Brilliant start to 2013 continues for SMT Racing SMT Racing’s superb start to the 2013 British F1 Sidecar and Superstock Championships continued at Thruxton at the weekend with wins and podiums from team members Tim and Tristan Reeves and Adam Jenkinson. The Reeves brothers were again in invincible form around the Hampshire venue and, despite inclement conditions, duly took pole position for the first of the British F1 Sidecar Championship races, which was held over until Sunday when the weather was considerably better. Cut to eight laps due to a congested timetable, the Kent duo resisted pressure from Sean Hegarty/Calum Lawson in the early stages before edging away and when the latter dropped out on the penultimate lap, they were able to come home for a commanding 13 second victory. Later in the day, they completed their double which was made slightly easier with the non-appearance of the Hegarty/Lawson outfit, whilst the race was also brought to an early end after Phil Sloane fell out of the chair of reigning Champion Roger Lovelock. The results meant that with four wins from four starts, Tim and Tristan maintained their 100% record and with the maximum 100 points, they already have a formidable looking 47-point advantage in the Championship table. For Manchester’s Jenkinson, it was oh so close to being a repeat performance as he contested the second round of the National Superstock 1000cc Championship, which also had its qualifying interrupted by the rain. Again on the pace from the off, Adam lined up on the front row for the 16-lap race and immediately slotted into third on the opening lap. There was little to choose between Adam, David Johnson and Steve Brogan but as the race moved into its final third, Adam moved up to second and was well placed to overhaul Johnson when the race was ended prematurely due to a crash. Nevertheless, the 20 points for second moved him on to 45 overall and gives him a 20-point cushion over Johnson. Speaking later, team owner Robin Croft said; “It’s been another great weekend for the team and was almost a carbon copy of the results from Brands Hatch a week earlier. We knew that it would be a little bit more difficult getting the bike set-up for Jenko as it’s still very new to everyone but it didn’t show and he looked comfortable throughout the three days whatever the weather. Conditions were tricky but he was simply unlucky to be in the wrong place at the wrong time as he was just sitting in second place biding his time behind Johnson. He felt confident with the pace and was planning to make his move in the last couple of laps but that’s what can happen when a race gets stopped early.” “His pace was excellent and he ran in the top three all weekend and if anyone had told me two weeks ago we’d get first and second and have a 20-point lead after the first two rounds, I’d have taken it. As for Tim, we’re going to have to call him Ronseal as he does exactly what it says on the tin! He felt confident of taking pole position and the race wins and that’s exactly what he did. He was under pressure though in the first race and it certainly wasn’t easy but he took a great double again and with five wins and a second from our first six races, we’re a very happy team and very much looking forward to our local round.” The third round of the series takes place at SMT Racing’s local circuit at Oulton Park on May 4-6. More, from a press release issued by Sidi: SUPERSPORT: FORET DELIVERS THE ARAGON GP TO SIDI Maser (Treviso) – Sidi is reaffirming itself as a major player on the track with Fabien Foret (Kawasaki ZX-6R) who on Sunday won the Supersport race in the Aragon Grand Prix, in Spain, prevailing at the finish line over newcomer Michael Van der Mark, who was second, and Luca Scassa, third. It was a performance to remember for Foret, who at the age of 40 is confirming himself as a veteran in Supersport; nonetheless, he still has a lot to give and say on the track. Thanks to all of his experience and determination Foret returned once again to the top of the podium accompanied by his inseparable Sidi Vortice boots, the number one in speed and on the track. It was a difficult and spectacular race which unfortunately saw the premature exit from the scene by another great champion from the Sidi stables, Turkey’s Kenan Sofuoglu (Kawasaki), winner of the first race of the season at Phillip Island in Australia. The Turkish rider was super fast in the trials and shot out from pole position, but after just two laps he was forced to give up and go back to the pits due to a problem with his brakes. Thanks to this splendid victory Foret has also gained the leadership in the world classification where he now commands with 38 points. The next race will be on the spectacular circuit in Assen, Holland, on April 28th. More, from a press release issued by Birchall Racing: BIRCHALL RACING THIRD AT ARAGON After mechanical problems with the Mitchells of Mansfield LCR Suzuki at Brands Hatch Ben and Tom Birchall used a borrowed outfit and rode to a fine third place in the opening round of the 2013 FIM World Sidecar championship. When it became clear that their own outfit would not be serviceable in time for the Aragon meeting and in an effort to salvage some world championship points Ben was pleased to accept the offer of a loaned outfit from long time supporter John Lawson who has been helping the team for a number of years. The weather in Spain was far removed from the rain and cold of England and the Birchall brothers completed their qualifying in fifth place for the start of Sunday’s 15-lap race in glorious sunshine. Starting from a second row grid position Ben and Tom got away to a good start and moved up into fourth place in the early laps. The two leading outfits of Steinhausen/Cluze and Paivarinta/Hanni pulled away leaving Ben and Tom to battle it out with Lawrie/Neave and Hock/Becker, the Birchalls managing to claim the final podium position of third at the chequered flag. “We are so grateful to John Lawson for the loan of his outfit and pleased we were able to finish in third place and return the bike unscathed,” said Ben. “It was a race against time and after working through the night to prepare the outfit Andy Mitchell stepped in to drive us non stop to Spain in order to allow me and Tom to rest up ahead of qualifying. “We took it steady during qualifying but once we got going in the race it was a different story. We didn’t really expect to be able to match the pace of the front runners but were delighted with third place which gives us a fighting chance for the remaining races once our outfit is back up and running. There simply was not time for us to make the repairs as we had to leave for Aragon the day after Brands Hatch and when John gave us the lifeline we grabbed it with both hands. The sidecar fraternity are a very close bunch of guys and we all help each other out in times of need. What started out looking to be a hard weekend for the team turned into a third place at Aragon.” The Birchall brothers return to the UK to make their preparations for the Isle of Man TT where last year they finished both races on the podium. Practice takes place from May 29 with two races, the first on Saturday June 1 followed by a second on Wednesday, June 5. The next round of the FIM World Sidecar championship takes place in Croatia on June 16. More, from a press release issued by GR Motorsport: ANOTHER PODIUM POSITION IN THE BAG FOR TEAM WD-40 The second round of the British Superbikes at Thruxton looked to be threatened with rain, but the sun made a welcome appearance on race day giving Team WD-40 riders Joe Francis, Jon Railton and Tommy Aquino the chance to show what they were made of. The second round of the National Superstock 1000 and the Monster Energy Motostar British Championships at Thruxton race circuit delivered­­­­­ some excellent results, including another podium position. Joe, from Backford (Chester), secured his second trophy with a well deserved second place in the Motostar race. After qualifying second on the grid, the 15-year-old was again battling with leader, Tarran Mackenzie, both riders pulled away from the rest and Joe managed to nip past Tarran at one point towards the middle of the race. A mistake by Joe at the Campbell-Cobb sector of the track meant Tarran was able to pull away and passed the chequered flag five seconds ahead. Both riders completed the race over 20 seconds ahead of their nearest rivals. Joe said: “I’m happy with the way the race went but also disappointed that I couldn’t catch the leader again. My tyres were a bit too soft for the track and I made a couple of silly mistakes which I can learn from. Over the next few weeks I’ll be working with the team to get the bike in the best possible shape for Oulton Park and hopefully I can bring home that first win.” In the Superstock 1000 Tommy Aquino put in a superb performance making up 13 places, from 23rd on the grid to a very credible tenth position. He passed the chequered flag just eight seconds behind the leader. Jon had a disappointing race and struggled from the beginning. After putting in a great performance at qualifying despite some front suspension problems , starting 11th on the grid, he found it hard to make up positions with the continued small problems. He held on in the first half, but a lack of confidence in the bike with the front suspension saw Jon come a respectable 18th place. A crash meant the race was red flagged, with Jon only just missing the debris, which left both riders feeling frustrated that they couldn’t make up places. Tommy, who had never raced or tested in the UK until three weeks ago said: “I met my goal which was to get in the top ten so I’m extremely pleased and it’s great that I’ve collected points for the team. The bike performed brilliantly and feels much more settled now compared to last weeks’ race and I felt comfortable with the way it handled. It was frustrating that the race got red flagged as I think I could have taken a couple more places but overall I was really happy with my performance. My focus now is to be in the top five and I’m very confident that by round four I could make it – I’m looking forward to getting on the track at Oulton Park on May 6th.” Jon said: “I was disappointed with the race and struggled to get going from the beginning. It’s frustrating as I wanted to improve on last weeks’ success but I just didn’t feel comfortable with the bike from the start. We had made some changes to the bike but I wasn’t able to get used to them as the track was never dry for testing. The fact that the race was stopped with six laps to go didn’t help either as I think I could have made up a few more places. Tommy put in a brilliant race though and it’s fantastic he’s collected points. I’m really looking forward to Oulton and I’m sure Team WD-40 will have podiums to celebrate in the Superstock 1000 championship very soon.” Team WD-40’s owner, Brent, said: “I’m extremely proud of Team WD-40 and what they have achieved this weekend – after Brands we found that we had a real speed problem with the Moto3 over the KTM but Danny put in 3 really long hard days before Thruxton to reduce that which showed. The lads put in superb performances and built on their achievements from last week and made special thanks to Danny, DK, Ash and Rob. Yet another podium finish for Joe is a dream come true. He’s such a fantastic young talent and will be one to watch this season. Tommy put in a stunning performance to be in the top ten and I’m very proud of him, and Jon performed really well despite having problems with his bike. The team can now build on what we have learnt from these last two races and with the weather brightening up we will have the opportunity to test and improve. A very special Thanks this week has to go to Clare and Sam who overcame some real difficulties to look after the Team and our guests ” David Whittome, UK marketing manager for team sponsors WD-40 Specialist, said: “I am delighted with Team WD-40 and the way they built on their performances from last week. We’re still in the early stages of the season and with the weather hampering practice sessions, the team haven’t been able get on the track as much as they would have liked. I’m in no doubt the guys will go from strength to strength in the next rounds. Jon, Tommy and Joe are very talented young riders and we’re all now looking forward to see how they perform at Oulton Park in May.” WD-40 is the new title sponsor of GR Motosport. The company has just launched seven new products specifically for use on motorbikes, under its recently launched WD-40 Specialist Motorbike brand. www.wd40specialistmotorbike.co.uk/ www.teamwd40.com Team Partners Cargolink Express, L&A Reinforcements, Carrino access flooring, The Air Con Experts, F&G Commercials, Bennetts Motorcycle Insurance, Kent Holiday Cottages, RS Components, 3 Squared, Signsxtra Technical Partners Kawasaki, Scorpion Red Power, Dynojet UK, Swinton Motorcycles, R&G racing, PPG Paint, Goodridge, Pipercross, Solo Motorcycle products, Super B, MG Competition, Dellorto