Challenging Thruxton For Byrne And Irwin
Round seven of the 2017 MCE British Superbike Championship proved challenging for Be Wiser Ducati Racing Team riders Shane Byrne and Glenn Irwin who couldn’t muster a podium between them but at least Byrne retained the series lead following the action at Thruxton.
With Saturday’s qualifying session proving disappointing for Paul Bird’s Penrith-based team, both riders were keen to make amends on race day and Shakey went into the races in a lot better frame of mind having been quickest in the morning warm-up session.
The five-times and defending champion from Sittingbourne made a good start in race one from row two of the grid aboard the factory-backed Be Wiser Ducati Panigale R and was soon involved in the battle for the lead. Following a safety car intervention, Byrne continued to dispute the lead with Josh Brookes, Peter Hickman and Jake Dixon but try as he might he wasn’t able to get close enough to make a pass and he had to settle for fourth at the end of the 18 laps.
Byrne started the second race from the front row and he ran comfortably inside the top three for the first half of the race, including leading for three laps. However, as the race entered the second half, it was clear he was in trouble as problems with the rear tyre saw him drop down the order and he eventually pulled in to retire on lap 15.
It wasn’t any better for team-mate Glenn Irwin who, having finished a disappointing 20th in qualifying, was also hoping to turn things around on race day and a top ten position in the morning warm-up gave him confidence.
However, after taking avoiding action following Billy McConnell crashing out in the early stages, the Carrickfergus rider could only manage 20th place at the end of the 18-lap race. Starting race two from 14th on the grid, Irwin battled hard and despite carrying the legacy of his Knockhill injuries still, he eventually took a solid ninth place at the end of 18 hard fought laps, although a penalty for exceeding track limits saw him relegated to 11th.
Shane Byrne: “I’ve been building up to this weekend ever since Knockhill and it’s probably been the meeting I’ve been looking forward to the most especially after what we achieved here in 2016. The last two meetings have gone really well and we expected more of the same here so I was obviously disappointed with fourth in race one. We made a big change with the bike for the second race and it was the best it had been all weekend. I felt so, so comfortable and was ready to check out but then the rear tyre went downhill rapidly and I couldn’t do anything about it. I had no option but to retire but I’m still leading the championship and have only lost the odd point to my rivals in terms of Podium Points so we’ll roll on to the next round.”
Glenn Irwin: “There’s not much to say about the first race but we turned the bike upside down for race two and went back to last year’s settings which certainly helped and at least I could get stuck in. I was still having problems with grip as a lot of riders were because it’s so fast and abrasive around here but at least it’s a step forward and closer to where we need to be. I’m getting stronger and fitter all the time so I’m confident we’ll be able to give an even better account of ourselves next time out.”
Phil Borley, Technical Director: “It’s not been the meeting we hoped for and we have not got the results we wanted. Having been so strong here in 2016, we’ve struggled this time around and will need to look into why the tyre life just wasn’t there this time around. The advantage we had in 2016 was a disadvantage in 2017 although Shakey did a good job in race one to take fourth, we didn’t score any Podium Points but we’re still in a strong position in terms of the championship. Glenn didn’t have a good setting in race one which affected the rear tyre even more but we made a lot of changes for race two and it was good to see him back inside the points and challenging for the positions that we know he should.”
MCE British Superbike Championship race one (18 laps)
1 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
2 Peter Hickman (BMW)
3 Jake Dixon (Kawasaki)
4 Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati)
5 Christian Iddon (BMW)
6 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
20 Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati)
MCE British Superbike Championship race two (18 laps)
1 Peter Hickman (BMW)
2 Jake Dixon (Kawasaki)
3 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
4 Christian Iddon (BMW)
5 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
6 Martin Jessopp (BMW)
11 Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati)
DNF Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati)
Championship standings (after seven rounds)
1 Byrne 203pts
2 Haslam 184
3 Hickman 164
4 Mossey 161
5 O’Halloran 154
= Brookes 154
11 Irwin 70
For more information, please visit www.pbmuk.net or www.pbmuk.net
More, from a press release issued by RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki:
Superb second and third place finishes for Dixon at Thruxton
Jake Dixon gave the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki team plenty to cheer about at Thruxton at the weekend, venue for round seven of the 2017 MCE British Superbike Championship, when he followed up his maiden pole position with two superb second and third place finishes in Sunday’s two races.
The 21-year old signalled his intentions for the weekend as early as Friday afternoon when he topped the second free practice session with a lap of 1m14.716s but he really shone in Saturday afternoon’s qualifying when a stunning lap of 1m14.052s, some eight tenths of a second inside the lap record, saw him claim his first ever BSB pole position.
It put him and the team in confident mood for Sunday’s two races as practice had shown they had good race pace too and the Ashby-resident completed the first lap of the opening 18-lap race ahead of the chasing pack. He soon opened up a small gap over the rest of the field but that was taken away when the safety car came out for six laps. That meant the race became a straight fight over nine laps and he found himself pushed back to third by Peter Hickman and Josh Brookes. Try as he might he was unable to make any overtaking manoeuvres but third place was still an excellent result.
Starting the second race from the front row once more, this time third place, the race followed a similar pattern as he again led in the early stages. Although by half race distance he’d been pushed back to fourth, it was still close and Shane Byrne soon dropped back as he ran into tyre problems. That promoted Jake back up the order to third and when race leader Brookes crashed out on the penultimate lap, he was back into second which is where he finished. With 36 points from the two races, Jake’s now in seventh overall and only 18 points adrift of the final Showdown position.
Team-mate Jordan Weaving, having his first outing at the circuit on a 1000cc machine, had a tougher weekend unfortunately in the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship after a number of problems during practice and qualifying including a crash in the former. It all meant he started Saturday’s 17-lap race from 32nd on the grid and he was ultimately forced to retire on the twelfth lap. Unfortunately, luck again deserted him on Sunday and had to retire once more from the second race.
Jake Dixon: “I was obviously delighted with pole position and felt confident for the races but in the first one we were definitely hindered by the safety car. With the Kawasaki, you can’t let the tyres cool down too much but with six laps behind the safety car that’s exactly what happened. When we got going again, they’d cooled down a bit too much and my plan of getting away in the early stages was dashed although I was still pleased with third.”
“It felt really good to go one better in the second race and with 36 points from the weekend I’ve got to be happy. I tried to be strong again at the beginning of the race when the tyre was at its best but the others had that little bit extra towards the end whilst Josh’s crash obviously gifted me a place I wasn’t expecting. Peter rode a great race so hats off to him and a massive thanks to all the team who’ve worked so hard to get both me and the bike all ready for the weekend.”
Lee Hardy, Team Owner: “Jake was in great form all weekend and we didn’t make many changes to the bike all weekend as it was working well with both the SC0 and SC1 tyres. His pace was excellent on both a single lap in qualifying and over longer distances so, after Jake brilliantly claimed his first ever BSB pole position, we were quietly confident going into the races. As Jake said, the safety car came at the wrong time for us in the first race although third place was still an extremely strong result given the standard of competition in BSB.”
“He made a superb start again in race two just as we expected although he didn’t quite have the pace of a couple of the other riders on this occasion as they stretched things out a little bit. Jake tried to conserve the tyre as best he could and whilst it was unfortunate for both Josh and Shakey, Jake capitalised on their misfortune and 36 points is a great haul at this stage of the season. For Jordan, his first time at Thruxton on a 1000cc machine was a bit of a baptism of fire and after a problem with the front fork and a crash in free practice, he was on the back foot. He struggled with a lack of track time more than anything and starting from so far back on the grid was a massive task in both races.
The meeting was overshadowed by an accident in Sunday’s Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship race which sadly claimed the life of Mark Fincham and everyone from the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki team would like to pass on their condolences to all of Mark’s family and friends.
The next round takes place at Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire on August 18-20.
MCE British Superbike Championship Standings (after seven rounds)
1 Shane Byrne (Ducati) 203pts
2 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki) 184
3 Peter Hickman (BMW) 164
4 Luke Mossey (Kawasaki) 161
5 Jason O’Halloran (Honda) 154
6 Josh Brookes (Yamaha) 154
7 Jake Dixon (RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki) 136
Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship (after eight rounds)
1 Danny Buchan (Kawasaki) 261pts
2 Richard Cooper (Suzuki) 241
3 Michael Rutter (BMW) 177
4 Chrissy Rouse (BMW) 153.5
5 Mason Law (Kawasaki) 111
6 Adam Jenkinson (BMW) 103.5
13 Jordan Weaving (Briggs Equipment Kawasaki) 50
More, from a press release issued by Batham’s SMT Racing:
More podium success for Rutter
Bridgnorth’s Michael Rutter was competing at Thruxton, Hampshire at the weekend in both the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship and MCE British Superbike Championship races with the Bathams/SMT Racing rider taking his eighth Superstock podium of the season.
It was an extremely busy weekend for Michael and the team but the Superstock 1000 class saw the 45-year old qualify in an excellent second place for Saturday’s 17-lap race and with his trademark lightning start, he grabbed the lead immediately. On lap five, Richard Cooper took over the lead and from that moment on it was a three-way battle for the win between the Suzuki rider, Michael and Championship leader Danny Buchan.
Buchan pushed Michael back to third at half race distance only to have a big slide and relinquish the spot soon after but on lap 13 the order changed once more with Buchan leading from Michael and Cooper. The latter relegated Michael back to third a lap later and when he had a slide, it meant Buchan edged away to eventually win from Buchan with Michael a close third.
Starting Sunday’s second race from fourth on the grid, Michael led initially before being pushed back to second but the race was red flagged on the fifth lap and eventually restarted over the shorter distance of eight laps. Once again he grabbed an early lead until Adam Jenkinson relegated him to second on lap three and it was a six-rider battle all the way to the end. On this occasion, a last lap, last corner sort out saw Michael pushed back to fourth but the results still meant he retained his third place overall in the Championship table.
To add to an already busy weekend, Michael competed in both of the MCE British Superbike Championship races and after qualifying in an excellent twelfth place, both he and the team were quietly confident of scoring some points despite the highly competitive field. He occupied the same position for much of the opening 18-lap race but luck deserted him as he was forced to retire with just two laps to go. Further technical issues in the second race again denied him.
Michael Rutter: “I tried to be careful with the tyres in the first Stock 1000 race and felt I had the pace to have a real good go towards the end but Richard had a big slide in front of me and we both lost ground to Danny. I tried to go again but was lacking a bit of grip and with a good gap to the riders behind me, I brought the bike home for a good third. I was happy to be up there again disputing the win in the second but the final chicane comes down to who’s bravest on the brakes and I wasn’t quite as late as the others and so just missed out on the podium.”
“As for the Superbike class, I really enjoyed being back out there and felt like I was holding my own in the points but we’ve had such little time on the bike, we didn’t quite have the fuelling right. In the first race, it meant I couldn’t get the power down smoothly and subsequently the tyres went off quicker than expected. I’d also been struggling a little bit with the throttle connection and that was ultimately what led me to pull in early on in the second race. Everyone else has been working with their Superbikes all year so we’re a long way behind but it’s been a valuable weekend and a great learning curve so a massive thanks to all the team in what’s certainly been a busy, hectic weekend.”
The next meeting takes place in two weeks time at Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire on August 18-20.
Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship race one (17 laps)
1 Danny Buchan (Kawasaki)
2 Richard Cooper (Suzuki)
3 Michael Rutter (Bathams/SMT Racing BMW)
4 Alex Olsen (Suzuki)
5 James Rispoli (Kawasaki)
6 Chrissy Rouse (BMW)
Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship race two (8 laps)
1 Richard Cooper (Suzuki)
2 Adam Jenkinson (BMW)
3 Danny Buchan (Kawasaki)
4 Michael Rutter (Bathams/SMT Racing BMW)
5 Alex Olsen (Suzuki)
6 Josh Elliott (BMW)
Championship Standings (after eight rounds)
1 Buchan 261pts
2 Cooper 241
3 Rutter 177
4 Rouse 153.5
5 Law 111
6 Jenkinson 103.5
More, from a press release issued by Smiths Racing BMW:
Debut British Superbike Victory For Smiths At Thruxton
Gloucester-based Smiths Racing BMW were in action at their local Thruxton circuit this weekend for round seven of the MCE British Superbike Championship taking place at the Hampshire venue and Peter Hickman gave them plenty to cheer about as he won the second race, the first ever BSB victory for the team. There was further joy too for team-mate Lee Jackson as he took his best finish of the year with an excellent seventh in race two.
Hickman had been quick throughout free practice on Friday and Saturday on the Smiths Racing BMW S1000RR and the Louth rider capitalised on his excellent form during qualifying yesterday afternoon when he recorded the third fastest time on his single Superpole lap, enabling him to start the first 18-lap race from the front row of the grid.
A good start saw him immediately move into second and from that moment on he disputed the lead with Josh Brookes, Jake Dixon and Shane Byrne. Hicky was never out of the top two positions and led from laps nine to 15 and although Brookes relegated him to second, he successfully held off the challenge of Dixon to deservedly claim his and the team’s first BSB podium of 2017.
The 30 year old started the second race from pole position, the first of his career, and was never outside of the top three all race. Leading from laps nine to 13, he had to give second best to Australian Brookes when he came by on lap 14 and it looked like he’d take his second runner-up spot of the day. However, Brookes dramatically crashed on the penultimate lap and Peter grabbed the opportunity with both hands to take his first win of the season and give Alan and Rebecca Smith their maiden BSB victory. The results also saw him leap up the championship table to third overall.
Team-mate Jackson was also in good form during practice but was disappointed to have lapped three tenths of a second slower in qualifying and only line up in 19th on the grid for the first encounter. Starting from the seventh row of the grid, the 21 year old from Lincoln dropped back to 20th in the early stages but in the second half of the race he steadily moved forward and his determined riding was rewarded with 14th place and two more hard-earned championship points.
His efforts saw him line up in 11th place for race two and by half race distance he moved up into the top ten for the first time. He was part of a big battle disputing sixth place and although Martin Jessopp claimed the position on the final lap, Lee was right in his wheel tracks in seventh for his best result of the 2017 season.
Peter Hickman: “I’m obviously delighted to have taken my first win and podiums of the season but even more delighted to give the Smiths team their first ever BSB win. It’s absolutely mega for all of us and although it’s a small, family-run team everyone works so hard and it’s brilliant for them to be rewarded for all their efforts. I felt comfortable out front in race one, although it’s never easy setting the pace but I was over the moon with second place. Race two followed a similar pattern and although Jake got by me at one stage, I could see his rear tyre was used more than mine so knew he wouldn’t be a problem although Josh was obviously more of a threat. It’s a shame he crashed out but that’s racing and hats off to my guys, they’ve got the bike set up so well which makes my life a lot easier. A first and second place means it’s been a brilliant day and third place overall now is the icing on the cake.”
Lee Jackson: “It’s been a bit of a mixed weekend at what’s normally one of my strongest tracks and I was a bit downhearted after qualifying. We had a good think about things on Saturday night and although 14th might not look great on paper, I was pleased to have fought my way through the pack from P19 on the grid. It meant I had a much better starting position for race two which is a huge help as you don’t get duffed up as much on the first lap! The team made some more changes to the bike and I was able to get my best finish of the year so I can’t thank the team enough. It’s my home round next so hopefully I’ll be able to put in a strong performance there too.”
Rebecca Smith, Team Manager: “I’m almost lost for words and I can’t thank everyone in the team enough. Pete’s on a fantastic run at the moment and been knocking on the door of results like today for some time now so it’s great to see it all finally come together. We always knew he was capable of it and it’s been a weekend of so many firsts – our first front row, our first pole position and our first win – so with some strong circuits coming up, hopefully it’s just the beginning. Hats off too to Lee, he never stops working and it’s great to see him rewarded today. We know what results he can achieve and with Cadwell next up, this should give him a lot of confidence going into his home round.”
MCE British Superbike Championship race one (18 laps)
1 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
2 Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW)
3 Jake Dixon (Kawasaki)
4 Shane Byrne (Ducati)
5 Christian Iddon (BMW)
6 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
14 Lee Jackson (Smiths Racing BMW)
MCE British Superbike Championship race two (20 laps)
1 Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW)
2 Jake Dixon (Kawasaki)
3 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
4 Christian Iddon (BMW)
5 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
6 Martin Jessopp (BMW)
7 Lee Jackson (Smiths Racing BMW)
Championship standings (after seven rounds)
1 Byrne 203
2 Haslam 184
3 Hickman 164
4 Mossey 161
5 O’Halloran 154
= Brookes 154
17 Jackson 35
Round seven of the MCE British Superbike Championship takes place at Cadwell Park over the weekend of 18/20 August and for further information, please visit www.smithsracing.co.uk and www.smithsracing.co.uk
More, from a press release issued by Morello Racing:
First and third sees Buchan and Morello Racing maintain Championship lead
The Morello Racing Kawasaki team were back in Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship action at the weekend with round eight of the series taking place at the high-speed Thruxton circuit in Hampshire and first and third place finishes saw Danny Buchan maintain his Championship lead.
The Basildon rider showed his class in qualifying with a superb pole position on the Kawasaki ZX-10R although, as previous rounds, he was ready for a battle with season-long rivals Richard Cooper and Michael Rutter. Indeed, that’s how Saturday’s race panned out with positions frequently changing, Danny battling back after a huge slide mid-race. He grabbed the lead on lucky lap 13 and promptly opened up a gap to eventually take his eighth win of the season by 1.1s from Cooper with Rutter a close third.
Starting Sunday’s race from third on the grid, Danny slotted into third in the early stages but the race was red flagged on lap five and re-started over the shorter distance of eight laps. In the re-run, Danny dropped back to fifth but with two laps remaining he managed to start moving forward and he was eventually rewarded with third place and another podium although Cooper’s win saw him cut the points gap to 20.
Team-mate Fraser Rogers again found the going slightly tougher with his 11th place in qualifying just over a second slower than Buchan’s but the Chippenham rider improved to ninth place in the first encounter around the high-speed Hampshire circuit. He had to start Sunday’s race again from the fourth row but from the slightly lower position of twelfth and although he couldn’t climb as high as what he had done the day before, he still took another top ten finish in ninth to maintain his seventh place overall in the Championship table.
Danny Buchan: “It was great to start the weekend with a win and I was mindful of the fact that the rain wasn’t too far away so tried to lead across the line but I had a huge moment mid-race and lost a bit of ground so it gave me work to do. I’d worked out some good line during practice and qualifying though and stayed patient, making sure I looked after the tyres and the bike was working really well so got back to the front again and it all came good.”
“I was disappointed with third in the second race though and the shorter format worked against me. I had the tyre for a longer race but got held up by another rider and when I got back ahead, the front riders had got a bit of a gap. I managed to get back up to third to maintain a reasonable gap in the Championship and I’ve got some good tracks coming up so I’m looking forward to the next round.”
Fraser Rogers: “It’s been another tough weekend and it doesn’t matter what I’ve tried, I just haven’t been able to go any quicker or get close to the front pack. The team and I have been looking at the data and changing all sorts but I seem to have been going around in circles. It’s obviously frustrating as I want to be finishing on the podium and running with Danny but we’ll keep our heads down and keep working hard.”
Steve Buckenham, Team Owner: “Overall, we’re happy with first and third for Danny and although the lead has been cut back to 20 points, it’s still twenty points which we’ll take at this stage of the season. The first race was textbook from Danny but unfortunately in the second he got held up and with so few laps, it wasn’t possible to get back to the front which we were confident would have happened if had been a full race distance. For Fraser, it was a bit of a frustrating weekend again and we’re all working really hard to get him back at the sharp end so we’ll keep pushing on and see what happens next time out.”
Round nine of the series takes place at Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire on August 18-20.
Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship race one (17 laps)
1 Danny Buchan (Morello Racing Kawasaki)
2 Richard Cooper (Suzuki)
3 Michael Rutter (BMW)
4 Alex Olsen (Suzuki)
5 James Rispoli (Kawasaki)
6 Chrissy Rouse (BMW)
9 Fraser Rogers (Morello Racing Kawasaki)
Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship race two (16 laps)
1 Richard Cooper (Suzuki)
2 Adam Jenkinson (BMW)
3 Danny Buchan (Morello Racing Kawasaki)
4 Michael Rutter (BMW)
5 Alex Olsen (Suzuki)
6 Josh Elliott (BMW)
9 Fraser Rogers (Morello Racing Kawasaki)
Championship standings (after eight rounds)
1 Buchan 261pts
2 Cooper 241
3 Rutter 177
4 Rouse 153.5
5 Law 111
6 Jenkinson 103.5
7 Rogers 97.5
More, from a press release issued by Tyco BMW:
TOP SIX BRACE KEEPS IDDON WELL IN BSB HUNT
Following his podium last time out at Brands Hatch, Tyco BMW rider Christian Iddon posted a brace of top six finishes [5th and 4th] today at Thruxton, during round seven of this year’s British Superbike Championship.
It keeps the BMW Motorrad supported Tyco BMW rider well in the hunt for a Showdown position, despite missing two rounds through injury. His BSB rookie team-mate Andy Reid continued his development process in the class, enjoying his place in Qualifying 2 for the first time, despite finishing just outside the points in today’s two races.
Tyre wear proved to be the troublesome factor for all riders at the famously abrasive Andover circuit, and despite not adding to his BSB podium tally this time around, Iddon was upbeat afterwards.
Christian Iddon #24: “Fifth and fourth are reasonably strong results, compared to where we were here last year. I’ve been pretty hard work for the team this weekend, as I knew the situation we were probably going to be in with tyres. It’s frustrating as I know I have the speed but it’s a racetrack where even if you have that speed, it doesn’t necessarily mean a lot. It felt like we were in a second tier race, where the first riders were running soft tyres so they had a double whammy of speed. I did everything I could to be at the front of that second tier. In race one we were at the front of that in fifth, then in race two we were fourth and just missed that podium.”
During only his third race weekend on the Tyco BMW S1000RR, Andy Reid continued to make good progress and improved his lap times and the gap to that all-important top 15, points’ scoring finish. But the Ulsterman is learning his trade and made Q2 for the first time this weekend, which is progress in itself, in the hotly contested BSB championship.
In the Superstock 1000 class, following some early set-up issues, Josh Elliott made great strides and showed good form claiming the fastest lap in race two and a top six finish from a P12 grid position.
Andy Reid #18: “Another round and another load of laps under my belt on the Tyco BMW. We showed some good pace and progress closing that gap to the main group and those point scoring places. I enjoyed the first race despite just missing out on points; then in race two, I got a lot of spin with tyre wear, which got gradually worse towards the end of the race. Despite this, we ended the weekend strong. Once again thank you to the Tyco BMW team and all my sponsors for their support.”
Josh Elliott #10: “It was great to finish the weekend on a positive note with the fastest lap of the race and a solid finishing position. We were struggling with set-up all weekend trying to find more rear grip, and we finally found something that worked come the final race. This is just my third race back on the Tyco BMW Superstock 1000cc machine and I think we’re getting closer to the front-runners every race, so it will be nice to progress further at the next round in two weeks’ time at Cadwell Park.”
Philip Neill – Team Manager: “Thruxton is a very unique circuit and rider input is perhaps more relevant than at any other BSB venue. With everything considered, we are happy with the performance from each of our riders today and with the performance of the Tyco BMW S1000RR.
In Superbike there now appears to be a solid group of riders who will battle for the championship showdown positions and with Christian now fully recovered from his injuries, we hope to mount a strong challenge over the next two rounds, for our place in the championship’s deciding rounds.
Andy has once again showed impressive progression throughout practice and racing this weekend and he should be very proud of the company he is now mixing it with. Taking into consideration it is only his fifth outing on a Superbike.
Josh delivered another strong performance this weekend in a very competitive Superstock class. It is surely only a matter of time before he steps back onto the podium where both he and the Tyco BMW S1000RR belong.
Sadly we witnessed another racing tragedy today, our thoughts are currently with the family and friends of Mark Fincham.”
More, from a press release issued by Bennetts Suzuki:
Cooper takes Superstock win with Guintoli eighth on Thruxton debut for Bennetts Suzuki
Bennetts Suzuki’s Richard Cooper added another win to his season’s tally at Thruxton and the seventh round of the MCE British Superbike championship, while teammate Sylvain Guintoli took a solid eighth placed finish on his first visit to the circuit.
Cooper, who finished second in yesterday’s race, went one better onboard his GSX-R1000 in today’s race, to take the win and reduce his deficit at the top of championship standings. However, celebrations were muted, following a crash that brought out the red flags and an early end to the race.
In the two British Superbike races, Sylvain Guintoli and the team made more progress with the new GSX-R1000 at a track new to the Frenchman this season. The former World Superbike champion finished 10th in race one, before improving to eighth in race two, knocking over half a second off his lap times to highlight the steps the team is making.
His teammate, Taylor Mackenzie, finished 13th in the first race after a mistake on the final lap, dropping him down from 11th, before missing race two due to a technical issue before the sighting lap. Michael Dunlop used the weekend to gain more track time on his GSX-R1000 superbike ahead of the Ulster Grand Prix, but retired from race one before sitting out race two.
Richard Cooper, “It’s good to go one better today and get the win, and also take a few more points away from Danny. The bike was working well weekend. We had really good pace, and really I’d have liked to have won both races this weekend because I think we could have. But on the whole, it’s been a good weekend. However, tonight, thoughts are with the family of Mark Fincham after the sad news we all received after the race.”
Sylvain Guintoli, “It was my first visit to Thruxton and it’s a very different place, different type of track, even from other British tracks. It’s very fast and bumpy, with lots of sliding and spinning. It was a different experience for me, also coming back from the Suzuka 8-Hour. But I adjusted quickly and learned the track quite well, and we made good progress this weekend. We started quite far down the grid in each race but were able to make up some positions. Our pace was not such that we could race at the very front but we improved our lap times and will continued to work and develop the bike try and end the seasons strongly.”
Taylor Mackenzie, “It was quite a positive race one. From 18th on the grid I would have been happy with 11th. I got mugged on the last lap after a mistake and 13th reads a lot worse, but 11th would have been a decent result. The hope was to then push on again in race two and get a good result in the bag and get into the top-10. But again, we’ve had some bad luck with an issue just before we went out that the team will now go away and look at and find out what caused it. We just need a break because we know the potential is there.”
Team manager, Steve Hicken, “It’s been a more positive weekend for the team, on the whole. Cooper rode really hard. To be honest, I think he could have won Saturday’s race, but he went out there today and winning was all he’d have been happy with, and we’ve taken some more points out of Danny [Buchan] at the top of the championship. But, of course, it was in circumstances that no one wants to see, and all of our thoughts are with the family of Mark Fincham tonight.
“In Superbike, it’s been better, too. With Sylvain, our pace improved all weekend and they’re two solid results. It’s still not where we want to be, but we made some steps in the right direction again this weekend, improved our lap times, and learned more about the bike. Taylor had good race pace and it should have been 11th in race one before his mistake. In race two, we had an issue before the sighting lap and unfortunately he didn’t make the start. But his race pace was good this weekend.
“For Michael, this weekend was all about keeping sharp and keeping up to speed on the bike before the Ulster, and a chance to spend more time learning and developing before the Ulster next week.”
Superstock 1000 race result: 1. Richard Cooper, 2. Adam Jenkinson, 3. Danny Buchan.
Superbike race one result: 1. Josh Brookes, 2. Peter Hickman, 3. Jake Dixon, 10. Sylvain Guintoli, 13. Taylor Mackenzie.
Superbike race two result: 1. Peter Hickman, 2. Jake Dixon, 3. Leon Haslam, 8. Sylvain Guintoli, DNS. Taylor Mackenzie, DNS. Michael Dunlop.
More, from a press release issued by Gearlink Kawasaki:
Gearlink Kawasaki
Thruxton – Round 7
Dickies British Supersport
Despite some fantastically close racing at the ultra-fast Thruxton circuit over the weekend the Gearlink Kawasaki pair of Andrew Irwin and Ben Currie were unable to secure a podium despite coming so close. At round seven of the Dickies British Supersport Championship, Andrew Irwin gained a fifth and fourth place. Ben Currie was forced to retire from race one with a technical problem and he was sixth in race two.
Andrew Irwin was struggling with set-up throughout the weekend and was only able to qualify in 10th place for the opening Sprint race on Saturday. He got a great start but the race was red flagged due to an oil spillage and re-started not long after. Another great start saw Andrew up to fourth at the end of lap one. Thruxton always produces some of the best racing on the calendar and the Sprint race did not disappoint. The top eight were swapping positions on every lap and at one point Andrew took to the front of the pack. On lap six he was down to sixth but that soon changed quickly and he was fighting for a podium but in the final corner, he had a coming together with Joe Francis, he managed to stay on but was forced to finish in sixth.
For race two he started from the front row in third, a good start saw him up to second at the end of lap one behind Jack Kennedy. Once again it was an adrenaline filled race and at one point Andrew slipped back to seventh but he was soon back making some impressive moves down the back straight into the chicane. He had lined up a podium position and the win but sadly he got nudged slightly by Keith Farmer on the final turn on the last lap and had to settle for fourth.
Ben Currie was really riding strong throughout the practice and qualifying sessions. He started from sixth place for race one but sadly the race was short lived for the young Australian and a technical problem forced him to retire.
Without securing one fast lap he had to start from 12th in race two on Sunday, he got a great start and was up to seventh at the end of the opening lap. He was involved in the eight bike scrap for the win and positions were changing all the time. Ben pushed hard through the race and made some strong passes but with a serious tyre problem, he finished in a good sixth place at the end of the 12 lap race.
Andrew Irwin – “It was a pretty frustrating weekend. The positive is that we continue to show we have a fast pace and are consistently able to run at the front. In the first race on Saturday I was in third and got knocked from behind in the last corner and ended up in fifth.
In the race yesterday I just used my head and got to where I needed to be going onto the back straight. I was leading going into the last corner and Farmer just nudged me that little bit to put me over the kerb and I ended up fourth.
I want to thank the Gearlink Kawasaki team for doing a great job and all my personal sponsors.
My thoughts are with Mark Fincham’s family and friends, it’s the side of the sport we never want to happy and it’s truly heart-breaking.”
Ben Currie – “It was a tough weekend for us at Thruxton. It just never seems to happen for us considering we were one of the fastest all weekend. A huge credit to the Gearlink Kawasaki team they were faultless and could not have done anything more for me.
The bike had a complete malfunction with the electronics in the first race, which was completely out of everyone’s hands and then a faulty tyre that delaminated in race two. A DNF and a sixth will have to do but we will be back fighting for podiums at Cadwell.
Thank you to everyone that put in 100% all weekend.”
MCE British Superbike
James Westmoreland made steady progress over the weekend in the MCE British Superbike Championship. He had a really good qualifying session and started the first race in 13th place after getting caught up in the opening laps and he finished in 18th place. He started from 17th for race two and finished in the points in 15th position.
James Westmoreland – “First thing is the sad news regarding Mark Fincham. I was lucky enough to recently spend a day with him at Snetterton a few weeks ago and his passion for racing and drive was unbelievable. I’m very sorry for his loss and my thoughts are with his family and team.
Regarding my weekend my pace was not bad but I struggled with chatter in race one, which has kind of been there all weekend. The team made a massive change on with suspension brands for race two. It is a change we were expecting to test before Cadwell but I was happy to give it a go in race two and collect some data.
I was pretty nervous because it’s a huge change but straight away I went faster than race one and my feeling was much better. I lacked rear grip from mid-point which was disappointing as I felt I’d done my homework on the soft tyre.
I was happy to get a point for the team finishing in 15th and I am looking forward to the test and setting the bike up properly. The results maybe don’t look fantastic at the moment but as each weekend passes we are making steps to be more competitive and improving the bike. I’m looking forward to my home round at Cadwell Park next.”
Team Manager Michael de Bidaph – “We struggled a little bit with set-up all weekend on the Supersport bikes but we managed to get it right for the races.
Andrew fought hard in race one but a small incident saw him run off track on the final lap. Ben was unlucky to suffer with an electrical problem in the opening stages of the race and had to retire.
In race two both riders struggled with grip as the tyres delaminated so they both did exceptionally well to get the result that they did. Andrew once again was unfortunate on the last corner and he was really unlucky this weekend not to get a podium or that first win he’s chasing.
On the Superbike, James did a good lap for qualifying but we struggled for set-up for the race distance. We made a huge change between races with suspension and took a chance on something we had no data for but it proved some good results and very strong feedback. We are looking forward to progressing with this and moving forwards.
I would like to say a huge well done to my team as we managed to change an engine on one of the Supersport machines in 40-minutes, an incredible achievement and I thank them for that.
Norma and myself would like to express our sadness at the passing of Mark Fincham and we send our thoughts and condolences to his family, friends and team.”