Keith Amor added more silverware to his already impressive 2008 collection when he scored a fine second place at Saturday’s Skerries 100 races. Riding the Wilson Craig Honda Superbike, Keith got the runner’s up spot in the opening Superbike race and backed this up with 4th in the Supersport 600cc event, an overheating engine denying him of further podium success. It was another new circuit for the Falkirk ace to learn but he soon got to grips with the 2.92-mile course and was able to place 3rd and 4th in the Superbike and 600cc practice sessions respectively, well in contention for race day honours. Saturday dawned extremely damp but the organisers made a wise move to delay proceedings and racing got underway at lunch time, the rain having given way to sunny, but breezy, conditions. In the 8-lap Superbike race, Keith got a great start and slotted into second place, tucked right in behind the pace setting Ryan Farquhar. Keith hung on to him in the first few laps but the experienced Farquhar slowly edged away and Keith, also feeling slightly under the weather, settled for a safe, but excellent, second place. In the Supersport 600cc race, again held over 8 laps, Keith was in trouble from the start with an overheating engine and the lack of power severely damaged his chances. Nevertheless, he still brought the Honda home in a solid 4th place and hopes were high going in to the feature Grand Final race. Everything was looking good for Keith as he grabbed an early lead but, on the second lap, the red flags came out for an incident on the circuit and with a substantial delay the race was eventually cancelled. Talking about his Skerries debut, Keith commented: “It’s been a good day on the whole even if the weather and the red flags did their best to upset everything. I got a good start in the first Superbike race and followed Ryan for a few laps and it was good to pick up a few lines from him around the course. As the race wore on though he began to edge away and I had to settle for second place. It’s my first time on the Superbike since the TT and it’s had a few updates so it was good to get back out on it and it felt good.” “The 600 was overheating from the start and it was running 14 degrees higher than what it normally does so it just wouldn’t pull and the lack of speed did me but I still picked up a strong finish. As for the Grand Final, I got the start I wanted and was feeling good at the front but the red flag came out and safety is paramount so the organisers made the right call. They did an excellent job throughout the day in what was quite tricky circumstances.” “The circuit itself is very technical and the Superbikes are possibly too powerful for it but it’s great fun to ride and I’ve enjoyed myself very much again. Dunlop were over in force and they had some new tyres for me to try and they were, yet again, the best things out there whilst everyone one in the team especially Wilson Craig and Phoenix Motorcycles – did a terrific job once more.” Keith’s next outing will be at the Walderstown road races on Sunday July 13th, where he will also be making his circuit debut. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Werner Daemen raced his GSX-R1000 to victory in Sunday’s German IDM Superbike Championship round at Salzburgring, keeping Suzuki’s Championship hopes alive. The first heat went to Jorg Teuchert (Yamaha) ahead of Martin Bauer (Honda) and Daemen, but in the second heat, the Belgian rider turned the tables on his rivals and gained Suzuki its first win of the season. At the Austrian circuit, the Suzuki International Europe importer’s team of Andy Meklau and Dominic Lammert struggled with some technical problems although Meklau was fourth in the morning race, just missing the podium. In the afternoon he seemed all set for a place among the first three until the race was stopped because of a serious accident involving Kai-Borre Andersen (MV Agusta). The positions in the preceding lap, on which Meklau lay sixth, were taken as the final result. Evren Bischoff – Team Manager: “We’re still fighting for the title, all the more now because although Martin Bauer is leading the IDM championship table, he wasn’t able to collect full points this time. The position at the top is still wide open. We didn’t choose the ideal tyres for Andy Meklau’s bike in the first heat, but in the second our choice was perfect and if the race hadn’t been stopped we might still have improved our position. The stoppage couldn’t have come at a worse moment. The whole weekend we struggled with suspension problems we couldn’t solve on Dominic Lammert’s bike, and before the second heat we even had to replace its engine. As a rider I think that Lammert is sometimes even stronger than Meklau, but we need to make a radical step forward in setting up his bike.” Andreas Meklau: “With the right tyres I could have been on the podium again, but we put up quite a good performance and the next races are on circuits that generally suit me better. On the uphill section in Salzburg, Werner Daemen was able to benefit enormously from his smaller build and lower weight.” Dominic Lammert: “In the first heat I made a pit stop because the engine wasn’t running properly. The current situation isn’t satisfactory: we will have to take some fundamental decisions.” 1st heat: 1. Jörg Teuchert (D, Yamaha), 2. Martin Bauer (A, Honda), 3. Werner Daemen (B, Suzuki), 4. Andy Meklau (A, Suzuki), 5. Kai-Borre Andersen (NOR, MV Agusta), 6. Gábor Rizmayer (H, Suzuki), 7. Olivier Depoorter (B, Suzuki), 8. Gwen Giabbani (F, Kawasaki), 9. Nina Prinz (D, Yamaha), 10. Roman Stamm (CH, Suzuki). 2nd heat: 1. Werner Daemen (B, Suzuki), 2. Jörg Teuchert (D, Yamaha), 3. Martin Bauer (A, Honda), 4. Kai-Borre Andersen (NOR, MV Agusta), 5. Günther Knobloch (A, Ducati), 6. Andy Meklau (A, Suzuki), 7. Nina Prinz (D, Yamaha), 8. Chris Zaiser (A, Ducati), 9. Gwen Giabbani (F, Kawasaki), 10. Roman Stamm (CH, Suzuki). Points: 1. Bauer 206, 2. Teuchert 175, 3. Daemen 159, 4. Meklau 153, 5. Stamm 95, 6. Andersen 69, 7. Zaiser 65, 8. Depoorter 61, 9. Lammert 57, 10. Knobloch 50. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Spain’s Suzuki Catala Team #2 riders Javier Oliver, Kike Hernandez, Felipe Lopez Cordoba and Martin Port raced to victory in the “24 Horas de Cataluna” at the weekend – their fourth victory in the event since 2003. The start of race was headed by Suzuki Catala Team #1 riders Kenny Noyes, Diego Lozano, David Bonache y Adrian Bonastre until a small crash put them down to third position. Team #2 also went off the track and dropped to 25th position before mounting a spectacular comeback. Into the night, Catala Team #1 was placed in third position and Catala Team #2 fourth, but at midnight, the second-placed Ducati broke its gearbox. Four hours later, leaders Yamaha Folch broke their chain and dropped right back, allowing the Suzukis to take to the front after 10 hours of racing. Both GSX-R1000-mounted Catala teams dominated the race until Team #1 rider Lozano suffered a brake problem and crashed out of the event, giving Catala Team #2 the lead and a 12-lap victory over second-placed Suzuki of Bruno Performance, managed by riders Victor Casas, Salvador Cabana, David Gomez and Joaquin Olmos. More, from a press release issued by Gary Johnson’s publicist: Painful end for Johnson at Skerries Broughton’s Gary Johnson had a mixed day at the Skerries 100 road races last Saturday and although he was able to claim an excellent rostrum finish in the Supersport 600cc race, he crashed heavily in the Grand Final, suffering a broken collarbone in the process. The Uel Duncan Racing rider was making his debut at the 2.92-mile circuit and immediately gelled with the narrow roads, posting some more than competitive times in practice to comfortably slot in to the top five in both the Superbike and Superpsort classes. With dry conditions for racing, Gary got his day off to a solid start with 6th place in the 8-lap Open race aboard his Superstock machine, although brake problems caused him a few anxious moments at some of the road ends. The mood got better in the Supersport 600cc race with a close, and hard fought, 3rd place, just 2.8 seconds behind race winner Ryan Farquhar. Gary also had the satisfaction of being inside the old class lap record. Opting to use the Superbike machine for the Grand Final, Gary got a good start and slotted in behind Adrian Archibald but as he attempted to make a pass at the chicane, he ran out of room and clipped the inside bank at close to 130mph. He cartwheeled down the road, fortunately without hitting anything, before coming to a halt. Unfortunately, a spectator was injured by fuel which flew from the machine and the meeting came to an end, very much on a low note. Speaking later, Gary said: ‘I got a great drive from the preceding corner to the chicane and managed to get alongside Adrian but I got squeezed against the inside banking and the next thing I knew I was flying down the road. I knew straightaway that I’d broken my collarbone and my leg’s quite sore and swollen but, luckily, there’s nothing broken there. It was a real shame to end the day like that and even more so when I heard a spectator had been injured so I’d just like to pass on my best wishes to all those concerned.’ ‘The bike was handling the best it has done all year and I was feeling very confident but I just ran out of room to make the pass and it was no-one’s fault, just a racing incident. The circuit is very narrow and more like a motocross track in places so it’s quite difficult to overtake but I really enjoyed riding there and it had been a good meeting up until the accident.’ ‘I’m not going to rush back and I want to make sure I’m 100% fit before racing again but we’re looking at the Dundalk meeting in August to get some time in before the Ulster GP. I’ll be able to get a few trackdays in before then so I’ll be up to speed when I do come back and getting fully fit is my immediate aim.’