TRIPLE PODIUM JOY FOR TEAM STOBART 2007 Bennetts British Superbike Championship Round 12 Donington Park, Leicestershire Sunday 23rd September 2007 The penultimate round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship proved to be a successful one for the Stobart VK Vent Axia Motorsport Team when they recorded three podium finishes out of a possible four following a day of drama at Donington Park in Leicestershire today. Aboard the Dunlop shod Honda Fireblades, riders Tom Sykes and Shane Byrne secured the Paul Bird Team’s first ever British Superbike double podium in race one as 21 year old Sykes finished second ahead of 30 year old Byrne who was third and in race two Sykes made it a double celebration by finishing in second place once again. Sadly for Shakey, a technical problem on the warm up lap meant he had to call into the pits to collect his spare bike and from the resulting pit lane start he amazingly clawed himself to sixth position at the end of the 20 lap race, otherwise it could well have been more silverware for the Penrith based team. Tom Sykes: “I got a good start in both races but in the first race it was really hectic with a lot of desperate moves going on but once everyone was settled down we were away and I enjoyed it and I got my first second place of the year. In the second race I managed to get past Chris Walker to lead and I just kept my head down but Leon Haslam closed me down and passed me, so I just followed him and tried to put the pressure on and on the last lap I tried to make a move when he ran wide but he shut the door on me and that was that. All in all it’s been a fantastic weekend and I can’t thank the team enough and the Dunlop tyres have been really consistent, so I’m looking forward to Brands Hatch and see what happens there.” Shane Byrne: “In the first race I used a rear tyre that I’d not used before so I was quite steady at the start of the race but the tyre was great and towards the end I lined Tom up to put a move on him for second place but unfortunately a back marker was right on my apex and I had to settle for third. In the second race I had a technical problem with the bike and had to switch to the spare so the first lap was a bit hairy on cold tyres. I worked my way through the field and could see Jonathan Rea a long way in front of me and was dreaming of overtaking him on the last corner and I got closer and closer and put some good lap times in towards the end. It was a bit of a do or die manoeuvre but I got past him and ended up sixth. The boys have done a great job this weekend and I was a bit disappointed I couldn’t get two podiums but I did my best I enjoyed the racing.” Paul Bird: “It’s been a good weekend for us. In the second race there were circumstances out of our control or we could have been up for another double rostrum. The boys are riding well so roll on Brands Hatch where both of them will be challenging for the top step and perhaps we can end the season with a couple of wins.” The final round of the Championship takes place in three weeks time at Brands Hatch with Sykes looking for his first ever British Superbike victory and Byrne looking to add to the win at Snetterton earlier in the season. Race 1 Result: 1, Leon Haslam (Ducati) 30m37.871s, 2, Tom Sykes (Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport Honda) +1.416s, 3, Shane Byrne (Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport Honda) +1.626s, 4, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +9.214s, 5, Jonathan Rea (Honda) +12.034s, 6, Chris Walker (Suzuki) +15.515s, 7, Scott Smart (Kawasaki) +26.204s, 8, James Haydon (Kawasaki) +28.661s, 9, Michael Rutter (Kawasaki) +33.019s, 10, Steve Plater (Yamaha) +54.844s. Race 2 Result: 1, Leon Haslam (Ducati) 30m35.829s, 2, Tom Sykes (Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport Honda) +0.056s, 3, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +3.416s, 4, Chris Walker (Suzuki) +7.132s, 5, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +12.299s, 6, Shane Byrne (Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport Honda) +16.567s, 7, Jonathan Rea (Honda) +16.672s, 8, Michael Rutter (Kawasaki) +34.428s, 9, Steve Plater (Yamaha) +34.841s, 10, Karl Harris (Honda) +46.036s. Bennetts British Superbike Championship Positions after Round 12 1, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 404pts 2, Jonathan Rea (Honda) 367pts 3, Leon Haslam (Ducati) 363pts 4, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 318pts 5, Shane Byrne (Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport Honda) 283pts 6, Tom Sykes (Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport Honda) 270pts 7, Chris Walker (Suzuki) 206pts 8, Leon Camier (Honda) 199pts 9, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) 135pts 10, Cal Crutchlow (Suzuki) 125pts More, from a press release issued by Brendan Roberts Racing: Steady weekend for Roberts It was a steady weekend for Brendan Roberts on the Buildbase 1098 Ducati at Donington Park. In the double barrelled round, Roberts scored a sixth and fifth respectively in the two Metzeler Racetec National Superstock races. After the cancellation of Knockhill due to adverse weather conditions a double-header was scheduled at the Grand Prix circuit. A heavy downpour prior to the first qualifying session on Friday at Donington saw the young Australian sitting comfortably in second position behind Chris Burns, Saturday morning saw the weather clear and in the dry conditions Roberts placed the Buildbase Ducati on fifth place on the grid for the two races. A good start in the opening 12-lap race saw him hold his position into the first corner. As he approached Redgate corner on the second lap he hit the trail of oil dust, which was used earlier in the day after a racer’s engine blew. Unable to turn comfortably on the dust he was forced to run into the gravel losing a number of places and putting him back to 17th place. After knuckling down he hunted his way through the pack setting lap times similar to that of the front runners. Finding ways past he made his way through to sixth position but was unable to catch the leaders in the short race. The second race on Sunday was an extended race and was 16 laps, Roberts gained a poor start and was boxed into Redgate dropping a number of positions and was lying in tenth position by Hollywood, the second corner. Riding through the bunched pack he was able to regain his starting position, but the top four consisting of Kennaugh, Kirkham, Richards and his Buildbase team-mate John Laverty, had gained a healthy lead and he was forced to hold his position to the end. A slightly disappointed Roberts said “I’ve given it my all this weekend and can’t say I got the results that I was hoping for. Donington is one of my favourite circuits yet we seemed to have a couple of issues that we were struggling with. The Ducati was handling great out of the corners but I was losing out on top end speed, which prevented me being able to catch and run with the front runners. I’m now lying in tenth position in the overall Championship which isn’t bad after only four rounds. I’m racing in Italy next weekend for the Ducati Xerox Junior Team then Magny Cours and then back for another double headed race at Brands before I fly home to Oz on the 21st October.” Metzeler Racetec Superstock Results Race 1 Kennaugh Yamaha Kirkham Yamaha Brogan Honda Richards Yamaha Wilson Suzuki Roberts Buildbase Ducati Metzeler Racetec Superstock Results Race 2 Kennaugh Yamaha Kirkham Yamaha Richards Yamaha Laverty Buildbase Ducati Roberts Buildbase Ducati Brogan Honda More, from a press release issued by Bennett’s Press Office: The final countdown A thrilling penultimate round of the 2007 Bennetts British Superbike Championship has ensured that the series title chase will go down to the wire for the final event at Brands Hatch. Third-placed Leon Haslam secured his first double victory at his home circuit to close the gap between himself and series leader Kiyonari to 41 points. With 50 points still up for grabs on 14 October, the final two races will prove to be the decider for the second consecutive year. Kiyonari and HM Plant Honda team-mate Jonathan Rea both suffered misfortune in the two 20-lap races at the 2.5-mile Leicestershire circuit. The opening race saw Haslam pass Rea for the race lead on lap 12, but an aggressive manouevre by Rea to try to regain the lead forced him to run off the track almost taking Haslam out in the process. The Ulsterman rejoined, but it was the Airwaves Ducati rider who once again forced his way to the front of the pack. Kiyonari crashed out on lap 15, which had a serious impact on his overall points tally. Race two proved no more successful for the duo with Kiyonari highsiding and running off the track at Redgate on lap 13 before recovering composure. The Japanese rider rejoined in fourth position and tried to work his way through the field, but was forced to settle for third place behind Haslam and Sykes. Rea was slowly pushed back through the field and eventually finished in seventh place. However, the second victory was a harder fought one for Haslam, who made a mistake on the final corner of the final lap in race two. The local rider regained the lead with just seconds to spare. Other British riders proving their capabilities included Tom Sykes, Shane Byrne and Chris Walker. British Superbike Championship race results Race one: 1. Leon HASLAM (Airwaves Ducati) 30:37.871; Tom SYKES (Stobart Honda) +1.416; 3. Shane BYRNE (Stobart Honda) +1.626. Race two: 1. Leon HASLAM (Airwaves Ducati) 30:35.829; Tom SYKES (Stobart Honda) +0.056; 3. Ryuichi KIYONARI (HM Plant Honda) +3.416. British Superbike Championship standings after round 12 1. Ryuichi KIYONARI 404; 2. Jonathan REA 367; 3. Leon HASLAM 363; 4. Gregorio LAVILLA 318; 5. Shane BYRNE 283; 6. Tom SYKES 270; 7. Chris WALKER 206; 8. Leon CAMIER 199; 9. Tommy HILL 135; 10. Cal CRUTCHLOW 125. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office: Rizla Suzuki’s Chris ‘Stalker’ Walker put on a determined display of riding in today’s 12th round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Donington Park, finishing with superb fourth and sixth places results. Stalker, starting from second on the grid, got the holeshot and led both races from the off. In the first event he struggled with front grip and dropped back to sixth; in the second race he spent 20-laps competing for the podium and was in contention right until the chequered flag, eventually finishing fourth. Cal Crutchlow showed enormous promise during the practice sessions but his luck ran out in the races: In the opener he was less than a second from the lead and battling for his first podium when he found a false neutral and ran into Ryuichi Kiyonari with both falling off. In the second race he was comfortable in fifth when he was forced to retire. Ducati’s Leon Haslam won both races. Rizla Suzuki is back in race action at the 13th and final round of the 2008 Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch in Kent on Sunday, October 14th. Chris Walker: “It’s been a good day at the races and I am completely exhausted after trying my heart out. The second race was great and frustrating, I really wanted a podium here in front of my home fans but it wasn’t to be despite my Rizla Suzuki working exceptionally well and doing what I wanted the whole race. “I’ve one more chance to show what I can do at Brands Hatch in three weeks time and it is a favourite circuit of mine. I want to end the season on a high note and hope to see the Stalker fans there – it’s going to be entertaining.” Cal Crutchlow: “After feeling comfortable and able to run at the front all weekend, race day has been a bit of a disappointment. I am sure I could have got on the podium so crashing out while less than a second from the lead has gutted me a bit. The second race was equally disappointing when I was forced to retire from fifth. “It’s onwards and upwards for me though and I can’t wait to get to the final round and challenge at the front again. My Rizla Suzuki is right on the pace and I still want a podium more than anything to seal the season.” Simon Buckmaster – Team Manager: “Well done to Chris for such a spirited and impressive performance in race two. He really got the crowd behind him leading both races and I think his fourth place got the loudest cheer of the day. “Cal had a promising but ultimately difficult weekend. Rizla Suzuki and Cal will not be deflected though; the positives are strong and point to a maturing Superbike rider who is now a regular top five contender and just a whisker off gaining his first podium. “It’s been a successful weekend for Suzuki with Michael Laverty winning the British Supersport Championship – congratulations to the Relentless team; it deserves this and it proves just how good the Suzuki GSX-R600 really is.” Race One Results: 1: Leon Haslam (Ducati) 30:37.871 2: Tom Sykes (Honda) +1.416 3: Shane Byrne (Honda) +1.626 4: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +9.214 5: Jonathan Rea (Honda) +12.034 6: Chris Walker (Rizla Suzuki) +15.515 7: Scott Smart (Kawasaki) +26.204 8: James Haydon (Kawasaki) +28.661 9: Michael Rutter (Kawasaki) +33.019 10: Steve Plater (Yamaha) +54.844 DNF: Cal Crutchlow (Rizla Suzuki) Race Two Results: 1: Haslam 30:35.829 2: Sykes + 0.056 3: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +3.416 4: Chris Walker (Rizla Suzuki) +7.132 5: Lavilla +12.299 6: Byrne +16.567 7: Rea +16.672 8: Rutter +34.428 9: Plater +34.841 10: Karl Harris (Honda) +46.036 DNF: Cal Crutchlow (Rizla Suzuki) Championship Positions (after 12 of 13 rounds) 1: Kiyonari 404 2: Rea 367 3: Haslam 363 4: Lavilla 318 5: Byrne 283 6: Sykes 270 7: Chris Walker (Rizla Suzuki) 206 8: Leon Camier (Honda) 199 9: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) 135 10: Cal Crutchlow (Rizla Suzuki) 125 More, from a press release issued by Steve Plater’s publicist: STEVE PLATER POSTS STRONG RESULTS AT DONINGTON PARK Steve Plater rode to another two strong top ten finishes at Donington Park in the penultimate rounds of the 2007 Bennetts British Superbike championship on Sunday, powering the AIM Yamaha R1 through to 10th in race one followed by a ninth in race two which move him up the points table to 16th. Qualifying saw the Woodhall Spa star pull a quick lap out of the bag to post 16th quickest time and secure a fourth row grid position for the start of Sunday’s two 20-lap affairs and he said: “We have improved quite a way today and are reasonably happy with the way things have gone in qualifying. But we are struggling for grip in a big way and I defy anyone to go faster on this bike at the moment. My times on a race tyre are around 1m 33s which is a fairly decent time but I couldn’t go any faster on a qualifier because basically we had no grip. We are actually starting from row four which is not as bad as we have been earlier in the year but as usual, we need a good start. My race pace is ok so we shouldn’t be a million miles away from a couple of top tens.” True to form Plater got a scintillating start to the first race to move straight through to 13th position, gradually making up ground to finish in 10th place to claim a further six championship points. “I am surprised I didn’t get a jump start as I got away mega quick,” laughed Plater. “I just got my head down and clung on to the three riders ahead for a long time. But then I made a few mistakes and lost the tow a little bit. But I am happy with the way things went and we will make a few adjustments to see if we can run a bit faster in the second race.” Again Plater made a good start to his race, this time moving straight into 11th place. He briefly held ninth position before entering into a race long battle with Michael Rutter who eventually got the better of him leaving Plater to complete his weekend with a fine ninth place finish. “I was fighting with Rutter throughout the second half of the race. I passed Tommy Hill, Scott Smart and Karl Harris and then got ahead of Rutter but he came back at me and had that little bit more grip than me towards the end. I made a mistake on the last lap when I tried to get by and had to settle for ninth place. “But we are happy enough with the improvements and have gone forward all weekend so are going in the right direction for Brands Hatch so the whole team is happy.” The final round two races on the British Superbike calendar take place at Brands Hatch on October 14 when Plater will be hoping to end his campaign on a high with two strong finishes. More, from a press release issued by AIM Yamaha: AIM YAMAHA NET FULL HOUSE OF POINTS FINISHES AT DONINGTON PARK Both AIM Yamaha riders brought points to the team at Donington Park on Sunday, Steve Plater finished ninth and 10th in the penultimate round of the 2007 Bennetts British Superbike championship and Steven Neate was 14th in the Maxxis British Supersport race. Steve Plater rode to another two strong top ten finishes powering the AIM Yamaha R1 through to 10th in race one followed by a ninth in race two which move him up the points table to 16th. Qualifying saw the Woodhall Spa star pull a quick lap out of the bag to post 16th quickest time and secure a fourth row grid position for the start of Sunday’s two 20-lap affairs. True to form Plater got a scintillating start to the first race to move straight through to 13th position, gradually making up ground to finish in 10th place to claim a further six championship points. As the lights went out at the start of the second race Plater again made a good start, this time moving straight into 11th place. He briefly held ninth before entering into a race long battle with Michael Rutter who eventually got the better of him leaving Plater to complete his weekend with a fine ninth place finish. STEVE PLATER I was fighting with Rutter throughout the second half of the race. I passed Tommy Hill, Scott Smart and Karl Harris and then got ahead of Rutter but he came back at me and had that little bit more grip than me towards the end. I made a mistake on the last lap when I tried to get by and had to settle for ninth place. But we are happy enough with the improvements and have gone forward all weekend so are going in the right direction for Brands Hatch so the whole team is happy. Steve Neate posted a quick time in qualifying to make a start from row three of the grid in 12th position but he got away to a bad start in the scheduled 18-lap British Supersport race and dropped down the order to 18th position. He was preparing for a fight back when the red flag brought the race to a standstill while an oil spillage from another competitor at Craner Curves was cleared up. The re-started race was to be run over eight short laps and it was imperative to get a good start. But again Steven was a little slow off the line and dropped back to 20th on the opening lap. But he got his head down and made his way through to 14th place on the final lap to bag two championship points for the team. STEVEN NEATE It was a bit of a tricky race for me as I made a bad start. Then I got stuck behind a group and was also struggling with a bit of front-end chatter. But then the red flag came out for the oil spillage and we were able to make a few adjustments, which cured the vibration. But we had to sacrifice a bit of in line braking through the Esses and Melbourne, which lost us a bit of time. I was able to collect a couple of championship points from the weekend for 14th place but in hindsight I would have liked to have done better. But its only three weeks to Brands and I am sure we will improve there. ALISTAIR FLANAGAN The problem with the Superbike was with the tyres and we had to go and beg for a tyre for race day. After that things went a lot better so it’s a shame we didn’t get the tyre on Friday. Steve did well, he got into the top ten once again and equalled his best finish of the season so we feel we are finally getting somewhere with the bike. As for Steven Neate, he has again tried his best to give us a good result. He just needs to get off the line at the start a bit quicker. He was pretty upset about that and I think he will have learned from this for Brands. But on saying that he too brought the bike home in the points so things are looking positive for the final round at Brands Hatch next month. The season finale is at Brands Hatch on October 14 where both AIM Yamaha riders will be looking for good points-finishes to end their campaign on a high note, both for themselves and the team. More, from a press release issued by Speedfreaks Racing Yamaha: Dismal Donington double for Johnson. Race day Sunday 23rd September, Donington Park, UK. Gary Johnson on the Speedfreaks Racing Yamaha had a weekend to forget at Donington Park for rounds ten and eleven of the Metzeler National Superstock Championship. He finished race one in 23rd and race two in 16th. The first qualifying session was wet which levelled the playing field and Johnson came home in tenth place. However, the weather cleared up for second qualifying and unfortunately Johnson dropped down the order to 24th position due to his machine lacking in power at the high speed track. Ahead of race one a brake issue soon reared its ugly head. “As I went round on the warm-up lap and pulled at the brakes I realised the discs were warped. I didn’t think it would affect me too badly so I thought I would just get my head round it and accept they were bent and make the best of it,” he explained. Johnson made one of his customary strong starts and was soon running in 16th, “I got a mega start and thought I would just follow the leaders round for the first lap. Came to brake into Hizzy’s chicane but when I slammed my brakes on I thought ‘Oh my God I’m going to run into the back of them’ so I ended up running down the white line and carried on.” He had to concede a number of places at this point but it went from bad to worse, “I went into the next corner and over shot a bit, had the same problem into Goddards and thought ‘this isn’t a good sign.’ Lap after lap I managed to stay with the lads that kept overtaking me then again coming into the chicane I over shot it. I must have over shot at least three times so I ended up braking really early for the chicane and ended up passing a few riders on the brakes each time.” Race two was a different affair and produced a better result, “It took me a while to get settled into the race. I was struggling in a few places as I’m not too familiar with Donington. I got duffed up a bit mid race but actually that acted as a wake up call and made me realise I needed to get a move on,” he explained. “Towards the end of the race I made up a lot of ground to finish 16th and posted my best lap times in the final few laps. Donington Park isn’t the easiest of tracks for me and in hindsight I should have pushed a bit harder from the start to get in the points,” he concluded. The final rounds of the Metzeler National Superstock Championship take place at Brands Hatch on the Indy circuit on the 12th-14th October. More, from a press release issued by Samsung Suzuki Superbike: Luckless Samsung at Donington Park. Race day Sunday 23rd September, Donington Park, UK. The Samsung Suzuki Superbike team had an extremely unlucky weekend at Donington Park for round twelve of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship. Three engine blow ups during the weekend left the team with one bike for race day, which also blew an engine once the racing began! Team manager Enzo Diclementi said, “I can’t believe the bad luck we have had this weekend. It is so unusual for something like this to happen. We don’t usually suffer engine failures so to have this many in one weekend is just incredible.” Earlier in the weekend both Sean Emmett and Dean Thomas were running well up the order during Friday’s free practice for the Superbike class. It all started to go astray on Saturday when Emmett blew an engine in free practice and another in qualifying. The NB Racing team were good enough to lend Samsung one of their engines which lasted all of four laps before it went too. This left the two riders with one bike on which to qualify giving them just 15mins each to try and get a time in. With three engines out of action the team had one bike on which to race. The decision was made to allow Thomas to take the bike out in race one however that was short lived as the final engine gave up on lap six forcing Thomas to retire. Both riders had to sit out race two. Commenting on their odd weekend Thomas said, “It is so unusual it doesn’t make any sense. The guys have looked at it and been through all the data and tried to work out what is wrong but for some reason all we can think of is an oil starvation. Must be to do with it being on its side for a long periods of time, we did have a problem with one other race track where we knew we had to run a little bit more oil but we weren’t told to do so here so that might be the case. The engines are being sent off to be rebuilt to get them up and running and ready for Brands.” The final round of the Championship takes place on the 12th 14th at Brands Hatch on the Indy circuit where the Samsung team are hoping for better luck and some good results to finish the season off on a high. More, from a press release issued by Riders Racing Ducati: Struggle for Jessopp Martin Jessopp and the Riders Racing Ducati team salvaged 13th place this weekend at Donington Park in the Maxxis British Supersport Championship. After struggling throughout the weekend to find a good rhythm Jessopp forced his way into the points after qualifying in a low 18th position. Jessopp was unable to break into the top twenty positions throughout most of the weekend and he struggled to get the Ducati 749 set up to how he likes it. After his strong result of fifth at Cadwell Park last month he was eager to gain another good result at Donington but it was not meant to be. During the first part of the race Jessopp managed to work his way through to 15th position and was one of the unfortunate riders to crash out on the oil, which was dropped by John Rob’s bike down Craner Curves. After a red flag situation Jessopp was able to get back to the pits and re-start in the second 8-lap race. A poor start saw the 21-year-old from Yeovil drop down the field and he was left fighting for a point scoring position. Commenting he said “I’m not sure what went wrong this weekend. I just couldn’t get myself into the groove and struggled to get myself to push forward. I can’t put my finger on it, I’m disappointed as I know the team worked really hard all weekend and the bike was running well. Hopefully I will be able to get myself sorted out for the final round at Brands Hatch in a couple of weeks time.” The final round of the Championship is at Brands Hatch on the 12th 14th October. More, from a press release issued by Hawk Colchester Kawasaki: Haydon and Smart Battle hard As Camier does the Double Hawk Colchester Kawasaki riders Scott Smart and James Haydon equalled their best results for the team so far this year in race one at Donington Park, scoring a seventh and eighth place respectively in race one. The pairing both were running comfortably in the top fifteen throughout the weekend with Smart qualifying in 12th place and Haydon just behind him in 13th. Both gained a good start and already gained positions by the end of the first lap. They were locked in a Kawasaki battle with Michael Rutter, with the Hawk riders eventually getting the better of the previous TT winner to bring the Hawk bikes home as the top Kawasaki runners. The second race saw Smart leap through the field to eighth place after lap one and was hunting down the leading pack and was looking strong. However, on lap five he was forced to retire after a technical fault. Commenting he said “I felt pretty good all weekend, each time we keep making progress with the bikes. I was happy with the first race and I was able to set some good times throughout the race and the bike felt good. I knew in the second race there was a problem from the off, I didn’t want to risk any major damage to myself or the bike so I parked her up on lap five. I’m hoping we’ll be able to finish the year on a high note at Brands in a couple of weeks time.” Haydon said “Things were running well in race one I felt confident and happy with the bike set up that we’d found. I had a nightmare with a dodgy tyre in qualifying, which lost me some time, we weren’t sure what the problem was until afterwards. I got two good starts in the race and was hoping for a top ten result in both. I was pleased with the first race results but I had a coming together with Hutchy at the Melbourne loop in the second race and that was the end of my day. I was disappointed for it to end like that but hopefully we’ll be back up there at Brands.” Rookie Alex Camier took a stunning double win in the Metzeler Superstock Cup races on his debut appearance on the Kawasaki ZX10 Superstock machine. Camier who has ridden in the Superbike class and Supersport class for the Hawk Colchester Team took his first ride out on the bike on Friday’s first practice session. Looking comfortable all weekend Camier took the teams’ first pole position since 2004. A delighted Camier said “The team decided to place me on the Superstock bike this weekend instead of the Supersport bike to replace the injured David Hallett. I’d not even sat on the bike until Thursday where we had to adjust it to suit me as I’m smaller than Dave. It felt pretty good from the word go and I was looking forward to trying to get the team some decent results. I was top of the sheets in both qualifying sessions and therefore gained pole position. I got a good start in the first race and led for the whole race but knew I couldn’t afford to make a mistake as the chasing pack were right behind me. I got a little boxed in at Redgate in the second race and was pushed back to third, by the second lap I’d found my way through and once I’d found a good rhythm I just settled down and got my head down. It’s good to be on the podium and thanks to all the team for working so hard all weekend.” The Hawk Colchester Kawasaki Team will be racing at Stars of Darley this Sunday 30th September before heading to the final British Superbike round at Brands Hatch on the 12th 14th October. More, from a press release issued by Jentin Racing: JENTIN RACING/LLOYDS BRITISH DONINGTON PARK REPORT Team Jentin Racing/Lloyds British came away from Donington Park with a couple of points from the second of the two Bennetts British Superbike races on Sunday. Jon Kirkham who was deputising for the injured Simon Andrews soon got to grips with the R1 Yamaha and quickly began posting some respectable times in the three free practise sessions prior to qualifying where he ended the session in 17th place for a fifth row grid position. But the first race didn’t go well for the Derby rider who didn’t get a particularly good start and although he made ground from 22nd place on the first lap to 19th on lap eight, he pulled into the pits to retire at the half way stage of the race. Race two saw Kirkham determined to do well in his second outing for the team and he got away to a strong start moving through to hold 16th place in the early laps. He battled for position with leading privateer Tristan Palmer finally forging ahead with four laps remaining to complete the 20-lap affair in 14th position to claim two championship points. BERNIE TOLEMAN JENTIN RACING TEAM PRINCIPAL As far as we can tell, there was nothing really wrong with the bike in the first race. It was a big ask for Jon to ride competitively in his own two Superstock races and also ride the Superbike for us. But we realised this and it was unfortunate that the way the timetable worked out, the Superstock race being run immediately after the first Superbike race. Jon struggled a bit on the Superbike and eventually pulled in. He wasn’t really complaining about anything in particular and we couldn’t find anything wrong with the bike. But after doing really well in his Superstock race he seemed in a more positive frame of mind for the second race, which we started from row five. That was a little disappointing for us as we had only just missed out on a fourth row start by a fraction of a second but bearing in mind that Jon hasn’t ridden a Superbike at all this season he managed really well. He ran around 15th 16th for the whole of the race and finished 14th. Simon Andrews will be back in the saddle for Jentin Racing/Lloyds British at Brands Hatch but prior to that the team intend to test at Silverstone with Simon who is looking forward to making his return in the season finale at Brands Hatch on October 14. More, from a press release issued by Tom Tunstall Racing: Tunstall Takes Pole and Podiums at Donington Superbike Rookie Tom Tunstall had his strongest weekend of the year so far at the penultimate British Superbike Round of the year at Donington Park. Taking pole position and yet another double podium in the British Superbike Cup. The Hardinge Ice Valley backed rider was in top form throughout the weekend at the 2.5mile Leicestershire circuit and ended the practice and qualifying sessions on top taking his maiden pole position in the Superbike Cup class “I’ve got a really good feeling with the bike and obviously that’s shown with pole position”¦ I want to keep the momentum going now and convert that into a win”. As the 32 Superbike riders launched of the line for the first of the two 20 lap races Tunstall was in the thick of the action. After disposing of established Superbike riders such as John Kirkham and Dean Thomas in the opening laps, the Honda mounted rider was running in second place, which he held to the flag, taking his sixth podium in a row. “I knew I had to be with the leader from the start if I was to be fighting for the win and I lost too much time passing riders, but we’ve got another race to have a go….” In the second of the days outings Tunstall latched straight onto the back wheel of race one winner Tristan Palmer. Holding close to the current championship leader Tunstall looked good to claim his maiden Superbike win, matching Palmers times lap for lap. However just short of half distance Aussie Dave Johnson passed the Yorkshireman. Tunstall struggled to regain his position allowing Palmer time to pull away. After bringing his Hardinge Ice Valley machine back in second place Tunstall explained: “It was just a shame I got caught up with Johnson. When I was sat behind Palmer it felt easy and I was really up for fighting for the win. But it’s just fired me up for the last round even more. We’ve had our strongest weekend of the year with the pole and two solid second places, so I’m happy and looking forward to Brands [Hatch]” The third podium double in a row now takes Tom up to third in the championship with the final round of this year’s series taking place at Brands Hatch in Kent over the weekend of October 12th-14th. More, from a press release issued by Bridewell Brothers Racing: TOMMY ROCKS ON AT DONINGTON…! 19 year old Wiltshire rider Tommy Bridewell returned to the Bennetts British Superbike Championship in style by recording a pair of top twenty finishes at the penultimate round of the series at Donington Park today. Aboard the 1000cc Team NB Suzuki, the Etchilhampton near Devizes rider took his time to get up to speed on Friday following a couple of months out of action but was well on the pace during Saturday’s final free practice session when a 130mph crash at the infamous Craner Curves curtailed his session despite him walking away uninjured. Saturday afternoon’s qualifying session saw him placed on row seven of the grid for both of today’s races and following a good start, he battled to a brilliant 18th place in the opening 20 lap encounter before following that up with a 19th place in race two, much to the delight of the tens of thousands of fans at the Leicestershire circuit. Whilst the results may not have emulated the top ten placings at both Silverstone and Snetterton earlier in the season, Bridewell and the Team NB staff were reasonably happy with their weekend’s work. “It’s been a difficult weekend at times for everyone but we needed to get back to doing what we do and that’s to go racing. Having not raced a bike properly since June, I felt very rusty for the first couple of days and the big crash didn’t help during practice but race one saw me get back into the groove but then in race two, I really started to enjoy it once everything started flowing again. I’d like to thank the team and all the fans for their support this weekend, it has meant a lot to me and my family and perhaps we can get back to scoring points at Brands Hatch” said Tommy. The final round of the championship takes place at Brands Hatch in Kent over the weekend of October 12/14th and in addition to racing the Team NB Suzuki, Tommy plans on doing a couple of ‘demonstration’ laps in the special’ Yamaha R1-engined Mini which was a project he started with brother Ollie and which he and a number of friends have completed since Ollie’s accident at Mallory Park