James Rispoli and Shaun Winfield this weekend head south to the famous Brands Hatch Indy circuit for round three of the MCE British Superbike Championship, searching for their first points of the 2016 campaign
Following a difficult challenge last time out in Cheshire at Oulton Park, the Anvil Hire Yamaha duo of Rispoli and Winfield are out for revenge after just missing out on points at round two.
Last week saw both riders complete an extremely positive test at the Indy circuit, working on many different setup programmes. ‘The Rocket’ and Winfield completed over 100 laps around the shortest circuit on the calendar, with both riders making major steps forward with the setup of their Yamaha YZF-R1, sending them into this weekend high on confidence.
Rispoli, who last time out returned from a finger injury, is on the war path for his first points of his debut British Superbike season, after narrowly missing out at Oulton Park. The former AMA Supersport champion left the test with a smile on his face, and is confident ahead of the journey down South to the ‘Garden of England.’
The 1.2 mile Kent based circuit is a favourite of the 22-year-old Winfield, who after failing to finish both races at Oulton Park is determined to achieve his first points of his superbike career. ‘Munch’ also left the test pleased with what he, and his side of the garage worked on, and will be ready for action as he leaves pit lane on Friday morning.
Ahead of the weekend, an excited James ‘The Rocket’ Rispoli said: “We feel really prepared for this weekend after the test last week. We were able to try a few things electronically and we really saw the bikes potential. Heading into this weekend we feel we can get back to where we need to be as far as position wise, but we need to put a solid weekend together, and try and get back into Q3.
“You’ve got to have power at Brands Indy, and you need to have roll speed, and I think it will suit the R1 but it will suit the other 25 bikes. We should do a lot better here but that being said we have to continue the work we are doing and put in the best job we can. I do feel a lot better and more confident coming into this round, because just even a few laps on the bike around the track mentally puts you up to speed.
“Brands Indy is going to be a really tough weekend because it’s so tight, and the track brings out 0.5 of a second covering 25 riders, so for us we need to be on our A game and achieve good clean laps. The track doesn’t lead to a lot of passing at the speed you need to be at, so we need to get a good start and roll with the boys.
“The goals don’t change, we want to around the top ten, we want to be in Q3 and of course we want to be the top Yamaha. Job number one is to put together a good bike, job number two is to put in a solid qualifying and job number three is two solid finishes.”
Determined for much more at Brands Hatch, Shaun Winfield added: “I’m really excited for this weekend, I have put Oulton Park completely behind me and I’m already desperate to get out on track. Last week’s test was really productive, we tested a lot and found the best direction to go in for the weekend.
“Points are fully in my sights this weekend, and I’m focussed on getting in the top 15 which is certainly achievable. Brands Hatch is a circuit I enjoy, and I really enjoy going to the Indy circuit, so to say I’m excited is an understatement. I’m going to be fully focussed, and I’m certainly ready for the challenge.”
Finally, Team Manager Gary Winfield summerised: “We’re looking forward to this weekend at the Brands Hatch Indy circuit. Our test went really well there last week and we got a lot of track time, which was what both James and Shaun needed. The test saw us make steps forward with the setup of the bike, and we know the direction both riders need to go in from Friday morning, so we will be ready to attack from the off.
“Points are on the radar for us, we have prepared well and hopefully both riders can come back with two great results on Sunday.”