The final round of the 2007 Metzeler Racetec National Superstock championship at Brands Hatch saw a disappointing end to Ben Wilson’s season. He rode to a fine fifth place in the penultimate round on Saturday but was forced to retire with an engine failure in the final race on Sunday. Qualifying was a close run affair with less than a second covering the top 28 riders. Wilson, from Boston in Lincolnshire rode through to 14th place to secure a fourth row grid position for the start of the two races to be run on the short and technical 1.1986-mile Indy circuit with race one taking place on Saturday afternoon. As the lights went out Wilson was quick to get away and soon moved up into ninth position on the second of a scheduled 22 laps before forging further forward to seventh place on lap nine. But just as he moved up into sixth position the race was red flagged to allow an oil spillage to be cleared at Clearways. The race was re-run over 10 laps with the grid determined on race positions at the stoppage. Again Wilson made a lightening start and moved straight up into fourth place tagged onto the back of the leading trio. He became embroiled in a monumental battle for position with Steve Brogan and the pair rubbed shoulders as they argued over fourth place. Eventually Brogan overcame Wilson and in the dash to the flag held station to snatch fourth place away from him leaving Wilson to cross the finish line just a fraction of a second behind in fifth place. “I am pretty pleased with fifth although a little disappointed when the race was stopped as I had just made it up to sixth and was well on the way to moving further up field. I made the re-start from seventh and was just about to have a go at passing Kirkham when Brogan joined in the battle. That let Kirkham get away leaving me and Baywatch (Brogan) to have a bit of an elbowing session with me ending up on the grass at one stage!” Race two was a bitter disappointment to Wilson who made a fantastic start to take up fifth place in the leading group of riders. There were eight riders all together at the front with Ben in the thick of the action. But just as he was poised to make a pass on Kirkham he was seen to slow and drop back before pulling into the pits with an engine failure to the Windmill Suzuki K7. “I am really disappointed that the motor gave up on me,” said Wilson. “I was putting in some really fast lap times and was one of the quickest riders out there. But the engine developed a misfire and I had no option but to pull into the puts to retire.” When the final points were added to the table Wilson finished in seventh place, not quite where he wanted to be but a respectable end to the season in this highly competitive class and will now look at his options and begin to make his plans for the 2008 season. More, from a press release issued by Bennetts: King Kiyo is crowned Defending Bennetts British Superbike Champion Ryuichi Kiyonari secured his second consecutive series title in the opening race at Brands Hatch today. The Japanese rider passed the chequered flag in third position behind race winner Gregorio Lavilla and team-mate Jonathan Rea for a podium finish. It was enough to give him a 33-point advantage with just one race remaining in the ultra-competitive championship. Kiyonari was presented with his trophy by Bennetts-backed World Superbike Champion James Toseland. The Japanese rider will race for Toseland’s HANNspree Ten Kate Honda team next year in the Bennetts-supported Superbike World Championship when the British rider moves to MotoGP. The re-started 20-lap race two was a similar story with team-mate Rea finishing second after following double race winner Lavilla past the chequered flag. However, it was talented rookie Cal Crutchlow that completed the podium for the first time this season with newly-crowned Bennetts British Superbike Champion Kiyonari finishing in fourth. The two second-place finishes were enough to secure second position overall in the championship for Ulsterman Rea, who is also moving to HANNspree Ten Kate Honda next year to compete in World Supersport. Podium sweepstake winner The Bennetts podium sweepstake winner was also decided at Brands Hatch with Mark Shippey scooping the £250 prize. He has opted to donate his prize to the Chris Jones Memorial Fund. Race one result: 1. G. Lavilla 23:35.208; 2. J. Rea +2.499; 3. R. Kiyonari +3.390 Race two result: 1. G. Lavilla 15:22.873 ; 2. J. Rea +2.182; 3. C. Crutchlow +2.468 Championship standings: 1. R. Kiyonari 433; 2. J. Rea 407; 3. L. Haslam 387; 4. G. Lavilla 368; 5. S. Byrne 293; 6. T. Sykes 279; 7. C. Walker 235; 8. L. Camier 199; 9. C. Crutchlow 152; 10. T. Hill 138. More, from a press release issued by Steve Plater’s publicist: Steve Plater ended his season in the Bennetts British Superbike championship with AIM Yamaha in a positive vein after scoring two points finishes in the final round at Brands Hatch on Sunday. Plater, from Woodhall Spa in Lincolnshire qualified in 13th place for a fourth row start to Sundays two races and said: “I am disappointed really, as I was aiming for the third row. I got caught up in traffic on my first qualifying tyre but went a lot quicker on the second tyre although not quite quick enough to move to the third row, which is a shame. But on saying that it is better to start from the outside of the fourth row than the inside of row three and the good thing is that I am the top Yamaha on the grid.” With less than a second covering the top 14 riders the scene was set for some close and exciting racing around the short and tricky 1.1986-mile Indy circuit and when race one got underway at noon there was an air of anticipation amongst the huge crown that had gathered to watch the season finale. Plater got away to a good start and immediately moved into 12th place. His progress was halted by the pace car on lap 10 but when the car left the track he gained ground and went past fellow Yamaha rider Tommy Hill to claim 10th position. He made tracks towards Simon Andrews, reeling him in at a fast rate of knots and the pair crossed the finish line as one. But Andrews won the battle by a tyre tread to take ninth place with Steve claiming 10th. “Dunlop had a bit of a safety issue with tyres this weekend and decided to recall all the tyres we were intending to use in the races. It was the same for the whole paddock but the problem was that I had to go out in race one on a tyre I hadn’t used all weekend and it wasn’t on the warmers for long so I had to wait for three laps before I could push it. So all in all I was quite happy with the result really. The tyre issue wasn’t such a big deal, its better to be safe than sorry.” Race two saw Steve hold his 13th position until the race was red flagged after an oil spillage. The re-start was to be run over 20 laps and as proceedings got underway Plater moved forward to 12th place becoming embroiled in a battle with James Haydon and Michael Rutter. Although he got the better of Rutter he came back at him and regained 10th on the last lap leaving Steve to cross the finish line in 11th position. “I got a good start and got in a rhythm but it’s so hard to pass anyone on the Indy circuit. It was easy to run at the same pace but to make a pass is another story. “At the restart I entered into a race long battle with all the Kawasaki riders, Scott Smart, Michael Rutter and James Haydon and did pass Rutter a couple of times. I passed him again on the last lap going into Clearways but he managed to get on the throttle a bit earlier than me and beat me to the line. “But it was good to be the top Yamaha home again and also to have moved up a place in the points.” Steve ends his season in an overall position of 15th, although not as high up the order as hoped but is acceptable after spending much of the season on development work with the AIM Yamaha. Steve is due to race the Macau Grand Prix in November but a week prior to that he is to ride for the Phase One Endurance team as part of a three man team to contest the final round of the World Endurance championship in Qatar where his teammates will be Glen Richards and Warwick Nowland. Steve’s regular World Endurance team Kawasaki France with whom he has sealed the runner up spot in the series, has decided not to contest the final round leaving Steve free to ride in the eight-hour event for the Phase One Yamaha team on November 10. Following that he will travel directly to Macau to contest the Macau Grand Prix, which he won for AIM Yamaha in 2006. More, from a press release issued by Bridewell Brothers Racing: TOMMY’S BACK IN THE POINTS AT BRANDS…! Following on from his return to the sport at Donington Park three weeks ago, 19 year old Wiltshire rider Tommy Bridewell rounded off his 2007 season with a superb points scoring ride when the final round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship took place at Brands Hatch in Kent yesterday. Aboard the 1000cc Team NB Suzuki, the Etchilhampton near Devizes rider had a traumatic practice and qualifying session which saw him placed on the penultimate row of the grid but when race day arrived, Tommy came out fighting and in front of a massive crowd, battled his way through the field from his lowly starting position. Lap by lap, the former runner up in the Virgin Mobile Cup runner-up picked off the riders in front of him and with a fantastic effort in the closing stages, managed to claim 15th place and with it, his first championship point since the Snetterton meeting back in May. Race two was a slightly different proposition and Tommy was lucky not to get tangled up when a couple of riders crashed in front of him but he recovered to take 21st place out of the 33 starters and in doing so, ended a difficult 2007 season in fine style. “After Donington, I knew what I had to do to try to get back to my rightful place and although we struggled in qualifying, it came good on race day. I really enjoyed those races and I had a quiet word with Ollie beforehand and he told me what to do and to beleive in myself which I did and he was right. The best thing though, was the rolling burnout at the end of the second race, that’s how to do ’em boys! It’s been a tough old year but I’m glad I raced again and I’m really looking forward to next year although I’m not sure what or where I’ll be racing. I’d like to thank Team NB for all of their help and support this season so to Tony, Norris and the rest of the team, thanks for all you have done for me. Thanks also to mum, dad, Charlotte and Ollie also for their help, now let’s go party!” said Tommy afterwards. Brands Hatch also saw the poignant unveiling of the ‘Tribute Mini’ which has been built in memory of Ollie who lost his life at Mallory Park in July. The project was started by 21 year old Ollie and the bunch of friends that regularly frequent the Bridewell home and their adjacent Wayside Garage and after his accident, the family and group of friends pledged to finish it in time to take it to Brands and they were true to their word. The 1960’s original shell was transformed and the original power unit was replaced by a highly-tuned Yamaha R1 engine along with numerous other performance including lowered suspension, carbon fibre interior and a roll cage, at a cost of £20,000. Tommy and elder sister Charlotte did a demonstration lap in the Mini in front of Sunday’s record race day crowd and gained a standing ovation in the process. The car will now be used as a promotional vehicle for Ollie’s favoured charity, Cancer Research. More, from a press release issued by Jentin Racing/Lloyds British: Simon Andrews powered the Jentin Racing/Lloyds British Yamaha R1 to ninth place in the penultimate race of the 2007 Bennetts British Superbike campaign and just missed out on a points finish in the final race of the season after completing the shortened race in 16th position. Qualifying didn’t go quite to plan for Andrews but he posted a time sufficiently fast enough to secure a fifth row start to Sunday’s double-header. SIMON ANDREWS Although I am on the fifth row I am only 1.3 of a second away from pole and only half a second down on eighth place. My race tyres are a lot quicker so it will be a busy day for me tomorrow. If I can pick them off one a lap I can soon be up there. I am hoping for a couple of top tens but if we can get two top 12s from where we are on the grid then that will be a result. As it turned out Simon made a good start to the first race of the day on Sunday and soon moved through to 13th place on the opening lap. He then made his way past both Steve Plater and James Haydon on the following lap and began to pull clear of his pursuers and when Sykes fell at Graham Hill Bend he was promoted to 10th position. When the pace car was deployed it worked in Andrews’ favour as it allowed him to move nearer to the group ahead of him and as the car left the circuit he took the advantage to move ahead of Plater and headed off in pursuit of Michael Rutter someway ahead. But as the race wore on Plater got a second wind and reduced the gap to less than half a second. On the final lap he was right behind but Andrews managed to hold him off to be the first Yamaha rider to cross the finish line for ninth place and to pick up a further seven championship points. In an incident packed second race Andrews made a good start but his progress was thwarted when the red flag halted the race because of an oil spillage at Paddock Hill Bend. The race was re-run over 20 laps with Andrews powering the Jentin Racing/Lloyds British Yamaha R1 up into 12th place. But he was forced to drop back and completed the final race of the season in 16th place just outside the points. BERNIE TOLEMAN The weekend hasn’t turned out too bad for the team though qualifying was a little difficult for us as we had an off on Friday which put us a session behind. We were delighted with the first race result when Simon finished in a strong ninth position, which equalled our best finish of the year. But race two didn’t quite go our way. The race was red flagged because of an oil spillage and they kept us waiting on the line for an awful long time with engines running before the lights went out. That meant that in common with several of the other teams our bike overheated on the line. Simon had no choice but to start, but the engine got quite hot and never really cooled back down to a working temperature during the race so we were a little off-performance, which was a shame. But all in all, we were ninth in the first race, have finished the season in one piece and it’s been an eventful and very enjoyable year for all concerned. I would like to thank everyone who has been involved with Jentin Racing this year. This concludes the season for Jentin Racing/Lloyds British and having moved forward with bike development over the year the team will take a short break before returning to prepare for the new season in 2008. More, from a press release issued by Bennetts: Bennetts rider of the year Despite losing out on the 2007 Bennetts British Superbike Championship title, Leon Haslam has secured the “Bennetts Rider of the Year” award. Haslam secured the title as the fans’ favourite with more than 50 per cent of the vote for best BSB rider. The Airwaves Ducati rider has enjoyed a successful season, securing the first double win of his career in the Superbike Championship at his home track of Donington Park for the penultimate round of the 13-event series — putting himself back in title contention for the season finale at Brands Hatch yesterday. The 24-year-old “Pocket Rocket” has been associated with motorcycles since he was a baby when he used to travel with his father “Rocket” Ron, who was a GP rider for eight years. The Championship runner-up Jonathan Rea also came in close second for the fans’ favourite rider. The HM Plant Honda contender has enjoyed an impressive season with the factory team; he has learnt a lot in the 2007 Bennetts British Superbike Championship and this learning curve can only benefit him in next season’s races. Seven-time MotoGP Champion Valentino Rossi also featured heavily in the poll. The Italian topped the fans ideal pillion partner. Chris Walker finished third in the best BSB rider and the fans’ ideal pillion partner category. Although the 35-year-old finished just seventh in this year’s Bennetts British Superbike Championship, his result in the poll proves that you don’t have to be on top in the points standings to be popular with the fans. “This has been an incredibly close season,” says Bennetts Marketing Director, Mark Fells. “I can’t wait to see what the 2008 British Superbike season holds.” Final Results for 2007 Bennetts BSB Fans Rider if the Year: 1. Leon Haslam — Airwaves Ducati 2. Jonathan Rae — HM Plant Honda 3. Chris Walker — Rizla Suzuki Ideal pillion rider: 1. Valentino Rossi 2. Leon Haslam 3. Chris Walker More, from a press release issued by Bennetts: Bennetts 2007 circuit of the year Oulton Park has been named as the fans’ favourite circuit in polls conducted by Bennetts, the UK’s number one for bike insurance*, at this year’s Bennetts British Superbike Championship. The Cheshire track, which is owned by Motorsport Vision, topped the categories of BSB best circuit, best facilities and best for spectators, winning the title of Bennetts 2007 Circuit of the Year. Oulton has hosted international racing events since the early 1950s and the circuit is one of the most picturesque and historical in the country. It can now also pride itself on being Britain’s favourite track. Brands Hatch also featured heavily in all categories. The Kent circuit, which is also owned by Motorsport Vision, has a strong heritage dating back to the late Twenties. The venue, which was used for the opening and final rounds of the 2007 Bennetts British Superbike Championship narrowly missed out on the top spot for best facility and best for spectators to Oulton. Meanwhile, Donington Park emerged as the UK’s second best circuit for 2007. The Leicestershire track, which is owned by millionaire motoring enthusiast Tom Wheatcroft, has hosted international racing events since the early 1930s and is home to the British MotoGP. “It’s been an exciting season and we are pleased to announce Oulton Park as the overall winner of the Bennetts British Superbike poll.” says Bennetts Marketing Director, Mark Fells. “We are surprised at how close the voting was this year; these awards are special as they are voted for by the fans — the people that make this Championship successful.” Best circuit: 1. Oulton Park; 2.Donington Park; 3.Brands Hatch Best circuit for spectators: 1. Oulton Park; 2. Brands Hatch; 3. Donington Park Best circuit for facilities: 1. Oulton Park; 2. Brands Hatch; 3. Donington Park