Debut Victory For Dixon At Donington Park
The Smiths Racing Team had a strong first weekend of the year as their 2015 MCE British Superbike and Motorpoint British Supersport Championships got underway at a sun-drenched Donington Park in front of a big Easter crowd this weekend.
Taking a debut victory aboard the Smiths Triumph 675R Daytona today following a close second place in the weekend’s opening Motorpoint British Supersport Championship race, 19-year-old Jake Dixon jointly leads the series and to add to the Gloucester-based team’s success, 2014 British Supersport Champion Billy McConnell enjoyed a strong debut on the Smiths BMW in the MCE British Superbike Championship.
Dixon claimed third place in qualifying for yesterday’s 10 lap ‘Sprint’ race and the Dover resident slotted into fourth place before the race was halted due to a spill. Re-started over just six laps, a slight mistake on the exit of the Old Hairpin dropped Jake back to seventh but despite it being such a short race distance, he set the fastest lap of the race to finish in a brilliant second place.
From pole position, he held second place in the early stages of today’s 18-lap ‘Feature’ race before taking the lead from race one winner Luke Stapleford on the sixth lap. As the race progressed, the Triumph duo battled it out before Jake made a break and with a faultless performance for the remainder of the race, he duly brought the bike home for a fantastic debut win in the class.
Meanwhile, with Graeme Gowland out injured, the double British Supersport champions and TT winning team’s road race star Guy Martin deputised in the two Motorpoint Supersport Championship races. Eager to get some track time prior to the Isle of Man TT Races, the Lincolnshire rider responded with two solid finishes just outside the points in 16th and 17th.
In the MCE British Superbike class, the team were making their debut with Billy McConnell making the step up with the team in his first outings in the class since 2008. The 28 year old took a strong tenth place in qualifying for today’s first 20-lap race and from the start, the Australian rode superbly on the BMW S1000RR as he made his way up to eighth place in the early stages.
However, his race came to an abrupt end on the sixth lap when he crashed on the exit of Coppice. Despite suffering damage to his hands, wrist and foot, McConnell bravely took to the grid for race two and again showed his capabilities running strongly inside the top ten. Up to seventh at one point, he eventually crossed the line in ninth to take valuable points as well as experience away from the opening round.
Jake Dixon: “I can’t believe how the weekend has gone and to come away with a first and second is something else. I struggled a bit in practice with the electronics and then I had a small crash so I was on the back foot a bit but we made some changes in qualifying and the bike was brilliant from then on. I didn’t make the best of starts in the first race so was delighted to take second but to win today is brilliant. The Smiths Racing Team have given me the opportunity to show what I can do and the Triumph is brilliant so I’m absolutely made up.”
Billy McConnell: “It’s been a pretty draining weekend and whilst we came into it not knowing what to expect, we felt that if we could finish inside the top ten we’d be happy and that’s what we’ve done. I could have done without the crash as it’s not the thing you want to be doing and I was pretty beat up but I think we more than showed what we can do in the two races. We’ve learnt a lot and have run consistently inside the top ten throughout the weekend so there’s a lot to take on board and a lot to build on. There are certainly a lot of positives to take away with us.”
Guy Martin: “The Triumph is a different bike to what I’ve been used to riding these last few years so it’s been good to come here this weekend and get some more time on it. I wasn’t chasing results and just wanted to get a bit more used to the bike and it’s a mega package so it’s very much been a case of job done.”
Rebecca Smith, Team Manager: “Coming into the weekend we felt confident Jake would perform well and whilst others may have questioned his experience and consistency, we knew he’d be able to step up to the plate and he’s done exactly that. He deserves everything he’s achieved and I’m sure it’s the start of things to come so now that he knows he can win, what the bike is capable of and that the whole team is behind him, he can relax a bit more and just concentrate on his riding. It was good to get Guy out on the bike as well and we wanted him to get in as many laps as possible and work on the set-up so we’re pleased with how it’s all gone. As for Billy and the Superbike, the fact that we came here with not much testing and were able to run consistently inside the top ten is testament to the whole team. Jason Jones and Tim Seed have worked incredibly hard and although we’re taking small steps with the bike, Billy’s already proved how well he’s riding and what he’s capable of. We know there’s a long way to go with the bike but it’s definitely been a case of so far, so good.”
The second round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship takes place at Brands Hatch in two weeks’ time (17/19th April). For more information, please visit www.britishsuperbike.com and www.britishsuperbike.com
More, from a press release issued by Be Wiser Kawasaki:
Be Wiser Kawasaki
Donington Park Round 1
The Be Wiser Kawasaki made their debut appearance in the MCE British Superbike Championship this weekend at Donington Park. Riders Danny Buchan and Chris Walker had a mixed weekend, Danny was unfortunate to crash out of both races but Chris secured an eighth and 10th place respectively.
Danny Buchan was running well throughout the weekend and was strong in first practice, finishing in fourth place. In the second session the team were testing some new components and Danny slipped off at Coppice, luckily not too much damage was done and the youngster was fired up for qualifying on Sunday.
Danny rode a stunning first session in qualifying and ended up second quickest, easily through to qualifying two. He pushed hard in the second session to finish fifth and come the final session of the Datatag qualifying he ended up finishing sixth, a great position on the grid for his first race with the Be Wiser Kawasaki Team. He got a great start during race one and was fifth at the end of lap one, the safety car was deployed on lap two for three laps. As the car came in, Danny charged through to fourth place, then past Easton moving him up to third on lap five. He was fighting hard with Stuart Easton and Dan Linfoot and dropped down to fifth position. Disaster struck sadly on lap 11 when Buchan crashed out at the Esses from fifth position bringing an abrupt end to his first race.
Chris Walker suffered a few minor electrical problems throughout Saturday and the team worked hard during the night to ensure it was solved. Sunday was his first real track time and in free practice three he moved up to 16th, 1.2 seconds off provisional pole. He was 15th in qualifying one and through to the second session where he ended in 16th for race one.
Chris got one of his amazing starts and was 12th after the opening lap, the ‘Old but Gold’ rider had to work exceedingly hard for the 20-lap race to push his way up to eighth position at the chequered flag. Chris really did have to work hard and was pushed throughout the majority of the race by ex-Moto GP rider Michael Laverty.
In the second race Danny started from ninth place on the grid and Chris from 14th. Chris once again got a flying start and was up to 10th after the opening lap with Danny in 12th position. The Be Wiser Kawasaki pair were both fighting hard setting some consistent lap times. Danny once again was battling up through the field and made it up to seventh at one point but was unfortunate to crash out again on lap 16 of the 20 lap race. Chris was again fought hard for the 20 laps and he secured a 10th place finish, a strong result for the season opener.
Danny Buchan – “I can’t begin to say how disappointed I am not just for myself but all the Be Wiser Kawasaki team. I am sorry I have let them down and I need to go away from here, sit down and re-evaluate everything and come to Brands more focussed and with some realistic goals. We had the pace at the start of the weekend and into qualifying and we just need to slowly chip away. I lost a lot of the second session after my crash and it was vital track time that I needed.
The bike really did feel good and I know I can get good results but I need to remind myself it’s a long season and I hope to get on the points board at Brands. I can’t thank my team enough for the work they put in this weekend and the work that I created them, they worked so hard to make things right for me and I’m really grateful for that just sorry I let the side down. I know I have the pace and both were strange crashes but onwards and upwards just sorry to all the team and sponsors for this weekend and thank them all for their continued help and support.”
Chris Walker – “It was a frustrating weekend for us at the start as we had a few niggling problems that troubled us on the first day. We missed out on a fair bit of track time with that but my team worked really hard to get things working for qualifying day. I managed to get some decent laps done on the Sunday and I knew we were beginning to make progress.
I am actually pretty happy with the results I gained today after the start of the weekend and I have left here with some solid points in the bag and now a base plan for the next round at Brands Hatch. I would like to say a huge thank you to my team on my side of the garage for getting things right and hope now we can start to move things forward for the rest of the season.”
Tommy Hill – Team Manager – “Well that was the first ever race for the Be Wiser Kawasaki team at Donington and we learnt a lot and will continue to make progress throughout the season.
Chris (Walker) had a very consistent weekend and was making some good progress in both races chasing the leading pack. He worked hard throughout both races and has come away with some solid results for the team. He has certainly built his confidence this weekend and has adapted to working with a new team well and I’m sure that will only get better as the season goes on.
I am really pleased with Danny (Buchan) the crashes do not represent the effort his has put in throughout the weekend and the pace that he was showing at times. He really did work hard and it was unfortunate to have the crashes he did, but he is still only very young and it is a long season. We can build on this and settle him down at the remaining races but he is more than capable of some strong results.”
More, from a press release issued by Morello Racing:
Solid BSB start for Morello Racing as Elliott shines in Superstock
The Morello Racing team got their 2015 MCE British Superbike Championship season underway at Donington Park over the Easter weekend with Victor Cox and Danny Johnson performing well for the Norwich-based squad although it was Josh Elliott who stole the headlines with a brilliant second place in the Pirelli National Superstock 1000cc Championship race.
Cox and Johnson both qualified well for Easter Monday’s two 20-lap races although Cox did suffer a spill which prevented his starting position being higher. With perfect conditions at the Leicestershire venue, Victor and Danny acquitted themselves well in the opening encounter, which lived up to its billing as being the most competitive BSB field in years. Reading’s Johnson brought the bike home for 22nd place with Cox looking like he’d finish just behind him before cruelly dropping out on the final lap with an engine problem.
The second race saw Johnson start from 26th on the grid and Trowbridge’s Cox four places further back and they both performed better still, the pairing again putting in two solid performances. They both lapped almost a second quicker than what they had done in qualifying and Danny duly gave the team a top twenty finish on his debut with Victor one place further back in 21st.
The highlight of the weekend for the team came in the Superstock 1000cc race with Northern Ireland’s Elliott taking second place. Second in qualifying, the 20-year old battled for the lead with Adam Jenkinson, Alastair Seeley and reigning champion Hudson Kennaugh throughout the race and a last lap move on Seeley enabled him to claim the runner’s up spot. There was disappointment though for team-mates John Ingram and Markus Guenther with the former crashing on lap four and the latter failing to qualify on his British debut.
Josh Elliott: “It’s been a really good weekend for me and the bike’s been mega throughout so a big thanks to the team for all their hard work. It was a good race and I made a good start but I began to struggle with rear grip in the second half of the race so decided to follow Hudson and Alastair and see what they were doing. I was hoping they’d mess each other up and although that didn’t happen, Alastair missed a gear on the final lap and I was able to grab second. It’s my best British Championship result so I can’t have asked for a better start to the season.”
Steve Buckenham, Team Owner: “It was a garage of two halves this weekend with Victor hit by bad luck and problems but Danny enjoying a lot smoother run and making good progress forward throughout. Once we’d cured a balance issue with the bike, he was able to improve his pace each and every time he went out and he was deservedly rewarded with two good finishes. Victor’s crash in qualifying put him on the back foot a bit and he then suffered with a front tyre problem and then an engine issue in the first race.”
“He deserved his finish in the second race and both riders performed extremely professionally and I’m pleased with how they rode so with a bit more luck I’m sure we’ll be climbing up the results. As for Josh, what can I say, he rode brilliantly all weekend and to take a podium for us first time is the perfect start to the season. I’m really pleased with how hard all the riders have ridden and the team have worked really, really hard so roll on Brands. ”
The next round takes place in two week’s time at Brands Hatch, Kent.
More, from a press release issued by Luke Mossey Racing:
Luke Mossey – Donington
Quattro Plant TECcare Kawasaki
www.facebook.com/LukeMosseyRacing
It was a tough opening weekend for 22-year-old Luke Mossey on the Quattro Plant TECcare Kawasaki at Donington Park. Mossey was competing in his first ever MCE British Superbike Championship and he gained a Championship point in race one with a 15th place but struggled slightly in race two and finished in 19th.
Luke was running well throughout the weekend and slowly finding his feet in the tough and fiercely competitive Superbike class. He was seventh in the opening free practice session, 13th in session two and seventh again in the final practice session. He was keen to get into qualifying and the first part of the session went well with Luke ending in sixth place. However disaster struck in the second session and Luke crashed into turn one, he was ok but the bike cart wheeled and destroyed itself.
The Quattro team worked hard throughout the night to rebuild it from scratch and they got him out for morning warm up. He was looking forward to race one but very nervous, the youngster from Cambridge rode hard during the first race and was fighting with some very well established and knowledgeable riders within the Championship, he battled really hard and secured a solid 15th place.
Mossey was placed in 23rd place on the grid for race two and he knew it would be tough from that far back on the grid, he got a steady start and moved through to 21st place. He worked his way up to 19th but the leading bunch had already made a break. Despite his consistent lap times he was unable to secure any Championship points but has learnt a wealth of experience from his first weekend in the toughest domestic Championship in the World.
Luke Mossey – “I felt really confident going into the weekend and I was keen to get some strong results for myself and the team. The practice sessions were going really well and I was looking forward to qualifying, in the second qualifying session I had a pretty big crash into turn one. I’m not sure what happened as the bike just went from under me. I’m lucky I was ok but sorry I caused so much damage, my team were amazing and were up until midnight rebuilding it for me.
I was a little nervous on race day and as the tension built for race one I felt more nervous, this was a whole new experience for me and I was riding around and with several riders I’ve looked up to and respected for years. It was a pretty daunting experience but I’m glad now that first race weekend is out the way and hopefully I can settle down at the remaining nerves. Everything in both races was completely different for me compared to racing in Supersport for the last few years.
I learnt a lot this weekend and I’m taking a massive amount of knowledge from the track, which I will take to future rounds. I want to thank the Quattro Plant TECcare team so much for making me so welcome and I really am looking forward to working with them all throughout this season. Also a huge thanks must go to my main sponsor TECcare and their continued support plus everyone else who has helped me this season.”
Personal Sponsors 2015
TECcare, Sidi, Shoei, GB Racing, SMV, Hel, Forcefield, Samco, Brembo, Gi-Moto, K Tech, JMC, Krombacher
Twitter – LukeMossey12
Facebook – www.facebook.com/LukeMosseyRacing
More, from a press release issued by Gearlink Kawasaki:
Gearlink Kawasaki
Donington Round 1
www.facebook.com/GearlinkRacing
Gearlink Kawasaki had a solid start to the 2015 Motorpoint British Supersport season at round one at Donington Park this Easter weekend. Irishman Glenn Irwin secured a third and fourth respectively, his team-mate Ben Wilson had a tough start back to his Supersport assault with a pair of sixth places.
Glenn Irwin was struck down with flu on Thursday prior to the race and was suffering with his energy levels over the weekend. He qualified the Gearlink Kawasaki on the second row in fourth place. He was riding well in the first race but then it was red flagged due to an incident at the Esses. On the restart, Glenn once again gained the hole-shot and was leading for four of the six lap dash. He ended up dropped back to third as the chequered flag came out.
In race two Glenn started from fifth place on the grid and held that position for the opening five laps of the 18-lap race. He then passed his team-mate Ben Wilson to move through to fourth, despite a challenge on Kyle Ryde for third he was unable to make it stick and had to settle for fourth place but sits in third place in the Championship standings.
Ben Wilson had to adapt to riding a Supersport machine again after a season in British Superbikes last year. Ben and the Gearlink team worked hard all weekend to get his bike set up the way he likes it. He qualified in ninth place, in the race he got an awesome start and was fourth after lap one and soon through to third. The race was red flagged and Ben restarted from third place, he got another great start and pushed through to second but by lap four he had pushed too hard and he really struggled to find grip, he finished the race in sixth.
In the second race Ben got another amazing start and was up to second place after the first lap, despite his best efforts and pushing hard Ben was passed by several riders and he dropped back to sixth, leaving Donington he is sitting in sixth place in the series as they head to Brands Hatch in a few weeks time.
Motorpoint British Supersport
Glenn Irwin – “It was a tough weekend this weekend, no matter what we tried on the bike it just didn’t seem to work how it should. I really did work hard to try and get the points that I did but I have every faith in the Gearlink Kawasaki team to turn things around and get us back near the front again. It was tough for sure but I know we’ll get there, it’s a long season. Thanks again to all my sponsors for helping me this year.”
Ben Wilson – “It was a really frustrating weekend this weekend as I was still riding the bike like a Superbike and rolling out the corners as opposed to getting on the gas. The Gearlink team has always worked really hard to help me settle back in quickly but we haven’t had much testing time so it was always going to be a bit tough here. I’m really pleased to be back in Supersport and hopefully I can be back at the sharp end at Brands Hatch.”
Team Manager Michael de Bidaph – “It was a mixed weekend for us in the Supersport class at Donington and we have not performed how we would have liked to. We bought new bikes over the winter and they just do not have enough miles on them yet to get everything bedded in nicely. We were hoping things would be better but we know we have a lot of work to do before Brands but know it is possible to sort the issues out.
We knew this year would be another tough year in this class and we have to be up to speed as soon as possible with both Ben and Glenn. We will work hard to ensure we can give them the best possible kit for the remaining rounds and always know that the Triumphs will be strong. I know both riders are capable of podiums and we would like to be there or thereabouts at the next races.
Joe Burns and the Gearlink Kawasaki team have amicably parted company after Donington Park. The team is now looking for a Superbike rider.”
2015 GEARLINK TEAM SPONSORS
AKRAPOVIC – B & C EXPRESS – DAYTONA – DAMEN LEATHERS – DBR – FERIDAX – FORCEFIELD – GALFER – GB RACING – GEARLINK LTD – GOODRIDGE – JOHNY WILLS PHOTOGRAPHY – K-TECH – MWR AIR FILTERS – NGK SPARK PLUGS – OCTANORM – PERFORMANCE PARTS – PERFORMANCE FRICTION BRAKES – PRO-BOLT – R & G RACING – RENTHAL – ROCK OIL – SAMCO SPORT – SCORPION – SHOEI HELMETS – SIGMA PERFORMANCE – SINNIS – SKIDMARX – SOLO SIGNS – TTS SURFACING LTD – TSUBAKI – VALE LIVESTOCK – WWW.1STCHOICE-FLOORING.CO.UK
#15 – Ben Wilson – #69 Glenn Irwin
Facebook – www.facebook.com/GearlinkRacing
Twitter – Gearlink Kawasaki
More, from a press release issued by Tyco BMW:
SEELEY OPENING DAY PODIUM FOR TYCO BMW AT DONINGTON PARK
Alastair Seeley’s third place in the Pirelli National 1000cc Superstock class was the stand out performance for Tyco BMW during today’s opening round of the 2015 season at Donington Park. Although huge credit must be given to his British Superbike team-mates Michael Laverty and Tommy Bridewell – who secured four top ten finishes between them on the all-new BMW Motorrad S 1000 RR.
Laverty said: “I am very satisfied with our day’s work at Donington Park. The whole Tyco BMW team pulled together following a tough practice and qualifying, and following a late night they delivered me a revised electronic and throttle strategy for morning warm up.
“I rode my first lap out of the pits with a smile on my face as I knew the team, with the help of the BMW Motorrad guys, had cracked it; a superb effort all round.
“Race two was excellent: I finished the race 8.7 seconds off the win, but I was 8.7sec down after six laps, so I lost nothing on the front guys whilst scrapping my way through the field. I’m excited to see what we can do once the team really get their teeth into the BMW S 1000 RR before round two at Brands Hatch.”
Tommy Bridwell said after his sixth and eighth place finishes: “We got ourselves out of a bit of a hole in both races. Obviously race one was a little bit stronger, but at least we know where we are going wrong now. We have to take the positives away from the weekend: we qualified 17th but came away with a sixth and an eighth and we have time to improve things even further for the next round.”
Alastair Seeley said of his Pirelli National 1000cc Superstock podium: “It all felt like being back in Supersport again, we had such a big battle with Hudson and Josh. I got a great start on the Tyco BMW S 1000 RR but as you expect in this class there was plenty of hard racing. I led onto the last lap and my plan was to ride defensive but Hudson came past at McLean’s, which was a bit of a surprise, but we didn’t panic.
Unfortunately we had a little hiccup with the bike on the last lap, as it starting surging a little and it probably cost me the win at the end, but I’m not going to complain. We’ve made massive progress since the first test and there’s plenty to come from both myself and the bike, so I can’t be disappointed with a podium in my first race.
Philip Neill – Team Manager: “Looking back at our first official BSB weekend as Tyco BMW, we are determined to take the positives from the experience and use what we learned to help us progress for round two at Brands Hatch.
“It’s fair to say this was a difficult weekend and perhaps that was inevitable as we still have so much to learn about our new BMW Motorrad S 1000 RR machines. However, we have an experienced hard working crew and great support from BMW, so I am confident each of our riders will be challenging at the sharp end sooner rather than later.
“Thanks to everyone involved for their efforts in getting us to this point and to each of our riders for their contribution over the weekend. Michael and Tommy both worked extremely hard to fight through the pack from lower start positions, and both showed determination in progressing to solid finishes in both race one and two.
“Alastair Seeley was a little unlucky not to challenge for the race win in Superstock class after we suffered some fuel surge on the final lap. However, he rode a fantastic race and will only get stronger as the season progresses, and I think two S 1000 RR machines on the podium shows the potential of the package.”
For more information please go to www.tycobmw.com
More, from a press release issued by Team Traction Control:
Podiums and points for Team Traction Control at Donington Park
Team Traction Control had a positive start to their 2015 campaign in both the Motorpoint British Supersport and Pirelli National Superstock 600 Championships at Donington Park last weekend.
In the Superstock 600 class Joe Francis fought hard to secure his first podium finish with the team in the opening race of the season with a third place, after setting an impressive pace throughout the 14-lap race.
James Rispoli and Andy Reid continued to build momentum through the opening race weekend in the Supersport class. The pair worked hard to secure a brace of top eighth finishes in the first two races.
In the Sprint race on Sunday, Rispoli was forced out of the action with a clutch problem, but Reid flew the flag for the team to secure a superb fifth place on his debut in the championship.
The pair were then fired up for the Feature race and after some frantic opening laps the pair were fighting for the top five, Reid was able to build on his race on experience to claim another fine fifth place finish, whilst Rispoli got his first race of the season under his belt to fight from 12th on the grid to finish seventh.
Francis said: “We had a good practice session and we took it steady and then we after qualifying I felt ready for the race, although I knew we needed to still work on a few things. I had a good start to the races and I was setting a faster pace than I had at any other point in the weekend. I started to get a bit of arm pump towards the end of the race, but I was just happy to finish with a podium as my target before the weekend started was a top five finish. It was an amazing way to start the season and I can’t wait for Brands Hatch now.”
Rispoli said: “We had a challenging weekend – we had a few problems in free practice at the start of the weekend which put us behind a bit and then the clutch issue meant our first race was over. I then started from 12th in race two, which wasn’t disastrous and I was moving up through the pack. Sam Hornsey had his crash in front of me and I had to avoid him and that lost me time. I was playing catch up then in the race but we scored points and now we can move on to Brands Hatch and push harder.”
Reid said: “It was important for me to score solid points on my first weekend in the Supersport Championship and that was what we did. I wanted to make sure I didn’t get into any trouble or do anything silly, so two top five finishes was mint. I learnt a lot last weekend and I think if we can get away with the leading group at the next round at Brands Hatch then it will be a completely different story!”