SYKES AT THE DOUBLE BUT KIYONARI HEADS TITLE CHASE MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship ROUND EIGHT BRANDS HATCH 8 AUGUST Tom Sykes made a triumphant return to the domestic scene, interrupting his Summer break from World Superbike action to power his factory Kawasaki to a winning double in the eighth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit. The Yorkshireman stole the show in the Sunday races, but, in the damp of the Saturday afternoon race he had run fifth as Alastair Seeley enjoyed his maiden victory in the series aboard the Relentless Suzuki the following day brought a reversal of fortunes as Sykes twice beat off the determined HM Plant Honda riding Ryuichi Kiyonari to take the spoils of victory while Seeley twice crashed out of contention. Seeley had made a fast get-away to the first of the two Sunday races but Josh Brookes had soon taken him but the HM Plant Honda rider crashed out on the third lap, with Michael Rutter taking over out front before Kiyonari moved ahead. The race was developing, but, Seeley tipped off at Surtees and Andrew Pitt hit the stricken Suzuki, bringing out the red-flags. On the re-start, Rutter made the break on his RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati with Sykes running ahead of Kiyonari and Michael Laverty. Sykes took the lead on the fourth lap and by half distance, Kiyonari had moved into second place, running ahead of Rutter, Michael Laverty, James Ellison and Tommy Hill the race had thrown the title chase wide open with Kiyonari, Hill and Brookes, sidelined earlier, level on 229 points. “It’s good to be back, good to race here, and to be out front in this race,” said Sykes after his winning ride. “We made big changes to the bike after Saturday’s race, so fair play to the team who worked so hard. This victory is a thank you to them. It was hard and challenging but I loved it.” Kiyonari took the initiative next time out but Sykes was running him close with Michael Laverty clear of Rutter, Yukio Kagayama, Ellison and Brookes but on the fifth lap Sykes snatched the lead at Paddock Hill Bend and once ahead, he was in no mood to concede anything. Sykes was pushed all of the way by the determined Kiyonari with Michael Laverty looking good in third before tipping off a Druids at three quarters distance, seconds after Seeley had also fallen. Rutter was running third, with Hill fourth from Ellison ad Brookes. Sykes, who had won three of the 52 British series races before his graduation onto the World stage at the start of the 2009 season, completed the daily double, half a second clear of Kiyonari and he reflected: “That was even sweeter, it has helped us so much now for the rest of our season in the World Championship, the booster that we all wanted.” Kiyonari was not too disappointed with second place as it put him 249-242 ahead of Worx Crescent Suzuki rider Hill in the title stakes with Brookes third in the standings of 239 points. Hudson Kennaugh took the lead in the Mirror.co.uk BSB-EVO title chase, but by only two points ahead of Steve Brogan in a weekend of mixed fortunes for both of them the class victories went to Chris Burns on the Splitlath Aprilia, then Brogan for Jentin BMW and Pauli Pekkanen riding the 777RR Suzuki. For the record Results round eight MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship Race one 18 laps Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +0.298s Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +1.470s Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +2.926s Tom Sykes (Kawasaki WSB) +14.320s Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +17.241s James Ellison (Swan Honda) +21.713s Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +23.516s John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +24.738s Ian Lowry (Kawasaki WSB) +26.213s Race two 14 laps Tom Sykes (Kawasaki WSB) Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +1.118s Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +3.497s Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +4.000s James Ellison (Swan Honda) +4.189s Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +11.142s Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) +11.182s Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +11.937s Dan Linfoot (Motorpoint Yamaha) +15.507s Gary Mason (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +15.637s Race three 20 laps Tom Sykes (Kawasaki WSB) Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +0.563s Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +4.788s Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +6.531s James Ellison (Swan Honda) +11.804s Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +11.910s Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +13.927s Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) +20.929s John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +21.181s Simon Andrews (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +25.089s Championship standings: Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 249 Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 242 Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 239 Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) 217 Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 206 Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 153 More, from a press release issued by Swan Honda: SWAN HONDA SECURE SOLID FINISHES AT BRANDS HATCH The Swan Honda team had a solid end to their weekend at Brands Hatch for the eight round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship as James Ellison and Stuart Easton finished both races inside the top eight. Ellison battled to two fifth places at the Kent circuit as he continued to improve his pace. In the second race only seven tenths separated him from the podium and in the final race he was able to battle with Honda rival Josh Brookes to finish ahead in fifth. Easton had a solid weekend, securing seventh and eighth place finishes and now is feeling positive on building on the progress the team have made this weekend at the next round at Cadwell Park. Ellison said: “The second race was ok, but I messed up the start as we had a bit of a problem with the clutch off the line. The team worked hard to fix the problem for the restart which meant I got away well and I was feeling fast and consistent with my lap times. I just couldn’t match the times of the leaders in the opening laps and they managed to get a bit of a gap, but towards the end of the race I was setting faster times and I was reeling them in. I am not sure why we couldn’t match them in the opening laps but we will look at that before CadwellPark to try and find a solution as I was only a few tenths of a podium again at the end of the race. In the second race I had a good battle and I am happy to come away from Brands Hatch with two fifth places and some good points to move up there in the standings.” Easton said: “Today was definitely better than yesterday for me as I finished both races and scored some much needed points with a seventh and eighth. That gives us something to build on now for CadwellPark after what has previously been some horrific rounds for us. I think we made real progress with the settings and if we can continue like this over the final few rounds then there is no reason why we can’t return to that top step of the podium. I feel like we are now heading in the right direction and I am looking forward to building on the results we have had here at Cadwell Park in a few weeks’ time.” Team Manager Shaun Muir concluded: “This weekend the Swan Honda team made some good progress, which means we can leave Brands Hatch feeling happy that we can be stronger at the next round. James showed good pace over the weekend and regained the potential that he showed earlier this season before his crash. He is still lacking a bit of confidence, which is always going to happen when coming back from injury, but I feel that it won’t be long before he is back on the podium. For Stuart he has overcome the technical and setting issues he has suffered from over the last few rounds and has shown that he is ready to get back up the sharp end now. I feel the team are ready to come back stronger at CadwellPark as we get into the final stages of the championship.” More, from a press release issued by GNS Racing: Second for Lowes at Brands Hatch Sam Lowes’ challenge for the 2010 Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship remained on track at Brands Hatch today when the GNS Racing rider took another second place to claim his seventh podium of the season and maintain his lead in the title race with just four rounds remaining. The 19-year-old from Lincoln and main Championship rival James Westmoreland had held the top spot in an excellent qualifying session but Sam had to settle for second on the grid albeit just a fraction adrift of the Yamaha man so it was all set for a thrilling race. It was Westmoreland who took the lead on the opening lap as Sam, aboard the GNS Honda, slotted in behind him in second but a lap later he took over at the front and slowly began to open up a bit of an advantage. By lap five, his lead was up to half a second but the safety car then came out due to an incident and that allowed the whole field to bunch back up. On lap 12, Westmoreland made his move and relegated Sam to second and that was how they finished, Westmoreland eventually taking the win by just over a second. However, the 20 Championship points gained for finishing second mean that Sam still tops the table with a healthy 30-point lead going into his home round at Cadwell Park. It was a tough weekend for team-mate Paul Jordan with the Ulsterman being forced to retire from the race on the sixth lap. A heavy spill at Clearways in qualifying had left him battered and bruised and although he lined up in 26th on the grid, he was unable to make any impression in the race as an oil leak gradually got worse and he had little option other than to retire. Sam Lowes: “It’s been a good weekend and me and Westy have been pretty close throughout so fair play to him for getting the win; he rode really well and I can’t take anything away from him. I was happy with how the race went and was just beginning to eke out a bit of a lead when the safety car came out and whilst it certainly knocked me out of my rhythm a bit, I’m not going to use that as an excuse. The tyres had lost a bit of grip but Westy was on a mission today and I had no answer to him so we’ll look to get the better of him next time out. It was a good second place and 20 more Championship points so I’m still really happy to leave here with a 30-point lead in the table.” Paul Jordan: “It hasn’t been a good weekend and the highside at Clearways really put me on the back foot. I then made a terrible start in the race and dropped back even more places but I regrouped and was able to re-take a few people, slowly getting back into my rhythm. I was slowly getting back into the race but then started to feel oil on my boot and there was nothing I could do other than pull in. It’s been one of those weekends and definitely one to forget so let’s hope I can get back on track at the next round.” Gary Stubbington: “It’s been an awesome weekend again for the team and although we weren’t able to take the win, we were there throughout the race and the 20 points for second is very good for the Championship with just four rounds to go. Westy rode a good race so fair play to him but we’re happy with Sam’s second place and all thoroughly enjoyed the weekend. Points make prizes, as they say, and whilst we’re always looking for the race wins, we’re delighted to leave here still with a 30-point lead and we just want to keep this momentum going until the end of the season. “Paul’s struggling for confidence a bit at the moment and we all desperately want him to get a finish. He was going well in the race and lapped quicker than what he had done in qualifying so we were all hopeful of a solid result but luck went against him with the oil leak. We’ll take it on the chin and look to move onwards and upwards at Cadwell next time out.” The next round of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship takes place at Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire over the Bank Holiday weekend 28/29/30 August. Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship result (16 laps) 1 James Westmoreland (Yamaha) 24m44.545s 2 Sam Lowes (GNS Racing Honda) +1.622s 3 Graeme Gowland (Honda) +1.936s 4 Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha) +3.554s 5 Ian Hutchinson (Honda) +3.796s 6 Ben Wilson (Kawasaki) +4.127s 7 Glen Richards (Honda) +5.077s 8 Billy McConnell (Yamaha) +5.853s 9 Joe Dickinson (Honda) +11.474s 10 Patrick McDougall (Yamaha) +14.410s DNF Paul Jordan (GNS Racing Honda) Cup result 1 Patrick McDougall (Yamaha) 2 Max Hunt (Yamaha) 3 Daniel Kneen (Yamaha) 4 Matthew Hoyle (Kawasaki) 5 Shaun Winfield (Triumph) Championship standings (after 8 rounds) 1 Lowes (GNS Racing Honda) 146 2 Westmoreland 116 3 Gowland 103 4 McConnell 99 5 Wilson 84 6 Kennedy 67 Cup standings after (after 8 rounds) 1 McDougall 132 2 Hunt 108 3 Tinmouth 98 4 Kneen 84 5 Jones 77 6 Cringle 67 8 Jordan (GNS Racing Honda) 64 More, from a press release issued by Honda: TRIPLE PODIUM FOR KIYONARI GIVES HIM LEAD IN TITLE STAKES MCE INSURANCE BRITISH SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND EIGHT BRANDS HATCH 7/8 AUGUST Weather conditions: Saturday race wet Sunday races sunny, warm. Track temperature 39c, Air temperature 23c Ryuichi Kiyonari, riding the HM Plant Honda, enhanced his chances of taking the British crown for a third time as he powered to three podium finishes in the triple race eighth round on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit to move ahead in the title stakes, and importantly secure a place in the “title showdown” final phase of the series. The Japanese rider’s team-mate Josh Brookes with a fourth and sixth places either side of a tumble while leading the second race, is third in the rankings, and like Kiyonari he is assured a place into the final seven showdown races that will decided the outcome of the crown. The new points scoring system, introduced this season to ensure that the title duel goes to the final round is such that only the top six riders, after the next round at Cadwell Park qualify for the “showdown.” At that point, they are all put onto a level score of 500 points, plus bonus points awarded for their podium finishes in the first part of the season – then they accumulate points on the usual scale in the final part of the season. Brookes and Kiyonari were duelling intensely for second place in the opening race on Saturday evening, led by Ducati riding Michael Rutter but that counted for nothing as rain brought out the red-flags, with a re-start ordered over 10 laps. This time, Alastair Seeley splashed clear out front on his Suzuki, with Rutter running second ahead of the determined Kiyonari who was riding with strong points in mind and taking no chances in the difficult conditions, a style matched by Brookes who took a solid fourth. Tom Sykes, riding the World Superbike Kawasaki, won the second race, re-started after a heavy crash by Seeley and Andrew Pitt, with Kiyonari riding hard to take second place while the Swan Honda duo of James Ellison and Stuart Easton finished fifth and seventh respectively. The final race of the weekend produced an action replay at the head of the pack as Sykes held off Kiyonari by half a second with Ellison fifth from Brookes while Easton took eighth place. Easton and Ellison now face a tough challenge in the August Bank Holiday Monday round at Cadwell Park if they are to secure places in the all important top six in the standings. Honda riders comments: After Saturday race: Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda): “I made a good start in the first part of the race from fifth on the grid, but I got stuck behind Tom Sykes and he was so difficult to pass, but I could see that Michael Rutter was getting away at the front and that is frustrating. I then got passed, but as I was trying to close the gap I was making mistakes, but I was just pushing to close the gap. I then felt it was misty, like it was going to rain and it was a good thing the red flag came out when it did as that next section at Stirlings was really heavy rain and I had slowed by the time we reached that point. At the restart we only had time to make a small change and it was pretty nerve-wracking, but I pushed as hard as I could.” Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda): “For me that was a very tough race because of the conditions in the second part. We had good settings for the dry but in the wet I hadn’t been out there to test properly. In the first part the racing was exciting and I just kept hoping that the rain would stay off and that we could carry on the battle. I wanted to be cautious to begin with as I wasn’t sure how hard I could push, but with every lap I was more confident and could go faster.” James Ellison (Swan Honda): “The race started off well for me in the dry; I got a good start and made a pass on Tommy Hill and I thought our pace was good and that we could chip away and move forward. The race was then red flagged and on the restart I didn’t get a bad start and was behind the HM Plant Honda boys. I felt I could match their pace and I wanted to stay with them and have a bit of a battle for the place. Towards the end of the race though my visor steamed up and I could barely see which is another one of those things that shouldn’t happen that has slowed us down this year.” Stuart Easton (Swan Honda): “When the race started I was up in the fight for the top ten and I felt I was running at a reasonable pace and was feeling happy that we could make some good progress up the field. It then started to rain and when we had the re-start I collided at Surtees with Michael Laverty and it pushed us all out wide. It was then always going to be a tough task to come back, but I was moving up the order only to crash out at Paddock Hill.” After the Sunday races: Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda): “They were good, hard races for me but I am happy that I was able to finish on the podium again with second places. I could follow Tom but we were faster in different parts of the track, so it was difficult to make a pass on him. Every lap I was following him trying to work out if I could get by but I just couldn’t make it. I am happy as I have found a good setting this weekend with my mechanics and we are feeling very confident of another good round at Cadwell Park. I was really motivated to have three strong races and we have been on the podium three times so I am pleased to have the championship lead.” Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda): “It has been a difficult weekend and the crash in the second race of the weekend was down to lack of grip. I braked exactly the same as I had the lap before and was pushing to try and gap the other riders and went straight down. I rejoined and was circulating dead last so I thought I might as well come in and then as soon as I did that the race was red flagged and I wasn’t then able to make the restart. In the last race I was pushing as hard as I could, but I just didn’t feel comfortable. I got caught up in the pack and then when the race settled down I couldn’t catch the other riders.” James Ellison (Swan Honda): “The second race was OK, but I messed up the start as we had a bit of a problem with the clutch off the line. On the restart I got away well and I was feeling fast and consistent with my lap times. I just couldn’t match the times of the leaders in the opening laps and they managed to get a bit of a gap, but towards the end of the race I was setting faster times and I was reeling them in. I am not sure why we couldn’t match them in the opening laps but we will look at that before Cadwell Park to try and find a solution as I was only a few tenths of a podium again at the end of the race. In the second race I had a good battle and I am happy to come away from Brands Hatch with two fifth places and some good points to move up there in the standings.” Stuart Easton (Swan Honda): “Today was definitely better than yesterday for me as I finished both races and scored some much needed points with a seventh and eighth. That gives us something to build on now for Cadwell Park after what has previously been some horrific rounds for us. I think we made real progress with the settings and if we can continue like this over the final few rounds then there is no reason why we can’t return to that top step of the podium. I feel like we are now heading in the right direction and I am looking forward to building on the results we have had here at Cadwell Park in a few weeks’ time.” More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: After set-up issues blighted Saturday’s qualifying and race, Tommy Hill and Yukio Kagayama made good progress in today’s racing at the eighth round of the 2010 British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch. Changes to the set-up on their Worx Crescent Suzukis saw Hill improve to finish with 6-4 results, while Kagayama placed 8-7. Hill’s recovery helped him to maintain second place position in the BSB championship. The team analysed their data from yesterday’s qualifying and race and made changes to the GSX-Rs’ set-up overnight. These yielded an immediate improvement as Hill and Kagayama placed fourth and sixth fastest in this morning’s warm-up. For Hill though, his struggles in yesterday’s race meant he still had to start from the fifth row for the first of today’s races, on P20. With determined riding he pushed his way up to sixth by the finish and having made the eighth fastest lap of the race was elevated to the second row for the final race of the weekend, joining Kagayama as sixth fastest. The pair made a good start in the final race, for a while riding together in fifth and sixth positions. But with his improved set-up Hill found he was able to push on, gaining fourth place at two-thirds distance and was close to Michael Rutter in third when the chequered flag came out. Tommy Hill: “It was a case of chipping away all weekend to improve the set-up. At the beginning I didn’t have any feel for the front end but this has got better with each ride and in that last race I was much happier, being able to push hard and close a significant gap on Rutter from half distance. “I’m not happy to have missed out on the podium, but from where we started it’s not a bad finish. We’ll have some testing before the next round at Cadwell Park so we’ll be looking to regroup and put this championship back on its feet.” Yukio Kagayama: “My results this weekend are surely not enough, but we are finding improvement; my mechanics are making good work and the feeling is coming better, the speed too, and I am happy in my racing again. Now I hope we will get to see the old Yuki, the original Yuki, racing for podiums again.” Jack Valentine – Team Manager: “We were back on track today, after yesterday’s disappointments. Tommy was still struggling to find full confidence but the changes to set-up we made did make a big difference, especially for that last race. It was just a shame he didn’t get onto Michael Rutter earlier or he may have salvaged a podium today. “The important thing is we managed to find a solution to our issues and we’ve managed to safeguard Tommy’s and the team’s championship hopes. We’ll be doing some testing before Cadwell Park so we’ll be looking to build on the hard work of last night and today. The important thing is we’re still in this championship and we’re still very much up for the fight for the title.” MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship: Race two results: 1. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki WSB) 2. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +1.118s 3. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +3.497s 4. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +4.000s 5. James Ellison (Swan Honda) +4.189s 6. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +11.142s 7. Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) +11.182s 8. Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +11.937s 9. Dan Linfoot (Motorpoint Yamaha) +15.507s 10. Gary Mason (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +15.637s Race three results: 1. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki WSB) 2. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +0.563s 3. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +4.788s 4. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +6.531s 5. James Ellison (Swan Honda) +11.804s 6. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +11.910s 7. Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +13.927s 8. Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) +20.929s 9. John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +21.181s 10. Simon Andrews (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +25.089s Championship standings: 1. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 249 2. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 242 3. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 239 4. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) 217 5. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 206 6. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 153 16. Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 56 More, from a press release issued by Tyco Racing: Top Twelve for Bridewell at Brands Hatch Tyco Racing rider Tommy Bridewell endured a weekend of mixed fortunes aboard the Quay Garage Honda at round eight of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch. Bridewell was celebrating his 22nd birthday at the Kent track and was hoping to avenge his disastrous luck from the opening round of the series which was held on the Indy circuit over Easter. However his weekend didn’t get off to the best of starts when he struggled during the free practice sessions on Friday but was hopeful of a good result in the first of the three Championship races on Saturday despite qualifying in 17th place. With rain clouds threatening, the race was started under dry conditions and despite a poor start Tommy eventually clawed his way through the field into the top ten when a sudden rain shower brought out the red flags. In the restart, from row two of the grid, Bridewell didn’t make the best of starts in the wet conditions and eventually brought the Honda Fireblade home in 12th position. Sunday dawned a lot brighter and in the opening race of the day, he again didn’t get the best of starts but in typical fashion, the rider from Etchilhampton in Devizes near Wiltshire was closing in on the leading bunch when he crashed out at Stirling’s Corner on lap five causing substantial damage to the machine and injuring his hand. Sterling work by the Quay Garage team saw the Tyco Racing Honda repaired in time for the final outing of the weekend whereby Bridewell overcame the pain of his hand injury and also suspension problems, to record another battling 12th place finish at the flag. As a result Tommy holds 11th position in the Championship going into the next round at Cadwell Park in three weeks’ time. Tommy Bridewell: “Brands Hatch hasn’t been too kind to us once again and we’ve not got the sort of results we were hoping for this weekend. We’ve tried really hard and thanks to the team for their fantastic efforts and also our sponsors Tyco and hope we can enjoy some better luck at the next round at Cadwell. It was there that I had my two best results of the season earlier in the year so the omens are looking good and I’m really looking forward to the weekend.” Ian Woollacott: “Tommy once again rode the wheels off the bike and but for a little bit of better fortune would’ve had some really good results this weekend but it wasn’t to be. The crash really set us back for the final race and we didn’t have time to fine tune the suspension as we would have liked so Tommy had to ride around the problems and it’s all credit to him that he brought it home in the points once again. Needless to say, we’re looking forward to Cadwell where we’re hoping for a repeat of our performance there in May.” MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship race 1 (10 laps) 1 Alastair Seeley (Suzuki) 16m22.271s 2 Michael Rutter (Ducati) +0.298s 3 Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +1.470s 4 Josh Brookes (Honda) +2.926s 5 Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) +14.320s 6 Michael Laverty (Suzuki) +17.241s 7 James Ellison (Honda) +21.713s 8 Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) +23.516s 9 John Laverty (Kawasaki) +24.738s 10 Ian Lowry (Kawasaki) +26.213s 12 Tommy Bridewell (Tyco Racing Honda) +29.819s MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship race 2 (14 laps) 1 Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) 20m19.948s 2 Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +1.118s 3 Michael Rutter (Ducati) +3.497s 4 Michael Laverty (Suzuki) +4.000s 5 James Ellison (Honda) +4.189s 6 Tommy Hill (Suzuki) +11.142s 7 Stuart Easton (Honda) +11.812s 8 Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) +11.937s 9 Dan Linfoot (Yamaha) +15.507s 10 Gary Mason (Kawasaki) +15.637s DNF Tommy Bridewell (Tyco Racing Honda) MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship race 3 (20 laps) 1 Tom Sykes (Kawasaki) 28m56.799s 2 Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +0.563s 3 Michael Rutter (Ducati) +4.788s 4 Tommy Hill (Suzuki) +6.531s 5 James Ellison (Honda) +11.804s 6 Josh Brookes (Honda) +11.910s 7 Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) +13.927s 8 Stuart Easton (Honda) +20.929s 9 John Laverty (Kawasaki) +21.181s 10 Simon Andrews (Kawasaki) +25.089s 12 Tommy Bridewell (Tyco Racing Honda) +33.271s Championship standings (after 8 rounds) 1 Ryuichi Kiyonari 249pts 2 TommyHill 242 3 Josh Brookes 239 4 Michael Rutter 217 5 Michael Laverty 206 6 Alastair Seeley 153 7 John Laverty 143 8 Stuart Easton 117 9 James Ellison 101 10 Chris Walker 91 11 Tommy Bridewell 74 More, from a press release issued by Marty Nutt’s publicist: Nutt denied strong result at Brands Marty Nutt’s points scoring run came to end at Brands Hatch on Sunday when he crashed out of the latest round of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship. The Castlerock rider had been in strong form throughout the two days and was enjoying an excellent ride when he slid off the Nutttravel.com/T&G Racing Dawn Yamaha on the seventh lap, fortunately without injury. Free practice couldn’t have gone any better for Marty and the team and he was never outside of the top ten in any of the three sessions. Fifth and ninth in Friday’s free practice sessions was followed up by an excelllent third place in Saturday’s third and final practice session, which was held in the damp, and this set him up nicely for the solitary 30-minute qualifying session. However, what had been a troublefree weekend thus far suddenly went wrong and Marty was only able to complete a solitary lap due to a dropped valve with the Yamaha engine. This meant he would have to start the 16-lap race from the back of the grid and with lots of work to do. Starting from 34th place was going to be a tall order for Marty but he proved to be more than up to the task and by the end of the first lap, he had already moved up to 25th place. Over the next few laps, Marty continued to make excellent progress – 21st on lap 2, 19th on lap 3 and 16th by lap 5 – and his efforts were rewarded on just the sixth lap when he moved up into 14th place. However, no sooner had he moved in to the points, then his race was over as he slid off at Druids and with the bike too damaged to continue he reluctantly had to watch the rest of the race on the sidelines. Speaking afterwards, Marty commented; “Free practice had gone brilliantly and I was more than hopeful of getting inside the top ten in qualifying but the engine problem put paid to that and I knew it was going to be hard work from the back of the grid. However, I knew that if I got a good start and immediately made up some places, I might just be able to sneak in to the points and that’s exactly how the race was panning out. I made up a load of places on the first lap and just gradually picked them off one by one and to be in 14th after just half a dozen laps was brilliant. I was hopeful at that stage of getting in to the top ten but Jack Kennedy crashed out just before I got to Druids and I just took a bit too much front brake and it was enough to tuck the front end. It was a real shame as the bike was flying and there was definitely a chance of some good points but it was just one of those things. On the plus side, the bike is working really well and I’m pleased with my form so I’m confident we’ll be back in the top ten next time out.” The next round of the British Supersport Championship takes place at Cadwell Park the end of the month, August 28-30. More, from a press release issued by Paul Bird Motorsports Kawasaki: Sykes does the double at Brands Hatch BSB Kawasaki Racing Team World Superbike rider, Tom Sykes put in an outstanding performance today at the packed British Superbike race at Brands Hatch to complete a dominant double race win. New recruit for the weekend was Northern Irishman, Ian Lowry, who also put in a sterling first-time performance on the Ninja machine. Having flown directly from Japan first thing Friday morning, Sykes was straight on the pace during the first practice session and continued to ride impressively over the entire race weekend outshining his former BSB competitors. Qualifying in second position behind Rutter gave Sykes a front row advantage for Saturdays two-part race but unfortunately the wet weather conditions put a slight dampening on Tom’s fifth place result. Starting Sundays two races from the second row in race one and front row in race two ensured two good starts from Tom who took to the front early in both races to set a blistering pace and an outstanding double race victory ahead of Honda rider, Kiyonari. Lowry made the most of his factory spec World Superbike Kawasaki despite battling with a severe chest infection over the weekend. Having never ridden on the Ninja ZX-10R before, Ian quickly got to grips with the machine on Friday and was consistently inside the top twelve to start Saturday’s race from an impressive tenth place on the grid. Heavy rain hindered Lowry’s lap times in the second-part of race one, and despite a well deserved tenth place he was forced to start Sunday’s racing in a disappointing eighteenth position. Ian battled out the three races to complete the weekend with a deserving double tenth and eleventh place. The Kawasaki Racing Team will now take a well-earned break during August and will regroup again for round eleven of the Hannspree World Superbike Championship taking place at the Nurburgring on 5 September. Tom Sykes: “It’s great to race at Brands Hatch again as it’s a circuit I really love. There was quite a bit of pressure from myself to perform this weekend but we used this as a bit of a test and up until last night things weren’t really going that well. But we went back to basics and made a few changes which obviously seemed to work in today’s races. Hats off to the team and Paul Bird for pushing hard for us to come here as the results paid off and it just goes to show we’re not doing a bad job in where we are in the World Championship. It’s a nice pat on the back to the guys for all their hard work this year and really good for me to get the double. It has certainly put a smile on my face.” Ian Lowry: “I was called Thursday lunchtime to ride for the Kawasaki Superbike Team and I jumped at the opportunity despite having been pretty ill the past week. I was thrown in the deep end a little but I really enjoyed riding the Kawasaki machine and on Friday I gelled with it straight away and managed to do some good lap times. In Sundays’ races I wasn’t quite as comfortable due to my health but I’m pleased I was able to perform at this level having been out of racing most of the year. I want to thank Paul Bird and the Kawasaki Racing Team for the opening and I really hope I get another opportunity to try and better what I did here this weekend.” Paul Bird Team Owner: “I promised Stuart Higgs that I would bring my Team to a BSB race this year and Brands was it for us as it’s always been a favourite of mine and sorely missed on the World Superbike Calendar. Motorsport Vision put on a great show and we are over the moon to have contributed to the success of the weekend. Tom rode outstandingly and proved that he is a World Class rider and it is obviously a nice lift for the team and myself to enjoy some winning ways again. Ian did a fantastic job for us under the circumstances as he was called in last minute and wasn’t a hundred percent well, but he tried hard and got some good track time and results for us here.” 2010 Brands Hatch British Superbike Race Results RACE 1: Saturday 7 August (2 part-race declared WET – 18 laps) 1. A. Seeley (Relentless Suzuki) 2. M. Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) 3. R. Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 4. J. Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 5. T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 6. M. Laverty (Relentless Suzuki) 7. J. Ellison (Swan Honda) 8. Y. Kagayama (Crescent Suzuki) 9. J. Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) 10. I. Lowry (Kawasaki Racing Team RACE 2: Sunday 8 August (20 laps) 1. T. Sykes 2. R. Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 3. M. Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) 4. M. Laverty (Relentless Suzuki) 5. J. Ellison (Swan Honda) 6. T. Hill (Crescent Suzuki) 7. S. Easton (Swan Honda) 8. Y. Kagayama (Crescent Suzuki) 9. D. Linfoot (Motorpoint Suzuki) 10. I. Lowry RACE 3: Sunday 8 August (20 laps) 1. T. Sykes 2. R. Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 3. M. Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) 4. T. Hill (Crescent Suzuki) 5. J. Ellison (Swan Honda) 6. J. Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 7. Y. Kagayama (Crescent Suzuki) 8. S. Easton (Swan Honda) 9. J. Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) 10. S. Andrews (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) 11. I. Lowry More, from a press release issued by John McGuinness’ publicist: McGuinness back in the top 8 at Brands John McGuinness put in an excellent ride at Brands Hatch on Sunday when he finished in a fighting 8th place in the latest round of the Metzeler National 1000cc Superstock Championship. The Padgetts Honda ace was involved in a superb four-rider dice for fifth place but just as he had moved into fifth place, a stone punctured the radiator and he was forced to drop back in the closing stages otherwise it could have been an even better day for the Morecambe rider. Nevertheless, the result moves him back up to 7th overall in the title table as the season heads into its final third. Free practice and qualifying showed that John was enjoying himself around the Brands GP circuit and, after placing a steady 13th in Friday’s free practice session, he went almost one and a half seconds quicker in the first qualifying session, a time of 1m29.708s placing him in a more than handy sixth place. With Saturday morning seeing damp conditions, the track was still not 100% dry for the final qualifying session and, with lap times over two seconds slower than the previous day, the status quo remained at the head of the field and so John duly qualified in sixth place and on the second row of the grid. The 15-lap race was underway promptly at 12.45pm and John completed the first lap in 8th place but he would have to wait a few laps before challenging further as the safety car was deployed due to an incident out on the track. When it did pull in, John was soon into his rhythm and by lap 6 he was up to 7th, a position which became 6th place a lap later. Kenny Gilbertson, Bryan Staring, James Hillier and John were having a great battle for fifth place but on lap 7 Barry Burrell and Victor Cox crashed out sending a substantial amount of gravel on to the circuit, some of which got flicked up and hit John’s radiator. For the second half of the race, John was forced to ease his pace slightly and he had to let the other three riders go as he looked secure in 7th place. However, on the final lap a flying Tristan Palmer found a way by John and he had to settle for 8th at the chequered flag, slightly ruing what the result might have been. Speaking afterwards, John said; “I’m pleased with 8th but disappointed it couldn’t have been a top six finish today. I was pleased with my start but had my feet off the pegs through the first corner and got bashed around a bit so had to regroup and after that, I started to enjoy myself and had a great dice with Bryan, Kenny and James but when the two boys went down there was gravel everywhere and one of the stones got flicked up and put a hole in the radiator. There was water everywhere and I just wasn’t sure if there was any on the front tyre or rear tyre so had to back off a little bit. The temperature started going up too so I just eased off the revs a bit and brought the bike home.” “I didn’t want to throw it down the road and thought I was secure in 7th only to get pipped on the last lap by Tristan Palmer but there wasn’t much I could do. It was just one of those things but, like I say, I enjoyed the race and was happy with my riding so it’s nice to be back at the sharp end and running with the group of riders that I feel I should be running with. We’ve got Cadwell next, another of my favourite circuits, so I’ll be looking for more of the same there.” John now has a three-week break before resuming his National Superstock 1000cc Championship season at Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire with the meeting taking place on August 28-30. More, from a press release issued by sorrymate.com/SMT Honda: Tough weekend for Walker and sorrymate.com/SMT Honda Chris Walker and the sorrymate.com/SMT Honda team endured a tough weekend at Brands Hatch where they were competing in round 8 of the British Superbike Championship. Having secured some excellent results first time out at Snetterton three weeks ago, both rider and team were hoping to carry that form over to the Kent venue but problems with set-up, mainly caused by some inclement weather in practice, meant they were on the back foot for most of the weekend and they finished the three races with just one solitary 13th place to their name. Friday’s free practice sessions saw good, dry conditions and after posting a time of 1m28.581s in the first session, Chris took over half a second off his time in the afternoon session to lie just 1.43s adrift of pole position although this was only good enough for 16th place. With Saturday morning’s session blighted by damp conditions, Chris went into qualifying still searching for a good set-up and although he made it through to the second stage of the ‘Roll for Pole’ session, the times weren’t coming easy. He did record his best time of the weekend, a 1m27.750s but this was only good enough for 18th place and he would line up on the 5th row of the grid for the opening race. The first race of the weekend, held on Saturday, saw Chris get a good start and he was up to 14th at the end of the first lap around the 2.3-mile circuit. By lap 9, he had slipped back one spot to 15th but the red flag came out a lap later due to rain on the back part of the circuit and was restarted over a shortened 10 laps. The circuit was now completely wet with steady rain falling, conditions that normally play into Chris’ hands. However, he was pushed on to the grass on the first lap and was dead last in 30th place, a position he was unable to recover from, eventually finishing in 22nd place. Starting from 16th on the grid for Sunday’s first race, a trademark brilliant start saw Chris up to 10th at the end of lap one and this had become 7th by lap 5 when the red flag came out due to a crash involving Alastair Seeley and Andrew Pitt. With Seeley unable to make the restart, Chris was now in 6th on the grid and this became 4th as he went in to the first corner in the new race. However, the clutch didn’t last much longer and he reluctantly had to retire at the end of the lap. That left him at the back of the grid for the final race and with a lot of work to do but he was already up to 16th by the completion of lap one. By then, he was circulating with riders running at a similar pace and overtaking wasn’t as easy but Chris fought until the end and was rewarded with 13th place to maintain a top ten position in the Championship table. Speaking later, team owner Robin Croft said; “Free practice on Friday went ok for us but, overnight, we made a lot of changes to the bike that we felt confident would allow Chris to get into the top ten in qualifying but, unfortunately, the morning rain meant we didn’t get a chance to test them and we were on the back foot from that moment on. After the trouble in Saturday’s race, things suddenly went our way in the first race on Sunday when a brilliant first few laps saw Chris up to 7th place and fighting it out where we felt we should be. The red flag came out at the wrong time for us and then the clutch went so to be pointless after 2 races, and on the back row for race 3, was tough.” “Chris did everything he possibly could in that third race but because we hadn’t managed to run a full distance in practice, we were unsure of tyre life and it simply began to deteriorate as the race went on so 13th was the best we could do. There’s no denying the fact that we all all feel like we’ve under-achieved this weekend but Snetterton was a bit of a ‘treat’ for us and Brands is a lot more technically demanding. Chris is still learning the characteristics of the Honda but I’m delighted with how he’s riding and how he’s fitted in whilst I’m also delighted with everyone in the team. We had the potential to run in the top 6 this weekend but didn’t get chance to show what we know we can achieve so we’ll be aiming to make amends at Cadwell.” The next round of the British Superbike Championship takes place at Cadwell Park on August 28-30. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Pole position spots in both of today’s British Superbike races for Alastair Seeley and Michael Laverty unfortunately couldn’t replicate Saturday’s BSB victory for the Relentless by TAS Suzuki team. And despite DNFs in both races for Seeley and a fourth place and DNF for Laverty, both riders remain inside the top six, with Laverty’s Shootout place already secured. The opening race of the day saw both Relentless by TAS Suzuki riders on the front row of the grid, and while Seeley took the holeshot into Paddock Hill from his pole position slot, he was soon embroiled in a podium battle with his team-mate and former TAS Racing employee Tom Sykes. The race was red flagged after only a handful of laps when Seeley high-sided on the exit of Surtees. The Ulsterman walked away from the crash unhurt, but an unsighted Andrew Pitt collected Seeley’s machine forcing the stoppage, after the Australian took a heavy tumble. Unfortunately for Seeley, his bike was too badly damaged for him to make the re-start, having to sit it out and watch his team-mate Laverty race to fourth place. Laverty’s fastest lap in race one gave him pole position for race two, but after dropping off the pace early on, he worked his way back into a podium position before crashing out at Druids. In an ironic twist of fate, Seeley crashed at virtually the same time, but at Paddock Hill after working his way through the field and onto the back of Stuart Easton and his biggest rival for sixth place in the current Shootout standings, John Laverty. Michael Laverty: “Race one wasn’t too bad today. I came out with fourth place but I was disappointed that I couldn’t challenge the leaders. We made some suspension changes for race two, which allowed me to run a better pace, but I didn’t have the pace in the early laps on fresh tyres. Once the tyres started to slide I could make ground back on the leaders and I had third in the bag. I pushed on as I felt I could go for the win; unfortunately it wasn’t to be and I lost the front at Druids. Although I leave Brands frustrated, I have qualified for the Shootout, so now I have a new focus: to find the speed to win races.” Alastair Seeley: “I’ve gone from hero to zero this weekend. The boys did a great job building a complete bike for me so I could take part in the second race. I got a bad start in race two but composed myself and pushed my way through and onto the back of Easton. We had caught John Laverty but the rear end came right round on me down into turn one and that was the day over. It has been a tough day, but you get them now and again, but on the positive side – we are still 10 points in front of seventh place, so it’s all to play for at Cadwell Park. I can’t thank the team enough today for their efforts in getting me back out on track.” Philip Neill – Team Manager: “It has obviously been a disappointing day for us after yesterday’s success. However, we will take the positives from the weekend: we have scored our ninth BSB podium this weekend and our second race win of the year, and to do that on a special 25th Anniversary weekend for Suzuki and the GSX-R range, not forgetting 50 years of racing, is very special. “It was a dream before the season started to have both our riders in the top six, and that is now a distinct possibility with Michael Laverty’s position already secured for the Shootout. Unfortunately Alastair is making the job very difficult for himself. Each time he looks to have the position secured with an outstanding performance, he follows that with a few costly mistakes – although this can be expected from a series rookie. “We will regroup as a team and continue with testing in preparation for the next round at Cadwell, in the hope of making that dream a reality. Thanks to Suzuki, Relentless and all our sponsors for their continued support. A special mention must go to my team for a majestic performance this weekend – especially having built Alastair Seeley a completely new bike in less than three hours, so he could make the grid for race two.” Race two results: 1. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki WSB) 2.Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +1.118s 3.Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +3.497s 4.Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +4.000s 5.James Ellison (Swan Honda) +4.189s 6.Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +11.142s 7.Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) +11.182s 8.Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +11.937s 9.Dan Linfoot (Motorpoint Yamaha) +15.507s 10.Gary Mason (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +15.637s Race three result: 1. Tom Sykes (Kawasaki WSB) 2.Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +0.563s 3.Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +4.788s 4.Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +6.531s 5.James Ellison (Swan Honda) +11.804s 6.Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +11.910s 7.Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +13.927s 8.Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) +20.929s 9.John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +21.181s 10. Simon Andrews (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +25.089s British Superbike Championship standings: 1. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 249 2.Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 242 3.Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 239 4.Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) 217 5.Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 206 6.Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 153 More, from a press release issued by Kawasaki: Sykes Takes BSB Double For Kawasaki Newsflash, 9 August 2010 Kawasaki Racing Team rider Tom Sykes won both of Sunday’s races during the British Superbike Championship weekend at Brands Hatch, shortly before he and his team commenced their summer break. Superbike World Championship regular Tom qualified second on the grid for the first race of a busy BSB weekend, which took place on Saturday 7th August. In that two-part wet race he finished fifth, putting himself on the second row for the start of action on Sunday. Hitting the front of each dry race early on in proceedings, Tom finished ahead of Ryuichi Kiyonari on each occasion. Ian Lowry was drafted into the team for the weekend, getting to know his Ninja ZX-10R during practic before taking one tenth place finish and a pair of 11th places. These were more than creditable results for a rider still suffering from a lingering chest infection. The Kawasaki Racing Team will now take a well-earned break before reforming to compete at round eleven of the Superbike World Championship, at the Nürburgring on 5 September. Tom Sykes: “It’s been great to race at Brands Hatch again as it’s a circuit I really love. There was quite a bit of pressure from myself to perform this weekend but we used this as a bit of a test. Up until last night things weren’t really going that well, then we went back to basics and made a few changes, which obviously seemed to work in today’s races. Hats off to the team and Paul Bird for pushing hard for us to come here as the results paid off and it just goes to show we’re not doing a bad job in where we are in the World Championship. It’s a nice pat on the back to the guys for all their hard work this year and really good for me to get the double. It has certainly put a smile on my face.” ” Ian Lowry: “I was called on Thursday lunchtime to ride for the Kawasaki Superbike Team and I jumped at the opportunity, despite having been pretty ill the past week. I was thrown in the deep end a little but I really enjoyed riding the Kawasaki machine and on Friday I gelled with it straight away, and managed to do some good lap times. In Sunday’s races I wasn’t quite as comfortable due to my health but I’m pleased I was able to perform at this level having been out of racing most of the year.” 2010 Brands Hatch British Superbike Race Results RACE 1: Saturday 7 August (two part wet race – 18 laps) 1. A. Seeley (Suzuki) 2. M. Rutter (Ducati) 3. R. Kiyonari (Honda) 4. J. Brookes (Honda) 5. T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 10. I. Lowry (Kawasaki Racing Team RACE 2: Sunday 8 August (20 laps) 1. T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 2. R. Kiyonari (Honda) 3. M. Rutter (Ducati) 4. M. Laverty (Suzuki) 5. J. Ellison (Honda) 11. I. Lowry (Kawasaki Racing Team) RACE 3: Sunday 8 August (20 laps) 1. T. Sykes (Kawasaki Racing Team) 2. R. Kiyonari (Honda) 3. M. Rutter (Ducati) 4. T. Hill (Suzuki) 5. J. Ellison (Honda) 11. I. Lowry (Kawasaki Racing Team)