MCE British Superbike Championship
Donington Park, England
March 31, 2016
Provisional Combined Test Results (all on Pirelli tires):
1. Michael Laverty (BMW S1000RR), 1:29.298
2. Shane Byrne (Duc Panigale R), 1:29.342
3. Christian Iddon (BMW S1000RR), 1:29.928
4. Jason O’Halloran (Hon CBR1000RR SP), 1:29.932
5. Luke Mossey (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:29.932
6. Dan Linfoot (Hon CBR1000RR SP), 1:29.967
7. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:30.031
8. Glenn Irwin (Duc Panigale R), 1:30.162
9. Alastair Seeley (BMW S1000RR), 1:30.305
10. Danny Buchan (Duc Panigale R), 1:30.367
11. Jakub Smrz (BMW S1000RR), 1:30.419
12. Filip Backlund (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:30.499
13. Luke Quigley (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:30.928
14. James Rispoli (Yam YZF-R1), 1:30.940
15. Sam Hornsey (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:30.942
16. Vittorio Ianuzzo (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:31.015
17. Tommy Bridewell (Suz GSX-R1000), 1:31.038
18. Jack Kennedy (Kaw ZX-10R), 1:31.417
19. Martin Jessopp (BMW S1000RR), 1:31.489
20. Howie Mainwaring (BMW S1000RR), 1:31.528
21. Shaun Winfield (Yam YZF-R1), 1:32.004
22. Jenny Tinmouth (Hon CBR1000RR SP), 1:32.241
23. Matej Smrz (BMW S1000RR), 1:32.894
24. Aaron Zanotti (Yam YZF-R1), 1:33.264
Editorial Note: Richard Cooper, Stuart Easton, James Ellison, Leon Haslam, Peter Hickman, John Hopkins, Lee Jackson and Billy McConnell did not attend the test at Donington Park.
More, from a press release issued by MotorSport Vision Racing:
Laverty fastest after snatching advantage from Shakey in final seconds
Michael Laverty ended the final official test ahead of the opening round of the 2016 MCE British Superbike Championship at Silverstone (8/9/10 April) in dramatic style by snatching the top spot in the closing seconds of the day from Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne at Donington Park.
Tyco BMW’s Laverty had topped the opening session of the day, but Byrne fought back when they next hit the track to put the Be Wiser Ducati team at the top of the times. However in the final session the pair went head-to-head in the closing stages as the four-time champion held the advantage into the final minute, but Laverty fired in a final fast lap that moved him ahead by just 0.044 seconds.
Laverty said: “It feels good to end the test fastest as it is a bit of bragging rights before the first round if nothing else. We are in a really good position and my one off lap isn’t my strength at the moment, so to have done the times we have consistently is great as I don’t feel we have maximised the potential at all yet.
“The continuity of staying with the Tyco BMW team for this year has put me in this position and I genuinely feel that we are the strongest out there at the moment, both over short stints and the longer distance. I knew that we would be able to pick up where we left off at the end of last year and we will keep going as we know that everyone else will keep improving too. I definitely have a much better feeling now than I did at the start of last season.”
Byrne split the two Tyco BMW team-mates as Christian Iddon continued to push himself into the top three as he prepares for his first race with the Northern Irish team at Silverstone. He held off hard-charger Luke Mossey as the 23-year-old continued to prove that he is ready to fight for a return to the podium during the 2016 season.
Honda Racing pairing Jason O’Halloran and Dan Linfoot had been equally matched throughout the test as they continued to switch position, but the Australian had the narrow upper hand at the end of the day as they now turn their attentions to Silverstone.
Ryuichi Kiyonari held the seventh place spot on the leading Bennetts Suzuki as the three-time champion continued to work through his test programme with the team as he bids to claim a fourth title crown this year.
Rookie Glenn Irwin showed impressive pace to finish the day in eighth position on the second Be Wiser Ducati, narrowly ahead of Alastair Seeley and Danny Buchan as all five manufacturers that featured on track today were represented in the top ten.
Filip Backlund suffered a broken collarbone after crashing at Goddards and the Quattro Plant Cool Kawasaki rider will undergo surgery this evening and will be forced to miss the opening round of the season at Silverstone.
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Official test, Donington Park, combined times:
Michael Laverty (Tyco BMW) 1m:29.298s
Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) +0.044s
Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) +0.630s
Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki) +0.634s
Jason O’Halloran (Honda Racing) +0.669s
Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) +0.733s
Ryuichi Kiyonari (Bennetts Suzuki) +0.864s
Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati) +1.007s
Alastair Seeley (Royal Air Force BMW) +1.069s
Danny Buchan (Lloyds British Moto Rapido Ducati) +1.121s
It’s now the final countdown to the opening round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship which kicks off at Silverstone on April 8/9/10.
For more information visit www.britishsuperbike.com
More, from a press release issued by Paul Bird Motorsport:
Byrne And Irwin Successfully Conclude Testing
Following the hard work done in Spain over recent weeks, the Be Wiser Ducati Racing Team of Shane Byrne and Glenn Irwin continued their pre-season testing schedule at the official MCE BSB tests this week whereby both riders were satisfied with the progress made.
Tuesday’s cold conditions at Silverstone saw both riders gain vital set-up information for next week’s opening round of the series at the Northamptonshire track whereby Londoner Byrne ended up seventh fastest and Irwin inside the top twenty.
However, it was much better for them at Donington Park today as in front of a big crowd enjoying the Spring sunshine, four-time MCE BSB title winner ‘Shakey’ held top spot for most of the day before the fully factory-supported Be Wiser Ducati Panigale R was edged into second by 44/1000 seconds late on by Michael Laverty.
Rookie team-mate Glenn Irwin continued his good progress with Paul Bird’s Penrith-based squad whereby the Ulsterman used his track knowledge to gradually climb the timesheets and at the conclusion of the day was an impressive eighth overall to stand him in good stead for the opening round.
Shane Byrne:
“It was great to top the timesheets in the second session today and that put a smile on my face, but it’s what I’m paid to do. We have worked hard since Silverstone and are still making chunks of progress and I have to keep reminding myself that we have a brand new make of bike, a brand new model and lots of other things which are new in the team so to be up with those riders on established set-ups isn’t too shabby at this stage. That was the quickest I’ve been round Donington but to me, times in testing are irrelevant, it’s what we do in the races next weekend that matter. As ever, thanks to the team for all their hard work, we continue to get stronger and we look forward to Silverstone.”
Glenn Irwin:
“After Spain, it was good to get back to tracks I was familiar with and I knew I had to push on with getting to grips with the Ducati. At Silverstone, we did just that and I felt I unlocked something which we carried over into Donington. It’s all about track time for me and with every lap, I was gaining in confidence and in the end, I was happy with my lap times as they came on my own, without a tow or anything. Shakey has been a massive help and I can’t thank him and all of the team enough and today has been a good day. Now I’m looking forward to Silverstone next weekend and the plan is to get as many points on the board as possible whilst being realistic about what we can achieve.”
The opening round of the 2016 MCE British Superbike Championship takes place at Silverstone next weekend (April 8/10) and for more information, please visit www.pbmuk.net and www.britishsuperbike.com.
Donington Park, Official Testing, Combined Classification
1 Michael Laverty (BMW) 1:29.298
2 Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) 1:29.342
3 Christian Iddon (BMW) 1:29.928
4 Luke Mossey (Kawasaki) 1:29.932
5 Jason O’Halloran (Honda) 1:29.932
6 Dan Linfoot (Honda) 1:29.967
7 Ryuichi Kiyonari (Suzuki) 1:30.031
8 Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati) 1:30.162
9 Alastair Seeley (BMW) 1:30.305
10 Danny Buchan (Ducati) 1:30.367