Kelsey continues to win at MSR Georgetown, Texas rider Danny S. Kelsey continued to win during the sixth round of the CMRA Sprint Championship Series hosted at MotorSport Ranch (MSR) in Cresson, Texas. Kelsey entered the event ready to test and verify new chassis and engine configurations. Heavy competition was expected with fans the big winners after Sunday’s great racing on the 11 turn 1.7 mile road course. The team worked to fine tune some of the new chassis build on Friday as they shook down the Pirelli shod GSX-R750 and GSX-R1000. Kelsey seemed pleased with initial performance, but also worked with crew chief Marcus McBain to sort out the chassis to overcome chatter issues that plagued most competitors from the aging MSR asphalt. Running a 1:15.8 on Friday, the team entered the weekend confident they were moving in the right direction. Kelsey took the opportunity to test changes made Friday night on the GP Suspension cartridges and JRi shock during the Solo 30 race held Saturday afternoon. As the starting lights sent the field into Turn 1 for 22 laps of racing, the Dynojet equipped GSXR-1000 quickly powered into the lead. Kelsey wasted no time pushing the setup and posted a 1:14.8 on lap 2 and as the checkered flag fell Danny had lapped all but one rider. The team was pleased as they were now only 0.3 seconds off the track record and the team felt that it may be possible to set a CMRA record for the third consecutive race. More changes were made Saturday evening. As final practice was underway Sunday morning, Kelsey quickly entered the pits with a suspected failing motor on his GSXR-1000. The team had to respond quickly as the final event of Sunday Morning was the Breast Cancer Research Awareness Formula One Qualifying which would also set the grid for this CMRA feature event. Danny jumped on his GSX-R750 to participate in the qualifying session and continued to impress by qualifying 2nd with DOT tires while posting a 1:15.7. The team quickly realized the engine was fine and the real issue was an out of balance rear wheel due to wheel weights falling off. This was a great relief to the team. Kelsey quickly focused on getting back to racing as the field left the paddock for 750 Superstock against some very hungry competition. Running a 1:15.9 on lap 2, Danny put the race away early and won by 6.910 seconds. Just a few races later, Kelsey lead the Open Superstock field into turn one and posted a 1:14.8 on laps 2 and 3. As the race wound down the team felt all was in order, but disaster nearly struck as Kelsey worked past lapped riders and was quickly on the ground. A rider crashed 10 feet in front of him with no time or place for the Texas rider to go. Kelsey quickly got up and re-fired the big Suzuki, but red flags stopped the race as safety presided over the event when the downed rider was unable to move off the track. Scoring reverted back to the previous lap and Danny was awarded the win. The team scrambled to try and repair the Suzuki with only 15 minutes until the day’s premier event. Although repairs were completed and Kelsey was able to take to the starting grid on his GSX-R1000, the team was unable to fit new tires on the machine during the small timeframe to get the Suzuki on the grid. Despite the drama and adversity, Kelsey was undeterred and quickly took the lead in the Formula One race. He posted the fastest lap of the race on the final lap and won by 4.011 seconds. As the day completed, Kelsey posted two more wins and barely missed the track record while completing the fastest lap of the weekend with a 1:14.725 in Open Superbike. The team and Kelsey were very pleased with the weekend as they overcame some tough challenges. Danny Kelsey closed out the weekend with this thought, “I was really happy with the weekend. I would have liked to have gotten the track record, but 6 wins this weekend is really good and I am pleased with that.” The team thanks their sponsors and supporters as they would not be able to compete at this level without the special efforts of KMC Controls, RS Taichi, Dynojet, Vortex, Motoliberty, South Central Race Center, Motopia, M4 Exhausts, DP Brakes, K’s Motorsports, GP Suspension, JRi Shocks, Lone Star Track Days, Shoei Helmets, Hotbodies Racing, Silkolene, WRW Racing, Barnett, Chicken Hawk Racing, Raceworx, and Racing Engine Services. Kelsey is scheduled to compete in the AMA Pro National Guard Superbike event at Mid-Ohio in this weekend. More, from a press release issued by Quattro Plant Kawasaki: Walker gives Quattro Plant Kawasaki more top six joy The Quattro Plant Kawasaki team were back in British Superbike Championship action at the weekend with the Snetterton circuit in Norfolk the latest venue to be visited and whilst it was a bit of a mixed weekend, Chris Walker ran consistently inside the top six to maintain his drive towards one of the coveted Showdown positions The Nottingham rider was strong throughout practice and qualifying and he duly lined up in a strong sixth place on the grid for Sunday’s opening 16-lap race. A solid start saw him maintain that position as he challenged Ryuichi Kiyonari for fifth and although the former triple Champion edged away slightly, he was still running in sixth at two thirds race distance. However, with just three laps to go he was cruelly forced out of the race when the battery failed. Conditions remained extremely warm for the second race where Chris was naturally keen to make amends and he did exactly that. Running once more in the company of Kiyonari and also James Westmoreland, he ran in sixth place from start to finish for his fourth top six finish in five races. The DNF dropped him back to eighth place in the table but he’s now only eight points behind new fifth placed man Kiyonari. Team-mate Danny Buchan enjoyed a stronger weekend and had it not been for a technical problem, he would have qualified higher than his eventual 20th place. The Basildon rider strung together 16 consistent laps in the first race to claim 14th place for his second points scoring ride of the season. He was well placed again in the second only to slide off, uninjured, on the sixth lap. Third team member Kyle Wilks also enjoyed a better weekend with the youngster taking a fine 13th place in the Pirelli National Superstock 1000cc Championship race. Pete Extance, Team Manager: “I seem to be using the same opening sentence each time but it’s been another mixed weekend for us! Chris was in a determined, confident mood all weekend so hopes were high of two more good results and had it not been for a bit of bad luck he’d have got exactly that. He ran in sixth place pretty much all weekend and put together two excellent races so it was a shame the battery went in the first one but that’s how racing can go sometimes. He bounced back excellently and although we’re slightly disappointed to have slipped back to eighth overall, other results mean the race for fifth has tightened up so we’re still very handily placed.” “It was nice to see Danny have a strong ride in the first race and even more pleasing to see him finish in the points. He brought the bike home for a good finish and it was just what he needed. He had an unfortunate tip off in the second but overall, it’s been a much more positive weekend for that side of the garage. Kyle also had a good result and it will be excellent for his confidence after a couple of tough rounds. Finally, it was really good to have John Murphy from Quattro Plant with the team this weekend and hopefully we’ve given him a weekend to be both pleased with and proud of.” The next round of the series takes place in two weeks time at Brands Hatch, Kent on July 19-21. More, from a press release issued by Marty Nutt’s publicist: Superb win at Snetterton for Nutt Castlerock’s Marty Nutt enjoyed a superb weekend of racing at Snetterton, where he was competing in the third round of the Ducati 848 Challenge, and came away with a first and a second place to make it six rostrums form the six races held so far. The weekend got off to the perfect start for Marty when he took a superb pole position by two tenths of a second from Championship leader Jonathan Railton and Saturday’s 10-lap race saw that form continue. With glorious weather at the Norfolk venue, an excellent start saw Marty grab the holeshot and he was never headed, winning the race in dominant fashion. Lapping consistently half a second a lap quicker than anyone else, he continued to extend his lead and when it reached 4.5s he was able to ease off in the closing stages to deservedly take his first win of the season. Sunday’s race saw the same two riders battle it out and at two thirds race distance it looked like Marty was going to pull away and take the double. However, just as the race entered its closing stages, he began to suffer with arm pump and it meant Railton was able to close the gap and move ahead with just two laps remaining. The Kings Lynn rider, who’d earlier suffered a spill in the Superstock 1000cc Championship race, was able to hold on and eventually took the win from Marty by just over half a second. The results mean that there’s still 28 points between the pair with Railton now on 145 points and Marty remaining in second on 117. Speaking later, a delighted Marty said; “Overall, I’m really pleased with how the weekend’s gone and the only downside is that I haven’t been able to take any points off Jonathan. Saturday’s race went faultlessly and I couldn’t believe how good a start I made as that hasn’t happened for a while! As soon as I hit the front, I just concentrated on staying smooth and the gap to second continued to increase. Jonathan worked his way up to second by the end but it couldn’t have been a better start for me.” “I felt really confident for the second race but at around two thirds distance I started to suffer from arm pump, something that hasn’t happened to me for years, and I had to start riding defensively. I’d tried to pull away whilst I was leading but he stuck with me and there wasn’t much I could do to stop him coming by. Fair play to him though, he picked himself up after his earlier crash but it’s just a shame we both took 45 points from the weekend. I was really hoping to start making inroads into his lead but there’s still ten races to go and we’re still right in there.” The next round sees Marty head back to Brands Hatch for two more races with the meeting taking place on July 19-21. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office: Tyco Suzuki’s Josh Brookes heads to Japan today to prepare for the Suzuki 8-Hour at the end of the month with the Yoshimura Suzuki team following two more solid podium finishes during round five of the British Superbike Championship yesterday at Snetterton. The Australian took his Tyco Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike to second and third places at the Norfolk venue and now holds thirds place with 172 points in the championship standings behind Shane Byrne (207) and Alex Lowes (175). More importantly he is only 10 ‘podium credits’ behind series leader Byrne as the Showdown over the final seven races of the season gets ever closer. His team-mate PJ Jacobsen had an encouraging yet disappointing weekend after showing so much promise in race one before he crashed-out out of sixth place. Prior to race two his crew were left to fight against the clock preparing his GSX-R1000 Superbike, which he eventually finished 11th aboard. Josh Brookes: “I did feel I was able to have a go at the wins in both races, but the Safety Car coming out seems to upset my rhythm at times and in the second race I made a bit of a mistake when the win was possibly within my grasp. I’m now looking forward to testing at Suzuka this week before the 8-Hour at the end of the month, but as soon as I get back my focus will be back to Brands Hatch – where we need to get as many podium credits as possible and close the gap on Shakey and Alex.” PJ Jacobsen: “I’m really disappointed how the weekend went for me after such a big effort from the whole team. After struggling a little in practice and qualifying, the guys worked hard to give me a setting and advice to run inside the top 10, which I was doing. Unfortunately I made a mistake with just one lap to go when seventh place was safe for me. It gave the guys lots of work to do before the second race and I didn’t feel just so comfortable and I finished 11th. I’m just looking forward to moving onto Brands Hatch now.” Taylor Mackenzie equalled his best finish in Sunday’s British Supersport encounter taking a strong sixth place on his Tyco Suzuki GSX-R600 Suzuki. He made a blistering start, holding his own throughout, and was applauded by the whole team in pit-lane at the conclusion of the race. He now holds ninth place in the championship standings. Taylor Mackenzie: “I’m really happy with how the weekend panned out. We got plenty of laps during the practice and qualifying sessions, which helped us find a good setting on my GSX-R600. Starting on the third row in P10 filled me with confidence in the second race and I knew my lap times on used tyres would be quite strong. I got a great start and was up to fourth, so when the race settled down I just got into a decent rhythm and kept it going to finish sixth. It’s a great result for me and the team and we can now keep building and look for more strong results.” Philip Neill – Team Manager: “It was a tough weekend for everyone with the unusually high track temperatures. However I feel our boys did as good a job as anyone finding a decent set-up with both our Superbikes and Taylor’s GSX-R600 Supersport bike. In race one Lowes just had that little bit extra over the 16 laps, but in race two it really did look as if Josh had something extra. I think we can safely say we were looking at a realistic race win, but unfortunately Josh made a little mistake, but these things can happen when you are pushing hard in the last six laps of a BSB race. “PJ had a difficult weekend and really should have recorded a highly-creditable sixth or seventh place in race one, before losing the front chasing Westmoreland entering the final lap. Again these things happen in racing, but he is doing a good job in his rookie season. It’s a very steep learning curve for him but he has the talent to succeed and that’s the part you cannot teach. “Congratulations to Taylor on a solid weekend, which included equalling his best finish in a British Supersport race with sixth place. Our goal with him this season was for consistency and so far he is bang on target and is doing a great job on the GSX-R600.” British Superbike Championship – race one result: 1. Alex Lowes (Samsung Honda) 2. Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) +1.984s 3. Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +2.027s 4. James Ellison (Milwaukee Yamaha) +2.523s 5. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Samsung Honda) +6.009s 6. James Westmoreland (Buildbase BMW) +20.065s 7. Robbin Harms (Doodson Motorsport Honda) +20.349s 8. Jakub Smrz (Padgetts Honda) +20.654s 9. Josh Waters (Milwaukee Yamaha) +20.926s 10. Matteo Baiocco (Rapido Sport Racing Ducati) +21.081s British Superbike Championship – race two result: 1. Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 2. Alex Lowes (Samsung Honda) +0.245s 3. Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) +7.018s 4. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Samsung Honda) +7.868s 5. James Westmoreland (Buildbase BMW) +8.587s 6. Chris Walker (Quattro Plant Bournemouth Kawasaki) +12.961s 7. Josh Waters (Milwaukee Yamaha) +18.218s 8. Dan Linfoot (Lloyds British GBmoto Honda) +21.370s 9. James Ellison (Milwaukee Yamaha) +21.483s 10. Matteo Baiocco (Rapido Sport Racing Ducati) +22.775s British Superbike Championship standings after Snetterton: 1. Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 207 2. Alex Lowes (Samsung Honda) 175 3. Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) 172 4. James Ellison (Milwaukee Yamaha) 160 5. Ryuichi Kiyonari (Samsung Honda) 83 6. Jon Kirkham (Buildbase BMW) 81 British Supersport Championship – feature race result: 1. Alastair Seeley (Gearlink Kawasaki) 2. Ben Wilson (Gearlink Kawasaki) +3.735s 3. Billy McConnell (Smiths Racing Triumph) +6.320s 4. Graeme Gowland (Seton Tuning Yamaha) +7.055s 5. Luke Mossey (Techcare Profile Triumph) +10.385s 6. Taylor Mackenzie (Tyco Suzuki) +18.634s More, from a press release issued by Doodson Motorsport: Weekend of Highs and Lows for Doodson Motorsport The latest round of the British Superbike Championship brought a real mix of emotions for the Doodson Motorsport team. Robbin Harms took the teams best result of the season with seventh in race one before being involved in another rider’s accident and crashing out heavily of race two. The Snetterton circuit in Norfolk was the last of the five new tracks for Doodson Motorsport runner Robbin Harms to learn and following a successful test just over a week before the fifth round was held there both Robbin and the team were confident it would be a strong weekend. The Dane’s pace was highlighted from the off with a strong and consistent pace throughout practice, often inside the top 10. Harms was unfortunate not to continue his momentum into qualifying after crashing out in the first phase. His time still got him through to Q2 but when the bike returned to the pits it was clear it couldn’t be repaired for the second outing, meaning he slipped back to 18th on the grid for race one. As the first of Sunday’s 16lap races got underway Harms immediately got to work and made four places by the end of the first flying lap. Three laps later he was up to 11th and on the back of a five rider dice for sixth. With four laps remaining Harms passed Jakub Smrz for ninth and the battle was shaken up after American PJ Jacobson crashed out just before the start of the penultimate lap. All riders were lucky to avoid the Suzuki rider and his bike as they slid across the track. In the mayhem Robbin had made his way to sixth place as they started the final circulation of the 2.9mile track. On the long back straight the Harms was unable to fend off James Westmorland but was still happy to see the chequered flag to take a hard fought and well deserved seventh place. With minor changes to the bike set up the Doodson Motorsport rider was confident to give a strong performance again in race two. However exiting the “Oggis” corner for the first time John Kirkham crashed directly in front of Robbin and with the bike strewn across the track made a crash unavoidable. Robbin was thrown off the bike and landed heavily with his hand and wrist taking the brunt of the fall. The bike fared little better bouncing through the air before setting on fire bringing out the safety car. With the excellent trackside medical support it was soon clear that Harms had suffered a nasty break to his wrist along with broken bones in his hand. He was transferred to hospital and is scheduled to have surgery in the next 24 hours. Team owner Tom Tunstall explained: “The crash in race two was just so unfortunate Robbin has been riding really well and he underlined the pace we know he has. To be caught up in someone else’s accident with such consequences is a great shame. It has been a real rollercoaster weekend after Robbin scored his and the team’s best ever result in the first race. My thanks go to the trackside medical staff who were fantastic, and myself and the whole Doodson Motorsport team have a our fingers crossed that Robbin’s operation goes well and makes a speedy and full recovery.” The next round of British Superbikes takes place in just under two weeks time at Brands Hatch in Kent over the weekend of the 19th – 21st July. More, from a press release issued by Honda: MCE INSURANCE BRITISH SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 05 SUNDAY 7 JULY SNETTERTON Weather: Sunny,hot Temperature: Ambient degrees 26C, Track degrees 46C LOWES TAKES VICTORY AND A SECOND TO REGAIN SECOND PLACE IN STANDINGS Alex Lowes fought back from a problematic time in free practice to enjoy a rich points haul, with a second victory of the season and then a hard earned second place to regain his second place in the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship in the sun-drenched fifth round at Snetterton. Adding to a highly positive weekend for the Samsung Honda team, Lowes’ team-mate, the former three times champion Ryuichi Kiyonari maintained the improvements he had shown in the previous round at Knockhill as he took fifth and fourth places to move into fifth place in the standings. Lowes and his team worked frantically through free practice to improve the bike and tyre choice and had their rewards as he powered to his third pole start of the season while Kiyonari qualified fourth fastest, his first front row start of the year. In the opening race Suzuki’s Josh Brookes made the break, ahead of Kawasaki’s series leader Shane Byrne with Lowes third from Kiyonari, but after a brief intervention by the Safety Car, it was all change on the resumption as Lowes, in the space of half a lap swooped through to take the lead. Once ahead Lowes was able to pull away, taking the victory by almost two seconds ahead of Brookes, Byrne and Kiyonari. Robbin Harms, riding Doodson Honda, ran sixth, just ahead of Padgetts Honda rider Jakub Smrz with the Lloyds British GBmoto Honda riders Dan Linfoot twelfth just ahead of Peter Hickman. But in a race of attrition in which a third of the starters failed to finish both Bathams Honda rider Tommy Bridewell and Michael Rutter stopped while Jenny Tinmouth crashed. Byrne, his first race problems sorted took charge of the second, leading throughout to take his seventh victory of the season with Lowes maintaining the pressure on him through to the end, with barely a quarter of a second between them. Brookes took third, three quarters of a second up on Kiyonari. Linfoot ran eighth, Bridewell twelfth, just ahead of Hickman while Tinmouth bounced back to become the first ever woman to score a point in BSB as she finished fifteenth on her Two Wheels Honda. Harms suffered a wrist injury when he was caught up in a first lap incident after BMW’s Kirkham had tipped off in front of him while Smrz crashed just into the second half of the race. Honda rider quotes Alex Lowes (Samsung Honda): Race positions 1st/2nd Championship position 2nd 175pts “It would have been nice to have taken a double win and I pushed as hard as I could – I couldn’t take my normal lines for some reason and in the second race nearly hit Byrne twice. I worked my backside off after a nightmare Friday putting in a lot of laps and the team gave me a fantastic bike. The first race was hard work, the front tyre destroyed itself by the end and while it was scary at times it was fun, I was comfortable and it was a good win. I made a pretty terrible start to the second but felt good sitting behind Byrne. I tried and wanted to take him but I never quite got there. I learned a lot from him over the final five laps, pushed as hard as I could and I’m not complaining taking two podiums here.” Ryuichi Kiyonari (Samsung Honda): Race positions 5th/4th Championship positions 5th 83pts “This weekend we have had some improvements again. I was happy before qualifying with tyre life and lap times but then something was different. I thought we had things good but it changed and I am not sure why, maybe it was cooler then than in the races, or, we could have been faster, but I am happier and ready for the next round at Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit which is good for me. RESULTS BRITISH SUPERBIKE RACE1: POS / RIDER / NAT / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / GAP 1 / Alex LOWES / GBR / Honda – Samsung Honda / 29:50.041 / 2 / Josh BROOKES / AUS / Suzuki – Tyco Suzuki / 29:52.025 / 1.984 3 / Shane BYRNE / GBR / Kawasaki – Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki / 29:52.068 / 2.027 4 / James ELLISON / GBR / Yamaha – Milwaukee Yamaha / 29:53.564 / 3.523 5 / Ryuichi KIYONARI / JPN / Honda – Samsung Honda / 29:56.050 / 6.009 6 / James WESTMORELAND / GBR / BMW – Buildbase BMW Motorrad / 30:10.106 / 20.065 7 / Robbin HARMS / DEN / Honda – Doodson Motorsport Honda / 30:10.390 / 20.349 8 / Jakub SMRZ / CZE / Honda – Padgetts Honda / 30:10.695 / 20.654 9 / Josh WATERS / AUS / Yamaha – Milwaukee Yamaha / 30:10.967 / 20.926 10 / Matteo BAIOCCO / ITA / Ducati – Rapido Sport Racing / 30:11.122 / 21.081 11 / Jon KIRKHAM / GBR / BMW – Buildbase BMW Motorrad / 30:11.701 / 21.660 12 / Dan LINFOOT / GBR / Honda – Lloyds British GBmoto Racing Honda / 30:14.499 / 24.458 13 / Peter HICKMAN / GBR / Honda – Lloyds British GBmoto Racing Honda / 30:22.295 / 32.254 14 / Danny BUCHAN / GBR / Kawasaki – Quattro Plant Kawasaki / 31:02.013 / 1:11.972 15 / Michael HOWARTH / GBR / Kawasaki – MH Kawasaki / 31:33.333 / 1:43.292 Fastest lap: Alex LOWES GBR Honda – Samsung Honda Lap 2 1:48.996 157.81Km/h RACE2: POS / RIDER / NAT / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / GAP 1 / Shane BYRNE / GBR / Kawasaki – Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki / 30:48.141 / 2 / Alex LOWES / GBR / Honda – Samsung Honda / 30:48.386 / 0.245 3 / Josh BROOKES / AUS / Suzuki – Tyco Suzuki / 30:55.159 / 7.018 4 / Ryuichi KIYONARI / JPN / Honda – Samsung Honda / 30:56.009 / 7.868 5 / James WESTMORELAND / GBR / BMW – Buildbase BMW Motorrad / 30:56.728 / 8.587 6 / Chris WALKER / GBR / Kawasaki – Quattro Plant Kawasaki / 31:01.102 / 12.961 7 / Josh WATERS / AUS / Yamaha – Milwaukee Yamaha / 31:06.359 / 18.218 8 / Dan LINFOOT / GBR / Honda – Lloyds British GBmoto Racing Honda / 31:09.511 / 21.370 9 / James ELLISON / GBR / Yamaha – Milwaukee Yamaha / 31:09.624 / 21.483 10 / Matteo BAIOCCO / ITA / Ducati – Rapido Sport Racing / 31:10.914 / 22.773 11 / PJ JACOBSEN / USA / Suzuki – Tyco Suzuki / 31:12.262 / 24.121 12 / Tommy BRIDEWELL / GBR / Honda – Bathams Honda / 31:12.561 / 24.420 13 / Peter HICKMAN / GBR / Honda – Lloyds British GBmoto Racing Honda / 31:18.273 / 30.132 14 / Lee COSTELLO / GBR / Kawasaki – Halsall Racing Kawasaki / 31:19.861 / 31.720 15 / Jenny TINMOUTH / GBR / Honda – Two Wheel Racing / 32:06.530 / 1:18.389 Fastest lap: Shane BYRNE GBR Kawasaki – Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki Lap 6 1:48.951 157.87 Km/h CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS: 1 BYRNE 207, 2 LOWES 175, 3 BROOKES 172, 4 ELLISON 100, 5 KIYONARI 83, 6 KIRKHAM 81, 7 WESTMORELAND 77, 8 WALKER 75, 9 JACOBSEN 52, 10 FARMER 50, 11 HICKMAN 47, 12 BRIDEWELL 42, 13 WATERS 33, 14 SMRZ 31, 15 MAINWARING 29. NEXT EVENT: ROUND05 JULY 21, BRANDS HATCH GP More, from a press release issued by Paul Bird Motorsport: Byrne Scorches To Snetterton Victory Reigning MCE British Superbike Champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne endured the toughest weekend of the 2013 season so far at Snetterton in round five of the series but the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki rider still ended up victorious taking his seventh win out of the ten races held to date. After qualifying in second place on the grid, the 36-year-old from Sittingbourne took a gamble with the front tyre in the opening 16-lap race which didn’t pay dividends and whilst third place gave him another valuable podium credit, it certainly wasn’t the result he’d hoped for. The resulting discussions between the triple British Superbike Champion and his Penrith-based PBM team saw some changes made to the front end of the Rapid Solicitors and Minxflix-backed Kawasaki ZX-10R including reverting back to his favoured softer compound Pirelli front tyre. The changes clearly worked and in front of a massive crowd basking in the Norfolk sunshine, Byrne immediately grabbed the lead going into the first corner of race two and it was a lead he was never to relinquish. Despite encountering a safety car period in the early stages of the race as well as constant pressure from regular rivals Alex Lowes and Josh Brookes, he resisted all challenges to chalk up the 48th BSB win of his career. Team-mate Keith Farmer had a disappointing weekend as a crash in the final free practice session on Saturday morning meant he was unable to take part in the two races. Although no bones were broken, the Clogher, Northern Ireland rider suffered a blood clot in his right leg and was forced to sit on the sidelines. Shane Byrne: “The first race was absolutely dreadful and whilst I could ride round at 60%, going at 61% would have spelt disaster as the front end was awful and I just couldn’t get the feel I wanted. I normally use the softer front tyre but we made a gamble which didn’t pay off so it required some major changes in between the races. Fair play to the boys in the team, they gave me a bike for the second race that allowed me to do what I wanted with it and whilst I wasn’t happy after the first race, they put a smile back on my face after the second.” Keith Farmer: “After a good result at Knockhill, I was really looking forward to building on that and everything was going in the right direction until I tipped off. It was a fairly innocuous crash but I got caught up with the bike and first it ran over me and then landed on me. I didn’t break anything but the doctors diagnosed a blood clot in my leg and I can honestly say I’ve never known pain like it! There’s not much they can do for it and it’s just a time thing so I hope it goes sooner rather than later and I’ll be back fit for Brands Hatch.” Phil Borley, Technical Director: “It was disappointing that we couldn’t give Shakey the bike he wanted in race one as we made a calculated gamble with the front and it didn’t work out so we reverted back to the original settings for the second race and he got the victory to maintain his championship lead. Keith was unlucky as it was the sort of crash you usually get away with but now it’s a case of him trying to get fit for Brands Hatch in a fortnight.” More information including bike, team and rider profiles, race calendar etc can be found at the team’s website www.pbmuk.net. The official website of the 2013 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship is at www.britishsuperbike.com. MCE British Superbike Championship Race 1 – 16 laps 1 Alex Lowes (Honda) 2 Josh Brookes (Suzuki) 3 Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 4 James Ellison (Yamaha) 5 Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 6 James Westmoreland (BMW) DNS Keith Farmer (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) MCE British Superbike Championship Race 2 – 16 laps 1 Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 2 Alex Lowes (Honda) 3 Josh Brookes (Suzuki) 4 Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 5 James Westmoreland (BMW) 6 Chris Walker (Kawasaki) DNS Keith Farmer (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) Championship Standings (after five rounds) 1 Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 207pts 2 Lowes 175 3 Brookes 172 4 Ellison 100 5 Kiyonari 83 6 Kirkham 81 10 Farmer (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 50 More, from a press release issued by Waznie Racing: After narrowly missing pole position on Saturday, defending 8 time Canadian Superbike Champion Jordan Szoke claimed his second victory of the season in a thrilling 21 lap finale at the infamous Autodrome St Eustache. The 1.93km 10 turn roadcourse returned to the championship in 2011 after a hiatus of almost a decade. Szoke finished the 37.170 km race distance in 16 minutes, 0.701 seconds averaging a speed of 139.286 km/hr. “I was pretty hard on myself after missing out pole on Saturday. “ said Szoke. “So we made a specific change to the bike for Sunday. My hats off to John Cornwell because he really nailed the set up and gave me a great bike to win on today.” Szoke joins the likeness of Steve Crevier and Francis Martin in claiming a rare repeat victory with back to back wins in 2012 and now in 2013. Szoke also won at Autodrome St Eustache in 2002. “I really like this track,” says the series points leader. “I have always fancied myself as a big-track kind of guy like Mont Tremblant or Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, but here is one of my favorite little guys. I always seem to do really well here.” The top three riders broke away from the field quickly with Szoke taking top spot on lap 10. He stretched out a lead of over 1.5 seconds quickly before a few scattered raindrops started to fall. Szoke eventually completed the race 0.697 seconds ahead. “Once the drops started to hit my visor, I slowed up a little bit to preserve the lead. No one wants to throw away a win like that, particularly with the dragstrip being part of the road course here, it can be pretty slippery when wet.” The victory and the extra points for most laps lead gives Szoke a 20 point lead going onto round three held in Atlantic Motorsports Park in Shubenacadie, Nova Scotia Canada on July 26 – 28th 2013. “I wanted to thank Jon (Camillei) from Mopar personally for attending this event.” says Szoke. “To have our series sponsor show up personally to show their support was pretty awesome.” Szoke still leads the Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship with 111 points total.