Leon Camier extended his lead in the ViSK British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli as he completed a third daily winning double of the campaign in the fifth round at Snetterton. “I had expected these races to be a lot harder here for us,” said Airwaves Yamaha rider Camier who know leads his team-mate James Ellison, fourth and second in these races, by 55 points in the title chase. “This is mega for me and the team,” added Camier. The pole starter for the fourth consecutive round, Camier had made life difficult for himself in the opening race at the Norfolk circuit, re-started after a two bike tangle at Sear. He was running eighth on the opening lap as Hydrex Honda rider Stuart Easton set the pace ahead of Ellison and Josh Brookes riding HM Plant Honda. Camier was soon on the charge picking off places to be running second at half distance and then swooping into the lead with four laps to go: “It made the race all the more fun and enjoyable, as I had to pick them off and work hard at the corners. “I managed to get in amongst them and get the result,” added Camier. “That was one of the best races of the season so far and it was a real fight for me.” Easton took second place ahead of Brookes and Ellison with Ian Lowry heading off Chris Walker, Michael Rutter, Karl Harris and Julien da Costa as Simon Andrew completed the top ten finishers. Easton and Brookes were again to the fore in the early stages of the second race but Camier was attacking and moved into the lead on the fifth lap, and then powered clear, taking his eighth victory of the season by three seconds from Ellison with Brookes third from Easton, while John Laverty grabbed fifth from da Costa. Tommy Bridewell made an emotional winning return to the series, riding the Team NB Suzuki in the Mirror.co.uk Cup almost two years on from the death of his brother Ollie in a racing accident at Mallory Park. “I’m just so glad to be here and thank everyone in BSB for the warm welcome they’ve given to us that ride and victory is dedicated to my brother,” said the 20 year old Wiltshire rider who was riding the Suzuki that Ollie had raced. Bridewell finished 15th overall to take the class victory in the opening race and he added: “I have to thank my family and friends for me being here it was a good ride, hard fought and it didn’t come easily.” Gary Mason, the previously unbeaten leader of the Cup, had been sidelined in that race by a mechanical problem, but he was back to form next time out, taking the victory on his Quay Garage Honda ahead of Ultimate Racing Yamaha’s Peter Hickman, Tom Tunstall on the Hardinge Doodson Honda and Bridewell. Results round five ViSK British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli Race one 18 laps Leon Camier (Airwaves Yamaha) 19m 51.245s Stuart Easton (Hydrex Honda) +1.577s Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +1.575s James Ellison (Airwaves Yamaha) +2.450s Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +3.028s Chris Walker (Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha) +6.309s Michael Rutter (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +6.628s Karl Harris (Hydrex Honda) +6.721s Julien Da Costa (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +10.415s Simon Andrews (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +11.074s Race two 22 laps Leon Camier (Airwaves Yamaha) 24m 10.03s James Ellison (Airwaves Yamaha) +3.050s Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +7.827s Stuart Easton (Hydrex Honda) +11.135s John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +15.972s Julien Da Costa (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +16.639s Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +16.655s Glen Richards (HM Plant Honda) +16.729s Karl Harris (Hydrex Honda) +19.145s Jason O’Halloran (SMT Honda) +21.505s Leading championship positions Leon Camier 217 James Ellison 162 Stuart Easton 140 Glen Richards 103 Karl Harris 87 Next round: Knockhill 3-4-5 July More, from a press release issued by Airwaves Yamaha: AIRWAVES YAMAHA SENSATIONAL AT SNETTERTON Leon Camier extended his lead in the British Superbike Championship to 55 points today winning both races in Round 5 at Snetterton. James Ellison consolidated his 2nd place in the standings with a 4th and 2nd. Airwaves Yamaha are now the only team to have both riders finish every race this season. At the start of race one James maintained 2nd position off the grid whilst pole-man Leon went down to 4th. On lap 3 the race was stopped when oil went down on the circuit. For the re-start race distance was reduced to 18 laps with grid slots determined by the rider’s positions on lap 2. James once again maintained 2nd off the grid with Leon going to 9th. James took the lead on lap 5 but by lap 9 was being challenged by his teammate. After a number of attempts and some close racing, Leon overtook James on lap 14 for an eventual 7th win of the season. Although pushing hard, James was unable to keep the Honda’s of Stuart Easton and Josh Brookes behind him and crossed the line 4th. Both James and Leon lost places at the start of race two but worked hard to battle their way through the field. Once again the Airwaves Yamaha pair pushed each other close. On lap 3 Leon overtook James for 3rd and by lap 5 was in the lead. James took 2nd a couple of laps later to secure a 4th one-two for Airwaves Yamaha. Reflecting on the day James said, “The first race was a bit of a nightmare. I got away well but it was really tough. All weekend I’ve been quick in the complex but I couldn’t take advantage of it. Once the Honda’s were in front, they slowed me down, particularly in that section. I was pushing hard to get on the podium but made a few mistakes in the final couple of laps. There was nothing I could do. The second race was the best yet. I got a good start and felt that I could push Leon a lot more. In between races Colin sat me down and we analysed what went wrong in race one. It helped massively so thank you to him.” After claiming win number 8 Leon said, “The first race was one of the hardest, but also one of the most fun races I can remember. My start wasn’t too bad for a change but I fell back at the first corner. It was so difficult to overtake because we really struggled on the straights. Thankfully the Airwaves Yamaha worked fantastic around the corners. In race two the bike felt awesome. It was fun racing so close to James and I’m pleased we achieved another one-two for the Airwaves Yamaha team. I want to say thank you to all the GSE Racing guys and girls for all their hard work.” Race One Results: 1. Leon Camier Airwaves Yamaha 2. Stuart Easton Hydrex Honda 3. Josh Brookes HM Plant Honda 4. James Ellison Airwaves Yamaha Race Two Results: 1. Leon Camier Airwaves Yamaha 2. James Ellison Airwaves Yamaha 3. Josh Brookes HM Plant Honda 4. Stuart Easton Hydrex Honda More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Michael Rutter and the Worx Crescent Suzuki team came to the Snetterton round of the British Superbike Championship looking for podium finishes. However a crash and a mechanical problem mean the weekend’s efforts provided only a seventh and a DNF. After having ridden so well in practice, making second fastest time, it was a disappointing conclusion to the weekend: A one-off technical glitch, then rain washing out the balance of the Saturday’s qualifying session left Rutter on the fourth row for today’s races. And the bad luck didn’t end there… In race one, Rutter crashed early on while trying to force his way through the field. A rare stroke of good fortune saw the race stopped – on account of a separate incident – and Rutter was able to restart on his second bike. He made good start, riding well to make up 13 places to finish seventh, barely 6.5-seconds behind the race winner Leon Camier. In the second race, Rutter pushed hard from the start and had made it to well inside the top-10 when on lap four, as he entered the Bomb Hole, the GSX-R’s engine lost power bringing a premature end to the weekend’s efforts. Michael Rutter: “I’m gutted. The bike is clearly capable of podiums, and wins, so to leave with what we have is a major disappointment. It was my own fault – the crash in the first race – I was simply having to push so hard to come through and I lost the front coming into Sears. I’m fortunate we got the restart and I’m reasonably happy to have made seventh. “After that I was very happy with the slightly revised set-up for the second race and was very comfortable pushing hard through those early laps, so to DNF on the fourth lap is frustrating. I’m sorry for the team. They’re a great bunch of guys and have really made me feel at home these two last rounds. They deserved at least one podium as a reward this weekend and I just wish I could have given them that.” Jack Valentine – Team Manager: “This has been a weekend to forget. We’re going back to the workshop, find out what went wrong with the bike in that second race, and regroup ready for Knockhill. “Michael put in a good performance in that first race and was looking stronger still in the second so to come away with an incomplete picture is a cruel end. Michael has again ridden well and he’s capable of front row qualifying and podium finishes – what’s happened isn’t his fault. “What we’ll do now as regards rider selection for the next round, at Knockhill, it’s too early to say. Like I’ve said, Michael’s ridden really well and it’s fair to say his results haven’t fully reflected what he’s put in – so he most certainly remains a strong contender.” ViSK British Superbike Championship Results: Race 1 result: 1. Leon Camier (Airwaves Yamaha) 2. Stuart Easton (Hydrex Honda) +1.577s 3. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +1.575s 4. James Ellison (Airwaves Yamaha) +2.450s 5. Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +3.028s 6. Chris Walker (Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha) +6.309s 7. Michael Rutter (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +6.628s 8. Karl Harris (Hydrex Honda) +6.721s 9. Julien Da Costa (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) 10.415s 10. Simon Andrews (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +11.074s Race 2 result: 1. Leon Camier (Airwaves Yamaha) 2. James Ellison (Airwaves Yamaha) +3.050s 3. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +7.827s 4. Stuart Easton (Hydrex Honda) +11.135s 5. John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +15.972s 6. Julien Da Costa (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +16.639s 7. Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +16.655s 8. Glen Richards (HM Plant Honda) +16.729s 9. Karl Harris (Hydrex Honda) +19.145s 10. Jason O’Halloran (SMT Honda) +21.505s Championship standings after five rounds: 1. Leon Camier (Airwaves Yamaha) 217 2. James Ellison (Airwaves Yamaha) 162 3. Stuart Easton (Hydrex Honda) 140 4. Glen Richards (HM Plant Honda) 103 5. Karl Harris (Hydrex Honda) 87 6. Sylvain Guintoli (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 77