MCE British Superbike Championship
Donington Park, England
April 2, 2017
Race Two Results (All on Pirelli tires):
1. Leon Haslam, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 20 laps, Total Race Time 29:58.902, Best Lap Time 1:29.085
2. Josh Brookes, Australia (Yam YZF-R1), -2.716 seconds, 1:29.255
3. Glenn Irwin, UK (Duc Panigale R), -9.535, 1:29.798
4. Christian Iddon, UK (BMW S1000RR), -9.849, 1:29.764
5. Luke Mossey, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -10.193, 1:29.726
6. James Ellison, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -12.287, 1:29.105
7. Sylvain Guintoli, France (Suz GSX-R1000), -16.339, 1:30.103
8. Peter Hickman, UK (BMW S1000RR), -18.093, 1:29.851
9. Davide Guigliano, Italy (BMW S1000RR), -20.627, 1:30.012
10. Jason O’Halloran, Australia (Hon CBR1000RR), -21.291, 1:30.053
11. Tommy Bridewell, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -29.051, 1:30.240
12. Dan Linfoot, UK (Hon CBR1000RR), -29.277, 1:30.163
13. John Hopkins, USA (Duc Panigale R), -31.783, 1:30.086
14. Bradley Ray, UK (Suz GSX-R1000), -32.007, 1:30.614
15. Jakub Smrz, Czech Republic (BMW S1000RR), -35.703, 1:30.540
16. James Westmoreland, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -66.584, 1:31.876
17. Michael Dunlop, UK (Suz GSX-R1000), -70.510, 1:32.255
18. Shaun Winfield, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -75.477, 1:31.040
19. Jake Dixon, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -12 laps, DNF, 1:30.064
20. Taylor Mackenzie, UK (Suz GSX-R1000), -14 laps, DNF, 1:30.340
21. Aaron Zanotti, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -15 laps, DNF, 1:32.635
22. Michael Laverty, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -17 laps, DNF, 1:29.961
23. Billy McConnell, Australia (Kaw ZX-10R), -18 laps, DNF, 1:31.098
24. Martin Jessopp, UK (BMW S1000RR), DNS
25. Shane Byrne, UK (Duc Panigale R), DNS
26. Michael Rutter, UK (BMW S1000RR), DNS
27. Lee Jackson, UK (BMW S1000RR), DNS
Championship Point Standings (After 2 of 26 races):
1. Haslam, 50 points
2. Mossey, 31
3. TIE, Iddon/Brookes, 29
5. Irwin, 26
6. TIE, Hickman/Ellison, 21
8. O’Halloran, 12
9. Giugliano, 10
10. TIE, Linfoot/Bridewell/Guintoli, 9
15. TIE, Smrz/Hopkins, 3
More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:
MCE BSB is back: Haslam’s double delight at Donington as Brookes makes podium return
Leon Haslam had the perfect start to his 2017 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship season, claiming a double race win for JG Speedfit Kawasaki at his home circuit of Donington Park, but he was pushed all the way by Luke Mossey and Josh Brookes on his return to the series.
The competition proved to be fierce from the opening races of the season with five different riders representing four teams and four different manufacturers featuring on the two podiums at the Leicestershire circuit.
The first raceday of the year started dramatically with a crash in warm up for defending champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne at Craner Curves. The Be Wiser Ducati rider suffered concussion in the crash and was forced to sit out the opening two races, returning at the next round of Brands Hatch this Easter weekend.
In the opening race Haslam claimed his first race win at Donington Park in 2006, holding off his JG Speedfit Kawasaki team-mate Luke Mossey and Tyco BMW’s Christian Iddon.
As race one got underway James Ellison fired himself straight to the front of the pack as they reaches Redgate for the first time ahead of Haslam, Mossey and Brookes on the Anvil Hire TAG Yamaha.
As the pack reached the Old Hairpin Mossey and Brookes touched, pushing the Australian down to ninth on the opening lap and needing to make a fight back. At the front Ellison was holding the lead but Haslam was piling on the pressure and on the seventh lap the ‘Pocket Rocket’ made his move.
Mossey was also shadowing the pair and followed his team-mate into second place, nudging Ellison back into third. The JG Speedfit Kawasaki pairing held the leading two positions but the battle was intensifying for third as Ellison dropped back into the clutches of Peter Hickman, Iddon, Brookes and Michael Laverty.
Hickman was the first to make an attack at Melbourne on Ellison, giving Iddon the chance to also move ahead. The Tyco BMW rider was stalking Hickman for third, leaving it until the closing stages to make a lunge into the Esses to move third and claim the final podium position.
Hickman held off Ellison as Glenn Irwin got the better of Brookes on the final lap to claim sixth with Laverty, Jake Dixon and Jason O’Halloran completed the top ten.
As race two got underway Brookes fired off the pole position into the lead on the opening lap and as the pack streamed down Craner Curves for the first time the Australian was fighting off Haslam, Mossey and Laverty.
Laverty was attacking Mossey, moving to third on the second lap, but the race ended prematurely for the leading McAMS Yamaha when he suffered a technical problem and was forced to retire.
At the front Ellison had moved into third behind the battling Brookes and Haslam but on the eighth lap the local hero took a look over his shoulder as he crossed the start line, giving Ellison the chance to make a pass into Redgate.
A lap later though and Haslam was on the counterattack; jamming his way ahead of his former team-mate as the leading pair of Brookes and Haslam began to edge an advantage.
Haslam was shadowing Brookes and with five laps to go he made his move at the Esses and was able to hold off his Australian rival to the finish. However behind the battle for third had intensified with Glenn Irwin storming his way through the pack to close in on the trio of Mossey, Iddon and Ellison.
Haslam said: “This is my third ever win at the track and I won back in 2006 was the last time I won here. To win at my home round at Donington and to get a 1-2 for the team and it couldn’t have gone any better and thanks to all the boys for the effort.”
Irwin saved his best for last, making his moves count over the final two laps and despite a huge last lap duel with race one podium finisher Iddon, he was able to claim his first podium finish of the season to the jubilation of the Be Wiser Ducati team.
Iddon was forced to settle for fourth ahead of Mossey and Ellison as Sylvain Guintoli bounced back from a race one crash to finish seventh after getting the better of Peter Hickman. Davide Giugliano and Jason O’Halloran completed the top ten.
For more information visit www.britishsuperbike.com
More, from a press release issued by Be Wiser Ducati:
Donington Park Podium For Irwin As Byrne Is Sidelined
It was a day of mixed fortunes for the Be Wiser Ducati Team at the opening round of the 2017 MCE British Superbike Championship at Donington Park today which saw Shane Byrne’s title defence get off to the worst possible start when he was declared unfit to ride following a crash during the morning warm up.
That meant it was left to team-mate Glenn Irwin to give Paul Bird’s Penrith-based team something to cheer about, when having taken a strong sixth in the first race, he rode superbly in the second race to claim third place and with it a brilliant podium position.
After qualifying was cancelled due to track contamination yesterday, five times champion Byrne was set to start on row two of the grid and had just set the second fastest time on the factory-backed Be Wiser Ducati Panigale R during the 20-minute warm up session when he crashed heavily at Craner Curves. Following medical treatment, it was determined the Londoner had suffered concussion in the high-speed spill, which resulted in the BSB medical team advising him to take no further part in the day’s proceedings.
That left team-mate Irwin to fly the flag for Paul Bird’s team as he started the first 20-lap race from ninth on the grid. In the early part of the race he moved up the order as he diced with former World Superbike Champion Sylvain Guintoli, but in the latter stages he closed rapidly on the riders ahead of him and took seventh place on the penultimate lap. He wasn’t finished, however, and overtook former BSB Champion Josh Brookes on the final lap to claim a fine sixth place.
Having set the eighth fastest lap of the race, Glenn started the second 20-lap race from the third row once more and the race followed a similar pattern to the first. Eighth at the end of the first lap, it was again in the second half of the race when Glenn was at his strongest and having moved up to sixth at half race distance, he soon closed in on the riders battling for third.
On the penultimate lap, he moved up to fourth with a good pass on Luke Mossey at Redgate Corner and he then took third place on the final lap, holding on for his third career BSB podium. The results have placed him fifth in the early season table.
Glenn Irwin: “After Shakey crashed someone said to me that the pressure was really on as I was carrying the hopes of the team but whilst it’s not the ideal way to get an opportunity, I saw it as exactly that and took it with both hands. I was able to manage the tyres really well in both races but in the first race I was a little bit cautious in making my move so I made sure in the second I went for it. I was able to make passes from a long way back but in a controlled way and the front tyre was so good it allowed me to do pretty much what I wanted. I respect everyone in the field but with a year in BSB now under my belt, I know I can run with the front runners.”
Shane Byrne: “It was disappointing to sit out the races today but I’ve been around racing long enough to know things like this happen. The good news is that nothing is broken and after a couple of day’s rest, I’ll be absolutely fine. The championship hasn’t been won today and there’s an awful lot more races that are there for us to win. I’m going off to Spain to relax and have a few days in the sun to recover and I intend to bounce back at Brands Hatch in a couple of weeks’ time.”
Paul Bird, Team Owner: “Losing Shakey was obviously a huge blow and whilst the podium finish for Glenn doesn’t quite make up for things, it’s certainly a big boost to the team. I thought it would be a big ask for Glenn to finish on the podium given the bike isn’t much different to last year. He’s shown today though how much he’s improved as a rider and he’s beaten some quality riders in both races which bodes well for the rest of the year as he’s only going to get stronger. As for Shakey, it’s a massive disappointment as Donington is one of his strongest circuits. He got caught out but it’s happened to the best riders in the world at some stage so we’ll just have to take it on the chin.”
More, from a press release issued by Smiths Racing:
Hickman Gives Smiths Racing BMW Strong Start To 2017
Gloucester-based Smiths Racing BMW got their 2017 MCE British Superbike Championship campaign underway in fine style at Donington Park today with Peter Hickman claiming fourth and eighth place finishes in the two races.
Mixed conditions throughout the first two days meant that grid positions for today’s first 20-lap race were decided by the overall times recorded across the three free practice sessions and so the Louth-based rider started from a strong fourth place on the second row of the grid.
Race day today was dry and bright and Hickman enjoyed an excellent start in the opening race and was soon locked in a battle with a number of other leading riders. By half race distance, Peter remained in fifth place but was eyeing a podium finish and with just five laps to go, Hickman and rival Christian Iddon were right on the back wheel of third placed James Ellison. A couple of laps from the flag, the 29 year old was up to third but a forceful move by Iddon meant he got the better of his BMW counterpart and as a result, Hickman ended up in fourth place.
With the sixth fastest lap of the opening race, Peter started race two from the second row but didn’t get such a good start and held a top seven place in the first half of the race. In the closing stages of the race, he came under pressure from 2014 World Superbike Champion Sylvain Guintoli and the Frenchman relegated him to eighth with two laps to go.
Team-mate Lee Jackson suffered contrasting fortunes though and, after suffering a heavy spill in practice, he was due to line up for the first race in 26th place. However, the Lincoln rider suffered another heavy crash in Sunday morning’s warm up, crashing at Craner Curves, and with the bike too badly damaged to repair, he had to withdraw from the two races.
Peter Hickman: “Overall, it’s been a good weekend and a good start to the year. The bike was mega throughout all three days and we proved that in race one with a really strong fourth place. After a year on the Kawasaki, I’m still getting used to the characteristics of the BMW and we went slightly in the wrong direction in race two when we got caught out by the change in temperature. The more miles and laps we get under our belt, the stronger we’ll be and to be so strong so early in the season bodes well.”
Lee Jackson: “The first weekend hasn’t gone to plan and it’s really disappointing for both myself and the team not to have been out on the grid for today’s races. It’s the first time in my BSB career I haven’t been able to start one of the races but things have conspired against us. Coming into the weekend, I was feeling confident so it’s a shame we couldn’t get out today and show what we can do. I’ve bruised my left hand side but am otherwise fine so we’ll come back stronger in two weeks’ time at Brands Hatch.”
Rebecca Smith, Team Manager: “We’re obviously gutted for Lee and it’s not the way we wanted his season to start with us but it is what it is and we can’t do anything about it so we’ll go again at Brands Hatch and look to get him back in the heart of everything. On the plus side, Peter’s clearly shown what the bike is capable of and for him to start the season the way he has is better than any of us could have expected. The team’s worked tirelessly not just this weekend, but all winter and we’re over the moon to finish in the top four so early in the season. Pete’s still getting used to the BMW so will only get stronger whilst a fully fit Lee on a competitive bike will also be a force to be reckoned with.”
Round two of the MCE British Superbike Championship takes place at Brands Hatch over the Easter weekend (15/17 April) and for further information, please visit www.smithsracing.co.uk and www.smithsracing.co.uk
More, from a press release issued by Bennetts Suzuki:
Cooper and Bennetts Suzuki win with new GSX-R1000 at BSB season-opener
The Bennetts Suzuki team has given the all-new GSX-R1000 its first British championship race win, after Richard Cooper took victory in today’s National Superstock 1000 race.
Cooper, who finished second in yesterday’s two-part race, started today’s race from pole position. After leading the way into turn one, he was holding a podium position when the race was red-flagged. Again starting from pole in the restart, Cooper battled at the front for the full race distance and grabbed the lead when it mattered, with a last lap pass securing his and the team’s first victory of the season.
Richard Cooper, “I’m really happy, and happy for the team, too, as they’ve worked very hard to get us to this point. It looks like Superstock is going to be competitive all year, and we’re up against some good riders, but to get a second and a win in our first weekend with a new bike is really good. We still need to improve the bike. It gets out of corners so well and drives forward well, but we need to improve our corner entry. We’ll work on the setup to try and sort it, and then the bike’s on the money. It’s early days, but it’s a good start and hopefully we can continue like this.”
In the MCE British Superbike class the team endured a more challenging weekend. Taylor Mackenzie crashed out of both races – the first after coming through the pack from 22nd on the grid to crash out of 12th, before he lost the front at Goddards halfway through race two while fighting for a top-10 finish.
Sylvain Guintoli was also unlucky to crash out of the first Superbike race, the Frenchman had held a top six place early on but fell at the Esses. In race two he secured a seventh placed finish to get some solid championship points on the board, with the team looking to further develop the new Superbike for the second round at Brands Hatch.
Taylor Mackenzie, “I’m obviously disappointed to crash in both races, and apologies to the team after the hard work they put in this weekend. But there’s so much potential there. I made up loads of places in race one and if we’d finished we would have at least been in the points, probably in the top-10 from 22nd on the grid. Race two was also good and it was good to be racing with Sylvain. I passed him but then lost a couple of places, but I was feeling comfortable. I’d never ran so high in Superbike and I was settling into a nice rhythm, and the plan was to chip away and try and make some passes towards the end of the race and get that top-10 finish. I hit the bump on the way into Goddards but to be honest I’m still surprised I crashed. We’ll draw a line under it now and go again next time.”
Sylvain Guintoli, “I expected it to be a weekend of learning, and we’ve done some good work with the bike. There’s definitely lots more to come but also some real strong points. We definitely don’t need any more power, but we need to manage it a bit better. The bike’s also really stable, but we need to get it to turn a bit better to improve our lap times. I could have done without crashing; I took too much kerb and as I opened the gas it just pushed the front. However, we’ve still made some good steps. There are some fast guys on fast bikes out there, and we can definitely compete with them, but we knew it could take a bit of time. We’ve got our homework now, and some things to test back-to-back. We’ve got all the pieces of the jigsaw, they just need piecing together.”
Roads campaigner Michael Dunlop was also in action in both of today’s Superbike races, as he sought more track time on the GSX-R1000 he will race in the Isle of Man Superbike and Senior TT races. He brought the bike home with 16th and 17th placed finishes from the two races.
Michael Dunlop, “This was purely a test for us. It was just about getting more miles in on the Superbike and working on our base setting. Every time we went out, we were going out to improve the base setup. It’s feeling good, every time I go out I’m going quicker, and I was quicker than I’ve ever been here before. We’ll just keep plugging away. [Richard] Cooper’s getting there with the stock settings, so we’re focussing on getting the Superbike ready and it’s going good.”
Steve Hicken – team manager, “It’s been a really up and down weekend. We’re obviously really happy with the performances in Superstock this weekend. To start the season with a podium yesterday and then follow it up with a win today is more than we could have asked for with a new bike, but at the same time we knew the base package of the new GSX-R1000 was really strong. There are some areas we need to improve the bike, mostly corner entry, but it’s fantastic to be able to give the GSX-R and Suzuki their first win in the British championship.
“In Superbike, we’re not there yet. We know the potential of the bike is there, but that doesn’t stop us being disappointed this weekend. The crashes weren’t what we needed, but no one knows that more than Taylor and Sylvain and they won’t need me to remind them. But we can take the positives; Taylor had gone from 22nd on the grid to 12th in race one, and in race two was definitely on for a top-10 finish. Seventh in race two for Sylvain doesn’t look anything special, but it was never going to be easy to take a new bike and get it right straight away, and we need to get it to work better with the BSB-spec electronics, as well as having a few other areas we need to work on, too. So, I’m not too disappointed with seventh, but at the same time that’s not why we come here, so we’ll go away with the data and work hard to make sure we improve at Brands Hatch.
“With Michael, this weekend was all about getting more laps in on the Superbike. It wasn’t about results for him, and he’s gone faster around here this weekend on the new GSX-R1000 than he ever has done previously, and we’re happy with the work we’ve done.”
Superstock 1000 race result: 1. Richard Cooper, 2. Danny Buchan, 3. Ian Hutchinson, 4. Michael Rutter, 5. Chrissy Rouse.
Superbike race one result: 1. Leon Haslam, 2. Luke Mossey, 3. Christian Iddon, 16. Michael Dunlop, DNF. Sylvain Guintoli, DNF. Taylor Mackenzie
Superbike race two result: 1. Leon Haslam, 2. Josh Brookes, 3. Glenn Irwin, 7. Sylvain Guintoli, 17. Michael Dunlop, DNF. Taylor Mackenzie
More, from a press release issued by Tyco BMW:
DOUBLE PODIUM FOR TYCO BMW AT DONINGTON PARK
Tyco BMW remain satisfied with two podiums from the opening races of the British championship season at Donington Park. Christian Iddon rode strongly in both British Superbike races with third place in race one and fourth place in race two aboard his TAS Racing prepared S1000RR. This leaves Iddon third in the championship standings after round one on 29 points.
Ian Hutchinson’s ride in Saturday’s 1000cc Superstock race from thirtieth on the grid to fifth was an amazing achievement for the Tyco BMW rider, who went on to take third place and a podium in Sunday’s Superstock encounter. He holds fifth place in the championship standings after round one’s races.
Italian Davide Giugliano got his first taste of British Superbike action at Donington Park with a best placed finish of ninth in race two, but is now looking forward to Brands Hatch in a couple of weeks’ time.
Christian Iddon:
“It’s a good solid start to the season for us and a great reward for the team and the boys in the garage as I’ve given them a tough few weeks. I’m pleased to start the season with a podium finish for Tyco BMW and give all our sponsors a good showing. We still have work to do, to bridge that gap to the front guys, but it’s very achievable and I can leave round one with a lot of confidence.”
David Giugliano:
“Some of the racing was a bit of a surprise and a few of the guys got very close, but that is okay. I’ve learned a lot about the championship today and also the Tyco BMW, so we can go to the next round and show a little bit more of my own style and I will also not be afraid to make some good passes on my Tyco BMW.”
Ian Hutchinson:
“Not a perfect weekend by any means but I probably passed more riders in that race on Saturday than I have done in the best part of a season previously. Sunday’s race we grabbed a podium, which is always my goal on a weekend, but we want to be winning races and pushing hard with a championship challenge. The Tyco BMW has plenty of potential again this year and I’m looking forward to the next few rounds before the road racing season starts.”
Philip Neill – Team Manager
“A solid start to the season is what we were looking for, and I think we can be happy with our efforts overall this weekend. We have put in a lot of work over the winter to further develop the BMW S1000RR, with some significant directional changes, and I would like to thank our team for their hard work and efforts.
“It is fair to say we are not one hundred percent where we want to be yet, however, solid podium finishes from both Christian and Hutchy, together with encouraging progression throughout the weekend for Davide, leaves us feeling optimistic for the season ahead. I would like to take the opportunity to thank our existing partners, Tyco Security Products and BMW Motorrad together with some new partners introduced for the first time this weekend, including Eddie Stobart. I hope they all enjoyed the weekend, and we are looking forward to Brands Hatch.
“It goes without saying, our thoughts and prayers are with those involved in the tragic accident on Saturday.”