STEVE PLATER MALLORY Steve Plater rode a sensible race in difficult conditions on Sunday to record a seventh place finish to round seven of the Fuchs/Silkolene British Supersport championship at Mallory Park and retains his series lead, albeit with a reduced advantage of 11 points over Billy McConnell. Prior to the race start the heavens opened at the Leicestershire track making tyre choice a gamble. But Plater and the HM Plant Honda team opted for the sensible choice of intermediates and this proved to be the correct decision as the Woodhall Spa rider who began his campaign from a second row grid position shot through to take up third place on the opening lap of the 25-lap race on Sunday. But the competition was fierce with a gaggle of riders all jostling for position and Plater chose the safer option of dropping back a couple of places to defend his championship lead. He continued to circulate within the top five until the final two laps when he was bumped back to seventh at the finish line. “I was being hindered by a few riders who passed me and pushed me wide at the start which lost me a little bit of time. They were all banging into each other during the first few laps and I didn’t want to risk a crash as I have a lot more to lose than them as I hold the series lead. It is frustrating when you do all the hard work all weekend and you are on the pace and then it is all down to a lottery on tyre choice because of the weather. It is so hard to pass here at the best of times but the dry line at the Esses was only 150mm wide so it was virtually impossible to make a safe pass. “We are still leading the championship by 11 points and I am on the pace so I am not whinging but it’s so disappointing for both myself and the crew that we are on the pace all weekend and come the race we get a lower result than we would have hoped for but that’s racing for you!” The HM Plant Honda team are at Cadwell Park on Tuesday for a full day of testing prior to the next round at Brands Hatch on August 9. Plater explained: “The Supersport development has stood still really as we have been so busy with the NW200 and the Isle of Man TT races so we aim take full advantage of our day at Cadwell to move forward and make sure we are competitive for the next round.” It could be a busy time for the Lincolnshire ace as he is expected to take over Glen Richards’ British Superbike ride while he recovers from his broken leg. There are three Superbike races at Brands Hatch, the first on Saturday and two more on the Sunday. That would give Plater four races in all to contest over the weekend but with Josh Brooks now sidelined with a thumb injury after his crash at Mallory the team may revise their initial plans and an announcement from HM Plant Honda is expected prior to the event. More, from a press release issued by Hydrex Honda: TOUGH DAY AT THE OFFICE FOR HYDREX HONDA Hydrex Honda endured a tough day at the office on Sunday when they contested round 7 of the British Superbike Championship at Mallory Park and they left the Leicestershire venue with just a solitary seventh place to show for their efforts. Having placed 8th and 10th respectively in qualifying on Saturday, both Karl Harris and Stuart Easton were confident that they had the race pace to run at the front of the pack and that’s exactly what happened in the first 30-lap race. The duo were occupying fourth and fifth just after one thirds race distance but Easton’s strong run of results came to an end when, on an unlucky 13th lap, a technical problem forced him to retire. That left Harris to fly the flag and that’s just what he did as he closed in on the leading four riders. He was right with them on the 23rd lap and looking good for a podium when fourth placed Josh Brookes crashed out at the hairpin taking out race leader Simon Andrews in the process and in the ensuing melee five more riders, including Harris, crashed on the debris. The race was red flagged and the race result taken from the previous lap but with the rules stating that a rider must still be running in the race at the time of the red flag, Karl wasn’t classified in the results. In the second race later in the day, the riders were met with a wet track but Stuart’s race was over before it had really begun when the hard compound rear tyre he had chosen proved to be unsuitable for the worsening conditions. Karl was again running inside the top six though until his visor started leaking and with his vision impaired he had to ease off dropping back to 7th. However, the rain got heavier as the race wore on and it was eventually stopped after 15 laps had been completed due to flooding on the track so he held on to seventh place with half points being awarded. Talking on Sunday evening, team boss Shaun Muir said: “It’s been a bad day at the office for us here at Mallory and it’s been disappointing, to say the least – things just haven’t gone our way today. The meeting’s been pretty much a write-off for Stuart and with the Airwaves team finishing first and second in both races, he’s lost ground on second place in the Championship.” “I felt for Karl today and a 7th and a DNF certainly isn’t a fair reflection on how well he rode. In the first race he was looking strong in fifth and, with 8 laps to go, the rear tyre was coming in and he’d closed right in on the front four riders. He felt comfortable and really needed a podium but the crash was completely out of his control and rules are rules. They can’t be changed just for one race so we had to accept the decision. In the second race his visor was leaking really badly and could barely see where he was going so 7th was the best he could do in difficult conditions.” “On the plus side, both of the riders are injury free, when it could quite easily have been a different story given what happened in the races and they’ve retained their positions in the Championship table. Yes, we’re disappointed today but we’ll knuckle down between now and Brands and bounce back as strong as we possibly can.” Round 8 of the British Superbike Championship takes place at Brands Hatch on the weekend of August 7-9 with three races being held at the Kent venue. More, from a press release issued by JW Racing: Round 7 British Supersport Championship. Mallory Park Dissapointment for Westmoreland at Mallory. JW Racing had a disappointing race at Round 7 of the British Supersport Championship after a mechanical problem forced 21 year old James Westmoreland to retire after 7 laps. The weekend started well with 6th place in both of Fridays free practice sessions and improving to 4th for the first Qualifying. It was only in Qualifying 2 when James showed his true potential around the tight and twisty Mallory park circuit when he topped the qualifying session and improved his morning time but with the track been slower in the afternoon the team were content with another front row start in 4th position. Warm up again went Triumph riders way with Westy in fine form and dominating the session and looking forward to a great battle for the win. Just before the race the heavens opened and on the line the team opted for intermediate tyres on the rapidly drying track. James got a good start and was gaining confidence with the intermediate tyres and worked his way up to 5th place before a technical issue forced him to retire at the bus stop on lap 7. James has now dropped to 5th in the championship on 72 points. ” To say I am gutted is a massive understatement, it is the first time I have not finished a race since October 2005 but we can take many positives from the weekend. I had been so fast and consistant on Saturday and Sunday morning and the bike is in a class of its own at the moment in the Supersport Championship so full credit to JT Engine Developments. I am confident we can go to the last five rounds and fight for the win at every race. We have a great package and team and we are all very excited to battle to move back up the Championship order. I would just like to thank everyone who is part of the team, sponsors, my family and all the loyal fans. Onwards and upwards for Brands”