MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship
TT Circuit Assen, Netherlands
October 1, 2017
Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Sylvain Guintoli, France (Suz GSX-R1000), 18 laps, Total Race Time 29:19.632, Best Lap Time 1:36.947
2. Josh Brookes, Australia (Yam YZF-R1), -0.589 second, 1:37.108
3. Leon Haslam, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), -0.873, 1:36.972
4. James Ellison, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -1.315 seconds, 1:36.934
5. Shane Byrne, UK (Duc Panigale R), -1.410, 1:36.908
6. Peter Hickman, UK (BMW S1000RR), -7.605, 1:37.541
7. Jake Dixon, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -9.221, 1:37.537
8. Christian Iddon, UK (BMW S1000RR), -9.450, 1:37.455
9. Dan Linfoot, UK (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -9.502, 1:37.428
10. Bradley Ray, UK (Suz GSX-R1000), -15.012, 1:37.439
11. Richard Cooper, UK (Suz GSX-R1000), -15.292, 1:37.646
12. John Hopkins, USA (Duc Panigale R), -16.157, 1:37.519
13. Jason O’Halloran, UK (Hon CBR1000RR SP2), -16.385, 1:37.727
14. Glenn Irwin, UK (Duc Panigale R), -17.243, 1:37.892
15. Michael Laverty, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -19.603, 1:37.575
16. Martin Jessopp, UK (BMW S1000RR), -33.449, 1:38.389
17. Lee Jackson, UK (BMW S1000RR), -34.699, 1:38.475
18. Tommy Bridewell, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), -35.380, 1:38.124
19. Josh Elliott, UK (BMW S1000RR), -44.997, 1:37.827
20. Jakub Smrz, Czech Republic (BMW S1000RR), -1 lap, DNF, 1:38.355
21. Aaron Zanotti, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -6 laps, DNF, 1:39.772
22. Luke Mossey, UK (Kaw ZX-10RR), -8 laps, DNF, 1:37.920
23. Dean Harrison, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -9 laps, DNF, 1:39.842
24. James Westmoreland, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -10 laps, DNF, 1:39.736
25. Shaun Winfield, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -11 laps, DNF, 1:41.307
26. Danny Buchan, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), DNS
27. Taylor Mackenzie, UK (Suz GSX-R1000), DNS
Championship Point Standings (after 23 of 26 races):
1. Haslam, 612 points
2. Brookes, 580
3. Byrne, 579
4. Dixon, 558
5. Hickman, 549
6. O’Halloran, 526
7. Iddon, 187
8. Ellison, 185
9. Mossey, 180
10. Linfoot, 147
12. TIE, Hopkins/Guintoli, 122
More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:
Guintoli becomes tenth different race winner as Haslam holds the advantage ahead of Brands Hatch decider
Sylvain Guintoli celebrated his first victory of the season in the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship in a race two thriller at Assen as Bennetts Suzuki team claimed their first victory as Josh Brookes and Leon Haslam returned to the podium ahead of the Brands Hatch title decider.
Haslam claimed the first MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship victory in Assen after an epic clash at the legendary Dutch circuit with a six-way scrap for supremacy with Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne scything his way through the order.
On the opening lap James Ellison lead from Haslam, Christian Iddon and Dan Linfoot, but Guintoli was soon in the mix as he moved into third on the Bennetts Suzuki at the end of the third lap.
Byrne had started 16th on the grid, but he was forcing his way through the pack and by the sixth lap was up to fifth as the leading pack of Ellison, Haslam, Guintoli and Byrne started to trade blows at the front of the field.
Guintoli hit the lead on the tenth lap as he dived ahead of Ellison with Haslam and Byrne in close contention, but the McAMS Yamaha rider wasn’t second for long as he repaid the move to reclaim the position at the front of the field.
Byrne had moved up to third as Guintoli moved back ahead of Ellison, but Haslam was determined and he moved into second before taking the lead on lap 14 to put the JG Speedfit Kawasaki back ahead. As Haslam took the lead the pack shuffled with Ellison up to second ahead of Guintoli with Byrne in fourth as Josh Brookes and Bradley Ray closed in.
Haslam was edging an advantage but the fight wasn’t over until the line as Byrne made a decisive last lap move to put himself ahead of Ellison, but in turn the McAMS Yamaha rider had come under attack from Guintoli.
As Byrne held second, Ellison went for a last corner move on Guintoli to hold onto the final podium spot with the Bennetts Suzuki rider relegated to fourth ahead of Brookes and Ray.
Peter Hickman held off Showdown rival Jake Dixon for seventh place with John Hopkins and Jason O’Halloran completing the top ten ahead of Linfoot, Mossey and Richard Cooper after Christian Iddon crashed out unhurt.
On the opening lap of a race two thriller Byrne had hit the front of the pack from Haslam and Ellison with Guintoli, Brookes and Iddon in close contention. However instantly the riders were jostling for positions and by the third lap the Bennetts Suzuki of Guintoli was at the front and ahead of Haslam.
Haslam instantly fought back though to try and recapture the lead but as the pack streamed across the line for the fourth time Byrne led Ellison with Haslam and Guintoli next up with Brookes ready to make his attack.
By lap seven Ellison had edged into the lead on the McAMS Yamaha at the final chicane, but Byrne was pushing hard and two laps later he regained the position with Guintoli holding third ahead of Haslam and Brookes.
The five riders were trading blows for the positions and Haslam then moved ahead of Ellison to claim third as Guintoli then took the lead. On lap 16 the leading pack were all side by side as they entered turn one; Byrne and Haslam came off worst as they drifted wide and allowed Guintoli, Ellison and Brookes to emerge ahead.
Guintoli then held the advantage but Ellison was under attack and Haslam made a move on the penultimate lap to move second, but Brookes wasn’t done yet. The Anvil Hire TAG Yamaha rider waited until the final lap to make a pass; the Australian lunging ahead into second place to maintain second place in the overall standings.
Ellison held off Byrne who finished fifth for the Be Wiser Ducati team with Hickman edging ahead of Dixon to claim sixth place ahead of Iddon, Linfoot and Ray.
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Assen, race one result:
1.Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki)
2.Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) +1.992s
3.James Ellison (McAMS Yamaha) +2.591s
4.Sylvain Guintoli (Bennetts Suzuki) +2.655s
5.Josh Brookes (Anvil Hire TAG Yamaha) +2.717s
6.Bradley Ray (Buildbase Suzuki) +2.814s
7.Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) +7.865s
8.Jake Dixon (RAF Regular & Reserves Kawasaki) +8.210s
9.John Hopkins (Moto Rapido Ducati) +11.000s
10.Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) +15.666s
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Assen, race two result:
1.Sylvain Guintoli (Bennetts Suzuki)
2.Josh Brookes (Anvil Hire TAG Yamaha) +0.589s
3.Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +0.873s
4.James Ellison (McAMS Yamaha) +1.315s
5.Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) +1.410s
6.Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) +7.605s
7.Jake Dixon (RAF Regular & Reserves Kawasaki) +9.221s
8.Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) +9.450s
9.Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) +9.502s
10.Bradley Ray (Buildbase Suzuki) +15.012s
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings:
1.Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) 612
2.Josh Brookes (Anvil Hire TAG Yamaha) 580
3.Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) 579
4.Jake Dixon (RAF Regular & Reserves Kawasaki) 558
5.Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) 549
6.Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) 526
For more information visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Leon Haslam
JG Speedfit Kawasaki
Championship position: 1st
“I have to keep reminding myself of the championship; it is always a battle you want to win in every race and you want to make moves you probably shouldn’t when you are trying to win a championship. It worked out well for the championship today; I was a bit disappointed after the last lap of race two, I was in a good rhythm at the end and I had a bit of an issue with the engine cutting out, but it has been a great weekend for JG Speedfit Kawasaki.
“This championship is so tough and we definitely had a hard part of the season but the Showdown is where it matters and we have three races now at Brands Hatch to try and do the same job.”
Sylvain Guintoli
Bennetts Suzuki
Race two winner
“It means a lot, this first victory. I felt good right away this weekend. We’ve improved the bike a lot in recent rounds, also in the wet, too, which is somewhere we’ve struggled before. But in the dry, we’ve really improved.
“I enjoyed them a lot; there was lots of fighting and people diving underneath each other, I’d never seen some of the types of passing we saw today. But it was all safe and a lot of fun.
“We were unlucky to miss the podium in race one but in race two I felt really strong. We knew we had to develop the bike this year, but sometimes people want things right away. But it wasn’t going to happen in a championship this competitive, but we’re making steps and this shows that the bike is improving.”
More, from a press release issued by Be Wiser Ducati:
Assen Podium For Shakey As The Battle Goes To Brands
Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne scored an important podium to keep his title chances alive whilst enduring contrasting fortunes this weekend at Assen in The Netherlands where the historic track hosted round 11 of the MCE British Superbike Championship.
Aboard the factory-backed Be Wiser Ducati Panigale R, the five times and defending champion overcame a pair of crashes during yesterday’s wet Datatag Extreme Qualifying to start today’s opening race from row six of the grid but the Sittingbourne-based Londoner was soon on the case in the dry conditions.
Knowing he needed to maximise his points haul in the second of the Showdown rounds, race one saw Byrne battle with the leading bunch before a pass on James Ellison netted him second place, as main title rival Leon Haslam took the win.
However, with the fastest lap of the race, Byrne started the second 18-lap race from pole position and he made it count as he grabbed the holeshot to lead into turn one. From there, Shakey led and started to pull a gap but a mistake going into turn one saw him run off track and try as he might, he was unable to make up any more places with fifth place the end result.
Team-mate Glenn Irwin also suffered disappointment in the wet qualifying session which left him down in 21st on the grid but he too was able to advance forward in the first race albeit not quite at the same time rate. He managed to work his way up to 12th with six laps remaining but was pushed back to 14th at the chequered flag.
The Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland rider was 13th on the grid for the second race and for much of the race he was locked in battle with a group of riders battling for 12th once more. He didn’t quite have the pace on the second Be Wiser Ducati Panigale R to make any overtakes and finished in 14th once more.
Going into the triple-header finale at his local Brands Hatch track in two weeks’ time, Byrne is third in the standings, 33 points behind series leader Haslam.
Shane Byrne: “We were able to take a lot of positives out of the first race and to come through from 16th on the grid to second was pleasing. The one person I’m focused on at the moment is Leon as he’s leading the championship so getting involved with riders not part of the Showdown made life difficult. I should have been really happy with second place but the reality was I still didn’t beat Leon. Starting race two from pole made my life easier although I knew it would still be tough but I gave myself the best possible chance by leading for the majority of the race. The pace dropped when James (Ellison) passed me and I tried to fight back but made a mistake and dropped back to fifth so all I can do is go to Brands Hatch and do my very best. If that gets us the championship, then great, if it doesn’t, no-one can say I didn’t try.”
Glenn Irwin: “Being so far back of the grid for the first race meant it was always going to be hard but I was pleased to have fought my way back up to 12th. In the last few laps though, I started to get a really bad vibration and was powerless to respond so it was a shame to drop back to 14th. The second race was a lot better and although the result still wasn’t very good, our pace was much better. It’s been a testing weekend but I’m continuing to rebuild after all the good work I’d done at the beginning of the year.”
Phil Borley, Technical Director: “It wasn’t quite the day we hoped for and with the plan being to take ten points off Leon, we’ve lost further ground in the title race and have it all to do at the final round. Shakey did everything he possibly could in the first race and although Leon got the win, second place meant we didn’t lose too many points. Everything looked good in the second race but with the riders going three abreast, all three ran in a bit too deep with Shakey coming off worst. It cost him any chance of the win and, more importantly, it lost him more ground to Leon. It’s not all over yet though and it only takes Leon to have one DNF so we’ll keep pushing hard and simply go to Brands with the aim of taking all three wins. We can’t control what Leon does and what will be, will be. For Glenn, a problem with the rear tyre towards the end of the first race gave him a really bad vibration but he had a better run in the second battling with Hopkins and Laverty and at least came away with two points scoring finishes.”
More, from a press release issued by Smiths Racing BMW:
Solid Points For Hickman And Smiths At Assen
Peter Hickman and the Gloucester-based Smiths Racing BMW team battled back from a disappointing qualifying performance at round 11 of the 2017 MCE British Superbike Championship at Assen to record a strong sixth and seventh place finish today, whereby the results see him maintain his fifth place overall in the championship.
A crash in yesterday’s wet qualifying session meant 30-year-old Hickman had to start the first 18-lap race from 19th on the grid but a superb start on the Smiths BMW S1000RR saw him up to tenth at the completion of the first lap. A lap later he was up to eighth but as the race progressed, Peter found himself shuffled back to 11th on lap six. Into the second half of the encounter and the Lincoln rider dug deep to claim a deserved seventh at the flag.
Hickman started the second race from tenth on the grid and another great start saw him gain three places on the opening lap only for a coming together with another rider to drop him back to ninth. He soon regrouped and was back up to sixth where he remained after a race long battle to maintain his fifth place overall in the title race.
Team-mate Lee Jackson qualified in 13th aboard his Smiths Racing BMW and for the entirety of the first race, he ran on the edge of the points. Part of a five rider battle at the lower end of the top fifteen, the 21 year old from Lincoln lost out on the final points scoring position by a fraction of a second at the flag. Starting race two from row six, he again battled inside the top 20 although he wasn’t able to claim any points, when he crossed the line in 17th place.
Peter Hickman: “Considering how qualifying went on Saturday, I’ve had two good rides today, probably my best ever results at Assen, but it’s been a frustrating day as I knew I had the pace to run with the front group. Starting race one from so far back was a big ask but I made a great start to get up to tenth, aided by some big moves, but it took me too long to get back to the head of the group by which time the front pack had escaped. We made a few set-up changes for race two, which were a big help, and I felt I had the pace to go with the front guys but I got hit in turn three and I lost three places. I got back to the front of the group again and was running in sixth but, again, by that time, the front five had gone. I know I’ve got the pace to run at the front so it’s a little bit frustrating through no-one’s fault but we’re still in the hunt for second or third in the championship so we’ll see what we can do at the last three races.”
Lee Jackson: “It’s been a tough weekend for me at a track that’s not my strongest and we struggled in free practice when I couldn’t get the bike where I wanted it but the team did a great job and we made good steps in time for qualifying. I felt confident in the wet and was satisfied in 13th whilst a good morning warm-up today was another positive step. Unfortunately, race one didn’t go to plan and I struggled with the front of the bike, just missing out on the points, so we made a few tweaks to the bike and I was feeling upbeat. I struggled to get into a good rhythm and push my way through so 17th was the outcome but I want to thank the team again for all their hard work, which I really appreciate.”
Alan Smith, Team Owner: “We can’t be too disheartened with Peter’s results this weekend after what happened in qualifying but it’s frustrating when we know what both him and the bike are capable of. He was messed up in both races by other riders but especially in race two when a coming together damaged the exhaust and squashed Pete’s leg! Lee had an up and down weekend and struggled in both races but we’ll look to build on this weekend at Brands in two weeks’ time and end the season strongly.”
More, from a press release issued by Bennetts Suzuki:
Guintoli wins for Bennetts Suzuki at Assen BSB
Sylvain Guintoli and the Bennetts Suzuki team took victory today at Assen, winning the second race at round 11 of the MCE British Superbike championship. It was the first victory for the team with the all-new GSX-R1000 in the British Superbike championship this season, highlighting the progress that has been made with the bike’s development.
Guintoli started from the front row of the grid for race two, but after getting boxed-in off the start dropped back into the pack. However, he pushed his way through to third, and began hunting down the leading pair before taking the lead.
Part of a five-rider battle for the win, the Frenchman eventually pulled clear with two laps to go, taking a hard-fought victory.
The win came after he narrowly missed out on the podium in race one, again after leading much of the race. He took fourth at the flag, but the results further demonstrate the ongoing development of the new GSX-R1000.
Sylvain Guintoli, “It means a lot, this first victory. I felt good right away this weekend. We’ve improved the bike a lot in recent rounds, also in the wet, too, which is somewhere we’ve struggled before. But in the dry, we’ve really improved. We worked step-by-step, we’re also running a different swingarm now, and we were able to have two good races. I enjoyed them a lot; there was lots of fighting and people diving underneath each other, I’d never seen some of the types of passing we saw today. But it was all safe and a lot of fun. We were unlucky to miss the podium in race one but in race two I felt really strong. I took it easy at the start, just to try and save a bit of tyre, but then we were able to attack and get the win. We knew we had to develop the bike this year, but sometimes people want things right away. But it wasn’t going to happen in a championship this competitive, but we’re making steps and this shows that the bike is improving.”
Richard Cooper, making a wildcard appearance in the Superbike class on a Bennetts Suzuki GSX-R1000 dressed in a special, retro Suzuki livery, had a difficult qualifying to start 18th, but took two solid points-scoring finishes and made big progress with his setup and pace on the Superbike.
In race one, after dropping as low as 22nd, the National Superstock 1000 championship challenger progressed through the field to finish 13th, before improving to 11th in race two.
Richard Cooper, “I’m pretty happy with this weekend. We achieved two good results; especially when you consider how far back we were on the first lap of race one. But the bike was working well and was happy to come through to 13th. For race two we made some big changes to the bike; we were only here for one weekend so we wanted to try and make a big step for race two, and I think we did, so I can’t thank the team enough for their hard work. To be fighting for the top-10 in this class, at this stage of the season, with a one-off ride, I’m happy with that.”
Team manager, Steve Hicken, “The results today show the progress we have been making with the bike, especially in recent rounds. Sylvain was unlucky to miss the podium in race one but we knew we had race-winning pace, and it’s great to finally get that victory, and a big thanks to Sylvain for his hard work this weekend.
“We should have had three bikes out there today, so it’s a shame Taylor had to sit out, but with Cooper out there we still had two Bennetts Suzukis going round, and he achieved two solid results with two strong performances. The plan was to try some new things with Cooper and get his feedback, and we made big changes between the races, so it was good to see him fighting inside the top-10 and up to speed so quickly. Plus it was nice to be able to do something special with the bike and the livery for a wildcard appearance. We’ll now be looking to keep this momentum up as we head to Brands for the final round.”
More, from a press release issued by Tyco BMW:
CHALLENGING WEEKEND FOR TYCO BMW IN MIXED CONDITIONS AT ASSEN
It was a tough weekend at the penultimate round of the 2017 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at the Dutch circuit of Assen for the Tyco BMW team. Both Christian Iddon and Josh Elliott started the weekend strongly with both riders showing great pace throughout the practice sessions and qualifying despite the changeable conditions during the opening two days on track.
Clearly comfortable in the mixed conditions, Christian Iddon charged his S1000RR to the top of the times during free practice and followed it up by securing a front row start for race one after a hard-fought final stage of qualifying yesterday.
Following a spectacular save during Q1 Josh Elliott had his first taste of Q3 and managed to place himself seventh on the grid despite this being only his second appearance on the S1000RR Superbike.
Iddon was fighting hard in the opening race despite some minor brake issues, but whilst trying to regain ground he crashed out of contention at the final corner. He bounced back in race two to claim eighth position and regain the lead in the Riders Cup ahead of the final round of the season at Brands Hatch. Elliott finished the race with a pair of 19th place finishes.
Team Manager Philip Neill: “After a strong showing throughout qualifying, Sunday once again did not quite deliver the results we expect. Both Christian and the Tyco BMW S1000RR have already proven this the year how strong the combination can be although for whatever reason the past few rounds have been difficult for us. Josh had a decent weekend considering this is only the second time he has ridden the Superbike. He is a quality rider and I’m sure he has a future in Superbike.
It’s clear we as a team have some work to do and with one round remaining we will put everything into the next two weeks in the hope of finishing the season on a high note at Brands Hatch by securing the Riders Cup with Christian”
Christian Iddon #24: “This weekend was absolutely not the Assen we had hoped for but I’m proud of how my team fought to the end. We encountered a few small brake issues during race one and also experienced excessive tyre wear during the races.
We didn’t have the set up exactly as we would have liked in the dry to maintain the pace we needed for the race result we were aiming for at the start of the weekend, but the team pulled together and that is what is important. It might sound like a broken record but we will regroup and return stronger to finish the season as best we can at Brands Hatch in two weeks, we were on the podium there earlier in the season it would be good to be back up there again!”
Josh Elliott #10: “I learnt a lot this weekend with a lot of positives to take from it and more experienced gained on a Superbike. Qualifying 7th was definitely the highlight. The races were very tough due to the lack of dry track time I had this weekend but I was happy with my lap time in race two and I know the areas we can improve on. Many thanks to the Tyco BMW team for the opportunity to ride this weekend and the guys worked great to help me on the Superbike.”
For more information please contact: [email protected] or visit www.tycobmw.com
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