MCE British Superbike Championship
Oulton Park, England
September 11, 2016
Race Three Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Leon Haslam, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 18 laps, Total Race Time 30:17.984, Best Lap Time 1:35.208
2. Luke Mossey, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -1.336 seconds, 1:35.316
3. Tommy Bridewell, UK (Suz GSX-R1000), -2.654, 1:35.213
4. Michael Laverty, UK (BMW S1000RR), -4.594, 1:35.411
5. Shane Byrne, UK (Duc Panigale R), -4.657, 1:35.375
6. Richard Cooper, UK (BMW S1000RR), -5.423, 1:35.628
7. Peter Hickman, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -8.784, 1:35.671
8. Lee Jackson, UK (BMW S1000RR), -8.880, 1:35.384
9. Christian Iddon, UK (BMW S1000RR), -9.591, 1:35.036
10. Broc Parkes, Australia (Yam YZF-R1), -9.752, 1:35.761
11. Glenn Irwin, UK (Duc Panigale R), -12.660, 1:35.883
12. Billy McConnell, Australia (Kaw ZX-10R), -13.535, 1:35.906
13. Alastair Seeley, UK (BMW S1000RR), -13.633, 1:36.009
14. Danny Buchan, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -15.614, 1:36.267
15. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Japan (BMW S1000RR), -20.311, 1:36.304
16. Stuart Easton, UK (Duc Panigale R), -21.410, 1:36.363
17. James Rispoli, USA (Yam YZF-R1), -21.767, 1:36.548
18. Josh Hook, Australia (Kaw ZX-10R), -24.254, 1:36.752
19. Jakub Smrz, Czech Republic (BMW S1000RR), -24.774, 1:36.587
20. Filip Backlund, Sweden (Kaw ZX-10R), -24.824, 1:37.041
25. Jason O’Halloran, Australia (Hon CBR1000RR SP), -5 laps, DNF, 1:35.308
26. Dan Linfoot, UK (Hon CBR1000RR SP), -8 laps, DNF, 1:35.293
27. James Ellison, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -14 laps, DNF, 1:35.165
28. John Hopkins, USA (Yam YZF-R1), -14 laps, DNF, 1:36.158
Championship Point Standings (after 19 of 26 races):
1. Haslam, 546 points
2. Byrne, 543
3. TIE, O’Halloran/Ellison, 513
5. Linfoot, 511
6. Mossey, 506
7. Laverty, 168
8. Hickman, 162
9. Cooper, 157
10. Bridewell, 135
16. Hopkins, 42
26. Rispoli, 3
More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:
Haslam a hat trick hero to lead the Title Fighters into the Showdown
Leon Haslam claimed his first triple victory in the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park to emerge ahead of Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne in the standings, with just three points separating the arch rivals ahead of the opening round of the Showdown at Donington Park next weekend (16/17/18 September).
After a JG Speedfit Kawasaki 1-2-3 in yesterday’s opening race of the weekend, the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team were ready to fight for their positions in the Showdown, with the two races today deciding the final three Title Fighter places.
In the second race of the weekend Haslam hit the front from pole position ahead of James Ellison and Dan Linfoot. The fight for the front was intense from the start and as the pack streamed across the line for the second lap Ellison was leading from Linfoot and Haslam.
Ellison was holding his ground at the front of the pack, but as Byrne pushed to move forward from his ninth place he slid out of contention unhurt at Hizzys chicane.
Haslam was on the attack though and he pushed through into second place with a determined move at Lodge on the tenth lap and then had his sights set on his JG Speedfit Kawasaki team-mate. Three laps later and the Pocket Rocket went for his move on Ellison with a repeat performance at Lodge to hit the front.
Haslam held on to take the lead and with Ellison claiming second place he confirmed his position in the Showdown with one race of the Main Season remaining with Linfoot completing the podium ahead of O’Halloran, Mossey and Bridewell completing the top six.
There was more drama for the Tyco BMW team as Michael Laverty crashed out of the race on the final lap, putting him closer to the danger zone with one race remaining.
The final race of the weekend decided the final top six and with two places up for grabs five riders were in contention into claim the positions – Linfoot, Laverty, Peter Hickman, Mossey and Cooper.
O’Halloran hit the front of the pack and with his place already confirmed in the Showdown, the Honda Racing rider was determined to add to his tally of Podium Points.
Ellison was focused on scoring his first race win of the season and he hit the front of the pack by the end of the opening lap, pushing O’Halloran back to second with Haslam in third and Showdown contender Mossey in fourth place.
As the pack jostled for positions Jake Dixon suffered a huge crash which bought out the Nissan GT-R Safety Car with O’Halloran, Haslam, Mossey and Bridewell stacking the pack up before the race resumed.
Haslam hit the front of the pack again, but there was drama for Honda Racing as Linfoot crashed out of contention. He was forced to watch from the sidelines in despair as Mossey held third place on track, but with Laverty in fourth place, he had a marginal buffer of just four points.
Haslam held off Mossey to claim the third and final victory of the weekend, with the Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki rider celebrating second and with it a place in the Showdown for the first time in only his second season.
Bridewell claimed a podium finish but it was too late for the Bennetts Suzuki rider who missed the cut for the Showdown, holding off Laverty in fourth who also narrowly missed out for Tyco BMW and Byrne who finished in fifth.
The six Title Fighters – Haslam, Byrne, O’Halloran, Ellison, Linfoot and Mossey now look ahead to the opening round of the Showdown next weekend at Donington Park.
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, race two result:
Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki)
James Ellison (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +0.412s
Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) +2.906s
Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) +5.364s
Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki) +9.941s
Tommy Bridewell (Bennetts Suzuki) +10.562s
Peter Hickman (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +13.766s
Jake Dixon (Briggs Equipment BMW) +13.908s
Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati) +14.109s
Ryuichi Kiyonari (Smiths Racing BMW) +14.431s
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, race three result:
Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki)
Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki) +1.336s
Tommy Bridewell (Bennetts Suzuki) +2.654s
Michael Laverty (Tyco BMW) +4.594s
Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) +4.657s
Richard Cooper (Buildbase BMW) +5.423s
Peter Hickman (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +8.784s
Lee Jackson (Buildbase BMW) +8.880s
Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW)+9.591s
Broc Parkes (ePayMe Yamaha) +9.752s
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings ahead of the Showdown:
Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) 546
Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) 543
Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) 513
James Ellison (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) 513
Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) 511
Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki) 506
For more information visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki)
Triple race winner
“It’s been a dream weekend! To have a front row start in all three races was brilliant, and then adding the fastest lap in the first race and then claiming my first ever triple victory is incredible. I want to say a huge thanks to the team for giving us a bike we can fight for the Championship on, they’ve worked non-stop to solve the problems we were experiencing and to make history yesterday with a podium lockout is mega.
“I’m so excited for the Showdown now, we’re leading the standings again and Donington is one of my favourite tracks so I’m so glad we don’t have to wait long to get going again!”
More, from a press release issued by Be Wiser Ducati:
Tough Weekend For Be Wiser Ducati At Oulton Park
The Be Wiser Ducati Racing Team endured a difficult weekend at round nine of the MCE British Superbike Championship held at Oulton Park this weekend where both Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne and Shane ByrneGlenn Irwin couldn’t add to their podium successes this season.
Despite claiming pole position with an historic fastest ever lap around the Cheshire circuit yesterday, four-times champion Byrne’s hopes of increasing his lead in the title race were dashed when a big slide in the weekend’s first of three races saw him eventually cross the line in ninth place.
Any hopes of redeeming the situation in the second race were scuppered when the 39-year-old Londoner slid off the factory-backed Ducati Panigale R at low speed at the Hizzy’s Chicane to deny him any points before bouncing back from a lowly grid position to take a battling fifth position in today’s third and final race for Paul Bird’s Penrith-based team.
Having already qualified for the title-deciding Showdown, Byrne, seven times a winner this season, was unable to add any Podium Points to his tally which stands at 43, although main title rival Leon Haslam overhauled him following a triple victory to lead by three Podium Points going into next weekend’s opening Showdown round at Donington Park.
Team-mate Glenn Irwin also suffered some bad luck this weekend whereby a crash in the opening race aboard the Be Wiser Ducati Panigale R was not helped by sliding off in warm up today, but the 26-year-old from Carrickfergus salvaged a ninth in race two.
However, any hopes of repeating the podium success of Thruxton a couple of months ago were scuppered when he was adjudged to have jumped the start and ended up with a ride through penalty to end up in 11th place in today’s third race to consolidate his 12th place in the standings with three rounds to go.
Shane Byrne: “That was a difficult weekend and we’ve left without the results we wanted or deserved. From setting the fastest ever lap yesterday to not scoring a race win or even a podium is disappointing but that’s racing. The slip yesterday cost us a podium and then a crash today in the second race really put us on the back foot for the third race so it was always going to be tough given the pace this weekend. Although I’ve surrendered a lot of Podium Points to Leon here, I’m in the Showdown and now going to three tracks I love so I’ll be going out all guns blazing to get back to winning ways starting at Donington next weekend. Thanks to my team as ever for doing a great job.”
Glenn Irwin: “It’s been quite a challenging day starting off with my mistake and crash in morning warm-up which left me with a bruised shoulder, hip and elbow and generally beaten up. The first raceGlenn Irwin actually went well with another good top ten finish although I think I had the pace to run in the top six if I’d have got away from the start cleanly. I knew I had to make a good start in the last race and genuinely thought the lights had gone out but they obviously hadn’t and I had to take the ride through penalty. I fought my way back though and whilst the results haven’t been the best, there are plenty of positives to take away and I’ll be looking to repay the team for all their hard work at Donington next time out.”
Phil Borley, Technical Director: “It’s been a disappointing day all round and to come away with no wins or Podium Points after setting the fastest ever lap of Oulton in qualifying is not what we were hoping for. It’s a tough one to take so we know we need to improve in a number of areas before the next round. Shakey didn’t make the best of starts in either race and such is the competition this year, it’s hard to make clean passes when you’re that little bit deeper in the pack. He probably had the pace to be at the front and challenge for the race wins but it wasn’t to be so we need to bounce back immediately at Donington next weekend. As for Glenn, his day started in a disappointing fashion with his crash in warm-up and that knocked his confidence for the two races. He had good pace in both of them but little things in each, particularly the jump start in the second, prevented him from scoring better. Ninth and eleventh place finishes were OK but they could have been better so he’ll want to put that right at the next round.”
The next round takes place at Donington Park next weekend 16/18th September and for further information, please visit www.pbmuk.net and www.pbmuk.net
More, from a press release issued by JG Speedfit Kawasaki:
TRIPLE DELIGHT AS HASLAM MAKES IT THREE FROM THREE
11th September 2016 – Following yesterday’s history making ride which saw the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team secure all three spot on the MCE British Superbike Championship podium, Leon Haslam continued his imperious form to win both races today and reclaim the Championship lead ahead of the Showdown. Team mate James Ellison also secured his place in the all-important top six whilst Peter Hickman narrowly missed out making it through and will now fight for the Riders Cup over the remaining three rounds.
With expectations high following yesterday’s remarkable showing, the three JG Speedfit Kawasaki riders utilised the short ten minute warm up to full effect, with Leon finishing top, James fifth and Peter 12th.
Starting from pole in the second of the weekend’s races, Haslam leapt into the lead but just as he did yesterday James took over running at the front as Leon slipped back to third. Using the harder of the Pirelli compounds, it was a waiting game for the race one winner as he first picked off Linfoot to move second on lap 10 before taking his team mate three laps later. Running each other close, Leon secured his second win of the weekend just 0.4s ahead of James, whose second place was enough to secure him in the all-important top six. For Hickman, a small problem with his seat unit meant he was unable to quite ride as hard as yesterday, however taking seventh place at the line was enough to see him close to within two points of the final Showdown spot.
By virtue of their fastest laps in race two, Leon started from second, James fifth and Peter 12th. Again grabbing a flying start, James led for the opening laps before disaster struck and he was forced out of the lead with a technical fault. With James out, Leon was left unchallenged for the lead, crossing the line 1.3s ahead of Mossey to claim his third win of the weekend, his fourth in a row. Unfortunately for Pete, his seventh place was not enough to clinch a Showdown spot and he will now battle for the Riders Cup over the remaining three rounds.
Claiming his first ever triple win, Leon Haslam said “It’s been a dream weekend! To have a front row start in all three races was brilliant, and then adding the fastest lap in the first race and then claiming my first ever triple victory is incredible. I want to say a huge thanks to the team for giving us a bike we can fight for the Championship on, they’ve worked non-stop to solve the problems we were experiencing and to make history yesterday with a podium lockout is mega. I’m so excited for the Showdown now, we’re leading the standings again and Donington is one of my favourite tracks so I’m so glad we don’t have to wait long to get going again!”
Securing his spot in the Showdown and making a welcome return to the podium, James Ellison said “This weekend has really been one of highs and lows! It started off really well and we were instantly fast, which is great as the improvements we made at the test last week have really paid off. Qualifying went really well, the pace was so hot and the top seven were all under the lap record. Race one yesterday was awesome to be part of the first ever 1-2-3 on a podium and to be challenging for the win in the second race was really positive. Unfortunately that final race we had to retire from the lead which is gutting as we could have got some valuable points back on Shakey but that said, it’s been a great weekend and I’m looking forward to getting the Showdown started and fighting for the Championship.”
Disappointed not to make the Showdown, Peter Hickman has his sights firmly set on securing the Riders Cup “It’s been a really good weekend, making history yesterday is certainly something we’ll remember for a long time! My pace yesterday was really strong but unfortunately I just couldn’t match that speed today. In the opening race a small problem with the seat unit just meant I struggled with feeling which certainly put me off. For race two the bike was absolutely mint but for some reason I just wasn’t fast. It’s certainly disappointing to be so close to the Showdown and miss out but our focus is now solely on being crowned the Riders Champion at the end of the season.”
GBmoto Racing Team Principal, Mark Smith-Halvorsen concluded, “The final round ahead of the Showdown has been a real rollercoaster of a weekend, but a very positive one for the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team. We claimed our first ever triple win, with Leon in unbeatable form which sets him up really well for the rest of the season. Yesterday’s podium lockout was unbelievable and is a testament to just how hard the team has worked over the last few weeks to turnaround some of the problems we were suffering. The first race today was equally as impressive and to score another 1-2 in front of our sponsors was brilliant. Pete also rode a superb race to really put himself in with a shot of making the Showdown. Unfortunately the final race of the weekend was a little bit of a dampener as James was forced out of the lead with a mechanical whilst Hicky narrowly missed out on pipping his rivals to make the Showdown.
It’s been a fantastic effort all round though and I think we’ve delivered across the board for Kawasaki and our brilliant sponsors and suppliers. Our target now is simple, to win the MCE British Superbike Championship title and also secure the Riders Cup.”