From a press release:
MONSTERMOB DUCATI BRITISH SUPERBIKE TEAM
Round 2 – 2002 MCN British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch
Saturday 13th/Sunday 14th April 2002
Race Report
TREBLE WIN FOR MONSTERMOB DUCATI
MonsterMob Ducati riders Steve Hislop and Stuart Easton came up trumps with a clean sweep of victories at the second round of the 2002 MCN British Superbike Championship meeting at Brands Hatch.
Forty year old Hislop recorded a superb double victory aboard his 998 Testastretta in both 30 lap races to leave the Kent circuit with a 21 point advantage.
In race one Hislop overcame a stiff challenge from reigning champion John Reynolds before fending off a similar attack from Sean Emmett in race two to record his first double win since Cadwell Park last August.
“That’ll do for now, I just hope I can do the same in the next couple of rounds to build up more of a lead. I nearly lost the front end at Graham Hill Bed with four laps to go in the second race but I managed to save the slide with my knee but other than that, it all went perfect ” said the Isle of Man based Scot.
Team mate Stuart Easton capped a superb day for the Paul Bird team by taking victory in the Supersport Championship race with a daring pass on veteran Jim Moodie on the final corner.
“I came here to score some good points but to win the race is a dream. I had a couple of moments when I missed a gear which worried me but the bike and tyres ran perfect” said the 17 year old from Hawick.
Team owner Paul Bird was naturally delighted with his team’s first ever treble win. “They don’t come much better than this. Both Steve and Stuart have done us proud today but we’ve a lot to live up to at Donington now in the next round” said the Penrith businessman.
Round three of the series takes place at Donington Park on the weekend of April 27/28.
Race One Result – 1. Steve Hislop (MonsterMob Ducati) 23m25.264s, 2. John Reynolds (Suzuki) 23m26.999s, 3. Paul Brown (Ducati) 23m32.066s, 4.Sean Emmett (Ducati) 23m33.794s, 5.Shane Byrne (Ducati) 23m34.253s, 6. Steve Plater (Yamaha) 23m34.444s
Race Two Result – 1. Steve Hislop (MonsterMob Ducati) 23m58.976s, 2.Sean Emmett (Ducati) 24m00.127s, 3. John Reynolds (Suzuki) 24m01.974s, 4. Michael Rutter (Ducati) 24m05.094s, 5.Paul Brown (Ducati) 24m09.356s, 6.Steve Plater (Yamaha) 24m16.581s
Supersport Result – 1. Stuart Easton (MonsterMob Ducati) 21m25.846s, 2.Jim Moodie (Yamaha) 21m25.861s, 3. Pete Jennings (Kawasaki) 21m26,714s, 4. Ben Wilson (Honda) 21m31.770s, 5. Jeremy Goodall (Suzuki) 21m32.062s, 6, Adam Redding (Kawasaki) 21m32.483s
British Championship Standings – 1. Steve Hislop (MonsterMob Ducati) 95pts, 2. Sean Emmett (Ducati) 74pts, 3. John Reynolds (Suzuki) 69pts, 4. Steve Plater (Yamaha) 46pts, 4. Paul Brown (Ducati) 46pts, 6. Michael Rutter (Ducati) 44pts
From another press release:
BRITISH SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP
ROUNDS 03 & 04 – BRANDS HATCH (INDY)
14 APRIL 2002 – SUNDAY RACE DAY
RUTTER AND BYRNE INCREASE THE PRESSURE
Team Renegade Ducati continued their impressive start to the 2002 British Superbike season at Brands Hatch this afternoon, with team riders, Michael Rutter and Shane Byrne, narrowly missing out on a podium finish in both 30-lap Superbike races.
All eyes were on Byrne for the first half of race one, as he defied the odds by powering his way from the back of row two to fourth spot within the opening couple of laps. One by one he made his way past some of the more established names in British Superbikes until, by lap six, he was lying in third place, and gaining on the front two men. However, luck wasn’t on his side and as his rear tyre started to lose grip he sensibly decided not to take any risks, eventually settling for fourth – an outstanding result considering his starting position. Truly a British Champion in the making.
‘I had the front two men in my sights in race one,’ said Byrne, ‘and I was reeling them in when I felt the tyre starting to lose grip. It was so frustrating because everything else was working perfectly. Despite starting on the second row the Team Renegade Ducati was just awesome off the line, there’s so much power there. It’s early days though, we are improving and getting quicker all the time but I’m just impatient. I want to win now. I can tell you though it’s not far off!’
After launching his Team Renegade Ducati off the line in race one to lead into Paddock Hill, Michael Rutter was cruelly baulked by another rider at Graham Hill bend and subsequently lost three places. His chances of a podium finish were further damaged when, with five circuits completed; he was forced wide on the approach to Druids and dropped back to sixth. Despite his best efforts to regain the places he’d lost, the Brands Indy circuit and a rash of backmarkers conspired to stop him working his way back through the field and he was forced to settle for seventh place at the line.
‘I struggled for grip big time,’ declared Rutter. ‘The bike wanted to go quicker but the rubber wouldn’t allow it. I had a dream start; the Team Renegade Ducati was superb, however I was involved in a couple of incidents, which could have gone either way but unfortunately not in my favour. I don’t want to keep harping on about it but, potential-wise, there’s still a lot more to come from both myself and the team and I’m happier than I have been for many years.’
If race one was all about ‘Shakey’ then for the first half of race two it was Michael Rutter who gave his fellow competitors food for thought. The 28-year-old former Grand Prix rider stormed away from the line to lead into the first turn, a position he held for the first third of the race. Demoted back to second on lap eleven, Rutter immediately hit back but was forced wide at Druids hairpin, losing another two places in the process. After recovering his composure, the West Midlander tried everything he could to latch onto the back of the leading trio, but to no avail. Rutter eventually took the chequered flag in fourth place, with team-mate Byrne three places further back in seventh.
‘Everything was looking good in race two,’ said Rutter. ‘But the tyre started to go off around the midway point of the race. The suspension wasn’t set-up to cope with those conditions, but hindsight is a wondrous thing! We’re still learning our way around the bike and as we keep saying, there is definitely a lot more to come. However, I think we’ve made quite a few people sit up and take notice this weekend, and maybe proved that the championship isn’t the foregone conclusion that some people seem to think it is.’
The next round of the British Superbike Championship takes place at Donington Park on April 28th.
BSB BRANDS HATCH – RACE ONE RESULT
1. Steve HISLOP, Monster Mob Ducati UK 23:25.264
2. John REYNOLDS, Rizla Suzuki/Crescent, 23:26.999
3. Paul BROWN, IFC Racing, 23:32.066
4. Sean EMMETT, IFC Racing, 23:33.794
5. Shane BYRNE, Renegade/Highland Spring, 23:34.253
6. Steve PLATER, Virgin Mobile Aiwa, 23:34.444
7. Michael RUTTER, Renegade/Highland Spring, 23:35.707
8. Karl HARRIS, Rizla Suzuki/ Crescent, 23:39.483
9. Simon CRAFAR, Virgin Mobile Aiwa, 23:49.445
10. Gary MASON, Team Motopower Firehawk, 23:50.557
BSB BRANDS HATCH – RACE TWO RESULT
1. Steve HISLOP, Monster Mob Ducati UK, 23:58.976
2. Sean EMMETT, IFC Racing, 24:00.127
3. John REYNOLDS, Rizla Suzuki/Crescent, 24:01.974
4. Michael RUTTER, Renegade/Highland Spring, 24:05.094
5. Paul BROWN, IFC Racing, 24:09.356
6. Steve PLATER, Virgin Mobile Aiwa, 24:16.581
7. Shane BYRNE, Renegade/Highland Spring, 24:16.780
8. Dean THOMAS, Dienza Ducati, 24:18.103
9. Simon CRAFAR, Virgin Mobile Aiwa, 24:26.512
10.Gary MASON, Team Motopower Firehawk, 24:29.256
BSB CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS
1. Steve HISLOP 70
2. Sean EMMETT 54
3. John REYNOLDS 53
4. Steve PLATER 36
5. Paul BROWN 35
6. Michael RUTTER 31
7. Simon CRAFAR 22
8. Shane BYRNE 22
9. Karl HARRIS 18
10. Glen RICHARDS 15
BSB TEAMS CHAMPIONSHIP
1. IFC Racing 265
2. Ducati UK 240
3. Rizla Suzuki/Crescent 238
4. Virgin Mobile Aiwa Yamaha 227
5. Renegade Ducati 226
6. Hawk Kawasaki 170
7. Appleyard Racing/Virgin Mobile 159
8. Dienza JRRA Motosport 138
9. Crescent ETI Racing 130
10. Marshall Tufflex TW2 M’sport 122