DOUBLE PODIUM DELIGHT AT BRANDS HATCH FINALE Bike Interceptor Yamaha by Seton celebrated a brace of podiums as the 2011 MCE British Superbike Championship came to an explosive climax in front of packed crowd at Brands Hatch GP Circuit this weekend (7-9 October). Both Sam Warren and Ben Burke secured podium finishes in some of the best racing in recent memory, on a day that the two main championship classes went down to the wire. With a busy three-race schedule, Sam lined up on Saturday afternoon for the Oulton Park re-run. All eyes may have been firmly focused upon the Wilson-Seeley battle for the title, but it was the former Supermoto champion who would set the race alight with one of his most distinguished performances of the season. Pulling away from the horde of Triumphs lining up behind his Yamaha, Sam displayed his and the Seton tuned Yamaha’s true potential as he held the field at bay to claim a brilliant second and a further 20 points. Aiming to solidify his position as number one Yamaha in the Supersport class, Sam looked to have his work cut out as started from ninth on the grid. However, the patchy damp track conditions played into his hands as he fired his Yamaha up to fifth in the first corner. By mid-distance of the 12-lapper, Sam was momentarily into second as the leading trio of Warren, Seeley and Kennedy pulled a clear gap on the chasing pack. Pushed back to third, Sam made a brilliant double draft pass for the lead on the run up to Paddock Hill on lap 8. Head down, the 29-year old looked as if he had fellow Yamaha runner Kennedy and the Suzuki of Seeley beaten and would claim his second victory of the year. However, Kennedy fought back, claiming the inside line into Clearways at the close of the penultimate lap. Forced wide, Sam paid the price as his front Pirelli slipped across the damp asphalt putting the Bike Interceptor Yamaha by Seton into the gravel and out of points contention. Despite crashing out of the Sprint, Sam had proved yet again that both he and the bike were more than capable and deserved to be front runners. Sam’s time was good enough to place him on the outside of the front row for the season finale. However, a fuel pump issue before the grid would see the team race against time to get Sam’s bike ready, leaving him a monumental task to secure big points with a back row start in 34th position. Within a lap, Sam was up to 23rd and hunting down the points in this fiercely competitive field. With Kennedy holding off Iddon for third, Sam would need to reach 12th at least to maintain his stronghold of fifth in the Championship. With just five laps remaining, Sam finally found himself in 13th and with clear track ahead of him. However, a 2.7s gap to Marty Nutt looked a daunting prospect and perhaps too much ground to make up. Sam was undeterred and set about his task, utilising the power of the Seton tuned Yamaha on the final lap to claim 12th by just six hundredths of a second. The season finale would also prove highly fruitful for Bike Interceptor Yamaha by Seton’s Antipodean Metzeler National Superstock 600 pairing of Ben Burke and Andy Lawson. Taking to the tarmac of a circuit that they had actually ridden this season would not see them start on the back foot for a change. Ben qualified at the head of row 2, and made a blistering start to run second as the field poured through Paddock Hill and up to Druids for the first time of asking. With five riders crashing at the start of lap 2, the safety car was deployed for three laps as the debris was cleared and riders treated. However, the red flag waved the riders back to pit lane on lap five, signaling a reduced lap restart of just six laps. With Ben elevated to second on the grid, he made another blistering start, hot on the tails of pre-race favourite Glenn Irwin. With constant pressure from Brown and East, Ben held off their advances during the opening exchanges around the 2.3-mile GP circuit. With a better drive out of Clearways, Brown slipped past into second over the line as the riders headed into lap 4. With the laps rapidly counting down to the flag the fight was on. Ben looked smooth and settled as he tucked in behind Brown, making the decisive move to reclaim second in the braking zone for Druids on the final lap, a position he would hold until the chequered flag. The result would leapfrog Ben up to a final position of fifth in the Championship. Teammate Andy Lawson once again proved his worth as he battled with a host of regular Superstock riders to claim his third 14th position finish in a row. Starting from 25th, Andy was up to 15th as the safety car took to the circuit. Flying from the restart, Andy became embroiled in a battle of wills with the riders around him, contesting the positions from tenth to 17th. Posting his fastest lap on the final race for the flag (1:34.583s), Andy secured 14th on the drag out of Clearways against Barkshire’s Yamaha by just five thousandth’s of a second. With the 2011 season drawing to a close, Bike Interceptor Yamaha by Seton will enjoy a well-deserved rest before embarking on an extensive winter testing schedule ahead of the 2012 season. Sam Warren: “The season is over and I’m proud to finish up in 5th position. Saturday’s race was really fun and it was great battle with all the Triumphs and finish on the podium. Today has been a massive frustration for me, we were running so strong in the first race. When I reached 1st place with 2 laps to go I thought I had it nailed, but Kennedy made a pass into Clearways which pushed me off the dry line and that was that, no way I could avoid going down. The 2nd race proved to be no better, having to start from pit lane we managed to salvage 12th position. Not the greatest way to end our year but we will now have a little break, and focus on next season. There has been so many positives this weekend and indeed this year, if we do our homework we can be front runners from the off next season. As ever, a massive thank you to LWF mortgages, Ashbourne Engineering, Midland Skip Hire, C J Timms electrical and all my family and helpers. Without them we couldn’t race. Finally, a big thank you to all the team and I look forward to working with them all again next year!” Ben Burke: “That was a really good weekend for Bike Interceptor Yamaha by Seton, we should all be proud of what we’ve achieved. We’ve had some good and some hard times this season but the results show that we should be right up there for the Championship next year. I was confident from the start of the race, passed a few riders to run second into the first corner and felt really strong. From the re-start after the red flag, I knew that I couldn’t run with Irwin but held on to second for most of the race and made a great pass on the final lap. I would very much like to thank the whole team and all of our sponsors for a great season and hopefully we can came back even better next year.” Andy Lawson: “I am happy to get some more points and experience in the British Superstock championship. I struggled to get a good feeling throughout qualifying which made the race difficult but I really enjoyed this weekend and cannot thank the team enough for a great weekend. Congratulations to Ben for getting on the podium. Now that I’ve learned most of the tracks, I’m raring to go for next season.” Phil Seton, Team Manager: “This weekend was seriously hard work but it paid dividends with a couple of great rides and deserved podiums from Sam and Ben. Sam rode a brilliant race on Saturday, and his second place was hear-earned. He’s riding at the top of his game at the moment, and coupled with all of the hard work behind the scenes that the team has put it, it is great to see it all come together at the same time. We’re all now running at the sharp end, wet or dry conditions, which is really good and we hope to carry on the momentum into 2012. Jack Kennedy put a hard but fair move on Sam in Sunday’s Sprint. There was only a six inch dry line through the corner and once off that line it proved to be fatal. But that’s racing and one of those things. Just before Sam went out for the final race we noticed that he had a loose fuel hose, so we had to rush to fix that and he was forced to start from the back of the grid. I told him to get his head down and just pick off the riders ahead, any points would be a bonus in the situation. He rode a very mature and determined race to finish 12th. It is a fantastic achievement that Sam and the team have finished as the top Yamaha in a fiercely competitive field. I’d like to add my congratulations to Seeley for clinching the title in such a dramatic fashion. What an amazing performance by Ben yet again. This was his second visit to Brands Hatch GP and it showed just how much he has learnt and how much he likes this track. His podium was very well deserved after a great start to hit second at the first corner. A good strong end to the year that will caterpault him into next season. Andy once again should be commended for another solid ride against a strong field. That makes it three point-scoring rides in a row against some formiddable opposition. He’s learning all the time, and with a program of winter testing for all three riders we should be in a very strong position at the start of next season. I would like to say a massive thank you to all the marshalls, medics and officials for a sterling job this year. The series would not have happened without them. I would also like to add that our thoughts and best wishes for a speedy recovery go out to all the injured riders from this weekend.” Brands Hatch GP – Round 12 Results Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Oulton Park Result: 1. Wilson, 2. Warren, 3. McConnell, 4. Iddon, 5. Young Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Sprint Result: 1. Kennedy, 2. Seeley, 3. Iddon, 4. Wilson, 5. Young, DNF Warren Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Main Event: 1. Seeley, 2. Wilson, 3. Kennedy, 4. Iddon, 5. Stapleford, 12. Warren Championship Points: 1. Seely – 450, 2. Wilson – 449, 3. McConnell – 254, 4. Young – 237, 5. Warren – 191 Metzeler National Superstock 600 Result: 1. Irwin, 2. Burke, 3. Brown, 4. East, 5. Estment, 14. Lawson Championship Points: 1. Farmer – 202, 2. Irwin – 154, 3. Behan – 128, 4. Brown – 127, 5. Burke – 108, 31. Lawson – 6