Round five of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Snetterton in Norfolk brought changeable weather conditions and dramatic racing, but it was Airwaves Ducati who reigned supreme in both races. The 21-lap race one ran in dry and bright conditions with HM Plant Honda’s Leon Haslam seizing the holeshot from fourth position on the grid. However, by lap four, Leon Camier had passed him and started to carve out an advantage at the front of the pack. The Airwaves Ducati rider held on to the position for the majority of the race, but by the final lap team-mate Shane Byrne had caught him and mounted a serious challenge for the race win. Camier remained determined and, despite stiff competition from series leader Byrne, emerged victorious from the fierce final lap dogfight between the team-mates. Race two was a different story with all riders being evacuated from the grid for a delayed start after heavy rain began to fall. A reduced 15-lap race re-started and Camier took the holeshot into turn one ahead of Karl Harris and Byrne. However, misfortune struck early and Harris slid off in front of the series leader causing him to brake to avoid the fallen rider and pushing him down into 13th position. Byrne fought back from the setback with a display of faultless riding on the drying track to move his way towards the front of the field. By lap 14 Byrne had closed the advantage between him and his team-mate and seized the opportunity to take the lead when Camier was held up by a backmarker. The series leader hung on to first place for the race win and a maximum 25 points towards his overall tally. Bennetts British Superbike Championship race one result: 1. L. Camier 23:13.162; 2. S. Byrne +0.092; 3. T. Sykes +0.597 Bennetts British Superbike Championship race two result: 1. S. Byrne 18:41.592; 2. L. Camier +2.433; 3. C. Crutchlow +6.012 Bennetts British Superbike championship standings (after round five) 1. Byrne 235; 2. Camier 152; 3. Crutchlow 151; 4. Haslam 118; 5. Ellison 103; 6. Rutter 102; 7. Sykes 100; 8. Laverty 79; 9. Easton 62; 10. Andrews 51 More, from a press release issued by GSE Racing/Airwaves Ducati: MAXIMUM POINTS FOR AIRWAVES DUCATI Leon Camier and Shane Byrne achieved a win and second place apiece at Snetterton today in round 5 of the British Superbike championship. Leon Camier enjoyed the first BSB win of his career in race one, with Shane Byrne taking the honours in the second race. Leon held the lead for the majority of race one, holding off a late challenge from his team mate on the last lap to take his maiden BSB win. Championship leader Shane Byrne was in 4th place until lap 15, when he moved up to 2nd within 3 laps to cross the line 0.09 seconds behind his team mate. The start of race two was delayed by over an hour as heavy rain fell and the track conditions were continuously reassessed. Leon Camier got a brilliant start over the revised race distance of 15 laps, stretching out the lead until the penultimate lap. Shane Byrne, who dropped to 13th when a competitor crashed in front of him, worked his way through the field to overtake his team mate on lap 14 to take the chequered flag and his 7th win of the season. Following the first win of his BSB career, Leon Camier was delighted saying; “Thanks must go to the Airwaves Ducati team for all their hard work, they have been brilliant all weekend and my results are really down to them. I am so pleased to have got my first win in BSB for the Airwaves Ducati team, we have worked hard for it and it is a great feeling now we have achieved what we knew we were capable of. I will use this experience to build on the rest of the season and I can’t wait to get to Mallory Park in a couple of weeks and try to achieve another win for the team.” Shane Byrne now leads the championship by 83 points but is pleased about his team mate’s success commenting; “It has been a fantastic weekend for the Airwaves Ducati team; I am really pleased for Leon, he had a fantastic first race and deserved that win. I was pleased I was able to take 2nd place behind him but I was determined to get a win in race two. I didn’t make it easy for myself though, Karl Harris crashed in front of me and I had to stop to avoid him, I got going again but had to push hard to make my way up to the front of the pack again. I was feeling confident that I could win it and I am so pleased I was able to. A double one-two is brilliant for Airwaves Ducati and GSE Racing, all the credit has to go to the team for preparing a fantastic Ducati 1098R.” More, from a press release issued by British Superbike Championship organizers: Leon Camier enjoyed maiden race winning glory in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship in the first race of the fifth round at Snetterton but his Airwaves Ducati team-mate Shane Byrne headed him off with a spectacular ride in the difficult wet conditions of the second race. Byrne, who had missed out on victory in the opener by a split second, had it all to do next time out after Rob Mac Racing Yamaha rider Karl Harris had high-sided off right in front of him on the opening lap, forcing the Ducati rider to stop and take avoiding action of the stricken rider. “There was no choice I had either to stop or run over him, or hit his bike,” explained Byrne who had been running third at the time, but who dropped ten places, prompting a remarkable ride through the pack in the difficult conditions as the track in places began to dry, while in others it was extremely wet. Byrne was equal to the challenge, showing the qualities that had taken him to the title back in 2003 as he picked up positions and by the end of the fourth lap he was fourth, and lapping faster than the riders ahead of him. “I got going and went for it. I was getting the signals that I was picking up places and I suddenly thought to myself keep this pace and you can win it,” added Byrne. He picked off HM Plant Honda rider Leon Haslam to be third at half distance in the race, decided over the reduced distance of 15 laps after a length delay prior to the start. Two laps later he had accounted for Cal Crutchlow and was closing in on his race leading team-mate Camier, taking him on the penultimate lap at the Russells. “I’m delighted with this victory, I really couldn’t be happier. The team gave me a good bike, I rode it, and this is superb,” said Byrne as he enjoyed his seventh victory of the campaign, finishing 2.433 seconds ahead of Camier. Crutchlow took third place, with Michael Rutter moving his North West 200 Ducati fourth at the expense of Haslam with Michael Laverty on the Relentless Suzuki ahead of Tom Sykes aboard the Rizla Suzuki with Simon Andrews, Tristan Palmer and James Ellison completing the top ten. Earlier, Camier had taken centre-stage with a strong running performance that had seen him take the lead on the fourth lap, running ahead of Haslam, Sykes, with Byrne fourth from Laverty and Harris. Byrne moved third with five laps remaining while Haslam regained the race lead at the Esses, though having to ride hard to hold off Camier who was determined to hit back rapidly. The Ducati rider had to wait until the eighteenth lap, moving through at the Esses and at Russells Byrne nosed through, emerging in second place at the expense of Sykes and Haslam who ran straight on, dropping back to fifth. “Unbelievable this is an awesome result and I am really happy, and I am so pleased to have that first victory behind me,” reflected Camier while Byrne commented: “I made the move on Leon but I’d left it too late to make it stick.” The victory and second place at the Norfolk circuit lifted Camier into second place in the standings, 235-152 down on Byrne, with Crutchlow dropping to third overall on 151 points. Gary Mason powered in a winning Daily Star Cup double aboard his Quay Garage Honda to underline his credentials for a title challenge as he twice headed off series leading John Laverty. “These are great results for us as we are a low budget team and everyone is working so hard to keep us on track I’m really enjoying riding with the team,” enthused Mason who after racing in only two rounds is not fifth in the standings. Laverty leads 211-113 ahead of Tom Tunstall, fourth and third aboard the Hardinge Ice Valley Honda with Martin Jessopp twice fifth on his Honda on 109 points, five ahead of Leon Morris who finished third and fourth here. Results Bennetts British Superbike Championship round five Race One 20 laps 1.Leon Camier (Airwaves Ducati) 23m 13.162secs 2. Shane Byrne (Airwaves Ducati) +0.092s 3. Tom Sykes (Rizla Suzuki) +0.597s 4. Cal Crutchlow (HM Plant Honda) +1.026s 5. Leon Haslam (HM Plant Honda) +2.311s 6. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +2.872s 7. James Ellison (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) +6.050s 8. Karl Harris (Rob Mac Racing Yamaha) +6.437s 9. Michael Rutter (North West 200 Ducati) +16.842s 10. Simon Andrews (Lloyds British Jentin Racing) +19.540s Race Two 15 laps 1. Shane Byrne (Airwaves Ducati) 18m 41.592secs 2. Leon Camier (Airwaves Ducati) +2.433s 3. Cal Crutchlow (HM Plant Honda) +6.012s 4. Michael Rutter (North West 200 Ducati) +11.875s 5. Leon Haslam (HM Plant Honda) +14.527s 6. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +19.957s 7. Tom Sykes (Rizla Suzuki) +21.123s 8. Simon Andrews (Lloyds British Jentin Racing Yamaha) +21.162s 9. Tristan Palmer (Tena for Men Honda) +25.262s 10. James Ellison (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) +27.488s Championship standings 1. Shane Byrne (Airwaves Ducati) 235 2. Leon Camier (Airwaves Ducati) 152 3. Cal Crutchlow (HM Plant Honda) 151 4. Leon Haslam (HM Plant Honda) 118 5. James Ellison (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) 103 Next round Mallory Park, 27-28-29 June.