DISMAL WEEKEND AT OULTON PARK FOR AIM YAMAHA Team AIM Yamaha came away from Oulton Park at the weekend with nothing to show for their efforts after Superbike rider Steve Plater crashed heavily in the rain on Friday damaging his ribs and being knocked unconscious for some time. Up to that point everything had been going well. Changes had been made to the chassis and apart from a rear tyre issue the bike was running smoothly. After Steve was ruled out of racing for the weekend Les Shand was called in to deputise but after completing the free practise and then qualifying on Saturday he was forced to withdraw because of an ongoing ligament problem in his arm. STEVE PLATER The bike highsided at Tower, the fifth gear left-hander just after Clay Hill on the final lap of the session. Obviously it was wet but the bike was running good, we had made some changes and everything was going forward. We were running top ten all session really but we are still struggling for rear grip. I highsided, then the bike followed me into the tyre wall and gave me a good hiding. I was knocked out for quite a long time, which means that I have an automatic eight-day ban or go and get a head scan to prove that I am fit to race. I also damaged a couple of ribs and this will be the deciding factor whether or not I will be riding at Mallory next week. I am going for some treatment and will just have to wait and see how I feel. It is a shame I was unable to ride the bike this weekend as we had made some good chassis changes and things were looking really good for Oulton. We had been a million miles off in the wet at Knockhill but were running inside the top ten here and I was feeling good to be competitive again. ALISTAIR FLANAGAN We had made significant changes to the chassis for the weekend and the bike was running really well until the crash. Luckily Steve is not too badly injured and should make a quick recovery. Whether it is in time for the next round we are not sure. He is having treatment on his damaged ribs but with Mallory Park looming up at the weekend it is a race against time. Even if Steve does not race, the team will be at Mallory with Steve Allan riding the AIM Yamaha Supersport bike and if everything works out he will ride it for the remainder of the season. Free practise begins on Friday with qualifying on Saturday prior to racing on Sunday at Mallory Park. The two Bennetts British Superbike races will be run over 30 laps and are scheduled for 1pm and 3.40pm while the Maxxis British Supersport race will be run over 28 laps at 1.50pm. More, from a Tom Tunstall Racing: Tunstall Splashes to Podium Double Hardinge Ice Valley Superbike racer Tom Tunstall managed to turn torrential wet conditions to his advantage at the weekend taking two hard earned podium finishes at Oulton Park. After hosting a round back in May it was a return visit for the ever popular British Superbike Championships to the Cheshire track. The heavy rain that has blighted not only the British summer but the previous two events continued and the wet practice was starting pay off for Superbike rookie Tom Tunstall as he posted the second quickest time in the wet practice sessions. Respite from the rain came on Saturday for qualifying and the Superbike Cup pace was extremely close with the top four riders covered by a 0.2second for the majority of the session. When riders swapped the race tyres for qualifying rubber Tunstall just missed out and was pushed back to forth despite lapping at and average of 96.94mph. “I didn’t really get the best out of the Qualifying tyre. With all the rain it’s the first time I’ve had chance to use one since Snetterton in mid-May! Still, we’re on the pace on race tyres which is more important, so I’m not too concerned” Unsurprisingly the rain returned, and continued to fall as the Superbike riders took to the grid on race day. Tunstall launched off the line and already started to pass riders on the run to turn one. Disaster struck for former champion Gregorio Lavilla as he crashed exiting the first corner. With bike and rider strewn across the track Tunstall had to shut off, allowing riders to re-pass and ended lap one in 3rd. The first lap carnage brought out the safety car and when the race got back underway Tunstall struggled to make ground on the riders ahead, but pulled away quickly from fellow cup riders James Buckingham and Marty Nutt. Even though Tom’s pace continued to increase, lapping faster than the cup leaders ahead it was not enough, and he crossed the line in third. After stepping off the podium Tunstall remarked “It was an eventful race”¦ I lost time when Lavilla crashed & I’m surprised they didn’t stop the race as I saw him get run over. Once the pace car went in someone dropped oil around half of the track leaving even less grip. I’m happy with my pace especially the second half of the race and I’m even happier to be back on the podium!” Race two was held in similar conditions and Tunstall again made a good start, and was third behind Tristan Palmer and Malcolm Ashley. With the wet conditions catching many riders out including championship leader Kiyonari, Tunstall kept calm and was promoted to 2nd as Ashley slid off the track on lap five just in front of Tom. Lapping more than a second a lap faster than Irishman Nutt behind Tunstall had a safe second place which he took to the flag to make it a double of two podium finishes. “I was really struggling with grip, especially at the rear and was out of the seat a lot, we went with the same set-up as race one so I’m not sure why? It’s easy to make a mistake in those conditions so I just tried to keep it smooth. Its great to get another podium finish, the whole team deserve it after all the hard work so I’ll save some of the champagne for them!” With the next race at Mallory Park this weekend the team won’t have to wait to fight for yet more podium finishes. More, from a press release issued by Speedfreaks Racing that does not mention the date or location of the event: Podiums and cancellations for Speedfreaks racing. The eighth round of the Metzler National Superstock Championship and Superstock Cup yielded two very different results for Speedfreaks Yamaha race team. The Championship race was called to a premature halt due to torrential rain making conditions on track too dangerous to continue racing, leaving Brigg based rider Gary Johnson with another non-event on his hands. While his Australian team-mate Anton Kokshoorn stepped on the podium for the first time this year in the Cup race. “The weekend went alright but with the race being cancelled it felt like waste of time,” said the disappointed Johnson. The weekend started out well with a fourteenth place in first qualifying which Johnson had hoped to improve on for a top ten placing in second qualifying. “Things went well in first qualifying but I tried too hard in second qualifying and didn’t improve. I was disappointed as I just got over taken,” he explained. Starting from the fifth row of the grid, Johnson made good progress through the pack despite the heavy rain. He was battling for a position within the top ten when the race was red flagged due to standing water on the track and poor visibility. “The race started out well and I had got up to tenth place when the red flags came out. I was catching Marshall Neill and Ben Wilson, I felt I had the pace to get ahead but the race was stopped,” he explained. Kokshoorn’s weekend had a much more positive result with a third place finish. Things started out well with the young Australian leading the wet free practice session. “Free practice was soaking wet and I was fastest. Then in first qualifying it dried up and I was seventh. I struggled a little bit for set-up and on track knowledge, but in second qualifying I managed fifth place,” he said. He worked hard in the race as he explained, “I was running in sixth place but cut through to fourth place and on the second to last lap I was gaining on third place. So I took him and pulled a gap to secure third place. This is my first podium here in the UK, I really enjoyed it,” he beamed. The Speedfreaks will be in action at Croft on the 10th 12th August for the next round of the Metzeler National Superstock and Superstock Cup Championship. More, from a press release issued by Bridewell Brother Racing: OLLIE ROCKS AT OULTON…! 21 year old Wiltshire rider Ollie Bridewell continued his brilliant form to record another pair of top ten finishes as the not-so-great British summer did its best to disrupt proceedings once again, this time at round eight of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship which was held Oulton Park in Cheshire at the weekend. After splashing his way to an eighth and tenth places at Knockhill aboard the Team NB Suzuki two weeks previously, the racer from Etchilhampton near Devizes overcame wet conditions again to claim a pair of ninth place finishes to make it five points scoring rides in a row as he moved up to 13th in the series standings. But it could have been even better for Ollie as he encountered clutch problems on the warm up lap for race one, meaning he had to make a pit lane start after changing to his number two bike, whereafter he stormed through the field and just failed to catch BSB race winners Scott Smart and Tommy Hill. In race two, the bespectacled ginger ace thrilled crowds and television commentators alike as he held sixth in the early stages before settling for another ninth place after a battle against the likes of ex champion Gregorio Lavilla and race one podium man, Chris Walker. It wasn’t such a successful weekend for 18 year old brother Tommy, however, who was forced to sit out both of Sunday’s races after a crash during free practice on Friday which aggrivated the rib injuries he sustained in his heavy Mondello Park crash a month ago. Tommy ended up out-qualifing his elder brother during Saturday’s dry qualifying session but after consulation with the team, it was decided that he not take part in Sunday’s action and try to get fit for the next round at Mallory Park this forthcoming weekend. Ollie Bridewell: “I’m very happy to make it four top ten placings in a row but at the same time, I was disappointed not to be higher up the leaderboard. We changed the clutch before the race and on the warm up lap, the damned thing started slipping like mad so I had to come in and change my bike which meant I was dead last at the start. In race two, I got a great start and it was good to battle with the likes of Walker and Lavilla although I’m not happy that I couldn’t keep Chris at bay. I feel I’m riding the wheels off the bike at the moment and the damp conditions have helped us a little in recent races if I’m being honest. Let’s hope we can keep the run going at Mallory at the weekend!” Tommy Bridewell: “I didn’t do myself any favours this weekend and I knew I’d really struggle to do a race distance with my injuries so we took a mutual decision to withdraw from the two races. It’s very frustrating sat on the sidelines when you want to be out there but the last thing I need at present are any more crashes so it was the sensible thing to do. Hopefully, we can get back in the groove at Mallory and I can claw some ground back in the championship. Team NB will be in action at the next round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship which takes place at Mallory Park in Leicestershire this forthcoming weekend. More, from a press release issued by Hawk Kawasaki: Strong Results for Hawk Monsoon season strikes again Oulton Park Round 8 It was a confidence building weekend for the Hawk Colchester Kawasaki team, as both Superbike riders Scott Smart and Peter Hickman gained valuable points in the eighth round of the Bennetts British Superbike series at Oulton Park, Cheshire. Once again appalling weather condition on Friday practice hindered essential progress that the team needed to move the results forward. Both riders plugged away through the wet conditions and posted some good times. The sun shone on the 2.6-mile circuit on Saturday for the third practice session and the afternoon qualifying session which allowed the team to get some essential dry practice and some new elements tested on the Kawasaki ZX10’s. After qualifying in 13th position Scott Smart gained a seventh and eleventh place in the two wet Superbike races. In the first 17-lap race Smart gained a good start and despite a number of crashes in front of him he managed to bring the Hawk Colchester Kawasaki home in his best position so far this season. Smart commented “I’ve still got a sore shoulder from Knockhill and didn’t help it at all when I crashed heavily on Friday. I aggravated my shoulder injury and also did some damage to my knee. The bike felt good in the wet today and it was good to make some progress and get some decent points in the bag. I’m hoping that we will be able to carry on the progress at Mallory next weekend.” Peter Hickman secured two solid 13th places from 20th position on the grid. Despite a run of bad form recently and some crashes it was a good moral boost for the team and for Hicky. Speaking with him he said “I’ve really struggled at the last few meetings and I’ve not scored in both races since early in the season. It’s nice to have two decent finishes and some points in the bag, the conditions weren’t ideal and I didn’t want to push it over my limit and crash. My main aim at Oulton was to finish both races, which I did and both times I got points. I’m now looking forward to Mallory Park next weekend and hope I can continue to move forward.” The Hawk Junior Team had a mixed weekend, David Hallett had qualified 11th in session one when a high speed crash in the second qualifying session forced him to miss the Saturday evening race. New recruit to the team, Alex Camier, younger brother to Leon made an excellent debut appearance in the Hawk Colchester Kawasaki team and rode in the Maxxis British Supersport Cup for the first time. He gained fourth place in the Cup race and 16th place overall in the Supersport race. Due to gearbox problems in morning warm up his three technicians Gavin, Chris and Andy worked miracles by removing the gearbox and with assistance from Gearlink Racing in a matter of 35 minutes assembled the bike and Alex started from the back of the grid. He said “It’s been a bit of a learning curve for me this weekend as the first time I rode the bike was on the Friday. I had a fairly big crash during qualifying on the Saturday and was feeling a little sore come race day. I just plugged away and brought the ZX6 home where I could, I felt pretty comfortable on it in the wet and reasonably happy with the result with it being my first time out on it. I’m looking forward to the rest of the season with the team and would like to thank them for the opportunity to let me ride it.” Once again a special thanks must go to Gearlink Racing for there help during the weekend. More, from a press release issued by Samsung Superbike Team: Disappointing weekend for Samsung Superbike Team at Oulton Park. The Samsung Suzuki Superbike and Ducati Superstock team had a fruitless outing at Oulton Park for round eight of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship and the Metzeler National Superstock Championship. In the Superbike class they suffered a double DNF and then the Superstock race was cancelled due to heavy rain making conditions on track too dangerous to continue. Superbike rider Dean Thomas was unable to compete due to his cracked ribs not being sufficiently healed so his Superstock team-mate Sean Emmett once again stepped into the breach. Thomas explained, “I went out in the rain on Friday and that was fine, I could do all the laps I needed to do. Then I went out in the dry for six or seven laps and my ribs were playing up, it has only been two weeks since I cracked them so I think they are just not ready. Even though rain was predicted for race day, if it rained “Yes” I could ride but if it dried out then there is no way I’d have lasted twenty laps. I had no option really but to step back and let Sean ride the bike.” Once the decision was made, Emmett had to go out and qualify on the Superbike which was still running Thomas’ settings, “I had to go straight out and qualify on his settings so I was always going to be up against it. I qualified in twenty fourth and had to start from row six, but I got a great start and I was eleventh after the first lap, then the pace car came out due to a crash. I got going again after that I was up to tenth and feeling good, I think I was on for a good ride but I tipped off at Lodge,” he said. Emmett had varied his line slightly and found a slippery section of track which caught him out, “I don’t know what happened, you’ve only got to be six inches off line here, sometimes if you go on a piece of tarmac you haven’t been on before you find out how slippery it is and first thing you know you are on your ear. It is disappointing,” said Emmett. The team worked hard to rebuild the bike in time for race two but the mechanical gremlins were out in force as Emmett explained, “They rebuilt the bike and because of that we had a couple of glitches with the throttle bodies, it was jamming the throttle on. So I tried the second bike which had a clutch problem!” The last opportunity for the team to have a result was in the Superstock race but the rain came down as the race started and it had to be halted just a few laps in. “I wanted to try and put a smile on my face and the team’s as well. But I actually pulled in two laps before it was red flagged because you could not see for the spray and there was loads of standing water. If someone had gone down no one would have seen them, they did the sensible thing in the end,” he finished. The team are now looking to round nine at Mallory Park on the 20th- 22nd July, where Thomas is hoping to be fit to race. More, from a press release issued by Hydrex Honda: First BSB podium for Harris and Hydrex Honda. The eighth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship finally yielded that much sought after podium finish for Karl Harris who came home in second place during race two at Oulton Park in Cheshire. His road racing team-mate, Guy Martin pulled off a top ten finish in race one to complete the team’s successful weekend. Race one for Harris didn’t go to plan as he slipped off whilst in fourth place and pushing hard for a podium finish. “The riders in front of me were actually holding me up and I was desperate to get by them,” he explained, “I maybe should have taken a step back and waited a few more laps to pass them and go. I just made a little mistake going into Lodge and lost the front.” He pulled it back in race two where his game plan worked well, “My plan for the second race was to get a good start, pass Leon Haslam straight away and then pull a gap and that is what I did,” he grinned. The podium was just reward for Harris’ and the team’s hard work as he said, “It felt fantastic, felt like a win when I was on the podium. It was good to be back up there. We have been working on suspension and engines plus the tyres as well with Dunlop – it is all working together now.” Martin returned from a very successful week at the Southern 100 on the Isle of Man. The “Friendly Races” as they are known are held on the Billown circuit and Martin took three out of four wins and one second place finish. “Southern went well I can’t really complain. Wet practice was bit rubbish but all the races were dry beside the last one. I had won three out of three up until the last race and then it was a bit wet so I struggled a little and made the best of a bad job,” he said. He arrived at Oulton Park on Friday having missed free practice which reduced his amount of track time. He then suffered a technical problem during qualifying which left him on the back row of the grid, but undeterred he went out and managed a tenth place. “First race was mint getting tenth when I wasn’t here on Friday and I’ve not raced the Superbike round here,” said Martin. Things didn’t really work out in race two as he went on to say, “The second race water got in the works and put my bike off a cylinder but other than that it hasn’t been too bad. I’m off to Kells road race in Ireland next weekend so I’m looking forward to that. My next big road race is the Ulster; I love Dundrod so I’m looking forward to that too.” Harris is also looking forward to his next outing on the Hydrex machine which is in just one week’s time at Mallory Park, “I’m looking forward to Mallory especially coming off a podium. My confidence is going to be higher now. I’ll be on it and want to get back up on the podium there, hopefully one place better!” he finished. The ninth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship is at Mallory Park on the 20th 22nd July. Kells road race is on the 21st – 22nd July in County Meath in the Republic of Ireland. British Superbike Oulton Park Race One Result 1 – Ryuichi Kiyonari – Honda – HM Plant Honda – 31.03.14 2 – Shane Byrne – Honda – Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport – 31.23.179 3 – Chris Walker – Suzuki – Rizla Suzuki – 31.23.994 4 – Leon Haslam – Ducati – Airwaves Ducati – 31.26.738 5 – Cal Crutchlow – Suzuki – Rizla Suzuki – 31.33.071 6 – Leon Camier – Honda – Honda – 31.45.449 7 – Scott Smart – Kawasaki – Hawk Colchester Kawasaki – 32.27.932 8 – Tommy Hill – Yamaha – Virgin Media Optoma Loans – 32.31.376 9 – Ollie Bridewell – Suzuki – Team NB – 32.35.422 10 – Guy Martin – Honda – Hydrex Honda – 32.46.967 British Superbike Oulton Park Race Two Result 1 – Jonathan Rea – Honda – HM Plant Honda – 24.33.750 2 – Karl Harris – Honda – Hydrex Honda – 24.45.853 3 – Shane Byrne – Honda – Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport – 24.53.699 4 – Leon Haslam – Ducati – Airwaves Ducati – 25.00.530 5 – Leon Camier – Honda – Honda – 25.03.006 6 – Tom Sykes – Honda – Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport – 25.25.334 7 – Michael Rutter – Kawasaki – Isilon MSS Discovery Kawasaki – 25.33.778 8 – Chris Walker – Suzuki – Rizla Suzuki – 25.44.431 9 – Ollie Bridewell – Suzuki – Team NB – 25.46.775 10 – Gregorio Lavilla – Ducati – Airwaves Ducati – 25.48.557 More, from a press release issued by Steve Plater’s publicist: FRIDAY 13TH UNLUCKY FOR STEVE PLATER Friday 13th lived up to its reputation of bringing bad luck as Woodhall Spa Superbike ace Steve Plater who rides for AIM Yamaha soon discovered when he crashed in practise for the eighth round of the 2007 Bennetts British Superbike championship at Oulton Park resulting in an overnight stay in hospital at Chester. Steve damaged his ribs and was knocked out in the crash and forced to withdraw from racing over the weekend. “The bike highsided at Tower, the fifth gear left-hander just after Clay Hill on the final lap of the session,” said Steve. “Obviously it was wet but the bike was running good, we had made some changes and everything was going forward. We were running top ten all session really but we are still struggling for rear grip. I highsided, then the bike followed me into the tyre wall and gave me a good hiding. I was knocked out for quite a long time, which means that I have an automatic eight-day ban or go and get a head scan to prove that I am fit to race. I also damaged a couple of ribs and this will be the deciding factor whether or not I will be riding at Mallory next week. I am going for some treatment and will just have to wait and see how I feel. “It is a shame I am unable to ride the bike this weekend as we have made some good chassis changes and things were looking really good for Oulton. We had been a million miles off in the wet at Knockhill but were running inside the top ten here and I was feeling good to be competitive again.” With less than a week before the next round at Mallory Park it is a race against time for Steve to prove he is fit enough to ride the AIM Yamaha Superbike. Free practise begins on Friday with qualifying Saturday and racing set for Sunday. More, from a press release issued by Centurion Racing: The Centurion Racing Team put their delivery of two 07 Honda’s to good use this weekend at round eight of the Maxxis British Supersport Championship at Oulton Park. Riders James Westmoreland and Dan Cooper scored a stunning seventh and eighth position in the difficult 14-lap race. Varied weather conditions throughout the weekend had allowed the two youngsters plenty of time to find a good set up for both the wet and the dry. By race day the rain was still coming down and the pair certainly did not disappoint and they made the most of their new bikes. Westy adjusted well to his new machinery and posted strong times throughout the weekend and was consistently in the top 15 with him setting the third fastest time in the soaked Friday afternoon practice session. Eventually qualifying in 12th the youngster from Hull got a reasonably start but slipped back to 14th by lap two, he soon regained his composure and worked his way back through the pack, battling with his team-mate Cooper for seventh place and winning the Supersport Cup race in the progress. Commenting Westy said “The weekend was a great success and to score solid points has done me a world of good in both Championships. The new 2007 Centurion Honda is awesome and I can’t thank the team enough for what they have done. I was reasonably happy with my race today. I definitely think my average qualifying session messed me up a bit in today’s race, otherwise things could have been very different. We have proved we are fast in the wet and dry and on new bikes it’s very good news. I’m really motivated for the remaining five round and want to keep moving forward.” Dan Cooper was unlucky to miss out on seventh place by 0.01 of a second from Westy as they crossed the finish line after the demanding race. After qualifying in 22nd position Cooper had a storming ride in the wet condition to ride through the pack and gain a very valuable and well earned eighth position. A fantastic start saw the 20-year-old from Stroud jump to 15th position after the first lap, each lap he moved further up the score board and had his team-mate set in his sights. The pair crossed the line almost touching and Cooper narrowly missed out to Westy. Speaking with Cooper he said “I found it difficult at first to adjust to the new bikes and we had to make quite a lot of changes before I felt comfortable. This hindered my progress a bit through practice and qualifying sessions. I definitely managed to find a good wet set up on Friday but I struggled a little to find a good dry one. When I saw it was raining on race day I felt a bit more confident and hoped that I could gain a good result. I got a really good start in the race and just had to work myself through the field, it’s really important for me now to work on my qualifying position to allow me to be on an equal par with the others riders and not having to start half way down the pack, which leaves me with a lot of work to do. I’m looking forward to Mallory next week.” Maxxis British Supersport Result Hutchinson Honda McGuinness Honda Robinson Honda Laverty Suzuki McConnell Yamaha Walker Honda Westmoreland Centurion Racing Honda Cooper Centurion Racing Honda Hobbs Honda Dickinson Honda