Shakey leads the charge to Oulton Park as Bank Holiday battle beckons in Cheshire
The MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship hits Cheshire this Bank Holiday weekend (April 30 – May 2) as the UK’s biggest motorsport series returns to Oulton Park – the circuit that has produced some of the closest finishes in history.
Four-time champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne leads the standings ahead of the second round of the championship and the Be Wiser Ducati ace is gunning for his first victory of the season as he prepares for his 300th race start.
Tyco BMW’s Michael Laverty, the winner of the opening race of the season, and his podium-finishing team-mate Christian Iddon, are both aiming to seize the advantage in the two races on Bank Holiday Monday as they currently hold second and third place in the standings respectively.
However one rider with unfinished business is Leon Haslam; on his return from the World Championship the ‘Pocket Rocket’ had a dream start by claiming pole position with the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team, but he scored a single fifth place due to a technical problem. He is now ready to make amends this weekend after setting the pace at the recent official test.
Peter Hickman was victorious at the opening round and he is keen to maintain his position ahead of his JG Speedfit Kawasaki team-mates Haslam and James Ellison, who was a podium finisher at the corresponding round here last year.
Honda Racing’s home hero Jenny Tinmouth will be aiming for points at her local circuit, but her team-mates Dan Linfoot and Jason O’Halloran will be pushing to score their first podium finishes of the season after narrowly missing out at Silverstone.
Tommy Bridewell was a race winner last year at Oulton Park and he will have high hopes of a strong event with the Bennetts Suzuki team after a positive end to their test last week; his team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari remains one of the riders to celebrate the most success at the circuit and the Japanese contender will also be hoping that history can repeat itself.
Another pairing ready to fight this weekend is 2011 champion Tommy Hill’s ePayMe Yamaha squad as John Hopkins returns to the track where he claimed his first MCE BSB victory in 2011 and is hungry to return to the sharp end as will his team-mate Stuart Easton.
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings:
Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) 40
Michael Laverty (Tyco BMW) 35
Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) 32
Peter Hickman (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) 25
Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) 23
Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki) 19
Meet the MCE BSB riders in Chester this Friday!
The MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship hits Oulton Park this Bank Holiday weekend (April 30 – May 2) and ahead of the second round of the season some of the contenders will be meeting fans in Chester’s Bridge Street on Friday (April 29) from 13:00 – 14:00.
Four-time champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne will be meeting fans ahead of the weekend alongside local contenders Christian Iddon, fresh from his debut podium at the season opener, and home hero Jenny Tinmouth.
Buildbase BMW’s Lee Jackson, Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki’s Luke Mossey and Anvil Hire TAG Racing pairing James Rispoli and Shaun Winfield plus Dickies British Supersport Championship contenders CAME BPT Yamaha’s James Westmoreland will also be visiting the historic city ahead of the weekend.
The meet the riders session gives you a chance to get up close to the riders, the race bikes and the official Nissan GT-R Safety Car ahead of the weekend ahead of the first track action of the weekend when free practice gets underway on Saturday.
For more information visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Championship leader
Shane Byrne:
“We had a really positive test last week at Knockhill and Be Wiser Ducati have definitely kept up the progress we have been making since pre-season testing. The conditions there were certainly among the best I’ve ever seen at Knockhill; in fact I don’t really think it could have been any better!
“People shouldn’t take anything away from me or my team, we want to win many more races than we have in any other year and I want to win title at the end of the season and I know I am not going to do that by dolloping around in fifth or sixth place so we’ll do all we possibly can to ensure that we can at least maintain the momentum we’ve started with so far.
“We had two second place finishes at Silverstone which was a really, really good start for us so if we can come out that strong for the first round and maintain that level or even better with wins, then we can really get the season kick started at Oulton Park.”
Leon Haslam
Fastest rider at the Oulton Park test:
“I felt really confident at Silverstone and I felt that the win was definitely on the cards, we had pole position, everything was going perfectly to plan and then we had a technical issue in race one and then problems in race two meant it was a no go. Yes we had a fifth place but it was nothing what I expected for myself for that weekend.
“We have erased that weekend now and treat Oulton Park as the first round for me. It will be a bit more demanding and challenging to get into this track compared to Silverstone, as it has been a few years since I raced here, but we need to get the bike working at these circuits so that was why the test was so useful for me.
“It was a good sign to leave the official test fastest and we didn’t do our best time at the start, but seven or eight laps into a run which was also a positive especially with the traffic. I am looking forward to the challenge that Oulton Park brings and I can’t wait to get started.”
More, from a press release issued by Quattro Plant Kawasaki:
Quattro Plank Kawasaki in confident mood for Oulton Park
The Quattro Plant Kawasaki team head to Oulton Park this weekend for the second round of the 2016 MCE British Superbike Championship and after a successful test at the Cheshire venue last week, all of the team members are in a confident mood prior to the race action.
Currently lying in sixth place after the opening round at Silverstone, where he took a best finish of fourth, Luke Mossey ended the test day in sixth place overall and was just half a second off the top spot. Having topped the timesheets in the second of three sessions, the Cambridge rider is in a confident frame of mind as he looks to capitalise on his strong early season form and grab a podium spot, at least, in the two races.
Team-mate Filip Backlund also enjoyed a successful day as he made his return from a broken collarbone sustained at the beginning of the month. The Swedish rider completed 52 laps in total on the Quattro Plant Cool Kawasaki and is now relishing the prospect of getting his season underway in earnest.
Dickies British Supersport Championship team member Andrew Reid got his campaign off to the best possible start at Silverstone with victory in the solitary race and with two races on the schedule at Oulton, he’s in the ideal place to extend his early season lead. Indeed, he topped the timesheets at the test day last week by a healthy 0.329s and with Oulton being the venue of his maiden victory in the class in 2015, it’s clearly a circuit he enjoys.
The squad is also up to its full complement for the first time this weekend with Oulton hosting the first round of the Hyundai Heavy Industries Sidecar Championship. Reigning champions Ricky Stevens and Ryan Charlwood will have the target on their backs this year but with 12 wins during their championship-winning season, everything’s in place for a repeat performance.
Luke Mossey: “After a good first round, I’m looking forward to the weekend especially after the good test day we had at Oulton last week. We didn’t make many changes to the bike as it’s already working very well so I just concentrated on putting in the laps and after ending the day in sixth overall, I feel there’s more left in the tank for race day.”
Filip Backlund: “I was happy to get some laps in last week and it felt brilliant to be back on the bike! I didn’t really look at the lap times and just focussed on building myself back up so I can’t wait for race weekend. I had no pain from the injury but it will take a bit of time to get the muscles working 100% so I’m confident we can have a solid weekend and take two points scoring finishes.”
Andrew Reid: “We had a good test at Oulton and came away with everything we needed to. We tried a few new components on the bike and made a few changes and everyone in the team is working really hard. Last year’s meeting was extremely positive, taking my maiden Supersport victory and giving me probably the most satisfying win of my career so I’m feeling confident heading into the weekend.”
Ricky Stevens: “After seeing the season for the team get underway at Silverstone, both Ryan and I are looking forward to joining the team at Oulton. Winning the British Championship last year was simply superb and whilst we know it won’t be easy, we have everything in place for the season ahead and are confident of defending our title. Getting a win first time out at Oulton will be the perfect way to start.”
Pete Extance, Team Owner: “After a really good start at the first round at Silverstone, the whole team is now really looking forward to round two at Oulton. The solo riders all had a good day at the circuit last week whilst we also look forward to being joined by Ricky and Ryan for the first British Sidecar Championship round where there’ll be looking to get the defence of their title underway in fine style.”
Free practice takes place on Saturday with qualifying and races on Sunday before Bank Holiday Monday sees the full programme of events take place.
More, from a press release issued by JG Speedfit Kawasaki:
SUCCESSFUL TEST SEES JG SPEEDFIT KAWASAKI TRIO READY TO FIGHT FOR HONOURS AT OULTON PARK
27th April 2016 – Following a successful one day test at Oulton Park last week, the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team return to the Cheshire circuit this weekend for the second round of the MCE British Superbike Championship ready to pick up where they left off two weeks ago at Silverstone; fighting for victory.
A rollercoaster of a weekend at the opening round of the MCE British Superbike Championship saw the JG Speedfit Kawasaki trio of James Ellison, Leon Haslam and Peter Hickman experience a full spectrum of emotions. However, walking away with pole position and a race victory between them, coupled with a successful test at Oulton Park last Friday means the team come into the second round this weekend brimming with confidence.
Using the test to continue development on the 2016 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, the three riders worked through a number of chassis and engine settings throughout the day. Despite it being the first time he had ridden the circuit in eight years, Leon topped the timesheets, whilst James finished fifth and Silverstone race winner Peter ensured all three riders were in the top ten by securing seventh.
Enjoying a positive test here last week, James Ellison is ready to challenge this weekend, “Our test here last week was really good. It was a steady start but every session we were making leaps forward and although the racer in me isn’t happy to be finishing in fifth, the improvements we made were brilliant and have set us up well for this weekend. It’s a completely new bike for us this year, as well as new suspension so we’re still learning and adapting but I’m feeling like we’re ready.
I’ve had some great results at Oulton over the years and it’s a circuit I really enjoy – it’s also a very local one for me! We tried the settings from Silverstone during the test but the circuits are so different that it didn’t work, by the end of the day though I felt we had a good base to work on. We’ve got a few more things to try during practice this weekend but I’m feeling good and think we can be at the sharp end.”
After topping the timesheets last week, Leon Haslam is ready to make amends for Silverstone this weekend at Oulton, “Before the test here last week, I was a little nervous coming back to Oulton as it has been so long since I last rode it. It was a bit of a shock, but it didn’t take too long to get back into the swing of things and it was actually a really positive test. As a team we made some really big steps and we learnt quite a lot, we have a few new components coming this weekend – they’re already tried and tested, we just had to wait for them to be built, so that should help us even more.
It’s a very physical track and the bike wheelies a lot but it’s a lot of fun to ride and the Kawasaki felt great. We’ve got a few more things to try during practice and a bit of a plan for the new parts, but I’m confident we can continue our pace and be pushing at the front!”
Silverstone race winner Peter Hickman sits in fourth place in the Championship standings and is confident of a strong weekend, “I can’t wait for this weekend! The test here last week was really positive, Oulton is a very different circuit to Silverstone so we weren’t entirely sure how the bike would compare but it felt really good from the off which was definitely a nice surprise! We worked through everything we wanted last week and have a good base setting, so hopefully it’s going to be a case of fine tuning the package during practice.
For me, Oulton is one of the best circuits to ride in the world. It’s certainly a tough track, but when it all comes together it’s a brilliant place. We were one of the only guys to do a full race distance in testing last week, so fingers crossed the weather’s kind to us this weekend and we can pick up where we left off at Silverstone!”
GBmoto Racing Team Principal Mark Smith-Halvorsen concluded, “Anyone who watched Silverstone witnessed the very different emotions the team went through during the weekend, I am not sure I can take another eleven rounds like that – even if they can! The real positive is that all three riders were able to show how quick they are and, when coupled with the pole position and the win, it’s clear to see what we can achieve!
The test here last week was a very positive day for the whole JG Speedfit Kawasaki team and we left with all of our riders comfortably in the top ten and feeling confident. We are starting to find the sweet spot for the chassis and have made even more progress with grip and feeling, so we are looking forward to putting that into good use this weekend, whilst learning yet more. Oulton Park is always a fantastic round and we look forward to the two races on Monday in front of a big crowd – hopefully we will see the Team Green Kawasaki’s on the top step.”
More, from a press release issued by ePayMe Yamaha:
Hopkins and Easton gearing up for Oulton Park return
The ePayMe Yamaha team return to Oulton Park this weekend for the second round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship and both John Hopkins and Stuart Easton are feeling confident of further progress following a positive test last week.
Hopkins returns to the circuit where he claimed his first ever win in the championship back in 2011 feeling confident that the team took a step forward during the official test despite a small crash. The Californian contender scored a ninth place finish at the Silverstone opening round, but is ready to challenge for more this weekend.
Easton meanwhile has had some of his strongest performances during his career at the Cheshire circuit and is aiming to score some solid points to kick start his campaign in the two races on Bank Holiday Monday.
Hopkins said: “I am actually really looking forward to this weekend as I feel that the time we set at the test didn’t truly reflect the positivity of the official test. We had tested on used tyres as usual, because consistency is what is important over race distance. It was the first time that we had really made big changes to the chassis setting, so we did lots of shorter runs of like five laps, come in and change, then repeat the process. I feel that we left the official test with a better base setting than we had at Silverstone, even though we had a crash which ended the day a little early before we had the chance to try for an outright lap.
“I feel that we have made big steps forward; as I have said before, the potential is massive with the Yamaha and I feel that we are getting closer to scratching that surface now and we plan to pick up where we left off at the test on Saturday.
“Oulton Park is a track that I really like and have great memories of because it was where I scored my first BSB race win so I am excited to get back there this weekend. I feel that it should suit the Yamaha’s characteristics; we didn’t get the start to the season we had hoped for at Silverstone so we want to put it all together this weekend and get to where we know we are capable of being in the races.”
Easton said: “I really love Oulton Park and we had a good time at the test last week so I am feeling ready for this weekend. I feel that we made good in roads into the work we needed to achieve and I feel that we took a step forward during the official test. We still have more to look at this weekend for sure, but we are heading in the right direction and this had traditionally been one of my best circuits. Since the test myself and my crew chief have made a good plan with the information we had from the test and now we are looking forward to the next round.”
Team owner Tommy Hill commented: “Every time I go to Oulton Park I get a real buzz; it is one of those tracks that just make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. We had a good test last week, aside from Hopper’s crash, but both riders ended the day feeling positive and made steps forward with their setting ready for this weekend. We all want to keep driving forward and we want to push towards the results we know we are all capable of this weekend.”
More, from a press release issued by Paul Bird Motorsport:
Byrne And Irwin In Confident Mood For Oulton Park
Following a successful opening round of the 2016 MCE British Superbike Championship at ShakeySilverstone earlier this month, the Be Wiser Ducati Racing Team of Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne and Glenn Irwin heads for round two at Oulton Park this May bank holiday weekend looking to build on a great start to the season.
Aboard the fully factory-supported Be Wiser Ducati Panigale R, 39-year-old Byrne scored a double podium finish three weeks ago to grab the early lead in the title race in his bid for an unprecedented fifth crown. The Sittingbourne-based Londoner, who celebrates his landmark 300th BSB start in race one on Monday, has a great record at the Cheshire track with ten career victories, including a double at the last meeting there in September.
Meanwhile, rookie team-mate Glenn Irwin will be looking to add to the solid points finishes which he scored on his debut ride in MCE BSB on the Be Wiser Ducati Panigale at Silverstone. The 26-year-old from Carrickfergus in County Antrim claimed a 13th and 14th place finish despite difficult conditions in the opening round and is realistically hoping to challenge a bit further up the order this weekend.
Both riders didn’t take part in the official test at Oulton Park last week, preferring instead to exclusively test at Knockhill whereby a full day of data and information was gathered by Paul Bird’s Cumbrian-based PBM team in readiness for this weekend.
Shane Byrne: “With the Be Wiser Ducati Team being unable to attend the recent Oulton Park official test, Paul booked us a private test up at Knockhill and it was probably one of the nicest days I’ve ever seen in Scotland! The test was great and enabled us to continue working on the Panigale, concentrating hard on throttle connection and mapping. There was only us there meaning we weren’t confined to sessions with other riders and we never drove ourselves mad to set the bike specifically for Knockhill. But even so, our lap times were good and I’m really looking forward to Oulton Park and with my 300th start in BSB this weekend. I hope to make it a memorable weekend and continue our strong start to the season.”
Glenn Irwin: “I achieved my goal of bringing the bike home safely in the points in both races at IrwinSilverstone and that’s the plan again this weekend. That said, I’m feeling a lot more confident and we genuinely found something at Knockhill which I’m hoping will allow me to be more competitive and run with the leaders from now on. Shakey also found something extra at Knockhill and he has given me a few ideas also so I’ll put them into action to help continue our progress. I really like Oulton Park and I’m hoping we can challenge for a good result and get a load more points.”
For further information, please visit www.pbmuk.net and www.britishsuperbike.com.