SWAN HONDA ROBBED OF PODIUM FINISHES AT SNETTERTON The Swan Honda team looked set for a return to the podium at the seventh round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Snetterton today, but both James Ellison and Stuart Easton were robbed of a chance of victory. In the second race of the weekend Ellison was running second towards the end of the race, but caught up with backmarkers he was unable to make the break he needed to maintain his position and he ended the race in fourth. Easton meanwhile fought his way through from fifteenth of the grid to eighth. In the final race Ellison took the lead on the opening lap and was battling with the HM Plant Hondas at the front of the field, but Alastair Seeley crashed trying to make an ambitious overtaking manoeuvre and collected Ellison in the process. Luckily he escaped serious injury but saw his hopes of a podium finish dashed. Easton was unable to start the third race after a problem with his clutch. Ellison said: “In the second race I had the potential for a podium finish or maybe even a race win, but then a back marker got in the way and that messed up my chances so I wasn’t happy as that was a top three finish gone which I really needed and I felt robbed by that. In the second race I was happy leading; I knew I didn’t have the pace to break the HM Plant Honda boys but I felt that I could challenge them for sure and I felt like I could win that race. I knew Alastair was behind me and he was never going to get passed me so it was harsh move and to be taken down by someone else’s mistake is always gutting. It hasn’t affected my leg but my back is really aching and I have displaced my pelvis so now I have to get back to the physio so I am prepared for Brands Hatch.” Easton said: “In the second race I was happy to finish eighth after battling through from fifteenth on the grid after we had the problems in qualifying yesterday. It was a real confidence booster for me and then I was further up the grid for the final race and thought we had a good shot at a better result. I went out for the sighting lap for the final race and instantly knew there was a problem and the clutch was slipping so I knew that I couldn’t do anything about it and pulled straight into the pits. I need to put this bad luck behind me though as time is ticking away so I want to get to Brands Hatch and put it right.” Team Manager Shaun Muir concluded: “As a team we are really digging deep at the moment. In James’ case he can do no better, still recovering from his early season injuries. He is working hard each weekend and were it not for the backmarkers in race two, and a reckless Seeley in race three, we would probably have had a pair of podiums and real hope of the top six shoot out. Stuart’s weekend was blighted with interrupted sessions over electronic glitches, which although on surface seems minor; really do knock your momentum. Race one and threes’ withdrawals were down to unforeseen mechanical breakdowns that could and have hit any rider in the paddock, but to get all this over the course of one weekend and in the races, is cruel luck for Stuart. We will regroup and focus our selves on Brands Hatch. We have a mid week test planned to work on some areas and without doubt we will get the boys in good shape for the next round at Brands Hatch.” More, from a press release issued by Birchall Brothers Racing: BIRCHALL BROTHERS SACHSENRING Mansfield brothers Ben and Tom Birchall saw race action in the penultimate round of the FIM World Sidecar championship at Sachsenring in Germany at the weekend where the sidecar race was a support to the German round of MotoGP. But despite their best efforts they could only secure a fourth place finish to the 22-lap Gold race on Sunday and now are not in a position to retain their world crown. Despite still suffering from the injuries received at the previous round in Croatia Ben decided he would be able to contest the race in Germany and just weeks after a skin graft operation he bravely took his place on the grid for free practice and qualifying. The Mitchells of Mansfield supported pair made it through qualifying and were second fastest just two tenths of a second away from pole and when the race got underway on Sunday Ben and Tom were sitting pretty in third place and catching the two outfits ahead. But as the race progressed the effects of his injuries began to take their toll and he was unable to maintain the pace. The Birchall brothers dropped back and completed their race in a safe fourth place to pick up 13 championship points. Former champion Pekka Paivarinta now leads the title race with an advantage of 28 points over the current champions and with just 25 points up for grabs in the final round at Magny Cours it is not possible for the Mansfield brothers to retain their world crown. But all is not lost as Ben and Tom are only eight points behind Reeves and Cluze who hold the runner up spot and a top result from the final race could see the brothers move up into the runner up spot. “Its disappointing that we have to relinquish our world crown but its all down to the accident we had in Croatia,” said Ben. “Before that happened we were positive we could have gone on to win the title again but its not all bad news as we still have the runner up spot to race for at the final round in September. “We put 110% effort into our race in Germany but the weeks of operations and treatment on my back meant that I was not as fit as I could have been through lack of training and eventually it took its toll on me.” “By half race distance I was feeling so tired but we soldiered on and made sure of the points for fourth place. “I would like to say a big thank you to Steve at AM Leathers as a huge effort has been put in to getting the new leathers made up in time for this race. I have opted for the recommended high density protection suit with extra protection in the back this time instead of the lightweight leathers I used previously and they are just the job. “We are grateful to Oxford Products for the prompt supply of our new HJC helmets. Our old ones were damaged in the crash and it’s thanks to the protection given by the HJC helmets that saved me from further injury. Finally I must also extend my thanks to Pro-Refinishing of Sutton in Ashfield for the superb job they did in revamping the paintwork on the outfit at such short notice.” Ben will now concentrate his efforts into getting himself fully fit in preparation for the final round of the series which will be held as a support race to the 24-hour Bol d’Or race at Magny Cours in France on September 11/12. Prior to that Ben and Tom will be at Cadwell Park over the weekend of August 7/8 where they will contest the next round of the Battle of Britain Sidecar championship. More, from a press release issued by Tom Tunstall Racing: Frustration and Points for Tunstall Superbike racer Tom Tunstall experienced a weekend of extremes at the latest round of the British Superbike Championship. Having bounced back from multiple mechanical issues to score more points the Yorkshireman was left to dust himself down after he was taken out of the last race by an over exuberant competitor… The ultra-high speed Snetterton Circuit in Norfolk staged the seventh round of the ever popular “BSB” Championships and with a three race weekend schedule Tom and his Doodson Motorsport Team were prepared to make the most of their latest opportunity. However only 3 laps into the first session the newly rebuilt and refreshed engine expired and signalled the first of a host of mechanical issues which meant Tunstall missed two of the three free practice sessions, as well as having to abandon the qualifying session. An understandably frustrated Tunstall explained: “We had our engine fully rebuilt for this meeting knowing how important a strong bike is here. Unfortunately things didn’t go to script and not only are we struggling to get a bike together we’ve also missed a lot of track time and still need to get set-up. In qualifying the bike was getting slower each lap and I scrapped the session before we did more damage… It’s fair to say we’re on the back foot!” With less than an hour before the first race on Saturday afternoon the re-run of the postponed Knockhill race the team found a broken sensor and were able to repair in time to take the grid for the 20-lapper. Clearly lacking track time Tunstall’s pace improved as the race progressed, having ended the opening lap in 24th; he’d worked his way up to 18th by the flag. “The race was more like a test session for us, we’d just gone back to last year’s setting and although it wasn’t perfect it was in the ball park… and the engine worked which was a bonus! The best thing was I’ve got some confidence going into tomorrow’s races” The warm but windy weather continued through into Sunday. From his 24th grid position Tunstall ended lap one in 22nd and once again continued to progress up the field. Peter Hickman crashed out just in front of the Doodson backed rider on lap 16 elevating him up to 15th and into the points. “I got a good start but struggled with the front especially at the end of the race we’d changed the setting from yesterday and we’ll review it for the next race. At the end I was riding defensively. Trying not to lose the front and keep my points scoring position. “The changes we’re making should really have been done during free practice but that obviously wasn’t an option for us great to get more points and I’ll look to add more in the next one!” The third race of the weekend again saw Tunstall start his now trademark elevation up the field however after passing Pauli Pekkanen on the brakes at the end of the Revett Straight the Finnish rider ran into the side of Tunstall’s Honda causing both riders to crash. Whilst Tunstall’s bike was too badly damaged to continue, Pekkanen rejoined the race. “Pekkanen was out of order, I was tipping into the corner and when he hit me he was on the inside kerb. If he hadn’t hit me he’d have never made the corner anyway. It’s the second time this year I’ve been taken out by another rider. I’m not saying he did it on purpose but the result is the same. At least we got in the points in race two!” Pekkanen was later excluded from the results for “Careless Riding”. “This weekend, and most of this season for that matter has been so frustrating with a lot of issues being out of my hands. I don’t doubt my or the teams ability to dust ourselves down; rebuild the bike and the engines, we’ve been in the points in the last four rounds and we’ll come back even stronger for Brands.” The next round is the another three race event this time at the legendary Brands Hatch GP circuit over the August 6th 8th weekend and last year saw Tunstall climb onto the Superbike Cup Podium three times. More, from a press release issued by Damian Cudlin’s publicist: CUDLIN 7TH IN SENSATIONAL GRAND PRIX DEBUT Taree’s Damian Cudlin may well have made the biggest breakthrough in his career to date, with a brilliant performance in the German Moto2 Grand Prix in Sachsenring on the weekend. The young Aussie received a call from Tenerif Pons Kalex Team owner Sito Pons, just days before the race, offering the chance to substitute for the team’s injured regular rider, Axel Pons. Having impressed the team just weeks ago at the IRTA test in Aragon, Spain, where his skills were utilised in a development role, Cudlin jumped at the “once in a lifetime opportunity” to make his long awaited GP debut. Showing instant promise in the opening free practice session, where Cudlin claimed the 13th fastest time, eyebrows really began to rise as he improved to 6th in the final free practice session on Saturday. However his ambitions for a front row start in qualifying where dealt a heavy blow as the 42 rider field proved extremely difficult for Cudlin to find any clear racetrack, and being unable to improve on his earlier practice time, his best lap dropped him down the order to a 22nd grid position. Never the less, Cudlin’s performance still out classed established team mate, Sergio Gadea and put him in a fighting mood for Sunday’s 29 lap race. As the heavens opened on Sunday morning, all indications looked as though Cudlin’s GP debut would be a wet one, however as the sun came out before the start of the 125 GP, the track soon dried and the umbrellas seen in 200,000 strong crowd quickly disappeared. As the lights went out to signal the start of the German Moto2 Grand Prix, Cudlin launched off the line and escaped any carnage at the tight first turn. Slicing his way through the pack in the opening laps, Cudlin gained 7 positions and climbed onto the back of a train of riders in front. Showing inspirational determination and speed, Cudlin had the Germans on their feet as he moved up the leader board lap after lap, working his way into 4th position and into podium contention with 7 laps to go. The surge up the order proved costly to Cudlin’s tyres though, and as he battled bravely with a wildly sliding motorcycle, a podium finish slipped from his grasp and Cudlin was forced to settle for a hard fought 7th at the flag, less then 3 seconds from the 3rd placed Roberto Rolfo. Still grinning after his electrifying performance, Cudlin managed to thank the people who’d made it happen and claimed to be the “luckiest guy on the planet” just to be sitting on a GP bike for the weekend. “Normally I’m trying to scab some passes just to watch the GP bikes go around, and now I’ve just ridden one of them.” Cudlin joked after the race. “Although I couldn’t quite manage the podium today, I’d be lying if I told you I wasn’t happy with this result. You probably won’t be able to wipe this smile off my face for a couple of days. I just desperately wanted to make the most of the chance that I was given this weekend, as they only come along like this once in a lifetime. For a guy with no money from Taree, I think I did alright today.” “The Kalex guys are the ones I need to thank most for pushing so hard for me to ride their bike, and of course Sito Pons for taking a risk and giving me a run. As short as this buzz will be, it makes all the hard years on the road worthwhile, and I hope I can make a bit of breakthrough in my career now. We’ll just have to wait and see.” With no time to rest, Cudlin repacked his bags and is currently headed to Japan where he’ll ride for GMT94 in the 3rd round of the World Endurance Championship, the Suzuka 8 Hours race, on the 25th of July. More, from a press release issued by GNS Racing: Snetterton Podium Increases Series Lead For Lowes GNS Racing’s Sam Lowes put in another excellent ride in round seven of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship as he finished in second place at Snetterton today. The 19-year-old challenged for the lead of the race throughout but eventually settled for second place and 20 points to substantially extend his lead at the top of the Championship table. Having qualified in a strong second place, Lowes made an excellent start and immediately slotted in to second place at the completion of the first lap behind Graeme Gowland. He stayed here for the next two laps until Championship rival James Westmoreland overhauled him but no sooner had he done so, then Westmoreland crashed out at the chicane thus handing the title initiative back to Sam. Positions remained the same for the next few laps although there was very little to choose between Gowland and Sam, the former just managing to keep the latter at bay. On the 18th lap however, Gowland made a mistake at the final chicane and it allowed Sam to move into the lead and raise hopes of a third win of the season for the Lincoln rider. Gowland wasn’t to be denied his debut win of the year though and he soon drafted back past Sam and was able to hold on until the chequered flag, eventually taking the win and with Westmoreland out, the 20 points for second place saw Sam’s Championship lead extend from 15 points to 35 and put him in an excellent position with five rounds of the series remaining. For second team member Paul Jordan, there was disappointment as he was forced to retire on the 16th lap whilst comfortably leading the Cup competition. The young Ulsterman had been on fine form all weekend around the Norfolk circuit having qualified in 16th place, the second of the Cup riders and looked like he’d be on the podium, at least in the race. After Luke Mossey retired, he took over the lead in the Cup race and, in 15th place overall, he was five seconds clear of his nearest rival only to be forced out himself at three-quarter race distance. Sam Lowes: “It was a great race and second place is a really strong result for both myself and the team. Sure, I’d have loved to have taken the win but having seen James crash out, I used my head and stayed focused on the overall Championship and with six podiums from seven races, being at the top of the table is a healthy position to be in. Graeme rode a great race and although I got by him near the end, he was able to get by me along the back straight and it just wasn’t worth taking a risk and trying to get by him on the last lap. Twenty more points for the Championship is mega and I’m so pleased for everyone involved with the team as they’ve all worked incredibly hard again to keep us right up there throughout. I’ve got a wild card ride to look forward to now at the World Supersport Championship race at Silverstone and we can go there with no pressure and move forward again.” Paul Jordan: “I’m obviously really disappointed with how the race turned out as we’d been having a really strong weekend. I’d been chipping away at my times throughout the two days of practice and qualifying and was running a really good pace so felt confident coming into the race. I was running in the top 15 overall and thought I’d got the Cup race in the bag but the bike just stopped and that was that. I feel for the team as they gave me a great bike all weekend so a big thank you to them for all their work and I’m just sorry we couldn’t get the result we deserved.” Gary Stubbington: “We were so near to a double victory today and the race again showed how far we’ve come as a team. Sam rode a fantastic race and I’m glad he finished in second to extend his Championship lead. Obviously, it’s always good to win but having seen his main Championship rival crash out, the most important thing was not to risk anything and come home in a safe position. Risking the extra five points for the win just wouldn’t have been worth it as points make prizes at the end of the day. On the flip side, it was a real shame for Paul as he’d been riding excellently all weekend and deserved to take the Cup win. We’re not sure what the problem was but we’ll be looking to get him back on the podium next time out.” Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship result (20 laps) 1 Graeme Gowland (Honda) 22m44.806s 2 Sam Lowes (GNS Racing Honda) +0.426s 3 Daniel Cooper (Triumph) +3.532s 4 Glen Richards (Honda) +5.402s 5 Ben Wilson (Kawasaki) +5.727s 6 Jason O’Halloran (Yamaha) +7.100s 7 Marty Nutt (Yamaha) +8.491s 8 Billy McConnell (Yamaha) +9.495s 9 Jack Kennedy (Yamaha) +13.630s 10 Alex Lowes (Yamaha) +13.807s DNF Paul Jordan (GNS Racing Honda) 6 laps Cup result 1 Max Hunt (Yamaha) 2 Patrick McDougall (Yamaha) 3 Jenny Tinmouth (Honda) 4 Matthew Hoyle (Kawasaki) 5 Mark Cringle (Triumph) Championship standings (after 7 rounds) 1 Lowes (GNS Racing Honda) 126 2 Westmoreland 91 = McConnell 91 4 Gowland 87 5 Wilson 74 6 Kennedy 67 Cup standings after (after 7 rounds) 1 McDougall 107 2 Tinmouth 98 3 Hunt 88 4 Jones 77 5 Kneen 68 6 Cringle 67 7 Jordan (GNS Racing Honda) 64 Picture attached courtesy of Ian Hopgood: Sam Lowes (11) in action today at Snetterton. ENDS 2010 British Supersport Calendar R1 Brands Hatch 3/4/5 April R2 Thruxton 16/17/18 April R3 Oulton Park 1/2/3 May R4 Cadwell Park 21/22/23 May R5 Mallory Park 25/26/27 June R6 Knockhill 2/3/4 July R7 Snetterton 16/17/18 July R8 Brands Hatch GP 6/7/8 August R9 Cadwell Park 28/29/30 August R10 Croft 10/11/12 September R11 Silverstone GP 24/25/26 September R12 Oulton Park 8/9/10 October More, from a press release issued by sorrymate.com/SMT Honda: Walker impresses on SMT Honda debut Chris Walker impressed greatly on his debut for the sorrymate.com/SMT Honda at Snetterton at the weekend and the Nottinghamshire rider recorded a best finish of 7th at round 7 of the British Superbike Championship. Despite only sitting on the bike for the first time on Friday, Walker was soon on the pace and he ended the weekend with a brace of 7th’s and an 11th from the three races, much to the delight of the entire team. The BSB veteran had made the switch to the team and Honda power just a few days prior to the event but he soon got to grips with both the machine and team, placing 11th and 10th respectively in Friday’s free practice sessions. Steadily improving his times throughout the weekend, he then placed third in Saturday’s final free practice session, which was held in the wet, before the weather improved for the afternoon’s qualifying session. A time of 1m05.881s meant he ended up just missing out on the final ‘shoot-out’ session but he still placed 11th, good enough for a third row start. Saturday also saw the cancelled race from Knockhill held although it didn’t get off to the greatest of starts when a few spots of rain caused the red flag to come out after just two laps. On the re-start, Chris completed the first lap in 8th place and here he remained until the 7th lap when James Ellison pushed him back to ninth as he battled with no less than six riders for the lower places in the top ten. With just four laps of the race remaining, both Tommy Bridewell and Gary Mason found a way past and, try as he might, Chris was unable to move back in to the top ten and, with a few gear selection problems, he had to settle for 11th at the chequered flag although he lapped four tenths of a second quicker than what he had done in qualifying. The team changed engines overnight just to ensure there’d be no further technical problems and, with a lot warmer conditions, a great start in Sunday’s first race saw Chris jump up from 11th place to 7th at the end of the first lap although he was pushed back to 8th two laps later when John Laverty overtook him. However, on lap 7 Chris was back up to 7th and here he stayed until lap 16 when race leader Michael Rutter retired. Chris was then embroiled in a terrific 7 man dice for 6th place and although Tommy Bridewell found a way through with three laps to go, he held on for 7th place and 9 points, the best result of the year for the team. In the third and final race of the weekend, Chris lined up in ninth on the grid and, with his usual quick start, he was up to 8th place at the end of lap 1 and right in touch with the leading pack. Pushed back to 9th on lap 6 by John Laverty, he was back up to 8th on lap 12 when second placed Josh Brookes retired and just a lap later he was up to 6th as Alastair Seeley and James Ellison crashed out together. Battling hard with both Laverty and Simon Andrews, Chris ultimately ended up in 7th place once more but, with 23 points from the three races, it had been an impressive weekend for Chris and the team, one which left team owner Robin Croft delighted. “Fantastic, super and over the moon are just some of the words I could use to describe the weekend. I’m absolutely delighted with the efforts of both Chris and the team and we’ve been out there fighting hard in every one of the three races. The results have given us one of our best ever weekend’s of racing and Chris simply felt happier and more comfortable with the bike as the weekend wore on. We’ve had a good, fast and safe weekend of racing and I couldn’t be happier with how it’s all gone. I’ve already had a good chat with Chris and I’m delighted to say that we’ve reached an agreement that will see him riding for SMT Honda for the remainder of the season, which is terrific news for all parties. We’ve had a great time working with each other and will now get a bit of testing done before the next round to make sure we’re even more dialled in when we get there and I really cannot wait to get to Brands in three week’s time!” The team now have a three-week break before the next round of the British Superbike Championship, with the meeting taking place at Brands Hatch on August 6-8. More, from a press release issued by Marty Nutt’s publicist: Superb ride by Nutt at Snetterton Castlerock’s Marty Nutt put in his finest performance of the season so far on Sunday when he finished in 7th place in round 7 of the British Supersport Championship at Snetterton. The NuttTravel.Com/Dawn/T&G rider had been in fine form throughout the weekend around the 1.95-mile circuit and he converted his strong qualifying form into an excellent race result, his first top ten finish of the season. Marty’s weekend got off to a fine start in free practice on Friday when he placed 11th and 15th in the two free practice sessions around the 1.92-mile circuit and, with a number of improvements made to the machine, he felt confident of improving his times during Saturday’s qualifying sessions. Problems with the track surface meant that just one qualifying session took place but after placing 11th once more in the final free practice session, a brilliant lap of 1m07.556s in the 30-minute qualifying period saw Marty take fifth place on the grid, just 0.561s off pole position and ensuring he would head up the second row of the grid. Sunday saw warm conditions for the 20 lap race and a solid start saw Marty complete the opening lap in 7th place although in the inevitable bumping and barging for positions in the opening few laps he was shuffled back to ninth a couple of laps later. When James Westmoreland crashed out on lap 4 he was back up to 8th although he was back down to ninth just a lap later when Glen Richards came by. For a brief moment it looked like Marty was going to lose touch with the group battling for fifth position but he was soon on the back of Richards and up to 8th at half race distance. Fifth place was anyone’s and the result could have gone either way but, on lap 16, Marty overtook Billy McConnell for 7th and it was here where he finished for 9 excellent championship points, The result means that he’s now up to 13th place in the Championship table. Talking afterwards, a pleased Marty commented: “It’s been a great weekend for me and the changes we made to the bike on Friday allowed me to make the jump up to the group of riders who’ve been quicker than me all year. Qualifying fifth was a huge boost for my confidence going in to the race and although I made an ‘ok’ start, I had to make sure I didn’t lose contact with the riders in front sogot on to their back wheel as soon as I could. I felt really strong through the first two corners and also through the final chicane so I utilised my advantage there to close right in and was able to run quite comfortably with people like Billy McConnell, who’ve been at the front, and winning races, all year.” “It was nice to be able to mix it with them and put a few passes in on people that I feel I’m capable of running with all the time. I’ve got to say a big thanks to Andy for all his work on the set-up of the machine and also to John for his work on the electronics and we’ve now got a package that’s working really well. I’ve proved today that I can run in the top 8 and race with some of the leading guys in the Championship so I’m firmly looking at getting these kinds of results between now and the end of the season.” Marty now has a three week break before his next meeting with th 8th round of the British Supersport Championship taking place at Brands Hatch, Kent over the weekend of 6-8 August. More, from a press release issued by Simon Low’s publicist: Brilliant 10th place finish for Low at Snetterton Twickenham’s Simon Low finally enjoyed some good fortune in the British 125cc Championship and, enjoying a trouble free run on the Team Shop4Bikers/Dutch-2-UK Racing Honda, the youngster took an excellent 10th place in round 7 at Snetterton on Sunday for one of his best ever results in his short career. A strong start to the weekend saw Simon take 17th place in the first free qualifying and, reducing his lap time by over a second, he improved to 14th in the second session held on Friday. Saturday saw just one qualifying session take place due to problems with the track surface and an improved time of 1m16.997s was good enough for Simon to qualify in a season’s best of 15th place, whcih meant he lined up on the fourth row of the grid. With warm weather throughout Sunday at the Norfolk venue, the 15-lap 125cc race was the penultimate race of the day but at, 5.20pm it was underway and a strong start saw Simon up to 13th at the end of lap 1, a position he held for the next 3 laps before being relegated to 14th. However, by lap 7 he was back up to 13th and, a lap later, he climbed even further up to 11th although Andrew Reid overtook him soon after. However, when race leaders John McPhee and Fraser Rogers crashed out on the 10th lap, he was up into 10th place and, riding with a cool head, his smooth riding over the closing laps paid dividends and he was able to take the chequered flag in 10th for his first top ten British Championship finish. Speaking afterwards, a delighted Simon said: “I’m not quite sure what to say at the moment as I’m just over the moon with the result and it’s far and away my best result ever – I’ve finished 10th in a British Championship race! Although I qualified well, there were a few ups and downs along the way and I wasn’t quite sure how the race would pan out but I got a good start and was immediately in a strong place inside the points. I felt really good out there and had some good pace but I was losing a little bit of drive coming out of Russell’s chicane on to the start and finish straight and it was just enough to lose me the tow to the pack in front otherwise I think I could have finished inside the top 8. It was a hard race but I had no problems at all and, like I say, I’m just ecstatic with the result. It’s nice to have had a trouble free race and finally be able to show what I can do roll on Brands!” The next round of the the British 125cc Championship takes place at Brands Hatch, Kent on August 8th. More, from a press release issued by John McGuinness’ publicist: McGuinness battles hard for top 12 finish Morecambe’s John McGuinness battled hard at Snetterton on Sunday to finish in 11th place in the latest round of the Metzeler National 1000cc Superstock Championship. The Padgetts Honda rider found himself on the verge of missing some points when he was lying in 15th place with just two laps to go but he dug deep in the closing stages to pull through and take 5 hard earned Championship points. The weekend started steadily for John when he placed 10th in Friday’s solitary free practice session but he improved his time by almost a second in the opening qualifying session to slot in to 9th place. Any chance of improving upon that though disappeared on Saturday when the second qualifying session was cancelled due to problems with the track surface at the Russell’s chicane. Instead, another free practice session was held and, with a lap of 1m07.987s, John ended 7th quickest although he would still have to start from the third row of the grid. With the Norfolk circuit bathed in beautiful sunshine, conditions were perfect for Sunday’s 18-lap race and John was lying in 10th place initially before the red flag came out due to a number of spills around the 1.95-mile circuit. Reduced to 14 laps, the re-start didn’t go so well for John and he was back in 12th after the first two laps of the race, a position which became 13th on lap 6 when Jonathan Howarth moved by. Involved in a terrific five-man battle for 11th, positions changed hands on numerous occasions but John was shuffled to the back of the pack with only two laps remaining. However, he overtook Howarth and Michael Booth in successive laps and with Lee Costello making a mistake in the closing stages he took the chequered flag in 12th place. This then became 11th after a post-race inspection found 5th placed finisher Scott Smart’s bike to be underweight. The result maintains John’s 9th place overall in the Championship table. Speaking afterwards, John said: “It was a tough race today and I’m just slightly annoyed with myself for not getting a good start. I had good pace, good enough to run in the top 7, but I was just a bit tardy off the line and it meant I was in the 11th-15th group rather than the group in front of that. I was a bit weak at Sear’s and also Russell’s, probably the two most important corners on the track, and that meant I was losing a bit of time along the straights but I kept plugging away and managed to pick a few off towards the end of the race to get up to 12th. I need to get the starts right though as I know I can run in the top 8 consistently if I get away with the front group so I’ll be looking to put that right next time out. I love the Brands GP circuit and it suits me down to the ground so I’m confident of giving the team a good result there.” John’s next outing will be at Brands Hatch over the weekend of August 6-8 where he will be again out in the Metzeler National 1000cc Superstock Championship. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Worx Crescent Suzuki’s Tommy Hill rode two hard fought races at the seventh round of the British Superbikes Championship at Snetterton to grab two second place finishes and take back the series lead. In both races Hill was in lower leaderboard positions at mid-race but found the extra pace in the second half to pull himself up to the runner-up spot, recording his fastest lap in the last laps of each encounter. Rival Josh Brookes had secured wins in the first two races of the weekend but his machine expired at mid-distance in the last race, which passed the championship lead to Hill as he overcame Michael Laverty in the final laps of that race. Hill now leads the BSB championship by two points over Brookes and also leads the BSB podium points table by one point. Yukio Kagayama suffered more ill luck in the first race – his first of the weekend – when his clutch developed a technical issue during the sighting lap, forcing him to start from the pit lane. He finished 21st. In the second race, starting from P24, Kagayama rode an impressively strong race gaining 14 positions to finish top-10. Tommy Hill: “We’ve had a very consistent run this weekend and I can’t deny it’s very satisfying to get back on the podium in all the races and to take back the championship lead. “We were running less electronic aids on the bike this weekend and maybe this harmed my early race pace, but it seemed to work very much to my advantage in the second half of each race and I found I had a consistent feel to the bike that allowed me to confidently push hard at the end. A little bit of luck fell into our hands with Brookes going out in the third race, but it helps to be in the right place for when these things happen. No question I’m really looking forward to the Brands Hatch GP round now!” Yukio Kagayama: “For me, only wins can make for good times, but I am still very happy with progress this weekend. My first race was lost when the clutch felt to be slipping on my out lap, the team fixed this but starting from pit lane I was not able to make the progress I wanted. “For the second race the team made some adjustments to the bike and I liked these very much and was able to pass many riders to finish tenth. I must thank the team for this, they really welcomed me back to racing this weekend and they worked hard to give me the best bike.” Jack Valentine – Team Manager: “A very good weekend for us. I think this weekend’s results have really boosted Tommy’s confidence and this will help him as we head to the Brands Hatch GP round. The team has worked hard on the set-up, the GSX-R’s always been good but it’s the very last little details that are making all the difference and certainly we’ve now got a very good basis on which to build for the coming races. “Yuki has struggled manfully with his injured hand and it was typical of his luck that he suffered the setback with the clutch issue just before that first race. However his performance in the second race was inspiring, he put in a sterling ride. “He’s off to the Suzuka 8-hour now and the whole team wish him well with that. But we’re looking forward to getting him to Brands Hatch fully fit. Not having two riders at full strength has cost us with bike development as the season has progressed, and we’ve seen the other teams make up ground, but hopefully come round eight we’ll be at full strength again for the first time almost all year!” MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship Round seven, Snetterton: Race 1 result: 1. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 2. Tommy Hill (Wooorx Crescent Suzuki) +1.472s 3. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +2.740s 4. James Ellison (Swan Honda) +3.757s 5. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +4.152s 6. Tommy Bridewell (Quay Garage Honda) +15.640s 7. Chris Walker (Sorrymate.com SMT Honda) +17.779s 8. Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) +18.417s 9. Simon Andrews (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +18.880s 10. John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +19.131s 21. Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) Race 2 result: 1. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 2. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +0.591s 3. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +0.954s 4. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +1.584s 5. John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +3.897s 6. Simon Andrews (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +4.899s 7. Chris Walker (Sorrymate.com SMT Honda) +6.127s 8. Andrew Pitt (Motorpoint Yamaha) +8.211s 9. Gary Mason (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +8.349s 10. Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +9.566s MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings: 1. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 218 2. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 216 3. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 193 4. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 183 5. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) 165 6. John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) 129 17. Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 31 More, from a press release issued by FTR MOTO: THREE FTR MOTO2 MACHINES IN TOP SIX IN GERMANY FTR MOTO enjoyed further success in Sunday’s eighth round of the Moto2 World Championship at the Sachsenring circuit in Germany with FTR M210 machines taking second, fifth and sixth places in the 29-lap race. And the Speed Up FTR machines, ridden by Hungarian Gabor Talmacsi and Italian Andrea Iannone, held first and second places in the early part of the race. Iannone who started from pole position eventually finished second and moved into third place in the World Championship points standings. Karel Abraham, on the Cardion AB Motoracing Team’s M210 finished fifth, having qualified in 11th place, and he has again moved up in the Championship and now holds 14th place. Talmacsi crossed the finishing line in sixth place and he sits in ninth place in the points standings. Luckless Alex Debon progressed from 12th on the grid and was holding fourth place when he crashed the Aeroport de Castello-Ajo Team machine, escaping injury but he was forced to retire from the race. Debon is now in 12th place in the Championship. “Sachsenring offered a new and very different technical challenge with its undulations and tight turns and I’m pleased the M210 came through with plenty of success for the FTR-mounted riders,” said FTR’s Steve Bones. “Again, we had a bit of a mixed bag of results but Andrea Iannone continues to be on the pace at the head of the field and Karel Abraham has found a great level of consistency since switching to our machine at Le Mans. “We have a break now until the next round at Brno in a month and we’re under way with the next stage of development of the M210 and we hope we can contribute more podiums in the second half of the season after such an encouraging opening eight rounds.” More, from a press release issued by Autolite/RIM Racing: Autolite/RIM Racing continues forward momentum at Mid-Ohio The Autolite/Rim Racing team went to Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course for round 6 of the AMA Pro Daytona Sportbike series. After a dismal qualifying session the team knew they had some work ahead of them. Working hard to keep their string of top 20 finishes in order rider Michael Morgan did all he could do during Saturday’s race to hold on and finish 21st despite some small issues. However, back in form and ready to battle the team came back strong on Sunday and finished 18th after a race long battle that could have easily put them in 14th. Michael Morgan Saturday 21st place Sunday 18th place “We are making great strides with our team on every outing. I am so pleased to be part of a great organization with great sponsors like Autolite. We worked hard all weekend to try and get ourselves the best starting position to help us continue our top running form, however I made some small mistakes that just kept costing us from achieving the times we were looking for qualifying 25th. Every lap it seemed like I was trying hard, and maybe too hard but I will take what I learned and do better for the next round. In Saturday’s race we had a good start and I was trying to settle in and wait for the end of the race to gain some spots. But it was really hot and very difficult to maintain a fast pace and I just missed out on 20th. We made some big changes on suspension for Sundays practice and race, which proved to be a step in the correct direction. The bike was easier to ride at a fast pace. On Sunday we got a great start and got involved in a 5 bike battle that was a lot of fun. There were some moments with riders crashing right in from of me but I didn’t need to make any major corrections to avoid them. Towards the end I may have burned the rear tire up a bit and just couldn’t dice as hard as I needed to move further up the finishing order. Josh Herrin crashed on the final lap of the race and when he came back on the track he took his normal race line and I almost ran into him when I passed him. After seeing the pit board on the final lap I decided to bring the bike home in one piece and settle for 18th. It’s nice to know that we are making progress and can run in the top 15. Now I will need to work to be able to finish there. I want to thank my sponsors, team, and my family for coming out and helping RIM Racing and showing their fire.” RIM Racing is sponsored by Autolite spark plugs, Fram oil filters, EBC brake pads, D.I.D chains, Kenwood, Motul oil, Race Tech suspension, Barnett clutches, Shark helmets, SRP Graphics, Vortex components, Zola acai drinks, Advanced Auto Parts, Bazzaz electronics, Hotbodies, Lockhart Phillips, Permatex, Yoshimura Catch Autolite/RIM Racing August 13 – August 15 at Virginia International Raceway for round 8 of the AMA Pro Daytona Sportbike series. More, from a press release issued by Penny Nicolai on behalf of Ryan Kerr Racing: A TOUGH WEEKEND FOR RYAN KERR RACING Lexington, Ohio”¦The Honda Super Cycle Weekend Presented by Dunlop Tire at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course proved to be a tough weekend for AMA SuperSport rider Ryan Kerr and his Ryan Kerr Racing Team. “Things definitely didn’t go according to plan,” said the young Ohio native, who is an instructor for the Mid-Ohio Motorcycle School. “The old medium compound Dunlop front tire was not lasting a whole session, so we decided to switch to the new hard compound front tire. Unfortunately, it had tremendous chatter in the corners to the point that the bike was almost impossible to ride part of the time.” Pulling off the grid, Kerr got a really bad start and was in last place going into the first corner. Putting his head down and doing the best he could, he made it from last up to 14th before the end of the race. “It was really frustrating,” he said. “The crew worked on my Kawasaki when the race ended and they got it a little better for Sunday’s event. We started off pretty good and were running pretty strong until about mid-way. Then the front end began chattering and once again I was all over the place. I even went off the track at one point which lost me about four positions. We ended up coming in 15th place which is not where I wanted to be.” Never one to dwell on the bad, Kerr and his crew are already at work looking for ways to make his race bike better. “Luckily we have a three week break before the next race at VIR,” he says with a smile. “We are going to be testing some different suspension set-ups and we should be in good shape for next event. We dropped a couple of spots back in the points, but with a little luck, we shouldn’t have too much trouble moving up.” Ryan Kerr Racing is sponsored by MJ USA, 614Paintworx, Leo Vince, Arai, Di-Digital Impressions, Woodcraft, KobieC.com, Kawasaki and MJ Motorgear, and Mid-Ohio School. More, from a pres release issued by Tim Reeves’s publicist: Reeves’ World Championship hopes remain intact Tim Reeves’ hopes of reclaiming the World Sidecar Championship remain intact after the Dundrod-based Kent driver finished second in Sunday’s round at Sachsenring, Germany. Held alongside the MotoGP meeting, Tim and passenger Gregory Cluze overcame problems in practice to secure 2nd place and 20 valuable points to go into the final round still in with a chance of claiming the 2010 title. The weekend didn’t get off to the greatest of starts for Tim when a problem with the camshaft sensor caused the engine to misfire and the pairing only completed a lap and a half but with a new engine fitted in time for Saturday’s qualifying session, it was all systems go once more. After spending the first part of the session running in the new Honda motor, Tim then came in to change tyres before going out to put in a quick qualifying lap. This he duly did and with a lap of 1m29.676s, Tim and Gregory were able to take pole position from Ben and Tom Birchall by just under two tenths of second. With World Championship leaders Pekka Paivarinta and Adolf Hanni down in 4th place, and over a second adrift, all was looking well for race day. A great start saw Tim and Gregory take full advantage of their pole position and lead the field around at the end of the first lap and after the opening few laps they had pulled out a gap over the rest of the field with the exception of team-mates Kurt Hock/Michael Hildebrand. It was formation flying at the head of the pack and clear that the winner would come from one of these two and Tim allowed Hock to go through in to the lead as he wasn’t a World Championship rival. Tim planned to sit with Hock and then take over the lead in the closing stages of the race but the German had other ideas and promptly pulled away leaving the English/French duo an uphill task in the remaining laps. Tim tried his hardest to reel Hock in but as early as mid-race distance his tyres had become worn and, with a distinct lack of grip, he had to settle for second place, 4.3s off the race win. With Paivarinta in third, the Finnish driver now has a 20-point advantage over Tim and Gregory with just one round remaining. Speaking afterwards, Tim said: “I’m pleased to be on the podium once more and it’s great to not only take some points off Pekka but also go in to the final round of the Championship still in with a chance of taking the title. I’m slightly disappointed though that I wasn’t able to take the win today and reduce the gap even further but Kurt and Michael were racing in front of their home crowd and weren’t to be denied. When they came by I didn’t think they’d pull away like they did as I was hoping they’d be my rear gunner for the race and thus allow the team to go in to the final round with a great shot at the title. When I realised they were going for the win, I went as hard as I could but the tyres were already badly worn and I was sliding all over the place so there was little I could do. It’s great that the time got a 1-2, I was just hoping it would have been the other way round!! We’re still in with a chance though and will be giving it everything at the final round.” Prior to the final World Championship round at Magny Cours, France, Tim’s next outing will be at Cadwell Park on the weekend of August 6-8 for the latest round of the Battle of Britain F1 Sidecar Championship. More, from a press release issued by Vesrah Suzuki: VESRAH SUZUKI RIDERS FINISH DAYTONA SPORTBIKE RACE 2 IN 7TH AND 12TH PLACE AND 11TH IN SUPERSPORT RACE 2 AT MID OHIO. Vesrah Suzuki’s Cory West took 7th place Sunday in Daytona SportBike Race 2 at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington Ohio. Chris Fillmore rebounded from an early crash to finish 12th and currently is 9th in the points chase. Cory is now back into 5th place in the season point standings after slipping back to 6th after the previous round. Nick Hansen repeated his performance from the previous day with an 11th place finish in Supersport Race 2. Mark Junge Team Owner Vesrah Suzuki “The team made progress every time we went out on the track and I am proud of my riders and crew for never giving up and always striving for more. I have to thank my former mechanics Jeff Wolfe and Pat Holly for coming back out to the track this weekend and taking care of Nick.” Cory West Vesrah Suzuki #57 “My start was a little better in today’s race and I was close to the lead group right away. While I was dicing for position I got run wide a few times that kept me from latching on to the leaders. After I lost touch with them I raced with a few guys but had a pretty uneventful race. My crew worked their butts off this weekend to try and get me to the front but it just wasn’t our weekend. Fortunately we collected more points and took advantage of other rider’s misfortunes to move back into 5th place in the championship. Now we will focus on a better result next weekend at Laguna! Thanks again to the whole Vesrah Suzuki crew for their hard work and we’ll see everyone next weekend.” Chris Fillmore Vesrah Suzuki #55 “I had a good start but couldn’t find an opening going into turn 1 and on lap 4 coming onto the back straight I lost my front which I almost saved but then it totally lost grip. I was able to pick the bike up and continue charging back to 12 place at the finish, I’m super disappointed about today’s race but happy that I was at least able to salvage some points. I’m looking forward to Laguna and hopefully my race there will be better.” Nick Hansen Vesrah Suzuki #97 “I was ready to go in the morning and all pumped up. During morning warm up I was riding behind some of the fast guys so I could see their race line. During the race I had an awesome start and got hooked up with a lead group and kept on the back of them. As the laps started to fade away I could feel my tires doing the same. I had a few close calls that I kept from high siding but I kept my head down and fought on. On the last lap I saw someone pull up next to me so I out broke them and tried to stay in front. On the last turn I had a close call and just tried to get to the checkered flag first which I did so I was stoked. This weekend was good but I am definitely going for a top 10 next race.” Vesrah Suzuki wants to thank all of their sponsors for their support for the 2010 season Vesrah, American Suzuki, Rockstar Energy Drink, Nielsen Enterprises Suzuki, Traxxion Dynamics Fork Components, Dainese Leathers, Boots and Gloves, AGV Helmets, Graves Motorsports, Hotbodies Racing Bodywork, Sudco Int., Bazzaz, Factory Pro, Maxima Racing Oils, Vortex, DID Chain, Penske Racing Shocks, GPR Stabilizers, Trek Bicycles, GP Tech, Active & Road Rage Designs More, from a press release issued by Miles Thornton Racing: Miles Thornton Works Through A Difficult Weekend at Mid-Ohio. Miles Thornton began the weekend’s event with a positive attitude and definitely determined to podium in the AMA SuperSport Class. Miles felt confident in his ability to pilot his Markbilt Yamaha R6 to a victory. The weekend started slowly for Miles with the wrong tire choice but was turned around by going to the harder compound front tire that Dunlop offered, which ended up working great for the rest of the weekend. After qualifying eighth and getting a good start for Saturday’s race, Miles ran in the front group for the first four or five laps but crashed coming out of the keyhole while in the fifth position. “I tucked the front end and slid off into the gravel.” Miles was able to pick up and restart his Markbilt Yamaha R6 and rejoin the race although in last place. The young racer quickly got up to pace and started picking off riders and finished seventeenth. After the race, the team discovered that Miles had finished Race 1 with a collapsed exhaust canister, badly bent clip on and front brake lever, and partially blocked intake tract with at least 5 lbs of gravel in the belly pan. “My team worked hard Saturday afternoon and evening to get my bike ready for Sunday. I want to thank my dad, Scott Kay, Mark Rozema, and Eric Stump’s Team for their hard work.” As frustrated as he was with his results he was not going to let the disappointment alter his confidence to provide a better finish in Sunday’s race. During Sunday morning’s practice the bike was handling good but seemed a bit slower. “I don’t know if I hurt my motor riding it so hard in Saturday’s race after crashing or if the motor is just tired.” Miles got another good start and was in sixth at the end of the first lap in Race 2 but was quickly passed on the long straight away on lap 2, finding himself running in tenth place where he eventually finished the race. “I rode as hard as I could but the riders in front of me pulled away a little more every lap.” Miles was able to earn some needed points in Race 2 and moved into sixth position in the AMA East Point Standings. The team had planned to attend the next round at Laguna Seca, thanks to Mark Crozier and the Crozier-Roberson Team, who were willing to transport Miles’ bike and equipment. However, the team made a decision to withdraw from the Laguna round after Sunday’s race at Mid-Ohio and focus on finishing the season strong with the remaining rounds in the East. Miles would like to thank Audrey from Moto-Liberty for getting his RS Taichi leathers looking good after his crash and Four Feathers Racing for loaning him a front brake lever on Sunday. He would also like to thank his dad, Scott Kay, Mark Rozema, Eric Stump Racing, as well as his sponsors, Arai, Markbilt Race Bikes, RS Taichi, Held USA, Sidi, Orient Express Racing, Impact Safe-T Armor, Pauleez Race Painting, therotater.com, Bermuda Tan of Columbus, GA, GP Tech, Howard B & B, and A & J Screen Printers. More, from a press release issued by Derbi: DERBI WINS ITS HUNDREDTH GRAN PRIX IN THE WORLD MOTORCYCLE CHAMPIONSHIP AND ENTERS INTO SPORTS MOTORCYCLING NOBILITY The Spanish manufacturer, founded in Martorelles in 1922, earns its hundredth title thanks to a victory by Marc Márquez in the German GP 125 class, 42 years after Barry Smith’s legendary victory on the Isle of Man which launched the Derbi’s winning streak. Sachsenring (Germany), 18 July 2010 – It was the 14th of June 1968 when the Australian rider Barry Smith rode a Derbi 50 to victory on the motorcycling world’s most legendary track: the Isle of Man. It was the first victory for a “Bala Roja” (red bullet), as the Derbi was called by the Spanish enthusiasts. That triumph came six years after the Derbi’s world début at the Spanish GP in 1962 which was then run on the Montjuïc track in Barcelona. Victory number 100 arrived today on the German track at Sachsenring where multiple world champion Angel Nieto (Spain) won for the first time on a Derbi on 13 July 1969. The Derbi’s 100 victories (17 in 50cc, 25 in the 80cc, 57 in 125cc and one in the 250cc) have earned the Catalan manufacturer 19 World Championships, 8 Manufacturer Championships (2 in 50cc, 3 in the 80cc and 3 in 125cc) and 11 Rider Championships (3 in 50cc, 4 in the 80cc class and 4 in 125cc). With the Márquez victory, Derbi (which today is part of the Piaggio Group) enters into the number of the elite few manufacturers with more than 100 victories in the World Motorcycle Championship along with Honda, Yamaha, Aprilia, MV Agusta and Suzuki. Great champions have raced and won with the Derbi. To name a few, Jorge ‘Aspar’ Martínez (32 victories on the Derbi), Angel Nieto (30 victories), Japanese rider Youichi Ui (11), Jorge Lorenzo (4) and Frenchman Mike di Meglio (4). More, from a press release issued by Bridgestone: German Grand Prix debrief with Tohru Ubukata Round 8: German GP Post-race debrief Sachsenring, Tuesday 20 July 2010 Bridgestone slick compounds available: Front: Hard, Extra Hard. Rear: Hard, Extra Hard (asymmetric) The German Grand Prix was red flagged after nine laps because of a crash that involved Randy de Puniet, Aleix Espargaro and Álvaro Bautista, in which de Puniet suffered a fractured tibia and fibula in his left leg, and Espargaro a cracked vertebra. The race was restarted and run for a further 21 laps, meaning that the competitive distance was unaffected. Before and after the restart the battle for top spot was between Spaniards Dani Pedrosa and Jorge Lorenzo, who were both uncatchable. Ultimately it was Pedrosa who emerged victorious ahead of Lorenzo, whilst Casey Stoner pipped Valentino Rossi to the third step of the podium on the last corner of the race after a fantastic battle in the closing laps. The weather was typically changeable in Germany, and rain fell on Friday night and Saturday night, but the only session to be fully wet was Sunday’s warm-up, which was the first full session of the season in which all riders used Bridgestone’s wet tyres, although the initial laps on Saturday morning were wet too. Q&A with Tohru Ubukata – Manager, Bridgestone Motorcycle Tyre Development Department A special construction rear tyre was used at Sachsenring. Why was this? “We used the same special construction rear slick in Germany this year as we do at Phillip Island, and it is designed specifically to be more durable under extreme tyre temperature. Sachsenring generates some of the highest front and rear tyre temperatures of the season because of the nature of the circuit and its abrasive tarmac, so race distance durability was our primary focus. We didn’t bring this construction to Sachsenring last year, but after carefully analysing all the race data we decided it would be beneficial, and indeed the laptimes during the weekend were faster and consistency was better so I am happy with our decision and I think it demonstrates our commitment to continual improvement.” Why was this special construction not used for the front tyre? “Rear tyre temperatures on average at Sachsenring are 20 per cent higher than front tyre temperatures, so there is no need to have this special construction for the front our regular construction can cope well with the temperatures experienced even though for the front tyre they are the highest of the year. Rear tyre temperature is higher because of the extra loads and strains of transferring the bikes’ power to the tarmac, especially through long and fast corners.” How was tyre performance during the weekend? “The special construction in the rear tyre helped tyre durability and consistency enormously, and that’s the reason the softer rear could be used for the race with no problems. I am very happy about consistency as Casey set his best lap right at the end of the race, and overall the level of performance was high too as Dani, Jorge and Valentino set nine laptimes between them that were all were faster than the existing lap record, and Casey was only 0.009seconds from equalling this previous record too. Ultimately, Dani was the fastest man and beat his own previous record by over 0.2seconds.” Who made what tyre changes during the red flag period, before the race restart? “Before the race was restarted, several riders made tyre changes, although only two changed their compound choices. Nicky changed from a softer to a harder rear and Marco Melandri chose a softer front in favour of the harder front he started with. Casey and Loris replaced their rear tyres with used items of the same compound but with fewer miles. Marco Simoncelli’s front and rear tyres and Alex de Angelis’ rear tyre were also replaced with brand new items of the same compound. But as Dani and Jorge showed, using the same set of tyres for both parts of the race was no problem and they were faster after the restart than before, so changing tyres was not a necessity.” More, from a press release issued by Turner’s Cycle Racing: Lexington, OH – After a struggle with the track on Friday’s practice and qualifying sessions, Turner’s Cycle Racing’s Kris Turner pulls off another top ten finish is Sunday’s AMA Daytona Sportbike race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Not being at the track in four years, never on anything bigger than a 125, Kris found himself as 24th fastest at the end of the day on Friday. “It’s just a tough track and I haven’t figured it out yet. The most important part of the track, the Keyhole (turn four) is one spot I’m losing a lot. Also the whole second section from turn 7 to 11 is just a rhythm section of turns and I always seem to be out of rhythm there.” After making some bike changes and line changes Friday night, Turner went out for final qualifying where he dropped two more seconds and 6 positions to 18th on the grid. “Yeah, it’s definitely a little disappointing knowing I should be a lot closer to the front than I am. I’m just trying to focus on a good start and working up a little closer to the front.” After working up the 13th position, Turner’s rear tire started going away, leaving him to drop 3 positions on the last lap, “About half way through the race, the tires started fading a little and I started fighting the bike which made me tired. It was just a rider mistake instead of relaxing. Michael Beck came around me on the brakes into turn six and I tried rolling off the brakes where I could keep it but he just went a little deeper and with him on the inside it was hard to counter act. A few turns later I ran wide trying to square up on Beck and lost two more positions. I was very disappointed in myself when I crossed the line.” Turner spent an hour with a track map and notebook after walking the track that night and it turned out to help. Getting a little bit of a better start and started his way in front of the group ahead of him. Seven laps into the race Kris ran into an interesting and unique problem. “I felt the left grip keep pushing and twisting off more and more each turn so I finally decided that since I couldn’t get it back on all the way and since it was affecting my hold on the bar, I just ripped it off and threw it behind me.” The next lap was his fastest lap of the race as he began the contesting battle with Fernando Amantini. It went all the way to the last lap where a lapper held them both up, making it difficult to make a pass. “That was probably the most fun battle I’ve had all year. I tried to pass him on the brakes into six and he squared back up, so I instantly tried again and he came right back. I had a couple other places to pull a surprise attack but we got held by a lapper and it was all him at the line. He had a great ride going and we had a fun, clean but aggressive race going.” Turner would wind up 10th at the line. Turner’s Cycle Racing would like to thank Arai, Mjmotogear.com, Moto Liberty, RS Taichi, Vesrah, Silkolene, Muscle Milk, and all the people and riders that helped us out over the weekend. You know who you are! More, from a press release issued by Yamaha: Lorenzo Second, Rossi Fourth in German GP Fiat Yamaha’s Jorge Lorenzo finished second and a resurgent Valentino Rossi staged a remarkable return from injury to finish fourth in the German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring on Sunday, July 18. For Lorenzo, the weekend continued his incredible record of finishing either first or second in every GP this year. While for Rossi, nearly making the podium in his return from a badly broken leg just six weeks ago made it look like the defending world champion had never been away at all. Meanwhile Yamaha Tech 3 pilot Ben Spies finished eighth as teammate Colin Edwards crashed out. Lorenzo now leads Pedrosa by 47 points in the standings, while Rossi climbs back up to sixth. Starting from pole for the fourth race in a row, Lorenzo lost ground to Dani Pedrosa at the start but quickly took the lead, as Rossi dropped a few positions from his fifth-place start. Soon though, an incident involving three riders caused the race to be red-flagged. At the restart Pedrosa again passed Lorenzo into turn one, and the next few laps saw the Spaniards in some superb wheel-to-wheel action. After three wins in a row however, on lap nine Lorenzo was unable to hold Pedrosa off any longer, sensibly deciding to bring his M1 home in second. Rossi also lost ground on the restart but was soon lapping at the leaders’ pace to bring himself within striking distance of a podium finish. The final laps saw a superb battle between Rossi and Casey Stoner, with Rossi taking third on the penultimate lap. Yet Stoner somehow found a way past on the final corner and Rossi was forced to settle for possibly the most impressive fourth of his career. “It’s always difficult when a race is split like this and I didn’t ride quite as well in the second race as I felt I had in the first,” Lorenzo admitted afterwards. “Dani was very strong and I was on the limit trying to stay ahead. When he passed me I tried briefly to stay with him but the safest thing to do was finish second and take 20 points for the championship. Now we go to Laguna and I am very excited about racing there again.” Rossi added, “I didn’t expect this! I thought it was maybe possible to make fourth or fifth place but I thought it would be very difficult. This is a fantastic result after missing four races. Thanks to all my team for helping me come back and be competitive like this, and we will try to do even better in Laguna.” Four Wins for Yamaha at Mid-Ohio Road Races Yamaha racers had a perfect day at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on Saturday, July 17, finishing 1-2 in the AMA Superbike race, winning the Daytona SportBike race and sweeping all three podium positions in SuperSport. As they have done twice before this season, Team Graves Yamaha’s Josh Hayes and Pat Clark Motorsports’ Ben Bostrom rode their YZF-R1s to first and second in the opening round of the weekend’s two Superbike races, while Graves’ Josh Herrin won the Daytona SportBike race aboard his YZF-R6. And in SuperSport, R6-mounted J.D. Beach and Cameron Beaubier went 1-2 on Saturday, with Yamaha improving on that to finish 1-2-3-4 on Sunday under the command of Beach, Beaubier, Tomas Puerta and Huntley Nash, respectively. Yamahas now lead all three championships, with Hayes ahead in Superbike, Herrin ahead in Daytona SportBike, and Beach leading SuperSport. Despite a scary crash in Superbike qualifying that resulted in an injured thumb, the tenacious Bostrom qualified third behind Hayes and rival Tommy Hayden. He and Hayes attacked hard in Saturday’s Superbike race, leading each of the 21 laps to nearly a photo finish, with Bostrom just 0.219 sec. behind Hayes at the flag. The pair went on to finish Sunday’s race with Hayes second and Bostrom in fourth, his thumb too traumatized for him to go any faster. “Ben is a talented rider and he can dig deep, that’s for sure,” praised Yamaha road race team manager Tom Halverson. “As for the championship, it’s going to be a fight for Josh Hayes for the rest of the year. He’s strong and happy with the bike, and is completely ready for it. He is riding like a champion right now.” Josh Herrin had to work hard for his Daytona SportBike win on Saturday, spurring his R6 to the front on the final lap. But it still wasn’t over, as Herrin had to defend against rivals Bobby Fong and Martin Cardenas, ultimately winning by just 0.045 sec. Graves teammate Tommy Aquino was fifth aboard another R6. At the conclusion of Saturday’s race Herrin had a comfortable 30-point advantage over Danny Eslick in the championship. But things can turn quickly in racing, and that’s exactly what happened on the last lap of Sunday’s race two. While running second, the back end snaked wide on Herrin under braking, bike and rider parted company, and the R6 cart-wheeled spectacularly. But Herrin ran to the still-rideable R6, now minus a windscreen and handlebar, and finished the race””and thus managed to leave Ohio with the points lead. “Josh has really developed into a mature racer,” Halverson added. “He hasn’t made a mistake in quite a while, and it was great to see him recover from this one and get back on track.” More, from a press release issued by Waznie Racing: Szoke Adjusts to Racing South of the Border – Mid Ohio AMA American Superbike Release With fifty minutes of practice and then straight into qualifying, the Waznie Racing/Ciclo Werks BMC DeWildt Honda rider Jordan Szoke and his hard working Fast Company Crew focused on the task at hand as track temperatures reached over 50 degrees Celsius during the AMA Honda Supercycle weekend held at the Mid Ohio Sports Car Course. The last time Szoke competed here was in 2003 aboard his Corona Suzuki. Not only did Szoke need to get up to speed quickly, but he also needed to nail the set up for the new Dunlop spec tire required for competition in the AMA. “I like the idea of a spec tire in the series,” says Szoke “I’m used to that here in our series in Canada.” With one practice and two qualifying sessions, Szoke launched his CBR1000RR from the third row into the first corner comfortably mid pack during Saturday’s American Superbike Race #1 . Eric Bostrom and Szoke had a sensational battle around the 2.4 mile 15 turn road course until Szoke relented to tire issues just a few laps from the end, settling for 10th position. “We chose the wrong tire for this heat,” says Szoke “we’re going to take what we’ve learned from today and apply it to the race tomorrow.” The famed daily “Fan Walk” down hot pit lane during the noon hour on Sunday found Szoke readjusting the padding in his Shoei helmet, as he decided to shave his head “military style” in front of the Mid Ohio racing fans. “I badly needed a haircut in this heat, and wanted to show our support for the troops this weekend. Thank you to all the AMA officials that organized it, the National Guard for bringing the clippers, Marshall for navigating them, and the support from SPEED TV.” grins Szoke. “I admire the effort the men and women from the military put forth, and wanted to show our support for them because as Canadians, we’re all on the same side.” Sunday morning warm up proved encouraging as Szoke nailed down his fastest lap of the weekend propelling him to 7th fastest and a marginal 1.064 out of the spot on top. Starting for Race #2 Szoke was required to make up some ground on the rest of the field as he had to manage a lousy start. Eight laps into the 21 laps race Szoke suffered a fall at the bottom of the hill. “I was pushing extra hard to make up some ground, I really felt we had it for today.” says Szoke. “As soon as I got on the gas I pushed the front and lowsided.” Jordan remounted to bring his equipment back into the pits and was sidelined for the remainder of the race. “The weekend was so much fun for us as a whole, everyone associated with the AMA was so welcoming and friendly.” Says Derek Uttley from Fast Company. “We all work together, to put on an amazing show for the fans and our sponsors.” Waznie Racing would like to thank the entire Fast Company crew for laboring away in the sweltering humidity, and to Tom Elenasser from Ciclo Werks for his support and attendance. Szoke would also like to thank all the AMA officials for the support and assistance, Sabastian from Dunlop and Chris from K-Tech for their guidance throughout the weekend with set up. “I really feel that the Honda deserves to be on top.” says Szoke the 6 time Canadian Superbike Champion, “We’re going to take what we’ve learned here and bring that to VIR, I expect even better results. I love racing in the AMA, the field is talented and the competition is tough, just the way I like it.” Szoke is hoping to continue competing in AMA American Superbike during Round 8, taking place at Virginia International Raceway. Directions to Virginia International Raceway: ~http://www.virnow.com/location-map.html~ For Live Timing visit: ~http://amaproracing.com/rr/~ To watch on SPEED TV: ~http://www.speedtv.com/schedule/filter/program/948061~ Waznie Racing would like to thank: Waznie Racing Inc, Ciclo Werks , BMC Swiss Cycling Technology , Dewildt Honda, Fast Company, Joe Rocket, Monster Energy, Shoei, Pirelli, Akrapovic, Honda Pro Oils, Hot Bodies, Motovan, eatsleepride.com, TCX Boots, EBC Brakes, LighTech, Sunstar, DID, Oakley, Ogio, BK Designs, PUG, VP Fuels, Samco, Hinson, Stomp Grip, oppracing.com, Chickenhawk, Just Transmissions , Strodes, Bodyline Fitness, Robot Pirate Ninja Productions, u-vu.ca More, from a press release issued by Harley-Davidson: Eslick Wins AMA Vance & Hines XR1200 Series Race at Mid-Ohio Higbee Splits RMR/Rossmeyer Teammates for Second Milwaukee (July 20, 2010) RMR/Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing rider Danny Eslick took his second consecutive victory in the AMA Pro Racing Vance &Hines XR1200 Series at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course July 19, emerging victorious from a three-way battle between himself, RMR/Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing teammate Jake Holden, and HOG Racing’s Shawn Higbee. Higbee, starting from the third spot on the grid, passed second place Holden in turn one on the start, dropped back to third later in the opening lap, and chased Holden for several laps until taking over the second spot for good on lap 7. Higbee then briefly battled Eslick for the lead until settling comfortably into a second as Holden dropped back. Eslick held off Higbee at the end of the 17-lap race by a 1.726-second margin, with Holden a further 12.5 seconds back. For Eslick, who also competes in the AMA Daytona SportBike class, it was his second class win of the day. Travis Wyman held fourth place until lap 14, when he made a dramatic save in the gravel trap exiting the final corner onto the front straight, keeping his Harv’s Harley-Davidson XR1200 upright before skidding to a stop and along the outside wall. His subsequent retirement ceded fourth position to his brother, Kyle Wyman, riding for RMR/Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing. Eric Stump (Doc’s Harley-Davidson), John Ashmead (Brady-Schwemmer Racing), and Paul James (James Gang/Hoban Brothers/H-D of Appleton) rounded out the running order. “I had a lot of confidence from the win at Road America,” Eslick said. “We had a super close race with me and Jake at Road America, and I kind of expected the same thing in Ohio with Shawn in there too, because he was showing some good speed. But Jake had some set up issues [in the race] and Shawn had some set backs with a couple of crashes, so I was able to pull away a little bit and get a comfortable win.” “Racing the X1200 brought back some good memories,” said Higbee, a veteran of the 1990s-era AMA Harley-Davidson 883 Twin Sports series. “I was pleased that we were competitive right away. I think 2nd place was a decent showing for the limited time [we had] on the bike.” The Vance & Hines XR1200 series returns for the third of five rounds at VIRginia International Raceway August 14-15. Company Background Harley-Davidson Motor Company produces heavyweight custom, cruiser and touring motorcycles and offers a complete line of Harley-Davidson motorcycle parts, accessories, riding gear and apparel, and general merchandise. For more information, visit harley-davidson.com.