Bad luck and injury for Nutt at Brands Marty Nutt suffered both bad luck and some nasty injuries at Brands Hatch over the Easter weekend when he crashed on oil in the opening round of the Ducati 848 Challenge Championship. Riding the nutttravel.com/Millsport Ducati, Marty was lying in a strong second place in Sunday’s opening race when he crashed at Paddock Hill Bend suffering broken bones in his neck and back from where he now faces a lenghty spell on the sidelines. The weekend couldn’t have started better for Marty though when he topped the timesheets on Saturday afternoon in the free practice session but conditions were far from perfect later that day when the solitary qualifying session took place. With cold temperatures and spots of rain in the air, it was very tricky for the 32-rider strong field but a solid lap in the opening minutes saw Marty slot into 4th place before returning to the garage rather than pushing for a quicker time and risking a fall. As the session wore on, the track began to dry and having slipped down the order Marty went back out on track and a series of flying laps saw him leap up the order and claim a superb pole position. The opening race on Sunday saw drizzle falling and track conditions extremely slippy around the 1.2-mile Indy circuit and a cautious first lap saw Marty slot into 4th place as the pace car came out due to a five-rider crash. This brought the safety car out for two laps and when racing resumed Marty soon moved up into a second. Although race leader Mike Edwards had opened up a gap at the head of the field, Marty was equally safe in second until the start of lap 7 when he fell at Paddock Hill Bend on oil that had been dropped by another machine. As the bike cartwheeled through the gravel trap, Marty hit the safety bales hard and was eventually taken to Kings College Hospital London where the aforementioned injuries were diagnosed. Just ten seconds after he’d crashed, the race was stopped due to the oil that had been spilled around the first third of the lap. Speaking later, Marty’s Dad Billy said; “After switching from the Supersport class to the Ducati 848 Challenge, the weekend couldn’t have started better for us with the performance in free practice and then the pole position and when the race started, Marty wisely took it easy in the first few laps and settled into his stride. He’d moved up to second and was looking safe there for a solid result and a good haul of points but as he went into Paddock Hill the front wheel just went away from him as he hit the oil. He went into the barrier quite hard and has suffered a broken bone at the top of his neck and three more in his back, which may need operating on later on Monday.” “He was in a fair bit of discomfort when we went to see him and it looks like he could be out for 6-8 weeks but the doctors indicated there’ll be putting him in support braces to aid the healing process so he should be able to return home soon. It’s a bitter blow for all of us, especially as it was all looking so good but that’s racing for you, one minute you’re up, the next you’re down. It could have been a lot worse though so hopefully he’ll be back on his feet and in the saddle soon.” More, from a press release issued by Philip Wain, on behalf of Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship: Lovelock and Reeves share the spoils in F1 Sidecar opener Roger Lovelock/Rick Lawrence and Tim Reeves/Ashley Hawes shared the spoils at the opening round of the Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship held at Brands Hatch over the Easter weekend. The duo took a win apiece but it was Ben and Tom Birchall who left the Kent venue with the Championship lead after taking a brace of second place finishes. It was Reeves and Hawes who claimed pole position in Saturday’s single qualifying session with a time of 48.002s, just 0.198s ahead of the Birchall brothers with Lovelock/Lawrence showing good form in third and Jorg Steinhausen/Gregory Cluze in fourth, the German-French pairing going well on their BMW outfit. The front 4 were covered by just 0.7s with Barry James/Calum Lawson and Ben Holland/Lee Watson rounding out the top six. The opening race of the weekend, held late on Sunday afternoon, saw Lovelock/Lawrence grab the holeshot before Reeves/Hawes moved ahead going into Druids and it was they who led at the end of the opening lap ahead of the Birchalls and Andy Peach/Charlie Richardson with Lovelock slipping back to fourth. Reeves opened up a lead of one second before Birchall began to pull him back in but it was in the second half of the race when all the drama unfolded. On lap 5, the Birchalls took over at the front and soon opened up a gap but first to drop out were Peach/Richardson at the start of lap 8 and two laps later Reeves spun out of second. This gave the Birchalls some breathing space but by lap 12, Lovelock was right on their back wheel and they took the lead a lap later as the Nottinghamshire brothers dropped back, by which time Holland/Watson had crashed out spectacularly at Surtees. With Lovelock revelling in the drying conditions, he swept home for a commanding win with the Birchalls second and Scott Lawrie/James Neave completing the podium positions. A charging John Holden/Andy Winkle took full advantage of their slick tyres to take an excellent fourth just ahead of James/Lawson, Steinhausen/Cluze and Reeves/Hawes who were able to rejoin the race and move back up the field. Brian Gray/Colin Two, Gary Smith/Carl Morgan and John Clarke/Stuart Graham rounded out the top ten. With heavy rain on Monday, the second race took place at the end of the day, live on British Eurosport and although it was Lovelock who led into the first corner, a brilliant start by Reeves saw him move up from 7th to take the lead at just the third corner. With oil and fuel on the circuit after a spill in the Supersport 600cc race, conditions were extremely tricky as all of the crews found traction negligible but the Kent driver was able to pull away and had a lead of over two seconds when they reached backmarkers in the second half of the race. Negotiating the traffic saw the Birchalls bring the lead down to half a second but with a succession of fastest laps, Reeves and Hawes were able to pull away for their first win of the season. James/Lawson held onto third in the early laps ahead of Lawrie/Neave, Lovelock/Lawrence and Steinhausen/Cluze and it was the latter who moved steadily through the pack as Lawrie and Neave ran into the gravel trap at Paddock Hill on lap 9. On lap 13, the German driver moved into third place and try as he might, James was unable to find a way through and it was the BMW outfit took third. James and Lawson were secure in fourth whilst Lovelock secured fifth just eight tenths of a second clear of Holland/Watson who made amends for their previous days spill. Lawrie/Neave regrouped to take seventh with Peach/Richardson getting points on the board in 8th ahead of Gray/Two and Craig Chaplow/Darren Tritton. Holden/Winkle were unable to repeat their first race feats and retired on the fourth lap. With two second places, the Birchalls have taken an early Championship lead with 40 points and they’re closely followed by Lovelock/Lawrence (36), Reeves/Hawes (34), Steinhausen/Cluze (26), Lawrie/Neave (25) and James/Lawson (24). The Championship now moves onto the high speed Thruxton, Hampshire circuit this weekend with two more races taking place. More, from a press release issued by Seton Tuning Yamaha: WARREN ON TOP AFTER SEASON OPENER Seton Tuning Yamaha rider, Sam Warren leads the 2012 Motorpoint British Supersport Championship Protected by Datatag after securing a race win and a second podium finish in the opening round at Brands Hatch Indy circuit (6-9 April). The 29 year old from Derbyshire had dominated both Free Practice sessions at the 1.2 mile Kent circuit, topping the timing sheets with some blistering lap times that fell just shy of the lap record. However, a trio of Triumphs forced Sam into fourth on the outside of the front row in a heated qualifying session. As the riders assembled for the start of the reduced 16-lap race, teams gambled with tyre choices on the damp circuit, the majority opting for a safe wet/intermediate combination. With rain starting to fall again on the two sighting laps, Sam looked to have made the correct choice of wet front, intermediate rear. The lights went out for the first time this season, with Ben Wilson making the early running, forcing his way through to the holeshot from the second row. Sam tucked in neatly in fourth for the opening exchanges, shifting up a gear and in to second on lap 2. Sam got his head down, looking to close the 1.9 second gap that Wilson has extended himself at the head of the field. Setting the fastest lap of the race (52.883s) on lap 5, Sam was hot on the heals of Wilson’s Kawasaki and pushed through for the lead five laps later as the pair rounded Clearways. His lead was short lived. Luke Jones had been the man on the move, opting for full wets all round, and the Triumph rider stole Sam’s thunder on lap 11. However, the Supersport Cup rider crashed out at Druids the next time round forcing the red flag to be deployed signalling a premature end to the race. With the roll-back to end of lap 11, team owner Phil Seton was given an Easter present to savour as Sam was awarded first place and a perfect 25 points to kick off his 2012 account. Weather conditions continued to deteriorate on Easter Monday, with the Brands asphalt becoming more and more treacherous for each class. Sam, on pole for the main Supersport event, made a considered start, rounding out the first six laps in fifth as he adjusted to the track conditions. Powering up inside of Billy McConnell into Paddock Hill on lap 7, Sam edged into fourth and began to hunt down the leaders. By the close of the lap, Sam had elevated his Seton Tuning Yamaha R6 into the final podium slot before a track contamination issue forced the red flag to halt the race. After a lengthy delay, and hard work by the race marshalls to clean the track, race direction called a re-start of just nine laps. Sam lined up third on the grid and looked to be in contention for his second win of the meeting. With less than half of the opening lap completed the red flag was once again to raise its head as a number of riders crashed out heading down into the left-hand Graham Hill bend. Eventually, a result was declared with half-points awarded and positions from the first part decreeing the final result, minus Ben Wilson, giving Sam second and a healthy 12.5 point lead in the Championship. Sam is tied with Ben Wilson on 1-point in the Speedy Fastest Lap league. The Metzeler National Superstock trio of Ben Burke, Bjorn Estment and Mark Wilkinson were looking to build upon strong pre-season testing and the memory of Ben’s victory in this race last season. With Bjorn and Ben starting in 7th and 8th respectively, hopes were high for solid results. However, the treacherous conditions played against the Seton Tuning Yamaha riders. Bjorn crashed out at Clearways on the opening lap, and Ben suffering from a slow start, became embroiled in a battle for a top 20 position just outside of the points. By the time a red flag incident halted the race on lap 16 out of the scheduled 18, Mark had elevated his Yamaha R6 up to 20th from a starting position of 23rd, whilst Ben, unable to make a real impression on the points-scoring positions had to settle for 17th. Sam Warren: “What a dream start to our 2012 BSS campaign. I really couldn’t ask for more after the first round – 1st and 2nd places in the races and leading the championship! The weather has made this weekend a lottery, but we’ve kept it shiny side up and been fast and consistant. The team deserve this, I know the effort that they’ve put in over the off-season to put a bike capable of winning under me. So thanks to all mine and the team’s sponsors, as well as my wife who has made sure I’m in shape for this season! Lets keep the ball rolling.” Phil Seton, team manager: “We’ve come away from Brands as the team to chase in Supersport this season thanks to a couple of excellent rides from Sam.We are leading the Championship by 12.5 points, which is a crazy number but we’ll take that! The team has worked really hard over the closed season to iron out a few issues that we’d identified last year and it appears to have worked. The Superstock race was a little disappointing not to score points in, however, it is the first time that Bjorn and Mark have raced in the wet so we have gained some valuable wet-weather experience and set-up data. We’ve now got to dust the bikes over and it’s all go again in a few days!” Round 2 of the 2012 MCE British Superbike Championship takes place next weekend at the ultra-fast Thruxton circuit in Hampshire (13-15 April). More, from a press release issued by Tim Reeves’ publicist: Reeves claims victory at opening British F1 Sidecar round Tim Reeves and Ashley Hawes took a well deserved victory in the second race at the opening round of the Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship held over the Easter weekend. Competing at Brands Hatch, the duo led from almost start to finish and, with 7th in the first race on Sunday, when they spun out of second, the haul of 34 points places them second overall in the title table. After setting the fastest lap time in Saturday’s free practice session, Tim was confident of putting in a repeat performance in the single qualifying session late in the afternoon and although conditions were a lot cooler, he did just that and a lap time of 48.002s put him 0.198s ahead of nearest rivals, Ben and Tom Birchall. However, when Sunday’s 15-lap race came under starters orders, the 1.2-mile Indy circuit was extremely damp due to regular rain fall during the afternoon although it had stopped when the lights went green. Although he was third off the line, Tim hit the front at Druids just a third of the way around the lap and his lead was almost a second two laps later. However, the Birchalls were reeling him in and they took the lead at Clearways on lap 5. With the track drying, Tim’s wet tyres weren’t the ideal choice for the conditions but he stuck with Ben and Tom until lap 10 when he spun at Clearways. To make matters worse, he also hit caught the kill switch and the end result was that he found himself back in 9th. He managed to claw back some of the deficit and crossed the line at the end of the race in 7th place for nine valuable points. With Monday’s weather consisting of rain, and more rain, the outfits also had to contend with oil and fuel on the circuit after an earlier solo spill but Tim and Ashley made a superb start from their 7th place on the grid and, amazingly, seized the lead, at Druids bend, less than a third of a way around the lap! For the next few laps, they steadily increased their advantage over the second place Birchalls, with the gap reaching 2.2s by lap 8 but as they ran into backmarkers, Ben and Tom were able to brig this down to just over half a second with only four laps to go. However, with some clear track ahead of them once more, Tim and Ashley were able to pull clear again and took the chequered flag by 2.2s for their first win of the season. Speaking afterwards, a delighted Tim said; “It’s been a tough few days with all the bad weather whilst the oil and fuel that had been laid down on Monday made track conditions even worse – I’ve never known anything as slippy! The bike was working brilliantly throughout and pole position was the perfect start so I felt confident for the two races. In Sunday’s I opted for wet tyres, which proved to be the wrong choice, and then I nearly ran into the back of Ben at Clearways. In my efforts to miss him, I spun the outfit and then, like a complete novice, I pulled the lanyard out and stalled the outfit! Getting back up to 7th was the best I could do but got me some valuable points. In Monday’s race I made, perhaps, my best start ever and once I hit the front I was able to control the gap and bring the bike home. It’s great to get a win under our belts so a big thanks to the team and especially to Ash who did a mega job all weekend.” Tim and Ashley now head to Magny Cours, France for the opening round of the World Sidecar Championship, the meeting taking place on April 13-15. More, from a press release issued by Birchall Racing: BIRCHALL RACING LEADS 2012 BRITISH SIDECAR CHAMPIONSHIP Despite the terrible weather and track conditions at Brands Hatch over the Easter weekend Mansfield sidecar racers Ben and Tom Birchall scored two fine second places in the 2012 Easter Airways F1 British Sidecar championship opening round to take the overall win and sit nicely at the top of the leaderboard on 40 points. The Mitchells of Mansfield supported duo completed their qualifying in second place and began both races from a front row grid position. Race one took place on Sunday in cold, wet conditions and the race was cut from 18 laps down to 15 because of delays in the earlier solo classes. As the race got underway Ben and Tom remained in second place but soon reeled in Reeves/Hawes who held a small lead and the Mansfield brothers hit the front on lap five to pull out a lead of just over a second. But as the race wore on the track began to dry and the wet weather tyres showed signs of wear. Lovelock/Lawrence had opted for a tyre more suited to the changeable conditions and reeled the leaders in, taking the lead on lap 12 and going on to take the win from Ben and Tom with Lawrie/Neave finishing in third place. With Monday came more heavy rain accompanied by a strong wind and conditions were far from ideal for racing. The Second Superbike and the 125 races were both called off and the sidecars put out on track to complete the day’s racing. It was a close run affair between the Birchall pair and Reeves/Hawes with Reeves taking the chequered flag just two seconds ahead. With two second places under their belts the Birchall brothers were declared the overall winners and also championship leaders on 40 points. Ben said: “This weekend has been very difficult for everyone. In the second race the conditions were the worse I have ever ridden in. I am not the most comfortable rider in the wet but we gave it our best shot. Our winter testing and development programme enabled us to keep up the pace and push Reeves all the way but towards the end of the race the backmarkers came into play and we were held up slightly at Druids. “I had to bear in mind the fact that we have the first round of the world championship this coming weekend at Magny Cours in France and I knew I had to keep it safe and not put that in jeopardy. I realised that with two second places here we could take the overall win and the championship lead so didn’t want to push any harder than necessary and perhaps spin off.” Free practice and qualifying take place over Thursday and Friday at Magny Cours with the 10 lap race on Saturday morning ahead of the 24 hour Bol d’Or race. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Tyco Suzuki’s Alastair Seeley made an impressive return to the British Superbike Championship with second place in the first race at cut-short wet and windy Brands Hatch season opener on Easter Monday. Team mate Josh Brookes – who had set the Pole Position time on his GSX-R1000 – finished the race in 10th place after saving what looked like certain crash at Graham Hill Bend in treacherous conditions. In his season track debut in Tyco colours, Manxman Conor Cummins raced to a solid seventh place in the National Superstock 1000cc class. After a number of incidents on track in the Supersport class, a decision was made to postpone the second BSB race after track contamination made the circuit unsafe to continue. Series Director Stuart Higgs did give the Superbike riders an eight minute free practice session to evaluate the situation but in the end common sense prevailed. Alastair Seeley: “We made some good changes to the bike overnight and it felt good in warm up and we went quickest. I worked my way through to third place before the pace car came; then I got past Rutter and Kirkham and started to pull a bit of a gap. The conditions were tough and my visor steamed up a bit which made it difficult to see, so at the end I rode a defensive line, but the rear stepped out on me at the final corner and Kirkham got better drive to the line. I’m disappointed not to have taken the win but in the conditions we’ve taken a good haul of points.” Josh Brookes: “I did what I could in the conditions. I nearly fell off and made an amazing save to stay on the bike. I came back on the track and made up one or two places before the end. It’s less than satisfying after taking Pole, but I’m also grateful not to have fallen off and I didn’t get hurt and we don’t have a crashed bike to fix. I did get a few points which is better than none. It was the right decision not to run the second race and the riders need to stick together on these things. I wasn’t going to go out as the track wasn’t safe to race on so yeah… it really was the right decision to postpone it.” Philip Neill – Team Manager: “It was certainly a tough weekend for everyone in the conditions, so we are grateful that we’ve come away virtually unscathed and hold second place in the Championship. Alastair rode a great race to come through to take second place, but the racer in me is also disappointed that a small mistake at the final turn cost us the win. “Josh was consistent all weekend in both the wet and the dry and while he will be disappointed with 10th, it was a great save to stay aboard the bike and we can go to Thruxton now and build on this. I was also pleased with Conor. He’s an easy big lad to work with and has already won over the team and our sponsors. He was at Brands purely to get some miles in, so to take seventh place was satisfying for the team and confidence building for him.” British Superbike Race 1: 1: Jon Kirkham (Samsung Honda) 2: Alastair Seeley (Tyco Suzuki) +0.136s 3: Michael Rutter (MSS Bathams Kawasaki) +0.750s 4: Ian Lowry (Padgetts Honda) +3.023s 5: Gary Mason (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) +5.191s 6: Tommy Bridewell (Supersonic BMW) +6.155s 7: Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +6.284s 8: James Westmoreland (WFR Honda) +8.813s 9: Freddy Foray (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) +9.145s 10: Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) +9.411s More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: Qatar MotoGP™ debrief with Shinji Aoki Round 1: Qatar MotoGP™ Post-race debrief Losail International Circuit, Tuesday 10 April 2012 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Soft, Medium, Extra-Hard. Rear: Medium, Hard (Asymmetric) The 2012 MotoGP™ season got off to a flying start last weekend with a thrilling race taking place under the lights of the Losail International Circuit in Qatar. The venue for the season opener for the past six years, Qatar is unique due to being the only night race on the calendar and its desert location. At times during the race weekend, breezy conditions resulted in a considerable amount of sand being blown onto the circuit, causing lower levels of grip and higher levels of abrasion. With improved conditions on Sunday, Factory Yamaha Racing’s Jorge Lorenzo took advantage of his pole position to take victory in the first race of the season ahead of the Repsol Honda pairing of Dani Pedrosa and Casey Stoner. Q&A with Shinji Aoki Manager, Bridgestone Motorsport Tyre Development Qatar was the race debut for Bridgestone’s 2012 specification tyres and the 1000cc MotoGP™ machines; what was your perception of the first race of the year? “Pre-season testing was valuable in learning the performance characteristics of the 1000cc MotoGP™ machines to aid our ongoing development programme, but Qatar was the first time we were able to see how the new specification tyres performed in a race situation. “Track temperatures at Qatar are always quite cool, but the enhanced warm-up performance and rider feel provided by the 2012 specification tyres ensured the riders could push from the first lap and helped them deal with the variable track conditions. Despite the greater torque generated by the 1000cc engines, tyre wear was not a problem for any of the riders during the twenty-two lap race.” Last year the harder rear tyre was chosen by all riders for the race. Was it the same this year? “For this year at Qatar we made available an asymmetric rear tyre with comparatively harder rubber on the right hand shoulder. The harder rear option tyre was still the popular choice for the race this year, but the extra versatility an asymmetric construction provides resulted in four riders; Bautista, Petrucci, Pasini and Ellison selecting the softer rear option for the race. In particular, Bautista’s performance with the softer rear tyre on the Honda RC213V showed it was a viable option for the race as his lap times were consistent and he was able to engage in the exciting battle for sixth place with Hayden, Bradl and Barbera.” Overall, how did the 2012 specification tyres perform in Qatar? “I am very satisfied with the way our tyres performed in Qatar. The quicker warm-up performance and wider operating temperature range of the 2012 specification tyres ensured riders felt confident riding in the highly variable conditions at the Losail Circuit. The asymmetric rear tyre we brought to Qatar also worked well, with the riders appreciating the greater durability the harder rubber on the right shoulder provided. Throughout the weekend the extra-hard front tyre was the preferred option as it provides more stability under braking and is more durable, however all three of the front tyre options we made available were used to good effect over the race weekend.” More, from a press release issued by WERA Motorcycle Roadracing: PIRELLI/WERA WEST PRESENTED BY LUCAS OIL @ LAS VEGAS! The weekend saw great racing a Happy Mother Nature and the Pirelli/WERA West Presented by Lucas Oil had some folks experience just what Lucas Oil is all about. First we would like to wish our rider Ben Truslow who had a bad crash on the back straight and suffered a closed head injury and his family our prayers and wishes for a complete recovery. Lucas Oil provided some great products and riders had the opportunity to help themselves to these products to try on their machines. At the Sunday rider’s meeting a Remote Control Car was given to one of the rider’s picked randomly the lucky winner was Sean Heeney who was a very happy youngster. Also this weekend Lucas Oil provided a Go Pro Camera to be raffled off with proceeds going to Roadracing World Action Fund. $500.00 was raised and the lucky winner Sunday was Leonard Aguilar. Sunday also had an Easter Egg hunt after rider’s meeting where five lucky winners each received an egg with a $20.00 credit toward future WERA Motorcycle Roadracing racing!!! All the winners from this past weekend deserve a big Congratulations and Thank-you for the awesome weekend! The complete results can be found on the WERA site at wera.com! Next round for the WERA West Series will be on May 19/20 at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, UT with a 6-hour round for the WERA National Endurance Series, then on Sunday the Pirelli/Sportsman WERA West Presented by Lucas Oil Riders will join the Michelin/WERA National Riders for some action on the world renown Miller Motorsports Park. Tickets will be available at the gate. WERA Motorcycle Roadracing was founded in 1973 and remains the foremost place to develop talent in the sport of motorcycle Roadracing. The legacy of Pro riders on a National and World level is legendary. All events are run by WERA Motorcycle Roadracing and they go coast to coast offering entry level racing with the Pirelli/WERA Sportsman Series as well as a Pro-Am Series with the Michelin/WERA National Challenge Series which includes the only traveling Endurance Series in the US using the World Endurance platform for most of the rules. For more information on WERA Motorcycle Roadracing please check out our web site at wera.com! More, from a press release issued by Jentin Doodson Motorsport: Strong Start for Jentin Doodson Motorsport The first round of the 2012 British Superbike Championship saw the newly amalgamated Jentin Doodson Motorsport Team kick off their campaign with a strong start over the weekend at Brands Hatch. The opening round of the series was a weekend of firsts for the new outfit with Italian Alex Polita joining the team alongside Tom Tunstall. Debuting the highly anticipated Ducati 1199 Panigale in Superbike form for the first time, it was also the first opportunity to run the new bike with the 2012 “control” electronics system the compulsory Motec system which prohibits the use of electronic rider aides such as traction control. Very limited pre-season testing meant every lap on track counted and although cold and changeable weather throughout the weekend didn’t help, the progress continued. The Easter Monday race day brought rain throughout the day and having the morning warm up session in full wet conditions gave the team chance to sample 1199 in the wet prior to the races. The first of the two 30 lap races was eventful from the first corner with 2 different incidents out of the first two turns bringing out the safety car which was again deployed on lap 15 following a separate incident. Polita showed his talent and experience on his BSB debut, as he cut his way through the field, catching and passing established riders including Tommy Hill, Noriyuki Haga, and Chris Walker two laps from the flag. The Italian crossed the line in 11th only 0.2 seconds off Josh Brookes and a top 10 finish. “It was a tough weekend since first day. A series of problems didn’t let us to have a good qualification. We could qualify in the top ten, but when I stopped in the garage to fix something during Q1 it started raining and I couldn’t improve my time.” “Monday in race one I started careful because of the rain and did my rate even if safety car distracted me a bit. I’m happy with my eleventh; it’s a quite good result on a difficult weekend. It was exciting to pass Haga at first corner as well as trying to overtake Brookes. It’s a shame we couldn’t contend race two, I’d could start tenth and try to have a good position. We’ll make up for it at Thruxton” Meanwhile Tunstall made a solid start to his year following a nine month layoff with injury. He also made up ground from qualifying and was evolved in a three way dice with John Laverty [Aprilia] and Barry Burrell [BMW], crossing the line in 20th. “It’s fantastic to be back racing, it’s been a long winter… and autumn… and half of last summer and I’m still far from full potential. With a brand new bike and very little testing I’ve got some pretty stubborn cob webs to blow off but each session on track the feeling is coming back. We’ve progressed a lot throughout the weekend and the bike feels great.” “It’s good to get the first one under my belt and I’m really looking forward to Thruxton to keep the momentum.” The second race was postponed until a later date after the track was contaminated with fuel by an incident in the Supersport race prior to race two. The teams and riders don’t have to wait long, with round two taking place at Thruxton this weekend [13th-15th April]. The former RAF airfield is one the fastest on the calendar and presents the riders with a high speed challenge.