Bennetts British Superbike Championship
Donington Park, England
April 2, 2018
Race Two Results (wet-to-dry conditions, all on Pirelli tires):
1. Bradley Ray, UK (Suzuki), 18 laps, Total Race Time 28:00.955, Best Lap Time 1:31.755
2. Leon Haslam, UK (Kawasaki), -3.450 seconds, 1:31.709
3. Dan Linfoot, UK (Honda), -11.444, 1:32.664
4. Danny Buchan, UK (Kawasaki), -19.672, 1:32.456
5. Shane Byrne, UK (Ducati), -19.903, 1:32.336
6. Christian Iddon, UK (BMW), -30.176, 1:32.851
7. Glenn Irwin, UK (Ducati), -30.177, 1:32.756
8. Luke Mossey, UK (Kawasaki), -31.108, 1:33.025
9. Jason O’Halloran, UK (Honda), -31.416, 1:32.885
10. Michael Laverty, UK (BMW), -32.125, 1:33.033
11. Josh Brookes, Australia (Yamaha), -34.197, 1:32.600
12. Jake Dixon, UK (Kawasaki), -35.109, 1:32.449
13. Richard Cooper, UK (Suzuki), -35.779, 1:33.363
14. Tommy Bridewell, UK (Suzuki), -51.892, 1:33.670
15. Gino Rea, UK (Suzuki), -61.392, 1:33.966
16. Taylor Mackenzie, UK (Ducati), -63.656, 1:34.098
17. Sylvain Barrier, France (BMW), -69.001, 1:34.666
18. David Johnson, Australia (BMW), -75.574, 1:35.492
19. Kyle Ryde, UK (Yamaha), -1 lap, 1:34.985
20. Connor Cummins, UK (Honda), -1 lap, 1:37.450
21. Peter Hickman, UK (BMW), -1 lap, DNF, crash, 1:32.561
22. Carl Phillips, UK (Kawasaki), -6 laps, DNF, 1:37.836
23. Shaun Winfield, UK (Yamaha), -8 laps, DNF, 1:41.523
24. James Ellison, UK (Yamaha), -10 laps, DNF, crash, 1:34.033
25. Jakub Smrz, Czech Republic (BMW), -11 laps, DNF, 1:36.669
26. Mason Law, UK (Kawasaki), -15 laps, DNF, 1:40.668
27. Dean Harrison, UK (Kawasaki), -15 laps, DNF, 1:43.230
28. William Dunlop, UK (Yamaha), -18 laps, DNF, no lap time recorded
29. Tarran Mackenzie, UK (Yamaha), DNS
30. Martin Jessop, UK (BMW), DNS
Championship Point Standings (after 2 of 26 races):
1. Ray, 50 laps
2. Byrne, 31
3. Linfoot, 29
4. Haslam, 27
5. TIE, Mossey/Irwin, 19
7. TIE, Ellison/O’Halloran/Buchan, 16
10. TIE, Laverty/Iddon, 12
More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:
Double delight for Ray who shines with second win at Donington Park
Bradley Ray delivered a dream start to Buildbase Suzuki’s 2018 Bennetts British Superbike Championship campaign, securing his first victory in yesterday’s (Sunday) opening race and the 20-year old followed it up with a masterful performance in changing conditions in race two today (Monday).
The Kent ace got off to a flying start in the drying conditions, leading the race from start to finish, despite initial pressure from Dan Linfoot and defending champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne. Danny Buchan meanwhile was moving up the order on the FS-3 Racing Kawasaki and he was soon piling on the pressure on the Be Wiser Ducati rider.
Haslam was determined to make amends for missing out on the podium yesterday and he made his move on Linfoot on the eighth lap, powering ahead and defending hard before edging out an advantage to bridge the gap to the chasing pack and trying to close down Ray. The ‘Pocket Rocket’ had to settle for second, but it was a positive end to his home race weekend for the JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider.
Meanwhile Buchan continued his charge and despite an attack from Byrne on the final lap, he held fourth position with Christian Iddon moving up the order in the closing stages to finish sixth after an epic battle with Glenn Irwin, Luke Mossey, Jason O’Halloran and Michael Laverty.
The championship now looks ahead to the second round of the season at Brands Hatch in just under two weeks’ time with Ray and Byrne locking out the top two positions in the standings ahead of their home round.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Donington Park, Race two result:
1.Bradley Ray (Buildbase Suzuki)
2.Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +3.450s
3.Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) +11.444s
4.Danny Buchan (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) +19.672s
5.Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) +19.903s
6.Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) +30.176s
7.Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati) +30.177s
8.Luke Mossey (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +31.108s
9.Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) +31.416s
10.Michael Laverty (Tyco BMW) +32.125s
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings after Donington Park:
1.Bradley Ray (Buildbase Suzuki) 50
2.Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) 31
3.Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) 29
4.Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) 27
5.Luke Mossey (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) 19
6.Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati) 19
The next round of the 2018 Bennetts British Superbike Championship take place at Brands Hatch on April 13/14/15. For more information visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Bradley Ray
(Buildbase Suzuki)
Donington Park, Double race winner
“It’s the sort of start that you want, but to be honest I never dreamed that it would be possible. As a rookie last year and coming into a new season, I expected to be up with the front boys but not leading races or winning them! It helped with me being in pole and being able to lead on the first few laps because I was able to get to the damp patches first and just make a little bit of a lead.
“It was one of those races where you need to take a risk but don’t want to take too much of a risk. I was prepared to do it though, and I told myself ‘let’s go for it, let’s have this!’ It’s just an unbelievable feeling, and I’m really speechless trying to explain how it feels.”
More, from a press release issued by Be Wiser Ducati:
More Solid Points For Byrne And Irwin At Donington
Despite the unseasonal Easter weather doing its best to disrupt the opening round of the 2018 Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Donington Park, the Be Wiser Ducati Racing Team of Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne and Glenn Irwin scored solid points in today’s second race following on from the opening encounter yesterday.
24 hours before, 41-year-old Londoner Shakey scored a podium for Paul Bird’s Penrith-based team whilst 28-year-old Ulsterman Irwin, from Carrickfergus, posted a top six placing on the factory-backed Be Wiser Ducati Panigale Rs. However, heavy overnight rain looked like it would scupper any chances of racing taking place, but it eventually stopped, and a rearranged schedule meant conditions were as good as they’d been all weekend when the second race came under orders in late afternoon.
Both Byrne and Irwin lined up on the front row and at the completion of the opening lap, six-times and defending champion Byrne occupied fourth place with Irwin one place further back in fifth. Two laps later and the duo had slipped back to fifth and sixth respectively and although the circuit had a dry line, straying off line had major repercussions, which is what happened to Irwin at half race distance when he ran wide at Redgate and dropped down to 11th.
As the race progressed, Shakey battled hard to try to claim fourth but had to settle for fifth position in the end as Irwin fought back by overhauling four riders to clinch seventh at the flag, just missing out on another top six placing. The results mean that after the opening round, Byrne occupies second place in the standings behind double winner Bradley Ray whilst Irwin is in the all-important top six going into the next round at Brands Hatch in two weeks’ time.
Shane Byrne: “It was quite a difficult day today with the weather, but it was great to end up with a dry race. I wanted to go one better than what I did yesterday, but I also had it in my head that the last two rookies to win, went on to do a double although I was mindful of not thinking about that too much! As it turned out, that’s what happened so massive congratulations to Brad, his commitment in the damp conditions on the opening laps was something else. I made a few mistakes during the race and as soon as you were off line, it was very tricky. You can’t win the championship at the first round, but you can lose it and to end the weekend second overall with some good points isn’t a bad place to be in.”
Glenn Irwin: “My aim this weekend was to get some podium credits and although I didn’t manage to do that, I’m pleased with how I rode and to end the weekend in the top six overall. Today’s race was tough as firstly James Ellison crashed in front me, which lost me a bit of time, and then I went straight on at Redgate. I stayed on track – just – and got passed by a lot of riders meaning I had to get past them again once more, only losing out on sixth place in a photo finish. The conditions haven’t suited me this weekend so I’m happy with the points I’ve taken and with sixth place overall in the early season table.”
Johnny Mowatt, Team Co-Ordinator: “It’s been a bit of a mixed bag today and not many of us thought we’d be racing on slicks given how much rain we’d had both overnight and in the morning. Race control did a good job in rearranging the schedule and fifth and seventh in the race today was a solid effort by both riders especially as their overall positions in the table are higher. We could have lost a lot of ground this weekend and the team worked well throughout, dealing with a couple of crashes as well, whilst hats off to Bradley Ray on a great double victory.”
Bennetts British Superbike Championship Race Two (18 laps)
1 Bradley Ray (Suzuki)
2 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
3 Dan Linfoot (Honda)
4 Danny Buchan (Kawasaki)
5 Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati)
6 Christian Iddon (BMW)
7 Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati)
Championship Points (after round one)
1 Ray 50pts
2 Byrne 31
3 Linfoot 29
4 Haslam 27
5 Mossey 19
6 Irwin 19
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:
DIFFICULT OPENING WEEKEND FOR MCAMS YAMAHA
It was a difficult opening weekend to the 2018 Bennetts British Superbike Championship for McAMS Yamaha, as rookie Tarran Mackenzie was forced to miss the second race of the weekend after a crash in warm up saw him injure his wrist. Last year’s series runner up Josh Brookes struggled to feel comfortable on his new machine all weekend after limited dry track time.
With the weekend seeing cold weather and rain playing a large role in proceedings, the schedule for the weekend was changed to run one Superbike race on Sunday and one Monday. Heavy rain throughout the night and morning meant Monday’s race looked doubtful but the circuit team managed to get the track in good shape for a race that started on a wet but quickly drying surface.
Josh Brookes slipped off in free practice and had an uncharacteristically bad qualifying run to end up in 13th, on the fifth row of the grid. A difficult race resulted in 12th and his fastest lap put him again 13th on the grid for Monday’s race, which was held in tricky ‘one line’ conditions. With some space in front of him, the Australian posted some fast lap times but found it hard to get through the pack.
Class debutante Tarran Mackenzie had two slips offs, the first in free practice meaning he only had a few minutes of qualifying after his Yamaha YZF-R1 was rebuilt. Fighting from a lowly grid place, Tarran took 18th place in his first Superbike outing. Warm up for race two on Monday saw Taz take another tumble resulting in a cracked ulna in his wrist but the young rider is looking to be fit for Brands Hatch in two weeks time.
Pirelli Superstock 1000 runner Matt Truelove chalked up his first races in the class in very difficult conditions, with a best of twelfth in the final fully wet outing. Yamaha supported Ryan Vickers took his YZF-R6 to a stunning victory in the Pirelli Superstock 600 class.
Josh Brookes “You have to try and find positives in every weekend but obviously it’s harder with these results. There’s a lot of guys running in the same team as last year and I think consistency of rider and team means you can hit the ground running, whereas we’re on a new bike and had limited dry track time. With a different schedule, a slip off and bad qualifying we’ve been on the back foot from the off. We had some fast times in race two today but starting from 13th meant it was hard to get through the guys in front, it’s a quality field and when it’s one dry line it’s even harder. I honestly think if I’d started off in a better position we’d have been close to the front looking at the lap times. I don’t think we should be too disappointed, it’s only the first round and we’re all still learning.”
Tarran Mackenzie, “We had some good speed in the wet particularly, which is a definite positive first time out. I’m still learning, after all it’s only my fifth or sixth day on a Superbike but maybe I need to calm down a bit. Ultimately I crashed whilst pushing to find the limits, I think I’d be more annoyed if I crashed out of 30th to be honest. My wrist should be alright by Brands so fingers crossed for that and some more dry track time.”
Superstock rider Matt Truelove; “It’s been a bit of a bad weekend with the weather but we’ve made some big steps with the bike and to be fighting for a top ten in that last race in our first meeting on a big bike is great. Every race we’ve managed to progress forward from our qualifying position, chipping away and bringing the bike home. I’m looking forward to building on that in a couple of weeks at Brands Hatch!”
Ryan Vickers Superstock 600; “I was mega happy to be able to take the win at the first round of the season, I felt really comfortable on the bike and can’t wait to get to Brands Hatch which is a track I have previous success at. Thanks to the whole team and Yamaha for putting a brilliant bike beneath me”
Team Manager Grant Bunting summed up; “It’s been a disappointing weekend there’s no getting away from it. The weather obviously played a big part in it but clearly these weren’t the results we were looking for. Josh was turning some good times in race two but had a big gap to close.
Despite his accident and cracking his wrist, I actually think it was a positive Superbike debut for Taz if that can make sense! We have some thinking to do and then onward to Brands in hopefully warmer conditions.”
More, from a press release issued by RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki:
Challenging season opener for RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki
The RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki team got their 2018 Bennetts British Superbike Championship season up and running at Donington Park over the Easter weekend and although poor weather conditions threatened to ruin proceedings, Jake Dixon was able to score some valuable points with 11th and 12th place finishes.
After wet weather affected Saturday’s free practice sessions, Easter Sunday dawned dry but with very cold temperatures and a fall early in the final practice session at Starkey’s put Jake and the team on the back foot with qualifying taking place immediately afterwards. Nevertheless, the team did a superb job to get him back out on track and despite missing the majority of the session, the 22-year old qualified in 11th place for the first race of the season which was held later in the afternoon.
A slightly sluggish opening lap, later traced to a problem with the clutch, left him down in 17th place and with plenty of work to do but by lap four he was running inside the points having moved up to 14th. Race conditions were again far from ideal but the Ashby resident continued to chip away throughout the 18-lap race and was rewarded for his efforts with 11th at the chequered flag and five hard-earned points.
It meant he started Easter Monday’s race in tenth place and in the middle of the fourth grid where he was eager to improve upon the previous day’s result. Heavy rain looked like the race may fall foul to the weather but the track was drying when the race got underway and by half race distance, Jake had moved forward well and was lying in sixth position. However, trying hard to close in on the battle for fourth, he made a slight mistake and ran straight on at the Melbourne Loop and with only a handful of laps to go, he could only claim 12th at the chequered flag although the nine points from the two races could prove to be valuable come season’s end.
Team-mate Jordan Weaving was also in action in the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship where he was riding the Briggs Equipment Kawasaki for the second successive year. With three races on the schedule, it was a busy opening round for the South African and eighth place in qualifying was a good start to proceedings prior to Easter Sunday’s two 15-lap races. However, he was denied points when he crashed out at the Old Hairpin in the first race which meant he was unable to start the second and a lack of grip in Easter Monday’s race kept him down in 16th place..
Jake Dixon: “Both of the results stemmed from the tip-off I had at Starkey’s in the third free practice session on Sunday morning and with only three laps in qualifying, I was playing catch-up from that moment on. I had a clutch issue in the first race which left me with no engine braking and back in 12th place whilst Monday was looking a lot better when I’d moved up into sixth place. It was difficult overtaking as it meant you had to go off line to do it and I ended up running straight on at the Melbourne Loop whilst chasing Danny Buchan and Shane Byrne. I got back up to 12th so whilst nine points from the two races is far from ideal, I’m in one piece and we can go again at Brands.”
Lee Hardy, Team Owner: “The weather this weekend has certainly made it a challenging few days for everyone and Jake’s crash in the final free practice session when he got caught out by a cold tyre, made it that little bit harder. The team did a great job in rebuilding the bike to get him out in qualifying and although a clutch issue in the race saw him slip back initially, he regrouped well to bring the bike home for a half decent result. Obviously, Jake doesn’t want to finish 11th but a lot of people have crashed this weekend so it was almost a case of damage limitation.”
“Monday saw sketchy conditions which required a lot of concentration and discipline and the dry line was very narrow but Jake moved steadily forward and had good grip, something which we haven’t always had in the wet. He was pushing hard to close the gap to fifth and unfortunately ran off the track and back down the order so nine points probably doesn’t reflect our true form or pace.”
“Jordan qualified really well and was happy with how the bike was working but experienced a problem with the brakes in an identical manner to what happened at Donington here last year. It caused him to crash but we changed the discs for Monday’s race although he encountered both a lack of grip and confidence. The bike was set up the same as it had been on Saturday but he just missed out on points although, on a positive note, he had a good feeling in the dry which bodes well for the rest of the season. It could have been worse this weekend but we feel we’ve made good progress and will get our heads down at Brands to make sure both riders come away with a good haul of points.”
The next round of both championships takes place at Brands Hatch, Kent on April 13-15.
More, from a press release issued by Smiths Racing:
Eighth Place For Hickman At Donington Park
The Smiths Racing BMW team got their 2018 Bennetts British Superbike Championship campaign underway at Donington Park this Easter weekend and although inclement weather conditions affected the entire three days and made it tough for the Gloucester-based team, Peter Hickman was able to give them a solid result of eighth place in the opening race aboard his Smiths Racing BMW1000RR.
After challenging conditions in both free practice and qualifying, which saw new signing Sylvain Barrier come to grief at Craner Curves, Hickman lined up in eighth place on the grid for yesterday’s opening 20-lap race with former FIM European Superstock 1000 Champion Barrier back in 17th place and the sixth row.
Temperatures were still very low when the race came under starter’s orders at 4.30pm but it was at least dry although there was drama for Frenchman Barrier when he had to start from pitlane and dead last whilst Hickman was able to complete the first lap in tenth place.
The Louth-based rider remained in the top ten for almost the entire race distance and in the second half, he was able to overhaul Danny Buchan, Michael Laverty and Leon Haslam to claim eighth place and with it, eight hard-earned points. Barrier, meanwhile, caught and passed no less than eight riders to finish in 19th place.
The second race was scheduled to take place today on Easter Monday, but torrential rain placed it in doubt and there was no track action at all until just after 1.30pm. However, the rain eventually relented, and a full race took place at 4.30pm although it wasn’t a memorable race for either rider as Hickman crashed out of 12th place on the final lap and Sylvain’s choice of intermediate tyres, as opposed to slicks, kept him back in 18th.
Peter Hickman: “It’s been very much a case of ‘steady away’ this weekend as the conditions have been very challenging and after having an uncharacteristic crash on Saturday, we made some massive changes for Sunday’s race. I was a bit tentative to begin with and got duffed up at the first corner which dropped me back to 12th but once I settled in, my pace was as good as anyone’s and eighth place wasn’t the worst result I could have had in the first race of 2018. Today’s race followed a similar pattern and it again took me a long time to get going. When it did, my pace was good but when I tried to make a move on Josh Brookes on the final lap, I lost the front and down I went. I need to qualify better, so I don’t get mired in the pack and that’ll be amongst by prime goals at the second round.”
Sylvain Barrier: “It hasn’t been the easiest of weekends for me as the weather has been very tricky and that’s caused me to have both a small crash and a big crash. We had a really good winter with some very positive testing so it’s a shame the weather has gone against us but that’s the way racing goes sometimes and on a positive note, I did finish both races. Obviously, they’re not the results I want and in today’s race, my choice of intermediate tyres was probably not the right one to go with. I’ve gained more experience and have a good feeling with the bike, so I’ll take that with me to Brands Hatch and hopefully not make any mistakes there!”
Rebecca Smith, Team Manager: “We’re naturally quite disappointed with how the weekend’s gone and although it was one of those weekends where things can go awry, it’s frustrating that a number of riders have capitalised on it and scored some good points. The results aren’t a true reflection of where we are as a team as both riders have made good progress and are happy with the set-up in both the wet and dry so we’ll come back fighting at Brands Hatch and get our season properly up and running.”
Bennetts British Superbike Championship Race One (18 laps)
1 Bradley Ray (Suzuki)
2 Shane Byrne (Ducati)
3 James Ellison (Yamaha)
4 Dan Linfoot (Honda)
5 Luke Mossey (Kawasaki)
6 Glenn Irwin (Ducati)
8 Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW)
19 Sylvain Barrier (Smiths Racing BMW)
Bennetts British Superbike Championship Race Two (18 laps)
1 Bradley Ray (Suzuki)
2 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
3 Dan Linfoot (Honda)
4 Danny Buchan (Kawasaki)
5 Shane Byrne (Ducati)
6 Christian Iddon (BMW)
17 Sylvain Barrier (Smiths Racing BMW)
DNF Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW)
Championship Points (after round one)
1 Ray 50pts
2 Byrne 31
3 Linfoot 29
4 Haslam 27
5 Mossey 19
6 Irwin 19
14 Hickman 8
The second round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship takes place at Brands Hatch on 13/15th April 2018.
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 JOY FOR DAN LINFOOT AND HONDA RACING
Dan Linfoot kicked off Honda Racing’s 2018 Bennetts British Superbike Championship campaign in fine style today at Donington Park, placing his Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade on the podium finishing race two in third place. Teammate Jason O’Halloran added further points to his weekend tally crossing the line ninth.
With tricky conditions across the weekend and weather having disrupted the schedule, the second race got underway with blue skies and a dry track. Honda’s duo lined up on the grid with Linfoot fifth and O’Halloran sixth, but it was Linfoot who stormed into second place during the early stages.
Over the 18-lap race the Yorkshireman kept his CBR in podium contention and settled into a good rhythm at the Leicestershire circuit pulling away from the pack. Dropping to third mid-race, the 29-year old kept the podium clear in his sights and crossed the line 8.228 seconds ahead of fourth place. Linfoot’s results from the weekend see him third in the championship standings with 29 points.
Meanwhile it was a slightly frustrating race for teammate O’Halloran who struggled with feeling aboard his Fireblade. Crossing the line ninth The O’Show collected further valuable points and leaves the opening round eighth in the championship.
The team will now prepare the Fireblades for the second round, which takes place in ten days time at Brands Hatch (13-15 April).
#4
Dan Linfoot
That was just what we needed in terms of points and a solid start to the year, where I have not crashed, not put the team back and haven’t dented my confidence. I’m really happy now going into round two with a fourth and a third behind us, as well as a decent championship position – with a bit of confidence back too. I’m feeling really good in myself and also with the Fireblade, we’re in a good place. The conditions out there were a little sketchy, I made a brave move on the first lap off the start, and to be honest I thought I was going down as I’d over-cooked it. Thankfully I managed to get stopped and when I looked up I saw Brad and thought, ‘lets do this!’ It took me a few laps to see where the grip was and wasn’t, and I got settled into a good rhythm. Halfway through I started to drop off a little and Haslam passed me, but all I wanted to do was focus on making sure I was on the podium, so I concentrated on that for the end of the race. A huge thanks to the team for all their hard work, it’s onwards and upwards now and I’m looking forward to getting to Brands Hatch and seeing what we can do there.
#22
Jason O’Halloran
After the race I’m a little disappointed with ninth place if I’m honest. I struggled a little within the group and getting out of corners, which was frustrating but I know we can learn from it and move on. We have a bit of a way to come when we’re faced with dodgy conditions and we do have some work to do to get a better feeling with the CBR; in the dry we showed we do have good pace and hopefully the next few weeks the weather will start to dry up! The track and conditions were good in the end, I didn’t think this morning I would be saying that, but it turned out OK. There were a few wet patches around the circuit and it was hard to pass at times as it was still a single line, but towards the end it was good. Huge congratulations to Dan on his podium, it’s great for him and the team, and really kicks off the season well – I know it won’t be long until we’re challenging for podiums.
Havier Beltran – Honda Racing team manager
We’re leaving the first round on the podium with Dan finishing third and I’m so happy to be in that position this early on in the championship. So huge congratulations to him and also the team; a great job all round! We’ve had unbelievably tricky conditions here all weekend and we got so lucky this afternoon. A great job to MSV for the schedule changes today, they managed to get 14 out of 16 races, I think, so a big credit to them. I know we had some issues with both Dan and Jason’s CBRs out there, so we need to look into those back at the workshop ahead of Brands Hatch. I’m pleased to come away this weekend with a podium and solid points for both boys, especially in the conditions we’ve had. We’ll now arrive at the second round with confidence and a positive opening round behind us.
More, from a press release issued by Buildbase Suzuki:
Buildbase Suzuki dominant at Donington as Ray does the double
The Buildbase Suzuki team was in dominant form at Donington Park for the opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, as Bradley Ray did the double on his GSX-R1000 superbike, while Billy McConnell also took a win in the National Superstock 1000 series.
Inclement weather conditions played havoc with the schedule, and saw the first of the weekend’s two superbike races brought forward from Monday to Sunday. Despite the cold, the race took place in the dry, and saw Ray make a lightning start from his third row grid spot to slot into third place by Redgate. It wasn’t long until the youngster had assumed the race lead, pulling a healthy advantage at the front. He had to fend off a late charge from James Ellison and Shane Byrne, but held on to take his and the team’s first win of 2018.
Ray started today’s race from pole and grabbed the holeshot, threading his way between the track’s wet patches on his GSX-R1000 as he ran away at the front, his lead at the end of lap one more than two seconds. From there he managed the gap and took his second win of the weekend to leave the Leicestershire circuit with the championship lead.
Bradley Ray, “Yesterday’s win took a while to sink in to be honest, so to get another today is just unreal. The team have worked so hard over winter to improve the bike further, and we’ve really got a package we can use to fight for wins. After last season, the aim this year was to get closer to the front and try and consistently fight for the podium and hopefully some wins, so for not one but two to come right away is unbelievable. I felt like I could lead yesterday, and I wanted to be at the front. Shakey and Ellison closed up on the final lap but we kept it together. Today, I just wanted to lead again, get through the damp areas first, get into a rhythm and try and pull a gap. The pace picked up as the laps went by but I felt comfortable, could manage the gap, and could pick up another win. I must say ‘thank you’ to the team; the bike worked brilliantly. We’re not getting carried away but we’re going to Brands feeling confident.”
The team also got off to a winning start in the National Superstock 1000 championship, as Billy McConnell – starting from pole position after setting a lap time over a second quicker than anyone else in qualifying – took the chequered flag first in part one of yesterday’s two-part race. The Aussie was then leading the way again in part two onboard his GSX-R1000 when the red flags came out, bringing the race to an early end. In today’s wet conditions he took a solid fifth place to add more points to his championship haul, and heads into round two at the top of the standings.
Billy McConnell, “To be honest, after starting with essentially two wins, today’s fifth was a little disappointing. But after such a long time off a bike, for me, I started to have questions over whether I could do it again, so it was really nice for me to show that I could this weekend. In the dry race I had such a good rhythm, and once at the front I just managed the gap as there was a little bit of drizzle in each sector, sort of one sector at a time as it moved around. But honestly I felt so good, I’ve really gelled with the bike and it’s got so much potential too, and we’re just getting started. In qualifying we were over a second quicker than anyone else, and I really think we could have kept pushing on if it was fully dry. In the wet, I actually had too much traction control on to start with, but I lowered it and started to push and get more drive. I probably could have lowered it further. But fifth is good. It’s early in the season and we’ve started strongly. Everyone’s smiling and looking forward to Brands Hatch.”
Richard Cooper, on the team’s second GSX-R1000 superbike, returns to the class for 2018 after narrowly missing out on the superstock championship last year. The former BSB race-winner showed strong pace in qualifying, but struggled with chatter in race one after switching to the harder tyre for the race from qualifying. The team made some drastic changes to the bike for race two to try and identify the direction to move in and Cooper was able to improve his result. The aim now is to get some more track time to more accurately dial in a setup for the Nottinghamshire ace, and improve again at Brands Hatch.
Richard Cooper, “It was a tricky weekend, of course it was, but it was tricky for everyone. Race two, even though it was wet in places, was actually a little easier as a rider because we could get some more heat into the tyres, so long as you stayed on the dry line. But I’m frustrated this weekend, as any racer would be. In qualifying I had good pace, I ran with Brad and was feeling quite good. But once we switched to the harder compound tyre for the race I really struggled chatter from the rear and it was a difficult race. For race two we changed a lot; gearing, linkage, springs, so some pretty radical adjustments, and I think we’ve moved in the right direction and I was in the pack a bit more. Clearly, we’ve got a bike that can win races; Brad’s shown that twice this weekend, fairly convincingly; he’s done a mega job. We’ve just got to get the bike working for me a little bit more, so we’ll try some different things, and try and get that tyre to work, or set the bike up to work with the softer tyre. They’re all options so we’ll sit down tomorrow and come up with a plan.”
Team manager, Steve Hicken, “We couldn’t have really asked for a better start. After the hard work last year and over winter, developing the new GSX-R1000, we knew we were coming into this year with a much stronger package. It was a tricky weekend, being so cold and with the rain, but Brad [Ray] was superb. He was calm and level-headed, and approached each race with a plan and a strategy in his head. His two rides this weekend belied his age; they were both incredibly mature performances. We knew he had the talent, we knew we’d made big steps with the bike. The aim this year was to fight at the front more regularly and get onto the podium and then some wins, so to get two at round one is fantastic. But, it’s a long season with plenty of racing to go, so no one is getting ahead of themselves, but it’ll be a happier drive home, for sure.
“That’s also down to Billy [McConnell] and his win in yesterday’s superstock race. Again, we knew from last year with Richard Cooper what the bike could do in stock trim, and we’ve made some improvements again over winter. The aim was to get off the ground this weekend with some strong results, some good points, and kick on from there, but Billy went out, set pole by a huge margin, and then won both halves of the first race. In the wet conditions today he was sensible, and even though it looked like he had a bit more pace at the end, he didn’t do anything daft and came away with a good fifth place.
“It was a tougher weekend with Cooper with some chatter from the rear with the harder tyre. We made some big changes for race two and tried some new things, and found an improvement. We’ll look at all the data this week and keep working, try to refine the setup more, and go again at Brands Hatch.”
Superbike race one: 1. Bradley Ray, 2. Shane Byrne, 3. James Ellison, 16. Richard Cooper.
Superbike race two: 1. Bradley Ray, 2. Leon Haslam, 3. Dan Linfoot, 12. Richard Cooper.
Superstock race one: 1. Billy McConnell, 2. Keith Farmer, 3. Josh Elliot.
Superstock race two: 1. Andy Reid, 2. Joe Collier, 3. Keith Farmer, 5. Billy McConnell.