MORE SOLID POINTS AT CROFT FOR ELLISON Hydrex Bike Animal Honda rider James Ellison continued his impressive run of results by posting another pair of top ten finishes in round ten of the Bennetts British Championship at Croft today. At the team’s local round and aboard the Shaun Muir Racing Honda Fireblade, the 27 year old Cumbrian, who missed the previous round at Cadwell Park due to injury, added a seventh and a ninth place finish to his previous results this season to end up seventh in the Championship standings. After problems during qualifying, held during mixed weather conditions, race day dawned dry with sunny intervals and Ellison was hoping to continue where he left off at Donington Park last weekend in the World Superbike meeting where he finished fourth. However, around the fast North Yorkshire circuit, the Hydrex Bike Animal team and Ellison couldn’t get the perfect set-up but despite that, he battled to ninth place in race one, and with improvements made between races, Ellison fought his way up to seventh at the end of the second 20-lap race. Meanwhile team mate Guy Martin suffered a mixed weekend aboard the second of the team’s Honda Fireblades. Having qualified on row four behind his team mate, Martin claimed an eighteenth place finish in race one but couldn’t improve in the second race and he retired on lap eleven of the 20-lapper much to his disappointment. In the Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship, Derbyshire rider Kieran Clarke claimed another points-scoring finish in fourteenth aboard his 1000cc Honda to end up in 22nd place in the standings. Both Ellison and Clarke will be in action at Silverstone in two weeks time but in the meantime Martin is looking for his sixth International Gold Cup win at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough next weekend. James Ellison: “Both races were OK except we made some slight improvements for the second one. I gave myself a lot of hard work by qualifying so far down and also I think I was looking for a perfect set-up which just wasn’t there, but I think it was the same for everyone. The ‘Kendal Massive’ had a good turn out and its good to have people here and I’m just disappointed I couldn’t have done better for them, but it’s onwards and upwards.” Guy Martin: “We made a load of changes and used a different tyre and it just made things worse and I ended up really struggling. We tried to cure the problem but it didn’t work so I’m really disappointed. Worse things happen at sea! Now I’m looking forward to Scarborough next week.” Kieran Clarke: “I just got settled in the middle of the pack and wasn’t decisive enough. I got behind Hutchy (Ian Hutchinson) and I just settled there for too long and let some of the boys go. Once I got past him, I was pulling the guys in front but it was too late. I can go to Silverstone with some positives and I have a better feel for the bike, so we’ll keep moving forwards and try to get into the top ten.” Shaun Muir (Team Owner): “Guy continued to struggle with the bike set-up and the chassis feels completely alien to him. Certain circuits work for him and others don’t but we’re looking forward to Scarborough with Guy. To a lesser degree James is having the same problem and it’s simply a chassis problem and if James isn’t comfortable he can’t push it with the top riders. I’m pleased for Kieran to score some more points and he’s going in the right direction. I’m just disappointed for the sponsors, bearing in mind it’s our local circuit, but we’ve had no major incidents and now we can move on to Silverstone.” Superbike Race One Result 1, Leon Camier (Ducati) 27m06.760s, 2, Leon Haslam (Honda) +2.544s, 3, Tom Sykes (Suzuki) +6.113s, 4, Cal Crutchlow (Honda) +6.366s, 5, Shane Byrne (Ducati) +6.581s, 6, Michael Rutter (Ducati) +13.889s, 7, Michael Laverty (Suzuki) +19.031s, 8, Karl Harris (Yamaha) +19.583s, 9, James Ellison (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) +19.722s, 10, Simon Andrews (Yamaha) +24.907s, . 18, Guy Martin (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) +46.769s. Superbike Race Two Result 1, Leon Haslam (Honda) 27m04.305s, 2, Tom Sykes (Suzuki) +1.133s, 3, Cal Crutchlow (Honda) +1.614s, 4, Shane Byrne (Ducati) +1.864s, 5, Leon Camier (Ducati) +3.740s, 6, Michael Rutter (Ducati) +9.788s, 7, James Ellison (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) +17.037s, 8, Karl Harris (Yamaha) +18.735s, 9, Simon Andrews (Yamaha) +19.893s, 10, Michael Laverty (Suzuki) +21.857s. Superstock 1000 Result 1, Jon Kirkham (Yamaha) 21m02.750s, 2, Ben Wilson (Yamaha) +5.027s, 3, Peter Hickman (Yamaha) +5.425s, 4, Steve Brogan (Honda) +5.524s, 5, Alastair Seeley (Yamaha) +8.549s, 6, Adrian Coates (Yamaha) +10.953s, 7, Jimmy Storrar (Suzuki) +12.309s, 8, Lee Jackson (Yamaha) +14.832s, 9, Victor Cox (Yamaha) +21.294s, 10, Kenny Gilbertson (Kawasaki) +22.507s, . 14, Kieran Clarke (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) +30.687s. 2008 Bennetts British Superbike Championship Standings after Round 10 1. Shane Byrne (Ducati) 388pts 2. Leon Haslam (Honda) 294pts 3. Tom Sykes (Suzuki) 290pts 4. Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 265pts 5. Leon Camier (Ducati) 241pts 6. Michael Rutter (Ducati) 215pts 7. James Ellison (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) 193pts 8. Michael Laverty (Suzuki) 140pts 9. Simon Andrews (Yamaha) 140pts 10. Karl Harris (Yamaha) 91pts 18. Guy Martin (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) 27pts Round 3 – 3rd/5th May – Oulton Park, Cheshire Round 1 – 10th/11th May – Brands Hatch GP, Kent Round 4 – 24th/26th May – Donington Park, Leics Round 5 – 13th/15th June – Snetterton, Norfolk Round 6 – 27th/29th June – Mallory Park Round 7 – 18th/20th July – Oulton Park, Cheshire Round 8 – 8th/10th August – Knockhill, Fife Round 9 – 23rd/25th August – Cadwell Park, Lincs Round 10 – 12th/14th September – Croft, North Yorkshire Round 11 – 26th/28th September, Silverstone, Northants Round 12 – 10th/12th October – Brands Hatch Indy, Kent More, from a press release issued by SMT Honda: O’Halloran impresses on SMT Honda debut In his first outing for the SMT Honda team, Jason O’Halloran impressed everyone at the latest round of the British Superbike Championship this weekend and the 23-year old was rewarded with 15th place in Sunday’s second 20-lap race. It gave the team another Championship point and despite never having seen the Croft circuit until Friday morning’s free practice session, the Australian soon got to grips with the 2.125-mile venue, improving his pace throughout. Ending the first day in 18th place, the team were hopeful of getting inside the top 15 on Saturday but their plans went awry somewhat in the final free practice session when an oil seal broke. The resulting loss of track time wasn’t on the agenda but Jason didn’t let it affect him and he really shone in the qualifying shootout. Running as high as 9th at one stage, a time of 1m22.573s eventually saw him finish in 15th place, good enough for a fourth row start. With good conditions on the race day, the reigning Australian Supersport Champion made a strong start in the first 20-lap race and he was soon up to 14th place and well in contention with the group battling for 10th place. Briefly knocked back to 15th, he re-passed Tristan Palmer on the 10th lap but three laps later his race was over and it was definitely a case of unlucky 13 as he slid out of race, fortunately without injury. In the 2nd race, problems on the sighting lap meant that Jason had to run the entire race without any traction control on the bike and this could be seen in his start as he slipped back to 17th place. However, as he got more used to the different characteristics of the bike, his pace quickened and he was comfortably running with the factory Kawasaki’s of Stuart Easton and Billy McConnell. Embroiled in an excellent 5-rider dice for 12th place, a determined pass on the last lap saw him claim 15th for a debut, and hard earned, Championship point. Speaking afterwards, team owner Robin Croft said: “It’s been a typical up and down weekend for the SMT Honda team but we’re delighted with how Jason performed and he thoroughly deserved his first points in the British Superbike Championship. The damp weather and bike problem on Saturday hurt us as Jason needed all the dry track time he could get but he never stopped giving 100% and he’s impressed everyone with his speed and application.” “It was a really slow crash in the first race and there was no damage on the bike but on his sighting lap for the second race, Jason lost all revs and power so he had to turn the traction control off. Running a full race distance without it made his life difficult but it was a strong ride and he was comfortably running with riders who have a lot more experience on the circuit so we’re happy with the result. We’ve got a test day at Silverstone on Tuesday, in preparation for the next round and we can’t wait to get there and make further strides forward.” The Silverstone International circuit hosts the next round of the British Superbike Championship with the meeting taking place on September 26-28. More, from a press release issued by John McGuinness’ publicist: Strong ride by McGuinness at Croft John McGuinness followed up his result at Cadwell Park with another strong ride at Croft on Sunday, where he was competing in round 10 of the British Supersport Championship at Cadwell Park. The Padgett’s Honda rider was again in contention throughout the weekend and he was involved in a titanic 10-rider battle for sixth place throughout the shortened 10-lap race, eventually crossing the line in 12th position, for four more championship points. Keen to continue his return to form, the Morecambe ace slotted into 10th place in the first, damp qualifying session but with dry conditions for the final 30-minutes later in the day, this would be the session that counted. On the pace throughout, a best time of 1m23.693s saw John take 12th place overall, for a third row start, and the close times saw two seconds separate the top 16 riders. Indeed, there was little between the riders and John was only seven tenths of a second adrift of 5th place on the grid! A fine start saw John maintain his 12th place in the early stages of the race and he moved up to 11th after just 3 laps. However, just as it looked like he would move into the top ten, a crash involving Ashley Beech saw the race stopped and re-run over just ten laps. John again made a good start but a typical first corner melee saw him shuffled back to 14th place. However, he soon re-grouped and by half race distance he was up to 12th. There was nothing between the group of ten riders battling it out for 6th place thus making a pass stick was always going to be difficult. Subsequently, John ended the race in 12th place to make it three consecutive points-scoring finishes and further confirm his return to form and fine short circuit riding. Speaking afterwards, a pleased John commented: “It’s good to be racing again and today’s race was as tough as they come. The top four riders are a step ahead this year but after that it’s incredibly close and there’s nothing between about ten of us you’re talking split seconds! I made a great start today and had caught the row in front of me by the first corner but then I got pushed wide and there were a few other boys up on the kerbs so it was all a bit messy. I lost a few places but got my head down and managed to haul a couple back and it was nip and tuck all way.” “I seem to keep getting myself in the wrong place at the wrong time so maybe I need to be a bit more aggressive in the first few corners because the first lap is crucial. It’s tough out there against some of these 8-stone whippets but like I say, it’s nice to be racing hard again and although 12th isn’t where I want to be, it’s more solid points on the board and I’m riding as hard as I’ve ever done. I’m happy and Clive’s happy so we can look forward to Scarborough now and it will be good to go there and have some fun.” It’s back to the public roads for John next as he will be riding in next weekend’s International Gold Cup races at Scarborough, the two day meeting taking place on the Oliver’s Mount circuit on 20-21 September. More, from a press release issued by Guy Martin’s publicist: Tough weekend at the office for Martin Kirmington’s Guy Martin endured a tough weekend at the office when he was competing in round 10 of the British Superbike Championship at Croft. Handling problems again plagued the Hydrex Bike Animal Honda ace and although he qualified in a solid 14th place, problems in the two 20-lap races meant he left the North Yorkshire venue pointless. Having scored well at the previous round at Cadwell, hopes were high coming in to the meeting and Guy was looking to further add to his points tally. Consistently in the top 15 in free practice, Guy also shone in the solitary damp session, placing 6th. Conditions were dry for the qualifying shootout and, like Cadwell, he comfortably made it through to the second phase. He went quicker still in the second 15-minute phase and a time of 1m22.439s saw him slot into 14th for a place on the fourth row of the grid. However, a sluggish start in the opening race on Sunday saw Guy down in 19th place at the conclusion of the first lap and it was an uphill battle from here on in. Although he gave 100% all the way to the chequered flag, the constant chatter in the corners prevented him from lapping any quicker and he crossed the line in 18th place. The team made further adjustments to the bike in between races in a bid to cure the problem but although Guy battled manfully, the issue continued and, rather than risk a crash, he pulled in to retire at half race distance. Speaking afterwards, a clearly disappointed Guy commented: “It’s been a tough and disappointing weekend and after getting my short circuit season back on track at Cadwell, I’ve come back down with a bang this weekend. We’re suffering with really bad chatter and I just feel like I’m going to crash at every corner I can get away with it for one flying lap in qualifying but it’s impossible to ride like that for the whole race, sooner or later you’re going to crash.” “I tried as hard as I could and I hate pulling in, not only for myself, but also for the team. They’re doing all they can to try and get to the bottom of the problem and we’ve changed everything we possibly can so we’re definitely not getting the rub of the green! We’ll keep working hard though and, hopefully, get back in the points at Silverstone. I’ve also got the Gold Cup to look forward to next weekend and it will be good to get back on to the roads I’ll be firmly aiming for some wins there!” The International Gold Cup races take place at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough on Saturday and Sunday 20th/21st September and Guy will be hoping to create history and become the first man to win the coveted trophy on six occasions. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Relentless Suzuki’s Ian Lowry suffered cruel luck yesterday at Croft when he crashed out of second place in a re-started British Supersport race. Lowry had led the 10 lap re-start after the opening race had been red flagged, but a small mistake unfortunately ended his hopes of a win at the Yorkshire venue. Team mate Michael Laverty added more points to his 2008 British Superbike campaign with eighth and tenth placed finishes on his GSX-R1000. Michael Laverty: “I’m not happy considering the effort that was made to sort our clutch problems for this weekend. I tried my best but it just didn’t work out. The bike was certainly good enough to run with the factory boys, although there is light at the end of the tunnel. We improved the chassis for race two but I had a small problem with the traction control so the result didn’t reflect the improvements the team made. I’m positive we can make more improvement for Silverstone.” Ian Lowry: “We had a pretty good weekend at Croft and I was more than comfortable in both parts of the race. Unfortunately I made a small mistake which was disappointing as we had a podium, or possibly even the win, in the bag. As always the guys in the team did a great job and although the championship is now gone I will be looking for a couple of wins in the final two rounds on my GSX-R600 Relentless Suzuki.” Philip Neill – Team Principal: “Michael’s first race result was pleasing especially after he was a little cautious for the first four laps. The second race, although disappointing, still gave Michael another solid top-10 result and he has proved to everyone in the team that he is capable of much more. Ian was riding well in the Supersport race before it was red flagged; then in the 10-lap re-start he looked on for the win after leading for six laps with the top three all on lap record pace. He was pushing hard, but a small mistake caused the crash. We can take heart from the performance and look forward to Silverstone.” More, from a press release issued by AIM Yamaha: AIM YAMAHA CROFT There was no luck for AIM Yamaha and rider Conor Cummins at Croft on Sunday when he crashed out of the restarted British Supersport race on Sunday sending the straw bales flying. The Manx rider from Ramsey was testing the AIM Yamaha R1 Superbike for the team at Croft last week and is to contest the Macau GP with them later in the year. Cummins joined the AIM Yamaha team at the weekend in the British Supersport championship round at Croft to deputise for Steve Plater who was in France competing with the GMT94 Yamaha World Endurance team at the Bol d’Or. Cummins quickly gelled with the Supersport bike on Friday and after making a few alterations to suit his riding style posted some fast laps to qualify in 17th place for Sunday’s planned 18-lap race. “I have settled into the team very well,” said Cummins after qualifying. “The bike is a missile and I am really enjoying working with the team who are really easy to work with. I have made good progress throughout qualifying and ended up in 17th place so for my first time on the bike I am happy enough.” As the race got underway Cummins progressed through to 16th place before the red flag halted proceedings. The race was rescheduled to run over 10 laps with grid positions determined on positions on lap six. But after just four laps Cummins crashed into the straw bales at Sunny, race over but luckily for him no injures apart from his pride. The next round is at Silverstone in Northamptonshire and sees a return to action for Steve Plater. Currently placed in eighth position in the rider standings Steve will be keen for another top result to move him further up the order ahead of the season finale at Brands Hatch in mid-October.