the opening lap involving a number of riders, the original start was aborted. Undeterred by the conditions, Lowes then rode a faultless race to take the win in the eight lap re-run by over 2.5 seconds to claim his fifth win of the series and with it, the prestigious British Supersport Championship with a round to spare as the team and Lowes celebrated in fine fashion despite the damp conditions. Lowes will be hoping to add to his victory tally when the final round of the series takes place at Oulton Park in two weeks time whereby Sam’s incentive if he wins will be that he will have won 50% of the races in a memorable season. Joining Lowes in the GNS Team this weekend was former multiple British Supermoto Champion Christian Iddon who gave a good account of himself and qualified in 12th place. Iddon, who had raced in British Superbikes earlier in the season and also contested the World Supersport Championship round at Silverstone as a wild card, battled against the conditions but any hopes of a result ended when he failed to bring the Honda CBR600 home after a misted visor thwarted his bid. Sam Lowes: “It’s just unbelievable. It’s just a mega, mega feeling for me and I was in tears going across the line. I think I’m lost for words for the first time ever and days like this are the reason that you race bikes. To win the race for the third time in a row and from pole position for the third time in a row, it’s just unreal. I want to say a massive, massive thank you to the team and all the sponsors – we are ONIT! We can now go to Oulton Park with no pressure for the last round and just enjoy it. It’s been a perfect weekend and I hope we can do the same at Oulton.” Christian Iddon: “It’s been fantastic working with the team this weekend, they’ve been superbly professional. They’ve helped me to feel comfortable on the bike and they’ve welcomed me into the team. All credit to them, especially with the job they’ve had to do this weekend with winning the championship. The bike has been spot on but I got caught a bit unawares in the wet and had a big slide on the first lap. I took it steady in the re-run and then started pulling a few people in but then the visor steamed up and I had to pull in. I’m really pleased for the team today.” Gary Stubbington, Team Owner: “What a year! It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with all these guys. It’s down to the whole team and each of our sponsors who have put every bit of effort in to getting Sam where he is now. We’ve taken each race bit by bit and improved our results throughout the season. It’s been a huge team effort and our goal now is to continue our hard work on into the British Superbike Championship next season if we can. Sam had a brilliant ride and he rode like a true professional. We can now relax for the last race of the season at Oulton and hopefully we can do the same again. I’m absolutely over the moon, everyone involved deserves this Championship win.” Graham Banks, GBRacing: “Well done to Sam and GNS Racing for winning the 2010 British Supersport Championship in style and with a round to spare. GBRacing is proud to have played its part supporting Sam and the team and it is another endorsement of the quality of the GBRacing protection products it is the protection of choice for the professionals.” Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship result (8 laps) 1, Sam Lowes (GNS Racing Honda) 19:46.063s 2, James Westmoreland (Yamaha) +2.687s 3, Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha) +4.023s 4, Jack Kennedy (Yamaha) +15.357s 5, Glen Richards (Honda) +19.376s 6, Ben Wilson (Kawasaki) +23.234s DNF – Christian Iddon (5 laps) Championship standings (after round 11) 1, Sam Lowes – 221pts – Champion 2, James Westmoreland – 176pts 3, Ben Wilson – 110pts 4, Graeme Gowland – 105pts =, Jack Kennedy – 105pts 6, Billy McConnell – 104pts More, from another press release issued by GBRacing: Victory for GBRacing in the Superstock 600 European Championship MRS Racing Team rider Jeremy Guarnoni wrapped up a dominant season on his GBRacing protected Yamaha YZF-R6 at Imola at the weekend, claiming the 2010 Superstock 600 European Championship with one round still to run. The 17yr old French rider showed a maturity over the race weekend, qualifying fifth on the grid and running a steady race to come home in sixth place, ensuring his points lead meant he was untouchable going into his home race at Magny Course next week. The penultimate round of the championship yesterday saw no less than eight of the top ten riders across the finish line on Yamaha R6 Supersport bikes. Guarnoni took ownership of the 2010 championship on his Yamaha R6 from the first race, taking victory at Portimao in the opening round, then adding a further four race wins to it, bringing his total to five from nine races. He heads to Magny Cours with 187 points at the top of the standings, 28 points clear of closest rival and fellow Frenchman Florian Marino. “I’m very happy because I waited three years to win this title,” said Jeremy Guarnoni. “The bike was really good, I work really well with Adrien Morillas to set up the bike and the whole team and Yamaha have worked really hard to get me here. I still want to win at Magny Cours but I have no pressure anymore, so I can race for fun there!” “I am for sure really happy to win the title,” said Adrien Morillas, MRS Racing Team Manager. “We knew already at the beginning of the year with Jeremy that we had a good chance to win the championship. The reward of winning is the perfect gift for the effort we put in. After five years working together the satisfaction is immense. Thank you to Yamaha Motor France and Yamaha Motor Europe for the help this season and we hope to continue to take Jeremy to the highest levels with Yamaha.” The European Superstock 600 Championship is the closest class of racing to production model bikes. Including this year’s title, the close-to-production-model Yamaha YZF-R6 Supersport bike can now claim four of the last six European Superstock 600 titles, winning in 2010, 2008, 2007 and 2005. GBRacing designs, develops and manufactures in North London the only MCRCB and FIM approved bolt on, composite injection moulded nylon 6.6 long glass fibre 60 per cent, secondary engine covers that means they are super tough and protect a motorcycle’s engine in a crash, minimizing chances of a holed crank case or generator and therefore saving potentially thousands of pounds. As well as secondary engine covers, GBRacing manufactures frame sliders, crash bobbins and paddock stand bobbins. Prices on engine covers start at just £38 including vat, and typically all three engine covers for a modern sportsbike will cost less than £170 but is dependent on model. For the full range and prices, visit www.gbracing.eu or a reputable motorcycle dealer for more information. For further information visit www.gbracing.eu or call Graham Banks on 0208 275 2630 or 07801 186172. Product Highlights * Injection Moulded World Class Secondary Engine Covers * Race Developed MCRCB Approved * High Impact and Durable Cost Effective * Easy Bolt-On Race Ready * High Chemical Resistance * 3D Innovative Design Aesthetically pleasing * Quality UK Engineering & Manufacturing More, from a press release issued by Garnier Racing Team Junior: FIM Cup Superstock 1000 Round 9 Imola (Italy) Barrier progresses in the standings, Pagaud begins well During the penultimate round of the FIM Cup Superstock 1000 in Italy, Sylvain Barrier finished 5th and progressed to the 6th position of the championship. Randy Pagaud continued to learn after he started well the weekend in difficult weather conditions. If Saturday was wet, Sunday was much more beautiful and sunny on the famous Imola track. The 2010 champion of the category Ayrton Badovini (BMW Motorrad Italia STK) started very well from the pole position and had a great fight with Lorenzo Zanetti (SS Lazio Motorsport Ducati) that he eventually dominated to win the race. Maxime Berger (Ten Kate Race Junior Honda) was a lonely third until the finish line, allowing him to secure the second position of the championship. Sylvain Barrier (Garnier Racing Team Junior) had a long fight with Davide Giugliano (Suzuki Team 06) and Eddi La Marra (Honda Team Lorini) the latest crashing in the last lap because of an unintentional contact. Randy Pagaud (Garnier Racing Team Junior) for his first race in Superstock 1000 did very well. He was 18th out of 27 at the end of the first lap. He went then to the 17th position and stayed there until the chequered flag. For his first experience, this is very positive. The final race will take place next weekend at Magny-Cours, in the Burgundy country of the Team Garnier. It will be the opportunity for Sylvain Barrier to do well and for Randy Pagaud to confirm his brilliant Italian race. Michel Garnier (team owner): “I am a little bit disappointed with the 5th position. We took part in the earlier official test session here, and we were then 2 seconds quicker than Zanetti. In the race, Sylvain missed his start and went in the middle of the pack. He fought with La Marra. As Antonelli retired and Baz didn’t race, we are not where we should have been. Randy did a super start because he was very concentrated. After that during the race, he missed a gear in the penultimate lap; otherwise he could have been in the points. What he did on this difficult track is good. Congratulations to Maxime Berger for finishing second in the FIM Cup Superstock 1000.” Sylvain Barrier: “I didn’t want to push too much during the race because I didn’t want to risk a fall. The settings of the bike were chosen during the half dry half wet practice, and they were not perfect for a dry track on Sunday. The bike was requesting a lot of physical efforts. I just didn’t want to take chances.” Randy Pagaud: “I was a bit tense at the start because it was the first time in this category. I made a good start and gained a few positions. I was with a good group that was faster than me during the practice. The end of the race was not as good as I hoped. I could have scored some points. Overall, I am happy of the weekend. I progressed well.” Race result: 1 86 Badovini A. (ITA) BMW S1000 RR 22’32.770 2 87 Zanetti L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 0.960 3 21 Berger M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 9.632 4 34 Giugliano D. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 19.747 5 20 Barrier S. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 20.836 6 14 Baroni L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 28.627 7 9 Petrucci D. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 29.700 8 30 Savary M. (SUI) BMW S1000 RR 29.841 9 98 Colucci D. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 37.637 10 12 Vivarelli N. (ITA) KTM 1190 RC8 R 44.362 11 64 Andric D. (BRA) Honda CBR1000RR 1’04.230 12 11 Tutusaus P. (ESP) KTM 1190 RC8 R 1’04.274 13 89 Salac M. (CZE) Aprilia RSV4 1000 1’06.388 14 99 Leeson C. (RSA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1’07.970 15 55 Svitok T. (SVK) Honda CBR1000RR 1’08.887 16 85 Berclaz G. (SUI) Honda CBR1000RR 1’13.280 17 39 Pagaud R. (FRA) BMW S1000 RR 1’14.153 18 45 Sletten K. (NOR) Yamaha YZF R1 1’17.008 Championship standings: 1. Badovini 225 points; 2. Berger 122; 3. Magnoni 94; 4.Antonelli 89; 5. Giugliano 84; 6. Barrier 71; 7.Baz 65; 8. Petrucci 55; 9. Zanetti 53; 10. Baroni 43. 10th and last round of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup: October 3 in Magny-Cours (France) More, from a press release issued by Münch Motorrad Technik GmbH: PRESS RELEASE, 27th of SEPTEMBER 2010 MÃœNCH wins first place in the constructing engineer category Himmelmann’s second place and Scrocchi’s third place in Imola assure biggest success for MÃœNCH On Sunday, September 26th, 2010 around 3 o’ clock in the afternoon the MÃœNCH racing team finally reached its goal after having raced six suspenseful laps. Both, Matthias Himmelmann and his team colleague Stefano Scrocchi contributed to MÃœNCHS team victory by coming in second and third place at the final race in Imola (Italy) last weekend. With placing second in the last race Himmelmann also ensured his third place in the overall individual ranking. Considering that he was only able to participate in 3 out of 5 races this is a great achievement. During the qualification both team racing drivers already proved to visitors and competitors what their machines are made out of. Having achieved the fastest lap time with 2’26.889 minutes Stefano Scrocchi (Italy) started from the pole position. Scrocchi’s team collegue Matthias Himmelmann (Germany) got the second fastest time with 2’28,479 and therefore, started closely behind Scrocchi. This partial success was the foundation for accomplishing the team’s overall goal, the victory in the championships technologically most important category, the constructing engineer title. Due to the results of the qualification both drivers only had to feather their own nest for the final race on Sunday During the last race of the international FIM e- Power Championship only the well driving Thijs de Ridder (Crystalyte Europe) was able to displace the two MÃœNCH drivers onto second and third place. A line up that secured the great and desired success for the MÃœNCH Racing team. Just shortly after the race the first felicitators congratulated the team on their victory on the team’s website. One of them being Manfed Münch, son of the brilliant developer Friedel Münch who wrote: “Congratulations from the whole Münch family. As soon as I heard the results I called Friedel. He was very happy.” Thomas Petsch, Developer of the legendary MÃœNCH Mammut 2000 and manager of the MÃœNCH racing team, was really satisfied with his boys as well: “The achievement of drivers, technicians, engineers and assistants is phenomenal.” Above all the team thanks his sponsors and supporters who with their help made this sensational achievement possible. Contact for further requests: Konstantin Wolf (MEDIENKONTOR), Tel. : +49 351- 316 05 15, Cell: +49 177 – 316 05 10, E-Mail: [email protected] Web: www.muenchmotorbikes.com More, from a press release issued by CRP Racing: A strong debut for the eCRP 1.2 in Assen The first races of the eCRP 1.2 for TTXGP EU have been nearly perfect CRP Racing and the eCRP 1.2 made a strong debut with Italian rider Alessandro Brannetti at the Assen circuit. Qualifying on pole, setting the fastest race lap, placing second in the first race and then Winning the second race, making for a great weekend for the factory team at the first meeting of the TTXGP EU. In race one CRP Racing chose a conservative strategy to learn the track, but were still within 2.8 seconds of the leader at the finish. In race two Alessandro Brannetti was given the green light to run the eCRP 1.2 and proceeded to capture the podium. In his effort he set the fastest lap, 2’01.218 besting his qualifying time and came to the finish holding a 9 second lead over the nearest rival. It was a great weekend for the team showing the winning heritage of the CRP Group and CRP Racing could make the transition from traditional racing to state-of-the-art electric racing vehicles. The technical staff received reward for their hard work with an excellent debut in the next generation of motorsport. Here there are some data published by the organizers on the website of TTXGP: TTXGP Euro 2010 Round 2 TT Circuit Assen: 4.542km (7 Laps) 1 Alessandro Brannetti/eCRP Racing 14:21.289 (Lap 2 fastest 2:01.218) 2 Michael Weynand/Campus Automobile 14:30.536 (Lap 4 fastest 2:02.821) 3 Pete Ward/Electric Hussars 15:35.626 (Lap 2 fastest 2:11.791) 4 Ivanov Alexey/SMP Racing 15:55.031 (Lap 4 fastest 2:14.017) Rob Moon/Agni Motors Did Not Start (DNS) Now the team is getting ready for the next challenge in Brands Hatch on 2nd and 3rd October. More, from a press release issued by Tim Reeves publicist: Double podium at Silverstone for Reeves Tim Reeves enjoyed a rare outing in the F2 Sidecar class at the weekend and he ensured it was a successful one, recording 1st and 2nd place finishes in the final round of the Swan Combi Challenge at Silverstone on Sunday, only a broken lanyard in the second race denying him a double victory. The Kent driver, partnered for the first time on the F2 outfit by Gregory Cluze, was back on his LCR Suzuki for the first time since the Isle of Man TT races and enjoyed terrific tussles with John Holden/Andy Winkle in both 7-lap races. The sidecars got some of the better conditions over the course of the three days, which were affected by regular rain showers and cold temperatures, and, after topping the solitary free practice session on Friday, Tim and Gregory had to settle for second in qualifying with Holden coming out on top by 0.636s. Nevertheless, they were on the front row and ideally placed to challenge for the race wins. Saturday’s opening race, held late on Saturday afternoon saw Holden grab the lead on the first lap but, a lap later, Tim and Gregory were able to hit the front for the first time. Reigning British F2 champions Holden and Winkle were in determined mood though and got back in to first place on lap 3 and, for the remainder of the race there was nothing between the two outfits. Tim and Gregory sat right with their rivals, with the duo swapping paint on more than one occasion, but Tim hit the front for good on the final lap and held on to take a great win by 0.461s. Sunday’s second 7-lapper saw the two pairings again go head-to-head although they both had work to do having started on the fourth row due to the reversed grid formation. Third on lap 1, Tim finally managed to overhaul Conrad Harrison on lap 4 and quickly closed to within three tenths of a second of a charging Holden, sitting right in his slipstream until the final lap. A fine move at the end of the back straight saw Tim and Gregory hit the front once more but, as they exited the final corner, the lanyard broke and they could only sit and watch as Holden powered by, eventually limping home in second place. Speaking later, a happy Tim said: “I’m obviously a bit disappointed not to have taken the double but we had two excellent races with John and Andy and I really enjoyed myself out there. We had a few small issues in practice as it was the first time Greg had been out on the F2 outfit but once we made a few changes to the chassis and changed his hand holds and foot grips, it all clicked. The bike hadn’t turned a wheel since the second TT race but all we did was put a new thermostat in and it never missed a beat. John’s bike had a little bit of an edge on top speed but nothing that affected anything and it was great to be scrapping it out with him.” “The first race went perfectly and the second looked like it would go the same way and I’d got it all planned out. I got by him where I wanted to and thought it was all done and dusted but then the lanyard went and broke. I couldn’t believe it and it’s never happened to me in all the years I’ve been racing so I guess you could say it was a bit of a freak occurrence. I couldn’t do anything after that and just limped across the line. It was great to see all the BSB paddock come out and support the chairs once again and I think it’s fair to say we’ve put on a good show for them again.” More, from a press release issued by Simon Low: Strong ride and more points for Low at Silverstone Simon Low put in a strong ride in extremely difficult conditions at Silverstone on Sunday to finish in 13th place at the 11th round of the 125cc British Championship. The TeamShop4bikers/Dutch-2-UK Racing rider overcame another difficult two days of practice, as well as pain from his still broken foot, to fight his way through from 25th on the grid to 10th place at one stage and although he slipped back slightly towards the end of the wet race, he crossed the line in 13th for 3 more hard earned Championship points. Conditions were tricky throughout the three days for the 125cc riders but Simon got his weekend underway in a steady fashion when he took 22nd in Friday’s opening free practice session. However, he failed to register a time in the afternoon’s session when he was struck with engine problems, the bike continually misfiring above 13,000 rpm, and he fared little better in Saturday’s first qualifying session, the same problems keeping him down in 36th place with just 4 laps completed. Close inspection could find nothing obviously wrong with the bike so, with a new piston, better conditions and better luck in final qualifying, Simon was able to put in eight relatively troublefree laps and haul himself up to 25th place on the grid. Race day was both cool and damp and with the schedule delayed, the 125cc race was cut from 10 laps to 9 and declared a wet race. However, it mattered little to Simon and a quite simply brilliant start saw him complete the first lap in 14th place having overtaken no less than 11 riders and he continued to move forward on lap 2, ending the lap in 11th and tantalisingly close to the top ten. On lap 5 he was relegated to 13th and as the conditions worsened and the rain got heavier, it was a battle not only against the other riders but also against the elements. On the penultimate lap, Simon slipped back to 14th and was on the verge of droppping out of the top 15 altogether and although Bradley Hughes and Dan Moreton overtook him on the final lap, Rob Guiver, Wayne Ryan and Matthew Davies all crashed out in the closing stages so he was able to finish a hectic race in 13th place for his fourth points haul of the season. Speaking afterwards, a pleased Sim said: “With all the problems with the bike and my foot still causing me a lot of trouble, if someone had said I’d have got a finish this weekend I’d have been happy so to get a finish and be in the points has left me well chuffed! We had all manner of problems with the bike during practice and no matter what we checked – whether it be the piston, the exhaust or the jetting – we just couldn’t find anything wrong. We put a new piston in for second qualifying and I just rode as hard as I could to get a lap time in, eventually qualifying 25th, which, although not where I wanted be, at least got me within sight of the front pack. The problem was eventually traced to the engine mapping being incorrect so we managed to sort this out in time for morning warm-up and the poor weather actually helped us, both in terms of the bike and my injured foot.” “The weather did cause us a few problems though as I’d originally gone out with a rear slick but, with the rain coming heavier on the sighting lap, we had time to fit a full wet to the rear and I was all set for the race. The circuit was unbelievably slippy, almost like there was oil down on the track, and although I got a decent start, it wasn’t one of my best, but my first lap was very good and to climb so high on one lap was crucial in the weather as the further back you were, the worse the visibility was. I was up to 10th at one stage and closing in on the group battling it out for sixth but when they started to edge away, I had to let them go as I was going as hard as I wanted to in the conditions. Like everyone else, I had loads of major moments but 11th place was still looking good until Bradley and Dan got me on the final lap. It’s a shame to have lost two places on the last lap but given the state of my foot and the problems we had during qualifying, I’ve got be happy to be in the points again. I’ve got two more weeks before the final round so my foot should be a lot better then and, if we can have a troublefree two days of practice and qualifying, I’m confident of getting inside the top ten.” The final round of the Championship takes place at Oulton Park, Cheshire on October 8-10. More, from a press release issued by James Westmoreland’s publicist: Silverstone. British Supersport 2010 Race Report. We knew heading to Silverstone that we were up against it in the Championship, but we needed a strong performance on raceday. Fp1 was wet, and I had quite a good feel. My position did not really reflect how I felt. I was 10th and hoping for a dry afternoon. FP2 was dry with damp patches and very cold. It was a awkward session and I could only manage 9th. I did not see the point in pushing overly hard as I knew we had a good set up. Q1 was dry, but very cold. I had a reasonable session getting dialled back into dry conditions and ended up 5th. Q2 was positive, I put together a good run and did a 10.4 which put me on the front row in 4th, just a tenth off pole. Q2 had thrown up a few issues as I was pushing hard and we worked hard to resolve these for warm up. It was nice to be back on the front row again. Warm up was dry and we tested our new setting. Immediately I was happy and put race distance on used tyres. I was 3rd but more than happy I could challenge for the win in a dry race. Just after lunch it started to drizzle but luckily it turned to rain before our race. I was confident that I could pull something out of the bag. The race got underway and I settled into 3rd before a red flag was shown half way around the lap due to a bad crash at turn 1. Before the restart I knew my bike felt great and I was actually looking forward to racing in those conditions. I got the wholeshot into turn 1 from 4th which was great, before Sam Lowes passed me on the first lap. It was good to have someone infront to gauge the conditions! I gradually closed on him on the first 4 laps before I made a mistake on lap 5 at the chicane which lost me a bit of time. I felt really good but couldnt quite get back on terms with him. With two laps to go Ben Wilson passed me and on the last lap Jason O Halloran got me into turn 1. I rode a fantastic final lap, passing Jason out of turn 1 and riding around the outside of Ben Wilson. I had put too much into the race to not stand on the podium. I finished 2nd which I know might be becoming a bit boring, but for me it was a massive relief and weight lifted off my shoulders. It was my first podium in wet conditions and that meant a lot to me. I was delighted to have had such a breakthrough and a big thank you must go to my team because my bike felt awesome and was a joy to ride. Sam won the race and Championship and congratulations to him and his team they have done a great job and deserve it. We now head to Oulton Park for the final round. It would be great to finish the year in style and as always my aim will be to win. For myself and Sam the pressure is off, and hopefully we can put on a great race for the crowd . A big thanks to all my team, sponsors, family and friends, I will keep pushing 100% as always.