AIM YAMAHA SILVERSTONE PREVIEW The AIM Yamaha British Supersport team heads to Silverstone in Northamptonshire for the penultimate round of the Fuchs/Silkolene British Supersport championship on Sunday. Fielding just the one rider AIM Yamaha is putting its faith in Lincolnshire’s Steve Plater to bring home another top result for the team. Plater won in his last outing in the series at Cadwell Park for AIM Yamaha on August Bank Holiday Monday and he will be anxious for more of the same at Silverstone on Sunday. Going into the race Plater is nestling in eighth position in the rider standings but having only contested four of the nine rounds to date this is not a true reflection of his performance. The affable Lincolnshire rider suffered a non-finish at Oulton Park in July because of a mechanical failure but has completed the remaining three races with two wins and a second place. He came into the series at Snetterton having switch classes from the British Superbike championship and promptly scored a magnificent win following up with a second place at Mallory in the next round and another win at Cadwell. STEVE PLATER The points really don’t matter as, having done less than half the series I am not in contention for the title. But I want to stand on the podium again this weekend, preferably the top step as I have finished up there in every race I have completed in this series. I just hope we get some good weather for a change so we can experience some top class racing. Free practice takes place on Friday ahead of two qualifying periods on Saturday. The 18-lap British Supersport race lines up on the grid for a start at 3.35pm on Sunday and is broadcast live on British Eurosport 2 whose broadcast window is provisionally set for 12.30pm 6pm on Sunday. More, from a press release issued by Steve Plater’s publicist: Woodhall Spa ace Steve Plater returns to domestic action at the weekend with a trip to Silverstone for the penultimate round of the Fuchs/Silkolene British Supersport championship where he will ride the AIM Yamaha R6 Supersport machine in round 11 of the series. Plater won in his last outing in the series at Cadwell Park on August Bank Holiday Monday and he will be anxious for more of the same at Silverstone on Sunday. Going into the race Plater is nestling at eighth position in the rider standings but having only contested four of the nine rounds to date this is not a true reflection of his performance. The affable Lincolnshire rider suffered a non-finish at Oulton Park in July because of a mechanical failure but has completed the remaining three races with two wins and a second place. He came into the series at Snetterton having switch classes from the British Superbike championship and promptly scored a magnificent win following up with a second place at Mallory in the next round. Because of a date clash with the World Endurance championship Plater was unable to contest either the Knockhill or Croft rounds of the British Supersport series but with no further clashes in the race calendar he will be out for more glory in the final two rounds at Silverstone and Brands Hatch to move further up the order in the final rider standings. “The points really don’t matter as, having done less than half the series I am not in contention for the title. But I want to stand on the podium again this weekend, preferably the top step as I have finished up there in every race I have completed,” said Plater. “I just hope we get some good weather so we can experience some close racing.” Free practice takes place on Friday ahead of two qualifying periods on Saturday. The 18-lap British Supersport race lines up on the grid for a start at 3.35pm on Sunday and is broadcast live on British Eurosport 2 whose broadcast window is provisionally set for 12.30pm 6pm on Sunday. More, from a press release issued by British Superbike Championship organizers: Byrne aims to seal title but Haslam, Sykes and Crutchlow chase wins BENNETTS BRITISH SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP Penultimate round 26/27/28 September Silverstone Shane Byrne goes into the penultimate round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Silverstone knowing that a top nine finish in the opening race will be sufficient to give him the crown he last held five years earlier. The Airwaves Ducati rider is keen to finish the job: “I’m a bit disappointed not to have won the title in the previous round at Croft, but now I’m fully refreshed and heading to Silverstone where at the end of the day I have a very good chance of taking it, and that is what I am there for.” Byrne powered himself clear of the pack with a string of eight race victories in the first half of the season, but has not tasted the winner’s champagne since success at Mallory Park in June, and that is something that he is keen to rectify. “I’d love to win every race and have been up there in all of the races, only missing out on podium finishes at Croft and at Knockhill where I fell in the second race. “I like to be on maximum attack, riding on the limit, but I have to ensure that I don’t fall down now, and that I take the championship it will be good to get the job done in the first race at Silverstone,” added Byrne. It should be a formality, but, nothing can be taken for granted in this fiercely competitive sport, and that is not lost on the pursuing pack, who while duelling primarily for the runner-up spot in the rankings, they know that should Byrne slip-up,as did Troy Bayliss in the World series at Vallelunga, then the title is still beckoning for them. Leon Haslam, riding the HM Plant Honda, has charged into contention, winning four of the last five races to move into second place in the standings, though 388-294 down on Byrne. “I’m looking forward to the races, and I want more victories the bike is fine and we are working well,” said the Derbyshire rider who will need to be at his best to head off the confident Tom Sykes. Riding the Rizla Suzuki, Sykes has enjoyed podium finishes among them three victories in seven of the previous eight races, a run of form that has earned him a place on the World stage next year. He goes into these races just four points down on Haslam. Cal Crutchlow, meanwhile, aboard the second HM Plant Honda is eager to recapture his early season form, when he was twice a race winner, in his efforts to improve on his current fourth place in the rankings. This trio is determined to ensure that Byrne has to work hard for his title, and with Leon Camier, a winner last time out, stepping up a gear along with North West 200 Ducati rider Michael Rutter; the consistent James Ellison aboard the Hydrex Bike Animal Honda, the action at the sharp-end should be intense. Simon Andrews on the Lloyds British Jentin Yamaha and Michael Laverty riding Relentless Suzuki will be keen impress while MSS Discovery Kawasaki riders Stuart Easton and Billy McConnell need an upturn in fortune as does Rob Mac Racing Yamaha rider Karl Harris. For the record Lap records – 2.2127 mile International Circuit Superbike: Gregorio Lavilla, Ducati, 1m 25.377s, 93.30mph, 29/04/07 Supersport: Eugene Laverty, Honda, 1m 28.547s, 89.96mph, 17/09/06 Superstock: Hudson Kennaugh, Yamaha, 1m 28.276s, 90.24mph, 29/04/07 600 Superstock: Xavier Simcola, Suzuki, 1m 32.545s, 86.7mph, 28/05/06 125GP: James Westmoreland, Honda, 1m 32.917s, 85.74mph 21/08/05 KTM 990: Darren Fry, 1:36.471, 82.57mph, 28/04/07 Yamaha R1: to be established Flashback: Rd 3 29 April 2007 Bennetts British Superbike Championship Pole: R Kiyonari, Honda, 1m 25.383s Race One – 20 laps 1 R Kiyonari, Honda, 28:49.500 2 J Rea, Honda, 28:55.300 3 C Walker, Suzuki, 28:58.260 4 L Camier, Honda, 28:58.347 5 G Lavilla, Ducati, 29:05.573 6 L Haslam, Ducati, 29:05.847 Fastest lap: Lavilla, 1m 25.645s, 93.01mph/149.68kph Race Two – 13 laps 1 R Kiyonari, Honda, 18:37.312 2 G Lavilla, Ducati, 18:39.762 3 J Rea, Honda, 18:49.070 4 C Walker, Suzuki, 18:49.90 5 L Haslam, Ducati, 18:53.648 6 T Sykes, Honda, 18:54.278 Fastest lap: Lavilla, Ducati, 1m 25.377s, 93.30mph/150.15kph British Superbike Cup Race One 1 T Palmer, Honda, 1:29.770 Race Two 1 M Neill, Suzuki, 29:44.325 Rider’s view “Full of history, great facilities and you tell it is an F1 track as it so smooth and wide open it is very like the circuits that you race on in Europe,” Leon Haslam, HM Plant Honda