Bennetts Suzuki team and Tommy Bridewell are looking to put the weekend at Assen behind them and focus on ending the season on a high at Brands Hatch, after a difficult three days in the Netherlands.
An unfortunate string of bad luck cost the team valuable track time at the 11th round of the MCE British Superbike Championship, which included a crash and an oil leak. Already playing catch-up, issues with finding the right set-up for the team’s GSX-R1000 around the fast Assen circuit also meant Bridewell was fighting an uphill battle in the two races, coming away with 17th and 16th placed finishes and no championship points.
Tommy Bridewell:
“It’s been a really difficult and disappointing weekend for us. We were up against it already with the lack of track time, but we struggled to get the bike working right to be able to have two better races. The bike felt good when I first jumped on it in FP1, and we had a good base, but when it came to improving so we could be competitive in the races we just went in the wrong direction and ended up chasing our tails a little bit. If we’d had more time to be able to get on top of it, I think we’d have been able to have had a lot better weekend. In race two I felt relatively comfortable, but to be honest that’s how we’d liked to have felt after FP1 or in FP2. We just struggled with front-end feeling and it meant I couldn’t push as I’d like or as I needed to be fast. But it’s one of those weekends. We’d had a good run coming into this weekend and sometimes you get weekends like this. We know that both the team and I are better than those results, so now I’m looking forward to Brands Hatch, where we have a good setting, to end the season strongly.”
Martin Halsall – Team Owner:
“I’m disappointed with our results this weekend, and everyone in the team feels a little deflated. We’ve been really strong coming into this round, and for a multitude of reasons – some we couldn’t control and some we could – it’s not gone how we’d hoped. Even on a bad day, coming away without any championship points is not what we expect. We know that, as a team, we’re capable of a lot better than this weekend has shown. The aim now is to get ready for Brands, a circuit we’ve gone well at this season, and push to end our season on a high with three good results and, hopefully, some more podiums.”
Race One Result: 1. Leon Haslam, 2. Shane Byrne, 3. James Ellison, 4. Dan Linfoot, 5. Jason O’Halloran. 17. Tommy Bridewell (Bennetts Suzuki GSX-R1000).
Race Two Result: 1. Leon Haslam, 2. Shane Byrne, 3. Jason O’Halloran, 4. Dan Linfoot, 5. Luke Mossey. 16. Tommy Bridewell (Bennetts Suzuki GSX-R1000).
More, from a press release issued by Quattro Plant Kawasaki:
Strong performances by Mossey at penultimate BSB round
Quattro Plant Kawasaki’s Luke Mossey got his British Superbike Championship season back on track on Sunday with the 24-year old claiming two top seven finishes, including a best of fifth, at the penultimate round of the series at Assen in Holland.
With a strong qualifying performance giving him fourth place on the grid for the opening 18-lap race, a good start by Luke immediately put him in the top three and just a lap later, he took over in the lead although the leading six riders were all running in close formation. At half race distance, Luke found himself shuffled back to fourth as the leading three riders edged away and in the closing stages of the race, a sort out in the positions saw Luke come off worse and cross the line in seventh place albeit just five seconds off the race win.
Fourth on the grid for race two, the Cambridge rider was again in the mix throughout the 18 laps in what proved to be an incredibly close race where, at one stage, just 1.5s covered the top nine riders. Sixth at the end of lap one, Luke fought his way through to third on lap six but such was the closeness of the racing this had become sixth a few laps later. With two laps to go though, he moved ahead of James Ellison and fifth place was the outcome at the chequered flag.
Team-mate Filip Backlund again found the going tough and could only place 25th after a frenetic qualifying session on Saturday. However, lapping at almost an identical pace in the opening race at the Dutch circuit, he eventually came home in 23rd place. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to improve upon this in the second race later in the day and, after a slightly sluggish start saw him slip back to 29th, he completed the 18 laps in 25th place.
There were also two races at the Dutch venue for the Hyundai Heavy Industries British Sidecar Championship and Ricky Stevens/Ryan Charlwood took two excellent second place finishes to maintain their Championship lead. It was Tim Reeves and Gregory Cluze who grabbed the race wins but Ricky and Ryan lead them by a healthy 47 points going into the final, double points round at Brands Hatch in two week’s time.
Luke Mossey: “The first race didn’t go to plan really and the soft front tyre we’d chosen went off with five laps to goand so I had to settle for seventh. In race two, we were part of a massive dog fight with all of the Showdown contenders and we ended up fifth which I was pretty happy with. I think we have shown what we’re capable of and that we deserve our place in the Showdown so I’m looking forward now to the last round in a couple of weeks.”
Filip Backlund: “I really enjoy racing at Assen but this weekend has been tough without doubt. I felt good on the bike and gave it my all throughout but I didn’t have the pace to get into the points this weekend so I’ll keep working hard and do my best to end the year at Brands on a positive note.”
Pete Extance, Team Owner: “Luke really showed his worth in the Showdown with a superb fourth place in qualifying and then two great rides in both races. He was battling for the podium in each and whilst fifth and seventh were good results, they were not quite what we’d hoped for. However, they were both fantastic races and Luke can be pleased with how he rode.”
“Filip didn’t quite get into the points this weekend but he brought the bike home for two finishes whilst Ricky and Ryan had two great drives to take two second place finishes. They have a good advantage in the Championship table and they go to the Brands finale as favourites to retain their title so, hopefully, luck will remain on their side and they can take the top spot again.”
The final round takes place at Brands Hatch, Kent on October 14-16.
MCE British Superbike Championship Race One (18 laps)
1 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
2 Shane Byrne (Ducati)
3 James Ellison (Kawasaki)
4 Dan Linfoot (Honda)
5 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
6 Michael Laverty (BMW)
7 Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki)
23 Filip Backlund (Quattro Plant Cool Kawasaki)
MCE British Superbike Championship Race Two (18 laps)
1 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
2 Shane Byrne (Ducati)
3 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
4 Dan Linfoot (Honda)
5 Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Teccare Kawasaki)
6 Michael Laverty (BMW)
25 Filip Backlund (Quattro Plant Cool Kawasaki)
Championship Standings (after 11 rounds)
1 Byrne 633pts
2 Haslam 616
3 Linfoot 566
4 Ellison 560
5 O’Halloran 556
6 Mossey 534
28 Backlund 2
More, from a press release issued by Be Wiser Ducati:
Byrne Holds Advantage Following Assen
Be Wiser Insurance Ducati rider Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne will go into the final round of the 2016 MCE British Superbike Championship with a 17-point lead over Leon Haslam after the four-time Shane Byrnechampion finished second behind his Kawasaki rival in each of the two races at Assen today.
After claiming pole position on the factory-backed Be Wiser Insurance Ducati Panigale R for the first 18-lap race, a solid start saw Byrne complete the first lap in third place but this became second on lap four when he moved ahead of Luke Mossey. The leading six riders were running in close formation and it was on lap seven when the Sittingbourne rider hit the front for the first time for Paul Bird’s Penrith-based team.
As the race wore on, it became a head to head battle between Shakey and main championship rival Haslam with the duo pulling away from the battle behind. Haslam took the lead at the first corner on the final lap and he held on for the win although it was mightily close with Shakey crossing the line just 0.01s behind.
The 39-year-old had to start the second race from sixth and the second row of the grid and life became very difficult when a bad start saw him languishing in 12th at the end of the first lap. By half race distance, he’d moved up to seventh but overtaking manoeuvres were hard to find and it was only in the final third of the race that he started to challenge for the podium. However, this he duly did and he grabbed second on the penultimate lap to ensure he still leads the championship going into the final round in two weeks’ time.
Team-mate Glenn Irwin, meanwhile, got more points on the board in his maiden BSB season and he worked hard for 11th place in race one after slipping back to 15th in the early part of the race. However, the Carrickfergus rider continued to ride hard throughout and just when 12th looked like it would be the end result, a good last lap pass on Christian Iddon gave him a deserved 11th at the chequered flag.
Despite the result, the 26-year-old was back in 17th on the grid for the second encounter and like team leader Byrne, he found it hard to make progress through the field. Stuck in 15th for much of the race, a late rally saw Irwin move up to 12th and this was where he finished aboard the Be Wiser Insurance Ducati Panigale R to maintain the same position in the championship standings.
Shane Byrne: “I was happy enough with second in the first race especially as we proved we’re as fast on the harder SC1 tyre as we are the SC0. Leon’s made no secret of the fact that he prefers the SC1 Shane Byrnebut we raced with him all the way and only lost by a hundredth of a second. There were some points on the track where we were strong and some where we weren’t as strong so we looked at rectifying that for race two although it was a bit of a surprise to be in sixth and on the second row.
“It wasn’t the ideal place to be and, unfortunately, I made a really bad start which made it hard work from the word go. I got boxed in and was way back whilst it also took me what seemed like ages to get by Richard Cooper. I struggled to find a way by but once I did I got through behind Leon although he was riding really well, controlling the race from the front. I needed to finish second, at least, which I did and we’ll keep our heads down and look to get back to race winning form at Brands Hatch.”
Glenn Irwin: “All in all, it’s been a very positive weekend and we’ve certainly made some good steps forward compared to the last round at Donington. I was really happy with my mid-race pace and end Glenn Irwinof race pace where it was pretty much a match for the top six but I did struggle at the beginning with a full tank of fuel. I dropped out of the points on both occasions and I found it hard to defend my lines so I was out of the top 15 albeit still battling with good riders. In each race though, I got stronger and stronger and the team did a great job all weekend so we know the areas to work on and will be looking to end the season on a high at Brands.”
Phil Borley, Technical Director: “It hasn’t been too bad a weekend and we’re not too disappointed with the results. Obviously, it would have been nice to have got a win, especially after Shakey’s qualifying lap, but we weren’t quite there in either race. Race two for Shakey was compromised by his grid position and then his bad start but he did a great job to come through to second and although the lead has come down, it’s certainly not the end of the world.
“Glenn had a solid weekend and although he struggled a bit with the set up of the bike, especially in qualifying, he had good rides in both races. He did struggle a bit with a full tank of fuel but from mid-race onwards, he had very good pace and got two good finishes. Overall, we’re still in a good position in the championship and whilst there’s pressure on Shakey, there’s equally as much pressure on Leon so we’ll look ahead to Brands and hopefully win some races but, most of all, win the championship.”
The final round takes place at Brands Hatch in two weeks time, 14-16 October.
MCE British Superbike Championship Race One (18 laps)
1 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
2 Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati)
3 James Ellison (Kawasaki)
4 Dan Linfoot (Honda)
5 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
6 Michael Laverty (BMW)
11 Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati)
MCE British Superbike Championship Race Two (18 laps)
1 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
2 Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati)
3 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
4 Dan Linfoot (Honda)
5 Luke Mossey (Kawasaki)
6 Michael Laverty (BMW)
12 Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati)
Championship Standings (after 11 rounds)
1 Byrne 633pts
2 Haslam 616
3 Linfoot 566
4 Ellison 560
5 O’Halloran 556
6 Mossey 534
12 Irwin 118
For further information, please visit www.pbmuk.net and www.pbmuk.net
More, from a press release issued by Smiths Racing Team:
Smrz In The Points At Assen
Gloucester-based Smiths Racing BMW were back in MCE British Superbike Championship action at Assen this weekend where Jakub Smrz put a smile on the team’s face with points scoring finishes in both of the two races at the Dutch circuit.
Having taken a pole position at Assen in the World Superbike Championship, the Czech Republic rider was eagerly looking forward to a return and this could be seen in Friday’s free practice sessions when he ran as high as fifth. It looked like he was on course for a good qualifying position but it all went wrong in Q2 when he crashed early on, leaving him back in the pack in 15th.
Starting from the fifth row would be no easy task given the closeness of the competition in 2016 and so it proved and although ‘Kuba’ was up to 13th in the early stages of the race, he wasn’t able to make any further progress. Battling with a group of riders for ninth, he eventually had to settle for 14th at the chequered flag for the double British Supersport champions.
He was again on the fifth row for the second race albeit from the slightly more advanced position of 13th and an excellent start propelled him up to ninth at the completion of the first lap. There was little to choose between the leading dozen riders and Smrz found himself going from ninth to 11th, back up to eighth and then tenth all in a handful of laps. At one stage, there was just 1.5s covering the top nine riders but in the end Jakub had to settle for 11th place.
Team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari found the going tough as he made a return from the knee injury he sustained at Donington Park two weeks ago. The former three-time champion took 21st in qualifying and found himself battling for positions towards the bottom end of the top 20 during the opening encounter. In the end, he sealed 18th on the final lap and that meant he started the second race from 19th on the grid.
The 34-year-old Japanese ace dropped a couple of places on the first lap to lie in 21st place and this was where he remained for much of the race. However, a late rally saw him pick off a few riders in front of him and although he wasn’t able to make it into the points, he did take his second top twenty finish with an identical 18th place finish.
Jakub Smrz: “The weekend went ok and we made more progress although chatter from the front end held me back in both races and was also partly why I crashed in qualifying. My pace was good all weekend but for race one I was 15th on the grid and meant I couldn’t climb any higher than 14th. We improved a bit for race two and at the beginning of the race I was very strong, running in eighth, but as the race wore on, I couldn’t run the pace I wanted and ended up 11th. It’s a bit frustrating as I felt confident of challenging for the top six here but we’ll go away and look at the data and hopefully challenge for the top ten in all three races at Brands Hatch.”
Ryuichi Kiyonari: “After crashing at Donington, this weekend was difficult and although my knee wasn’t too bad, it still wasn’t 100% and it was holding me back a bit. It wasn’t too bad for riding and in each Ryuichi Kiyonarisession and in each race we improved as the team and mechanics changed many things to try and help make the bike suit my style that bit better. The bike is very strong but I ride differently to Kuba so we have to try different things with the set up. Two 18th place finishes aren’t where we should be finishing as I know there is a lot of potential with the bike, the team and myself. We have three races at Brands and I want to make sure I give the team the best results possible.”
Rebecca Smith, Team Manager: “The weekend has gone OK for the team and it’s good to see Kuba finish both races inside the points. He was obviously hoping for a bit more as it’s one of his favourite circuits but unfortunately, front end chatter was holding him back and despite both him and the team working incredibly hard throughout, they never quite got to the bottom of it. When his pace was good, he looked comfortable running with the leading group so hopefully we can have more of the same at the final round.
“Kiyo struggled a bit with his knee and although it was a lot better than two weeks ago, Assen’s a very physical track and it was hard work for him. He brought the bike home for two solid finishes inside the top twenty but we all know he’s capable of more so he’ll look to have three strong rides at Brands and end the year on a positive note.”
MCE British Superbike Championship Race One (18 laps)
1 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
2 Shane Byrne (Ducati)
3 James Ellison (Kawasaki)
4 Dan Linfoot (Honda)
5 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
6 Michael Laverty (BMW)
14 Jakub Smrz (Smiths Racing BMW)
18 Ryuichi Kiyonari (Smiths Racing BMW)
MCE British Superbike Championship Race Two (18 laps)
1 Leon Haslam (Kawasaki)
2 Shane Byrne (Ducati)
3 Jason O’Halloran (Honda)
4 Dan Linfoot (Honda)
5 Luke Mossey (Kawasaki)
6 Michael Laverty (BMW)
11 Jakub Smrz (Smiths Racing BMW)
18 Ryuichi Kiyonari (Smiths Racing BMW)
Championship Standings (after 11 rounds)
1 Byrne 633pts
2 Haslam 616
3 Linfoot 566
4 Ellison 560
5 O’Halloran 556
6 Mossey 534
18 Smrz 37
20 Kiyonari 30
The final round takes place at Brands Hatch in two weeks time, 13th/15th October.