MCE INSURANCE BRITISH SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP Round 2 15 April Thruxton LOWRY SURPRISES WITH MAIDEN VICTORY AND CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD Race one: 1: Ian Lowry (Padgetts Honda) 2: Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) +2.794s 3: Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) +13.136s 4: Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +13.566s 5: Stuart Easton (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +14.435s 6: Michael Laverty (Samsung Honda) +18.433s Race two: 1: Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) 2: Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) +0.664s 3: Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +1.443s 4: Stuart Easton (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +1.526s 5: Ian Lowry (Padgetts Honda) +2.719s 6: Luca Scassa (Padgetts Honda) +15.445s Championship standings: 1: Ian Lowry (Padgetts Honda) 49 2: Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) 47 3: Jon Kirkham (Samsung Honda) 43 4: Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) 40 5: Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 38 6: Stuart Easton (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 24 Report Ian Lowry sensationally secured a maiden race victory following a hard-fought slip-streaming battle in the first of the two races at the second round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Thruxton and then a fifth place put the Padgetts Honda rider at the top of the title standings. The Ulsterman had been on the pace throughout the weekend and he harassed reigning champion Tommy Hill for much of the first race and as the Swan Yamaha rider struggled for pace in the closing stages, Lowry timed his move at Campbell to perfection. “That was an absolutely fantastic result for me and the team,” enthused Lowry. “It worked out so well. I was able to sit there, watch Tommy setting the pace and then when he started to struggle a bit with five laps to go I knew where to make the move on him. “I had the grip and was able to take him and pull away it was just awesome coming round and seeing that I had a lead of one second,” added Lowry. Aussie Josh Brookes snatched the victory for Tyco Suzuki in race two with a dramatic last lap move to deny Hill, who had to settle for second best again just ahead of the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki duo of former two times title winner Shane Byrne and Stuart Easton. The next round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship takes place at Oulton Park on 5/6/7 May. For more information please visit www.britishsuperbike.com More, from a press release issued by Swan Yamaha: DOUBLE PODIUM FINISH FOR SWAN YAMAHA AT THRUXTON Swan Yamaha’s Tommy Hill secured a double podium finish at Thruxton today at the second round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship. Hill had secured the pole position and in the opening race of the day and led for the majority of race one before Ian Lowry made a move with three laps remaining to force the defending champion to second place. In race two Hill again led the pack but as he suffered from lack of grip in the closing stages he again was forced to settle for second place, this time to Josh Brookes. Noriyuki Haga had been working his way through the pack in the opening race but a technical issue forced him to retire after just five laps. In race two Haga had worked his way up to sixth place but in the closing stages he also suffered from lack of grip and ended the race tenth. Hill said: “It was a hard decision for race two and I contemplated changing between race one and two but we decided to go with what we knew as we didn’t want to go for a massive gamble that could have ruined our race. I could see Shakey was losing grip and I can’t believe I got robbed on the last lap for the win as that is twice today we have just missed out. Podiums are important though and after last weekend it was great to get back on the podium for Swan Yamaha. I think we will have more to come at Oulton Park next time out.” Haga said: “We had an unfortunate problem in the first race and I had to retire but for sure we could have been up there as we were improving all the time. It did make it difficult for race two as I didn’t have all the data from race one like the other riders, but we didn’t make many changes and then I was pushing hard in the first laps. It was hard to catch the leading group as we were out of the slipstream but Josh (Brookes) came past and he was very fast, by then I was starting to lose grip with the rear tyre and I had a few on the grass moments which meant I lost places. I was attacking Scassa before that and I think if we had finished race one we would have known more how the Swan Yamaha would react at the end of the race. I think Oulton Park should be a better result.” Team owner Shaun Muir concluded: “It was a solid weekend for Tommy and two podiums underlined his credentials. Noriyuki had a really disappointing race one through no fault of his own as a technical problem ended his charge. He then didn’t have the data from a full race and that cost him as he was looking like he could finish in the top six but then suffered with lack of grip towards the end of the race. He showed that he is moving forward so we expect to see more from him at Oulton Park.” For more information visit www.swanyamaha.co.uk More, from a press release issued by Honda: MCE INSURANCE BRITISH SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 02 SUNDAY 15 APRIL THRUXTON Weather: Sunny, but chilly Temperature: Ambient 9 degrees C / Track 14 degrees C LOWRY TAKES MAIDEN RACE VICTORY AND CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD FOR HONDA Ian Lowry took a stunning maiden race victory aboard the Padgetts Honda in the first of the two races in the second round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Thruxton and followed that up with a fifth place to take a slender two points lead in the title chase. The 25 year old Ulsterman had been on the pace throughout the weekend at the high speed Hampshire circuit, securing his first ever front row start, outpaced only by defending champion Tommy Hill who had powered his Yamaha onto pole start. Qualifying had been held in changing conditions as the circuit dried after earlier heavy rains with Jon Kirkham the Brands Hatch race winner starting from his Samsung Honda from the third row, ninth fastest as he gambled with tyre selection while his team-mate Michael Laverty was caught up in traffic, losing the opportunity of a faster lap time. They faced an uphill struggle in the opening race, run in dry, sunny but cold conditions with Hill making the running though Lowry was hounding him all of the way, never running more than half a second down in a furious slip-streaming scrap for supremacy. Lowry was able to keep the power down in the closing stages as Hill experienced tyre issues. Lowry fully exploited that and with four laps remaining nosed his Honda into the lead at Campbell and pulled a useful gap to take his first victory in the top flight. Hill held on to take second from Suzuki’s Josh Brookes while Samsung Honda duo Laverty and Kirkham ran sixth and seventh just ahead of the WFR Honda’s of James Westmoreland and Graeme Gowland. Lowry was in the thick of the front-running action next time out, and was placed third, adrift of Kawasaki riding Shane Byrne and Hill to three-quarters distance, but in a dramatic all action final five laps positions changed constantly and he was relegated to fifth as at the front Brookes took his first victory of the season with a last lap move on Hill. Former World Supersport rider Luca Scassa ran sixth on the seconds Padgetts Honda ahead of Kirkham, Alex Lowes and his WFR Honda team-mate James Westmoreland while Laverty ran 13th just ahead of Gowland as tyre issues continued to be problematic. HONDA RIDER COMMENTS Ian Lowry (Padgetts Honda): Race result: 1st / 5th Championship position: 1st “That was an absolutely fantastic result for me and the team. To do this so soon into the season with a new bike shows the amount of work the team has done. I’ve adapted well to the bike, we had a good choice of tyres and a good setting so it was down to me and this was a great race for us. It worked out so well. I was able to sit there, watch Tommy setting the pace and then when he started to struggle a bit with five laps to go I knew where to make the move on him. I had the grip and was able to take him and pull away it was just awesome coming round and seeing that I had a lead of one second. Clive Padgett gave me the chance to prove myself with his team he picked up me after I had had a tough couple of years. That makes standing on the top step of the podium having won this race something very special for me and the team.” Michael Laverty (Samsung Honda): Race result: 6th / 13th Championship position: 13th “I said to the team to go to a harder tyre, but it was a mistake as our bike works well around here with the softer tyre. When they put the harder tyre in we had to make too many changes to the bike and we did not have any grip.” Jon Kirkham (Samsung Honda): Race result: 7th / 7th Championship position: 3rd “I was blocked on the opening lap of the first race and dropped back to about 16th and had to fight-back so all things considered I am really happy with that result. In between races I was influenced by the tyre choices of everyone else. In the first race I had 14 good laps, but in the second I only had six good laps so I should have stuck with what I had. At least I have some points in the bag from this meeting.” HONDA TEAM PERSONNEL Clive Padgett (Team Principal Padgetts Honda): “This result and the lead in the championship is not a bad achievement for bunch of mates who like to go racing it really is fantastic. Who would have though that we could be leading the title chase after two rounds. We work hard at our game, we are passionate about it and we are committed to the job. We are a family team and it is embarrassing to be standing here doing interviews. We’ll have a pint to celebrate, we’ve put ourselves in front of the people. We are a shop selling motorcycles and that pays for us to go racing, though that is not to say we not welcome Mr Sponsor coming along and supporting us.” RESULTS BRITISH SUPERBIKE RACE1: POS / RIDER / NAT / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / GAP 1 / IAN LOWRY / GBR / HONDA – PADGETTS RACING / 25:37.097 / 2 / TOMMY HILL / GBR / YAMAHA – SWAN YAMAHA / 25:39.891 / 2.794 3 / JOSH BROOKES / AUS / SUZUKI – TYCO SUZUKI / 25:50.233 / 13.136 4 / SHANE BYRNE / GBR / KAWASAKI – RAPID SOLICITORS KAWASAKI / 25:50.663 / 13.566 5 / STUART EASTON / GBR / KAWASAKI – RAPID SOLICITORS KAWASAKI / 25:51.532 / 14.435 6 / MICHAEL LAVERTY / GBR / HONDA – SAMSUNG HONDA / 25:55.530 / 18.433 7 / JON KIRKHAM / GBR / HONDA – SAMSUNG HONDA / 25:55.570 / 18.473 8 / LUCA SCASSA / ITA / HONDA – PADGETTS RACING / 25:56.964 / 19.867 9 / JAMES WESTMORELAND / GBR / HONDA – TEAM WFR / 26:01.706 / 24.609 10 / GRAEME GOWLAND / GBR / HONDA – TEAM WFR / 26:03.993 / 26.896 11 / TOMMY BRIDEWELL / GBR / BMW – SUPERSONIC RACING TEAM / 26:11.864 / 34.767 12 / DAN LINFOOT / GBR / BMW – BUILDBASE BMW MOTORRAD / 26:11.983 / 34.886 13 / GARY MASON / GBR / KAWASAKI – QUATTRO PLANT KAWASAKI SUPERBIKE TEAM / 26:12.746 / 35.649 14 / BARRY BURRELL / GBR / BMW – BUILDBASE BMW MOTORRAD / 26:12.858 / 35.761 15 / ALASTAIR SEELEY / GBR / SUZUKI – TYCO SUZUKI / 26:16.939 / 39.842 Fastest lap: Alex LOWES GBR Honda – Team WFR Lap 3 1:15.865 179.92 Km/h RACE2: POS / RIDER / NAT / MOTORCYCLE / TIME / GAP 1 / JOSH BROOKES / AUS / SUZUKI – TYCO SUZUKI / 25:36.122 / 2 / TOMMY HILL / GBR / YAMAHA – SWAN YAMAHA / 25:36.786 / 0.664 3 / SHANE BYRNE / GBR / KAWASAKI – RAPID SOLICITORS KAWASAKI / 25:37.565 / 1.443 4 / STUART EASTON / GBR / KAWASAKI – RAPID SOLICITORS KAWASAKI / 25:37.648 / 1.526 5 / IAN LOWRY / GBR / HONDA – PADGETTS RACING / 25:38.841 / 2.719 6 / LUCA SCASSA / ITA / HONDA – PADGETTS RACING / 25:51.567 / 15.445 7 / JON KIRKHAM / GBR / HONDA – SAMSUNG HONDA / 25:51.844 / 15.722 8 / ALEX LOWES / GBR / HONDA – TEAM WFR / 25:53.091 / 16.969 9 / JAMES WESTMORELAND / GBR / HONDA – TEAM WFR / 25:53.310 / 17.188 10 / NORIYUKI HAGA / JPN / YAMAHA – SWAN YAMAHA / 25:55.133 / 19.011 11 / DAN LINFOOT / GBR / BMW – BUILDBASE BMW MOTORRAD / 25:56.300 / 20.178 12 / PETER HICKMAN / GBR / KAWASAKI – MSS BATHAMS KAWASAKI / 25:57.164 / 21.042 13 / MICHAEL LAVERTY / GBR / HONDA – SAMSUNG HONDA / 25:58.020 / 21.898 14 / GRAEME GOWLAND / GBR / HONDA – TEAM WFR / 25:59.470 / 23.348 15 / CHRIS WALKER / GBR / KAWASAKI – PR1MO BOURNEMOUTH KAWASAKI RACING / 25:59.683 / 23.561 Fastest lap: Josh BROOKES AUS Suzuki – Tyco Suzuki Lap 8 1:16.034 179.52 Km/h CHAMPIONSHIP POSITIONS TO DATE: 1 LOWRY 49, 2 BROOKES 47, 3 KIRKHAM 43, 4 HILL 40, 5 BYRNE 38, 6 EASTON 24, 7 WESTMORELAND 22, 8 SEELEY 21, 9 SCASSA 18, 10 RUTTER 16, 11 BRIDEWELL 15, 12 MASON 14, 13 LAVERTY 13, 14 LINFOOT 9, 15 HAGA 9. NEXT EVENT: ROUND03 7 MAY OULTON PARK More, from a press release issued by Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki: Tough day at Thruxton for Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki were in action at Thruxton at the weekend for the second round of the 2012 British Superbike Championship but it proved to be a tough race day for the team as they left with just a solitary point to their name. After a brilliant fifth place in qualifying for Chris Walker, hopes were high for strong results but clutch and tyre problems meant he was only able to finish the second race in 15th place. Team-mate James Hillier was unable to add to his points tally but rode strongly to finish in 17th and 20th in the two races. Four-times runner-up in the British Superbike Championship, Walker qualified the ZX-10R just 0.04s off the front row for the first 20-lap race, and a great start saw him running well in the top five. However, he was in trouble almost immediately with his clutch and he was forced to pull into the pits on just the second lap. He rejoined the race and posted a lap that placed him 17th on the grid for the second race where he was involved in a 7-rider battle for 12th throughout. He eventually finished in 15th for an extremely hard-earned point. For team-mate Hillier, competing at his local circuit, he was disappointed to have only qualified in 28th place but two strong and determined rides saw him move significantly through the field on both occasions. Unlucky to miss out on the points in the first race after finishing 17th, he battled with round 1 race winner Alastair Seeley in the second and eventually got the better of him to finish in 20th. Meanwhile, fresh from his 23rd place at Brands Hatch, Kyle Wilks was forced out on the opening lap of the Metzeler National Superstock 600cc Championship. Speaking later, a disappointed Walker said; “It’s been a long day and having shown a lot of promise throughout practice and qualifying, it’s hugely disappointing to come away with just one point. We couldn’t have done a better job in qualifying and were rightly looking forward to the two races but the clutch trouble in race one put paid to that. We then had to use a harder tyre in the second and it didn’t work for me as I would have liked so we’ll just have to put it behind us and look forward to Oulton.” Team-mate Hillier commented; “I’m really pleased with how I rode today and although I didn’t manage to get in the points, it’s been a good days racing for me. I struggled a bit with my set-up during qualifying but we had good pace in both races and I was able to move forward significantly, finishing considerably higher than where I started. Like I say, I’m pleased with my riding but with the field being so strong, it’s not reflected in the results. I need to work harder in qualifying though to give myself a better chance as it’s hard work coming from a long way back.” Pete Extance, team owner, added; “It’s been a tough day at the office and having qualified so well ending up with just one point is hard to swallow. I’m gutted for Chris as he deserved better but there was nothing he could do after the clutch problems. He battled extremely hard in the second race and did well to stay on after being hit on the first lap and it was certainly a hard earned point. James battled very well and did a great job in beating Seeley so he can be pleased with two very, consistent performances. All we can do is put today behind us and regroup fitter and stronger at Oulton.” The team now have a well-earned three week break with the third round of the BSB series taking place at Oulton Park, Cheshire on May 5-7. More, from a press release issued by Splitlath Redmond: SPLITLATH REDMOND HAPPY WITH THRUXTON LEARNING CURVE THE Splitlath Redmond team had another solid learning weekend at Round Two of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Thruxton. John Laverty was pleased to make steady progress finishing 25th and 26th in today’s two races, while youngster Florian Marino bounced back from a retirement in Race One to finish 24th in the second. As the squad still works around the teething troubles associated with a brand new team and bike, both riders leave Thruxton upbeat about the rest of the season, happy with the data collected after three days on track. And for Laverty, crossing the line after his third race back in the saddle is another huge milestone in his recovery process. “It’s an on-going thing and another two finishes today is brilliant for me,” he said. “It’s still early doors but I’m getting myself back up to speed at a good pace. To get another two full race distances under my belt is very important. I was tired out at the end of Friday, the track was pretty hard on me, but over the course of the weekend my fitness has improved and it’s brilliant to be able to have gone two full races. “We’ve got loads more data now to go away with and work with. We have tried a lot of things here. Some worked, some didn’t but we’ve got a much better idea about things now and this will all help us as the season moves forward.” Marino is also feeling happier with the pace of his Aprilia RSV4, particularly after Race Two. Having retired with a technical fault in this afternoon’s first race, he had made another quick start in the second, searing through the pack from 28th to 18th until he started to struggle with tyre wear as the race approached the midway point. “It started very well, I was fast and making my way up,” he said. “The bike felt very good but from about Lap Nine it wasn’t as good as I struggled with the tyres. “But I was making some good laps. I got some nice fast laps in which would have put me well inside the top 15, and this is very good data now to take with us to Oulton Park.” Team Co-owner John Dimbylow was happy with the weekend, and believes the team can move forward at a more rapid pace from here. “It’s been a good weekend all in all,” he said. “We’ve had one or two problems with the motors but the riders did extremely well. “John is working steadily back towards fitness, and Florian once again demonstrated his fantastic ability at the start of the race. Unfortunately the tyre went off quite early but this is all part of the learning process for an 18-year-old who is new to superbikes. “The team did a fantastic job this weekend in the face of all sorts of issues. We were happy to be joined by Marco Bertolatti from the Aprilia factory this weekend to assist with chassis set-up, and we now have a few weeks to go away and do some testing and make preparations for the next round, where we should have our new engines.” The team will be back to racing action at Oulton Park over the Bank Holiday weekend May 5-7, 2012. More, from a press release issued by Dan Kneen/Marks Bloom Racing: Good progress made by Kneen at Thruxton Dan Kneen was in action at Thruxton at the weekend for the 2nd round of the Metzeler National Superstock 1000cc Championship and although he was unable to open his points account for the season, he was able to make good progress and finished in a deserved 18th place. With opening qualifying on Friday taking place in good, dry conditions, the Manxman was hopeful of a good start to the weekend but he again experienced problems with the quickshifter and a time of 1m20.566s kept him down in 34th place. However, just like the opening round at Brands Hatch over Easter, any hopes of improving on this were dashed by the weather as final qualifying on Saturday was hit by heavy rain. That meant that Dan lined up for the 8-lap Shoot-Out race later that day but a good 2nd place saw him comfortably progress to Sunday’s main 15-lap encounter. Starting from 32nd on the grid, Dan was going to have to contend with a lot of traffic if he wanted to make strides forward but he did just that and a brilliant opening lap saw him overhaul 11 riders to move up to 21st. With the safety car being deployed for a spill, positions remained the same for the next few laps and when racing resumed, Dan was involved in a big group of riders battling it out for tenth place. As the race wore on, his position fluctuated but, lapping quicker than he had done all weekend, he moved up inside the top 20 in the closing stages and got the better of Patrick Medcalf on the final lap to take a well-earned 18th. Speaking after the race, Dan said; “It’s been a topsy turvy weekend to be fair with some sessions going well and others not so well. I was pleased with how I rode in the Shoot Out race and some further changes in morning warm-up made the bike better still. However, for some reason it wasn’t so good in the race and I struggled for rear grip, the increase in wind also affecting the bike. I had a great opening lap though and picked up a few places so it’s good to get two solid races under my belt. The bike still needs tweaking a bit but we’re definitely getting there so we’ll hopefully get a run out on it between now and the next round and ensure we can hit the ground running. I need to make sure I’m on the pace in the first session and if I can do that, I’m confident I can get in amongst the points.” The series now heads to Oulton Park, Cheshire with the meeting taking place from May 5-7. More, from a press release issued by Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship Eastern Airways Sidecar double for Lovelock The 2012 Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship descended upon the Thruxton circuit in Hampshire at the weekend and with fine weather for both races, the competitors served up a tremendous treat. The ultra-fast, bumpy circuit saw close racing throughout the field with the action into the final chicane often seeing the outfits three abreast as they fought for supremacy but it was Roger Lovelock/Rick Lawrence who came out on top with a convincing double victory. Lovelock/Lawrence took pole position in extremely wet conditions on Saturday, just 0.026s clear of Ben Holland/Lee Watson and it was this pairing that set the pace in the early stages of the opening 10-lap race, Scott Lawrie/James Neave slotting in behind them in third as the sun burst through the clouds. Craig Chaplow/Jason Crowe were pulled off the grid though with collapsed steering whilst a coming together at the chicane at the end of the first lap saw Mark Edwards/Lee Barrett come off worst with a damaged wheel arch. As the race settled down, it became a superb three-wheel battle for the lead between Lovelock, Holland and Lawrie with the trio coming up Woodham Hill into the final chicane three abreast on more than one occasion. All three took their turn at the front as the race looked like it would go down to the wire but just as Lawrie began to edge away on lap 6 his race was over with a broken gear linkage leaving Lovelock and Holland to fight it out. Meanwhile, there was another equally close three-way dice behind with Johan Reuterholt/Aki Aalto, Barry James/Calum Lawson and Edwards, complete with flapping fairing, all fighting it out for what was now the final podium place. John Holden/Andy Winkle suffered their second blown engine of the weekend whilst Andy Peach/Charlie Richardson were also out with a broken gearbox but in the battle for the lead Lovelock reclaimed the lead on lap 7 and was able to ease away from Holland in the final stages to take his second win of the season by 2.4s. The amazing Reuterholt, a paraplegic since 1994, looked like he’d got third place sewn up but lost out in a last-lap sort out at the chicane and instead it was local driver Edwards who took a brilliant debut British Championship podium. James squeezed through for fourth with Reuterholt slipping back to fifth whilst Stephen Kershaw/Robin Wilson took sixth. John Clarke/Stuart Graham, Gary Horspole/Rob Briggs, Greg Lambert/Shelley Smithies and Ian Drowne/Ken Edwards completed the top ten. Sunday’s longer 14-lap race followed a similar pattern but Edwards was out of luck almost immediately, retiring from third place at the end of the first lap. Kershaw was also forced out early on having lost passenger Wilson whilst a similar fate befell Irishman Kyle Young, Stephen Mullen falling out at the chicane. Lovelock had no such worries though and although he came under pressure early on from Lawrie he was able to see off the challenge and pull away in the second half of the race to complete a superb double victory. Lawrie slipped back into the clutches of Reuterholt and Holland and eventually fell behind them and it was Holland who grabbed his second successive runner’s up spot on the podium after another great battle with Reuterholt. The Swedish driver had to settle for third, his first British Championship podium, with the slowing Lawrie in fourth. James/Lawson had a lonely drive into fifth as did Clarke/Graham in sixth but the battle for seventh went all the way to the flag and it was Ben Bygrave/Paul Knapton who prevailed to give the Buildbase BMW its first finish of the season. Peach/Richardson were less than a second behind with Horspole/Briggs and Lambert/Smithies hot on their tails. Lovelock now heads the Championship table with 86 points followed by Holland on 50 and James on 46. The series now has a break before resuming at Snetterton, Norfolk on May 25-27.