Haslam leads Byrne by three points as Showdown set to kick off at Donington Park
Leon Haslam arrives at his home round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Donington Park this weekend (16/17/18 September) with a slender three point lead in the overall standings ahead of arch rival Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne as the championship Showdown phase gets underway.
Haslam hits the opening Showdown event after scoring a hat trick of victories last time out and is ready to take on the challenge from Byrne, who will be aiming to strike back after missing out on the podium at Oulton Park as he aims for a record fifth British title.
Byrne is 33 points ahead of Jason O’Halloran and James Ellison who are tied for third place in the standings, but both are ready to fight for victories to close the deficit with seven races remaining before the champion will be crowned at Brands Hatch.
Dan Linfoot is just two points adrift of O’Halloran and Ellison. He will be striving for his first win in the Superbike class as he returns to Donington Park ready to move up the order in the Showdown Six.
Luke Mossey completes the Showdown Six, following a dream weekend at Oulton Park after becoming a father for the first time, securing his place in the Showdown and scoring his best ever finish of second place. The Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki rider admits he won’t be resting on his laurels as he aims to leap up the order this weekend.
As the final three round Showdown commences, there will be several riders who didn’t make the cut for the top six, and with nothing to lose will be ready to crash the party. America’s John Hopkins, Tyco BMW pairing Michael Laverty and Christian Iddon, plus Richard Cooper and Tommy Bridewell will all be pushing for wins and podium finishes.
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings ahead of the Showdown:
Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) 546
Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) 543
Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) 513
James Ellison (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) 513
Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) 511
Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki) 506
Meet the riders in Nottingham!
Ahead of the weekend some of the leading contenders will be hitting Trinity Square, Nottingham to meet the fans ahead of the Donington Park weekend from 15:30. You can get closer to the race bikes and the stars of the show before they hit the track just a day later at the Leicestershire track.
For more information visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki)
Championship leader ahead of the Showdown
“It was a dream weekend at Oulton Park and I can’t wait for Donington and the Showdown to kick off. I am feeling pretty good ahead of this weekend, I feel we have come on a lot with the JG Speedfit Kawasaki and this is my home round, the first event of the Showdown and where it really matters.
“We have had a good run of form over the last four races, scoring four wins and so we obviously want to carry that momentum into this weekend. I think the top six will all be focused on doing their own job, but everyone knows what they need to do and that is to win races.
“We are coming out again this weekend ready to fight for wins and we need to stay on top.”
More, from a press release issued by Be Wiser Ducati:
Byrne And Irwin Keen To Right The Wrongs At Donington
The Be Wiser Ducati Racing Team travel to Donington Park this weekend for round ten of the MCE British Superbike Championship aiming to put last weekend’s disappointment firmly behind them.Shane Byrne
Despite setting the fastest ever lap at Oulton Park, Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne and team-mate Glenn Irwin had a weekend to forget at the Cheshire track which saw Ulsterman Irwin miss out on his slim hopes of making the Showdown and quadruple BSB champion Byrne fail to add to his Podium Points tally going into the first of the Showdown rounds.
Both riders, however, are not dwelling on the latest performance and are determined to right the wrongs aboard the factory-backed Ducati Panigale R for Paul Bird’s Penrith-based team. If anything, the slip up has made them more focussed going into this weekend with Londoner Byrne looking for his eighth win of the season and Irwin, from Carrickfergus, hoping to challenge for another podium placing.
The pre-season test at Donington Park saw Shakey top one of the sessions to end up second overall and also, on his first ride on the bike in the UK, Irwin was inside the top ten so with the developments to the bike over the summer, both riders will be in confident mood going into the weekend.
Shane Byrne: “I really looked forward to the last round at Oulton Park to check our progress since we were there in May, I set the fastest ever two-wheeled lap there last weekend but then had three terrible races. However, it showed the progress we’ve made with the Ducati, and at the pre-season test at Donington Park, I was very fast and if we show the same amount of progression as in recent rounds, then we should be really strong. Now it gets real, it’s the Showdown, I want a fifth title and have to give my all to achieve it starting this weekend.”
Glenn Irwin: “Oulton Park wasn’t a good weekend in terms of championship position for me, but even with the couple of crashes, and beating myself up, our pace wasn’t too bad. I’m looking forward to Glenn Irwin & Paul Birdregrouping this weekend at a track where the bike felt good earlier in the year when we tested at Donington Park. I’m hoping we can be in a position to challenge for a podium again and if I can, it may help take some Podium Points off Shakey’s rivals.”
The next round takes place at Donington Park this weekend 16/18th September and for further information, please visit www.pbmuk.net and www.pbmuk.net
Championship Positions (after nine rounds)
1 L Haslam 546
2 S Byrne 543
3 J O’Halloran 513
J Ellison 513
5 D Linfoot 511
6 L Mossey 506
More, form a press release issued by Quattro Plant Kawasaki:
Mossey gunning for Showdown glory
Fresh from a highly successful meeting last weekend at Oulton Park, the Quattro Plant Kawasaki team head to Donington Park, Leicestershire for round ten of the 2016 MCE British Superbike Championship and having superbly qualified for the ‘Showdown’, team member Luke Mossey has one thing firmly on his mind – glory.
The 23-year old claimed his best ever BSB result at Oulton when he claimed second in the third and final race and it was the result that sealed his place amongst the top six Championship runners. That makes him one of the ‘Title Fighters’ whereby only the top six riders in the series can dispute the title at the final three rounds, starting at Donington, and he now goes head to head with rivals Leon Haslam, Shane Byrne, Jason O’Halloran, James Ellison and Dan Linfoot.
The points for all six ‘Title Fighters’ have now been reset with all of them awarded a starting total of 500 points. On top of this, the podium credits they’ve accrued – 5pts for first, 3 for second and 1 for third – during the course of the first nine rounds are added. That means Haslam leads the way on 546 with Luke placed sixth on 506 and over the final seven races, points will be added to these totals in the traditional Grand Prix format of 25 for first, 20 for second, 16 for third etc.
Team-mate Filip Backlund had a trouble free run at Oulton Park, after suffering crashes at both Brands Hatch and Cadwell Park, and the Swede came away with three morale boosting top twenty finishes. Returning to a circuit he enjoys immensely, he’s now ready to get back into the top 15 and score points just like he did at both Knockhill and Snetterton earlier in the season.
Dickies British Supersport Championship contender Andrew Reid will sadly be a non-starter from the meeting due to crashing out in practice and breaking his scaphoid at Oulton Park last Friday but Donington does see the return of Ricky Stevens and Ryan Charlwood with no less than three Hyundai Heavy Industries British Sidecar Championship races on the schedule.
With four wins from the last five races, reigning champions Stevens and Charlwood currently hold onto a healthy 33-point lead over Ben Holland/Lee Watson but there are still seven races in the series remaining and plenty of points up for grabs so there’ll be keen to ram home their advantage around the 2.5-mile Grand Prix circuit. It’s also the first time since Thruxton in July that the three-wheelers have been seen on the BSB programme so the entire field will be eager to put on a show and remind the expected 30,000 race fans what they’ve been missing.
Luke Mossey: “Well, after the weekend we had at Oulton, it’s going to be hard to top with having my first child and then making the Showdown but I’m really looking forward to Donington. It’s one of my favourite circuits and now we’re in the Showdown we can really crack on and try to get our first Superbike win. I feel like I’m riding well, my form is good, the bike’s great and the team are working mega hard so we’re all looking forward to getting started.”
Pete Extance, Team Owner: “Obviously, it’s a massive weekend for Quattro Plant Kawasaki and we’re very pleased to be in the Showdown for the second time in our history. Luke’s on top form at the moment and he’s not going into the Showdown to make up the numbers – he’s going into it to try and cause an upset or two amongst his fellow contenders. Donington’s one of his favourite circuits and he’s certainly up for it whilst we’ll also be unveiling a special Showdown livery for the Kawasaki ZX-10R so keep an eye out for that.”
“We’re also looking to get Filip back in amongst the points where we feel he belongs and although Andy won’t be racing sadly, we’re delighted to welcome back our Championship leading sidecar team Ricky and Ryan and with three races on the programme, we’ll be looking to extend our lead in the title race.”
The two 20-lap Superbike races take place on Sunday and are scheduled to get underway at 13:30 and 16:30.
MCE British Superbike Championship Standings (after nine rounds)
1 Leon Haslam 546pts
2 Shane Byrne 543
3 Jason O’Halloran 513
= James Ellison 513
5 Dan Linfoot 511
6 Luke Mossey 506
Hyundai Heavy Industries British Sidecar Championship Standings (after six rounds)
1 Stevens/Charlwood 228pts
2 Holland/Watson 195
3 Reeves/Cluze 186
4 Walker/Hawes 185
5 Archer/Thomas 121
6 MacLaurin/Hope 102
More, from a press release issued by JG Speedfit Kawasaki:
BATTLE FOR 2016 BSB CROWN BEGINS AS JG SPEEDFIT KAWASAKI START SHOWDOWN CHALLENGE
15th September 2016 – After a dominant display at Oulton Park last weekend, which saw a history-making podium lockout and the team secure three wins, JG Speedfit Kawasaki riders Leon Haslam and James Ellison head to Donington Park to begin their Showdown challenge whilst Peter Hickman starts his bid to be crowned Riders’ Cup victor.
With just three rounds and seven races remaining to decide the destination of the 2016 MCE British Superbike Championship crown, the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team head to Donington Park this weekend holding a slender three point advantage in the standings. It is Leon who leads the way, and with four wins from the last four races he will be looking to carry that momentum on at one of his favourite race circuits and a track he knows better than most. James made a very welcome return to the podium at Oulton Park, with two strong second places – narrowly missing out on the victory. He sits 33 points behind his team mate but knows two strong races can see that gap drastically reduce.
Pete narrowly missed out on claiming his maiden Showdown position at Oulton Park, however he will now spend the next three rounds fighting to be crowned the Riders’ Cup Champion. After making his first podium return since his memorable victory at Silverstone, Pete will be looking to repeat that performance this weekend.
The Donington Park circuit is one of two halves, with the opening section being a real fast and flowing blend of corners whilst the final section sees the riders face a number of stop/start sections. This mix of riding style makes machine set-up difficult to balance out for both sections, however it is a track rider’s love. Last year, the iconic circuit played host to the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team’s maiden Superbike win, with James taking a dominant victory in the opening race of the season.
Leading the Championship and winning the last four races on the bounce, Leon Haslam is looking forward to Donington Park “I’ve definitely lost track of how many laps of Donington I’ve done over the years, but it’s genuinely a circuit I love to race and I’ve had some fantastic results there in the past. After a bit of a tough mid-season we’ve had two fantastic rounds and to win the last four races has really set us up for the Showdown now. I believe the Kawasaki will work well at Donington – James showed last year the old ZX-10R was capable of winning around there and although the 2016 one is a completely new machine I’m confident we can go there and replicate that success.
This will be my first time in the Showdown format but I’m excited to get it going. It’ll certainly be a tough few rounds for sure, all six Title Fighters are capable of victory so it’s going to be an intense seven races!”
Knowing he can again challenge for victory, James Ellison knows he can reduce the point’s gap this weekend “I’m really looking forward to Donington Park, it’s definitely one of my favourite tracks and it offers a real mix of everything. Although it can make machine set-up a bit of a challenge, it’s a fantastic circuit that’s a lot of fun to ride. Last year we were really strong and we were able to get the first ever British Superbike win for the team which was mega.
Aside from the problems in the final race, Oulton was a brilliant event and we were able to be back fighting for the win – which is crucial going into the Showdown. The bike still isn’t 100% but I’m feeling strong on it so our goal is to reduce the gap to the front and get our title challenge underway!”
Pleased to make a podium return, Peter Hickman will be looking to get his bid for the 2016 Riders’ Cup title “I’m feeling positive for Donington this weekend. It’s a circuit that I really love and one I think should suit the Kawasaki quite well. Given it was the opening round last year, it’s felt like ages since we were last there riding so I’m quite excited to get going on Friday morning now!
I’ve had some great results there in the past, and although we just missed out on the Showdown our motivation hasn’t changed and we’re looking forward to trying to repeat our podium form as we look to fight for the 2016 Riders’ Cup.”
GBmoto Racing Team Principal, Mark Smith-Halvorsen concluded, “The next three rounds are going to be incredibly important for the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team. This is the first time we’ve been able to get two riders into the Showdown and to be coming in leading the way, off the back of a podium lockout and four consecutive wins shows our intent on the destination of the 2016 title. Both Leon and James are capable of winning the Championship this year and we’ll be doing everything we can to ensure they have the tools to do that. Our focus on Pete doesn’t change and as always he’ll have the same opportunities as the other guys as we look to secure the Riders’ Cup trophy too.”
More, from a press release issued by James Rispoli’s publicist:
Rispoli ready for Donington Park ‘home’ round
James Rispoli has high hopes of bagging more points at this weekend’s tenth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at his local round of Donington Park.
The American contender had a fighting weekend last time out at Oulton Park, but counting the Leicestershire circuit as his home round in the UK after moving nearby for the season, the Anvil Hire TAG Racing Yamaha rider is determined to bounce back with a strong performance.
Rispoli said: “Oulton Park wasn’t the best weekend for us but we can take the positives into Donington Park. It was difficult there to find a one lap pace, so we had to fine tune what we had and dig deep. We qualified 26th and came through the pack to finish behind Kiyo to finish 17th, which isn’t where I want to be, but we were taking it. It moved us up the grid for the next race and Broc [Parkes] was a couple of rows ahead of us, and he was definitely my target.
“Unfortunately we had a technical problem before the start of the race and that put us dead last on the grid for race three.
“Race three I made a lot of passes on the first lap and that put me higher up the order before the safety car came out. Hook was then in front of me and it took forever to try and get in front and then the group ahead had made a gap. I really believed I had the pace in the second group to be in the 10th – 13th place fight. It was another good result from what we had and we can move onto this weekend with some positives.
“I am riding the bike to the potential and I just need to continue that momentum and score points this weekend and continue to roll it on. I love Donington and since moving to the UK this is the closest track to home, so I want to be back in the points this weekend.”
For more information please visit www.jamesrispoli.com