TRIPLE PODIUM FOR MCAMS YAMAHA AT SILVERSTONE AS TAZ TASTES THE CHAMPAGNE!
It was a triple podium visit for the McAMS Yamaha Superbike team as Josh Brookes and Tarran Mackenzie fought for the lead over three high octane encounters at the new National configuration Silverstone circuit. Matt Truelove continued his progression in the Pirelli Superstock 1000 series whilst Yamaha supported rider Ryan Vickers took the Superstock 600 Championship in fine style on his Mototechniks Yamaha.
The Superbike pairing made their intentions known in the very first session with a McAMS 1-2 in free practice 1, eventually qualifying on row two with Taz in 4th and 5th place for Josh.
Race one was held on Saturday in cool conditions and both McAMS riders led a thrilling encounter at different times and battled each other throughout. Josh struggled for grip and had to settle for fourth whilst Taz took a popular third place, for his first Bennetts British Superbike podium.
Sunday’s first outing saw the duo again battle at the front with Josh finishing an eventual second behind series leader Leon Haslam. It was disappointment for Taz however after he slid out from another podium position after hitting oil from another rider on the final lap.
Race three was yet another full-blooded affair and Tarran fought throughout the 26 lap encounter, leading for a number of laps, and was able to make a return to the podium with a strong second place. It was a frustrating final race for Josh, who eventually finished in sixth place. However the Australian rider has importantly secured his position in the all-important Showdown and will now go on to fight for the 2018 title.
It was a mixed weekend for Matt Truelove in the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 class, with the rookie rider struggling with clutch problems in the opening races on Saturday before turning it around on Sunday to run fast and competitive times. Yamaha supported rider Ryan Vickers cemented his dominance in the Pirelli National Superstock 600 class with another victory, securing the 2018 title in the process.
Josh Brookes said; “Some days come easy and some are hard, that’s racing. Today was a hard day. We did have grip issues over the weekend despite some changes. Ultimately we have to dig in at Oulton and go for the wins.”
Tarran Mackenzie said; “We made a really good step forward this weekend and I felt good straight away from FP1. I was disappointed to crash out in race two, so really wanted to make amends in that final race and get back on the podium. I’m really happy with the way I’m riding at the moment and am now looking forward to the final three rounds and getting into the mix with the showdown boys!”
Matt Truelove said; “It’s been a mixed weekend with a clutch issue in race one yesterday, better pace today and some real fast 55 second laps. So overall I feel the progression has continued even if the results haven’t shown that.”
Ryan Vickers explained; “It’s awesome to get the title wrapped up early, what a season it’s been. I was having a good race with Rory until he crashed out so then could control the race from the front. We now have nothing to lose and plenty to continue learning for the rest of that races so I can go out an have fun!”
Team Manager Grant Bunting summed up; “Taz really came of age this weekend, it’s been coming all year but now he’s there and I think he’ll stay there all season now. Obviously these weren’t the results Josh came here for in terms of the title race but we wipe the points clear and attack at Oulton. Finally, congratulations to young Ryan for a superb Championship campaign, very impressive.”
More, from a press release issued by Be Wiser Ducati:
Another Silverstone Podium For Irwin
Fresh from his podium in race one yesterday, Be Wiser Ducati’s Glenn Irwin added another one to his collection as well as a fourth placed finish from round nine of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Silverstone today to consolidate his Showdown status.
A hectic first few opening laps in the first 30-lap race around the 1.64-mile track saw Glenn shuffled down to ninth place and with plenty of work to do on the factory backed Be Wiser Ducati Panigale R, but he’d battled up to fifth by lap 20 and following drama on the final lap which saw both Jake Dixon and Tarran Mackenzie crash out, it allowed the 28 year old from Carrickfergus to claim the final podium position.
The second race of the day was only a lap old before it was red flagged due to a crash, but it was eventually restarted over 26 laps with Glenn starting from fourth on the grid. However, once again he found himself down the order in the early stages, but he was quickly up into sixth place as another superb battle at the head of the field ensued. There was never more than a couple of seconds covering the leading group, but he had to settle for fourth place at the flag.
Nevertheless, it was a good haul of points from the three races with a second, a third and a fourth and he heads into the final three-round Showdown with 16 podium credits to his name.
Meanwhile, 23-year-old younger brother and team-mate Andrew Irwin endured a contrasting day with a solid top ten position in the opening race when he took the Be Wiser Ducati to ninth place before crashing out early in the second race. Yesterday, Andrew scored a top 11 finish to add more points in his rookie BSB season.
Glenn Irwin: “I had a few moments in the early laps of race one, but I soon regrouped although I was gifted the podium when two riders crashed in front of me. I worked really hard to fight my way through the pack so whilst disappointed with third, it was another podium credit to my total. I struggled a bit in the second race and I was using a lot of the tyre to get by a number of riders so that when I’d got to the leading pack, I didn’t have much left to push on again. I had a few moments at the end so settled for fourth place and I’m pleased to have achieved the objective of making it into the Showdown. We now need to make sure we don’t sit on our laurels and whilst there’s a lot of work to do to close the gap to Leon, two of the three Showdown circuits are strong for us, so we’ll give it our all.”
Andrew Irwin: “It’s obviously been a mixed day and the first laps in both races were very hectic. In race one I got pushed very wide early on and was almost dead last, but I kept pushing hard and my pace was very strong so to finish in ninth place given what had happened was pleasing. Unfortunately, the same thing happened in race two when another rider hit me but this time it wasn’t possible to avoid a crash. It’s a real shame as I felt it was possible to finish in the top ten once more, but I’ll keep working hard and look forward to the next round.”
Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-ordinator: “It was nice to be back on the podium today and two podiums from the three races means it wasn’t a bad weekend for us. We’ve made progress with the bike all weekend but unfortunately Glenn gave himself a lot of work to do in each race when he dropped back into the pack and made a few small mistakes. We’ll take the results though and look to have a real good go in the Showdown where anything can happen. Andrew had a solid day and his ride in the first race today was especially pleasing and to come all the way through to ninth from so far back was no mean effort. Unfortunately, his second race ended early which has given the boys a bit of work to do in a short space of time, but he took another top ten finish which is always the aim for him.”
Bennetts British Superbike Championship race one (30 laps)
1 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
2 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
3 Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati)
4 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
5 Christian Iddon (BMW)
6 Tommy Bridewell (Ducati)
9 Andrew Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati)
Bennetts British Superbike Championship race two (26 laps)
1 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
2 Tarran Mackenzie (Yamaha)
3 Jake Dixon (Kawasaki)
4 Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati)
5 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
6 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
DNF Andrew Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati)
Championship Positions (after nine rounds)
1 Haslam 568
2 Dixon 523
3 Brookes 519
4 Ray 519
5 Irwin 516
6 Hickman 504
18 Andrew Irwin 47
More, from a press release issued by Honda Racing BSB Press Office:
HONDA RACING DISPLAY FIGHTING SPIRIT AT SILVERSTONE
The Honda Racing team are taking the positives from the ninth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Silverstone’s National Circuit, where both Jason O’Halloran and Dan Linfoot fought hard all weekend aboard the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade.
Across the two races O’Halloran was in the front group and the first race of the day saw him ninth on grid, but he soon moved up through the pack. During the closing stages he was at the front and in a dramatic end, he crossed the line fourth. However a puncture to his rear tyre caused him to crash just after the finish line.
Unhurt from the fall, ‘The O’Show’ lined up on the front row of the grid for the final race in second place. As the lights went out he was leading, but an incident on track saw the race red flagged and it was restarted over 26 laps. Resuming his grid position he charged off the line and again to the front. Leading the way he gave it his all and although dropping back, he crossed the line fifth, just 1.495s from first place, to enjoy his best set of results since his accident mid-season.
Dan Linfoot put in a solid performance across the weekend, consistently improving his times and with good pace he finished the first race 11th. Starting the final race of the day from 15th on the grid, he dug deep and made his way into eighth. However on lap 21 he pulled-up with a technical problem indicating to water temperature, which ended his run.
The Honda Racing team now have a quick turn around, as next weekend (14-16 September) is the tenth round of the series at Oulton Park. Both riders have enjoyed good results at the Cheshire circuit with podiums and a win for Linfoot – so their eyes are firmly looking towards the top.
#4
Dan Linfoot
It’s been a building weekend for me this round, we knew coming into it I wasn’t going to be up there and fighting for podiums coming back from injury, but I’m pleased with the results and the progress made. The first race today I did expect more after yesterday, but I struggled with grip throughout. We made minimal changes for the final race and the feeling was so different and I was lapping half a second faster. I was feeling strong and having started from 15th I made my way into eighth, and was just a few seconds from the leader, but unfortunately I had to pull over and couldn’t continue the race with a technical issue. However, I am happy enough with the weekend, it has been difficult at times managing my expectations – you want to be up the front and with your teammate who’s doing well and naturally after some time off you’re not. But it’s on to the next one now and last year I won at Oulton Park, so it holds good memories for me and it’s a circuit I enjoy, so we’ll see how we get on.
#22
Jason O’Halloran
It’s been a positive day we’ve had a fourth and fifth, and the second race we were just 1.495s off the winner, we led for a few laps and it was nice to be back running at the front. I also started on the front row, so we have plenty of positives to take from today. It’s been a challenging year so far, but I feel we’ve made a step forward and it’s now time to start challenging for podiums again, where we were before my injury and this weekend has been a good step towards that. We’ve been up front all weekend and the results this round are the best since my injury. We were six points shy of the top six, so considering the races I missed through injury and the struggle we had in the middle part of the season, we’ve done a pretty good job to even be in with a shout of it! Thanks to all the guys for all their hard work and faith, I’m disappointed to have got injured, which derailed our year, but we have three rounds left and still plenty of races to try and grab a win or two! This weekend was a good push towards that and I’m looking forward to Oulton Park.
Havier Beltran
Team Manager
It’s been a positive weekend and we’re leaving with our heads held high. Both Dan and Jason had a good weekend and we made progress throughout. We knew coming into this that Dan would be building, he’s back from injury and having missed some races, but I’m pleased with how he’s gone and it was just a shame in the final race. But we know and we’ve seen what he’s capable of, and I know it’s just a matter of time before he’s fighting back at the front and on the podium again. Coming here for Jason the Showdown was still possible mathematically and was even the case coming into the final race, if he’d finished first or second with Peter [Hickman] out the points, we’d have been in. But fair play to Jason for his effort and his determination from injury, this is racing and sometimes it doesn’t work out, but with the year he’s had to just be six points away is credible and we can only grow stronger as a team. I’m looking forward to Oulton Park, they both have good track records there and it’s onwards and upwards for Honda Racing.
More, from a press release issued by Smiths Racing BMW:
Hickman Secures Showdown Place After Silverstone Drama
Peter Hickman and the Smiths Racing BMW team successfully secured their position in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship Showdown for the second successive year following a dramatic weekend of racing at Silverstone which hosted round nine of the series.
With three races over the course of the weekend, Saturday saw the team have an extremely busy day and the dry weather from Friday was replaced by cool, damp conditions with Lincoln’s Hickman and French team-mate Sylvain Barrier experiencing differing fortunes during Datatag Extreme Qualifying, ahead of the afternoon’s 30-lap race, as Sylvain took a season’s best 11th and Peter 15th on the Smiths BMW S1000RR.
Conditions had improved by the time the race got underway and it was Peter who made the best start as he completed the opening lap in 13th with Sylvain two places further back in 15th. By lap nine, Peter had moved into the top ten and with some determined riding he was able to claim eighth place at the chequered flag only 3.1s adrift of the race win. Unfortunately, Sylvain couldn’t capitalise on his good qualifying performance and finished the race in 17th place.
Today saw two more races and Peter lined up in tenth place for the first encounter and although he slipped back to 12th in the early stages, he soon moved up into the top ten but he was ultimately denied a finish when, with just three laps to go, he was cruelly forced out of the race with a broken oil pressure sensor whilst Sylvain just missed out on a point in 16th.
The team replaced the offending part in Peter’s bike in time for race three but there was even more drama when he pulled in after the warm-up lap and had to start from pit lane although he was handed a lifeline when the race was red flagged on lap two. That gave the team some time to try and rectify the issue before the race was restarted over 26 laps.
Down in 16th at the end of the first lap, fortunes amongst the Showdown contenders ebbed and flowed throughout and on more than one occasion, the race positions meant Peter was out of the all-important top six. However, by half race distance he was up into seventh and back on track.
The drama wasn’t over though, and with just a few laps to go, his gear lever broke leaving him stuck in third gear and he was powerless to respond as other riders overhauled him, including Barrier who took 15th place. Hickman eventually crossed the line in 19th place but with his main contenders failing to secure enough points, he duly clinched the final Showdown place.
Peter Hickman: “It’s been a dramatic weekend that’s for sure so to make it into the Showdown for the second year running and again as the only BMW rider to do so feels fantastic. We improved the bike all weekend and eighth place in Saturday’s race gave me a little bit of breathing space over my main Showdown rivals which ultimately proved vital. Today started well with second place in morning warm-up but after that it was a nerve-wracking affair as firstly the oil pressure sensor and then the broken gear lever left me pointless. I had an idea in my head what the other riders needed to do and, thankfully, that little bit of luck came our way this weekend.”
Sylvain Barrier: “Overall, it’s been a good weekend although I am a bit disappointed to have only scored points in one of the races after qualifying well on Saturday. The conditions seemed to suit me then, but the team did a great job all weekend with the bike and I set my fastest lap of the weekend in the final race on Sunday which shows we never stopped improving. Congratulations to Peter and the team for securing their Showdown position.”
Darren Jones, Team Co-ordinator: “I think the best way of describing this weekend is that it was a bit of a rollercoaster! We’ve not had any machine failures of any description in two years, but we’ve had three in two races this weekend, two sensor failures and then the gear lever so it’s a huge relief and credit to everyone involved that we’re in the Showdown again. The TV kept showing the positions at various stages of the race but even when Peter crossed the line we weren’t sure if he’d made it or not so now that we’re there we’ll do everything we can to win some races. Sylvain again improved all weekend at a circuit he knows reasonably well, and he got quicker and quicker, which has been the pattern for his season. He was happy with the adjustments made to the bike over the course of the weekend and scored some points, so he’ll be looking forward to the final three rounds which take place at circuits he knows well.”
Bennetts British Superbike Championship race one (30 laps)
1 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
2 Glenn Irwin (Ducati)
3 Tarran Mackenzie (Yamaha)
4 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
5 Jake Dixon (Kawasaki)
6 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
8 Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW)
17 Sylvain Barrier (Smiths Racing BMW)
Bennetts British Superbike Championship race two (30 laps)
1 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
2 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
3 Glenn Irwin (Ducati)
4 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
5 Christian Iddon (BMW)
6 Tommy Bridewell (Ducati)
16 Sylvain Barrier (Smiths Racing BMW)
DNF Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW)
Bennetts British Superbike Championship race three (26 laps)
1 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
2 Tarran Mackenzie (Yamaha)
3 Jake Dixon (Kawasaki)
4 Glenn Irwin (Ducati)
5 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
6 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
15 Sylvain Barrier (Smiths Racing BMW)
19 Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW)
Championship Positions (after nine rounds)
1 Haslam 568
2 Dixon 523
3 Brookes 519
4 Ray 519
5 Irwin 516
6 Hickman 504
23 Barrier 10
More, from a press release issued by RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki:
Dixon secures podium finish at Silverstone as Showdown beckons
Jake Dixon and the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki team battled hard at round nine of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Silverstone over the weekend and an 11th podium of the season sees them now head into the final three-round Showdown.
Having placed second quickest in the dry conditions on Friday, Jake was equally comfortable in the damp on Saturday and after placing third quickest in the morning’s final practice session, he duly qualified in second place for the first of the weekend’s three races.
A good start to the 30-lap race saw him complete the opening lap in second place and here he remained until lap four when he was promoted into the lead after early pace setter Bradley Ray crashed out. By lap seven, he’d slipped back to second and by half race distance this had become fourth as he struggled for grip.
Championship leader Leon Haslam then pushed him back to fifth and although he rallied in the final third, to close to within a second of the lead, he had to settle for fifth place at the chequered flag.
With the fastest lap of the race though, he started Sunday’s first 30-lap race from pole position and immediately slotted into the top three. On this occasion, he had no issues with grip and at half race distance he moved up to second, which soon became the lead four laps later. The 22-year old led until lap 24 when Haslam overtook him but he moved back into the lead on lap 27 when his fellow Kawasaki rider was instructed to drop back a place after an earlier coming together with Bradley Ray.
He pushed Jake back to second on the penultimate lap but just when it looked like second place would make up for Saturday’s result, he slid off on oil on the final with just two corners to go.
Back in seventh on the grid for the third and final race of the weekend, Jake dropped back to ninth in the early stages which gave him plenty of work to do but he soon moved forward, climbing into the top six for the first time on lap six. With just five laps to go, he took over third place in what was another pulsating race and that was where he ultimately finished to finish the weekend on a high.
The third place saw Jake add another single podium credit to his total as the series now heads into the final three-round Showdown, where the points are reset at 500 with each riders’ podium credits added. This means he now has a total of 523 points, 45 adrift of Haslam with seven races remaining.
Nick Anderson was also in action on the Briggs Equipment Kawasaki with three races in the Pirelli National Superstock 1000cc Championship. Having his second outing with the team, the Scarborough rider took two solid finishes in 21st and 24th before being forced to retire from Sunday’s third and final race although it was another good effort as he continued to get used to the 1000cc ZX-10R.
Jake Dixon: “It’s been quite a tough weekend as although our one lap pace was excellent, we couldn’t string it all together for the full race distance. We were struggling in a few areas at a circuit which probably didn’t suit the Kawasaki as well as some of the other bikes. Fifth in race one was ok but the crash was completely out of hands due to the oil and it was disappointing that there weren’t any oil flags being displayed.”
“The penalty that Leon received didn’t seem to be executed very well and going from first to second didn;t hinder him at all. It is what it is so I had to come out fighting in the third and final race to try and salvage something from the weekend which I did with third place. The team have done a great job all weekend but we just need to improve in a few areas to give ourselves the best chance possible of winning the title.”
Lee Hardy, Team Owner: “The weekend hasn’t been too bad but at the same time we were all hoping for more from the three races. We had good pace but race one saw Jake struggle for grip in the middle of the race only for it to come back towards the end so whilst fifth was ok it wasn’t what we needed with Leon winning again. The second race looked like it would give us a good second place but I wasn’t happy with the way the penalty was executed as Leon should have dropped from third to fourth not first to second so, essentially, he wasn’t really penalised.”
“To make matters worse, there were no oil flags being displayed after Peter Hickman’s bike expired so it was a frustrating outcome to say the least. Jake did manage to salvage a podium in the final race thankfully and it was a good ride into third after dropping back to ninth at the beginning. Leon has a substantial lead going into the Showdown but there’s everything to play for and Oulton is a strong track for us so we’ll be looking to get it underway in the best fashion possible.”
The next round, the first of the Showdown, takes place in less than a week’s time at Oulton Park, Cheshire on September 14-16.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship race one (30 laps)
1 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
2 Glenn Irwin (Ducati)
3 Tarran Mackenzie (Yamaha)
4 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
5 Jake Dixon (RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki)
6 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
Bennetts British Superbike Championship race two (30 laps)
1 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
2 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
3 Glenn Irwin (Ducati)
4 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
5 Christian Iddon (BMW)
6 Tommy Bridewell (Ducati)
DNF Jake Dixon (RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki)
Bennetts British Superbike Championship race three (26 laps)
1 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
2 Tarran Mackenzie (Yamaha)
3 Jake Dixon (RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki)
4 Glenn Irwin (Ducati)
5 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
6 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
Championship Positions (after nine rounds)
1 Haslam 568pts
2 Dixon 523
3 Brookes 519
4 Ray 519
5 Irwin 516
6 Hickman 504
More, from a press release issued by Tyco BMW:
HEROIC IDDON TAKES SHOWDOWN FIGHT TO THE END AT SILVERSTONE
Tyco BMW’s Christian Iddon fought back from injury to deliver a phenomenal performance aboard the S1000RR this weekend during the ninth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Silverstone.
The Stockport rider broke his collarbone during Saturday’s qualifying session to heroically take to the grid just three hours later and cross the line behind team-mate Michael Laverty, posting a fastest lap time just 0.7s shy of the race winner. This was superseded by a further two incredibly close races which saw the Tyco BMW rider fighting with the leading pack for the majority of the final race, narrowly missing out on a podium finish and a Showdown spot by just five points.
Michael Laverty suffered some bad luck during the weekend which significantly affected his results although he showed on a number of occasions he had the speed to run with the lead group of riders today.
In the National Superstock 1000 class Keith Farmer returned to his fine form today clinching a third place podium finish, combined with a ninth and third place finish in Saturday’s two-part endurance race despite hitting a false neutral on the grid which saw him drop to the back of the pack. The weekend saw the Clougher rider amass a further 27.5 points to add to his championship tally, just 0.5 points shy of the Championship lead.
The team are focused and looking forward to the tenth round of the British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park in less than a week’s time [14th-16th September].
Philip Neill – Team Manager: “That was quite a hectic weekend with 3 Superstock and 3 Superbike races for the Tyco BMW crew. Clearly our intention was to give everything we had to reach the Superbike Showdown and we obviously couldn’t have asked for anything more from Christian. His efforts were nothing short of heroic and he deserves every ounce of credit for his determination this weekend. Unfortunately we came up a little short in the end but after missing some races earlier in the season, it was always going to be a tough task even before the broken collarbone he sustained on Saturday.
Michael’s run of bad luck continued and as a team we feel terrible when mechanical gremlins play a part in the outcome of race results. Michael clearly showed he had great pace and I’m confident he would have played a major part in the results today without the problems he encountered.
It’s difficult to remember a more exciting Superstock championship and although we would prefer to have a significant points lead at this stage Keith did a great job in the last race today, snatching third place in the final corner to keep the points leader in sight and set up a grandstand finish for the last two races.
Thanks as always to our partners Tyco and BMW Motorrad for their support and to the hardest working crew in the paddock for their efforts.”
Christian Iddon – #21 British Superbike: “There was a lot at stake this weekend, so I think any rider would have ridden, everyone is pushing for the same thing but I had put myself in that position to start with so I just needed to crack on with the job and do the best I could. The guys in the team have done a great job, the bike has been really quick all weekend. In all free practice sessions and first qualifying I was quickest down the back straight in every single session, but come race time I slipped back considerably as I could not get tucked in tight with the collarbone injury. I gave it everything that I have got this weekend, I’m disappointed that we are not in the top six as it’s a lot of hard work that goes in by a lot of people, but I will do everything I can to finish the season as strong as possible.
The support I have got has been incredible, that is a huge thing I will take away from this weekend. A big thank you to everyone for all the support, I genuinely really appreciate it, it certainly helps as a painkiller when I read through all the messages.”
Michael Laverty – #7 British Superbike: “I don’t like to use the word luck, but we had none this weekend. I had more weird technical issues this weekend than you would usually have over a season! My boys worked hard changing an engine last night and then once again between races today but it was to no avail, despite having really strong race pace unfortunately we had 2 DNF’s. My team mate Christians performance this weekend beggars belief, an astounding effort!”
Keith Farmer – #33 National Superstock 1000: “It’s been a bit of a struggle for me this weekend as I haven’t quite had the feeling I wanted on the bike, that along with an error I made hitting a false neutral on the grid which knocked us to the back of the pack in first lap of race one. Despite this we came away with a third and a ninth place finish in the two-part endurance race, followed by a third place podium in today’s race.
We are only half a point behind in the championship lead so I’m looking forward to the next round at Oulton Park, we have previously been quite strong there and had some success. It’s only one week away, so no time to chill out or have a break, we just need to get stuck in and do a good job.?? Overall it’s been great to get back on the podium, as always a massive thanks to Tyco BMW, team sponsors and personal sponsors, it’s mega to have such great support behind me with everyone rooting to get this championship wrapped up!
More, from a press release issued by Buildbase Suzuki:
Ray secures Showdown spot at Silverstone
•Pole position in qualifying for Ray
•Ray also confirmed in Showdown
•Cooper recovers from take-out in race one for two solid results
•Billy McConnell maintains Superstock 1000 championship lead
Buildbase Suzuki’s Bradley Ray secured his spot in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship’s Showdown, despite also suffering misfortune at Silverstone and round nine of the season.
The weekend started strongly, with Ray fast in practice before setting pole position in qualifying on his GSX-R1000. From the head of the grid for race one he led the way, but was disappointed to crash out of the lead. His teammate, Richard Cooper, also crashed out of the top-10 when he was unfortunately taken out by another rider.
Ray, keen to make amends for his spill and secure his Showdown spot, was embroiled in a battle for the win in race two before he too was the victim of another rider’s attempted overtake. Lucky to stay upright, he was forced off track, costing him several positions. He recovered ground but dropped down the order in the closing laps with a problem with his gear selector. However, he finished 14th, the two points enough to seal his place in the top six. Cooper finished 10th.
In the third and final superbike race of the weekend Ray and Cooper crossed the line in seventh and eighth place to cap off an up-and-down weekend with a solid pair of results.
Bradley Ray, “Ultimately it’s job done; the aim was to come here this weekend and secure a place in the Showdown, and we’ve done that. I’m disappointed we didn’t do it on Saturday and disappointed I crashed out of the lead; I think I probably put a bit of pressure on myself with the Showdown on my mind, but we got the points we needed in the end. I felt like we could maybe have been on the podium in race two. There wasn’t really room for a move there and it cost us a lot of time and dropped us back, and in the final race the pace just wasn’t quite there. While there aren’t any points for it, it was good to set another pole position and we know we can be fast. I’m confident going into the Showdown and honestly, really pleased to be in there; it’s only my second year in BSB, its only the team’s second year with the new GSX-R, so we’ve got to be happy.”
Richard Cooper, “It’s been a pretty solid weekend. We had a better qualifying than we’ve had in the past and that’s been an area of weakness a bit this year, so it was good to go through to Q3 and start from the third row, especially when passing is quite difficult around here. I was having a good race Saturday before being knocked off. It’s annoying, but we’re out there racing motorbikes and it happens. There wasn’t any ill-intent. Today, results were good. The racing was really close as it always is in BSB, and it’s so hard to get across the gap, but we’re pretty consistent. Hopefully we can get amongst it in the Showdown and make a nuisance of ourselves.”
Billy McConnell maintained his National Superstock 1000 championship lead. The Australian finished ninth and fourth in the two-part race one, before finishing race two in fourth.
Billy McConnell, “It was a pretty tricky weekend. The conditions were a bit up and down. But the aim is always the podium, ideally wins and we didn’t quite have the pace to achieve that this weekend. But it’s still been a pretty decent weekend and we’ve got some good points on the board, and still lead the championship which is the important thing.”