MCE British Superbike Championship With Pirelli & Mirror.co.uk BSB-EVO Oulton Park, England May 3, 2010 Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Michael LAVERTY (Suzuki), 15 laps, 27:26.150 2. Michael RUTTER (Ducati), -6.000 seconds 3. Tommy HILL (Suzuki), -11.333 4. Ryuichi KIYONARI (Honda), -16.029 5. John LAVERTY (Kawasaki), -23.590 6. Alastair SEELEY (Suzuki), -27.258 7. Tommy BRIDEWELL (Honda), -30.287 8. Josh BROOKES (Honda), -30.823 9. (1st EVO) Hudson KENNAUGH (Kawasaki), -32.463 10. Adam JENKINSON (Kawasaki), -54.950 11. Chris WALKER (Kawasaki), -56.620 16. (4th EVO) David ANTHONY (Suzuki), -74.396 25. Gary MASON (Kawasaki), -2 laps, DNF 27. Stuart EASTON (Honda), -2 laps, DNF FASTEST LAP Superbike: Michael LAVERTY, 1:48.173 EVO Superbike: KENNAUGH, 1:49.813 More, from a press release issued by Swan Honda: SWAN HONDA RETURN TO WINNING WAYS AT OULTON PARK The Swan Honda team returned to the top step of the podium at Oulton Park today as Stuart Easton took the opening victory of the day at the third round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship. Easton took a characteristic lightening start off the line to lead the pack into Old Hall on the opening lap and despite coming under pressure from championship leader Tommy Hill on the Worx Crescent Suzuki he was able to maintain the advantage to the finish. It was a challenging second race for the team though as Easton struggled in the opening laps and believing he had an issue with his rear tyre he pitted before rejoining the race. The problem reoccurred when Easton went back out on track and he was forced to retire, however the impressive performance in the opening race has elevated him to second in the overall championship standings. Easton said: “The whole weekend we have been up there on top, apart from qualifying where we were second so I felt that we would be able to challenge for both race wins today. In the first race we had edged out a lead and there was nothing really between us, so I just kept fighting and was able to hold on for the win. It was a great feeling to win the first race as it was my first one of the season and I was feeling really fired up to do the same in the second. “In the second race it didn’t really work out as we had hoped. I thought that I had a problem with the rear tyre so I came in to the garage but we later found out it was just a setting that didn’t work out with the electronics. It was disappointing as it had worked unbelievably in the first race, but we really went into the second one blind as we had only had a handful of laps to practice in the wet. We have moved up to second in the standings now though after the win so we have come away in a better position overall so now we are looking forward to Cadwell Park.” Team Manager Shaun Muir concluded: “It was great for Stuart to have won the opening race for the Swan Honda team. He likes to lead from the front and we knew Tommy (Hill) was going to be strong and they were quite evenly paced so it was an impressive and controlled race from Stuart. In the second race it was obviously disappointing to have not finished, but we are now second in the championship and we are looking forward to building on that at the next round in three weeks’ time at Cadwell Park.” MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, race one: 1. Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) 2. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +0.058s 3. John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +10.399s 4. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +10.843s 5. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +10.849s MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, race two result: 1. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 2. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +6.00s 3. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +11.333s 4. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +16.029s 5. John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +23.590s DNF Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings after Oulton Park: 1. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 126 2. Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) 75 3. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 74 4. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 65 5. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 63 More, from a press release issued by Honda: EASTON WINS FOR HONDA AT DRAMATIC OULTON PARK MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship Round three Monday 3 May. First race run in dry, sunny conditions Second race run on a drying track, cloudy and overcast. Air temp 9.5 degrees c Track temp 18 degrees c EASTON WINS FOR SWAN HONDA AT DRAMATIC OULTON PARK Stuart Easton led throughout the opening race of the third round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship to take his first victory of the season but next time out, the Swan Honda rider was sidelined by a technical problems as Michael Laverty took his maiden victory in the series for Suzuki. The first race was run in near perfect conditions, with Easton making a great start to head the pack into the first corner, ahead of pole starting series leader Tommy Hill with Josh Brookes running third on the HM Plant Honda CBR1000RR from Alastair Seeley and former two times title winner Ryuichi Kiyonari. Easton had to work all of the way to maintain his lead over Suzuki’s Hill and after 18 laps, there was only 0.058secs between them, with John Laverty taking his best ever finish, on a Kawasaki in third place. Brookes, who was riding through a difficult chatter problem, lost two places on a tough final lap, to finish fifth but disappointed due to the machine problem. It had been a race that promised so much for Kiyonari who was riding strongly in fifth place for the opening third of the race, but he made a costly error at the chicane, overshooting, and losing vital time, and then later had a minor clash with Alastair Seeley, soon afterwards the warning lights on his machine came on, and he pulled off with an undisclosed technical problem. Rain fell ahead of the start of the second race, with the organisers giving the riders a brief wet practice session, and also reducing the race distance by three laps to 15. The grid for this race was formed on the basis of fastest race laps in the opener, with Kiyonari taking pole and Brookes third as Easton completed the front row. Kiyonari, eager to make amends for his earlier disappointment, made a fine start, running clear of Hill but soon Michael Laverty had forged clear at the front, en route to maiden glory in the series. Easton was running seventh, and looking uncomfortable, pitting on the fourth lap to change his rear wheel, and then pitting a further five laps later to retire. Kiyonari was riding hard, up to fourth on the sixth lap, but again he was forced wide at the chicane losing time and having to re-establish himself, fighting back to take fourth place, though disappointed not to deny Hill the final podium place. Brookes meanwhile was struggling with tyre wear, finishing eighth, adrift of the privately entered Honda ridden by Tommy Bridewell. Honda BSB riders/managers comments: After race one: Stuart Easton (Swan Honda): “I made a really good start but Tommy Hill was always there I was watching my times and checking the pit-board which ever lap said +0. He was so close all of the time and I thought if he’s coming, then it is up to him, but, he could not get through and I held him off to take the win. It was hard, all of the way.” Shaun Muir (Team owner Swan Honda): “I’m delighted with Stuart’s performance. He soaked up all of the pressure, dealt with it, wouldn’t have wanted it any other way, and led all of the way to take his first win of the season.” Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda): “Disappointing, first over-shot chicane, made mistakes then Seeley hits me, and bike problems I stop.” Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda): “I’d had really bad chatter on and off all weekend and that made it hard to ride. For the first two or three laps of the race, with the new tyres, I could handle it, but after that it was hard to push and be safe.” Havier Beltran (Team manager HM Plant Honda): “Kiyo made a few mistakes, and then on lap 13, after Seeley had hit him going through Shell his bike did not feel right, the warning lights came on and he pulled over. Josh struggled over the last part of the race with bad chatter to the front and rear and at the pace they were running that left him struggling to change direction he was having to wrestle with the bike.” After race two: Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) “I wanted to make amends but we had a wet tyre on a drying track and my tyre began to go off, seemingly go off more quickly that everyone else’s. I am angry with myself that I could not improve everyone has put in a lot of effort here but these things happen and we have to put this behind us and learn from it.” Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda): “I was trying very hard to make up for the first race but then John Laverty pushed me wide and I could not maintain my line, losing ground. I thought that I could make a podium finish on what has been a difficult weekend.” Havier Beltran (Team manager HM Plant Honda): “It has been a tough day, disappointing that we could not achieve the results we expected. Both riders struggled, Kiyo was beaten up in both races while Josh had a tyre that quickly deteriorated in the second race.” Stuart Easton (Swan Honda): “Everything seemed to go a bit wrong. We had a problem with the electronics that seemed to affect the grip of the tyres in corners. I thought that the tyre had chunked, but came in and it was OK. The settings we ran were OK in the dry, but not the wet. We went into the second race a bit blind which was a shame.” Results Race1 POS / NAME / NAT / BIKE / TIME / GAP 1 / Stuart EASTON / GBR / Honda – Swan Honda / 28:55.815 / 2 / Tommy HILL / GBR / Suzuki – Worx Crescent Suzuki / 28:55.873 / 0,058 3 / John LAVERTY / GBR / Kawasaki – Buildbase Kawasaki / 29:06.214 / 10,399 4 / Alastair SEELEY / GBR / Suzuki – Relentless Suzuki by TAS / 29:06.658 / 10,843 5 / Michael LAVERTY / GBR / Suzuki – Relentless Suzuki by TAS / 29:06.664 / 10,849 6 / Josh BROOKES / AUS / Honda – HM Plant Honda / 29:06.888 / 11,073 7 / Gary MASON / GBR / Kawasaki – MSS Colchester Kawasaki / 29:19.243 / 23,428 8 / Chris WALKER / GBR / Kawasaki – MSS Colchester Kawasaki / 29:23.293 / 27,478 9 / Dan LINFOOT / GBR / Yamaha – Motorpoint Yamaha / 29:31.812 / 35,997 10 / Tommy BRIDEWELL / GBR / Honda – Quay Garage Honda / 29:32.524 / 36,709 11 / Martin JESSOPP / GBR / Ducati – RidersMotorcycles.Com / 29:33.174 / 37,359 12 / Peter HICKMAN / GBR / Yamaha – Ultimate Racing / Vision Yamaha / 29:39.423 / 43,608 13 / Adam JENKINSON / GBR / Kawasaki – Buildbase Kawasaki / 29:43.812 / 47,997 14 / Hudson KENNAUGH / RSA / Kawasaki – MAR Kawasaki / 29:44.365 / 0.049 15 / Steve BROGAN / GBR / BMW – Jentin Racing – BMW Motorrad / 29:54.924 / 59,109 Fastest lap: Lap 4 Ryuichi KIYONARI JPN Honda – HM Plant Honda 1:35.859 Results Race2 POS / NAME / NAT / BIKE / LAPS / TIME / GAP 1 / Michael LAVERTY / GBR / Suzuki – Relentless Suzuki by TAS / 27:26.150 / 2 / Michael RUTTER / GBR / Ducati – RidersMotorcycles.Com / 27:32.150 / 0.006 3 / Tommy HILL / GBR / Suzuki – Worx Crescent Suzuki / 27:37.483 / 11,333 4 / Ryuichi KIYONARI / JPN / Honda – HM Plant Honda / 27:42.179 / 16,029 5 / John LAVERTY / GBR / Kawasaki – Buildbase Kawasaki / 27:49.740 / 0.024 6 / Alastair SEELEY / GBR / Suzuki – Relentless Suzuki by TAS / 27:53.408 / 27,258 7 / Tommy BRIDEWELL / GBR / Honda – Quay Garage Honda / 27:56.437 / 30,287 8 / Josh BROOKES / AUS / Honda – HM Plant Honda / 27:56.973 / 30,823 9 / Hudson KENNAUGH / RSA / Kawasaki – MAR Kawasaki / 27:58.613 / 32,463 10 / Adam JENKINSON / GBR / Kawasaki – Buildbase Kawasaki / 28:21.100 / 0.055 11 / Chris WALKER / GBR / Kawasaki – MSS Colchester Kawasaki / 28:22.770 / 0.057 12 / Martin JESSOPP / GBR / Ducati – RidersMotorcycles.Com / 28:25.898 / 59,748 13 / Aaron ZANOTTI / GBR / Suzuki – Red Viper Spike Suzuki / 28:26.107 / 59,957 14 / Dan LINFOOT / GBR / Yamaha – Motorpoint Yamaha / 28:36.910 / 1:10.760 15 / Steve BROGAN / GBR / BMW – Jentin Racing – BMW Motorrad / 28:37.983 / 1:11.833 Fastest lap: Lap 8 Michael LAVERTY GBR Suzuki – Relentless Suzuki by TAS 1:48.173 Championship points after 2 rounds Name Total HILL 126, EASTON 75, BROOKES 74, LAVERTY 65, SEELEY 63, LAVERTY 59, RUTTER 59, KIYONARI 53, JESSOPP 42, ELLISON 41, MASON 26, KAGAYAMA 25, LINFOOT 21, WALKER 21, BRIDEWELL 15. More, from a press release issued by MAP Centurion Triumph: MIXED FORTUNES FOR MAP CENTURION TRIUMPH AT OULTON It was a day of mixed fortunes for the MAP Centurion Triumph British Championship race team following a day of drama at round three of the series at Oulton Park in Cheshire today. In the third round of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship, the weather played a major part as morning sunshine gave way to scattered showers as the riders assembled on the grid meaning a brief wet practice session was declared. The drama started during the session for Yarm-based South African Allan Jon Venter who stepped off during that session meaning he was unable to take to the start leaving Stroud’s Daniel Cooper to be the only MAP Centurion Triumph in the race. However, Cooper, who won the corresponding race twelve months ago, looked as if he’d join his team-mate on the sidelines when he had to take to the grass on the opening lap to avoid a fallen rider meaning he was well down the order before battling back to take a creditable fourth place at the flag With Venter not adding to his scores in the previous two rounds at Brands Hatch and Thruxton, Venter holds 16th in the title chase with Cooper elevating himself to eighth going into the next round at Cadwell Park in three weeks time. There was worse frustration for the team’s two riders in the Metzeler National Superstock 600 when an opening lap crash brought out the red flag and with the 6.30pm noise curfew imminent, there was no time to re-start the race meaning the race will have to be rescheduled, possibly at the British round of the World Superbike Championship at Silverstone in August. Whenever it is re-run, Lingfield rider Jimmy Hill, who was celebrating his 21st birthday at Oulton Park today, will start from the front row of the grid with Huddersfield’s Josh Caygill occupying row six of the grid. Daniel Cooper: “I thought the worst when I was heading for the grass to avoid Dan Kneen on the first lap but luckily I managed to stay on but rejoined about last. I was 24th at the end of lap one so to battle back up to fourth at the flag was OK, but a few more laps and I think I could have pushed for the podium, I just ran out of laps. After the disappointment of Thruxton, I’m pleased to get some more points on the board and look forward to Cadwell now.” Allan Jon Venter: “What can I say? I’m so disappointed but these things happen. I was trying to get a good setting as we’d had no time on the wet track this weekend and the next thing is I’m sliding down the track. There was no way we could get the bike back and repaired in time so I had to sit out the race but it’s made me more determined to get a good result at Cadwell Park.” Paul Rees, Team Principal: “One result from four riders isn’t what we envisaged but it wasn’t as bad as it sounds. Daniel did a magnificent job and rode really well in difficult conditions and but for a couple laps more would have had a podium for sure and it was a shame that AJ missed the race as he paid a big price for a small mistake. I feel especially sorry for Jimmy and Josh who waited around all day only for the Superstock 600 race to be postponed due to time restrictions but I’m hoping we get to re-run it at Silverstone WSB, which I’ve heard is a possibility, and if so that would be a good place to showcase their talents.” Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport result (16 laps) 1 Ben Wilson (Kawasaki) 2 Sam Lowes (GNS Racing Honda) +0.361s 3 Jack Kennedy (Yamaha) +9.269s 4 Dan Cooper (MAP Centurion Triumph) +11.615s 5 Glen Richards (Honda) +15.611s 6 Tom Grant (Yamaha) +22.453s 7 Patrick McDougall (Yamaha) +22.682s 8 Jesse Trayler (Kawasaki) +29.253s 9 Jenny Tinmouth (Honda) +32.279s 10 Mark Cringle (Triumph) +32.958s DNS AJ Venter (MAP Centurion Triumph) Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship standings (after 3 rounds) 1 Lowes 45pts = James Westmoreland 45 3 Wilson 34 4 Grant 33 5 Kennedy 32 8 Cooper 23 16 Venter 8 More, from a press release issued by GNS Racing: PODIUM FINISH FOR BRAVE LOWES Just 24 hours after a huge crash which saw him nursing a dislocated collarbone, pain was replaced by joy for Sam Lowes and the GNS Racing team at Oulton Park today when he finished in a superb second place in round three of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship. Initially delayed due to slight rain, it soon became clear that the rain was there to stay and a strong start saw the 19-year-old from Lincoln immediately move up to fifth place. By lap three he was up to third and a lap later this became second as he moved past Jack Kennedy. With debris needing to be cleared from the track, the safety car was deployed on lap five and when it went in on lap eight, Sam found himself briefly relegated to third. However, showing the same grit and determination he’d shown all weekend, he was back up to second on lap ten and closed right in on the back wheel of race leader Ben Wilson. The race was anyone’s but Wilson didn’t make any mistakes and Sam took the second place to move to joint top in the Championship table. There was disappointment for second team member 18 year old Ulsterman Paul Jordan though when a problem with the throttle caused him to crash out on the warm up lap, fortunately without serious injury. Despite this, Jordan occupies 5th in the Supersport Cup standings going into the next round at Oulton Park in three weeks time. Sam Lowes: “Conditions were really tricky today but the weather played into my hands as it was slightly easier to ride in the wet than it was the dry. I rode my own race and if people wanted to come by, I let them, which worked out as some of them crashed out trying too hard. I closed right in on Ben in the last two laps but he didn’t put a wheel wrong and thoroughly deserved his win. I’m really, really happy and the team have done a mega job all weekend as did the physios. I wouldn’t have been able to move my arm let alone race, if it wasn’t for them. We’ve got some great points back on the board and being back on top of the table is what it’s all about. I’d like to dedicate that result to the team for all their hard work and it’s my home round next at Cadwell so I’m going there for the win and for the win only!” Paul Jordan: “I’m feeling very sore at the moment and just very disappointed as I felt confident we could have scored some good points again today. There was simply nothing I could do though and when I went in to Island, there was a problem with the throttle and down I went. Luckily nothing’s broken so I’ll be looking to bounce back at Cadwell next time out.” Gary Stubbington: “That was a really hard race for all of us particularly with what decision to go with regarding the tyres. It was an either/or situation at first but then it became clear full wets were the only option and Sam rode a faultless race. To come back like he did after the crash in practice is brilliant and we’ve all got to take our hats off to him. To be joint top of the Championship is superb and the whole team is very happy to be in that position. It was a race of two halves for us though as losing Paul from the race due to an electrical problem, which caused him to crash heavily, was obviously a blow. Fortunately he’s OK and I’m sure he’ll bounce back at Cadwell.” Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport result (16 laps) 1 Ben Wilson (Kawasaki) 2 Sam Lowes (GNS Racing Honda) +0.361s 3 Jack Kennedy (Yamaha) +9.269s 4 Dan Cooper (Triumph) +11.615s 5 Glen Richards (Honda) +15.611s 6 Tom Grant (Yamaha) +22.453s 7 Patrick McDougall (Yamaha) +22.682s 8 Jesse Trayler (Kawasaki) +29.253s 9 Jenny Tinmouth (Honda) +32.279s 10 Mark Cringle (Triumph) +32.958s DNS Paul Jordan (GNS Racing Honda) Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship standings (after 3 rounds) 1 Lowes 45pts = James Westmoreland 45 3 Wilson 34 4 Grant 33 5 Kennedy 32 6 Gowland 31 More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki: Worx Crescent Suzuki’s Tommy Hill took second and third place finishes at Oulton Park today to significantly extend his lead in the British Superbike Championship after three rounds, as team-mate Yukio Kagayama was an unfortunate victim of a first-race accident that left him unable to take part in race two. For Hill, it was another day of strong performances: In race one, rival Stuart Easton led off the line and while Hill was never more than three-tenths-of-a-second behind, Easton’s late-braking-style prevented a pass. At the finish, Hill was just 0.058-seconds adrift. Rain fell before the second race and so Hill rode conservatively, getting a feel for the conditions before passing several competitors to secure the final podium position. Significantly, Easton – his nearest rival in the point’s standings – elected to ride on a different tyre-compound for this race and failed to find the grip he needed and so retired. Consequently Hill’s lead in the Championship has extended to 51 points. Tommy Hill: “I’m feeling really good, really chuffed with this result. The second race was a real test in ‘iffy conditions.’ There was a rush to get the adjustments made; changing the gearing, wanting to change the suspension; it was all very last-minute. I spent a bit of time getting a feel for the conditions and where the bike felt good. I didn’t know where Josh Brookes or Stuart was so it was a pleasant surprise when I came in to find I had those extra points over them. In all, a consistent weekend and I’m happy with that!” Yukio Kagayama had qualified in seventh position, but for this morning’s warm-up, he made changes to his set-up that brought him up to fourth fastest. However, in the first race, he got a bad start and riding mid-pack was approaching Island Bend when he got hit from behind, causing him to crash at high speed. The heavy fall left Kagayama winded and battered. However a subsequent X-Ray revealed a compression to his T7 vertebrae and Kagayama will now undergo a CT scan to get the fullest detail on his injury. Yukio Kagayama: “I was very happy with the changes to the set-up we made this morning and I felt a podium result would be possible. Unfortunately I didn’t make the best start in that first race. Then as I was turning into Island Bend I was hit from behind and crashed. The crash wasn’t a very comfortable experience and while I was winded at first I’m still very sore now. No injury is good, but I’m optimistic that I’ll be well enough for the next round at Cadwell Park in three weeks time.” Jack Valentine – Team Manager: “I’m very pleased with Tommy’s performance this weekend. In both races he rode intelligently; not making a pass in that first race when it would have been risky; and then playing himself in carefully in the second, taking no chances, but working hard and taking yet another valuable podium. “Yukio was very unlucky again this weekend: He’d made good progress on his set-up this morning and looked good for some strong results. The plan is now is to see him back at Cadwell Park fit and rested. He’s starting to lose touch with that vital sixth place in the Championship but there’s still plenty of opportunity to turn his season around. “Altogether a good weekend for Suzuki, though. To have three GSX-R1000s in the top-five is a great situation to be in – and congratulations to Michael Laverty on his win this afternoon. Now it’s onto Cadwell Park and hopefully more of the same from Tommy and hopefully a change of luck for Yukio.” MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship: Race one: 1. Stuart Easttonn (Swan Honda) 2. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +0.058s 3. John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +10.399s 4. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +10.843s 5. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +10.849s 6. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +11.073s 7. Gary Mason (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +23.428s 8. Chris Walker (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +27.478s 9. Dan Linfoot (Motorpoint Yamaha) +35.997s 10. Tommy Bridewell (Quay Garage Honda) +36.709s Race two: 1. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 2. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +6.00s 3. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +11.333s 4. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +16.029s 5. John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +23.590s 6. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +27.258s 7. Tommy Bridewell (Quay Garage Honda) +30.287s 8. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +30.283s 9. Hudson Kennaugh (MAR Kawasaki) +32.463s 10. Adam Jenkinson (Buildbase Kawasaki) +54.950s MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings (after three rounds): 1. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 126 2. Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) 75 3. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 74 4. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 65 5. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 63 16. Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 25 More, from a press release issued by Marty Nutt’s publicist: More points on the board for Nutt at Oulton Castlerock’s Marty Nutt was in the points once more on Bank Holiday Monday when he finished 12th at Oulton Park in round 3 of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship. The NuttTravel.Com/Dawn/T&G Racing rider battled through the pack from a lowly qualifying position and overcame some treacherous conditions to record his second top twelve finish of the season and move back up to 16th place overall in the Championship table. Sixth and twelth in Saturday’s free practice sessions was a promising start to the weekend and even though he was shuffled back to 14th after Sunday’s first qualifying session, hopes were high of getting back into the top twelve later in the day. However, colder temperatures and a busy track meant it was difficult for riders to improve on their times and Marty couldn’t better, or replicate his times from earlier in the afternoon, an engine problem also meaning he was experiencing a mysterious lack of power. A small group of riders did manage to go faster and Marty found himself in a slightly disappointing 19th place at the end of the two qualifying sessions thus lining up for the race on the fifth row of the grid. The weather was still cool for Monday’s race and, when the Supersport riders came to the line, a number of ominous black clouds were looming overhead. Sure enough, just after the warm up lap started, the rain began to fall and although initially just a few spots, it soon began to fall heavier and the race was rightly delayed. When it did get underway, full wet tyres were the order of the day for the shortened 12-lap race and, with a good start, Marty was already up to 14th by the end of lap 2. Conditions were extremely slippy and staying upright was in itself a major task but, whilst others around him were sliding off in to the scenery, Marty kept a cool head and was slowly but surely, moving up the leaderboard. He was up to 11th on lap 5 when the safety car was deployed to allow debris to be cleared off the track and when it pulled in three laps later, he moved up to 10th. On the penultimate lap he was up 9th and looking extremely good for his first top ten finish of the year but on the final circuit he firstly got overtaken at the chicane and then got ‘mugged’ at the final corner to be shuffled back to 12th. Speaking afterwards, Marty commented: “I’ve got mixed feelings after today’s race because although I’m happy with 12th after all the problems I had in qualifying, I’ve got an overall feeling of disappointment because of what happened on the final lap. If I was standing here now with 9th place to my name, I’d have been well happy but to get mugged on the last lap is hard to take! Qualifying was nothing short of a disaster as the bike wasn’t making any power at all for some reason so I didn’t really have much hope of getting in to the points today but the rain made it more of a level playing field in the race and I just kept my head and tried to stay as smooth as I possibly could. Conditions were really tricky and it was so hard to stop going in to the corners, it felt like I was going to run on all the time but I concentrated real hard and when I was up ninth it felt like I’d pulled a result out of the bag. On the last lap though, Jenny (Tinmouth) got me at Knickerbrook and although I’d been strong at Druids all race, the one time I was slightly off was on the final lap and not only did it mean I couldn’t have a go back past Jenny, it also allowed the two riders behind me to dive by at the final corner! On the plus side, we’ve come away with some more points again and have two finishes from two starts so we’ll work hard between now and the next round to make sure the bike’s working at 100% and we can get back in to the top ten.” Marty now has a three-week break before the next of the British Supersport Championship with round 4 taking place at Cadwell Park, May 21-23. More, from a press release issued by John McGuinness’ publicist: 13th place for McGuinness at Oulton Morecambe’s John McGuinness finished in 13th place at round 3 of the Metzeler National 1000cc Superstock Championship held at Oulton Park on Bank Holiday Monday and the Padgetts Honda ace battled hard for the three points to maintain his place in the top eight of the Championship Riding at his local round, and at one of his favourite circuits, John’s weekend got off to a great start with the third fastest time in the free practice session and although he took four tenths of a second off his lap time, opening qualifying saw him bumped back to 8th. With a few rain spots in the air for second and final qualifying, John was still able to go quicker and brought his fastest lap down to a 1m39.527s although this was only good enough for 11th on the grid. Nevertheless, with the times being super close, he was confident going in to the race. A strong start immediately saw John move forward and, tenth at the end of the first, hectic lap, hopes were high of continuing up the leaderboard. However, with spots of rain again in the air, the next few laps saw a lot of chopping and changing out on the track and John was pushed back to 14th by lap four. The clouds moved by meaning the rest of the race went untroubled and although John regrouped to move back into 12th on lap 13, the penultimate lap saw him overhauled by former champion Lee Jackson and he took the chequered flag in 13th place. The 3 points mean he now lies in 8th place overall in the Championship table. Speaking afterwards John commented: “Once again I got a good start and when I was up to tenth I was right with the leading back but they suddenly gapped me and I found myself dicing in a group of about 8 riders for the lower end of the points. It’s not where I want to be obviously and although I’m riding hard, I’m running at the pace I was at last year – I haven’t made the jump forward like the other boys have. The bike’s good enough so I’m going to work even harder between now and the next round to make sure I’m back at the sharp end. I’ve got the North West 200 next and the extra track time there will help me recharge the batteries so I’ll be looking for some strong results to get myself back to the level where I want to be.” John’s next outing is his first of the season on the roads with the International North West 200 taking place in Northern Ireland from May 11-15. More, from a press release issued by Quay Garage Honda: MPRESSIVE BRIDEWELL RACKS UP THE POINTS AT OULTON Quay Garage Racing rider Tommy Bridewell scored his first points of the season with a superb double top ten placing in round three of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park today. Despite having the little finger on his right hand amputated following a crash at Thruxton two weeks ago, the 21 year old from Etchilhampton near Devizes posted tenth place during the Swan Combi Roll for Poll qualifying session to start from row three of the grid. In race one, Bridewell was eager to get a good start in the dry conditions but was a bit too keen and was adjudged to have jumped the start meaning he was penalised with a ride-through penalty dropping him down the order. Despite the handicap, Tommy climbed his was up through the order and had elevated himself to tenth at the chequered flag. Race two had Tommy starting from row three again but saw the weather conditions deteriorate with the track dampened from rain showers, meaning Bridewell opted for wet weather tyres like most of the field. Circulating inside the top ten, and with the track drying slowly, Bridewell rode a calculated race to end up in seventh at the end of the shortened 15-lap race aboard the 1000cc Honda. With his two points scoring rides, Bridewell now occupies 15th place in the series points table going into the next round at Cadwell Park in three weeks time. Tommy Bridewell: “It was important to get some points on the board today but it’s not been without its problems I have to admit. My finger was OK but took some adapting to and we didn’t have an ideal set up but it came good in the end. I only have myself to blame for the jump start in race one and I enjoyed battling my way back up the order so tenth was good and the rain didn’t help in race two. I had no tyre left at the end so to claim seventh is a good result but I feel we can improve further.” Ian Woollacott, Team Principal: “I thought Tommy did a fantastic job for us this weekend as the odds were stacked against us a little. A tenth following a ride-through penalty and seventh in the rain speaks volumes about how hard Tommy and the team are working. Hopefully all our bad luck is out of the way and we can show both Tommy’s and the bike’s true potential from now on.” The fourth round of the 2010 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship takes place at Cadwell Park over the weekend of 21/23 May. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Relentless by TAS Suzuki posted its debut victory in the British Superbike Championship Premier Class with Michael Laverty at the Oulton Park third round. Laverty’s second-race demolition of the field in the British Superbike class demonstrates the progress Moneymore-based TAS Racing has been making with their GSX-R1000 Superbike already this season. And, after being virtually written-off in the pre-season build up, both Laverty and Alastair Seeley now sit proudly in the top five in the current standings. In race one it was Seeley who looked odds-on for his second BSB podium of the year, but a missed gear on the final lap allowed John Laverty to steal his thunder, which left the Carrickfergus man to narrowly pip his team-mate to the line for fourth. In race two, while Laverty was soloing to a superb victory, Seeley fought his way through from mid-pack to take 10 valuable points in sixth place. Michael Laverty: “That was a really nice feeling today. I just hope it goes a long way to being forgiven for my crash at Thruxton! It’s really strange because it’s probably the easiest I’ve had to ride to win a race, never mind so convincingly. It’s not often you get the perfect bike, but the boys gave me one today for that win. We still have a bit to go with the dry set-up on our GSX-R1000 Superbike, but we are getting closer every weekend and I’m confident we can be up at the front in the dry very soon – possibly as soon as Cadwell Park. The boys deserve this bit of success for all their hard work.” Alastair Seeley: “I am a bit frustrated about not getting on the podium in race one, but there’s no point in moaning about it. I missed a gear and fought back to fourth so we have to be pleased with that after a tough weekend at the previous round. In race two, I spun up going off the line and ended up bashing bars and fairings mid-pack. I got my head down and just tried to be smooth on the throttle and when I got onto the back of Josh Brookes he was all over the place. His tyre was obviously in worse condition than mine at that stage, so to get past for sixth was a good result in difficult conditions. I’m learning all the time about this Superbike and I’ve stayed fit and healthy with the North West 200 just over a week away – so that’s a big positive.” Philip Neill – BSB Team Principal: “After all the hard work our team has put in, that was a pretty emotional day for me and I have to say, Michael’s win was probably one of the best rides I’ve ever seen – he really destroyed the field and was even comfortable putting in consistent quickest laps. It’s a great reward and a boost of confidence for the whole team and proves just how great a bike the current GSX-R1000 really is. I must obviously give credit to Michael, who I have always believed in, and this will be a real confidence booster for him. “Alastair may be disappointed at missing out on a race-one podium, but the ‘Wee Man’ just continues to blow us away with his talent, enthusiasm and self-belief. Let’s not forget it’s only his second time out at Oulton on a Superbike and his comeback from mid-pack to sixth was phenomenal in race two: It also shows where he has come from when he’s disappointed not to be on the podium every weekend as a rookie. “We really do have two genuine contenders this year, who are as good as anyone in the Championship, and we are delighted to have helped Suzuki retain top-spot in the Manufacturer Standings; it’s always good to do your bit. “I must give a special mention to the boys in the garage who work a very tight schedule with our BSB and road racing commitments, so fair play to Leigh, Arnie and Davy Kertesz as they found an enviable wet wwwweather set-up for our riders today. We’re not that far away in dry conditions either and this sets us up well for next week’s North West 200.” BSB Race 1 Results: 1. Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) 2.Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +0.058s 3.John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +10.399s 4.Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +10.843s 5.Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +10.849s 6.Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +11.073s 7.Gary Mason (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +23.428s 8.Chris Walker (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +27.478s 9.Dan Linfoot (Motorpoint Yamaha) +35.997s 10.Tommy Bridewell (Quay Garage Honda) +36.709s BSB Race 2 Results: 1. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 2.Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +6.00s 3.Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +11.333s 4.Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +16.029s 5.John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +23.590s 6.Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +27.258s 7.Tommy Bridewell (Quay Garage Honda) +30.287s 8.Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +30.283s 9.Hudson Kennaugh (MAR Kawasaki) +32.463s 10.Adam Jenkinson (Buildbase Kawasaki) +54.950s