Bennetts British Superbike Championship

Silverstone Circuit, England

September 8, 2018

Race One Results (all on Pirelli tires):

1. Leon Haslam, UK (Kawasaki), 30 laps, 54.327 seconds

2. Glenn Irwin, UK (Ducati), -0.171 second, 54.406

3. Tarran Mackenzie, UK (Yamaha), -0.608, 54.391

4. Josh Brookes, Australia (Yamaha), -0.651, 54.228

5. Jake Dixon, UK (Kawasaki), -1.067 seconds, 54.109

6. Jason O’Halloran, UK (Honda), -1.624, 54.482

7. Luke Mossey, UK (Kawasaki), -3.118, 54.443

8. Peter Hickman, UK (BMW), -3.131, 54.525

9. Gino Rea, UK (Suzuki), -7.701, 54.672

10. Tommy Bridewell, UK (Ducati), -8.367, 54.635

11. Andrew Irwin, UK (Ducati), -8.824, 54.543

12. Dan Linfoot, UK (Honda), -12.627, 54.632

13. Danny Buchan, UK (Kawasaki), -12.807, 54.633

14. Michael Laverty, UK (BMW), -13.422, 54.811

15. Christian Iddon, UK (BMW), -28.749, 54.809

16. Mason Law, UK (Kawasaki), -28.808, 55.111

17. Sylvain Barrier, France (BMW), -28.984, 54.930

18. Tom Neave, UK (Suzuki), -39.558, 55.555

19. Dean Harrison, UK (Kawasaki), -39.903, 55.375

20. Fraser Rogers (Kawasaki), -49.627, 56.057

21. Luke Hedger, UK (BMW), -1 lap, 56.262

22. Shaun Winfield, UK (Yamaha), -1 lap, 56.256

23. Martin Jessopp, UK (BMW), -7 laps, DNF, 55.675

24. James Ellison, UK (Yamaha), -13 laps, DNF, 55.010

25. Richard Cooper, UK (Suzuki), -16 laps, DNF, 54.439

26. Aaron Zanotti, UK (Kawasaki), -25 laps, DNF, 56.392

27. Bradley Ray, UK (Suzuki), -25 laps, DNF, 54.173

More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:

Haslam wins epic race one scrap as Irwin and Brookes confirmed in the Showdown

Leon Haslam clinched the opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship race win at Silverstone this afternoon in a high-speed duel with six different riders sharing the lead during the 30-lap thriller on the National circuit.

The race result also secured Glenn Irwin and Josh Brookes their places alongside Haslam and Jake Dixon in the Showdown, with the fight for the final two places inside the top six going down to the wire in tomorrow’s two races. Bradley Ray and Peter Hickman hold fifth and sixth currently with Danny Buchan, Christian Iddon and Jason O’Halloran still in with a shot of displacing them with a maximum 50 points still up for grabs.

At the start of the race Ray launched off the pole position to lead the pack from Dixon, Brookes and Glenn Irwin, but the Buildbase Suzuki rider crashed out unhurt at Becketts on the fourth lap which ended his hopes of securing his Showdown place early. The 21-year-old holds a 37 point margin over Buchan in seventh in the standings who could only finish 13th in today’s opening contest for FS-3 Racing Kawasaki.

Dixon had meanwhile resumed the lead from Brookes and Glenn Irwin, but soon the 2015 champion had moved into the lead for McAMS Yamaha and he had the edge with a decisive move at Brooklands.

He was soon under fire again though but it was from his McAMS Yamaha team-mate Tarran Mackenzie who proved he had the pace to match his more experienced rivals as he claimed the lead at the mid-stage of the race as the pair traded blows for the advantage.

Glenn Irwin was on the move and he then grabbed the lead on the Be Wiser Ducati as Haslam moved into third behind Mackenzie with Brookes dropped to fourth.

The positions were changing constantly in the leading pack and it was a raging battle between Glenn Irwin and Mackenzie for several laps with the pair changing positions every lap for the lead as Haslam closed in.

The JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider waited until the closing stages to make his move and he hit the front of the leading pack, but Glenn Irwin came back to regain the position, but on the final lap it was Haslam who held it to the chequered flag just 0.171s ahead of the Be Wiser Ducati despite his huge crash in free practice yesterday.

Mackenzie held on to third to celebrate his first podium in the premier class in only his rookie season ahead of his team-mate Brookes and Dixon who completed the top five for RAF Regular & Reserves Kawasaki.

Jason O’Halloran kept his Showdown hopes alive with a sixth place after holding off Luke Mossey on the second of the JG Speedfit Kawasakis and Peter Hickman, who held on to sixth place in the standings for Smiths Racing BMW, with a 12 point advantage over Buchan.

Gino Rea scored his best result of the season for the OMG Suzuki team in ninth ahead of Moto Rapido Ducati’s Tommy Bridewell.

Christian Iddon overcame a fractured collarbone in Datatag Qualifying to finish in 15th place in race one, with 22 points separating the Tyco BMW rider from sixth placed Hickman ahead of tomorrow’s decisive two races.

Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Silverstone, race one:

1.Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki)

2.Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati) +0.171s

3.Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) +0.608s

4.Josh Brookes (McAMS Yamaha) +0.651s

5.Jake Dixon (RAF Regular & Reserves Kawasaki) +1.067s

6.Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) +1.624s

7.Luke Mossey (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +3.118s

8.Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) +3.131s

9.Gino Rea (OMG Suzuki) +7.701s

10.Tommy Bridewell (Moto Rapido Ducati) +8.367s

Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings after Silverstone race one:

1.Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) 355

2.Jake Dixon (RAF Regular & Reserves Kawasaki) 241

3.Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati) 207

4.Josh Brookes (McAMS Yamaha) 187

5.Bradley Ray (Buildbase Suzuki) 159

6.Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) 134

7.Danny Buchan (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) 122

8.Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) 112

9.Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) 104

For more information visit www.britishsuperbike.com

Leon Haslam

(JG Speedfit Kawasaki)

Race one: 1st

“There weren’t many places to make the move as I was really struggling getting out on to the straights so that penalised me quite a bit as I didn’t get the drive. There were two or three places I felt really confident with the bike, but it wasn’t a matter of planning the move it was a case of taking it when I could.

“I had a big moment going into Brooklands trying to pass Glenn the lap before, so I was a bit unsure but made it stick. It was such a fun race. Honestly I didn’t know where the moves were going to come from – it felt like backstreet racing, pulling moves wherever you could!”

Glenn Irwin

(Be Wiser Ducati)

Race one: 2nd

“It’s been a bit of a scrappy weekend, but I felt pretty comfortable in the race and although second’s a good result, I obviously want to win. We’d all used most of our tyres by the end of the race and although I didn’t miss a gear going onto the straight on the last lap, it wasn’t the cleanest of shifts and that gave Leon his chance.

“I didn’t brake maybe as late as I could have done but I didn’t want to lose the podium either, so we’ll take second place today. I was only a fraction off the win again so hopefully we’ll get one soon and the main thing today was qualifying for the Showdown.”

Tarran Mackenzie

(McAMS Yamaha)

Race one: 3rd

First podium finish in Bennetts BSB

“I didn’t expect to lead at all! I didn’t get the best of starts, dropped back to sixth or seventh and had to come through them all.

“Once I got to third and was behind Jake and Brookes I felt really comfortable, so I made some moves and thought if I could lead one lap I’d be happy! The laps kept coming around and nobody was passing me so I just kept my head down.

“I got stuck in and tried to stay in the podium battle, when Josh passed me on the second to last lap I thought it was the last lap so when I came across the line I thought ‘thank goodness for that’ and made sure I got that podium!”

More, from a press release issued by  Be Wiser Ducati:

Podium Delight For Irwin As He Secures Showdown Slot

Glenn Irwin and the Be Wiser Ducati team got the ninth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship underway in fine style today at Silverstone with the Northern Ireland rider claiming an excellent second place in the opening race of the weekend which secured his spot in the title-deciding Showdown.

The Friday and Saturday free practice sessions saw mixed conditions and whilst the 28 year old was quickest this morning on the factory-backed Be Wiser Ducati Panigale R, he went into the Datatag Extreme Qualifying session fifth overall on the leaderboard.

Qualifying saw a continuation of the damp, cool weather with positions changing all the time in Q1 and although younger sibling and team-mate Andrew Irwin recorded the sixth fastest time to comfortably progress to Q2, Glenn only just scraped through in 18th. The track was drying out all the time and Glenn made no mistakes in Q3 where he impressed with the third quickest time putting him on the front row of the grid ahead of this afternoon’s race as Andrew took tenth to start from the fourth row.

Conditions were dry for the 30-lap race and after completing the opening lap in fourth place, Glenn moved up to third on lap four when early leader Bradley Ray crashed out. From that moment on, there were up to five riders disputing the lead and positions continued to change with the Carrickfergus rider hitting the front for the first time on lap 24.

Championship leader Leon Haslam was right on his tail, however, and positions again changed hands on the final lap, but it was Haslam that ultimately prevailed by just 0.171s but second place saw Glenn add three valuable podium credits to his season’s total for Paul Bird’s Lake District-based team.

Andrew, meanwhile, ran inside the top ten for the first two thirds of the race and was up to eighth at one stage before he started to run into tyre problems in the final third of the race. The lack of edge grip saw his lap times drop slightly and he slipped back to 11th at the chequered flag which saw him pick up five points to add to his tally.

Glenn Irwin: “It’s been a bit of a scrappy weekend with the weather, but I felt pretty comfortable in the race and although second’s a good result, I obviously want to win. We’d all used most of our tyres by the end of the race and although I didn’t miss a gear going onto the straight on the last lap, it wasn’t the cleanest of shifts and that gave Leon his chance. I didn’t brake maybe as late as I could have done but I didn’t want to lose the podium either, so we’ll take second place today. I was only a fraction off the win again so hopefully we’ll get one soon and the main thing today was qualifying for the Showdown.”

Andrew Irwin: “The weekend’s been pretty good so far but I’m a bit disappointed that I dropped back to 11th in the closing stages of the race. I had problems for the last ten laps, particularly through one corner on the track, and I couldn’t keep the pace I originally had. The gap to the leaders wasn’t very big at the end, which was pleasing, so I just need to work a bit more on managing the tyres and making them last the whole race. On the plus side, we get three races this weekend, so we’ll try a few changes in morning warm-up and aim for two top ten finishes tomorrow.”

Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “It’s a good start to the weekend and it’s good to secure our spot in the Showdown which was our number one objective at the beginning of the year. We can concentrate now on securing as many podium credits as possible and Glenn rode a good race although we perhaps could do with shutting the door a bit more on the final lap, so we finish on the top step. It’s all about experience and race craft and tomorrow’s another day with two more bites of the cherry. Andrew had a good ride too and, having just missed out on making it through to Q3, he got another solid result under his belt. It’s important to finish the races as that’s the best way to learn so we have some good data which will hopefully give us the opportunity to make a few changes and the important thing is that he keeps finishing in and around the top ten.”

More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing BSB Press Office:

HONDA RACING DUO FIGHT BACK IN OPENING BRITISH SUPERBIKE RACE

Honda Racing’s Dan Linfoot and Jason O’Halloran gallantly fought back in today’s opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship race, using the power of the CBR1000RR Fireblade over the 30 laps at Silverstone’s 1.64-mile National Circuit.

After vowing not to give up on a place in the Showdown, ‘The O’Show’ has been strong throughout practice and qualifying sessions. Easing his way through each of the qualifying stages, the Aussie started today’s first race of the triple-header weekend, from the third row of the grid in ninth place.

As the lights went out O’Halloran lost ground at the start and dropped back into 11th position. However consistent lap times mixed with good pace, saw ‘The O’Show’ catch the lead group and he crossed the line in sixth place. Making up ground the Aussie finished ahead of his three Showdown contender rivals and bolstered his championship points, where he’s now 30 points behind sixth place.

Dan Linfoot is back with the team for his first race since Brands GP having missed three rounds due to injury. Enjoying being back aboard the CBR, the Yorkshireman has made a strong comeback during Friday and today’s sessions.

Starting race one from 16th place and after contact with another rider at the first corner, he dropped back to 20th place. Working hard lap by lap, he fought back through the pack and took the chequered flag in 12th place.

The Honda Racing squad will now prepare the Fireblades for tomorrow’s remaining two BSB races, where the final two Showdown spots will be decided. Race two gets underway at 13.30 where O’Halloran will start from ninth and Linfoot 12th, with the final race of the day scheduled for 16.30.

#4

Dan Linfoot

I’m not pleased with today but I’m not really down about it either, I’m just relieved to get a race under my belt today as I’ve only finished four all year. That was the first thing to do and I learnt a lot during the race and over-took a few guys, so I got a bit of enjoyment and feeling back. I would like to have started further up in tomorrow’s first race, as I think if I could start in the top six-to-eight I’d stay there and fight with the guys, but I’m staring 12th so it will be difficult again, but hopefully I can make a better lap time and have a better race to push forward for the last outing. All the time my confidence is coming back more; I didn’t expect to return and win or be on the podium straight away – these guys are at a good level and have been riding all year so I had to manage my expectations a little before arriving here. I’m not jumping for joy and I’m not annoyed, I just want more.

#22

Jason O’Halloran

Today’s been a pretty good day really the race was good; we’ve got 30 laps under our belt and closed the gap to the Showdown top-six. I lost quite a bit of time at the start and had a bad feeling with grip over the first five-to-ten laps then it started to come back to me at the end. I was 3.5 seconds down at one point but came home 1.6 seconds behind, so we have the pace when I’ve got a good feeling, we’ve just got to improve that pace at the start so I’m not playing catch up. I think we can be very competitive tomorrow if we’re with the front guys at the start and not having to chase them towards the end. I think we’re not far away, we’re just missing something at the first part of the race, but if we can fix that then tomorrow we can be stronger again.

Havier Beltran

Team Manager

I’m really pleased to have Dan back with the team this weekend; obviously everyone is at the top of their game and Dan’s missed three rounds so of course it’s going to be difficult for him to match their pace. But I’m confident we can make progress tomorrow in the races, and I look forward to trying to achieve getting towards the podium. Today’s race was Jason’s 100th start, so congratulations to him and it was a great race for him. We lost out in the first three-to-four laps and the group got away, he did manage to close the gap down in the end, but it was basically too late in the race to make any big impact on it. But there’s progress there and hopefully we can learn from the data and the feedback, and improve for race two tomorrow.