MCE British Superbike Championship

Silverstone Circuit, England

April 10, 2016

Provisional Race Two Results (all on Pirelli tires):

1. Peter Hickman, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), 14 laps, Total Race Time 29:43.355, Best Lap Time 2:06.403

2. Shane Byrne, UK (Duc Panigale R), -0.099 second, 2:06.735

3. Christian Iddon, UK (BMW S1000RR), -1.005 seconds*, 2:06.688

4. Jason O’Halloran, Australia (Hon CBR1000RR SP), -1.395, 2:06.875

5. Leon Haslam, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -3.142, 2:06.507

6. Michael Laverty, UK (BMW S1000RR), -3.369, 2:06.464

7. Lee Jackson, UK (BMW S1000RR), -5.685, 2:06.916

8. James Ellison, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -7.554, 2:06.703

9. Dan Linfoot, UK (Hon CBR1000RR SP), -7.679, 2:06.864

10. Luke Mossey, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -8.045, 2:06.783

11. Richard Cooper, UK (BMW S1000RR), -8.521, 2:07.037

12. Ryuichi Kiyonari, Japan (Suz GSX-R1000), -13.124, 2:06.901

13. Glenn Irwin, UK (Duc Panigale R), -13.463, ran off track, 2:07.188

14. Alastair Seeley, UK (BMW S1000RR), -16.270, 2:07.241

15. Jakub Smrz, Czech Republic (BMW S1000RR), -16.338, 2:07.211

16. Tommy Bridewell, UK (Suz GSX-R1000), -19.490, 2:06.905

17. Howie Mainwaring Smart, UK (BMW S1000RR), -37.281, 2:07.738

18. Martin Jessopp, UK (BMW S1000RR), -37.498, 2:07.578

19. Sam Hornsey, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -42.392, 2:08.603

20. Vittorio Iannuzzo, Italy (Kaw ZX-10R), -46.053, 2:09.018

21. Shaun Winfield, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -47.240, 2:09.190

22. Aaron Zanotti, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -59.044, 2:09.385

23. Jenny Tinmouth, UK (Hon CBR1000RR SP), -60.595, 2:09.262

24. Stuart Easton, UK (Yam YZF-R1), -6 laps, DNF, 2:09.212

25. Danny Buchan, UK (Duc Panigale R), -7 laps, DNF, retired, 2:07.578

26. Michael Dunlop, UK (BMW S1000RR), -7 laps, DNF, 2:09.139

27. John Hopkins, USA (Yam YZF-R1), -7 laps, DNF, retired, 2:07.032

28. Jack Kennedy, UK (Kaw ZX-10R), -12 laps, DNF, no lap time recorded

29. Billy McConnell, Australia (Kaw ZX-10R), -14 laps, DNF, crash, no lap time recorded

30. James Rispoli, USA (Yam YZF-R1), DNS, unfit to race

*includes 0.5-second penalty for exceeding track limits between Turns 3-4

More, from a press release issued by Paul Bird Motorsport:

Double Podium And Series Lead For Byrne At Silverstone

The Be Wiser Ducati Racing Team got their 2016 MCE British Superbike Championship season up and running in fine style today at Silverstone with Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne taking a pair of second Shakey – Silverstone Podiumplace finishes to lead the title race following the opening round.

Aboard the factory-backed Be Wiser Ducati Panigale R, the 39-year-old Londoner was hoping for a good performance following a winter of development and testing on the brand new bike which the Italian factory has entrusted Paul Bird’s Penrith-based team to deliver the goods with this season.

With difficult weather conditions throughout the weekend, the four-time MCE BSB champion qualified for today’s opening 14-lap race in fourth place as cool temperatures and a dry track proved to be the order of the day. From the start in his first race on the bike, Byrne settled in with the leading bunch with a plan to increase the pace later in the race, which is what he did and although he couldn’t quite get on terms with eventual race winner Michael Laverty, he settled for solid points and a podium in second place, just half a second down.

With vital data gathered from race one, Shakey started the second race from the front row whereby it followed a similar pattern in the early stages. But as the race progressed, Byrne gradually climbed the order before challenging for the victory on the last lap. Shakey briefly took the lead with a superb move into Luffield but lost out on the drag to the line with Peter Hickman taking the narrowest of wins ahead of Byrne, who claimed his second runner-up placing of the day and in doing so, heads the championship going into round two at Oulton Park in three weeks’ time.

Ulster team-mate Glenn Irwin was making his debut in MCE BSB and was equally impressive on his first competitive rides on the Be Wiser Ducati Panigale R, achieving his and the team’s objectives of some solid points in the opening round.

Starting from 17th on the grid, the 26-year-old climbed the order to run as high as 13th before settling for 14th at the flag and with it, more experience gained to take into race two. The Carrickfergus rider was again on the sixth row for the second race and although he dropped back initially, the former Supersport Cup champion showed all of his famous fighting qualities to battle his way back up to 13th to claim his second points scoring finish of the day to cap a brilliant performance.

Shane Byrne: “It was a difficult first race as although we had a plan, you never quite know how it will Shakey Silverstonepan out as lots of riders keep their cards close to their chest during testing. We know we’re not quite at the level we want to be but the whole PBM Be Wiser Ducati Racing Team is working hard to get to that level and we have to be pleased with finishing second first time out. In the second race, it was similar to the race I had with Alex Lowes in 2013 and whilst we’re perhaps trying to run before we can walk, to be leading the championship after the first round is fantastic. The bike’s brand new and I’ve a new team around me who are all working incredibly hard to get to the position we’re in. Full credit to the team and with good tracks coming up, ones that will suit us better, we’ll get stronger for sure.”

Glenn Irwin: “I’m pleased to get the first round out of the way and delighted to score points in both races. The first race was satisfying even though the harder tyre didn’t work as I would have liked and Irwin Silverstonethen in the second race, Billy McConnell crashed in front of me which dropped me back to something like 25th place. After that, I really dug deep and my pace was really strong, not far off the leaders really, so I was pleased to fight my way back up to 13th. I was a little bit aggressive but am really enjoying riding the Ducati, it’s a fantastic machine, so a big thanks to Paul Bird and the whole Be Wiser Ducati Racing Team for giving me such a great opportunity.”

Paul Bird: “I was confident we’d be strong this weekend and it’s great to come away with two podiums. It’s not really the ideal circuit for us with the big, long straights, but Shakey showed the potential of the bike and to be leading the championship already is terrific for all concerned. Glenn has a lot to learn and perhaps he’s trying a bit too hard, but we’re happy enough with his performances. He’s now got two races under his belt and will only get stronger, just like Shakey will. We will hopefully have some more updates for the bike for the next race, so that should make us even more competitive. Overall, I’m chuffed to bits with how the day’s gone.”

More, from a press release issued by Anvil Hire Yamaha:

Challenging Opening Round For Anvil Hire Yamaha

It was a weekend of two halves for the Anvil Hire Yamaha squad, after the weather hampered the riders progression along with tyre degradation and a crash for James Rispoli, which saw him withdraw from race two, however Saturday’s qualifying saw Rispoli make Q3 in his first ever weekend in the Superbike class.

The weekend started off with a two hour delay due to an oil spill from the previous session, but when proceedings finally got underway both Shaun Winfield and James Rispoli worked their way through numerous settings, heading into Saturday afternoons qualifying session high in confidence.

Ahead of qualifying the rain that was forecast arrived, but the track had dried for the Superbike qualifying session. There was a mad rush on Rispoli’s side of the garage to change the tyres from wets to slicks, and there would also be drama on Shaun’s side of the box.

The bike had developed a technical fault, however the team worked around the clock to fix the problem enabling the 22 year old to head out with only three minutes remaining. Shaun put in a quick lap of a 2:09.9 to line him up in 24th place for Sunday’s first race, ahead of Stuart Easton and Michael Dunlop.

James made it through to Q2 in 18th place, but then in the second session of 12 minutes the American pulled a lap out of the bag to send him through to the final dash for pole session, posting a 2:06.3, two and half seconds faster than he had been all weekend. Q3 saw Rispoli fail to improve on his time set in Q2, but he would still line up in eighth position for his first British Superbike race.

Sunday morning saw bright skies over the circuit, and from the start of race one James got a great leap and after the first lap ‘The Rocket’ sat in sixth place, and looked to battle with Danny Buchan and Luke Mossey. Then on lap 6 as he entered Brooklands corner, pushing extremely hard to catch the group ahead, he lost the front end and crashed out of the race. After a visit to the medical centre, Rispoli was told not he wouldn’t be able to ride in race two due to a serious finger injury.

Shaun Winfield got a great start, and moved his way up to 22nd on lap three, before he lost grip with his rear tyre, which forced him to retire from the race on lap nine.

It was then left to Shaun Winfield to fly the yellow flag in race two, starting from 27th on the grid after posting a 2:09.561 in race one.

As the lights dropped Shaun got a good jump and made up five places on the first lap, he started to find his rhythm and looked to pick his way forward. However a slight technical issue with the machine slowed his pace, and he crossed the line in 21st position, after battling hard with Vittrorio Iannuzzo right to the end, also posting his fastest lap of the weekend on lap three.

After his crash a disappointed but smiling James Rispoli said: “I don’t know really what to say at the moment, I’m in shock because it’s a mistake I don’t usually make. This is a new class for me, we gambled with the SC0 and unfortunately it just wore off and I tried my best chasing down Buchan, Mossey and Iddon, I was in good company and not far off the front.

“I started to lose time on the exits, and I made a small mistake into the second to last corner breaking just a little bit deep and I lost the front, something has happened and I’ve lost the tip of my finger. But I’m still in good spirits and everything is still moving forward and we should be at Oulton Park.”

A frustrated Shaun Winfield added: “It hasn’t gone really to plan this weekend with the weather and then the technical problem in qualifying, it just felt like one thing after another. Then in race one the rear tyre just dropped off so quick, and once that went I couldn’t turn and on the Yamaha you need the rear grip to push the front, so I just had to pull in which really frustrated me.

“Then race two we went for the SC1 and that proved a good choice, I didn’t end up where I wanted to be I had a good battle towards the end, and I started to make some moves towards the middle of the race and I set my fastest time of the weekend as well. I then had a technical problem, which I nursed home but overall I’m happy and I’ll head into Oulton Park next weekend confident. I’ve never ridden around there on the Yamaha so we need to hit the ground running, and I want to wish James all the best because we want him back in the garage for Oulton Park.”

Following the weekend Team Manager Gary Winfield said: “It’s been challenging this weekend what with the weather and the interrupted sessions we’ve had. However James and Shaun impressed in qualifying, and I must admit James did really well to get to Q3 in his first British Superbike qualifying.

“Race one really didn’t go to plan, Shaun struggled with the rear tyre and he just couldn’t get it turned so he had to pull in, and then race two we’re really happy with what he did. James was doing so well until he crashed, but he’ll learn from it and come back stronger. He’s having surgery on his finger tonight (Sunday) and he’ll be ready for Oulton Park, which he’ll be excited for.”

The team now has a three week break before heading to Oulton Park for round two of the Championship.

More, from a press release issued by JG Speedfit Kawasaki:

ROLLERCOASTER WEEKEND ENDS WITH JG SPEEDFIT KAWASAKI BACK ON TOP

10th April 2016 – After claiming pole position yesterday, technical faults plagued the JG Speedfit Kawasaki teams opening race, however the GBmoto Racing prepared machines bounced back to the top in race two as Peter Hickman rode a stunning race to claim his second ever MCE British Superbike Championship victory.

The opening round of the 2016 MCE British Superbike Championship at Silverstone proved to be a weekend of two halves for the JG Speedfit Kawasaki trio of James Ellison, Leon Haslam and Peter Hickman. Having qualified on pole position with Leon yesterday, coupled with a strong showing in morning warm up today, the whole team was confident heading into the races this afternoon.

Taking a strong start off pole, Leon was immediately running in the leading group and challenging for the win. Disaster struck on lap three however when a rare technical fault saw him forced to retire from the race. Similarly, Peter launched from his 16th place on the grid, quickly working his way through the field to be in fifth by lap seven. Running significantly faster than the leading four it looked set for him to be challenging for the win when, like Haslam, he was forced to retire from the race with a technical fault. Despite starting from 30th position on the grid, a result of his crash in qualifying yesterday, James sliced through the field – crossing the finish line in 13th.

With the team working frantically ahead of the second outing, all three riders were able to make it out and by virtue of their fastest times in race one would start with Peter on the front row in third, Leon in 15th and James 17th. Immediately climbing into second, Peter made his move into the lead on lap nine. Fending off the last lap, last corner challenge of four time BSB Champion Byrne, Hickman crossed the line to secure his second ever Superbike win, the team’s fourth overall. With a new engine in his ZX-10R, Haslam was unable to find the same feeling from the machine but still fought in the leading group to claim fifth. With more changes made between races, Ellison was feeling far more comfortable on his Kawasaki as he again carved through the field, crossing the line in eighth and setting the fifth fastest lap of the race.

Claiming his second ever BSB win Peter Hickman said, “What a relief! The first race was such a disappointment as we knew we had the pace to win, which if I’m honest was a little bit of a surprise to us after qualifying 16th! The team has worked so hard all weekend, and all over the winter. It’s a brand new ZX-10R, and the team is using new suspension, so it’s been a big learning curve but we came here and took steps with each outing. The second race was brilliant. I got a great start and I knew I had the pace so just tried to concentrate and not make any mistakes. It looked like Laverty had a little bit of a problem so I knew I had to get passed him but then the last few laps I could hear Shakey’s Ducati behind me, I ran a little deep into the final complex and he came by but there was no way I was going to let him take the win after all the hard work so pretty much kept the throttle open and closed my eyes to the line!”

Despite the new engine causing engine braking problems in the second race Leon Haslam was still capable of running in the front group “Today has been a big disaster if I’m honest. We had a great day yesterday and throughout every session my race pace was real good – we did a practice run Friday and my time would have been enough to win the opening race. Starting from 15th in race two didn’t help and the new engine we used was a slightly different spec to the one we had used all weekend, which meant the engine braking and throttle connections were very different to before. It was a hard fought battle in the race and for some reason we were also suffering from quite bad chatter but we still came home in fifth. It’s frustrating as I believe we could have had two wins today but we can move on to Oulton ready to make amends.”

Having made a big step forward this weekend James Ellison is now feeling a lot better on his ZX-10R “Well, definitely a weekend of highs and lows for me and the whole team! I don’t want to blow smoke their way but they’ve had one hell of a job on this winter building three new Superbikes with a brand new machine, so to come here and claim pole and a win is incredible. On my side, we’ve just suffered a little with a lack of track time. We made a massive step forward on the first day and could go quicker but then we didn’t have the weather to properly tweak things, the first time we had the opportunity was in qualifying but I threw it up the road! It was entirely my fault and definitely put us on the back foot, race one was good and gave us a direction to go in for the second race, where we went faster again. Overall, it’s been a really productive weekend. There’s still some things we need to try but with another test ahead of Oulton I’m pretty confident we’ll be able to run at the front.”

GBmoto Racing Team Principal Mark Smith-Halvorsen concluded, “What a rollercoaster of events it’s been! It started in qualifying, where we were set up to get all three into the final session but James’ crash and a set up change for Peter that didn’t work quite how we planned meant they suffered on grid positions for the opening race. On the other hand, Leon came back with a bang to take pole position!

Coming into today we were very confident. Leon showed in those first few laps that he was capable of challenging for the win whilst the rate Hicky closed down the leading group shows he could have too. Unfortunately two mechanical DNF’s thwarted their chances. Race two was much better for all three guys, James now feels much more comfortable on the bike and if he had more dry track time I believe he would have been up there. Similarly, although Leon had some troubles with the new engine he still came home fifth. Pete did an absolutely fantastic job though, and what a win. Those last few corners had Shakey doing what he does best by never giving up, but Pete was so determined not to let that win go!”

More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:

Laverty and Hickman share the spoils but Shakey leads the MCE British Superbike Championship after tense Silverstone opener

Michael Laverty and Peter Hickman shared the opening two race wins of the 2016 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship in an intense season-opener at Silverstone, but with a pair of second place finishes Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne leads the title chase to the second round at Oulton Park (30 April – 2 May).

The opening race of the season got Laverty’s season off to a flying start as he held of Byrne by 0.550s at the finish line to win for Tyco BMW in a top ten which featured all six of the manufactures represented in the 2016 championship.

Jason O’Halloran had initially grabbed the lead as the pack streamed into Copse for the first time, but pole-sitter Leon Haslam was instantly on the attack and he forced his JG Speedfit Kawasaki ahead on his return to the series. His lead was short lived though as Laverty stormed to the front and then held the pace but the ‘Pocket Rocket’ was later forced to retire with a technical problem.

Laverty was able to fend off the challenges of Byrne in the closing stages to claim the first victory of 2016 as behind Mossey was defending hard from the chasing Iddon, Linfoot and O’Halloran. However it wasn’t enough and on the final lap Iddon made a move at Copse to hold third place and then held on to claim his first ever podium finish in MCE BSB.

A dramatic race two saw the fight for victory go down to the wire as Peter Hickman and Byrne went head-to-head on the final lap in an incredible tussle for the final race win of the day.

Hickman had launched off the line to lead the field on the opening lap from race one winner Michael Laverty, Dan Linfoot, Jason O’Halloran, Danny Buchan and Byrne, but the four-time champion was instantly on the attack and was up to fourth by the third lap.

At the front Laverty had hit the lead on the Tyco BMW, but Hickman wasn’t going to give an inch in his quest for victory and on the sixth lap he launched his attack; making a move to return to the front of the pack.

A lap later though and Laverty appeared to have an issue; he dropped down the order leaving Hickman and Byrne to fight it out for the lead. The pair were inseparable down the Wellington Straight for the final time and at Brooklands Byrne went for a move; a small window of opportunity gave him the chance to push ahead, but Hickman was instantly fighting back to recapture the lead.

A corner later at Luffield, Byrne looked like he had the edge but as the pair exited for the drag to the line the Be Wiser Ducati dramatically drifted sideways as Hickman powered to the finish to claim the victory. The incredible chase saw the pair separated by just 0.099s at the line.

In the battle for third place Iddon had got ahead of O’Halloran as the Honda Racing rider was forced to settle for fourth place. The Australian had been embroiled in a titanic battle with returning Haslam and the pair were switching places all the way to the finish.

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Silverstone, race one result:

Michael Laverty (Tyco BMW)

Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) +0.550s

Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) +1.394s

Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki) +1.560s

Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) +4.155s

Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) +4.281s

Danny Buchan (Lloyds British Moto Rapido Ducati) +6.354s

Lee Jackson (Buildbase BMW) +7.681s

John Hopkins (ePayMe Yamaha) +8.598s

Tommy Bridewell (Bennetts Suzuki) +8.739s

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Silverstone, race two result:

Peter Hickman (JG Speedfit Kawasaki)

Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) +0.009s

Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) +1.005s

Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) +1.395s

Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +3.142s

Michael Laverty (Tyco BMW) +3.369s

Lee Jackson (Buildbase BMW) +5.685s

James Ellison (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +7.554s

Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) +7.679s

Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki) +8.045s

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings after Silverstone:

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

For more information visit www.britishsuperbike.com

Michael Laverty speaking after his race one win at Silverstone:

“It is difficult to just run out front and look at your lap timer. I only looked at my pitboard once as I just wanted to concentrate on being as smooth as I could and not making any mistakes and the toughest thing was mid-race as my hands went a bit numb –perhaps as it was a bit cold out there!

QI didn’t feel as comfortable as I wanted to be and I was losing time in a few areas and then I pushed on and it was enough to bring it home. We have worked hard over the winter so it was a perfect start for me and the team so thanks to everyone at Tyco BMW.”

Peter Hickman speaking after his race two win at Silverstone:

“It feels like a big relief to have won the second race today. I was disappointed that we didn’t finish the first race with a technical issue and I was surprised at how fast I could be from the start of the race. The weekend started steady and we built up throughout the three days. I got a really good start and tried to get my head down and not make any mistakes. When Michael came through I thought I would follow him for a few laps, and then he had a bit of a problem so I got in front of him.

“Over the last few laps the Ducati is so loud that I knew it was Shakey behind me. I did run a bit deep into Brooklands which gave him a bit of a shot at it and then that made me too tight into Luffield, so he snuck underneath. There was no way that I was doing all that work and not winning though. I just pinned it and pretty much closed my eyes and it was enough to take it.”

Championship leader Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne after race two at Silverstone:

“I think the most important thing we can take away from this weekend is that we had a brand new motorcycle and it’s in its infancy. I think the results we have achieved today are a testament to the team and I rode it as hard as I could – I couldn’t have done any more.

“I actually thought I might have had the race won at the end as Pete ran a tiny bit deep into the final complex and I thought that was my chance. I tried to be nice and smooth and then he shot back underneath me and I thought ‘no way’! I tried to outdrive him to the line like I had done with Alex Lowes a few years’ ago and I think Tai Woffinden would have been proud of that slide! It was pretty big and I think realistically we have to walk before we can run, so to come away from here with two second places and the championship lead is wonderful. I am not happy because I haven’t won but I am happy all the same!” 

More, from a press release issued by Smiths Racing BMW:

Smrz In The Points For Smiths BMW At Silverstone

Gloucestershire-based Smiths Racing BMW got their 2016 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship season started at Silverstone over the weekend and although it proved to be a tough Smrz Silverstonestart for new team members Jakub Smrz and Howie Mainwaring Smart, it was down to Czech Republic rider Smrz to bag some all-important points at the opening round.

Practice and qualifying saw tricky conditions at the Northamptonshire track and after qualifying, Smrz lined up in 14th place on the grid for the opening 14-lap race with Aylesford’s Mainwaring Smart in 22nd and on the eighth row of the grid.

Riding the Smiths Racing BMW S1000R, the duo found themselves battling it out for the positions at the lower end of the leaderboard and although it was a relatively uneventful race for the pair, Smrz was rewarded with 15th place and a hard earned championship point with Mainwaring Smart finishing just outside in 18th for the former double British Supersport champions and TT winners.

Starting the second race from the sixth and seventh rows respectively, the 14 lap race followed a similar pattern with both Jakub and Howie running inside the top twenty from the outset. It was again Smrz who had the slightly stronger pace and he moved into 15th and into the points once more by mid-race distance. Locked in a battle for 12th place he eventually crossed the line in 15th place with Mainwaring Smart improving to 17th.

Jakub Smrz: “It’s been quite a tough weekend with the mixed weather conditions not allowing us to make improvements to the bike as we would have liked. We made changes all the time and the changes always made the bike better so we’re definitely moving in the right direction; we just need some good, dry track time to get to the place where we want to be. I scored points in both races, but, of course, 15th isn’t where I should be finishing. But all the changes we made were positive and we have a platform to build on. I really like the team and the Smiths BMW so am confident we’ll be stronger next time out.”

Howie Mainwaring: “We’ve made steady progress all weekend and have been making changes to the chassis throughout, trying a lot of things we didn’t get to try during testing. The Smiths BMW is very Howie Silverstonedifferent to the bike I’ve ridden for the last two years and it’s an unbelievable package but we just need to find the sweet spot and get it to work for me and my riding style. I’m obviously not happy at all with the results, but it’s a new bike and a new team and the changes we’ve made have all been positive so we’re moving in the right direction.”

Rebecca Smith, Team Manager: “We’re naturally disappointed with the results this weekend and they don’t reflect the effort everybody’s been putting in as the whole team have been working incredibly hard. The issues we’ve encountered have primarily been with set-up as everything else has been perfect so we’ve been left scratching our heads a bit as they’re problems we haven’t encountered before. We know the areas we need to improve though, so are looking forward to going testing at Oulton Park and resolving the problems we’ve had this weekend.”

More, from a press release issued by ePayMe Yamaha:

Learning weekend for ePayMe Yamaha team at Silverstone

The ePayMe Yamaha team made their debut at the opening round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Silverstone this weekend, scoring a top ten finish with John Hopkins in the opening race and learning valuable information for the second round at Oulton Park later this month.

The weekend started strongly for 2011 title runner-up Hopkins who had fired the ePayMe Yamaha into the top four in all three of the free practice sessions which took place in changeable conditions. The Californian also mastered the changing conditions in Datatag Qualifying to secure his place in the third and final stage of the race one grid decider to start seventh on the grid for the first race.

Stuart Easton had endured bad luck in qualifying when a problem sidelined him from completing a fast lap but he was ready to bounce back in the two races after making positive steps forward to get himself more comfortable with the gearing of the YZF-R1 Yamaha.

In the opening race Hopkins had been fighting his way through the field to be holding a position inside the top ten, but had opted to run the harder Pirelli tyre option. Towards the second half of the race Hopper began to encounter some issues the team had not discovered previously and made changes after the race in preparation to resolve it for race two. Easton was meanwhile forced to retire from the race with a technical issue.

Hopkins had high hopes for the second race to build on his ninth place in race one, but unfortunately an electrical problem sidelined him from contention and he was forced to retire. Easton was also unable to finish race two, however the team now look ahead to their next test at Oulton Park later this month ahead of the second round at the Cheshire circuit.

Hopkins said: “It has been an unfortunate ending to the weekend for us. It is a new team and we have started from scratch just a few months ago. The weekend started with different weather so we were riding around the conditions and so today was the first time we really had ridden in full dry conditions.

“In race one we had a decent start and we chose to run the harder tyre and although we had tried it before, we hadn’t run it before over a full race distance and we struggled a bit with rear grip and then we had a few chassis problems that we hadn’t encountered before in testing. However it was obvious that the bike has huge potential and the throttle and power delivery felt good.

“We made some changes in race two and it was night and day different. We had started a bit further down the grid and that meant that we had a fight to get through the pack. We got up into the top ten and I could see the leaders but then we had an electrical problem that made us come into the pits.

“It was unfortunate to end the weekend that way but at the same time we have taken a big step forward with the chassis at this event and the feeling in race two was definitely an improvement. We had all hoped for more this weekend but I know we haven’t even scratched the surface yet and we look forward to the test now before Oulton Park.”

Easton said: “We had a few issues along the way and it came at the worst possible time as we just kept running into trouble. It was a bit of a disaster that we didn’t finish either of the races but at the same time we have learnt a lot this weekend and we have some good information to move forward with for the next round. It is perfect for us to have the Oulton Park test next so we have that to look ahead to.”

Team manager Tommy Hill commented: “We had a good pace this weekend and it showed that as a team we have worked well to get from nothing to the point we are at right now for the first race of the season.

“John was up there in the free practice session and that built up momentum during the weekend. We knew it was going to be tough and we wanted to come away from Silverstone with points and that was the case with him in race one.

“Stuart has done a lot of work to feel more comfortable with the Yamaha and we have done a lot of work on gearing which did make a difference here at Silverstone.

“We had a few technical glitches which are through no fault of the team, but that was still disappointing. We know that we have a lot more to come and I feel that the results don’t reflect the pace that we had this weekend, but we have a test at Oulton Park next and we will be back stronger for round two.”