Make mine a double! Haslam holds off rivals at Oulton Park to grab championship lead
Leon Haslam had a Bank Holiday to remember at the third round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park today (Monday), celebrating an opening race win before following it up with a hard-fought race two victory and holding off Jason O’Halloran by just 0.086s to grab the standings lead.
In the opening race of the day Jake Dixon was the rider who grabbed the advantage in the launch off the line ahead of Haslam, Glenn Irwin and Jason O’Halloran. However, with some of the leading contenders crashing out including Irwin from third place and Peter Hickman in the early stages of the race, it soon became a two-way battle for the lead between Dixon and Haslam.
Haslam made his move on the seventh lap at Lodge to hit the front of the pack and though Dixon tried to fight back, the ‘Pocket Rocket’ had the edge, despite intense pressure from his Kawasaki rival. Dixon’s podium finish makes him the ninth different podium finisher from the opening six races ahead of the Kawasaki team’s home round at Snetterton.
Championship leader Ray was desperate to carve up the order and he made a move on O’Halloran to lead the chasing trio with Byrne also pushing to climb positions. The defending champion made a move on O’Halloran on lap 12 at Hizzys to move ahead and then he later dispensed with Ray at Lodge.
Byrne held off Ray and O’Halloran over the final five laps, as Josh Brookes moved up the order to claim sixth place for McAMS Yamaha to stay ahead of Danny Buchan and Tommy Bridewell, who bounced back from a warm-up crash.
Tarran Mackenzie and Richard Cooper completed the top ten ahead of James Ellison and the returning triple champion Ryuichi Kiyonari.
Haslam was fired up for a repeat performance in race two, but it didn’t come easily as the JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider was hounded all the way by a determined O’Halloran.
At the start of the race Dixon had taken the initial advantage for the second time today ahead of Ray, Irwin and Haslam.
As Haslam moved into third, O’Halloran was also pushing hard and he moved into fourth, but the Honda Racing contender was eyeing a move on his JG Speedfit Kawasaki rival and made a dive down the inside into Old Hall on the third lap.
Ray was soon the next target for O’Halloran and the Australian moved into second at Lodge a lap later and then a move on Dixon put him into the lead, with Haslam pushing to follow in his wheel tracks.
On lap seven Haslam had moved into second with a lunge down the inside into Lodge corner to push Dixon back into third place and then hunt down O’Halloran ahead of him. The leading pack of six riders was rounded out by defending champion Byrne and he was soon ahead of Ray and pushing his Be Wiser Ducati team-mate.
At the front the leading pair had edged a gap on the field and Haslam finally was able to make a move on O’Halloran that stuck on lap 12 and despite the best efforts from O’Halloran, he was forced to settle for second after an incredibly close drag to the finish line.
Dixon had held off Byrne on the final lap to claim a double podium finish and push himself up the standings into the top six with Irwin completing the top five.
Brookes had managed to snatch sixth place away from Ray on the final lap with Buchan, Cooper and Bridewell completing the top ten. The returning Kiyonari finished in 15th place.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, Race 1 result:
1.Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki)
2.Jake Dixon (RAF Regular & Reserves Kawasaki) +1.624s
3.Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) +6.224s
4.Bradley Ray (Buildbase Suzuki) +10.170s
5.Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) +14.699s
6.Josh Brookes (McAMS Yamaha) +15.786s
7.Danny Buchan (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) +18.745s
8.Tommy Bridewell (Movuno.com Halsall Racing Suzuki) +21.043s
9.Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) +21.290s
10.Richard Cooper (Buildbase Suzuki) +21.568s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, Race 2 result:
1.Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki)
2.Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) +0.086s
3.Jake Dixon (RAF Regular & Reserves Kawasaki) +2.923s
4.Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) +3.235s
5.Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati) +9.952s
6.Josh Brookes (McAMS Yamaha) +10.963s
7.Bradley Ray (Buildbase Suzuki) +11.532s
8.Danny Buchan (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) +11.582s
9.Richard Cooper (Buildbase Suzuki) +14.938s
10.Tommy Bridewell (Movuno.com Halsall Racing Suzuki) +14.938s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings after Oulton Park:
1.Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) 115
2.Bradley Ray (Buildbase Suzuki) 101
3.Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) 98
4.Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) 63
5.Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati) 59
6.Jake Dixon (RAF Regular & Reserves Kawasaki) 55
The next round of the 2018 Bennetts British Superbike Championship take place at Snetterton on June 15/16/17. For more information visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Leon Haslam
(JG Speedfit Kawasaki)
Double race winner
“It has been a great weekend for myself and the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team and it was fantastic to do it in front of so many fans at Oulton Park. We have been pushing hard all weekend so to win race one was great.
“Then in race two I thought I’d timed it perfectly, I sat behind Jason and he had really good pace. My pit board kept going up and up and up so I knew it was just me and him. I thought ‘this is perfect’, made my move, upped the pace by half a second nut he never went away!
“It’s really hard, you never know how hard to push, and I thought if keep this rhythm then hopefully I’ll break him and I never did but I managed to make it stick anyway. I was happy when I crossed the line and it feels good to lead the standings.”
More, from a press release issued by Be Wiser Ducati:
Shakey Salvages Oulton Park Podium
Bank Holiday Monday at Oulton Park proved to be a frustrating day for the Be Wiser Ducati Racing Team and after a weekend that promised so much, Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne’s third place in the opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship race at the third round would prove to be their best result of the day.
With Byrne starting the first 18-lap race from pole position and team-mate Glenn Irwin third on the grid, hopes were high for some strong results on the factory-backed Ducati Panigale Rs but although six-times and defending champion Byrne made a good start, he was pushed back to sixth at the completion of the opening lap with Irwin looking good in third.
Positions remained the same until lap five when Carrickfergus rider Irwin crashed out at Island Bend, fortunately without injury, which left Byrne on his own to fly the flag for Paul Bird’s Penrith-based team. At half distance, he was still in fifth but over the second half of the race, he was able to move forward and in doing so, secured yet another BSB podium.
Despite his spill, 28-year-old Irwin was able to start the second 18-lap encounter from third once more although Byrne had slightly more work to do this time as he was on the second row in sixth. Fifth and seventh respectively at the end of lap one the duo found progress hard going in the hot conditions, but they continued to battle throughout.
Byrne managed to overhaul Peter Hickman on the third lap and the duo then did the same to Bradley Ray in quick succession leaving them in fourth and fifth at half race distance. Londoner Byrne overtook his team-mate at two-thirds race distance and although he closed the gap to third placed Jake Dixon, he couldn’t quite get close enough to make a pass.
As a result, he settled for fourth with Irwin one place further back in fifth and the day’s results mean Byrne now sits in third overall in the championship table on 98 points with Irwin two places further back in fifth.
Shane Byrne: “It’s been a difficult weekend and after practice and qualifying went so well, with fast, consistent lap times, race day proved to be hard going and I’m sitting here now wondering what went wrong. We had a problem in morning warm-up and suffered with a bit of chatter on corner entry during the first race, so it was a struggle although I managed to salvage a podium which was a solid enough result all things considered. We made some changes for race two which definitely improved the bike, but it took me a while to get by Peter and then Glenn as he was very strong on the brakes and getting back on the gas. I made inroads into Jake but couldn’t get close enough to pass so it was quite a frustrating race as I felt I had the pace to go with the leaders. I wish we could race again tomorrow but we’ll regroup for the next round.”
Glenn Irwin: “It’s been frustrating today and after being fast here in testing and in qualifying, the potential was high, and I felt sure we’d be contesting the podiums. In race one, I was just sitting there behind the front two and could see they were using more rubber than me, but the crash came out of nowhere and I’m mystified as to what happened. It made me ride tense for the second race and not at all in my usual rhythm. I suffered with bad arm pump due to riding tense so fifth isn’t too bad from what was a pretty poor race. The weekend promised so much but we’re still in the top six with a good buffer to the riders behind us, so I’ll look forward to the North West 200 where I’ll be looking to be back on the top step once more.”
Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “It’s fair to say race day didn’t go to plan and with both riders going well all weekend, it didn’t happen today, and I think the increase in track temperatures caught them out a bit. We’ve maybe missed an opportunity today and we’re all feeling a bit deflated. Glenn’s crash knocked his confidence and you could see he wasn’t quite riding the same in the second race whilst Shakey didn’t make the greatest of starts and then got stuck in the pack a bit. The lap times were very equal so making moves wasn’t easy, but we’ll take it on the chin and focus all our efforts now on Glenn and the North West 200 where the sole objective will be to repeat last year’s win.”
The team now turn their attention to the International North West 200 with Irwin contesting the high-speed roads event of Portstewart, Coleraine and Portrush in Northern Ireland on May 15-19.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship race one (18 laps)
1 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
2 Jake Dixon (Kawasaki)
3 Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati)
4 Bradley Ray (Suzuki)
5 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
6 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
DNF Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati)
Bennetts British Superbike Championship race two (18 laps)
1 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
2 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
3 Jake Dixon (Kawasaki)
4 Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati)
5 Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati)
6 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
Championship Standings (after three rounds)
1 Haslam 115pts
2 Ray 101
3 Byrne 98
4 O’Halloran 63
5 Irwin 59
6 Dixon 55
For further information, please visit the team’s new and updated website, www.pbmuk.net and the official website of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship www.pbmuk.net
More, from a press release issued by McAMS Yamaha:
POSITIVE PROGRESSION FOR MCAMS YAMAHA DUO AT SCORCHING OULTON PARK
High temperatures and an ultra-fast pace tested Josh Brookes and Tarran Mackenzie at Oulton Park as the team made good progression over the weekend. McAMS Yamaha Superstock rider Matt Truelove saw his race thwarted by arm pump.
Despite a successful test at the Cheshire circuit and strong pace in free practice, Brookes struggled in the crucial three stage qualifying knockout phase, not making the cut for the final nine riders going through to Q3. Mackenzie meanwhile pitted for a new Pirelli rear Slick tyre in Q2 but didn’t have enough time to proceed to Q3. The duo qualified 12th and 16th respectively.
Starting from row four, it was a tough slog for Brookes in race one as track temperatures soared over 40 degrees but with persistency he battled through to sixth giving him confidence for the second outing. A row three grid position for race two meant it was a similar story and with some very strong laptimes late in the race, Brookes took Championship leader Bradley Ray on the final circulation for another sixth position.
Tarran Mackenzie had two great battles with a diverse group of experienced BSB contenders, again showing his strong Rookie credentials. A ninth in race one was followed up by a slip off in race two as the young Scotsman ‘lowsided’ uninjured.
It was a torrid event for Superstock 1000 rider Matt Truelove who struggled with serious arm pump, meaning he was well off his expected pace and had to make do with a frustrating 21st place.
Ryan Vickers made it three from three in the Superstock 600 class with a dominating six second victory on his Mototechniks YZF-R6, giving him maximum points so far.
Josh Brookes “We came into this meeting thinking we would be battling for podiums but that wasn’t the case, everyone upped their pace on race day and the high temperatures definitely had an effect on our settings. Our pace towards the end of the races was strong but it’s those initial, early laps and of course being hampered by bad qualifying grid positions that punished us. We have made some good progression but need some more testing now we have a good direction.”
Tarran Mackenzie, “I had two good battles which I really enjoyed I’m just a bit annoyed with my mistake in race two. I feel my pace is good but starting from sixteenth in the grid I’m giving myself a mountain to climb. All good experience though!”
Superstock rider Matt Truelove; “I actually thought we had the pace to be in the top 12 during the race but on lap eight I got really bad arm pump and couldn’t hold on properly. That said I’m feeling really confident for Snetterton.”
Team Manager Grant Bunting summed up; “Oulton Park seemed very promising in advance. We haven’t had the results we were hoping for but there has definitely been good progress with Josh taking two solid finishes, which moved him up the Championship table. Taz continues to impress with another top ten, you only have to look at the quality of the riders he is racing with, he is the standout Rookie.”
More, from a press release issued by RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki:
Podium joy at Oulton for Dixon and RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki
Jake Dixon and the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki team enjoyed a superb round three of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship as they came away from Oulton Park with brilliant second and third place finishes to firmly get themselves back into title contention.
It had been a tough start to the season for the team but, fifth overall in free practice, Dixon converted his pace into a good qualifying performance and he lined up for Monday’s first 18-lap race in a brilliant second place, race day again seeing the Cheshire venue bathed in warm sunshine. An equally brilliant start saw the 21-year old grab the lead on the opening lap and here he remained until the seventh lap when he was overhauled by fellow Kawasaki rider Leon Haslam.
For the remainder of the race, there was never more than half a second between the two riders and although it was Haslam who ultimately prevailed, Jake brought the bike home for an excellent second place, his first podium of the season.
It meant he started the second race from second on the grid once more and with another great start, he hit the front on the opening lap, a position he held until the fifth lap when Jason O’Halloran took over at the front. Two laps later and Jake had been pushed back to third by Haslam but it remained close until the final stages when the front two pulled away to leave Jake fighting off the close attentions of Shane Byrne.
He duly kept his rival at bay though and the haul of 36 points saw him leap up the Championship table with the Ashby resident now sitting in a strong sixth place overall.
Regular team-mate Jordan Weaving was forced to miss the weekend due to a damaged shoulder sustained in testing but his place on the Briggs Equipment Kawasaki was taken by Gary Johnson for the single Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship race. Using the meeting as a shakedown prior to the International road racing season, which gets underway next week, the Lincolnshire rider gained some valuable track time and finished Monday’s race in 24th place.
Jake Dixon: “It was really warm out there today but from where we were on Saturday morning to where we were today, I’m very pleased with the results. I’ve struggled in the dry so far this season but we found something in qualifying and although Leon was stronger in the second half of the first race, particularly on corner entry, the team gave me a great bike today and one that I felt comfortable on”.
“For some reason though, the bike, especially the front end, didn’t feel the same in the second race and from lap one onwards, it was a battle not to lose the front. I could hear Shakey coming but knew if I hit all my markers and apexes, it would be difficult for him to get by so to come away with two podiums is fantastic. The whole team have done a mega job and it’s great to get our season firmly up and running.”
Lee Hardy, Team Owner: “It’s been a fantastic day for the team and one that’s been coming as Jake’s pace has been good and it was only a matter of time before he turned it into results. We could have made some more changes to the bike after qualifying, especially for race two, as Jake was struggling a bit with the front end but we didn’t want to take a risk and potentially ruin another podium. As it was, he ended the day with two podiums and that’s exactly what we needed to get us back in the mix.”
“It was a shame that Jordan couldn’t ride this weekend but, on the plus side, Gary had a really positive run out and gained a lot of confidence which will put him in really good stead for the road racing season. He worked really hard all weekend and it’s really important that we give him everything he needs to challenge at both the North West 200 and TT. The plan is to keep it simple and keep it safe and we’re all really looking forward to the weeks ahead.”
The team now turn their attention to the International road races with the North West 200 taking place on the streets of Portstewart, Coleraine and Portrush in Northern Ireland from May 15-19.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship race one (18 laps)
1 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
2 Jake Dixon (RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki)
3 Shane Byrne (Ducati)
4 Bradley Ray (Suzuki)
5 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
6 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
Bennetts British Superbike Championship race two (18 laps)
1 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
2 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
3 Jake Dixon (RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki)
4 Shane Byrne (Ducati)
5 Glenn Irwin (Ducati)
6 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
Championship Standings (after three rounds)
1 Haslam 115pts
2 Ray 101
3 Byrne 98
4 O’Halloran 63
5 Irwin 59
6 Dixon 55
More, from a press release issued by Smiths Racing:
More Points For Hickman At Oulton Park
Gloucester-based Smiths Racing BMW were back in Bennetts British Superbike Championship action over the Bank Holiday weekend with round three taking place at Oulton Park in Cheshire, but it proved to be a tough meeting with a solitary 11th place for Peter Hickman their best result.
The Lincolnshire rider had been quick throughout free practice on the Smiths BMW 1000RR and although a crash in qualifying prevented him from placing higher than eighth, he was in confident mood ahead of Monday’s two races whilst team-mate Sylvain Barrier, making his race debut at the Cheshire circuit, lined up in a creditable 20th on the grid.
Today saw perfect conditions but it proved to be a tough opening race for the team as although Hickman made a good start to slot into seventh in the early stages, his race ended early with a fourth lap crash at Cascades, fortunately without injury. That just left Frenchman Barrier to salvage a finish for the team and although he put in a strong ride, he was unlucky to just miss out on his first points of the season in 16th.
Despite his spill, Hickman started the second race from seventh on the grid although Barrier slipped back to 22nd and the eighth row and another tough race lay in store for the duo.
It started well for Hickman as he moved into sixth place but slipped back through the pack although he regrouped to claim 11th place and secure five more points. Barrier’s race, meanwhile, was compromised on the first lap when he ran wide at Island Bend and dropped all the way to the back of the field. However, he stayed out on track and made good, solid progress throughout with his efforts rewarded with 19th place.
Peter Hickman: “It’s been a tough, frustrating weekend and everything seems to be against me at the moment. The bike’s good and we’ve got good pace in practice and qualifying but when it comes to race day, nothing seems to be coming together at the same time. I’ve had two crashes this weekend, which isn’t like me, and neither were my fault, but they’ve obviously knocked my confidence. It was affecting me in the second race and I had a few slides which saw me drop back but I kept plugging away and put in my fastest lap towards the end to at least salvage a result from the weekend.”
Sylvain Barrier: “I’m quite happy with how this weekend has gone as it was my first time racing here and it’s the hardest circuit I’ve ever ridden on anywhere in the world! It’s a demanding, challenging circuit but enjoyable too and I was pleased that each time I went out on track, I was able to improve. I obviously want to finish higher but 16th was a good result and with changes to the bike, to make it more consistent, I felt good going into race two. Unfortunately, I ran wide which dropped me to last but it was important to stay out on track and keep pushing all race and we’ve ended up with two top twenty finishes and plenty of good data for when we return here later in the year.”
Darren Jones, Team Co-ordinator: “It’s been another tough weekend but on the plus side, we’ve been really pleased with how Sylvain’s ridden this weekend. Oulton’s not an easy place to come to for the first time but he got quicker in each practice session and came away with two, solid finishes. We took a different approach with him this weekend and wanted him to have two solid, consistent rides and given how difficult the track conditions were, he can be pleased with his efforts. For Pete, his bad luck continues, it’s as simple as that. He had great pace in practice and qualifying, finding a bit more with his set-up only to be caught out. It was just one of those things, but the team did a great job in getting him back out as quickly as what they did and race one was going well until he tipped off. Pete’s not a crasher so to have two in two days has understandably dented his confidence a bit but at least he got a finish in race two. It’s not where we should be finishing though so we need to find something and will go back to the drawing board to do just that.”
The team now turn their attention to the International road races with Hickman contesting the North West 200 on the high-speed roads of Portstewart, Coleraine and Portrush in Northern Ireland on May 15-19.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship race one (18 laps)
1 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
2 Jake Dixon (Kawasaki)
3 Shane Byrne (Ducati)
4 Bradley Ray (Suzuki)
5 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
6 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
16 Sylvain Barrier (Smiths Racing BMW)
DNF Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW)
Bennetts British Superbike Championship race two (18 laps)
1 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
2 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
3 Jake Dixon (Kawasaki)
4 Shane Byrne (Ducati)
5 Glenn Irwin (Ducati)
6 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
11 Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW)
19 Sylvain Barrier (Smiths Racing BMW)
Championship Standings (after three rounds)
1 Haslam 115pts
2 Ray 101
3 Byrne 98
4 O’Halloran 63
5 Irwin 59
6 Dixon 55
15 Hickman 21
The fourth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship takes place at Snetterton on June 15/17. For further information, please visit www.smithsracing.co.uk and www.smithsracing.co.uk
More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing BSB Press Office:
PODIUM CELEBRATION FOR HONDA RACING AND JASON O’HALLORAN AT OULTON PARK
The third round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park was a strong weekend for Honda Racing as Jason O’Halloran placed the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade on the podium in the final race of the day, adding to his podium tally and boosting his championship points.
With perfect conditions at the Cheshire circuit the opening race of the day saw a strong performance for O’Halloran, running with the front group to finish fifth. Heading into the second race ‘The O’Show’ got a flying start off the line and quickly made his way to the front, taking the lead early on.
With good pace aboard the Fireblade, the Aussie held the lead for the majority of the 18-lap race and it wasn’t until the closing stages when Leon Haslam made a pass. Keeping on Haslam’s heels until the chequered flag, O’Halloran crossed the line just 0.086 seconds off the win and claimed the fastest lap of the race (1:34.857). With today’s results ‘The O’Show’ has moved up the championship standings into fourth place.
Meanwhile Ryuichi Kiyonari scored two top-15 places in both races as he stood in for Dan Linfoot. Helping the Honda team with the development of the CBR and with some key areas successfully tested across the weekend, ‘Kiyo’ made up places in both races to finish race one 12th and race two 15th, with consistent lap times throughout.
The team will now return to the workshop as they start to prepare for the fourth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, which takes place at Snetterton in Norfolk on 15-17 June.
#22
Jason O’Halloran
Today has been a really great day for us! In race one we had a small issue towards the end and came home fifth, but it was a good bunch of points collected. Going into race two, the boys did a great job putting a new engine in and it was a frantic few hours getting ready in the garage – but a massive thanks to them for giving me such a fantastic bike and it was probably the best I have felt on the Honda since I’ve been riding it. I got a good start and made my way to the front and just wanted to control the pace and didn’t want to go too mad. I was watching the pit board and saw group five, group two, then one-second, two-seconds and saw I was getting away from the group. Leon came by and tried to up the pace, I knew I had something left and I managed to stay with him. I gave it all I could to try and win that race and it was so close at the end – it hurts more when you miss out by that much rather than a big amount! I know this year we will win some races, it’s just a matter of time! The team are doing a great job and every time I get on the Fireblade I’m more and more comfortable. We have a little break now in the series and then it’s Snetterton, I’ve had a win there before and a host of BSB podiums, so we’ll go there and try to win some races!
#23
Ryuichi Kiyonari
I have enjoyed so much being back in the British championship for this weekend, but I am a little disappointed with my race results as I was hoping to be better than yesterday. Race one was difficult, there was a lot of crashes and I had a few moments where I nearly crashed, I pushed every lap but wasn’t able to make a break. The second race I finished 15th, the position for me was not so good, but the lap times and the feeling with the CBR was much better. I had my fastest lap on the final lap and I don’t want to say ‘if, or but’, but I think with more grip I would have been able to fight and maybe a top-ten. Even with the results I have enjoyed being at Oulton Park again and I want to say thank you so much to everyone at Honda and Moriwaki for the opportunity. It has been so good to be back in BSB and I know many young British rider wants to ride but to have this opportunity was amazing and I am so thankful to come back to the UK to race. This morning during pit walk there was so many fans, so thank you to everyone to welcome me back for this weekend. Congratulations to Jason for his podium today, it was a good race and it’s always good to see the team do well.
Havier Beltran
Team Manager
What a second race for Jason! He got away and into the front group straight away then took the lead. Haslam eventually passed him but he was able to stay on his tail until the end, it did look like he might have been able to put a move on him, but he crossed the line second, just behind him. I’m so happy for Jason and the team, we had some issues in race one and he definitely went into the second race with fight and determination. He showed today that he’s turned a corner and is chasing podiums; he’s ready to fight and that showed in the last race. The team did a fantastic job changing the engine and getting everything ready in time, so a big thanks to them. With Kiyo I’m so grateful for him coming over and jumping on the CBR last minute and trying things for us. We’ve tried a lot this weekend and it’s been a pleasure having him with the team again. I appreciate it’s not an easy task coming over here and our Fireblade is a very different machine to what he rides in Japan. I want to extend my thanks again to Midori Moriwaki and to Kiyo for this weekend. We will now regroup and look towards the fourth round at Snetterton, we have a little break until the next round but with Jason’s track record there, I think we could be on to something!
More, from a press release issued by Tyco BMW:
FARMER AND TYCO BMW SHINE AT SUNNY OULTON PARK ON BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY
Tyco BMW returned to action for the third round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park this weekend. In the National Superstock 1000 class Keith Farmer secured a well-earned race victory aboard the TAS Racing-prepared BMW S 1000 RR despite nursing a wrist injury sustained during testing earlier in the month. Following a rare unfortunate start from pole position, the Northern Irish rider dropped back to fifth before skillfully fighting his way through the pack in blistering conditions to take the race win alongside a valuable 25 points, elevating him to second within the overall Championship standings and just 11 points shy of the current leader.
In the Superbike Class, Christian Iddon, suffered an innocuous crash during free practice two resulting in a fractured hand. Despite his best efforts, following expert medical advice, the Stockport rider was declared unfit to race for the remainder of the weekend leaving Michael Laverty the sole Superbike rider for the Northern Irish team.
After a disappointing qualifying and an early crash in an incident-packed race one, the Toomebridge rider was left with a difficult task ahead for race two, however Michael wasted no time in making up ground and crossed the line 14 places ahead of his P27 grid start. Undeterred by the challenging weekend Michael and Christian now sit 9th and 10th in the overall championship standings and are focused and looking forward to the fourth round of the championship at Snetterton in just over five weeks’ time.
The Tyco BMW team now continue their 2018 road racing campaign at the International North West 200 [15th – 19th May] and the Isle of Man TT [26th May – 09th June].
“It was a fantastic result for Keith today in the Superstock race especially whilst carrying an injury. He really has gelled with the BMW S 1000 RR and we are excited to see what he can achieve during the remainder of the series. Not our best ever weekend in superbike unfortunately. It was such a shame to see Christian pick up an injury although he now has five weeks to recover and we expect him to come back strong at Snetterton. Michael had a really tough weekend, however we are confident he has better rounds ahead and we look forward to seeing him fighting for podiums again soon on the Tyco BMW.”
Philip Neill – Team Manager
“It was great to get pole position in qualifying but after a small mistake on the start we dropped back a bit, but I had a good pace and was enjoying riding the bike. I managed to get to the front and take our first race win of the season, hopefully we can fire off more wins. I’m really looking forward to the Snetterton test and round four. A massive thank you to the whole Tyco BMW team, from the mechanics to the hospitality – I’m mega happy with the whole weekend.”
Keith Farmer #33
More, from a press release issued by Buildbase Suzuki:
Solid points haul for Buildbase Suzuki at Oulton Park
It was a weekend which yielded solid points-scoring results for Buildbase Suzuki at Oulton Park and round three of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, with Bradley Ray taking fourth and seventh placed finishes, while Richard Cooper took two top 10s.
Ray started from the third row of the grid after a crash in the final qualifying session on Sunday, but made a strong start in race one to get away with the leading group. He was in podium contention until the closing stages, but was pushed back to fourth.
Starting from the second row in race two he was again in podium contention, but dropped back to seventh after struggling with tyre wear in the warmer conditions.
Richard Cooper progressed from an admittedly disappointing 14th grid spot after strong pace in practice to get into the top-10 in race one. He finished in 10th, before taking a ninth in race two after some thrilling on-track action. The team also made a big step with the bike’s setup for race two that allowed him to improve his race pace further and close the gap to the front. The aim is to also improve qualifying performance to allow him to get away further up the field in the races.
Bradley Ray, “We said after Donington we won’t win them all, and it’s easy to forget we’re only three rounds in. We were just missing a little bit today with our setup that meant we didn’t have the final few tenths a lap needed to fight for the win. But the results were strong results and gave us some good points. The team also tried some bits this weekend that have given us a focus for the next test. But all-in-all it was a solid outing and we’ll look to improve when we’re back after the break.”
Richard Cooper, “Ninth and a 10th doesn’t sound that great, but the company you’re in is tough and the battles are hard. We’ve had two top 10s and we’ve beaten people this weekend that have already been on the podium this season, so it shows how tough it is out there. But I’m really happy with the performance and improvements we’ve made. We were changing some things all weekend but for warm up went to the softer front tyre. We didn’t use it for race one but went back to it for race two – along with some other changes – and we improved our race pace by seven seconds and closed the gap to the front. So I’m really happy. One area we do need to improve is qualifying. I’ve been 14th two rounds in a row but then able to race inside the top-10, so if we can improve there and start further up the grid, hopefully we can latch onto the front-runners a bit more next time round.”
Billy McConnell retained his lead in the National Superstock 1000 championship, after carving through the field from his fifth row grid spot to claim fifth at the chequered flag. McConnell had been quick all weekend, but was unfortunate to crash while on a hot-lap in qualifying which left him down the field. Despite getting boxed-in off the start, he still added a number of championship points to his season’s tally.
Billy McConnell, “Honestly I think we had the pace to battle for the win again this weekend, but it was my own fault that we couldn’t. I just missed my braking marker for the chicane while on a really good lap, and I probably should have abandoned the lap and gone again but I tried to make it fit and just tucked the front. It left me 13th on the grid and I was then boxed-in off the start. We got up to fifth and just kind of thought about it and took the points today. But it’s a shame as the bike was again working really well and I’m just in such a good place with my riding and with the team. Everything’s really clicked and the bike’s spot on. We’re still leading the championship and will go again next time.”
Team manager, Steve Hicken, “Consistency is what makes a championship and is what gets you into the Showdown. Both Brad and Richard rode 100% in both races, we just didn’t quite nail the setup for the conditions this weekend. We also made a big step with Cooper’s bike for race two which will help both guys going forward, and has given some bits to try at the next test. After the start to the season we had this weekend seems more disappointing than it should. But you can’t win every weekend, so we’ll take the points, take what we’ve learned, and move onto the next one. There’s a long way to go yet.
“With Billy in Superstock 1000 it was little bit a case of what could have been, but it’s one of them things; it was a little mistake in qualifying that’s had a knock-on effect. However, we’re still leading the championship and the bike’s on the money. We’re confident we’ll get back into podium form and hopefully add more wins to the board next time.”
Superbike race one result: 1. Leon Haslam, 2. Jake Dixon, 3. Shane Byrne, 4. Bradley Ray, 10. Richard Cooper.
Superbike race two result: 1. Leon Haslam, 2. Jason O’Halloran, 3. Jake Dixon, 7. Bradley Ray, 9. Richard Cooper.
Superstock 1000 race result: 1. Keith Farmer, 2. Joe Collier, 3. Chrissy Rouse, 5. Billy McConnell.