AIM Yamaha pays a return visit to Oulton Park for round seven of the Fuchs/Silkolene British Supersport championship on Sunday. As they enter the second half of the season Steve Plater holds seventh place and Ian Hutchinson ninth in the rider points and both riders will be out to earn as many points as they can to boost their position in the table. Following his return from the TT races Steve Plater has moved from the Superbike to the Supersport championship and will be riding the AIM Yamaha R6 at Oulton Park for the first time. On the team’s previous visit to the Cheshire circuit in May he rode the Superbike but has since found success in Supersport scoring a win and a second place from his two outings to date. A previous winner in both Superbike and Supersport classes in the past, Plater will be going for glory this weekend to maintain his run of podium finishes. Meanwhile Ian Hutchinson will also be gunning for the win. He was a class winner in this event last year and after a breathtaking race at Mallory Park where he ended up in fourth place, he will be looking for further success to add to his points tally. Steve Plater team co-coordinator I enjoy the undulating circuit at Oulton Park. I have won here numerous times in the past and can see no reason why I cannot continue in the same vein this weekend. Oulton is a circuit that has everything, undulations, slow corners and very fast straights but it can soon catch you out as I have also found to my cost in the past. It’s a circuit that needs treating with the utmost respect but can be very rewarding. Ian too will be out for a top result. He qualified well at Mallory and if he can do the same again this time is capable of a podium finish. Free practice takes place on Friday followed by two qualifying sessions on Saturday to determine the grid for Sunday’s 16-lap race that is set to start at 3.35pm and will be shown live on British Eurosport 2. More, from a press release issued by Steve Plater’s publicist: STEVE PLATER AIMS FOR OULTON GLORY Woodhall Spa ace Steve Plater is aiming to make it three podiums in a row when he takes on all comers in round seven on the Fuchs/Silkolene British Supersport championship at Oulton Park on Sunday. After switching to the Supersport class Plater scored a win at Snetterton and followed up with a second place at a rainy Mallory Park last time out. A previous winner at Oulton Park, both in Supersport and Superbike, Plater is hopeful of further glory on Sunday. “I enjoy the undulating circuit at Oulton Park,” said Plater. “I have won here numerous times in the past and can see no reason why I cannot produce a strong result this weekend. Oulton is a circuit that has everything, undulations, slow corners and very fast straights but it can soon catch you out as I have also found to my cost in the past. It’s a circuit that needs treating with the utmost respect but can be very rewarding.” Plater will be riding the AIM Yamaha R6 that carried him to victory at the TT and the North West 200 road races this year and he will be looking to add to his string of top results at Oulton Park on Sunday. After competing in just two rounds of the British Supersport championship this year, Plater is currently placed at seventh in the rider points. A further top result from Sunday’s race could see him elevated into the top five. Free practice takes place on Friday followed by two qualifying sessions on Saturday to determine the grid for Sunday’s 16-lap race that is set to start at 3.35pm and will be shown live on Eurosport 2. More, from organizers of the British Superbike Championship: Honda men determined to head off Byrne and set record straight BENNETTS BRITISH SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP Round Seven 18/19/20 July Oulton Park Shane Byrne is the dominant force of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship as it enters the second half of the campaign with a return visit to Oulton Park. This seventh round provides the HM Plant Honda riders Cal Crutchlow and Leon Haslam the chance to show what might have been in their earlier visit to the Cheshire circuit. Back in May, they had a tough time, with Crutchlow taking a tumble and then Haslam being excluded from the results on the second race after a tangle with Tom Sykes both riders are keen to set the record straight by heading off their Airwaves Ducati rival who took a winning double then. Byrne, the title winner five years ago, has now taken eight race victories, and four second places in the dozen races so far, and that has left him well clear of the pack: ” To have a 97 point lead at the halfway point of the season is a great feeling but all of us in the team are aware that there’s still a lot of hard work ahead in order to finish the job and win the championship. “All of the circuits on the BSB calendar that I don’t like are now out of the way and the second half of the season kicks off at Oulton Park where I secured my first double win for the Airwaves Ducati team. “I’m feeling really confident but I know I need to stay focused and just take each race one at a time,” added Byrne who is not taking the threat posed by his nearest rival in the title stakes, Crutchlow, lightly, knowing that the Coventry rider will be pushing hard. “I want to take it to him in the second half of the season. I am looking forward to Oulton Park as it is a great circuit and I am going for two wins there,” said Crutchlow, adding: “I think it will be hard to close the lead to Shane but I am going to keep plugging away and if I am not beating him and winning then I need to be right behind him. “It is good to be second in the overall standings and to be the top Honda rider; I am looking forward to the rest of the season. I have been consistent so far this year and the only three times I have not been on the podium it hasn’t all been my fault, with the crash at Oulton Park for example.” Leon Camier, the teamster of Byrne, is third in the title stakes, just ahead of Haslam who believes that he should have won both races in the previous visit to the circuit: “I have a mixture of feelings after the last round we had there. In the first race I had a fantastic battle with Shane Byrne and I feel like I should have won that race. “Then in the second race I was sitting in second with Tom Sykes then we had a coming together and I ended up fifth then was excluded. That race should have been a win too so I am confident ahead of the next round. Results wise I want a top two in both races.” Adding to the action will be Michael Rutter, fresh from his victory at Mallory Park aboard the North West 200 Ducati; Tom Sykes riding Rizla Suzuki and the Hydrex Bike Animal Honda duo of James Ellison and Guy Martin. Michael Laverty, riding Relentless Suzuki,should be at the sharp end of the action. Yamaha riders, Karl Harris on the Rob Mac Racing bike and Simon Andrews aboard the Lloyds British Jentin machine should also be well on the pace along with Billy McConnell on the MSS Discovery Kawasaki. John Laverty, riding the Buildbase NW200 Ducati, expects to extend his advantage in the Daily Star Cup, but under pressure from Honda riders Tom Tunstall, Martin Jessopp and Gary Mason, not forgetting STP MV Agusta rider Chris Burns. Lap records – 2.692 miles International Circuit Superbikes Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, 1m 35.436s, 101.54mph, 23/07/06 Supersport Cal Crutchlow, Honda, 1m 39.357s, 97.53mph, 11/09/05 125GP James Westmoreland, Honda, 1m 45.819s, 91.58mph, 11/09/05 Superstock Jon Kirkham, Yamaha, 1m 40.046s, 96.86mph, 05/05/08 600 S/stock Allan Jon Ventner, Triumph, 1m 43.703s, 93.45mph, 05/05/08 Yamaha R1 Sam Warren, Yamaha, 1m 49.219s, 88.73mph, 05/05/08 Flashback Round 8 15 July 2007 – Bennetts British Superbike Championship Pole: J Rea, Honda, 1m 34.914s Race One – 17 laps 1 R Kiyonari, Honda, 31:03.104 2 S Byrne, Honda, 31:23.179 3 C Walker, Suzuki, 31:23.994 Fastest lap: R Kiyonari, Honda, 1m 43.960s, 93.22mph/150.02kph Race Two – 14 laps 1 J Rea, Honda, 24:33.750 2 K Harris, Honda, 24:45.853 3 S Byrne, Honda, 24:53.699 Fastest lap: R Kiyonari, Honda, 1m 43.501s, 93.63mph/150.69kph British Superbike Cup Race 1 1 T Palmer, Honda, 32:51.933 Race 2 1 T Palmer, Honda, 26:06.126 Superbikes on track Friday 18 July 10.15-11.05 and 14.30-15.20 free practice Saturday 19 July 10.15-11.05 free practice 14.00-14.50 Swan Combi Roll for Pole grid deciding qualifying session Sunday 20 July 12.02-12.17 warm-up practice 13.15 Race One 18 laps 16.30 Race Two 18 laps Superbikes on television British Eurosport 2 Sunday 20 July 1300-1430 LIVE raceday 1530-1800 LIVE raceday 2100-2200 Highlights Monday 21 July 1700-1830 Highlights Tuesday 22 July 2000-2100 Highlights Wednesday 23 July 2200-2330 Highlights Tuesday 29 July 2100-2200 Highlights Thursday 31 July 2230-2400 Highlights Saturday 02 August 1900-2030 Highlights Tuesday 05 August 2015-2115 Highlights Thursday 07 August 1300-1400 Highlights 1915-2015 Highlights Friday 08 August 1400-1530 Highlights 2100-2230 Highlights Saturday 09 August 1530-1700 Highlights Sunday 10 August 1130-1230 Highlights Channel 4 Wednesday 23 July 01.10-02.05 Highlights Rider’s view “A circuit with its own special character, a bit up and down, challenging but fun to ride and somewhere that always makes for good racing,” Leon Haslam, HM Plant Honda