British Superbike Championship Croft Circuit May 15 Race One Results (wet conditions, all on Pirelli tires): 1. Jon Kirkham (Suz), 18 laps 2. John Hopkins (Suz), -2.940 seconds 3. Gary Mason (Kaw), -3.715 4. Loris Baz (Yam), -13.335 5. Alex Lowes (Hon), -14.699, EVO 6. Stuart Easton (Kaw), -19.433 7. Peter Hickman (Hon), -22.455 8. Josh Brookes (Suz), -24.297 9. Glen Richards (Hon), -26.063, EVO 10. Tommy Bridewell (Hon), -27.747 11. Hudson Kennaugh (Apr), -28.509 12. James Westmoreland (Yam), -32.259 13. John Laverty (BMW), -59.636 14. Tommy Hill (Yam), -63.963 15. Tom Tunstall (BMW), -66.119, EVO 16. Patric Muff (Hon), -66.347, EVO 17. Dan Linfoot (Hon), -70.124 18. Ian Lowry (BMW), -70.964* 19. Martin Jessopp (Duc), -71.726 20. Aaron Zanotti (BMW), -82.133, EVO 21. Simon Andrews (Kaw), -98.897, EVO 22. Scott Smart (Duc), -1 lap, EVO 23. James Hillier (Kaw), -1 lap, EVO 24. Michael Laverty (Yam), -1 lap 25. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Hon), -1 lap 26. Chris Walker (Kaw), -2 laps, DNF 27. Barry Burrell (BMW), -9 laps, DNF, EVO 28. Michael Rutter (Duc), -9 laps, DNF 29. Shane Byrne (Hon), -11 laps, DNF 30. Joshua Day (Kaw), -11 laps, DNF, EVO 31. Craig Fitzpatrick (Hon), -14 laps, DNF, EVO 32. Steve Brogan (Hon), -16 laps 33. Jenny Tinmouth (Apr), -17 laps * 10-second penalty for overtaking two riders during Safety Car intervention British Superbike Championship Croft Circuit May 15 Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires): 1. Shane Byrne (Hon), 20 laps 2. Stuart Easton (Kaw), -1.887 seconds 3. John Hopkins (Suz), -2.269 4. Josh Brookes (Suz), -2.461 5. Loris Baz (Yam), -5.517 6. Tommy Hill (Yam), -6.094 7. Gary Mason (Kaw), -6.748 8. Michael Rutter (Duc), -8.120 9. Peter Hickman (Hon), -8.397 10. Tommy Bridewell (Hon), -9.657 11. Alex Lowes (Hon), -10.419, EVO 12. James Westmoreland (Yam), -12.697 13. Chris Walker (Kaw), -16.831 14. Ian Lowry (BMW), -17.678 15. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Hon), -20.295 16. Glen Richards (Hon), -21.208, EVO 17. Barry Burrell (BMW), -22.687, EVO 18. Simon Andrews (Kaw), -22.741, EVO 19. Patric Muff (Hon), -37.750, EVO 20. James Hillier (Kaw), -40.427, EVO 21. John Laverty (BMW), -47.581 22. Craig Fitzpatrick (Hon), -57.270, EVO 23. Tom Tunstall (BMW), -57.872, EVO 24. Aaron Zanotti (BMW), -57.937, EVO 25. Joshua Day (Kaw), -63.888, EVO 26. Hudson Kennaugh (Apr), -9 laps, DNF 27. Dan Linfoot (Hon), -10 laps, DNF 28. Scott Smart (Duc), -12 laps, DNF, EVO 29. Martin Jessopp (Duc), -12 laps, DNF 30. Jenny Tinmouth (Apr), -15 laps, DNF 31. Michael Laverty (Yam), -20 laps, DNF 32. Jon Kirkham (Suz), -20 laps, DNF Championship Point Standings: 1. Byrne, 95 points 2. Hopkins, 92 3. Easton, 89 4. Kiyonari, 59 5. Hill, 57 6. Kirkham, 54 7. Baz, 51 8. Mason, 44 9. Rutter, 42 10. Hickman, 37 11. Michael Laverty, 35 12. Brookes, 31 13. Lowes, 30 14. Bridewell, 28 15. Linfoot, 23 16. Walker, 19 17. Richards, 14 18. TIE, Jessopp/Westmoreland, 13 20. Kennaugh, 5 More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Samsung Crescent Racing’s Jon Kirkham led a Suzuki one-two in the opening British Superbike race at Croft today. It was the Lincolnshire rider’s first British Superbike victory, crossing the line 2.94 seconds ahead of team mate John Hopkins – who has taken the lead in the series after five races – and he also set the fastest lap of the race with a time of 1:23.86 on the final lap. Said Kirkham: “I can’t believe it! It was probably the scariest race of my life and we had a few moments out there, but I can’t wait for race 2. I’ve got to thank the Samsung Crescent team and everyone who have helped get me here.” Hopkins, who led the race earlier on when race leader Shane Byrne retired with mechanical problems, said: “It was tough race, but we got it right with tyre choice by going for an intermediate compound. I’m really pleased for the Samsung Crescent team and especially for Jon, but I want to win; we’ll see what happens in race two.” More, from a press release issued by Sorrymate.com Honda: No luck at Crodt for Linfoot From a weekend that promised so much, Dan Linfoot and the sorrymate.com Honda team left the Croft race circuit pointless after the latest round of the 2011 British Superbike Championship. Fast throughout practice and qualifying, Linfoot’s hopes of two strong finishes were thwarted firstly by the weather and a tyre gamble and secondly by a spill, no reward for some strong riding.The two DNFs also mean Dan’s now back in 15th place in the Championship table. Competing at his local circuit, Dan was keen to continue the good form he’d shown at the opening two rounds and, after a solid first day of practice, Saturday saw him climb up the leaderboard. Up to 8th in the final free practice session, a small spill at Tower meant he missed the last third of the session but when qualifying got underway later in the afternoon, he was right on front-running pace and a lap of 1m20.287s made him the 3rd fastest rider going into the final shoot-out. However, rain came and spoiled the session so Dan ended up starting from 7th place on the grid. Come race day and constant drizzle meant the opening race was delayed and delayed again before it was declared a wet race and finally got underway. With the team opting to go for full wet tyres they were hoping for the rain to continue and conditions to play in their hands and when Dan lay in 7th in the early stages, everything was looking good. However, the drizzle never developed into anything more and, instead, abated, the end result being that Dan slipped back through the field as the wet tyres weren’t giving him the grip required. 18th place at the chequered flag was most definitely not on the agenda for the weekend. The result also compromised his 2nd race as he had to start from 23rd on the grid due to his relatively ‘slow’ fastest lap but a brilliant opening lap saw him overtake no less than 11 riders as he moved up to 12th and although the interruption of the safety car briefly halted his progress, he overtook Glen Richards, Chris Walker and Alex Lowes to slot into 9th place by lap 9. Right on the back of an eight-rider group battling for second, Dan was looking good for a top six position but it all went wrong on lap 11 when he had a coming together with Peter Hickman and Michael Rutter, the end result being another trip into the gravel trap at Tower. There was some good fortune for the team though with John Ingram having a superb outing on the SMT Racing BMW and, after placing 16th on the opening lap, he tore through the pack for an excellent 6th place finish. Speaking afterwards, team owner Robin Croft said; “It’s definitely been a weekend of two halves; practice and qualifying that went really well and then race day where literally everything that could have gone wrong, did go wrong. Qualifying on Saturday couldn’t have gone any better and after steadily chipping away, Dan and the team found a good set-up that enabled him to challenge for pole position. We all felt really confident for the two races but the weather for race 1 had other ideas.” “When it drizzles like that, it literally is a gamble and our decision to go with full wets backfired like it did for a number of other riders; it could quite easily have gone the other way. That put us way back on the grid for the second race but Dan rode brilliantly in the early laps and was looking really strong until he went down. A double slipstream saw him arrive at Tower quicker than what he normally would and the coming together saw us come off worst. To leave pointless is tough to take at the moment but we’ll take the positives and we’ve again shown good, front running pace so I’m sure we’ll be rewarded with some good finishes soon.” The next round of the British Superbike Championship takes place at Thruxton, Hampshire on May 28-30. More, from a press release issued by Marty Nutt’s publicist: Mixed weekend for Nutt at Croft Marty Nutt endured a mixed weekend of racing at the latest round of the British Supersport Championship with 14th place in race 1 at Croft being offset by a retirement in race 2. The nutttravel.com/Dawn/T&G Racing rider had been hoping to take another haul of points at one of his favourite venues but after taking a solid finish in the opening race on Saturday, brake fade put paid to his hopes in Sunday’s feature race and he had little option other than to retire. With the opening free practice session being held in the wet, Marty’s first flying laps came in the second session where he placed 15th, a position he maintained in Saturday’s solitary qualifying session although he did improve upon his time by over a second with a new personal best of 1m23.889s. That meant he lined up on the fourth row for the opening ‘sprint’ race, held over 14 laps, and although a sluggish start saw him drop back to 18th on lap 1, he steadily improved both position and lap time over the course of the race and he was rewarded at the chequered flag with a good 14th place finish and more Championship points. Starting from 16th place on the grid for race 2, Marty was looking to build upon Saturday’s result but he was soon up against it having been pushed wide at the first corner, which dropped him back to 18th. He responded almost immediately and moved up to 16th a lap later as he found himself part of a 6-rider dice for 13th but he soon ran into brake trouble and when the lever started to come back to the bar, it was simply too dangerous to continue and he pulled in to retire at the end of the eighth lap. Speaking afterwards, Marty said; “Croft’s one of my favourite circuits so I was really hoping for two good results here but it’s turned into an average weekend. I was pleased to have picked up two more points in Saturday’s race and really enjoyed myself although it was a little bit frustrating as I was losing out on acceleration coming onto the start and finish straight. I could make up time all round the rest of the track but as soon as we exited the hairpin the other boys would just ride away from me.” “I was looking to build upon that in the second race but when I was in the big group battling for 13th, I soon got into a wee bit of bother with the front brake; if you’re on your own, you can ride around the problem but when you’re in a group, you’re having to use the brake more often as you’re reacting to what those around you are doing so, after a few near misses, pulling in was the sensible option. It’s a shame as it brought my run of points scoring finishes to an end but we’ve got a two-week break before the next round and we’re getting some new parts for the bike so that will, hopefully, give us some more speed and elevate us nearer to the front.” Marty’s next outing will be on May 28-30 with round 4 of the British Supersport Championship taking place at Thruxton, Hampshire. More, from a press release issued by John McGuinness’ publicist: McGuinness continues strong run of form at Croft John McGuinness’ strong run of form in the opening rounds of the Metzeler National 1000cc Superstock Championship continued on Sunday when he took a fine 9th place at the latest round at Croft. The Padgetts Honda rider was on the pace throughout practice and qualifying and enjoyed a good race to add 7 more points to his tally and move into 7th in the Championship table. The weekend got off to a good start for John when he placed 2nd in Friday’s wet free practice session and that good form carried over to the dry when a lap of 1m24.524s saw him take the 4th fastest time in opening qualifying for a provisional front row position. Hopes were high for improving on that in final qualifying but with 42 riders on the 2.12-mile circuit, finding clear track was a tough task and each time he was on a quick lap, John got held up by traffic. Subsequently, he was unable to improve on Friday’s time and he found himself pushed back to 10th place and the third row of the grid. Come the race itself on Sunday, a brilliant start saw John move up to 6th place on the opening lap only to undo his good work by running wide at the final hairpin. That dropped him back down the order but he regrouped well and was soon battling hard with the group dicing for 6th place. Positions 6-10 changed hands regularly and a strong ride saw John rewarded with 9th place at the end of the 12 laps for his third consecutive top ten finish. Speaking afterwards, the Morecambe rider said; “The main objective from these first 3 rounds was to get plenty of track time in preparation for the TT and in that regard, it’s most definitely been a case of ‘job done’. I’m a racer first and foremost though so each weekend has been about doing the best I possibly can and I feel that I’ve ridden really well in these first 3 rounds and been sharp throughout so that puts me in a really good frame of mind. I got a mint start today only to make a mistake at the hairpin but I regrouped, dug deep and to be battling it out for a top six finish again was very pleasing.” “It got a bit scrappy towards the end as a couple of the boys made late charges through the pack and I’ve got some very important races coming up what with the 8 hours at Albacete and the TT so I kept my nose clean and brought the bike home for a good finish. The Padgetts boys have again given me a mega bike and I’m happy with another top ten ten finish so I can head into the next couple of weeks in a really confident mood.” John now resumes his World Endurance Championship challenge with the 8 Hours of Albacete (Spain) taking place next weekend, May 21-22. More, from a press release issued by Swan Yamaha: HEROIC HILL BATTLES TO SIXTH AT CROFT FOR SWAN YAMAHA Swan Yamaha’s Tommy Hill put in a heroic performance at the third round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Croft today to score a sixth place in the second race of the day despite still suffering with his shoulder injury sustained two weeks ago. In the opening race of the day the changing conditions made tyre choice a gamble with the team opting for wets, which later proved to be the wrong choice and Hill and Michael Laverty endured a difficult race to finish in fourteenth and twenty-fourth respectively. In the second race Laverty started from the third row, but whilst trying to move up the order he collided with Jon Kirkham and the pair crashed out of contention on the opening lap. Hill put in a heroic performance from the sixth row to fight the pain of his injured shoulder to work his way up the order to end the race in sixth, which was enough to maintain his fifth place in the overall championship standings ahead of Thruxton. Hill said: “Race one was disappointing with the conditions changing and going for the wrong tyre choice but I am really happy with the second race today. I knew we had the pace and that we would just need to keep chipping away. I felt reasonably comfortable when I was in a pack of riders and focused on someone ahead of me as I could try and make the pass then settle in and look at who would be next which gave me focus. That kept me going because when the safety car came out I would really feel the pain again. To go from 21st to sixth was a fantastic result for me and the Swan Yamaha team as we got some good points in the bag. Before this weekend we didn’t know what to expect or whether I would even be able to race but once I was out there the adrenaline kicked in and I have to say that is the best form of pain relief! It has been a good end to the weekend for us and we came away with some points and that was what we wanted to do and now we just need to regroup and be fit and ready for Thruxton.” Laverty said: “All I can say is that I am really gutted with how today has gone. The first race was a non-event as it was a gamble on tyres and we opted for the wrong choice. For the second race I had a third row start and I knew it was going to be tough. I knew I would have to push as Shane Byrne would be getting away at the front otherwise. I had a battle with Jon Kirkham and I passed him, he then passed me back. I went for a move, we collided and both went down. It was a racing incident which is so frustrating for me and it seems that luck hasn’t been on my side here this weekend. I just need to regroup and be ready to fight for the podium at Thruxton for Swan Yamaha.” Swan Yamaha Team Owner Shaun Muir concluded: “In the first race it was a sheer case of the wrong decision on tyre choice, but we need to draw a line under that and move on. In race two Tommy’s performance was nothing short of heroic and was the ride of the day in my eyes to salvage a sixth position despite the pain he was suffering. Michael had a lot of determination in the second race and it got the better of him; it was a 50-50 racing incident and he just was a tad eager and paid the price. The Swan Yamaha team will now pull together and we can see what we can do for Thruxton to get back on the podium where we need to be.” More, from a press release issued by AP Kawasaki: AP Kawasaki Digs In At Croft The AP Kawasaki team battled hard for two more race finishes at Croft today where they were again contesting the Metzeler National Superstock 600 and 1000 Championship races. Freddie Russo fought his way through from 21st on the grid to 15th place for another 600 Championship point whilst Leon Hunt took 21st in the 1000 category. Fresh from his podium at Oulton Park two weeks ago, Russo was hoping to maintain that strong run of form but riding at the circuit for the first time in two years, it took the Brentford rider a while to get up to speed during practice and qualifying, the end result being 21st in qualifying. In the 12 lap race which formed round three of the series, a strong start saw Freddie move up to 16th at the end of the first lap and with a series of personal best laps, he was rewarded for some determined riding with 15th place to claim a single point to hold seventh position in the Championship table. In the Superstock 1000 class, Leon Hunt was flying the flag alone in the absence of Anthony Haywood but like Russo was competing at a circuit where he had little knowledge. After qualifying in 23rd place, it turned out to be a fairly uneventful race for the Brighton rider and he ended up crossing the line in 21st place. Freddie Russo: “I came into the round with high hopes but it’s two years since I’ve been here and although I like the circuit it took me a while to get dialled in and most of free practice was spent just trying to learn my way round again. My new leathers were also causing me problems during qualifying, hence being back on the sixth row so I switched to my old leathers for the race and just dug in as much as I could. I managed to go forward a fair bit from my qualifying position and although its only 15th, it’s a point and I’m still in a decent position in the Championship table. I love the next circuit, Thruxton, so hopefully, we can get back into the top three there and make a serious impression on the Championship.” Leon Hunt: “It was a similar story to the first couple of rounds for me as I’m still struggling to find a set-up with the bike that I’m comfortable with. It doesn’t seem to matter what we try, I just can’t get the bike to handle how I’d like it to and it’s making for some tough races at the moment. I haven’t been to Croft that many times and I struggled with the bike through the corners so it was another frustrating weekend and we’re just not making the progress I’d like. My arms were playing up too so I plan to get that sorted now. It’s not through the lack of trying though so we’ll get our heads down and continue to work hard at the next round to try and turn things around.” Alan Greig: “We’ve struggled a little bit this weekend but we take some positives out of it. Leon has very little experience of Croft and struggled with arm pump again so has decided to have an operation to cure it which is a good step forward and Freddie handicapped himself during qualifying so to salvage a point was a great effort. We have had no experience in the wet so it was all a bit of a gamble but we are building up steadily and will gain more confidence at the tracks we are strong at.” Round four takes place at Thruxton in Hampshire on May 28-30. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Alastair Seeley raced his Relentless Suzuki by TAS GSX-R600 to fifth and fourth places at the third round of the British Supersport Championship at Croft and holds third in the series after six races. After qualifying third for Saturday’s shortened red-flagged race, he finished fifth and in today’s second leg, the Ulsterman shot through from row two, taking the holeshot and eventually crossing the line in fourth position. Alastair Seeley: “That’s two solid results for me from the weekend at Croft and the important thing is, I’m fit and healthy going into Tuesday night’s first practice session at the North West 200. I’m never happy to be off the podium at any circuit, but we’re still developing a new bike and there will be more to come from the GSX-R600. We all know what we need, so all I can do is keep twisting that throttle and giving it my best shot.” Philip Neill – Team Manager: “Alastair got mugged at the end of that shortened Supersport race on Saturday, but we have to be mindful that we are still developing the new GSX-R600 and the Championship will not be won or lost at Croft. He’s still third in the table and with some set-up changes in the morning, I’m sure we can find that little bit of extra grip to have him challenging at the front in race two. “He did the best he could this weekend and once he gets the NW200 out of the way, those other boys will not get it just so easy.” The next round of the British Superbike Championship takes place at Thruxton on 28-30 May. British Supersport Championship, race two result: 1st – Ben Wilson (Kawasaki) 20m 46.965s; 2nd – Steve Plater (Honda) +0.938s; 3rd – Billy McConnell (Triumph) +1.460s; 4th – Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +1.828s; 5th – Jack Kennedy (Yamaha) +2.152s. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Relentless Suzuki rider Josh Brookes was true to his word during the third round of the British Superbike Championship at Croft in North Yorkshire – picking up 21 valuable Championship points with eighth and fourth places. The Australian is now within striking distance of the Shoot Out top six, which was the Relentless Suzuki by TAS Racing team’s weekend goal. Race one was a tyre choice lottery in difficult conditions, and while others faltered, Brookes steadied himself with a top-10 finish in eighth place. In the second race the BSB number two worked his way through from the third row of the grid, narrowly missing out on a debut podium for his new team. Taking the positives from the race, in the last five laps the Relentless Suzuki rider was consistently the fastest man on track; his fastest lap – on lap 16 – bettered only by race winner Shane Byrne. Josh Brookes: “Race one was hindered with the rain but I did the best I could with the Intermediate/ Slick tyre-combination that we chose, but I wasn’t confident to push any harder in the conditions. We did have a bit of a power loss but I don’t think that made any difference. In race two I made a little mistake and lost a few places, but I felt very confident on the bike and got back up to fourth. I sat close to John Hopkins just in case he made a mistake, but I was happy to run it home in fourth rather than make a mistake; and in the end we picked up some good points. Next up is Thruxton which is my favourite track. I had my first BSB podium and win there so I’m looking forward to that. Before then I’m of to the North West 200 to drink some Guinness and support Alastair Seeley and Guy Martin.” Philip Neill – Team Manager: “Given the last two meetings, it’s a big relief to come out of Croft incident-free with solid points. It’s not one of Josh’s favourite circuits but he was very strong with his race set-up and his lap times, especially in the second race; he was right up there. Normally he would have gone for the podium, and yes it would have been nice to get our first of the year in BSB, but it was pleasing to see him riding sensibly – and even more so the way he came back through the pack. The first race was a bit of a lottery with tyre choice and we did suffer a loss of engine power but Josh handled it well.” The next round of the British Superbike Championship takes place at Thruxton on May 28-30th. British Superbike Championship, race one result: 1st – Jon Kirkham (Suzuki); 2nd – John Hopkins (Suzuki) +2.940s; 3rd – Gary Mason (Kawasaki) +3.715s; 4th – Loris Baz (Yamaha) +13.335s; 5th – Alex Lowes (Honda) +14.699s; 6th – Stuart Easton (Kawasaki) +19.433s; 7th – Peter Hickman (Honda) +22.455s; 8th – Josh Brookes (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +24.297s; 9th – Glen Richards (Honda) +26.063s; 10th – Tommy Bridewell (Tyco Honda) +27.747s. British Superbike Championship, race two result: 1st – Shane Byrne (Honda); 2nd – Stuart Easton (Kawasaki) +1.887s; 3rd – John Hopkins (Suzuki) +2.269s; 4th – Josh Brookes (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +2.461s; 5th – Loris Baz (Yamaha) +5.517s; 6th – Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +6.094s; 7th – Gary Mason (Kawasaki) +6.748s; 8th – Michael Rutter (Ducati) +8.120s; 9th – Peter Hickman (Honda) +8.397s; 10th – Tommy Bridewell (Honda) +9.657s. More, from a press release issued by Honda: MCE INSURANCE BRITISH SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 03 SUNDAY 15 MAY CROFT Weather: Changeable, first race damp/overcast, second race brighter Temperature: Ambient 13 degrees C / Track 18 degrees C BYRNE AVENGES FIRST RACE DISAPPOINTMENT WITH VICTORY NEXT TIME OUT Shane Byrne made amends for the bitter disappointment of a machine problem ruling him out of the opening race of the third round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship while leading as he comfortably took the victory next time out. That victory, his second of the campaign, ensured that the HM Plant Honda rider left the North Yorkshire circuit as the series leader, albeit by only three points over the former MotoGP rider John Hopkins who took second and third placings on his Suzuki. The opening race was delayed by rain, but the weather changed and the race was declared dry, leaving the riders with something of a dilemma about tyre choice. Byrne, who had scorched to pole start opted to begin the race on full slicks, but his team-mate, three times champion Ryuichi Kiyonari, taking note of the storm clouds expected more rain and made a more cautious selection. Kiyonari, who had a difficult time in qualifying with machine settings, started from the fourth row of the grid, but was soon losing ground as the expected rains failed to materialise while out front Byrne was heading the action, only to slow a little as a few spots of rain fell. Byrne was almost three seconds clear when disaster struck him on the eighth lap on the start-finish straight, with tell tale smoke pouring from his bike. His race was run, and he pulled off with the Safety Car brought out as officials checked for any oil spill. That bunched the pack, and Hopkins, who had been second to Byrne, led the action, only to be taken by his team-mate Jon Kirkham at two thirds distance en route to his maiden victory in the series. Kiyonari dejectedly finished back in 25th position and for the second race that meant a seventh row start, while Byrne was on the front row and making good use of that as he quickly reeled in opening lap leader Gary Mason riding Kawasaki. Once ahead, Byrne dictated terms, leading throughout to take his second victory of the campaign and regain the lead in the title stakes from Hopkins who had gone ahead after the first race. Reigning champion Kiyonari was full of fight in the race, riding with the style and speed that has taken him to 42 race victories and three titles in the series, and he was moving through the pack in a damage limitation exercise that took him to an eventual 15th place, and a consolation championship point. Alex Lowes maintained his domination of the “back to basics” BSB-EVO class with a winning double aboard the WFR Honda, excelling in the opening race as he finished fifth overall, and then taking eleventh next time out. His team-mate, former Supersport and Superstock champion Glen Richards ran second to him in class in each race. Honda rider quotes: Shane Byrne (HM Plant Honda): “The first race was obviously disappointing for me and the team as I desperately wanted to win and do a good job for our sponsors HM Plant at their home round. In the first race it was a gamble on tyres and we opted for slicks, but it was the right choice and we were able to build up a lead. We were unlucky to have a mechanical failure whilst leading as we have done so many miles on the bikes and it was just a shame it happened in the race. The team then worked hard between the races to get me ready for race two and I had a bit of a strategy to just see how the race unfolded. We tried hard, settled down and then I just pushed to edge the gap and then tried to keep it consistent and control the lead. It was disappointment to elation for me in one day but we were able to end the day on a high and it was a great victory for myself and the team.” Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda): “It has been a difficult weekend for me and I have been trying many different changes but we still were running the same lap times, but we have worked hard to try and fix the problem. In the first race it was a decision on tyres and we thought it would rain more, so we went for wets but that was the wrong choice and I just couldn’t push. In the second race I had to start so far down the grid because of race one and then it was hard work but we still made passes and moved forward. It is disappointing for me and the team.” Alex Lowes (WFR Honda): “This has been a mega day for me, one that I have really enjoyed. I didn’t realise I was as high up in the first race as I was. It was good to be running up front. The bike was really good as is the team. Then in the second race, again I had a really good pace and took another victory in the EVO class. And with Glen (Richards) my team-mate second in each of the races it has been a brilliant day for the team.” RESULTS BRITISH SUPERBIKE RACE1: POS / RIDER / NAT / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / GAP 1 / JON KIRKHAM / GBR / Suzuki – Samsung Crescent Racing / 26:41.827 / 2 / JOHN HOPKINS / USA / Suzuki – Samsung Crescent Racing / 26:44.767 / 2.940 3 / GARY MASON / GBR / Kawasaki – MSS Colchester Kawasaki / 26:45.542 / 3.715 4 / LORIS BAZ / FRA / Yamaha – Motorpoint Yamaha / 26:55.162 / 13.335 5 / ALEX LOWES / GBR / Honda – Team WFR / 26:56.526 / 14.699 6 / STUART EASTON / GBR / Kawasaki – MSS Colchester Kawasaki / 27:01.260 / 19.433 7 / PETER HICKMAN / GBR / Honda – Tyco Honda / 27:04.282 / 22.455 8 / JOSH BROOKES / AUS / Suzuki – Relentless Suzuki by TAS / 27:06.124 / 24.297 9 / GLEN RICHARDS / AUS / Honda – Team WFR / 27:07.890 / 26.063 10 / TOMMY BRIDEWELL / GBR / Honda – Tyco Honda / 27:09.574 / 27.747 11 / HUDSON KENNAUGH / RSA / Aprilia – Splitlath Motorsport / 27:10.336 / 28.509 12 / JAMES WESTMORELAND / GBR / Yamaha – Motorpoint Yamaha / 27:14.086 / 32.259 13 / JOHN LAVERTY / GBR / BMW – Buildbase BMW Motorrad / 27:41.463 / 59.636 14 / TOMMY HILL / GBR / Yamaha – Swan Yamaha / 27:45.790 / 1:03.963 15 / TOM TUNSTALL / GBR / BMW – Doodson Motorsport / 27:47.946 / 1:06.119 Fastest lap: Jon KIRKHAM GBR Suzuki – Samsung Crescent Racing Lap 18 1:23.860 146.81 Km/h RACE2: POS / RIDER / NAT / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / GAP 1 / SHANE BYRNE / GBR / Honda – HM Plant Honda / 27:46.928 / 2 / STUART EASTON / GBR / Kawasaki – MSS Colchester Kawasaki / 27:48.815 / 1.887 3 / JOHN HOPKINS / USA / Suzuki – Samsung Crescent Racing / 27:49.197 / 2.269 4 / JOSH BROOKES / AUS / Suzuki – Relentless Suzuki by TAS / 27:49.389 / 2.461 5 / LORIS BAZ / FRA / Yamaha – Motorpoint Yamaha / 27:52.445 / 5.517 6 / TOMMY HILL / GBR / Yamaha – Swan Yamaha / 27:53.022 / 6.094 7 / GARY MASON / GBR / Kawasaki – MSS Colchester Kawasaki / 27:53.676 / 6.748 8 / MICHAEL RUTTER / GBR / Ducati – Rapid Solicitors Bathams Ducati / 27:55.048 / 8.120 9 / PETER HICKMAN / GBR / Honda – Tyco Honda / 27:55.325 / 8.397 10 / TOMMY BRIDEWELL / GBR / Honda – Tyco Honda / 27:56.585 / 9.657 11 / ALEX LOWES / GBR / Honda – Team WFR / 27:57.347 / 10.419 12 / JAMES WESTMORELAND / GBR / Yamaha – Motorpoint Yamaha / 27:59.625 / 12.697 13 / CHRIS WALKER / GBR / Kawasaki – Pr1mo Racing / 28:03.759 / 16.831 14 / IAN LOWRY / GBR / BMW – Buildbase BMW Motorrad / 28:04.606 / 17.678 15 / RYUICHI KIYONARI / JPN / Honda – HM Plant Honda / 28:07.223 / 20.295 Fastest lap: Shane BYRNE GBR Honda – HM Plant Honda Lap 6 1:20.394 153.14 Km/h CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TO DATE: 1 BYRNE 95, 2 HOPKINS 92, 3 EASTON 89, 4 KIYONARI 59, 5 HILL 57, 6 KIRKHAM 54, 7 BAZ 51, 8 MASON 44, 9 RUTTER 42, 10 HICKMAN 37, 11 LAVERTY 35, 12 BROOKES 31 13 LOWES 30, 14 BRIDEWELL 28, 15 LINFOOT 23. NEXT EVENT: ROUND 04 SUNDAY MAY 30 THRUXTON