Double Delight For Byrne, Despair For Easton At Oulton
Following a tough couple of rounds, the Penrith-based Paul Bird Motorsport team bounced back in superb fashion at round nine of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park this weekend whereby reigning champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne scored a superb double victory to get his challenge back on track.
With three MCE BSB races over the course of the weekend, it was a busy meeting for both the riders and the team, but pole position for yesterday afternoon’s race saw Shakey back to his best aboard the PBM Kawasaki ZX-10R. From there, he made it count and having grabbed the lead going into the first corner, he was never headed during the 18 laps and despite coming under pressure from James Ellison in the closing stages, he duly took his significant 67th career MCE BSB win.
The first race today saw the 37-year-old Sittingbourne rider locked in battle with main title rival Josh Brookes and there was never more than half a second between the pair. Going into the final two laps, the race was still anyone’s but on the penultimate lap, Byrne suffered a technical problem which resulted in retirement and cruelly robbed him of crucial Podium Points heading into the Showdown.
With a spare engine fitted for the third and final race, it proved to be a hard fought race for Shakey and whilst he held a comfortable second place in the early stages, a slight mistake after a period under the safety car saw him drop back to fourth. But in typical style, the four-time champion fought his way back into contention and grabbed the lead on the penultimate lap to take his seventh win of the season.
Meanwhile, team-mate Stuart Easton was making his return to racing after breaking his leg in a high-speed spill at Brands Hatch in July and the weekend started well as he eased his way back. The Hawick-based rider was placed in a strong twelfth after the free practice sessions but unfortunately crashed out in the early stages of qualifying.
With further damage to his already injured leg, the 32-year-old Scot was forced to withdraw from the remainder of the meeting and with other results over the course of the two days not going his way, it meant he slipped back to seventh in the table, subsequently missing out on one of the top six Showdown spots.
Shane Byrne: “First of all, I’m delighted to be in the Showdown again this season and we can now regroup and get ready for the final three rounds. The first race was quite tricky this weekend and I wasn’t sure how it would pan out, but I tried to relax and look after the tyres and it all went to plan. The second race was the first time we’ve had an engine failure in two years and I really felt for the team so that final race win is for them as they’ve turned it around for me after the problems we’ve had in recent rounds. Again, it was a hard race and after I made the pass on Josh, it gave me some work to do, but I dug deep and pulled through for the victory.”
Stuart Easton: “After all the hard work in getting back for this round, it’s not only disappointing to suffer another injury setback, but to miss out on a Showdown place by a narrow margin is especially harsh. I gave it my best shot and it didn’t work out so now I have to concentrate on getting fully fit again. Well done to Shakey on the double win, I’m pleased for him and the PBM team and I hope to be back in action for Assen.”
Paul Bird, Team Owner: “It’s been a bittersweet weekend and obviously I’m really disappointed for Stuart after fighting his way back from injury only to suffer another one this weekend. He was riding really well this season and the broken leg in July came at the worst possible time and it’s ultimately cost him his place in the Showdown. He’s a fighter though and will come back stronger for sure. For Shakey, he’s shown his class again this weekend and after a slight dip in form, he’s bounced back like the champion he is. We had a cam-chain problem in the second race, which was our first engine problem in two years, but the boys put a spare engine in and he showed his class. It’s now all about the Showdown and we’re definitely ready with the only aim being to retain the number one plate.”
Whereas Byrne trails Brookes in the points table, attention now turns to the Showdown scoring format which sees Brookes hold a slender two point lead going into the opening round of the Showdown, which takes place at Assen in The Netherlands over the weekend of September 18/20th 2015.
For more information, please visit www.britishsuperbike.com and www.britishsuperbike.com
MCE British Superbike Championship -Race One (18 laps)
1 Shane Byrne (PBM Kawasaki)
2 James Ellison (Kawasaki)
3 Danny Buchan (Kawasaki)
4 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
5 Dan Linfoot (Honda)
6 Luke Mossey (Kawasaki)
DNS Stuart Easton (PBM Kawasaki)
MCE British Superbike Championship -Race Two (18 laps)
1 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
2 Danny Buchan (Kawasaki)
3 Dan Linfoot (Honda)
4 Luke Mossey (Kawasaki)
5 James Ellison (Kawasaki)
6 Peter Hickman (BMW)
DNF Shane Byrne (PBM Kawasaki)
DNS Stuart Easton (PBM Kawasaki)
MCE British Superbike Championship -Race Three (18 laps)
1 Shane Byrne (PBM Kawasaki)
2 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
3 Tommy Bridewell (BMW)
4 Danny Buchan (Kawasaki)
5 James Ellison (Kawasaki)
6 Dan Linfoot (Honda)
DNS Stuart Easton (PBM Kawasaki)
Championship Positions (after nine rounds)
1 Brookes 553pts
2 Byrne 551
3 Ellison 522
4 Bridewell 507
= Linfoot 507
6 Laverty 500
7 Easton 139
More, from a press release issued by Milwaukee Yamaha:
BROOKES RETURNS TO WINNING WAYS TO LEAD TITLE CHASE INTO THE SHOWDOWN
Milwaukee Yamaha’s Josh Brookes leads the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings into the Showdown opener at Assen after securing a win and a second place finish at Oulton Park today.
In the opening race of the day Brookes launched to the front of the pack on the second lap and he held his position, despite the attack from his rival Shane Byrne. A string of consistent and fast laps gave the Milwaukee Yamaha rider the edge as he claimed his seventh win of his campaign.
In the final race of the triple-header weekend Brookes again hit the front of the field and following a safety car intervention continued to hold the lead. However in the closing stages he was lacking grip and on the penultimate lap was pushed back to finish in second place.
Josh Brookes
“I felt quite comfortable in the race today but I was struggling at the end with grip. It is difficult to accept to lose it in the final race. I had put my head down and did everything I could and we were running a good pace. I rode as hard as I could but Shakey could do more.
“The Showdown feels real now, especially after a weekend like this one with the highs and lows of the good luck and bad luck we have had at Oulton Park. When we are all lined up in the Showdown I will be giving it everything to try and win which is always my approach and plan and that will continue until the end of the year. I have high hopes for Assen now, but anything can happen.”
More, from a press release issued by JGSpeed Fit Kawasaki:
TITLE FIGHTER ELLISON BATTLES THROUGH THE PAIN AT OULTON PARK
06 September 2015 – Following yesterday’s stunning return to the podium and securing his Showdown position, JG Speedfit Kawasaki Showdown star James Ellison suffered more with the injury today, but was still able to fight through the pain to secure two fifth places. Team mate James Westmoreland was unable to show his true potential as he was forced off track in the opening race, but still fought through to secure tenth, before a lack of grip in the final race saw him finish fourteenth.
By virtue of his lap time yesterday, Ellison started the second race of the weekend from fifth position whilst Westy was back in 21st having not set a flying lap in the first race. Struggling more today with his injury, James Ellison was unable to replicate his storming start from the opening race but still crossed the line at the end of the first lap in seventh with Westy moving up to 18th. Keeping his cool throughout the race, Ellison was able to eventually take the flag in a strong fifth place. Westy, despite being forced to run across Hizzy’s chicane on lap 11, fought back through the pack to take tenth place at the line.
The third and final race saw Ellison start from eighth and Westy 17th. With both enjoying good starts to run sixth and 15th respectively, they had both moved up one further place by the time the pace car was deployed on lap six. As the pace car pitted, Ellison slipped back to sixth but defying the pain from his injury, he put in a number of fast laps towards the end to retake fifth. Unfortunately for Westy, he was unable to find the same grip he had from the first race, eventually crossing the line in 14th.
With Oulton Park marking the end of the ‘main’ season, James Ellison has secured his position in the MCE British Superbike Championship Showdown and has become one of the six Title Fighters. With all six having their points levelled at 500 and their podium credits added, Ellison sits third in the Championship, just 31 points from the lead as the Championship moves into the three round Showdown.
MCE British Superbike Championship Title Fighter James Ellison said “To be leaving Oulton Park as a Title Fighter is a job well done. It was our goal this weekend and thankfully we did it in the first race yesterday as I struggled a little with the injury today. Josh and Shakey are on fire at the moment so it’s going to be a tough final three rounds but I believe we can do it and if it wasn’t for the broken ribs at Snetterton and then the wrist at Thruxton we would have been closer. Despite that, we’re sat third in the Championship and when I’m fully fit the JG Speedfit Kawasaki will be back challenging for victory.
The bike is mega at the moment and capable of winning every race, I’m just not able to ride it to the maximum just yet, but with two more weeks until Assen I’ll be in a much better shape. With the riders who’ve made it and Yamaha, Kawasaki, BMW and Honda all in the Showdown, it’s going to be epic. My job now is to focus on getting in the best position I can for Assen and claw back those points.”
Struggling throughout the weekend James Westmoreland added, “Honestly, this weekend has had its difficulties. We made Friday very hard for ourselves and it put us on the back foot ever since. We made some changes ahead of qualifying and I instantly felt comfier, but it was like FP1 for us. The bike was feeling great for the opening race but unfortunately through no fault of anyone, I was forced to lay the bike down and our race was done.
That put us further back for the race two but to come from 21st on the grid, again get pushed out meaning I had to run over the chicane and lose a handful of positions, we were still able to fight back up to tenth. The final race was frustrating, I wasn’t able to make the initial progress I did in the first outing but for some reason I didn’t have the same grip. It would have been nice to walk away from today with two top ten positions but I still set my fastest ever lap round Oulton and with the team bringing some updates for Assen I’m confident we’ll be back to where we belong.”
JG Speedfit Kawasaki Team Principal Mark Smith-Halvorsen added, “It’s been a really positive weekend for both sides on the garage. Westy struggled a little at Cadwell but we’ve definitely seen him back to some form this weekend and although the results might not show it his lap times and race pace were competitive.
Our main goal this weekend however was getting James Ellison and JG Speedfit Kawasaki into the Showdown. We achieved that far earlier than we expected and even with the amount of discomfort and his limitations on the bike, he was still able to get an incredible podium yesterday and two very strong results today. We’re all so pleased for him, and the fightback to the top of the standings begins now. We’ll be bringing some improvements to the Kawasaki ZX-10R for Assen and with James being stronger we’ll definitely be closer to the front and show everyone we’re capable of winning the 2015 MCE British Superbike Championship.”
MCE British Superbike Calendar 2015
18/19/20 September
TT Circuit Assen (The Netherlands)
2/3/4 October
Silverstone GP (Northamptonshire)
16/17/18 October
Brands Hatch GP (Kent)
To learn more about the team, visit www.gbmoto.com and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram
To find out more about the JG Speedfit brand, you can visit www.jgspeedfit.com
More, from a press release issued by Quattro Plant Kawasaki:
Mossey continues to impress for Quattro Plant Kawasaki
The Quattro Plant Kawasaki team enjoyed another strong weekend at round nine of the 2015 British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park with class rookie Luke Mossey again impressing.
With three races over the course of the weekend, Saturday afternoon saw the first 18-lap encounter and, having qualified sixth Luke slipped back to ninth in the early stages before regrouping and fighting his way back through the pack. By half race distance he was up to fifth and locked in battle with Dan Linfoot and at the chequered flag, it was the Honda man who took the 11 points with Luke having to settle for sixth.
Sunday saw the usual two races take place and Luke was never outside the top six in the opening encounter. For much of the race he occupied fourth place and although Linfoot pushed him back to fifth, second placed Shane Byrne was forced to retire on the penultimate lap promoting Luke back up to fourth for his second highest finish of the season. Grip problems kept him down in 11th in the final race but the good haul of points has seen him move up to ninth overall in the Championship table.
Meanwhile, problems on Friday meant team-mate Howie Mainwaring Smart was on the back foot but he qualified in 13th for the opening race and was hopeful of moving into the top ten but his race was over before it had really begun as he crashed out at Old Hall Corner on the second lap. The Aylesford-based rider found himself towards the back of the grid for the first of the two races on Sunday, starting from 19th and the seventh row.
Any hopes of points though disappeared on the third lap when he overshot at Hizzy’s, dropping him back to 23rd, and although he was able to claw back some of the ground, 17th was where he placed at the chequered flag. However, the final race of the weekend saw him getting back close to his best and a determined ride saw him rewarded with tenth place for six more hard earned Championship points.
Luke Mossey: “Overall it’s been a good weekend although I can’t deny I’m a bit disappointed with the final race. When the safety car went in though, the grip from the tyres dropped right off and it was a battle all the way to the end. I can’t complain though as the other two races went really well and I was pleased with the lap times and in my riding. A lot of people have had mixed fortunes this weekend so we can take away a lot of positives. Two of my favourite circuits are next so I’m looking to repay all the boys in the team and go for the podium again.”
Howie Mainwaring Smart: “It’s been a massively difficult weekend and after the problems on Friday, it was an uphill battle. Saturday’s final practice session was wet so we went into qualifying blind and bit the screen to take 13th. We then had to change engines moments before the first race and then I wrote the bike off in the crash. It looked like the whole weekend was going to be a disaster but I rode the wheels off the bike in the final race and to come from 22nd on the grid to tenth feels like a win for me. My lap times were extremely strong and it’s got my confidence back so let’s hope for a bit more luck in the final three rounds.”
Pete Extance, Team Owner: “It’s been another great weekend for Luke and, whilst I’ve said it before, he’s performing brilliantly as a class rookie. He was superb all the way through free practice and qualifying and he carried that form into the three races, starting off with an excellent sixth in Saturday’s race. He went better still in Sunday’s opener to take fourth and although he suffered with a lack of grip in the final race of the weekend, he brought the bike home for some valuable points to move up to ninth overall in the Championship.”
“Howie unfortunately suffered with no track time on Friday due to an electrical problem and he was playing catch up all weekend. A big crash in the first race put him and his crew on the back foot even more but the team worked really hard to give him a good bike for Sunday and he battled hard for tenth place in the final race of the weekend, a position we know he should finishing in week in week out.”
“We move on to Assen now with hopes of Luke going for seventh overall in the Championship and challenging for the BSB Rider’s Cup. Thanks as always to the whole team for their efforts and for all our sponsors particularly Quattro Plant.”
The next round of the series takes place at Assen, Holland on September 18-20.
MCE British Superbike Championship – Race One (18 laps)
1 Shane Byrne (Kawasaki)
2 James Ellison (Kawasaki)
3 Danny Buchan (Kawasaki)
4 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
5 Dan Linfoot (Honda)
6 Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Tec-care Kawasaki)
DNF Howie Mainwaring Smart (Quattro Plant Bournemouth Kawasaki)
MCE British Superbike Championship – Race Two (18 laps)
1 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
2 Danny Buchan (Kawasaki)
3 Dan Linfoot (Honda)
4 Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Tec-care Kawasaki)
5 James Ellison (Kawasaki)
6 Peter Hickman (BMW)
17 Howie Mainwaring Smart (Quattro Plant Bournemouth Kawasaki)
MCE British Superbike Championship – Race Three (18 laps)
1 Shane Byrne (Kawasaki)
2 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
3 Tommy Bridewell (BMW)
4 Danny Buchan (Kawasaki)
5 James Ellison (Kawasaki)
6 Dan Linfoot (Honda)
10 Howie Mainwaring Smart (Quattro Plant Bournemouth Kawasaki)
11 Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Tec-care Kawasaki)
Championship Positions (after nine rounds)
1 Brookes 374pts
2 Byrne 327
3 Ellison 189
4 Bridewell 157
5 Laverty 146
6 Linfoot 142
9 Mossey 118
15 Mainwaring Smart 72
More, from a press release issued by Smiths Racing Team:
First And Second For Dixon, McConnell In The Points At Oulton
The Smiths Racing Team were back in MCE British Superbike Championship and Motorpoint British Supersport action this weekend where the Gloucester-based team was competing at Oulton Park in Cheshire for round nine of the respective series.
In front of another large crowd, it was Supersport rider Jake Dixon who was the toast of the team by taking a brilliant victory as well as a second place finish aboard the factory-backed Smiths Triumph Daytona 675R.
The Folkestone rider was hoping to continue the good form he’d shown in the previous round at Cadwell Park, where he’d taken his third victory of the season and he continued that fine form into this weekend at Oulton Park. Yesterday’s ‘Sprint’ race saw a ferocious six rider battle throughout the 12 laps with Jake leading from laps four to ten. However, Andrew Reid managed to squeeze by on the penultimate lap, going on to take the win, but Jake brought the Triumph home for an excellent second place.
Despite a sluggish start to today’s ‘Feature’ race which saw him drop back to fifth in the early stages, some good overtaking moves, particularly through the Hizzy’s chicane, saw the 19-year-old soon up to second position and in contention for the race win. A mistake at half distance dropped him back to fourth but he fought back brilliantly to move into the podium positions and when Reid crashed out at the final corner, Jake swept through to take his fourth win of the season.
Australian team-mate Billy McConnell, however, suffered vastly differing fortunes in the three races for the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship class aboard the Smiths Racing BMW. The weekend started well for the Adelaide rider when he qualified in an excellent fifth place for yesterday’s race and he duly held onto that position for the opening few laps. However, just after slipping back a couple of places, he crashed out on the ninth lap at Old Hall Corner, luckily without injury.
It didn’t get much better in today’s opening race for the reigning British Supersport champion when he was forced to retire on the fifth lap with a clutch problem. That just left the third and final 18-lap race of the weekend to claim a result, but coming through from 20th place on the grid was always going to be a tall order although he did manage to claim a point for 15th place.
Jake Dixon: “It’s great to win, but you never want to see a good rider like Andy (Reid) go out like that and I hope he’s OK. I lost my brakes midway through the race, so it was great to come back and take the win after taking second yesterday. I was a bit disappointed with that race having led for so long, but when Andy came by me, I lost a bit of ground. I’d put in some good moves to take the lead and felt that I had good pace, but the last two laps were what cost me. It’s a first and second, though, so a big thanks to the whole team for working so hard and giving me the package to be back on the top step again.”
Billy McConnell: “It looked like it was going to be a good weekend for us and after making a good breakthrough with the setting of the bike, qualifying went perfectly. Unfortunately, I got caught out with my braking marker in the first race and I got crossed up and crashed out. It gave the boys a lot of work to do and when I went out in race two, the clutch was slipping so I had to pull in. I was way back on the grid for the third race and trying to come from 20th in this depth of field is practically impossible but I got a point so that was something. We’ll regroup and go again at Assen.”
Rebecca Smith, Team Manager: “I really feel for Billy this weekend as his results don’t reflect his pace. He qualified really well but unfortunately made a mistake in the first race and crashed out and the clutch didn’t stand up in the second race and he had to pull in. With no decent lap time, he had to start a long way back on the grid for the third race so we’ll all regroup for Assen and look to regain the momentum we had. Jake had two fantastic results and I was delighted to see him win his fourth race of the season and get back up to third in the championship. He’s riding with total confidence again and we all hope he can carry this form through to the final three rounds of the season.”
MCE British Superbike Championship – Race One (18 laps)
1 Shane Byrne (Kawasaki)
2 James Ellison (Kawasaki)
3 Danny Buchan (Kawasaki)
4 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
5 Dan Linfoot (Honda)
6 Luke Mossey (Kawasaki)
DNF Billy McConnell (Smiths Racing BMW)
MCE British Superbike Championship – Race Two (18 laps)
1 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
2 Danny Buchan (Kawasaki)
3 Dan Linfoot (Honda)
4 Luke Mossey (Kawasaki)
5 James Ellison (Kawasaki)
6 Peter Hickman (BMW)
DNF Billy McConnell (Smiths Racing BMW)
MCE British Superbike Championship – Race Three (18 laps)
1 Shane Byrne (Kawasaki)
2 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
3 Tommy Bridewell (BMW)
4 Danny Buchan (Kawasaki)
5 James Ellison (Kawasaki)
6 Dan Linfoot (Honda)
15 Billy McConnell (Smiths Racing BMW)
Championship Positions (after nine rounds)
1 Brookes 553pts
2 Byrne 551
3 Ellison 522
4 Bridewell 507
= Linfoot 507
6 Laverty 500
12 McConnell 89
Motorpoint British Supersport Championship – Race One (12 laps)
1 Andy Reid (Yamaha)
2 Jake Dixon (Smiths Racing Triumph)
3 Luke Stapleford (Triumph)
4 Sam Hornsey (Triumph)
5 James Rispoli (Yamaha)
6 Ben Wilson (Kawasaki)
Motorpoint British Supersport Championship – Race Two (15 laps)
1 Jake Dixon (Smiths Racing Triumph)
2 James Rispoli (Yamaha)
3 Luke Stapleford (Triumph)
4 Glenn Irwin (Kawasaki)
5 Ben Wilson (Kawasaki)
6 Luke Hedger (Kawasaki)
Championship Positions (after nine rounds)
1 Stapleford 346
2 Ryde 277
3 Dixon 248
4 Irwin 236
5 Rispoli 173
6 Reid 165
The next round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship takes place at Assen in The Netherlands over the weekend of September 18/20th 2015. For more information, please visit www.britishsuperbike.com and www.britishsuperbike.com
More, from a press release issued by Be Wiser Kawasaki:
The Be Wiser Kawasaki team secured not one but two podiums this weekend with Danny Buchan at Oulton Park. The MCE British Superbike Championship held three BSB races at round nine of the series and Danny took a great third place in race one. He then bettered it in race two with a second and was a strong fourth in race three. Chris Walker had a mixed weekend and was 11th in race one, 13th in race two and 16th in the final race of the weekend.
Danny was showing fine form at Cadwell Park during the practice and qualifying sessions and this weekend he was able to secure his first ever British Superbike podium. Once again he was riding well in the practice and qualifying sessions and he started the first race of the weekend on Saturday from the second row in fourth. He got a good start and was locked in a good battle with James Ellison and he finished a brilliant third position.
For race two he started from fourth again and held his position after the opening lap. From the start he was locked in a close battle for a podium position with Dan Linfoot, Luke Mossey and James Ellison. Dropping back to sixth place Danny soon settled into a rhythm and could see his second podium of the weekend. On lap nine Danny was up to third place and was able to bridge a gap between himself and Linfoot, with only a few laps to go Shane Byrne broke down, which allowed Danny to move up to second.
Danny was sixth on the grid for the final race of the day; he got a steady start and dropped a position after lap. He once again bided his time well and settled into the race before he started to make passes. Taking advantage of the safety car, Danny timed it perfectly and slipped through to third position. It was not long before Shane Byrne slipped underneath him and dropped Danny to fourth but the youngster had the best race weekend of his British Superbike career.
It was also a special weekend for Chris Walker this weekend, racing in his 300th British Superbike race. The ‘Old but Gold’ star sadly was troubled with a problem in the opening qualifying session and had to start from 21st place on the grid for his 300th race. He rode a hard race to work his way through to 11th place overall at the end of the 18-laps.
Chris was placed in 17th for race two, he was 16th after lap one and as always was fully dedicated to getting in the points and gaining some Championship points. He was soon moving up the field and got through to 13th by the end of the race. For race three he was in 18th on the grid and once again had a lot of work to do to try and get in the points. He rode a tough solid race to finish in 16th place at the end of the tough 18-lap race.
For all the results click here:-
http://www.tsl-timing.co.uk/event/153604
Danny Buchan – “I’m over the moon with my results this weekend. Everyone has worked really hard to help me to achieve these results this weekend and it’s been a tough year with some problems along the way.
It’s a huge relief to have secured not one but two podiums, it’s such a fantastic feeling and to see all the hard work from everyone has paid off is just brilliant. We have all worked so hard to get to this point and the Be Wiser Kawasaki team have been perfect and I’ve been able to finally repay them for everything they have been doing for me.
I must say a huge thank you to my family and all my personal sponsors who have continued to support me throughout the year and I just hope I am able to end the year on a high.”
Chris Walker – “It’s been a landmark weekend for the Be Wiser Kawasaki team, their first podium and also my 300th race start! I can’t thank the team enough for making it feel so special and well done to Danny on his podium finishes. The Be Wiser team has arrived! Thank you to everyone for all the messages of congratulations on reaching the BIG 300! Stalker #OldButGold.”
Alan Greig – Team Owner/Manager – “It has been a great weekend for the Be Wiser Kawasaki team for both riders. Danny has been showing form all year for pace at the front and this weekend it all really clicked into place for him. He had good pace all weekend, learnt to just bide his time and really used his head here at Oulton Park.
He came away with two podiums and a fourth place for his efforts and it is the perfect weekend for everyone within the team. It has been a huge moral boost for all the team and the crew, our team sponsors, Danny’s personal sponsors and Danny really did deserve this.
For pre-season and the majority of this season, Tommy (Hill) did play a huge part in this success and we must thank him for that.
It is that time of year where it is important to get strong results and we are really pleased for our sponsors that this was all possible this weekend, without them we wouldn’t be here racing.
Chris had another steady points scoring weekend. The Be Wiser Kawasaki team are privileged to be part of Chris’ milestone weekend of 300 races. He is a credit to the sport and his dedication to racing and his never give up attitude makes him a great person to be involved with. We hope we can find a good feeling on the bike for him and get him higher up the results table at the remaining rounds of the Championship.
We must thank our loyal sponsors for their support this year, although the Be Wiser Kawasaki team is in their seventh year in the BSB Paddock. This is still our first year in the elite Superbike class, everything is new and to achieve the results we have this weekend is a credit to everyone involved and a great achievement for us.
I would like to thank Terry Rymer for spending some time with us this weekend, it was good to have another legend in the garage and he gave the team some good advice.”
More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office:
Bennetts Suzuki’s Christian Iddon raced to two top-10 finishes at the Oulton Park MCE British Superbike championship triple-header ninth round today after a high-speed crash in Saturday’s opening race left him feeling battered and bruised.
Iddon was fighting for a top-five finish in Saturday’s race before he suffered a huge crash after clipping the grass in the closing stages. Thankfully he was not seriously injured, but was left feeling very battered and bruised.
With his Bennetts Suzuki GSX-R1000 rebuilt, Iddon rode to two solid top-10 finishes in the remaining races after two close-fought battles around the Oulton Park circuit, finishing ninth and eighth.
Christian Iddon:
“Obviously we don’t want to finish eighth and ninth, but it’s been a challenging one. Firstly I need to thank the team for all the hard work that was put in. They built me a brand-new motorcycle overnight. We also made some drastic changes to the set-up for the first race today and it improved things. We made some even bigger ones for the last race and while the finishing position wasn’t much improved, you just have to look at the lap-times to see how much-of-a-difference it made to our pace.”
Josh Waters finished 15th in the second of the three races, but struggled in the final race to finish outside of the points in 19th. However, the double Australian Superbike Champion is remaining positive as the series heads to Assen, where he stood on the top-step of the podium in 2014.
Josh Waters:
“I improved on my qualifying position in the first two races and got some points on the board. Sadly the last race wasn’t as good as we made some changes that didn’t pay off, but the team will go away and keep working on the bike between now and Assen. I’ve got good memories there, so hopefully we can find some more improvements to the set-up and have a good weekend.”
Martin Halsall – Team Owner:
“Christian struggled a bit today after that big crash yesterday. He’s a bit beaten-up but we’re proud of how he gritted-his-teeth and dug-deep to get two top-10 results, The racing was incredibly-tight out there and considering Christian missed the test and was riding injured at the last round here earlier this season, it was a solid performance. The team has worked incredibly-hard this weekend, firstly to rebuild the bike for Christian after yesterday’s crash, but also to make the big changes to the set-up like they have and for the pay-off in improved lap-times.
“Josh scored some points over the weekend on his Bennetts Suzuki but struggled a bit in the last race. However, Assen is up next and it’s a circuit he’s fond of and has gone well at in the past including winning there last season, so we’ll pour-over the data from this weekend and keep trying to find the right set-up for him and go again in Holland.”
Race Two Result: 1. Josh Brookes 2. Danny Buchan 3. Dan Linfoot 4. Luke Mossey 5. James Ellison 9. Christian Iddon (Bennetts Suzuki). 15. Josh Waters (Bennetts Suzuki).
Race Three Result: 1. Shane Byrne 2. Josh Brookes 3. Tommy Bridewell 4. Danny Buchan 5. James Ellison. 8. Christian Iddon (Bennetts Suzuki). 19. Josh Waters (Bennetts Suzuki).
More, from a press release issued by RAF Reserves BMW:
Mixed fortunes for Hickman at Oulton on Sunday
Peter Hickman and the RAF Reserves BMW team endured mixed fortunes at Oulton Park on Sunday with an excellent sixth place in the first British Superbike Championship race offset by a non-finish in the second. The latter was particularly disappointing as a technical issue on the sighting lap meant the 28-year old didn’t get to start the race.
The first part of the day couldn’t have gone any better though and, starting from 16th on the grid for Sunday’s opening 18-lap race, Peter maintained his position in the early stages but bit by bit he started to advance forward and by the fifth lap he was up to 11th. Another five laps through the race, the Louth-based resident was up inside the top ten and with further overtaking manoeuvres on Christian Iddon, Richard Cooper and Michael Laverty he was lying in seventh with just two laps to go. And when second placed Shane Byrne retired on the penultimate lap, he was promoted to sixth, a position he held until the chequered flag.
With the better grid position of 12th for the third and final 18-lap race of a busy weekend, hopes were high for another strong showing but, unfortunately, problems struck on the sighting lap when a clutch problem meant Peter had to pull in. With the start of the race only moments away, he and the team had little option other than to watch the race from the garage.
The results over the course of the weekend mean that Peter now has 103 points to lie in joint tenth overall in the Championship with three rounds and seven races still to go. Having missed out on the top six and a coveted ‘Showdown’ position, the firm aim now is to go for seventh overall and the BSB Rider’s Cup.
Peter Hickman: “Three race weekends at Oulton Park are definitely a bit of a bogey for me as once again I haven’t managed to finish all three races. Today’s opening race was mint though and although I got stuck in traffic to begin with, my confidence was really good and I constantly moved forward. I set my fastest ever lap of the circuit and I felt confident of going faster later in the day. I was really looking forward to the race but on the sighting lap, it was obvious there was a problem with the clutch and I had little option other than to retire. It’s definitely been a mixed day but we’ll go again at Assen in two week’s time.”
Lee Hardy, Team Owner: “Race one was really good for us and we were definitely happy with the outcome given Peter started from 16th. He found it a little bit hard to get going in the early stages but when he did, he really flew and he picked up some really good points. The second race though was the complete opposite and we’re all devastated that a small problem cost Peter the chance to start. All being well, we’ll have a new engine in time for Assen and will look to have three strong rounds between now and the end of the season.”
The tenth round of the series takes place in two week’s time at Assen, Holland.
MCE British Superbike Championship – Race Two (18 laps)
1 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
2 Danny Buchan (Kawasaki)
3 Dan Linfoot (Honda)
4 Luke Mossey (Kawasaki)
5 James Ellison (Kawasaki)
6 Peter Hickman (RAF Reserves BMW)
MCE British Superbike Championship – Race Three (18 laps)
1 Shane Byrne (Kawasaki)
2 Josh Brookes (Yamaha)
3 Tommy Bridewell (BMW)
4 Danny Buchan (Kawasaki)
5 James Ellison (Kawasaki)
6 Dan Linfoot (Honda)
DNF Peter Hickman (RAF Reserves BMW)
Championship Positions (after nine rounds)
1 Brookes 374pts
2 Byrne 327
3 Ellison 189
4 Bridewell 157
5 Laverty 146
6 Linfoot 142
10 Hickman 103