Team Tuned Riders Battle through Mixed Conditions at VIR
The first day at the Virginia International Raceway proved to be a challenge for the 4 Bermudian riders who travelled with Team Tuned to Alton, VA to compete in the End of Summer Cycle Fest hosted by the Championship Cup Series (CCS), ASRA and the USGPRU.
The morning practice sessions started off in dry conditions for majority of the race groups though by the end of the second round of practice the skies opened up and the rain came down once again as it did on the open practice day on Friday. Shae Darrell, Bruce Degrrilla anad Jordan Fletcher were all out practicing on their Honda Moriwaki MD250Hs and Honda RS125s preparing for their qualifying sessions for the USGPRU races scheduled for Sunday, September 25, 2011. Kewuan Gilbert lapped around the raceway on his rented Suzuki GSXR 600 provided by Pure Action Sports.
Practice Times: Session 1 Jordan Fletcher – 1:53.25 Shae Darrell – 1:53.73 Bruce Degrilla – 1:48.25
Session 2 Kewuan Gilbert – 2:02.95 Jordan Fletcher – 1:45.42 Bruce Degrilla – 1:48.07 Shae Darrell – 1:50.55
After the morning practice sessions completed there was a short lunch break prior to the start of qualifying. Jordan, Shae and Bruce all had to take part in qualifying sessions for the 125 (Moto3) and Moriwaki 250H races for which the signed up to compete in on Sunday. The two sessions were held in mixed conditions as the 125 qualifying was fully wet and the MD250H session started wet with drying conditions.
Qualifying Positions: 125 (Moto3) Bruce Degrilla – 3rd Shae Darrell – 4th Jordan Fletcher – 5th
MD250H Shae Darrell – 3rd Bruce Degrilla – Crashed (Starts from Back of Grid)
The riders were signed up to compete in one race on Saturday in the GT Lights classification. With a short period of time between the qualifying and the race the riders opted to keep their rain tires on even though conditions started to improve slightly.
Race Results: GTL Expert Bruce Degrilla – 9th Shae Darrell – 12th
GT Amateur Jordan Fletcher – Did Not Score
Jordan ran an excellent race after stalling off the line in the amateur race battling back through the field up to first position. Unfortunately a slight confusion on the two-wave start saw Jordan jump the start and was disqualified from posting a result.
The riders will be taking part in the following races today. Updates will be provided periodically on our Facebook Page.
We would like to thank all of our sponsors for their dedication and support of our program: CellOne, Capital G, Zurich, Bermuda Custom Mechanical, Autobahn Accessories, Independent Management Ltd., Autobahn Cycles, Tuff Dogs, Sub Zero, Squirrel Photography, Galfer USA & Vortex Racing.
More, from another press release issued by Team Tuned Motorcycle Racing:
Bermudian Riders Secure Top 5 Finishes at End of Summer Cyclefest
Team Tuned Motorcycle Racing’s second day at the Virginia International Raceway continued in similar form to the earlier parts of the weekend with mixed conditions at VIR in Alton, Virginia, USA. Rain and cloudy skies overshadowed the weekend for the riders as they continued to learn their way around VIR in preparation for the days race events. Kewuan Gilbert sat out the weekend after deciding his wrist injury recieved in August was not fully healed enough to compete in the Supersport 600 classifications.
Practice Session
Jordan Fletcher, Bruce Degrilla and Shae Darrell took part in the one practice session alloted for the lightweight motorcycles on Sunday, September 25th taking the time to test setup changes and gain more track experience on a dry track after practicing on Thursday & Friday in mixed conditions. All the riders dropped their times in the morning session:
Session 1 Bruce Degrilla Jr – 1:46.145 (Previous Best: 1:48.07) Shae Darrell – 1:48.347 (Previous Best: 1:50.55) Jordan Fletcher – 1:45.536 (Previous Best: 1:45.42)
After practice the riders had a short lunch break before taking to the track to compete in 3 races on the final day of the event. Jordan Fletcher signed up to compete in the CCS 125 race and the USGPRU Moto3 race whilst Bruce Degrilla Jr and Shae Darrell were both signed up for the two races as well as the USGPRU Moriwaki MD250H race. Results below:
CCS Race 125 Grand Prix – Bruce Degrilla 4th Place – Shae Darrell 5th Place – Jordan Fletcher DNF (Mechanical Failure)
USGPRU Moto3 Race – Bruce Degrilla 5th Place – Shae Darrell 7th Place – Jordan Fletcher DNF (Mechanical Failure)
USGPRU Moriwaki MD250H Race – Bruce Degrilla 4th Place – Shae Darrell 8th Place
Overall the weekend was a great experience for all the riders. The Virginia International Raceway proved to be a great experience and challenge for the riders. The next race event will be in Bermuda at the Bermuda Motor Sports Park in Southside, St. Davids on October 9th, 2011.
We would like to thank all of our sponsors for their dedication and support of our program: CellOne, Capital G, Zurich, Bermuda Custom Mechanical, Autobahn Accessories, Independent Management Ltd., Autobahn Cycles, Tuff Dogs, Sub Zero, Squirrel Photography, Galfer USA & Vortex Racing.
More, from a press release issued by Quay Garage Tyco Honda:
Peter Hickman scraps with ‘Title fighters’
Peter Hickman might have missed making the cut to be part of this year’s six-rider Showdown for the BSB title, but his continued development showed as he battled with five of the championship ‘title fighters’ in the second Silverstone race on Sunday.
Hickman was strong all weekend on the Quay Garage Tyco Honda, qualifying on the second row. He crashed out of race one but showed great determination to pick the bike up after the 120mph crash and tried to continue racing.
Race two, carrying a shoulder injury from the crash, Hickman rode one of his best races of the year, battling with five of the championship contenders plus factory Suzuki rider Jon Kirkham to finish an inspired seventh.
Hickman said: “It was probably good for everyone to watch as everyone continually swapped places but not so good sitting there in seventh at the end.
“I got a better start in race one and that gave me the edge to run closer to the front. My shoulder wasn’t giving me too much pain but it kept collapsing in the corners I just didn’t seem to have enough strength in the last four or five laps.
“Big thanks to the team again though, they worked their arses off all weekend and we proved once again that we can run with the front guys.”
Dan Linfoot made his debut with the team and finished 15th and 10th. He has been racing a Moto2 bike in Spain and coming back into BSB on a full-blown superbike took some getting used to.
“We’ve just been chipping away all weekend,” he said. “I like the bike but after the super rigid Moto2 chassis, racing a road-based superbike again took some getting used to. I got some arm-pump in the first race where I was fighting the bike too much and then we dropped back. For race two, we had done some work on my arm and made a couple of changes to the bike and went a lot better. I love the bike and the team and can’t wait to get to Brands Hatch.”
Quay Garage Tyco Honda BSB Evo competitor Patric Muff was making his Silverstone debut and finished fifth and fourth to maintain fourth place in the championship.
He said: “Wow, this is some race track. After the other BSB tracks it’s so wide and so flat. It’s also a long, long lap and very technical but it’s been a great experience and I’m happy with the results.”
Team owner Ian Woollacott added: “Peter has been unbelievable again this weekend. He’s been on the pace every session and despite that 120mph crash, he picked himself up and had a great second race. He’s doing an exceptional job for us.
“For Dan it was his first time on the bike and he did a great job too. He was P10, battling with people with a lot more experience and people who have been on their bikes all year. He worked well with the team and there’s clearly so much more to come from him when he’s had more time on the bike at Brands.
“Patric did a great job again. Another new track for him and every session he’s lapped faster.”
More, from a press release issued by Tom Tunstall Racing/Doodson Motosport:
Doodson Motorsport Silverstone Arena GP
Doodson Motorsport recruit David Anthony continued to make good progress at the penultimate round of the British Superbike Championships netting a 5th place finish in race two.
Following his first outing for the team at Donington Park, Aussie Anthony flew back to the US for racing duties at Willow Springs and landed back in the UK two days prior to the penultimate round, staged on the Silverstone Arena GP circuit.
Anthony used the free practice sessions to continue to adapt to the Doodson Motorsport BMW S1000RR, but was struggling with corner entry issues which hampered his efforts in the qualifying phase posting the 9th fastest Evo time.
Adjustments to the chassis set-up of the bike overnight, saw Anthony able to lap at a pace half a second faster than in qualifying and with more confidence on the bike.
Race one yielded a sixth place finish after a 14 lap battle with last year’s Evo champion Steve Brogan.
The second outing of the day saw another race long battle with Brogan, and although Anthony’s mid distance pace was similar to that of the third and fourth placed Evo riders, the battle restricted him to a solid fifth place as the race ended two laps early due to oil on the track.
Following the advances in machine set-up for the Aussie and with more experience under his belt the team are looking forward to making the trip to Brands Hatch in just under two weeks time for the final round of the 2011 British Superbike Championship, with eyes firmly set on the Evo Podium.
More, from a press release issued by CayloR-Made Motorsports:
CayloR-Made Compound on the box at the WERA Sportsman Series Final Nashville Event!
Just this past weekend, the CayloR-Made Compound descended upon Nashville Super Speedway for the penultimate round of WERA’s Sportsman Series in Lebanon, TN. Not in attendance this weekend was CayloR-Made’s Opie Caylor who was back at the shop preparing for the Grand National Finals in just a few weeks time. Regardless, the trophies were still stacking up!
Mathew Dalke secured the first podium of the weekend for the CayloR-Made Compound with a win Saturday in Heavyweight Solo 20 Novice onboard his Dunlop-shod GSXR 1000 with an impressive 30 second margin of victory. On Sunday, “Donk” was back for more and stormed to the front in each of his sprints! He took second in C Superstock Novice, Formula 1 Novice, and A Superbike Novice after some hard-fought battles that included being bumped off the track on both his GSXR 1000 and GSXR 600.
CayloR-Made’s Derek Mugge went two for two along with securing multiple Regional Championships! Mugge took third overall and the win in Clubman Novice while lapping back to second place on his Aprilla 550. Mugge backed up that win with another in Heavyweight Senior Superbike Novice on his GSXR 1000. CayloR-Made/CCF Office Solutions Fred Turner made it a one-two CayloR-Made podium with a second place finish behind Mugge on his GSXR 1000. Turner’s second place finish secured him the Mid-Central Regional Heavyweight Senior Superbike Novice Championship!
CayloR-Made ringer Dave Krier continued to stack up the wood on his Dunlop-shod CayloR-Made/ex-M4 Vincent Haskovec GSXR 750. In B Superbike Novice, Krier battled all the way up to a solid second place finish. Not happy with his first race results though, he came back in B Superstock Novice and went one better. Krier decimated the field with a 32 second margin of victory and times in the low 1:05 range.
Special thanks to Dan Neves for trackside support! Come see the CayloR-Made Compound in full force October 26-30th for the WERA Grand National Finals at Road Atlanta in Braselton, GA!
More, from a press release issued by Team Garnier Alpha Racing:
6th position for Markus Reiterberger
With two races to go in the championship, in Magny-Cours next weekend and then Portimão, Reiterberger gained in Italy a position in the standings. He is now seventh overall, after finishing brilliantly sixth on the Autodromo Enzo and Dino Ferrari of Imola on Sunday.
This race was not easy from the beginning for the young German rider, as it was his first time on this difficult track. His main Italian opponents knew the track very well, and the huge technical advantage of the Ducatis was easy to see for everybody on the race day.
Beau Beaton started in 17th position and finished 18th, while his team mate Randy Pagaud finished 23rd.
Danilo Petrucci (Barni Racing Team Ducati 1098R) was the winner of the race, after fighting against Davide Giugliano (Althea Racing Ducati 1098R) and Niccolò Canepa (Lazio MotorSport Ducati 1098R) all the way to the checkered flag. The fourth position man Lorenzo Baroni (Althea Racing Ducati 1098R) made it four Italian riders with four Ducatis in the top four.
Sylvain Barrier (BMW Motorrad Italia S1000RR) finished fifth after crashing on Saturday. In sixth position was Markus Reiterberger (Team Garnier alpha Racing BMW S1000RR), in front of the first rider with a Japanese bike Sheridan Morais (Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki ZX-10R).
Giugliano is now leading the championship with 160 points and two races to go in France and in Portugal. Only two riders can still be champions in front of Giugliano: Petrucci (119 points) and Zanetti (117). Reiterberger in seventh position with 62 points can still try to beat Baroni who has now 70 points for the final sixth position.
Michel Garnier, team owner: “I am a little bit disappointed with Randy’s performance because he started well on Friday with the 13th time. In the race he had a poor start, and then could never be as fast as during practice. I did not expect that and I hope it will be better in Magny-Cours. Beau didn’t know the track and he did well. He did everything he could, finishing 18th not very far from the points. Markus, discovering the track, was good all weekend long, as usual. He is trying hard, he makes a lot of efforts and this pays well. Zanetti crashed in front of him, he had a tyre problem by the end of the race, but he still finished sixth in front of a very good group of riders, which is excellent.”
Markus Reiterberger: “My start was very good. I was in fifth position. Later Zanetti passed me, but he crashed and I had to try very hard to avoid him and not to crash. After that I was in sixth position during the whole race behind Barrier, and by the end my rear tyre was in bad shape so I just made sure I would finish in sixth. Overall, it was a very good race for me.”
Randy Pagaud: “I had a bad start and I lost many positions, including in the first curves. I was a difficult race; I couldn’t find back the rhythm that I had during the qualifying session. So I have to think about that before the next race at Magny-Cours, but it should be OK, we know the place very well. Here my position is worse than last year, even if I am 4 seconds quicker.”
Race result: 1- Danilo Petrucci Barni Racing Team Ducati 1098R 2- Davide Giugliano Althea Racing Ducati 1098R + 2.087 3- Niccolò Canepa Lazio MotorSport Ducati 1098R + 3.339 4- Lorenzo Baroni Althea Racing Ducati 1098R + 14.422 5- Sylvain Barrier BMW Motorrad Italia BMW S1000RR + 16.130 6- Markus Reiterberger Garnier alpha Racing Team BMW S1000RR + 20.645 7- Sheridan Morais Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki ZX-10R + 21.317 8- Michele Magnoni Baru Racing Team BMW S1000RR + 21.483 9- Fabio Massei Team Piellemoto BMW S1000RR + 22.724 10- Lorenzo Savadori Lorenzini by Leoni Kawasaki ZX-10R + 23.530 11- Andrea Antonelli Team Lorini Honda CBR 1000RR + 24.491 12- Bryan Staring Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R + 29.121 13- Marco Bussolotti Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R + 29.426 14- Leandro Mercado Team Pedercini Kawasaki ZX-10R + 37.618 15- Ferruccio Lamborghini Ten Kate Junior Team Honda CBR 1000RR + 42.892
“¦18- Beau Beaton Garnier alpha Racing Team BMW S1000RR + 43.856
“¦23- Randy Pagaud Garnier alpha Racing Team BMW S1000RR + 1’09.178
Superstock 1000 FIM Cup provisional standings: 1. Giugliano 160 points; 2. Petrucci 119; 3. Zanetti 117; 4. Barrier 96; 5. Canepa 96; 6. Baroni 70; 7. Reiterberger 62; 8. Antonelli 58; etc.
9th round of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup: Magny-Cours (France) on October 2
More, from a press release issued by Revolution Racedays Kawasaki:
Kawasaki’s Day toughs it out for Imola victory in European Superstock 600
America’s rising star Joshua Day arrived at Imola determined to make amends for an early fall from pole position at the previous Nurburgring round, setting a blistering pace with his Kawasaki Ninja ZX600R to qualify 4th at yet another new circuit.
The race start saw Day snatch an early lead, only to be block passed by Ricccardo Russo into ‘Variante Alte’ with the Florida rider having to react quickly to avoid colliding with the fired-up young Italian. Russo had shown he was consistently fast in qualifying and as pole setter and championship leader Jed Metcher battled with wild card Nicholas Morrentino, Day and Russo where able to pull a gap on the chasing group.
Always happiest when leading, Day repeatedly passed Russo but was unable to break away as the Trasimeno Yamaha rider fought back fiercely. At the start of the final lap Day ran slightly wide at the chicane and Russo was able to draft past him on the straight. Russo then seemed to be pulling away from the American, but at ‘Aqua Minerale’ Day pulled off a fantastic move running an incredibly fast line around the outside of the Yamaha rider in the high speed left-hand entry, before outbraking him into the first part of the right curve. Desperate to win on home soil Russo made a lunge back past into the second part of the turn but ran wide off the track, allowing Day to push hard to the finish and claim his second win and fourth podium finish of the season for the Revolution Racedays Kawasaki team. Australian Metcher finished third behind a disappointed Russo.
Joshua Day has now moved into second place in the series with a 15 point gap to the leader. With two rounds to go the championship is now shaping up to be a battle to the end between Kawasaki’s Day and Yamaha’s Metcher.
More, from a press release issued by Birchall Brothers Racing:
BIRCHALL BROTHERS TAKE SILVER AT LE MANS
Ben and Tom Birchall rounded off their world championship campaign with a second place in the final race of the 2011 campaign which seals the silver medal position in the world championship rankings.
Qualifying threw up some problems for the Mitchells of Mansfield duo who encountered a misfire with the Yamaha R1 engine. Despite this they still managed to secure pole position with just shy of a second advantage over champions elect Pekka Paivarinta and Adolf Hanni.
The team worked hard to rectify the problem and thought they had it cured but as they went to the starting gird the machine refused to start. Eventually the engine fired up and they took their place at the head of the grid.
But once the lights went out it was Paivarinta that got the hole shot into turn one leaving Ben and Tom to get away in fourth place. They soon recovered from their bad start and moved up into second position but it was impossible to make a serious challenge for the lead because of the misfire which continued to plague them.
At the end of the 18 laps Paivarinta took the win with Ben and Tom Birchall finishing in second place some nine seconds behind the winners. Hock and Becker were a distant third trailing the Birchalls by 15 seconds.
“The misfire caused us problems all weekend,” said Ben. “We really thought we had it sorted prior to the race but it reared its head again as we went down to the start. We managed to hang onto the back of Paivarinta for as long as we could but eventually had to settle for second place. In fact the misfire was getting worse so we were really lucky to finish the race.”
The Birchall brothers have ended the world championship campaign in second place once again. They were second in 2008, won the title in 2009 and were third last year.
“It was unfortunate we were unable to win the final race of the series,” said Ben. “Our grateful thanks go all our sponsors, friends and family for their continued support, without them we would not have been in a position to collect the silver medals. We look forward to next season so we can have another crack at bringing the world title back to Mansfield.”
Ben and Tom set off for Ireland where they are to take part in the final two races of the Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar championship that takes place at Mondello Park at the weekend. The Brothers currently hold fourth place in the championship after missing three of the eight rounds. But the points are tight at the top. Reeves/Cluze have already taken the title but there are only 21 points separating the Birchalls from second place. Two good results at Mondello could see them move up to third or possibly second which is where they finished last season.