MCE British Superbike Championship
Thruxton Circuit, England
August 2, 2015
Race One Results (All on Pirelli tires):
1. Josh Brookes, Australia (Yamaha), 15 laps, total race time 19:03.878, best lap time 1:15.146
2. Dan Linfoot, UK (Honda), -4.479 seconds, 1:15.106
3. James Westmoreland, UK (Kawasaki), -9.802, 1:16.274
4. Shane Byrne, UK (Kawasaki), -14.134, 1:15.579
5. Howie Mainwaring Smart, UK (Kawasaki), -14.347, 1:15.806
6. Luke Mossey, UK (Kawasaki), -14.778, 1:16.185
7. Jack Kennedy, Ireland (Kawasaki), -14.936, 1:16.019
8. Billy McConnell, Australia (BMW), -15.223, 1:16.303
9. Michael Laverty, UK (BMW), -16.146, 1:16.443
10. Martin Jessopp, UK (BMW), -16.356, 1:16.412
23. John Hopkins, USA (Ducati), -5 laps, 1:15.538, DNF, mechanical
Race Two Results (All on Pirelli tires):
1. Josh Brookes, Australia (Yamaha), 20 laps, total race time 25:59.029, best lap time 1:14.884
2. Shane Byrne, UK (Kawasaki), -5.580 seconds, 1:15.646
3. Luke Mossey, UK (Kawasaki), -5.766, 1:15.457
4. Tommy Bridewell, UK (BMW), -7.821, 1:15.721
5. Dan Linfoot, UK (Honda), -8.558, 1:15.273
6. Michael Laverty, UK (BMW), -9.020, 1:15.797
7. Howie Mainwaring Smart, UK (Kawasaki), 1:15.598
8. Martin Jessopp, UK (BMW), 1:16.077
9. Lee Jackson, UK (BMW), 1:16.238
10. Josh Waters, Australia (Suzuki), 1:15.858
23. John Hopkins, USA (Ducati), -6 laps, 1:15.279, DNF, crash
Championship Point Standings (After 14 of 26 races):
1. Brookes, 266 points
2. Byrne, 254
3. Ellison, 147
4. Stuart Easton, 139
5. Michael Laverty, 115
6. Bridewell, 112
7. O’Halloran, 103
8. Linfoot, 93
9. Cooper, 76
10. Mossey, 70
25. John Hopkins, 10
American James Rispoli, riding his Team Traction Control Yamaha YZF-R6, DNF British Supersport Race Two. After 14 of 24 races, Rispoli is sixth in the Championship point standings.
More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision:
Brookes doubles up at thriller Thruxton to grasp standings lead
Results
Race one:
1: Josh Brookes (Milwaukee Yamaha)
2: Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) +4.479s
3: James Westmoreland (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +9.802s
4: Shane Byrne (PBM Kawasaki) +14.134s
5: Howie Mainwaring (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) +14.347s
6: Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) +14.778s
For the full result please click here
Race two:
1: Josh Brookes (Milwaukee Yamaha)
2: Shane Byrne (PBM Kawasaki) +5.580s
3: Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) +5.766s
4: Tommy Bridewell (Tyco BMW) +7.821s
5: Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) +8.558s
6: Michael Laverty (Tyco BMW) +9.020s
Championship standings:
1: Josh Brookes (Milwaukee Yamaha) 266
2: Shane Byrne (PBM Kawasaki) 254
3: James Ellison (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) 147
4: Stuart Easton (PBM Kawasaki) 139
5: Michael Laverty (Tyco BMW) 115
6: Tommy Bridewell (Tyco BMW) 112
Report
Josh Brookes continued his winning spree with a second successive double at the seventh round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Thruxton to take a 12 point lead in the overall standings.
The Milwaukee Yamaha rider had run under the Thruxton record to take his second pole start of the campaign and then hit the front in both races, breaking the nine year old lap record, to fully capitalise on the problems experienced by his arch-rival, the four time champion Shane Byrne.
Brookes was characteristically cool, staying ahead in a dramatic opening race which was red flagged when Richard Cooper’s bike blew up at Church. James Ellison crashed out and sustained a broken wrist, whilst Christian Iddon also tumbled from the Bennetts Suzuki.
Brookes resumed command on the re-start, taking the victory from Honda Racing’s Dan Linfoot and JG Speedfit Kawasaki’s James Westmoreland who enjoyed his first ever podium finish in MCE BSB.
Byrne had fought back from a sixth row start amid a qualifying beset by issues to his PBM Kawasaki salvaged a fourth place from Howie Mainwaring on the locally-based Quattro Plant Bournemouth Kawasaki and his team-mate Luke Mossey.
Brookes was fired up for a repeat performance in race two and again took charge at the start while behind him there was drama and incident. John Hopkins, whose first race had ended with a problem with his Lloyds British Moto Rapido Ducati, crashed out of second at the Club chicane and Jack Kennedy fell at Campbell.
Byrne and Mossey were scrapping for second place and they took the battle down to the wire, the defending champion had the marginal edge at the line as Mossey took his first ever MCE BSB podium finish, the tenth different rider to score a top three result this year.
Tommy Bridewell who had crashed heavily out of the first race in a tangle with Danny Buchan bounced back strongly to finish fourth on his Tyco BMW ahead of Linfoot and Michael Laverty. The Tyco BMW pairing now both inside the top six as the countdown continues to the Showdown.
For more information visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Josh Brookes
(Milwaukee Yamaha)
“We have always had confidence and believe that we can do it but you have to actually do it and we have done this weekend. After Brands Hatch everyone was definitely carrying some confidence and a good mood in the team and that spilled onto this weekend. It has been a good circuit for me, I had my first race win here in 2010 and I have had a double last year, so it has just been a good circuit for me in general. To come from a double win at Brands Hatch and have another double here is what we were searching for but to finally achieve it means we can shout about it and I am really pleased.
“In race two particularly when the safety car came out I was a little bit annoyed shall I say as I had worked really hard to try and make a buffer where then I could ride more comfortably and then when I saw the Safety Car flag I thought ‘oh no this isn’t how I planned it’ and I was worried what might happen after the safety car and if I could maintain the speed, as historically after the safety car I have always struggled more than other riders. Maybe it’s a concentration thing, maybe it’s an adrenaline thing but I tend to struggle to perform after the safety car so I didn’t want to fall into that trap.
“As soon as the safety car was in I just put my head down and rode the fastest, smoothest lap I could. Unfortunately for Hopper, but fortunately for me his crash created a gap and I could control the rest of the race as I had a buffer that gave me that confidence.
“Obviously I need to thank the Milwaukee Yamaha team as they have put a superb bike under me this weekend and it actually felt better again in the second race, its surprising how you can keep stepping it up and improve again.
“It wasn’t until after the race I realised I’d achieved the lap record because on the dash it can sometimes differ to the real time and I didn’t have the record in my mind. For me it was about doing the best job possible to win the races. I’m really happy and it’s the cherry on top of a great weekend, especially as it’s stood for so many years.
“It’s a big achievement because in 2006 it was a big tyre war and Michelin and Dunlop were bringing special tyres to the races to try and have the advantage.
“So to get lap records on a tyre that is available to everyone means we have to give big respect to Pirelli and it shows how good the tyre is in BSB.
“To end the day with a crash doing a burn out celebrating was typical my style – if someone is going to do it, it is going to be me so congratulations to me for that!”