Dominant display by Brookes and Milwaukee Yamaha at Cadwell Park
Milwaukee Yamaha’s Brookes dominated the eighth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Cadwell Park, claiming a full sweep of pole position, fastest lap and the two races in Lincolnshire to extend his advantage at the top of the standings.
In race one Brookes instantly hit the front of the pack on the opening lap and his progress was only briefly halted in the first race when the Safety Car was deployed for a crash at the Mountain. The Australian controlled the race from the front of the pack when it resumed to win by 1.878s.
Brookes carried the momentum into race two where he again delivered an inch perfect performance to score his sixth consecutive win by an incredible 5.089s.
Josh Brookes
“I worked really hard at the start of the first race to make a gap and then I saw the Safety Car come out and I knew I had to get back on the gas straight away and make the gap again. I always ride better on my own smooth lines and I just wanted to stay ahead. The bike feels like an extension of my body at the moment – I am sure it appears easy but it isn’t!
“I just wanted to get out the front in race two and then not let up and keep going. It is easy to make mistakes and lose concentration. I wanted to be smooth and calculated so I kept it pinned and rode it to the flag. I am really pleased for the Milwaukee Yamaha team and everything is all working really well now so we are looking forward to Oulton Park.”
More, from a press release issued by Paul Bird Motorsport:
Byrne Vows To Bounce Back After Tough Time At Cadwell
The Penrith-based Paul Bird Motorsport team had a tough weekend at Cadwell Park this weekend in round eight of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship as sole rider Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne had to make do with a fourth and a sixth place finish.
Aboard the PBM Kawasaki ZX-10R, the reigning and four-time champion was able to salvage two results after a difficult start to the race weekend at the iconic Lincolnshire track, and says he now wants to move on and look ahead to the next round of the series.
Byrne was the only rider in action for the squad this weekend as Stuart Easton continues to recover from his Brands Hatch crash last month, and the Londoner was hoping the annual trip to Cadwell Park would bring better fortune than his last outing at Thruxton.
But the weekend got off to a bad start as he struggled during free practice, ending the opening day tenth fastest and more than a second adrift of his nearest rival. The team worked hard overnight and came back fighting for qualifying yesterday whereby Byrne had to settle for a fourth row grid spot in 11th position for the first race.
The opening MCE BSB race turned out to be a rather sedate affair for the reigning champion. Despite picking up three places at the start, he sat in eighth for the first eight laps before moving to seventh and then, on the final lap, he made a move to grab sixth.
For race two, Shakey lined up in sixth and got himself another good start as he moved up to fourth. Despite dropping to fifth soon after, he kept a steady head, catching and passing the rider in front on the 12th lap to retake fourth, a spot he held comfortably all the way to the flag.
Despite not adding to his Podium Points tally, Byrne has comfortably qualified for the end of season ‘Showdown’ whereby he is hoping to be joined by Stuart Easton upon his return at the next round.
Shane Byrne: “It’s really difficult to be positive if I look just at my results but at the same time if I look back to where I was on Friday when I just wanted to go home because I wasn’t feeling it at all, then I have to think that we have made some decent steps forward. The team worked so hard for me this weekend to try and find the solutions but we still aren’t where we should be. If I’m trying to quantify how happy I am on results then obviously I’m not very happy at all, but I feel generally that the progress we’ve made over the course of the weekend has been good and I’m pretty pleased with that. Obviously I don’t go racing for fourth and sixth places and neither does the PBM team, and right now we need a bike that can win again. I’ve been training hard since the last round and I know I’ve worked my nuts off so we need to all go back and look at what we can do to come back at Oulton Park at our best.”
Phil Borley, Technical Director: “It’s been another difficult weekend where we haven’t been able to give Shakey a bike he feels comfortable and confident with. We made some changes on Friday and Saturday and eventually he did get some improvement but it’s still a long way off where any of us want to be. Obviously we’re all disappointed not to score any podium credits this weekend, but we’re now going to assess the bike and we think maybe there is a problem with the chassis. We will investigate this further and get it sorted out ahead of Oulton Park. We know Shakey goes well around there and we want to be fit and ready to fight back when we get there.”
MCE British Superbike Championship – Race One (18 Laps)
1 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
2 Peter Hickman (BMW)
3 Billy McConnell (BMW)
4 Tommy Bridewell (BMW)
5 Michael Laverty (BMW)
6 Shane Byrne (Kawasaki)
MCE British Superbike Championship – Race Two (18 Laps)
1 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
2 Peter Hickman (BMW)
3 Tommy Bridewell (BMW)
4 Shane Byrne (Kawasaki)
5 Luke Mossey (Kawasaki)
6 Billy McConnell (BMW)
Championship standings (after eight rounds)
1 Josh Brookes 316 points
2 Shane Byrne 277
3 James Ellison 147
4 Tommy Bridewell 141
5 Stuart Easton 139
6 Michael Laverty 126
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
IDDON & BENNETTS SUZUKI TOP-10 AT TOUGH CADWELL
Christian Iddon salvaged a hard-fought-for top-10 finish onboard his Bennetts Suzuki GSX-R1000 at Cadwell Park today after a challenging weekend at the eighth round of the MCE British Superbike Championship.
Iddon started the weekend strongly and was third fastest after Friday’s second free practice session. However, in keeping with the run of bad luck that has plagued the team at recent rounds, the weekend took a turn for the worse in qualifying when a crash in Q2 robbed him of the chance to start on the front three rows.
Starting from 16th on the grid at a track that is notoriously difficult to pass at, Iddon worked hard to come through the field to finish ninth in race one.
A 12th placed grid-spot still left him with work to do in race two, but Iddon soon found himself embroiled in a battle for seventh after some impressive overtaking manoeuvres. Sadly, he saw his hard work undone when he missed a gear going into the hairpin that dropped him to the back of the group. He recovered, but could only claim 13th at the chequered flag.
Christian Iddon:
“16th to ninth wasn’t too bad in race one and I felt we could have at least had seventh in the last race. I felt comfortable and had made a couple of passes, but I missed a gear and dropped right back; it’s just one of those things. It’s frustrating, but the whole weekend’s been frustrating after the pace we had on Friday and Saturday morning. We’ll keep working for Oulton Park and hopefully we’ll get a little bit of luck too.”
It was a difficult weekend for Josh Waters onboard the second Bennetts Suzuki: After some difficulty finding a good base-setting for the Australian, the team made a breakthrough at the previous round at Thruxton. Sadly the unique and demanding nature of the Cadwell circuit made it difficult for the team to find a set-up that worked for Waters and he finished 17th in each of the two races.
Josh Waters:
“It was a really tough weekend and one to put behind us. We didn’t get anything to click today and after the progress and the result we achieved at Thruxton it’s disappointing to follow-it-up with today’s results. Now we’ll look ahead to Oulton, where we’ve been before as a team, so we have some data to work from and we’ll look for an improvement there.”
Martin Halsall – Team Owner:
“It’s been a bit of a weekend to forget, to be honest. We’re a new team but we’ve been making progress over the last few rounds and we’ve really been able to show our potential, despite the results not reflecting that promise. Cadwell Park is a difficult track to come to and go fast at but we looked like we were on for a good weekend again with Christian, and maybe in with a shout of the podium. But that bad luck that’s been following us around struck again in qualifying and put-paid to any hopes of a good result.
“On Josh’s side of the garage we’ve struggled to get the best from him and the bike together. We made some big steps at Thruxton but we took a few backwards here at Cadwell on a circuit that is very difficult to set the bike up for. But we’ll chalk this one down to experience and set our sights on a couple of good results at Oulton Park.”
Race One Result: 1. Josh Brookes, 2. Peter Hickman, 3. Billy McConnell, 4. Tommy Bridewell, 5. Michael Laverty. 9. Christian Iddon (Bennetts Suzuki). 17. Josh Waters (Bennetts Suzuki).
Race Two Result: 1. Josh Brookes, 2. Peter Hickman, 3. Tommy Bridewell, 4. Shane Byrne, 5. Luke Mossey. 13. Christian Iddon (Bennetts Suzuki). 17. Josh Waters (Bennetts Suzuki).
More, from a press release issued by Smiths Racing Team:
Dixon Wins & Debut BSB Podium For McConnell At Cadwell Park
The Gloucester-based Smiths Racing Team collected a haul of points and silverware as the MCE British Superbike and Motorpoint British Supersport Championships took place at Cadwell Park this weekend.
Folkestone rider Jake Dixon celebrated a Motorpoint British Supersport win and a third place aboard the factory-backed Triumph Daytona 675R at the Lincolnshire track while Billy McConnell scored his first ever MCE British Superbike podium with an impressive third place in the opening race aboard the 1000cc Smiths BMW.
Aussie McConnell had enjoyed a strong qualifying session and lined-up for the first MCE BSB race in sixth position. A great start meant the reigning British Supersport champion held his position through the first eight laps until out came the Safety Car for two laps due to an incident.
As the race got back underway, the 28-year-old wasted no time in making a move and passing the Tyco BMW of Tommy Bridewell for fourth, and with one lap to go he pushed his way past Luke Mossey into third. Despite some frantic place swapping on the final lap, McConnell crossed the line in third and in doing so, celebrated the first ever MCE British Superbike podium for him and the Smiths team.
In the second MCE BSB race McConnell started from eighth on the grid, dropping a place in the opening lap before a race long battle saw him move up to sixth, a position he held all the way to the chequered flag.
The team’s podium run had started in Saturday’s Motorpoint British Supersport Championship Sprint race, which was shortened from 12 to 10 laps after a red flag and restart. Dixon had lined-up second on the grid, but dropped to third in the opening lap. He stuck behind Kyle Ryde for the whole race, making a move for second on the final lap. But Ryde wasn’t giving up the place without a scrap, and stole the spot back, leaving Dixon to settle for a solid third place.
But the best was yet to come in the 16 lap Feature race this afternoon. Starting from pole, Dixon got a good start, holding the place for a lap until he was passed by Ryde over the line into lap two. Ryde led for a number of laps but Dixon sat behind him and waited, making his move on the eighth lap. He dropped to second twice more during the race as he battled with Ryde and Luke Stapleford, but on the penultimate lap he scorched back past Stapleford into the lead, holding it to the chequered flag to seal his third victory of the season.
Billy McConnell: “The first race was great, it’s always disappointing when you don’t get a podium second time but I’m still really, really happy. To get my first British Superbike podium is something really special and it’s a great way to pay back the team. Everyone has worked so hard and put so much effort into this, so to be able to reward them now with this podium is perfect. Now I’m looking ahead to Oulton Park as there are three races there so I’m hoping to get another taste of standing on the podium. Now I’ve been there, I want to keep going back.”
Jake Dixon: “It’s been great. The weekend started off really positively, we were quick and had good pace but felt we were struggling so made some changes before qualifying and it was a bit better. I made a few mistakes in race one but I corrected these in the second and I got the result I wanted. It’s my third win of the year and I’m really happy with this one. Two podiums is great, I’ll take that and now I can’t wait to get to Oulton Park to try and do it all again.”
Rebecca Smith, Team Manager: “We’ve had a very good weekend; it’s nice for everyone because of all their hard work this year. I’m thrilled for Jake, for me to watch a race like that and see him show what the bike can do and what he is capable of was just brilliant. He’s ridden well all weekend and he really deserves that win. As for Billy, well that’s a staggering result for us. We all knew it would come but I don’t think it was in any of our plans, we thought we were aiming for a top five so to see him race like that was just incredible. I’m so proud of him and all of the team, it’s been a wonderful weekend for us all and I’m pleased for both of them.”
MCE British Superbike Championship – Race One (18 Laps)
1 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
2 Peter Hickman (BMW)
3 Billy McConnell (BMW)
4 Tommy Bridewell (BMW)
5 Michael Laverty (BMW)
6 Shane Byrne (Kawasaki)
MCE British Superbike Championship – Race Two (18 Laps)
1 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
2 Peter Hickman (BMW)
3 Tommy Bridewell (BMW)
4 Shane Byrne (Kawasaki)
5 Luke Mossey (Kawasaki)
6 Billy McConnell (BMW)
Championship standings (after eight rounds)
1 Josh Brookes 316 points
2 Shane Byrne 277
3 James Ellison 147
4 Tommy Bridewell 141
5 Stuart Easton 139
6 Michael Laverty 126
11 Billy McConnell 88
Motorpoint British Supersport Championship – Race One (10 Laps)
1 Luke Stapleford (Triumph)
2 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)
3 Jake Dixon (Triumph)
4 James Rispoli (Yamaha)
5 Glenn Irwin (Kawasaki)
6 Andy Reid (Yamaha)
Motorpoint British Supersport Championship – Race Two (16 Laps)
1 Jake Dixon (Triumph)
2 Luke Stapleford (Triumph)
3 Kyle Ryde (Yamaha)
4 James Rispoli (Yamaha)
5 Ben Wilson (Kawasaki)
6 Luke Hedger (Kawasaki)
Championship standings (after eight rounds)
1 Stapleford 314pts
2 Ryde 277
3 Irwin 223
4 Dixon 203
5 Rispoli 142
6 Reid 140
The next round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship takes place at Oulton Park over the weekend of September 4-6, 2015. 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
Cadwell Park – Round Eight
It was a tricky weekend for the Be Wiser Kawasaki team at round eight of the MCE British Superbike Championship at Cadwell Park. Despite the form Danny Buchan was showing throughout the weekend, he was unlucky to crash out of race one but fought to a solid eighth in race two. Chris Walker was forced to retire from race one and was 15th in the second race.
The Be Wiser Kawasaki team were looking forward to their local round and had good expectations at a circuit that both Danny and Chris have achieved successful results at in the past. Danny was on flying form throughout the weekend and was second in every practice session and was looking confident and strong going into the qualifying. He secured his first front row position of the year in second behind Josh Brookes.
In the opening race the youngster got a good start and away with the leading pack, he dropped back to fifth but was settling into a good rhythm. Danny was looking good and made a move on Bridewell for fourth. However, on lap eight Danny got caught out on the Mountain section of the circuit and crashed out heavily and Bridewell took super-fast action to avoid him.
In race two he started from the second row in fourth and he got a solid start but dropped a couple of places to sixth after lap one. He was in some discomfort and pain during race two and he slipped back to ninth place. He was in a close battle for sixth place but had to settle for eighth, a strong top ten finish for him.
Chris Walker was looking forward to racing at his local and one of his favourite circuits but he struggled to find a set-up he was happy with over the weekend on the Be Wiser Kawasaki. Chris had to start from 17th place on the grid and knew he had a lot of work to do in race one to achieve a solid result. He held his position after the opening lap and by lap five was in a points scoring place of 15th. Chris suspected there was a mechanical problem with the bike and for safety reasons pulled into the pit-lane to have it looked at by his crew, forcing him to retire.
In race two he had to start from a lowly 19th place on the grid and he knew it was going to be tough to salvage something good from it. He got a good start and away with the pack and as always Chris showed his determination throughout the 18-lap race to make his way up to 15th gaining one valuable Championship point in the process.
Danny Buchan – “To say I’m disappointed would be an understatement. I just want to do well and try and re-pay my team for all their hard work and I feel like I’m letting not just myself but them down also. Everyone in the Be Wiser Kawasaki team has worked so hard for me over the weekend and I felt so comfortable on the bike during the practice and qualifying sessions.
I felt so good going into race day and was really looking forward to a couple of decent results. I settled down in the first couple of laps and despite a poor start I was still with the leading group. I got passed Tommy (Bridewell) and it was going well. I knew I felt comfortable over the Mountain section but Luke (Mossey) rode it differently to me. He had a bit of a moment so I had to roll off and it just spat me over the bars. I was lucky to crash there and not to end up badly hurt so I’m glad the marshals were so good with the flags and that the other riders were so fast to react to it.
I was feeling a little second hand for the second race and the most important thing for me was to finish and just bring the bike home in one piece. Eighth is a good result but obviously with the weekend going as well as it was I was a little disappointed. I hope things will take a turn for the better at the remaining rounds of the series.”
Chris Walker – “The Be Wiser Kawasaki team worked tirelessly to try and get me a comfortable setting with the bike to be able to push in what was a tough weekend all round. I made the job harder for myself as well by not qualifying up where I normally do on a track that is very difficult to pass on.
I stopped in race one with what I believed to be a technical problem, which didn’t help with the grid position for race two. We made a few more tweaks here and there and finally I managed to break into the 1’27’s and scraped into the points for our efforts. Oulton Park is next, onwards and upwards. #OldButGold.”
Alan Greig – Team Owner/Manager – “Cadwell Park is the local round for the team who are based in Lincoln. In the past, with the Be Wiser team in Superstocks we have achieved some of our best results at the circuit with our first race win and first pole position, so despite moving up to the Superbike class we were hoping for a good run of results again.
Both Danny and Chris came to Cadwell with high hopes. Danny was impressive all weekend and was up there near the top of the sheets in every session. We were delighted he qualified on the front row and were looking forward to watching him have a battle with Brookes in the races.
We had a long chat with Danny on Thursday night and reminded him of the minimal expectations the team expect from him the first year on the Be Wiser Kawasaki Superbike, there is no pressure on him and we just wish him to finish and enjoy his racing. He did settle in the opening laps and didn’t let his start fluster him into making mistakes and he was soon battling with Tommy (Bridewell) and got up to fourth. He had to take evasive action when Luke (Mossey) made a mistake and unfortunately he paid the price crashing out. It was clear he was suffering with pain in the second race but despite this still fought on and secured a solid eighth position, which we are really happy with.
Chris was having problems with set-up all weekend and the team worked really hard to try and help him find something that suited his style around Cadwell. He struggled during qualifying and was making progress in the first race but he suspected an oil leak on the bike and because he is the ultimate professional pulled in the pit-lane to avoid any problems to himself or any other rider on the circuit. The Be Wiser Kawasaki team once again pulled together to help make changes for Chris and these seemed to work and he worked his way up to a well-earned point.
I must thank the entire team for their dedication to the sport and the work they do, they work all hours to help Danny and Chris get the results they deserve and I’m sure that hard work will pay off soon.
We are now looking forward to moving on to Oulton Park the weekend after next.”
More, from a press release issued by Quattro Plant Kawasaki:
Up and down Cadwell meeting for Quattro Plant Kawasaki
The Quattro Plant Kawasaki team were out in force at Cadwell Park on Sunday with round eight of the British Superbike Championship seeing Luke Mossey and Howie Mainwaring Smart back in action.
Both riders were keen to continue the form they’d shown at the previous round at Thruxton but it was Mossey who enjoyed the better fortunes of the two as he ran consistently in the top ten throughout the weekend. Indeed, after qualifying in an excellent fourth, he spent much of the first 18-lap race battling for a podium position.
However, when Billy McConnell overhauled him with two laps to go, it pushed him wide and dropped him down the order and with little time to respond he had to settle for seventh at the chequered flag. It placed him on the front row for the second race and he held onto second place in the early stages before being slipping back to fifth although he was only just beaten to fourth by reigning Champion Shane Byrne.
For team-mate Mainwaring Smart, it was a more challenging weekend at the Lincolnshire venue but after qualifying in 15th, he replicated the position in the first race to add another point to his tally. In the second race though, he crashed out at the hairpin with John Hopkins on the final lap.
Luke Mossey: “Cadwell’s a bit of a bogey circuit for me so I was just looking for a couple of decent top ten finishes to be honest so to come away with fifth and seventh is very pleasing. I’m a bit disappointed not to have finished on the podium in the first race but Billy did a bit of a lunge on me at Park and I was lucky not to go on the grass. I enjoyed both races though and Cadwell’s not an easy place to ride a Superbike, particularly when it’s your first time, so I’m happy with the results.”
Howie Mainwaring Smart: “It was a difficult weekend for me and we just couldn’t get the bike set up to allow me to push on. We were battling all weekend and I did my best to salvage what I could but 15th in the first race was the best I could do. I wasn’t overly happy with the result and then in the second race I tried a move on John which didn’t work and resulted in us coming together. All in all, it was a really tough weekend.”
Pete Extance, Team Owner: “After a great last round at Thruxton the team was really up for a good Cadwell Park and Luke was again back in the top ten all weekend in every session, putting in a fantastic lap in qualifying to finish just 0.014 sec off the front row. Howie was struggling a little more and finished in 15th place for a fifth row start. Luke got a great start and looked to be on the podium again until Billy McConnell pushed him wide, which meant he unfortunately lost three places with only 2 laps to go.”
“Howie battled from deep on the grid to finish just in the points to add another point to his total although, unfortunately, he crashed out on the final lap of the second. For Luke though, it was another excellent ride into fifth place to close in on his Showdown rivals, which is pretty impressive stuff from a class rookie. It was a great effort by the team to be at the sharp end again so thanks to everyone at Quattro Plant and roll on Oulton in two weeks time.”
MCE British Superbike Championship – Race One (18 laps)
1 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
2 Peter Hickman (BMW)
3 Billy McConnell (BMW)
4 Tommy Bridewell (BMW)
5 Michael Laverty (BMW)
6 Shane Byrne (Kawasaki)
7 Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Tec-care Kawasaki)
15 Howie Mainwaring Smart (Quattro Plant Bournemouth Kawasaki)
MCE British Superbike Championship – Race Two (18 laps)
1 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
2 Peter Hickman (BMW)
3 Tommy Bridewell (BMW)
4 Shane Byrne (Kawasaki)
5 Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Tec-care Kawasaki)
6 Billy McConnell (BMW)
DNF Howie Mainwaring Smart (Quattro Plant Bournemouth Kawasaki)
Championship Points (after eight rounds)
1 Brookes 316pts
2 Byrne 277
3 Ellison 147
4 Bridewell 141
5 Easton 139
6 Laverty 126
10 Mossey 90
13 Mainwaring Smart 66
More, from a press release issued by James Rispoli’s publicist:
British Superbike Series: James Rispoli
DAYTONA, FL – James Rispoli made his mark at Cadwell Park this past weekend in the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship. Rispoli qualified in P5, his best lap at 1:29:36 was good enough for the second row of the starting grid for Saturday’s Sprint Race. Rispoli went on to place 4th in the sprint race bettering his pace and taking P4 in the race with the 4th quickest race time. This resulted in 4th position on the grid for the feature race on Sunday.
In the feature race Rispoli was battling to bridge a gap to second place when he was overtaken with five laps to go and pushed to 4th place. He held on to 4th place bettering his best time from Saturday with a 1:29:095 finishing .300 faster than Saturday’s sprint race.
“I managed to do a lot better than I thought I could after waking up Sunday morning with the sweats, nausea and stomach cramps. It really knocked me out to the point where I slept in the car on the way to the track.” Rispoli said.
“By race time I was feeling better and just put my race face on and went out. As it turned out I was P2 in warm up and even faster in the race but it wasn’t enough to make it stick. The race was grueling for me with the hot conditions and a challenging track,” Rispoli continued.
“I want to thank my crew and Team Traction Control for all the hard work. We are running up front and that’s critical, and the fans were amazing. You folks make it all worthwhile. Let’s keep it rolling.”
Rispoli came out of the weekend with 26 points and moved up to fifth place in the overall standings with eight more races to go.
Don’t miss out on the next race at Oulton Park on Sept. 4-6. Watch James “The Rocket” Rispoli continue to dominant at the British Superbike Series while representing the U.S.A.