Disappointing day in Brno for Honda The Honda World Superbike Team endured a frustrating and disappointing day at round nine of the 2012 World Superbike championship at the Automotodromo Brno in the Czech Republic today. Jonathan Rea crashed out unhurt in the closing stages of race one while fighting for a podium finish and crossed the line in 12th place in race two after fighting rear grip issues throughout the 20-lap encounter. His team-mate Hiroshi Aoyama also crashed out of race one after tangling with another rider both were uninjured. The Japanese rider then had a technical problem which forced his retirement after just four laps of race two. Both outings at the 5.403km Brno circuit were won by Marco Melandri. Jonathan Rea DNF and 12th It’s been a really frustrating weekend because this is one of my favourite circuits and the feeling was not like in previous years it felt completely different. We worked hard all weekend and got quite close in race one. The conditions were unpredictable at the start, but I found a rhythm and some pace and was battling for the lead. Tom Sykes ran wide and I was on the inside when he cut back and I got ejected, which was unfortunate because we were in a good podium position. In race two I felt something wrong with the bike from the very start. I just had no grip from the rear, but we’ll have to look at the data to confirm that it was just the tyre. I suffered a massive loss of grip on the edge, under acceleration, and tried a lot of different styles to see if anything worked, but it was all I could do to hang on to 12th place. The results are not what I want to go racing for and I’m really disappointed about the weekend. The l ast few races I’ve felt like I’m on a race winning package but this weekend was definitely below average. Hiroshi Aoyama DNF and DNF Not such a nice Sunday. In the first race, another rider crashed into me so I crashed, too, and that was not so good. In the second race the conditions were better so we wanted to try some things on the bike to get a better position, but after the fourth lap the bike stopped in turn one, so finally we could not do anything. It was not really a happy end to the weekend, but we had more of a positive feeling yesterday so I hope that this is a good direction for us to follow. Now I go to race at the Suzuka 8-hour but when I come back at Silverstone I hope we can be stronger again. Pieter Breddels technical co-ordinator It’s been a very disappointing day. Race one started wet and began to dry quickly and unfortunately, Hiroshi had a crash with another rider. Jonathan was fighting for the podium until the end and things were looking good. He crashed too after trying to go for a little gap that Tom Sykes left open. In race two, Hiroshi had a technical problem early in the race and Jonathan suffered a lack of rear grip, which meant he was unable to fight for anything and he finished 12th. All in all, it’s a day to forget but we’ll come back strong and try to make thing better for Silverstone. 2012 World Superbike championship, round nine Automotodromo Brno, Czech Republic 5.403km, 20 laps Race 1 results: 1 Marco Melandri (ITA) BMW 2 Tom Sykes (GBR) Kawasaki 3 Loris Bax (FRA) Kawasaki 4 Carlos Checa (ESP) Ducati 5 Eugene Laverty (IRL) Aprilia 6 Max Biaggi (ITA) Aprilia DNF Jonathan Rea (GBR) Honda World Superbike Team DNF Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Honda World Superbike Team Race 2 results: 1 Marco Melandri (ITA) BMW 2 Tom Sykes (GBR) Kawasaki 3 Carlos Checa (ESP) Ducati 4 Max Biaggi (ITA) Aprilia 5 Eugene Laverty (IRL) Aprilia 6 Chaz Davies (GBR) Aprilia 12 Jonathan Rea (GBR) Honda World Superbike Team DNF Hiroshi Aoyama (JPN) Honda World Superbike Team Championship points after nine of 14 rounds: 1 Biaggi 271.5, 2 Melandri 250.5, 3 Sykes 212.5, 4 Checa 204.5, 5 Rea187, 6 Leon Haslam (GBR) BMW 160 More, from a press release issued by Swan Yamaha: HILL CLAIMS FRONT ROW START FOR HOME ROUND AT BRANDS HATCH Defending MCE Insurance British Superbike champion Tommy Hill scored a double podium finish at the seventh round of the season today at his home round of Brands Hatch in Kent whilst Noriyuki Haga took a sole fifth place. In the opening race of the day Hill initially struggled with a clutch issue that dropped him down the order and the reigning champion then put in a determined ride to move back up the field to claim a fourth place finish. Haga had been running in a solid third place until a mistake on the final lap at Graham Hill Bend saw him crash out of contention. The crash for the Japanese rider elevated Hill to third and adding another podium credit to his tally ahead of the Showdown. Hill then fought hard for a third place in race two as he closed in on eventual race winner Shane Byrne and second placed Josh Brookes. At his home circuit Hill was unable to push any harder and was forced to settle for third whilst Haga’s side of the garage had worked hard between races to repair his Swan Yamaha for him to fight to fifth in the final race of the day. Hill said: “In the first we had an issue with the clutch; on the sighting lap the rear locked up and I came back to the grid and the clutch went solid on me so I spent the first few laps trying to adjust the lever and there were riders coming passed me from all directions. I set my target on Michael and I was able to get passed him and I wanted to try and go with Josh, but he had checked out. I wasn’t going to be able to catch the leading three and I hold my hands up and say I was gifted the podium with Noriyuki crashing but you have to be in it to win it. In race two I got stuck in with Shakey and Josh as they came back to me about halfway through the race but it was a bit of an elastic band effect and I was never close enough to make a pass. Everyone was riding hard and we are all riding at the top of our game, but all in all it wasn’t a bad weekend. We need to be consistently on the podium and we will raise our game and hopefully it will be our turn at Cadwell Park.” Haga said: “First of all I would like to say sorry to the Swan Yamaha team for the crash in the first race. I had an advantage to Tommy and I didn’t have as much grip at the end but I made a stupid mistake to lose the front and crash. My crew worked really hard and I thank them for getting me out for race two as they repaired the bike fast but it didn’t feel the same as race one, because we didn’t have time to make changes. This track I have more experience so we have learnt a lot this weekend and what we can make better for when we are here for the last round.” Team manager Gary Ekerold concluded: “It was a different weekend at Brands Hatch following a superb Oulton Park, but Tommy put in two British bulldog performances to twice finish on the podium. It was another learning weekend for Noriyuki but one that he will come back stronger from. Tommy had a technical problem in the first race but did an awesome job to bring the Swan Yamaha home in third and given that he is safe in the Showdown he didn’t need to prove anything in that race. Although Noriyuki made a mistake in race one there were many positives we could take from today and he showed he had the pace capable of running at the front. The team worked hard and did a fantastic job to repair his Swan Yamaha for race two and now we need to all look ahead to Cadwell Park.” For more information visit www.swanyamaha.co.uk More, from a press release issued by Mar-Train Yamaha: Mar-Train Racing’s Jack Kennedy maintained his 9.5-point lead in the British Supersport Championship after a double podium during round seven of the series on the Brands Hatch GP circuit in Kent yesterday. The Dubliner took second place in the opening ten lap race on Sunday, before following it up with his fifth win of the season in race two aboard his R6 Yamaha. The series may be dubbed the best of British, but this year’s championship is turning into a Northern Hemisphere versus Southern Hemisphere battle, with Ireland taking on Australia as Kennedy looks to out-think and out-ride former champion Glen Richards. The hard charging duo have crept away from the pursuing pack, with Kennedy now 53.5 points ahead of third placed man Billy McConnell. Jack Kennedy: “It was a great day at Brands in front of a massive audience and some important sponsors. I was P2 on the grid and second in race one but ever so close to the win. I was determined not to lose out again in the second race from pole position, but what a great battle I had with Glen. I really wanted to be leading the championship coming out of Brands and going into the summer break and I’m delighted to have achieved that. Thanks to everyone in the Mar-Train team as always for their support and all our sponsors. I hope you enjoyed it.” Taylor Mackenzie continued his consistent form in the points scoring a pair of 14th placed finishes on his Mar-Train Racing Yamaha. Taylor Mackenzie: “Great crowds and great atmosphere this weekend and we’re happy with more points. The goal was to get into that top fifteen every weekend, but I’m a racer and now we’ve achieved that our aim is to move forward and top ten is the next goal. I really want that from the next couple of races.” Tim Martin Team Principal: “That’s what we needed to do this weekend: show the strength of the whole Yamaha R6 package and also show that Jack and the Mar-Train team mean business and wants this championship the most. It can’t always be done in the ‘gently, gently’ manner and there were a few hard moves out there on Sunday, but all fair enough in racing terms. It was especially pleasing to put on a show in front of some influential people from Yamaha this weekend and leading the championship into the break was always our goal. There are another ten races to go so it’s far from over yet, but there was some hype that Glen was going to take over the charge and we’ve proved this weekend that we’re a very determined bunch. Taylor scored more points which was pleasing and he’s making progress, but we’ve now got to put a big push on and do what we can to help him edge ever closer to the top ten.” Motorpoint British Supersport Championship protected by Datatag, Brands Hatch GP, race one: Glen Richards (Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph) Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Yamaha) +0.090s Christian Iddon (Oxford TAG Triumph) +5.185s Luke Jones (777RR Triumph) +5.518s Luke Mossey (Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph) +6.453s Motorpoint British Supersport Championship protected by Datatag, Brands Hatch GP, race two: Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Yamaha) Glen Richards (Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph) +0.018s Billy McConnell (Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph) +0.511s Christian Iddon (Oxford TAG Triumph) +0.786s Ben Wilson (Gearlink Kawasaki) +0.918s Motorpoint British Supersport Championship standings: Jack Kennedy (Mar-Train Yamaha) 243.5 Glen Richards (Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph) 234 Billy McConnell (Smiths (Gloucester) Racing Triumph) 190 Ben Wilson (Gearlink Kawasaki) 175 Sam Warren (Seton Tuning Yamaha) 129 More, from a press release issued by Kenny Noyes’ publicist: Spanish Moto2 Points Leaders, Torres and Noyes, Both Crash Out on Albacete American Kenny Noyes parked his Suter and turned out for the fifth round of the CEV Moto2 Championship on a Spanish-built Ariane. Unfortunately teething problems with the new bike, racing for the first time with Öhlins suspension front and rear, prevented Kenny from finding a the best set-up, but the main problem was a gradual loss of power from the obligatory, stock Honda CBR600RR engine. He got the hole shot off the second row and led into turn 1, battling series leader Jordi Torres (Suter) wheel to wheel as the two exchanged the lead over the opening ten laps, but Kenny was clearly losing out on acceleration off the faster corners. Trying to make up for that small disadvantage led to a couple of lurid slides and finally, on lap 16 of 19 the front folded and Kenny went down, uninjured but unable to restart. By then Torres had taken a slight advantage and Kenny had been battling for second with Ramon Ramos (Ariane) and Dani Rivas (Kalex). Then, on the final lap and when he was holding a 2.5 second lead, Torres crashed in the same corner where Noyes had crashed. The two had gone into Albacete with Torres leading Noyes by 17 points and that is the way they left, except that Ramos has moved into second just four points back of Torres. Now the CEV takes a summer break before round six to be run at the same Albacete circuit on September 9th. Kenny Noyes #9: “The change to the Ariane was a good move. I’m happy with the new bike. We missed our set-up today just a bit but the main problem was with the engine. We were giving up maybe 500 revs and you can’t give these guys anything.” “The team did a great job with no time to spare. George (Vukmanovich) and the guys only got the new frame in the Madrid shop on Tuesday and had to be at Albacete for tech on Thursday and on track on Friday. Now we have a little time to test and get ready for the rematch right back here at Albacete in September. Our goal is simple. We have to run the table and win the rest of the races.” CEV Moto2 Championship Positions 1. Torres (Spain) 84 pts: 2, Ramos (Spain) 81 pts: 3. Noyes (USA) 68 pts, 4. Mariñelarena (Spain) 62 pts: 5. Rivas (Spain) 45 pts: 6.: Syahrin (Malaysia) 44 pts: 7. Odendaal (South Africa) 39 pts: 8. Hernandez (Colombia) 34 pts: 9. Koyama (Japan) 32 pts: 10. Raffin (Switzerland) 28 pts: 11. D´Annunzio (Italy) 21 pts: 12. McLaren (Australia) 20 pts: 13. Mahias (France) 20 pts: 14. Climent (Spain) 19 pts: 15. Iturrioz (Argentina) 17. More, from a press release issued by Alberto López gets the best classification for BMW in the race at the CEV Albacete. 23/7/2012 – Forés had a fall while struggling for the victory The fifth heat of the CEV Buckler in Albacete did not get another podium for the Motorrad Team in the Stock Extreme category. Alberto López has been the first representative in the key category of the Spanish Championship with a sixth position during the race – his second best result this year. López has achieved 10 points by standing at the same position in the starting grid and getting confidence in each lap. He leaves Albacete with a seventh position in the general classification and he is willing to compete again with the heading group. Xavi Forés, who carried out a very good timed-training and was starting from a second position in the grid, suffered again the negative side of the race. In spite of an injury on his shoulder, Forés has faced a very controlled race from the very beginning. He felt comfortable while running with Del Amor and Bonastre in the heading group. It was during the tenth lap when Forés was about to leave the Suzukis behind that he fall. Forés was trying a double overtaking when he contacted with Del Amor and both fell down. As ex-mates they were hugged and supported each other, while the race had to go on and they proved once again the companionship and sportsmanship prevailing at the Spanish Championship. The next race of the CEV will take place at this same circuit in September, but Team Motorrad has no break. Next August we will be in Albacete for the first test in the home straight of the season. The races can be enjoyed again in Telecinco.es CEV ALBACETE RACES ALBERTO LOPEZ #42 “It?s been a difficult race and I couldn?t slow down my pace during the training. I wasn?t feeling very confident so I?d rather maintain a nice pace in order to have fun and, above all, get those points that help us so much in the Championship. For next time I know we can improve and both the BMW and me will fight later on” “I WAS FEELING COMFORTABLE AND CONFIDENT TO WIN” XAVI FORÉS #12 “It?s been a hard race for me as far as I was feeling comfortable and confident to win, but luck failed us again. I tried to overtake Bonastre and Del Amor in a piece of braking. There was room enough but suddenly Del Amor got closer and we couldn?t help crashing. I want to apologize to him and his team. I really hope our luck changes because it is what is preventing us from getting a victory. I want to thank my whole team. I am still struggling to compensate all their work an effort with a victory.” More, from a press release issued by Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki Racing: Mixed weekend at Brands for Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki The Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki Racing team endured some mixed fortunes at Brands Hatch on Sunday where they were competing in round 7 of the 2012 British Superbike Championship. Although Chris Walker took a superb sixth place in the opening race, a fall later in the day in the second race dented his challenge for the Showdown places whilst team-mate James Hillier also suffered a race crash. Walker was in top form all weekend and, an ever-present in the top ten during free practice, he carried over his pace into qualifying where a lap of 1m26.356s placed him sixth on the grid for the first 18-lap race. Eighth on the opening lap, Chris enjoyed an excellent battle with fellow Showdown rivals Alex Lowes, Ian Lowry, Stuart Easton, Graeme Gowland and Tommy Bridewell. As per qualifying, there was little to choose between the riders but by lap 12 Chris was up to sixth and although he got pushed back to seventh by a charging Bridewell, a crash for Noriyuki Haga on the final lap promoted him back up to sixth for 10 valuable points. However, just when it looked like he’d repeat the result in race two, and maintain his Showdown challenge, he crashed out at Druids on the sixth lap, fortunately without injury. Team-mate Hillier was making his return to racing after being injured at Knockhill in June but it proved to be a tough comeback after a number of weeks out of the saddle. His first race was over almost before it had begun when he suffered a nasty highside at Sheene Curve on lap one, luckily not aggravating his injuries, and although he went a lot further in the second race, he was forced to retire with six laps to go. Third team member Kyle Wilks was making his debut on the 2.43-mile GP circuit but put in a solid performance to finish in 20th place in the Metzeler National Superstock 600cc Championship race. Speaking later, team manger Pete Extance commented; “It’s definitely been a mixed weekend but race day started perfectly for Chris with an excellent sixth place, which saw him gain significant points on a number of his Showdown rivals. It put him right back in contention but in the second race, he unfortunately slid off. A similar result looked on the cards and he was trying hard to maintain sixth in the race when he just tucked the front going into Druids. It’s a real shame as he was on top form all weekend with excellent pace so it feels like we’ve taken two steps forward but three back. It’s frustrating for everyone, especially for Chris obviously, and it only leaves us with four races to make up the points gap.” “James is still revovering from his Knockhill injuries and he’s perhaps lacking a bit of confidence. The first crash was extremely nasty and he was lukcy to escape without further injury so, hopefully, he can fully utilise the break we have now, re-group and get his head firmly into gear for the next round at Cadwell. Kyle was seeing the GP circuit for the first time and so had very little track time compared to a lot of the other riders but he did really, really well. He got quicker in each session and improved all weekend so to get a top 20 finish was a fine effort.” The team now has a five week break until the next round at Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire on August 25-27. More, from a press release issued by John McGuinness’ publicist: More points on the board for McGuinness Morecambe’s John McGuinness continued his run of points-scoring finishes on Sunday when he finished in 13th place at the ninth round of the Metzeler National Superstock 1000cc Championship. Held in perfect, sunny conditions at Brands Hatch in Kent, the Padgetts Honda ace fought his way through the pack after a sluggish first lap and he was rewarded with three hard-earned Championship points. Eighth overall after first qualifying on Saturday, John shaved over three tenths of a second off his time in the afternoon’s final session but such was the ferocity and closeness of the on-track action, he actually slipped back to 11th overall and so lined up for the 15-lap race on the third row of the grid. Expecting a tough race, the first laps were exactly that for John as he got pushed back to 19th after the usual bumping and barging around Paddock Hill and Druids bends. By half race distance, he had moved up to 16th and was on the edge of the points when the safety car came out on lap 9 for an incident involving John’s good friend Steve Brogan. Four laps later, the safety car pulled in and John immediately moved up to 14th, a position he held over the final three laps. However, with 12th place finisher Leon Morris being excluded following a post-race technical inspection, hewas promoted up the order to 13th. Speaking afterwards, John said: “I’ve really enjoyed riding the bike this weekend and felt good out on track but whilst I could do good, competitive lap times when I was circulating on my own, it was really hard work in the race conditions. A lot of the riders are like pint-sized jockeys and they’re slow in the corners but fast down the straights, which really compromised my race. The first lap was a bit of a nightmare and it’s amazing no-one went down but I kept it upright and then tried as hard as I could to get back in the top fifteen. A few of the boys crashed out, which handed me a couple of positions, and I ended up in 13th. Not ideal, admittedly, but it’s always good to race on the GP track and, like I say, I’ve enjoyed my riding over the last couple of days. I’m looking forward to Japan now and I’ll be hoping we can score a good result in the World Endurance Championship race for the Honda TT Legends team.” John now heads for Suzuka, Japan where’ll line up once more for the Honda TT Legends team for the prestigious 8-Hour World Endurance Championship event. More, from a press release issued by Doodson Motorsport – Brands Hatch GP Mixed fortunes for the Doodson Motorsport duo at the latest round of the British Superbike championships with further progress for Tom Tunstall but David Anthony was unable to race following a crash in qualifying. A return to Brands Hatch marked the start of the second half of this year’s British Superbike season, this time utilising the popular 2.43mile GP circuit. With an American Superbike race at Mid-Ohio over the weekend between Oulton and Brands “Aussie Dave” Anthony jetted back into the UK just prior to the event and had a positive first test session back on the Honda. However a technical issue at the start of qualifying saw the AMA regular fall and break bones in his foot ruling him out for the remainder of the weekend. “The BSB medical team did a great job and the x-rays show some broken bones in my foot which may need pinning. I’ll take them back and show my surgeon in California and we’ll take it from there. It’s a shame as the new engine and clutch spec we we’re trying felt like a good step forward.” Doodson Motorsport team mate and team owner Tom Tunstall continued to chip away and make progress with the bike and after a technical issue in race one ended race two in 22nd and positive about the direction forward. “It was a big shame about David’s crash and we wish him a speedy recovery. We’re continuing to make good progress with the bikes and have identified the biggest area for improvement which is compromising how we can set the bike up.” “We now have a much needed mid season break we can catch our breath and get in some much needed testing to ensure we return at the next round stronger.” Round eight of the 2012 championship takes place over the August bank holiday weekend [25th-27th] at Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire. More, from a press release issued by KMR Kawasaki: Farquhar retains Cock o’ the North title Ryan Farquhar’s race-winning spree continued at the weekend when the KMR Kawasaki rider retained his Cock o’ the North title at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough. With perfect conditions around the seaside venue, Ryan was again in fine form and ended the weekend with five more race wins under his belt whilst team-mate Jamie Hamilton was again amongst the top four. Saturday’s racing started with a 600cc heat, which Ryan won by almost ten seconds from Ivan Lintin and that was followed by the opening leg of the Superbikes. It was fellow Northern Irishman Michael Pearson who grabbed the holeshot and although his lead was never more than a second, Ryan simply couldn’t find a way through. The gap was constantly coming down but it ended in a rare defeat around the woodland venue for Ryan as he crossed the line 0.256s behind Pearson, the fastest lap of the race his only consolation. Hamilton took a good fourth and the duo then took another 1-2 for the team in the Supertwins, Ryan coming out on top on this occasion by a comfortable 6.5s, also claiming a new lap record at 78.262mph. With glorious conditions again greeting the riders on Sunday, Ryan opened his account for the day with a good victory in the second leg of the Superbikes, his winning margin over Dean Harrison 5.8s, but Hamilton suffered a spill when he highsided out of the race. Ryan then completed his hat-trick with a 3 second victory over Pearson in the first Supersport 600cc race although, after a number of delays to the race schedule, he opted out of the second leg held later in the afternoon. His next outing was the second leg of the Supertwins which he won from Daniel Frear but Hamilton was again out of luck retiring when the bike started to jump out of gear. Ryan’s weekend ended on the best possible note though when he overhauled Pearson and Harrison to take the 10-lap feature Cock o’ the North race, to add his name to the Trophy for the third successive year. Speakin later, a delighted Ryan said; “All in all, it’s been a good weekend and it was a good opportunity for me to get some work in on the Superbike and try to get it dialled in a bit more. It’s such a sensitive bike that a small change can make a huge difference so I spent most of Saturday making constant changes and I’ve got a bike that now feels like my bike. I definitely made some good progress and got more and more feel as the weekend wore on with the lap times subsequently coming down. The laptop crashed on me on Sunday so I couldn’t make as many changes as I would have liked but it’s not far away now so we’ll keep working on it at Armoy and get it as close to perfect as possible.” “There were a few red flags over the two days so it led to a hectic schedule and that’s why I opted out of the second Supersport race as otherwise I’d have had four races on the trot. I wanted to save myself for the big bike race and it paid off. I outbraked myself at Mere on the first lap but just bided my time before making a move on both Dean and Michael. Jamie was going well again and was inside the Supertwins lap record too whilst what I learnt with the Superbike we could transfer to his Superstock machine and he was immediately happier with it. He had a bit of bad luck on Sunday with a highside, a bike that jumped out of gear and another one that had brake fade so didn’t get the results he’d hoped for but, overall, he was happy. It’s been a good weekend for KMR Kawasaki and we’ll look for more of the same when we come back here in September for the Gold Cup. Sadly, the meeting ended on a sad note with the loss of a rider in the final race of the day so from everyone connected with the team, we’d like to pass on our thoughts and sympathy to all his friends and family.” Ryan and the team’s next appearance will be at the Armoy Road Races, County Antrim on Saturday July 28th.