Round Six 3/4/5 July Knockhill ViSK British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli Flying Scot Stuart Easton is aiming for maiden race winning glory in his home round of the ViSK British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli at Knockhill this Sunday, 5 July. Riding the Hydrex Honda, the former Supersport Champion, has put together a string of strong performances so far, including two second placings in five podium finishes, but at the Fife circuit, Easton believes that he can head off the threat posed by the two dominant Airwaves Yamahas in the hands of series leading Leon Camier and James Ellison. “I can’t wait to get there. It is my home round and I hope that all the Scottish fans will come and get behind me. The last time the fans had a Scottish winner was probably Steve Hislop so if I can replicate that, and then of course I would be celebrating with them. “I am third overall in the standings so I am in a strong position to challenge the Airwaves Yamahas and if I am going to do it anywhere it has to be in Scotland. If I can pull it off I will be buying everyone a drink,” said Easton with a big smile. Re-inforcing Easton in the Hydrex equipe is Karl Harris, another former Supersport title holder, who has achieved a couple of second placings already, and he too is long overdue a victory in the elite series. They face tough challenges with the Airwaves duo keen to put a tough weekend of ‘wild-card’ action in the World series, in which both Camier and Ellison crashed heavily, behind them with a return to winning ways. Camier has won eight of the ten races, including three daily doubles, as he has opened up a 55 points advantage over Ellison who has won once and piled up five second placings to be second in the standings, but only 22 points clear of Easton, leaving all to play for the young Scot. Expect to see the HM Plant Honda riders adding to the front-running action. Josh Brookes has settled into the groove, with three third placings in the last three races, and the rider with World Supersport experience under his belt, is confident that he can learn this tight, short circuit which he is racing for the first time. Brookes will benefit from the experience of his team-mate Glen Richards who has strong form at Knockhill, while Michael Rutter will be at his most determined to secure strong results as he continues to deputise for the injured Sylvain Guintoli aboard the Worx Crescent Suzuki. Ian Lowry, riding Relentless Suzuki, will add to the thrills at the sharp-end. Simon Andrews, fresh from his ‘wild-card’ experiences in the World series, will be maintaining his maturing speed and style aboard the MSS Colchester Kawasaki while John Laverty, riding a similar machine, but in Buildbase colours, is keen to build on his Snetterton good form. Keep an eye also on the Motorpoint Henderson Yamaha in the hands of Chris Walker while Jon Kirkham rides the North West 200 Coca Cola Zero Yamaha. And, in the Mirror.co.uk Cup Gary Mason, riding the Quay Garage Honda, will be bidding for further victories to maintain his sizeable advantage in this race within a race for independent teams. Ahead of the practice and qualifying including the Swan Combi 50 Roll for Pole grid decider through Saturday and Sunday, and the races on Sunday, there is a special preview event “Superbikes in the Square presented by Swan” in George Square, Glasgow on Wednesday. Knockhill fast-facts Lap records – 1.2713mile circuit Superbike Shane Byrne, Suzuki, 48.474s, 94.41mph, 16/07/06 Supersport Leon Camier, Honda, 50.473s, 90.67mph, 16/07/06 125GP James Westmoreland, Honda, 53.790s, 85.08mph, 16/07/06 1000 Superstock Torquil Paterson, Suzuki, 50.810s, 90.07mph 16/07/06 600 Superstock Jimmy Hill, Yamaha, 52.409secs 87.32mph 10/08/08 Flashback 2008 Round eight Sunday 10 August – British Superbikes Race one 30 laps 1 T Sykes, Suzuki 2 S Byrne, Ducati 3 J Ellison, Honda 4 M Rutter, Ducati 5 L Camier, Ducati 6 M Laverty, Suzuki Race two 14 laps 1 L Haslam, Honda 2 M Rutter, Ducati 3 K Harris, Yamaha 4 T Sykes, Suzuki 5 J Ellison, Honda 6 S Andrews, Yamaha More, from another press release issued by British Superbike Championship organizers: PLATER VERSUS MCCONNELL AS TUSSLE FOR THE TITLE REACHES KNOCKHILL It’s two all in the battle for the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship, with Steve Plater and Billy McConnell equal on race wins ahead of round six at Knockhill this weekend. Plater leads the championship chase by 23 points, taking the advantage after McConnell suffered a disappointing DNF at Snetterton, but now the MAP Raceways Yamaha rider is determined to close the gap and force his HM Plant Honda rival back to second. Plater said: “It is spot on to be leading the championship but there is still a long way to go before it will be decided and as you can see from Snetterton, anything can happen. There has been a break between rounds which has given the HM Plant Honda team the chance to regroup so hopefully we can come back even stronger this weekend. It’s a short lap so you have to work hard and be accurate every lap, one mistake there is going to be costly and you need to qualify well. I have only raced once at Knockhill in the past five years for a variety of reasons so I need to get dialled in but I like the place so I am looking forward to it.” James Westmoreland will be looking to build on his strong performance at Snetterton, when he took a maiden podium finish for the JW Racing Triumph team. A strong performance in Scotland could see him move into the top three in the standings; he is just five points adrift of Daniel Cooper in third and will be able to take advantage of Dan Linfoot missing out through injury for the NW200 Coca-Cola Zero Yamaha team. Centurion Racing Honda’s Daniel Cooper is the third rider to have won a race so far this season and after finishing second best to Plater at Snetterton he is seeking to beat his Honda rival. Hudson Kennaugh on the Linxcel-Seton Tuning Yamaha is desperate to finish on the podium for the first time this season. Last year’s title contender has finished fourth twice and the pressure is mounting for him to return to the podium this year. Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship standings after round five: 1. Steve Plater (HM Plant Honda) 95 2. Billy McConnell (MAP Raceways Yamaha) 72 3. Daniel Cooper (Centurion Racing Honda) 57 4. Dan Linfoot (NW200 Coca-Cola Zero Yamaha) 52 5. James Westmoreland (JW Racing Triumph) 52 More, from a press release issued by Airwaves Yamaha: AIRWAVES YAMAHA BACK TO BRITISH The British Superbike Championship heads to the 1.27 mile Knockhill circuit in Fife this weekend for Round 6 of the series. Following a tough outing in the British Round of the World Superbike Championship, Leon Camier and James Ellison are looking forward to returning to winning ways and extending their advantage at the top of the domestic standings. Leading the British Superbike Championship by 55 points over his teammate, Leon commented on the weekend ahead, “I’m not a huge fan of short tracks, but I’ve always liked Knockhill. Hopefully the weather will be kind to us and be consistent throughout the weekend. I’m expecting the Honda’s to be strong right from the start. I know Hydrex Honda has tested there recently. I’m sure it’ll be a fun fight to get on to the podium. I’ve been training really hard throughout the season so fitness won’t be a problem, even after three back-to-back race events. It’s still early days in the Championship so it’s important to keep focused and keep bringing home points for Airwaves Yamaha.” James is aiming to put on a good show for friends and family this weekend saying, “Knockhill is like another home round for me. My mum’s from nearby, so I should have a lot of family supporting me. My friends, ‘The Kendal Massive’, will also be there. They travel around with the BSB circus, cheering me on. Knockhill’s been good to me in the past and it’s a circuit I’ve always enjoyed. I think the Airwaves Yamaha should work well there, so I’m looking forward to it. This past weekend at the World Superbike Championship we’ve learnt a lot, putting us in a good position for the rest of the British Superbike season. I’ve still got some work to do to improve tyre wear over a race distance, but we’re heading in the right direction for some strong results this weekend.” Round 6 of the British Superbike Championship takes place on Sunday 5th July.