DOUBLE PODIUM FOR SICK BYRNE AT OULTON Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne scored brilliant second and third place podium finishes in today’s Bank Holiday fourth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park while racing with a stomach bug that left him feeling barely strong enough to stand. Shakey was given a saline drip by doctors before climbing aboard his Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000 for the first race. Despite feeling weak he showed his determination to lead the race and finish in second place to score the team’s first podium of the season. In the second event an exhausted Shakey battled for third place for the entire race. On the last lap he clashed with Honda’s Jonathan Rea and both riders went off track. Rea missed the Knickerbrook chicane and crossed the line in third while Shakey came back on track and finished fourth. He was later awarded third place after an investigation into the incident and both riders sportingly shook hands. Shakey is now up to fifth in the Championship standings. James Haydon was in contention for the win in the opening race and finished fourth just two seconds behind the winner. In the next race he was knocked off track by Kawasaki’s Dean Thomas at Shell Oils corner and despite rejoining the race, finished out of the points in 17th. Ducati’s Gregorio Lavilla won both races. Rizla Suzuki will test at Croft in North Yorkshire on Tuesday, May 9th before making the trip to Mondello Park in the Republic of Ireland for the fifth round of the Championship on Sunday, May 21st. Shakey Byrne: “A massive thank you to the medical staff who kept me hydrated and fit enough to race this weekend. I have had a serious stomach bug which meant I couldn’t eat or sleep and felt absolutely terrible in the races. “Before the first race Niall Mackenzie told me to do the warm up lap and if I felt bad then come in to the pits and go straight to bed. But when you receive the amount of support I do from Rizla Suzuki it wasn’t an option and I had to give it a go. I’m glad I did”¦ “In both races I wasn’t riding as well as I could have, I just wasn’t strong enough to muscle the bike around. Thanks to the team for giving me a great bike this weekend and also to Jonathan Rea for being such a good sport over our last lap clash and conceding third place. I’m sure we’ll both be fighting for more podiums again very soon.” James Haydon: “In the opening race there were four of us battling at the front. I was disappointed to end up fourth and made a minor change to the rear suspension to improve the bike for the next race. “I didn’t get as good a start in the second race and going into Shell Oils a Kawasaki collided with me and forced me off the track on to the wet grass where I dropped the bike. I got back on and fought my way through to 17th from dead last by the end. That’s a shame because I think I had the pace to compete for the podium and never got the opportunity.” Robert Wicks – Team Manager: “What a heroic ride by Shakey to score two podium finishes while being seriously ill. Most riders wouldn’t have got on their bikes but Shakey wasn’t going to let anything stop him. I am sure if he had been fully fit he would’ve been difficult to beat but he can leave here content in the knowledge he has the speed and potential to win races. “James rode a brilliant opening race to take fourth and was looking to match that or better in the second before bad luck and a Kawasaki took him off track and out of contention. Like Shakey, he can leave here knowing he has the bike and ability to challenge for race wins. “We have shown the real potential of the team and it feels great to be back in the thick of the racing. Rizla Suzuki has had a tough start to the season but today’s performances by the riders and the entire team have been a real inspiration. Our test at Croft should hopefully yield further improvements and we look forward to the next race at Mondello Park.” Race One Result: 1: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 27:41.446, 2: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) +0.429, 3: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +0.870, 4: James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) +2.087, 5: Karl Harris (Honda) +11.188, 6: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +19.467, 7: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +20.053, 8: Jonathan Rea (Honda) +20.196, 9: Michael Rutter (Honda) +20.878, 10: Glen Richards (Honda) +25.854. Race Two Result: 1: Lavilla 27:33.612, 2: Harris +0.058, 3: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) +12.004, 4: Rea +12.380, 5: Kiyonari +12.430, 6: Rutter +14.764, 7: Haslam +14.826, 8: Hill +22.645, 9: Richards +27.654, 10: Ben Wilson (Suzuki) +27.858, 17: James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) +54.143. Championship Positions (after four of 13 rounds): 1: Lavilla 182, 2: Haslam 121, 3: Kiyonari 108, 4: Harris 88, 5: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) 81, 6: Rea 75, 7: Rutter 61, 8=: Laverty and Hill 52, 10: Smart 50. 14: James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) 28. More, from a press release issued by Cartersport Motorsport Madia: Round 4 – Bennetts British Superbike Championship Meeting Oulton Park, Cheshire. Sunday 30th April and Monday 1st May 2006 TOMMY’S BACK IN THE POINTS AT OULTON OLLIE MISSES OUT AGAIN AT HIS BOGEY CIRCUIT”¦. After both riders failed to record a finish at their local track of Thruxton last time out, Etchilhampton near Devizes in Wiltshire brothers Ollie and Tommy Bridewell ventured north to Oulton Park for round four of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship and British Supersport Championship respectively, hoping for better luck. As so it proved for 17 year old Tommy who overcame the handling problems that he experienced at Thruxton aboard his 600cc Vivaldi Suzuki to bring the bike home in a battling 15th place at the end of a frenetic sixteen lap race around the Cheshire parkland track. Qualifying on row six of the grid for a second successive meeting, Tommy upped his game and became embroiled in a multi machine battle for the lower leaderboard places but bravely dug in and scored points for the third time in four races: “I enjoyed that much more than Thruxton and the bike handled a lot better. As the race progressed, my rear tyre started losing grip as I’d worked it very hard in the opening stages and for the last three laps, I was struggling a bit. Still, I’m happy enough to be in the points again although I do think I could have been a few places higher had things worked out better but it wasn’t to be” said a rejuvenated Tommy. Meanwhile elder brother Ollie, now fully recovered from the 160mph crash he experienced at Thruxton, was hoping to get back into the points for the Vivaldi Racing team but once again, Oulton Park proved to be a bogey circuit for the 20 year old. A row seven start saw Ollie end up in a demoralising 24th place in race one of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship before redeeming himself a little with a fighting eighteenth place in the day’s second race held in dry but blustery conditions. “I don’t know what it is about Oulton but I’ve left without a result again although I have to admit I learned a lot out there today. We’ve just got to move on now and that’s what I intend to do as we now go to tracks whereby I know I will be strong. I’m going to focus on learning the technical aspects of circuits from now on and that should help me progress as I really need to be racking up the points again soon” said Ollie. The next round of the respective championships takes place in three weeks time at Mondello Park in County Kildare, Ireland over the weekend of May 20/21st. More, from another press release issued by Cartersport Motorsports Media: Bennetts British Superbike Championship – Round 4 – Oulton Park, Cheshire- 30th April/1st May RUTTER BATTLES BACK TO SIXTH AT OULTON Following the disappointment of only finishing ninth in the opening race, Stobart Motorsport rider Michael Rutter bounced back with a battling sixth place in race two when round four of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship took place at a cool and blustery Oulton Park today. Having struggled with machine set up throughout the weekend, Rutter could only manage a ninth place finish in race one as he faded back following a promising start but in the second leg in front of the live ITV cameras, he led for the opening four laps as he battled with the Championship front runners. Eventually Championship leader Gregorio Lavilla (Airwaves Ducati) and HM Plant Honda rider Karl Harris pulled away leaving Rutter to battle for the last rostrum place but gradually he dropped back into the clutches of the pursuing pack to end up in sixth position at the end of the second 17 lap race. “The second race was a bit better. I got a good start and tried to hang in there with them but just lost a bit on each corner and couldn’t stay with them in the end. We can now go to the next round a bit stronger and a lot more positive” said Rutter. Meanwhile team mate Michael Laverty recorded two eleventh place finishes following a difficult weekend for the young Ulsterman. Laverty circulated with the leading bunch in the opening laps but decided to settle for two points scoring rides rather than risk a crash and score no points in the process. “It’s been an absolutely horrible weekend for me and I just couldn’t get a comfortable setting on the bike. I was riding hard just to get where I did but I couldn’t get the bike to do what I wanted. Hopefully when we move on to the tighter circuits the bike should be better. The next round is my home round so hopefully I can do better and get some decent results like I should be getting” said Laverty. Meanwhile team owner Paul Bird commented: “I was quite happy with the second race, it was a lot better but we’re still a long way off where we need to be. The riders upped their game in race two and they needed to as I’d hoped to be challenging for race wins by now. I’m looking forward to competing in the Manx Rally next weekend to let off some of my pent-up frustration!” The next round of the Championship takes place at Mondello Park in three weeks’ time whereby the Stobart Motorsport riders are hoping to challenge for rostrum places at the County Kildare circuit south of Dublin. Superbike Race One Result: 1, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 27m41.446s, 2, Shane Byrne (Suzuki) +0.429s, 3, Leon Haslam (Ducati) +0.870s, 4, James Haydon (Suzuki) +2.087s, 5, Karl Harris (Honda) +11.188s, 6, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +19.467s, 7, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +20.053s, 8, Jonathan Rea (Honda) +20.196s, 9, Michael Rutter (Stobart Honda) +20.878s, 10, Glen Richards (Honda) +25.854s, 11, Michael Laverty (Stobart Honda) +25.945s. Superbike Race Two Result: 1, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 27m33.612s, 2, Karl Harris (Honda) +0.058s, 3, Shane Byrne (Suzuki) +12.004s, 4, Jonathan Rea (Honda) +12.380s, 5, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +12.430s, 6, Michael Rutter (Stobart Honda) +14.764s, 7, Leon Haslam (Ducati) +14.826s, 8, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +22.645s, 9, Glen Richards (Honda) +27.654s, 10, Ben Wilson (Suzuki) +27.858s, 11, Michael Laverty (Stobart Honda) +28.096s. Bennetts British Superbike Championship Standings (after round 4) 1, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 182pts 2, Leon Haslam (Ducati) 121pts 3, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 108pts 4, Karl Harris (Honda) 88pts 5, Shane Byrne (Suzuki) 81pts 6, Jonathan Rea (Honda) 75pts 7, Michael Rutter (Stobart Honda) 61pts 8, Michael Laverty (Stobart Honda) 52pts =, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) 52pts 10, Scott Smart (Suzuki) 50pts 2006 Bennetts British Superbike Race Dates R1: 2426 March, Brands Hatch, Kent (Indy) www.motorsportvision.co.uk R2: 79 April, Donington Park, Leics www.donington-park.co.uk R3: 1417 April, Thruxton, Hants www.barc.net R4: 29 April1 May, Oulton Park, Cheshire www.motorsportvision.co.uk R5: 1921 May, Mondello Park, Co Kildare www.mondellopark.ie R6: 24 June, Mallory Park, Leics www.mallorypark.co.uk R7: 16-18 June, Snetterton, Norfolk www.motorsportvision.co.uk R8: 1416 July, Knockhill, Fife www.knockhill.co.uk R9: 21-23 July, Oulton Park, Cheshire www.motorsportvision.co.uk R10:11-13 August, Croft, N Yorks www.croftcircuit.co.uk R11: 26-28 August, Cadwell Park, Lincs www.motorsportvision.co.uk R12: 15-17 September, Silverstone, Northants www.silverstone-circuit.co.uk R13: 29 September 1 October, Brands Hatch, Kent (GP) www.motorsportvision.co.uk