Podium for Westy at Oulton Maxxis British Supersport Round 4 www.centurionracing.net Mixed weather conditions played havoc at the fourth round of the Maxxis British Supersport Championship for Centurion Racing this weekend at Oulton Park. The two riders Dan Cooper and James ‘Westy’ Westmoreland achieved 17th and 18th place respectively in the tough 16-lap race. With conditions changing throughout the Monday Bank Holiday tyre choice was always going to be critical. The two rookie Supersport riders both worked considerably hard all weekend to learn the track and adjust to how a 600 works around the technical 2.69-mile circuit. It was the first time this season that 19-year-old Cooper beat his team-mate Westmoreland. The Yeovil based rider commented “I’m pretty pleased with the result this weekend as even though the end result didn’t show it, the race was very close and all weekend my pace wasn’t too far off the front runners. I’m still learning everything and I’m sure every track will throw something new at me to challenge me. It was great fun riding a 600 round Oulton, it felt so much different but I felt pretty comfortably throughout the weekend. I’m keen now to get to Snetterton in a couple of weeks time.” Cooper who qualified in 22nd place but was moved to 21st after Irish rider Jack Kennedy missed the round though injury confidently, worked his way up through the field. After a bad start which saw him fall to 23rd place after the first lap the quiet young rider started working his way back through the pack and despite finishing just outside of the points he has taken a vast amount of knowledge and experience from the weekend. Westy once again rode well throughout the weekend and was consistently running in the mid 1.41’s and low 1.42’s. He ended the two qualifying sessions in 11th place and even with a reasonable start a wrong tyre choice saw the youngster from East Yorkshire slip down the time sheets. He still maintained third position in the Cup Championship and still leads the Cup by 24-points from his nearest rival, Craig Fitzpatrick. A disappointed Westy said “Unfortunately we had another disaster this weekend. Everything had once again gone well until race day. The tyre didn’t last race distance as the compound we choose was too soft. It went off after only five or six laps and unfortunately I wasn’t able to push myself higher up the field. I feel very good in myself and just disappointed at such a poor result. The Centurion team have worked so hard and deserved a lot more today. I am now motivated towards Snetterton as it is a circuit I feel we can be strong at.” Team manager Gary Stubbington commented “Once again I think Dan and Westy have ridden brilliantly. They must remember that this is their first year in the tough Supersport class and they have made a huge step up from the 125 series. Oulton Park is certainly a very difficult track for the pair to learn in three days and I think they both coped incredibly well. They are both showing huge potential and I’m sure it won’t be long before we see them moving up the grid and battling with the front runners.” The next Maxxis British Supersport it at Snetterton Circuit on the 20th May. More, from a press release issued by Tom Tunstall Racing: Tough Break for Tunstall The latest round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championships proved to be a rollercoaster weekend for Hardinge Ice Valley racer Tom Tunstall. Having led the cup race his continued progress aboard the 1000cc machine was cut short with a wrecked gearbox. The bank holiday weekend saw the UK’s most popular motorsport the British Superbike Championship continue at the picturesque Oulton Park circuit in Cheshire. The Hardinge Ice Valley Motorsport team had a hectic week after a 120mph crash had smashed the teams Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade into two pieces only five days before they were due to take to the track at Oulton. “The whole team have done a fantastic job. Not just to rebuild the bike, but also checkout all the components and provide me with a bike that I can have full confidence in” The twisty and undulating 2.69mile track is renowned for testing Superbike riders’ skills and was yet another learning curve for rookie Tunstall. In all practice session he made great strides forward culminating in his best qualifying of the year so far taking 2nd on the Superbike Cup grid. “I’m happy with how its going I was quick this morning on race tyres and underlined that with the qualifying. We’re more competitive and looking good for tomorrow’s races” The constant threat of showers held off for the first of the two 45mile races, as the grid was formed. A strong start and first lap saw Tunstall hold his 2nd place, closely behind cup leader Tristan Palmer and South African Hudson Kennaugh on the factory backed Yamaha. On lap two Palmer ran wide into the tight “Hislops chicane” Tunstall needed no second invitation and dived into the lead. Fellow Honda rider Palmer, who won both races last time out, fought back and retook the lead with Tunstall in close attendance. By lap 10 former cup champion joined the battle and sneaked past Tunstall. On lap 14 the gap was up to a couple of seconds but with Tunstall starting to close down the cup leaders. But just before Tunstall crossed the line to complete the lap disaster struck as he lost drive and with a loud rattle from the engine he knew his race was over. “I’m gutted. With only two laps to go it’s very disappointing to not get to the finish and back onto the podium. Hopefully we can get it ready for the next race in two a half hours” Immediately the team set to work swapping the engine and diagnosing the gearbox parts required. Unfortunately for all the hard work a replacement gearbox output shaft couldn’t be located meaning Tunstall was unable to make the grid for race two. “Frustration doesn’t cover it. Everyone has worked so hard before and during the weekend and we were going well. We must now spend the time before the next race ensuring we do all we can to avoid watching another race from pit lane & giving away more points. On the positive side I was fighting for the lead in race one which shows we’re getting stronger”. The next race takes place at Snetterton in Norfolk over the weekend of 18th 20th May. More, from a press release issued by Bridewell Brothers British Motorcycle Racing: More Points for Bridewell Brothers at Oulton Wiltshire brothers Ollie and Tommy Bridewell continued their impressive start to the 2007 Bennetts British Superbike Championship with another pair of sterling performances at Oulton Park in Cheshire over the Bank Holiday weekend. Aboard the Team NB Suzukis elder brother Ollie (21) got the better of his 18 year old sibling Tommy in both 17-lap races at the Cheshire track as the mixed weather conditions threatened to play havoc with proceedings. Having had to give way to Tommy in the opening rounds of the Championship, Ollie qualified in fourteenth place and followed that up with eleventh and thirteenth place finishes as he diced it out with the experienced Michael Rutter and Chris Walker, whereas the changeable conditions on qualifying day hampered Tommy’s bid and resulted in a row five start from which he posted twelfth and fourteenth in the day’s two races. Speaking about the weekend Ollie said “It was good to be battling with the likes of Rutter and Walker and I am a little disappointed that I didn’t get away with them and make a break when they did. But I’m reasonably happy with the way things went at the weekend and it’s very important to continue scoring good points for both myself and the team who have worked very hard so far this season.” Tommy meanwhile admitted his experience told at the weekend “It was only my fourth Superbike race and I guess weekends like this are all part of the learning process but that said, we’ve had a great start to the year and I’ll look forward to getting some more points scoring rides under my belt next weekend at Snetterton.” The Bennetts British Superbike Championship moves on to round five at Snetterton in Norfolk next weekend (18th/20th May). More, from a press release issued by Hawk Kawasaki: Highs and Lows for Hawk Oulton Park Round 4 Hawk Kawasaki discovered the highs and lows of racing this weekend at Oulton Park after two of the four riders had to sit out their races due to injury. Superbike rider Peter Hickman was forced to sit out after a 140 mph crash at Cascades during Sunday’s qualifying, which saw the 20-year-old from Willoughby damage his right wrist. Adding to that youngster Jak Wright, who rides for the Hawk Junior Team, missed his race in the Supersport Cup after a nasty crash at Shell Hairpin saw him break his collarbone. Despite this the two remaining riders Scott Smart and young David Hallett scored some encouraging results in their respective races. Smart gained a strong 11th in race one and finished just outside the points in 16th in the second leg of the two 17-lap Bennetts British Superbike races. Smart who made the return to Hawk Racing this year is adapting well to being back on the Kawasaki ZX10. Smart commented “I’m pretty happy with my first race result and we are heading in the right direction, I struggled in the second race with tyre choice and also the changing weather conditions didn’t help matters. We made a lot of progress with the Kawasaki through the weekend and I’m quite looking forward to Snetterton in a few weeks time to see how we fair there.” It was Dave Hallett who had a stunning ride gaining his first points in the ultra competitive Metzeler Superstock Cup race. Finishing in a great 10th position the youngster from Folkestone gained his first Championship points of the series at a circuit he had never ridden at before. The 21-year-old who has made the step up from the mini-twin series had qualified in 28th position on the grid, which he turned into a remarkable result at the end of the race. With varying conditions throughout the day the Superstock Cup race was started and restarted on a number of occasions due to heavy rain showers. The safety car was despatched early on in the race which bunched the riders together, choosing to run a wet front and dry rear tyre proved the ideal combination and it was not long before he was carving his way through the pack and settled into 14th place. A small mistake at the Chicane saw him run on and rejoin the track, loosing two places in the process. He soon regained his form and once again started to pick off the riders in front of him and gain his best result of the season so far. Commenting he said “It’s been a great weekend and I’m really happy to be able to get a top ten at only my fourth race on a 1000! The entire Hawk team have worked really hard all year and glad I’ve finally been able to return that with a strong result. Obviously the jump for me has been pretty big but I’m really enjoying the whole experience. It’s fairly difficult, as before this year I have only race at four of the circuits which are used on the BSB calendar, so most tracks are all new to me, obviously Oulton seemed to suite me pretty well and hopefully I will be able to get some more points at Snetterton.” Quarter Term Report Stuart Hicken, Team Owner, commented “It’s been a tough start to the season, but I am confident with the riders and the staff we have in place at the moment the results will improve tremendously. Just looking at Scott who has come from two poor seasons his confidence is building lap by lap and it certainly won’t be long before we are back at the sharp end. Peters’ early season form is where we expected him to be after a couple of heavy falls he has lost his way a little, but with full team backing and Peter digging deep he should be back in the points at Snetterton. The junior team of Jak and David are doing all that is required in learning the circuits and their new bikes, Jak unfortunately got bit by Oulton Park, but he will return raring to go. David had what only can be described as a brilliant ride at Oulton Park, having never seen the most difficult circuit on the calendar he rode with maturity and confidence all weekend. I see that all our sponsors and guests are enjoying the new corporate vehicle, and I’m well informed that all guests really enjoy the personal rider talks organised by Ian Paddison. We are looking forward to the rest of the season now.” More, from a press release issued by AIM Yamaha: AIM YAMAHA OULTON PARK REPORT Richard Cooper was the sole representative for Team AIM Yamaha at Oulton Park on Bank Holiday Monday where he completed his fourth round Maxxis British Supersport race in 14th position to claim two championship points for the team. Qualifying saw Richard consistently improve his lap times to put the AIM Yamaha R6 onto the fourth row of the grid for Monday’s 16-lap race. As the race got underway Richard moved into ninth place on the opening lap and up to seventh on lap three. But he was forced onto the grass at the hairpin and lost ground to complete his race in 14th position. RICHARD COOPER “I was running about eighth when someone came up the inside at the hairpin. I tried to cut back but then realised there was someone else there so had no choice but to run off the track for a short time which allowed several riders to get past me. “I got back up to 12th but eventually completed the race in 14th. I had been running well all weekend and it would have been nice to get a top ten for the team. But we will keep on trying and hopefully the results will come. “It’s on to Snetterton next, the bike is very quick and it should work well for us there. We have been there testing already this year which is a bit of a help.” ALISTAIR FLANAGAN “Early on in free practise Richard was off the pace but by second qualifying it all seemed to fall into place for him. He was looking for another half a second but when he went out to try and put in a fast time the rain had started to fall and the track became quite greasy, especially through Druids so he had to abort the lap. “In the race Richard got away to a good start but unfortunately again he got tangled up in a battle for position and was pushed off the track. It was a racing incident; just one of those things but it was a hard fight to get back in contention for a top ten finish. “It was a shame he was unable to capitalize on his good start as he was consistently fifth fastest through the speed trap all weekend but it just wasn’t clicking in terms of race pace. “We are trying to work with Richard on his race stamina as although he is a fit lad he is just lacking the aggression required to move further forward.” “Regarding Steve Plater, after his successful World Endurance race in Spain his connecting flight was delayed and he arrived late at the circuit and was unable to compete in the fourth round of the British Superbike campaign. “However, this leaves him fresh and fit for this year’s North West 200 which begins today, Tuesday, with the first qualifying session. Both Steve and the team are hoping he can repeat his performance from last year where he rode to victory in both Superbike races. More, from a press release issued by Samsung Racing: Samsung battle on at Oulton Park. The Samsung Superbike team worked hard at Oulton Park with Dean Thomas on the Suzuki Superbike finishing race two in tenth place following a disappointing DNF in race one. Jon Kirkham on the Ducati Superstock bike came home in sixteenth place which he had to work hard for. Thomas’ race one was ended prematurely when his rear shock lost a seal and sprayed his back tyre with oil. “Race one was not so good. It was only about six or seven laps into the race and all of a sudden I had a massive vibration from the back of the bike. At the time it felt like the wheel was falling off it was that bad. So I pulled over and had a look round and I could see oil all over my back wheel. I had actually burst a seal in the shock absorber. I’ve never had anything like that happen before and it just sprayed oil all over the place and the bad vibration was the shock just going crazy. So that was my race cut short.” His second race was much better and it showed the potential of the Samsung Suzuki as Thomas did battle with Chris Walker on the current Rizla Suzuki. “We’ve been working hard on the Samsung Suzuki to get it to where we need it to be. I spent most of the race fighting with Chris Walker and we have a few little things we need to work on with the bike and it was obvious Chris does as well. It was good to have a battle with him so tenth place I can’t complain,” said Thomas. Meanwhile on the other side of the garage Kirkham was struggling. He crashed in qualifying which didn’t aid his cause and left him in fifteenth on the grid. “I crashed in qualifying which pushed me down the grid and just made it all very hard work, ” he admitted, “The bike is down on straight line speed and that is where we are losing out. I mean I had to ride hard to finish sixteenth so that is not right. We need to regroup before Snetterton and make some changes.” Snetterton requires a lot of top end speed with its long straights, so the Samsung team will be digging deep with the Ducati Superstock machine in the hope that they can move further up the pecking order. The fifth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship and the Metzeler National Superstock Championship will take place on the 18th 20th May at Snetterton. More, from a press release issued by Hydrex Honda: Assorted results for Hydrex Honda at Oulton Park. The Hydrex Honda team raced in three different classes at Oulton Park, Karl Harris was in Superbike as usual, Guy Martin took on the Supersport class in preparation for the North West 200 and Allan Jon Venter ran in Superstock on the PSM back machine. Harris loves racing at Oulton Park and was hoping for strong top six results, he qualified in ninth place and finished race one in the same position. “Race one was going good but we had a real problem with chatter which we didn’t manage to solve all weekend. We did what we could but it didn’t solve the problem. It happened when we were mid corner and trying to get on the gas, it started to push the front and set off the chatter,” he said. As for race two, well that ended in the gravel when Leon Camier and Harris had a coming together as Harris explains, “Race two was going better and then Leon Camier took me out. He hit me full on and just washed out the front end. So it was all a bit of a downer really as we had been running in about sixth place when that happened.” He is now looking ahead to Snetterton where he hopes he will have better luck. Martin took his 600 Supersport machine out on track in anger for the first time this year and pulled in a superb eleventh place finish having qualified in eighteenth place. “I was twenty second at the start of the first lap but at the end of the race I was up to eleventh!” he grinned, “It was my first time on that bike so I’m pleased with how things went. I wasn’t sticking my neck out as I want to make sure everything is ok for the TT. It was lacking a bit out of the corners but it handles like a dream so I’m really looking forward to the North West on it now.” The final member of the team, AJ, had to learn the challenging Oulton Park circuit. He qualified in twenty seventh and finished twenty second. “This is a crazy track and it is a rider’s track so everyone who has experience goes well here. Qualifying was wet and dry so it was hard work. If it had been full wet or full dry we would have been fine,” he explained. Despite the lowly result he made big improvements in his lap times, “I went faster each session that I was out on track and improved by 1.5secs. In the race the first corner was just crazy; everyone was bumping into each other. I got boxed in but my lap times improved so that was good. I’m looking forward to Snetterton as I’ve tested there so I know the track and we had good settings. I’m now going to the North West 200 to support Guy.” The fifth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship and the Metzeler National Superstock Championship will take place on the 18th 20th May at Snetterton. British Superbikes – Oulton Park Race One Result 1 – Gregorio Lavilla – Ducati – Airwaves Ducati – 27.29.245 2 – Leon Haslam – Ducati – Airwaves Ducati – 27.29.464 3 – Ryuichi Kiyonari – Honda – HM Plant Honda – 27.29.749 4 – Jonathan Rea – Honda – HM Plant Honda – 27.31.088 5 – Tom Sykes – Honda – Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport – 27.31.358 6 – Shane Byrne – Honda – Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport – 27.31.750 7 – Cal Crutchlow – Suzuki – Rizla Suzuki – 27.38.55 8 – Leon Camier – Honda – Honda – 27.40.769 9 – Karl Harris – Honda – Hydrex Honda – 27.48.337 10 – Tommy Hill – Yamaha – Virgin Media Optoma Loans – 27.55.421 British Superbikes – Oulton Park Race Two Result 1 – Ryuichi Kiyonari – Honda – HM Plant Honda – 27.33.097 2 – Leon Haslam – Ducati – Airwaves Ducati – 27.35.274 3 – Shane Byrne – Honda – Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport – 27.36.660 4 – Gregorio Lavilla – Ducati – Airwaves Ducati – 27.37.138 5 – Jonathan Rea – Honda – HM Plant Honda – 27.40.500 6 – Tom Sykes – Honda – Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport – 27.40.761 7 – Tommy Hill – Yamaha – Virgin Media Optoma Loans – 27.40.883 8 – Leon Camier – Honda – Honda – 27.46.957 9 – Chris Walker – Suzuki – Rizla Suzuki – 28.04.460 10 – Dean Thomas – Suzuki – Samsung Superbike Team – 28.05.490 DNF Karl Harris British Supersport – Oulton Park Race Result 1 – Dennis Hobbs – Honda – Padgetts Motorcycles 2 – Ian Lowry – Suzuki – Relentless Suzuki by TAS 3 – Michael Laverty – Suzuki – Relentless Suzuki by TAS 4 – Guy Sanders – Kawasaki – Gearlink Racing 5 – John McGuinness – Honda – Padgetts Motorcycles 6 – Tom Grant – Yamaha – Virgin Media Yamaha 7 – Sam Owens – Honda – Premier Motorsport 8 – Paul Young – Triumph – Paul Young Racing 9 – Jamie Robinson – Honda – Margal 10 – Stuart Easton – Kawasaki – Isilon MSS Discovery Kawasaki 11 – Guy Martin – Honda – Hydrex Honda National Superstock – Oulton Park Race Result 1 – Howie Mainwaring – MV Agusta – X-Bikes MV Agusta 2 – Glen Richards – Yamaha – Embassy Racing 3 – Lee Jackson – Yamaha – Krystal Racing/Space Air 4 – Ben Wilson – Suzuki – Windmill Suzuki 5 – Luke Quigley – Suzuki – PDM Racing 6 – Kieran Murphy – Suzuki – Goldstar Suzuki 7 – John Laverty – Ducati – Buildbase Ducati 8 – Adam Jenkinson – Suzuki – Rocket Centre Racing 9 – Matt Whitman – Yamaha – Team STP Racing 10 – Gareth Glynn – Yamaha – Raceways Yamaha 11 – Kieran Clarke – Ducati – Buildbase Ducati 12 – Martin Buckles – MV Agusta – X-Bikes MV Agusta 13 – Steve Mercer – Yamaha – The Bikeshop Faversham 14 – Gary Johnson – Yamaha – Speedfreak Racing 15 – Kenny Gilberston – Kawasaki – Astro – KS Kawasaki 16 – Jon Kirkham – Ducati – Samsung Superstock Team 17 – John Ingram – Suzuki – SMT/Ingram Racing 18 – Alastair Seeley – Yamaha – NCT/Vanfit Yamaha 19 – Hudson Kennaugh – Yamaha – Raceways Yamaha 20 – Dan Stewart – Yamaha – Wilcock Consulting 21 – Daniel Hegarty – Yamaha – Ace Yamaha 22 – Allan Jon Venter – Honda – Hydrex Honda