BROOKES BIDS FOR HAT-TRICK OF VICTORIES MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship ROUND SEVEN SNETTERTON 17/18 July Josh Brookes is on course for a hat-trick of victories in the triple race seventh round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Snetterton having won the Saturday afternoon race ahead of his HM Plant Honda team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari. That third victory of the season for Brookes takes him 13 points clear of Worx Crescent Suzuki rider Tommy Hill who finished third on what had earlier been a problematic afternoon, as his team had to work hard and against the clock to solve an electrical problem. Hill is promising to hit back in the two Sunday afternoon races but Brookes is full of confidence and relishing the challenge of adding to his latest victory: “Now that would be something special,” said the Aussie as he considered a hat-trick bid, adding “But I always ride for wins.” The Saturday race had been held over from the weather ravaged Knockhill round, with the starting grid decided on the basis of the first race at the Scottish circuit putting Brookes on the second row. He compounded that with a poor get-away to be running ninth on the opening lap as Kiyonari set the pace ahead of Michael Laverty and his Relentless Suzuki team-mate Alastair Seeley with Hill fourth. Brookes was on the charge, picking up places to be attacking Hill for second place on the seventh lap, taking him next time around and the closing in on Kiyonari but the former two times winner of the title was intent on taking his sixth victory at the Norfolk circuit. Kiyonari looked set for victory but Brookes nosed inside and ahead at Riches on the last lap to take the win by 0.549secs. “I was lining up Kiyo for several laps, but he had the better of me at the chicane, so it came down to a last lap lunge as I knew that if I could get ahead of him, I could hold him off,” said Brookes. Earlier in the afternoon Brookes had come close to matching the lap record as he claimed his second pole start in as many races ahead of Sunday afternoon’s first race. He had set the pace in the first two elements of Swan Combi Roll for Pole grid deciding session, but saved the best for last putting in a lap of 1m 04.803secs while Hill who had suffered electronic problems to his bike throughout thanked his team for rectifying them when it mattered most as he secured the all important front row start, albeit in the third slot. Rutter, the Knockhill race winner, separated them aboard his RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati while Kiyonari ran fourth fastest. James Ellison, underlining his returning to full fitness after breaking his thigh in practice for the second round at Thruxton back in April, headed the second row on the Swan Honda with a lap in 1m 05.337secs to be ahead of Relentless Suzuki riders Michael Laverty and Seeley and Gary Mason aboard the MSS Colchester Kawasaki. Dan Linfoot, riding the Motorpoint Yamaha, and Buildbase Kawasaki’s John Laverty completed the top ten qualifiers while Steve Brogan, riding the Jentin Yamaha, was the fastest of the Mirror.co.uk BSB-EVO class riders, starting from the fifth row of the grid. For the record Superbike: Results Saturday, race one 18 laps Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 19m 41.650s Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +0.594s Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +4.475s Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +4.989s Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +5.485s Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +5.889s James Ellison (Swan Honda) +9.148s Simon Andrews (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +11.305s Gary Mason (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +14.364s Tommy Bridewell (Quay Garage Honda) +14.386s Championship standings John Brookes 191 Tommy Hill 178 Ryuichi Kiyonari 168 Michael Laverty 156 Michael Rutter 152 John Laverty 112 Alastair Seeley 112 More, from a press release issued by Swan Honda: ELLISON IN SEVENTH HEAVEN AT SNETTERTON Swan Honda’s James Ellison put in an impressive performance in the opening MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship race of the weekend at Snetterton to move from 22nd on the grid through to seventh, as team-mate Stuart Easton was forced to retire. Ellison put in a determined performance to work his way up through the field and on the opening lap he was running eleventh and by the fourth lap he was inside the top ten in ninth. He then passed Simon Andrews and Chris Walker to move seventh and is now feeling confident ahead of the two races tomorrow, where he will start from fifth on the grid for the next race tomorrow. Ellison said: “The first lap I knew I had to make up places from the last row of the grid, so I knew the start was going to be critical. On the first start I went for the inside line into Riches which is what everyone did, so on the restart I thought I would try the outside which meant I made up several places. Of course the further you move up the field, the harder it gets to pass and so I was really happy to finish seventh. We managed to make some tweaks since yesterday that put us back where we need to be, which is encouraging for the races tomorrow when we start further up the grid. I am happy to be back up there and I think we can expect even better tomorrow.” Easton said: “It was another disappointing day for me and in the race I had a cam shaft sensor failure, which I felt straight away and I had no option but to pull in. I think that it has rounded out two bad days for me, so tomorrow I want to turn that around. It had been getting better for me up until the race before we had the problems so I am hoping that all my bad luck is over now, especially as the Swan Honda team are working so hard. I will be back tomorrow, that’s for sure.” More, from a press release issued by Jentin Racing: SUPER SATURDAY AT SNETTERTON FOR JENTIN RACING-BMW MOTORRAD Saturday at Snetterton goes with a bang for Jentin Racing-BMW Motorrad’s Superstock and BSB-EVO riders. Tristan Palmer, standing in for Metzeler National Superstock 1000 racer Richard Cooper, qualified on pole following a morning of schedule hold-ups and track changes. This morning saw rain showers and a brief circuit closure while marshals re-painted the circuit to avoid a recently developed hole in the tarmac at the apex of Russell’s Chicane. Because the circuit had changed slightly, course officials decided to let Friday’s qualifying times stand and used the track time available today as an additional practice – leaving Tristan on pole position. Tristan Palmer, standing in as Jentin Racing-BMW Motorrad’s Superstock rider said: “I only managed five laps in first practice but I was second, so I was happy with that. For the second session I made a few basic changes to the bike – moving the footpeg and handlebar position – as I’m a bit taller and a lot heavier than Richard. It just made the bike a little comfier for me. “In the final session I was struggling with traffic so I pulled into the pits to get a some clear track. With a bit of a gap in front and behind me, I put in a really quick, but quite comfortable, lap and managed to take pole position. I’m very pleased with the team’s performance and I feel pretty confident about the race tomorrow.” Richard Cooper is recuperating after the successful completion of the operation to rectify the arm pump he’s suffered from this season. The team hopes he’ll return in time for Cadwell Park at the end of August. Steve Brogan, Jentin Racing-BMW Motorrad’s Superbike rider, also won the first of the weekend’s three BSB-EVO races. Following the cancellation of the second race at the Knockhill round due to adverse weather conditions, an extra was added for Snetterton. Steve and the team were in good spirits about this as it gave the fractured vertebrae Steve suffered at Mallory Park more time to heal – and the BWM S 1000 RR is well suited to the two long straight sections of Snetterton. Brogan qualified first in class and 17th overall – a performance he’d liked to have improved on, but, still suffering from a damaged ligament in his thumb, he’s struggling to flick the bike through the chicane. Despite this, Steve fought hard and brought his BMW S 1000 RR home first in class and 16th overall – and 3.5 seconds ahead of the second-placed EVO rider Gary Johnson. Steve Brogan: “For the Knockhill re-run race I was 19th on the grid and the plan was to was to get a clean start and stay out of trouble for the first couple of laps. So I was steady away off the line and let the race settle down and got myself into a good rhythm. I gradually picked off the Evo guys in front of me and built a good 3.5 second lead and held that to the flag. “The plan was to get the win, get the points on the board and reduce the gap to the championship leader Hudson Kennaugh. The race was very hard work, especially being at less than full-fitness, but I’m over the moon with a win and looking forward to another couple of podiums and a bag full of points tomorrow.” Bernie Toleman, Team Manager said: “So far this weekend it’s been extremely hard work but it’s been very good for the team. Tristan has done a cracking job and put the Superstock S 1000 RR on pole. You really can’t ask more than that – and he’s done it in style with a 0.6 lead! We’re certainly hopeful he can be on the podium tomorrow, preferably the top step! “Steve did a sterling job winning the first of his three races. He’s not 100% fit yet so his performance is even more impressive. If we can manage to be up there in tomorrow’s races then we can reach our objective of leaving Snetterton leading the EVO championship.”