Stefan Nebel celebrates podium place at KTM’s home race on the Salzburgring! KTM Team Germany’s RC8R rider Stefan Nebel celebrated the team’s first appearance in the IDM Superbike competition on the traditional racing circuit of Salzburg by racing to a podium position in what was essentially KTM’s home race. Nebel raced to a solid fifth place in the first race then followed up with a very good result and third place in the second race to receive an ecstatic reception for more than 700 fans on a specially arranged KTM grandstand at the Salzburgring. Nebel’s team mate Didier van Keymeulen at first fought his way from a twentieth starting position to place 11 but then exited the competition when he crashed with another rider in the chicane. The great weekend for Nebel, the three times, IDM Superbike champion, already started in training. With his third place on the famous-infamous high speed circuit that is only a half an hour away from the KTM headquarters in Mattighofen, Nebel had already secured his place in the coveted first row. In contrast, team-mate Didier van Keymeulen was luckless. After a technical problem in the first timed training and a wet second session, the 26-year old rider from Belgium was forced to tackle the two 18-lap races from start position 20. Race One Very typically for the Salzburgring, the first race developed into a classic battle for the slipstream. The group of five leading riders changed position every lap. Following his good start, Nebel powered his two-cylinder Superbike into second place on the 4.2 km circuit but finally had to be content with fifth place with a three second gap to winner Werner Daemen. By comparison, team-mate van Keymeulen could make up significantly more places. With his constantly fast lap times and a good start, the Belgian Superbiker managed to finish in eleventh place and pick up five more championship points. Race Two The 18,500 spectators experienced a real Superbike thriller at the fifth round of the 2009 IDM. Early in the competition, Nebel underscored his ambition to crown the KTM Superbike premiere on the home circuit with a podium place. He took the lead a number of times during the entire distance, constantly attacking the six- and later the four leading riders. In the last round the German rider charged down the final straight into third place only centimetres away from Andreas Meklau (Austria) and Gabor Rizmayer (Hungary) as he flashed past the crowded KTM grandstand. Stefan then raised his clenched fist in triumph and sudden relief after the 300 km/h thriller. Didier van Keymeulen had less to celebrate. Despite his catapult start – the Belgian charged past 10 other competitors in the sprint to the first corner – DVK was forced to also leave the Salzburgring without a success experience. Van Keymeulen, who is still riding with pain from his bandaged right hand was involved in a collision in the first chicane and catapulted over the back of another motorcycle. Fortunately the Superbiker who has now slipped to ninth place in the championship did not incur any other injuries. Winner of the second race was again the Belgian Werner Daemen. Stefan Nebel (5./3.) “I am without question very satisfied. We showed that we can also fight with the best on the Salzburgring. My bike also showed a clear advantage both in and out of the chicane and on the brakes. In principle everything is possible in such a slipstream battle. There’s only a small margin between winning or finishing a complete flop. In race two I attacked throughout and I fought for a trophy right to the last centimetre – and that’s what we won.” Didier van Keymeulen (11./DNF) “The best thing about this weekend is the podium place for the team. Race one was not bad, my motorcycle was very fast on the long straights but I lost contact with the front riders after a collision right in front of me at the beginning of the race and I wasn’t able to close the gap. My start in race two was very good but after a typical crash for this kind of circuit there were no more chances for me. Now it’s my goal to be 100 percent fit in the next weeks so I can fight for a podium in the next race in Schleiz.” Konrad Hefele – Team Boss of the KTM Superbike Team Germany “The races at the Salzburgring were something really special for us in every way. In principle the circuit is very special and we didn’t carry out a single meter of testing here. What makes me even more pleased is that we could show that our team is competitive on the fastest circuit of the IDM calendar. I am doubly pleased that Stefan in the end gave the huge number of KTM fans, customers and employees that support us a podium place. That makes me twice as happy!” Results Race One 1. Werner Damien, Belgium, BMW, 24:19.365 2. Andreas Meklau, Austria, Suzuki, 24:21.708 3. Arne Tode, Germany, Honda, 24:22.164 4. Joerg Teuchert, Germany, Yamaha, 24:22.212 5. Stefan Nebel, Germany, KTM, 24:22.482 Other KTM 11. Didier van Keymeulen, Belgium, KTM, 24:47.192 Race Two Werner Damien, Belgium, BMW, 24:23.190 2. Andreas Meklau, Austria, Suzuki, 24:24.402 3. Stefan Nebel, Germany, KTM, 24:24.882 4. Gabor Rizmayer, Hungary, Suzuki, 24:24.994 5. Joerg Teuchert, Germany, Yamaha, 24:27.728 Other KTM DNF Didier van Keymeulen, Belgium, KTM Standings 1. Joerg Teuschart, Germany, 196 2. Werner Damien, Belgium, 128 3. Stefan Nebel, Germany, 127 4. Arne Tode, Germany, 124 Other KTM 9. Didier van Keymeulen, Belgium, 59 More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki News Service: Relentless Suzuki’s Alastair Seeley’s remarkable run of race wins continued today at Knockhill in the British National 1000cc Superstock class on his 2009 GSX-R1000 as he took seven wins from seven starts. The Carrickfergus rider picked himself up after a high-speed qualifying crash on Saturday to increase his championship lead to 48 points. In the British Superbike races, Ian Lowry had a day of mixed fortunes, taking sixth place in race one after a race-long battle with Simon Andrews and James Ellison, but a technical problem forced the 22-year-old to retire in race two after completing only 7 laps. Atsu Watanabe improved on his 2008 results at Knockhill taking 14th and 15th in the two BSB races. Alastair Seeley: “We set a plan today to get to the front early and lead throughout. Brogan set a blistering pace in the opening laps of race two but I hung in there, and when he tired in the closing stages I got to the front and pulled the pin. The 2009 GSX-R1000 had more steam up through the start and finish, so I just put my head down and got on with it. It’s pleasing to win at Knockhill and more pleasing to get another couple of wins for Suzuki, Relentless and all our sponsors.” Ian Lowry: “I’m a bit disappointed as I got robbed in race one right at the end for fourth place; then in race two we had to retire with a mechanical problem. We had made some radical chassis changes for race two, which I was looking forward to trying-out over a full race distance on my GSX-R1000 Superbike. The boys did a great job with the bike after working late into the night to get it ready for me – so a big thanks to everyone. It’s now time to knuckle down and finish the season with some strong results.” Philip Neill – Team Principal: “We are running out of superlatives for Alastair Seeley. He showed a lot of character this weekend after that big crash on Saturday. He carried a slight injury into the races but didn’t complain or make any excuses, which is a rare trait these days with riders. There’s been a lot of talk about putting Alastair on a Superbike but we aren’t getting carried away. He has a job to do in the Superstock class and at the minute it’s going to plan on the 2009 GSX-R1000. “Ian had another confident display on the Superbike, again after a big accident in qualifying when another bike took him out. The boys spent all night rebuilding the bike for Ian, so it was good to see him rewarding the team with his fighting spirit. He’s now confident enough to start experimenting with different types of set-up, and that’s what we aim to test in the coming weeks. “Atsu is continuing to build his confidence on the British tracks and bettered his times at Knockhill. BJ Toal was a bit unfortunate having to ride this weekend with a shoulder injury.” Footnote: Alastair Seeley’s 2009 GSX-R1000 was inspected after the second Superstock event by race officials. As expected, the Relentless Suzuki met all the legal requirements for the National Superstock 1000cc class. More, from a press release issued by Team Naturally Best: DOUBLE TOP FOR BRIDEWELL AT KNOCKHILL…! Following on from a victorious return to the ViSK.com British Superbike Championship at Snetterton a couple of weeks ago, Wiltshire rider Tommy Bridewell went one better with a superb double victory at a sun-kissed Knockhill in Scotland today. Aboard the Team NB Suzuki GSX-R1000K6, the 20-year-old from Etchilhampton near Devizes took the win in the Mirror.co.uk Cup class in the opening race at the Fife circuit after a race long battle with series leader Gary Mason as well as a number of works riders as he posted a sensational ninth place overall on his first visit to the track in three seasons. But it was in the day’s second thirty-lap outing that Bridewell rode one of the best races of his career to record his best result aboard a Superbike in BSB. Struggling with the leg he broke last year because of the physical demands of the 1.1-mile hillside circuit, Bridewell gradually climbed the leaderboard from just outside the points to close in on the pack that was pursuing the leading trio. Despite a rear tyre which had spun on the rim, thus affecting the handling, Tommy hunted down Mason with just over a lap to go and became the first person to beat the Quay Garage Honda ace, who leads the Mirror.co.uk Cup, in a straight race this season. Fittingly, Bridewell finished inside the top ten once more to claim another ninth place finish and importantly, he was the first Suzuki home, meaning he climbed to fifth position in the Cup points and is now inside the top twenty of the main BSB standings after contesting just two rounds of the six run so far. A delighted Tommy said afterwards: “We only decided to do Knockhill on the back of our Snetterton results and I’m pleased we did as it has been another great meeting. My bike was good today and to be dicing with the likes of works Suzuki riders Michael Rutter and Atsu Watanabe speaks volumes for the job my team has done on the bike. My leg was hurting in race two but all I could hear was old Ginger on the back telling me to push harder and that’s exactly what I did. To finish inside the top ten and to win both Cup races is awesome and just goes to show what you can do with a great desire on a budget. One or two of these top teams may be needing a rider after this weekend and I’m most certainly available so perhaps the phone will ring and you never know.” Team Manager Marcus Bridewell commented: “We always knew he could do it and we never lost our faith in him, despite him having a rough year and a half on the continent. He’s a great little rider and he’s making a number of people sit up and take notice and he wanted those results so bad, it was unbelievable. They checked the bike afterwards and everything was totally legal as there’s no way we’d cheat, we never have done and never will do. To win the Cup races is great but we’re more interested in taking on the factory boys as that’s where Tommy belongs.” Results: Race 1 (33 laps) 1, Leon Camier (Yamaha) 2, Stuart Easton (Honda) 3, Josh Brookes (Honda) 4, Simon Andrews (Kawasaki) 5, James Ellison (Yamaha) 6, Ian Lowry (Suzuki) 7, Chris Walker (Yamaha) 8, Graeme Gowland (Yamaha) 9, Tommy Bridewell (Team NB Suzuki) 10, Jason O’Halloran (Honda) Race 2 (30 laps) 1, Leon Camier (Yamaha) 2, Josh Brookes (Honda) 3, James Ellison (Yamaha) 4, Stuart Easton (Honda) 5, Chris Walker (Yamaha) 6, Simon Andrews (Kawasaki) 7, Graeme Gowland (Yamaha) 8, Julien Da Costa (Kawasaki) 9, Tommy Bridewell (Team NB Suzuki) 10, Gary Mason (Honda) Mirror.co.uk Cup Championship Positions (after round 12) 1, Gary Mason (Honda) 245pts 2, Peter Hickman (Yamaha) 205pts 3, Martin Jessopp (Honda) 145pts 4, Tom Tunstall (Honda) 137pts 5, Tommy Bridewell (Team NB Suzuki) 88pts 6, Alastair Fagan (Honda) 74pts More, from a press release issued by Ryan Farquhar’s publicist: Strong day at Skerries for Farquhar Ryan Farquhar ensured his excellent 2009 season continued on Saturday when he took a win and three seconds at the Skerries 100 road races. Held on the outskirts of Dublin, Farquhar took victory in the Supertwins race and took close seconds in the Open, Supersport 600cc and Grand Final events whilst he also claimed a new outright lap record at 109.521mph. First up for Ryan was the Open race and it was another battle royale with Keith Amor. Ryan led in the early stages before Amor took over on the third lap and the pair were still together when the red flag came out on the sixth but with the race result taken at the end of four laps, Ryan had to settle for second, just over half a second behind Amor. The Supersport 600cc race followed and a rain shower made conditions extremely tricky whilst a red flag after 3 laps meant it would be a two-part race. Ryan led the second part from start to finish but Michael Dunlop, leader on the first 3 laps, sat on Ryan’s back wheel and he got the verdict at the end of 6 laps, Ryan again taking second, this time only 0.281s adrift. The Supertwins race was another close affair but this time Ryan emerged the victor and he then went into the Grand Final hopeful of a second win. It was another titanic battle between Ryan and Amor with the duo smashing the lap record repeatedly although Amor was again able to hold on for the win, his margin of victory at the end of 9 titanic laps just 0.421s. Ryan did have the considerable consolation of claiming the outright lap record though with a new all-time high of 109.521mph. Talking afterwards, Ryan said: “It’s been a good day today but we just didn’t quite have the speed to get the better of Keith. He’s riding fantastically well and has very good Superbike so hats off to him and whilst I was able to get alongside him on a couple of occasions, I just couldn’t make a pass. We’ve got the Superstock bike working brilliantly but I was losing 3 to 4 lengths on Keith’s Superbike along the straights which meant I was having to make it all up on the brakes and that made it hard.” “I had a great dice with Michael Dunlop in the 600cc race but in the second part he knew what he had to do and sat behind me, getting the verdict on corrected time. For the Grand Final, I put in a new rear tyre and gave it 110% but, like I say, Keith’s riding really well and he came out on top today although I did have the consolation of the new, outright lap record. I’ve taken a win and three seconds and am well pleased with how I’m riding so we’ll head to the next race to see what we can do.” Ryan’s next outing will be at the Walderstown road races this next weekend, the races taking place on July 11th/12th. More, from a press release issued by Keith Amor’s publicist: Double victory for Amor at Skerries Keith Amor’s winning streak continued on Saturday when he took two victories at the demanding Skerries 100 road races. The Wilson Craig Honda rider crossed the line first in both the Open and Grand Final races on his Superbike machine and backed this up with a solid third in the Supersport 600cc race. After lapping comfortably inside the lap record during dry qualifying, Keith was feeling strong heading in to the races but a rain shower saw him settle for third in the damp Supersport 600cc race, his opening ride of the day. The circuit had dried up in time for the Open race though and Keith led from the off and was still leading on the sixth lap when the red flag came out due to an incident. The result was subsequently taken at the end of the fourth lap so Keith got the verdict by 0.615s from Ryan Farquhar. That just left the Grand Final where Keith again led from the start and despite coming under extreme pressure from Farquhar he held on throughout and got the verdict at the end of the 9 laps by 0.421s. The duo also broke the outright lap record. Speaking later, Keith said: “It’s been a good day for me here at the Skerries and we got the small handling issues with the Superbike sorted out, which allowed me to push that little bit harder. I felt really comfortable on the big bike and it’s nice to get back to winning ways in the Superbike class. I felt really strong in the 600cc class too, where we had the 2009 bike at our disposal once more, but when the rain came down I got a couple of slides so backed off a little bit as the conditions weren’t really for me.” “It’s a shame the weather spoilt that race but, overall, it’s been a really enjoyable day’s racing. I’m really looking forward to Walderstown now and although I’ve never been there before, I’ll be looking to give a good account of myself whilst it will also be the perfect build-up for the Kells meeting the following weekend.” Keith will now make his debut at the Walderstown road races, again in Southern Ireland, with the meeting taking place this next weekend, July 11-12. More, from a press release issued by SMT Honda: Points all round for SMT Honda SMT Honda riders Jason O’Halloran and Adam Jenkinson scored points in all four of their races at Knockhill on Sunday where they were competing in the lastest rounds of the British Superbike and Superstock Championships. However, the team find themselves very much at the crossroads in the 2009 season with a lack of funds meaning they may not be on the grid for the second half of the year. Riding at the short 1.3-mile circuit for the first time, Australian ace O’Halloran found the going tough in qualifying and, with the bike developing a fault, he found himself down in 20th on the grid. However, he again showed his racer’s instinct with two excellent rides in the two races. In the first 30-lap affair he fought his way through the pack for a superb 10th place, no mean feat given how difficult it is to pass around the Knockhill venue, and he backed this up with 12th in the second race. Those 10 hard-earned points also saw him move back up a place to 13th overall in the Championship. With two rounds being held for the Superstock Championship, Jenkinson was hoping to build upon his recent top six results but he struggled all weekend with the gearing on his Honda Fireblade. He fought hard in both races though and managed to claim 12th and 13th for seven more championship points and now lies in 7th place in the Championship table. Speaking later, team owner Robin Croft said: “I’m delighted with our race results in the Superbike class given our qualifying position and we’ve got to be happy going from 20th to 10th and 20th to 12th in the two races. Jason struggled to find a good set-up with the suspension whilst he’d never even seen the circuit before Friday so there was a lot to contend with. The bike then developed a misfire in qualifying so we were pretty disappointed on Saturday night but we got stuck in on race day and gave it a good go so 10th and 12th is pretty pleasing. In the Superstock class, Adam struggled with the gearing and it’s fair to say both rider and team are disappointed with 12th and 13th place finishes – we all know he’s a better rider than that.” “As I stand here now though, this could well be our last meeting of the year as we’re desperate to find a main sponsor that will see us through the second half of the season. In my heart of hearts I want to be at the next round at Mallory but I don’t want to get in to a position of debt to be there so if anyone can help us financially, in whatever shape or form please contact me on 07920 482233. As a team, we know what we’re capable of achieving and we’re desperate to keep our season going so, hopefully, we’ll get the finance we need.” The next round will be held at Mallory Park, Leicestershire on the weekend of July 17-19 and everyone connected with SMT Honda will be hoping that they’ll be able to take their place on the grid that weekend. More, from a press release issued by Steve Plater’s publicist: STEVE PLATER KNOCKHILL Things didn’t go quite to plan for Steve Plater at Knockhill on Sunday when he slid off the HM Plant Honda Supersport machine into the gravel while holding second place in round six of the Fuchs/Silkolene British Supersport championship. But the Lincolnshire rider was quick to remount and salvage five championship points after clawing his way back through the field to finish in 11th position. Qualifying saw Plater secure a front row grid position in second place, he said: “I am happy enough with qualifying, everything went well. There was more grip in the first session than the second. The track temperature was 10 degrees different between the two and nobody went very much quicker. There were quite a few people on the pace so it is going to be a hard race, for sure.” As the lights went out at the start of the 25-lap affair Plater was quick off the line and moved straight into the lead although James Westmoreland was right behind him waiting for a chance to hit the front. Plater held his advantage until lap seven when Westmoreland squeezed past at the hairpin. But everything changed when, two laps later the Woodhall Spa ace slid off into the gravel at the hairpin while challenging for the lead. Plater was quick to pick the bike up and rejoined the race down in 20th place. He began to pick off the opposition moving up a place with each passing lap until he reached 12th. He began to make inroads to the group ahead and had just passed Jack Kennedy for 11th place when the race was red flagged and a result declared at 23 laps giving Plater 11th place and five championship points. “I was really frustrated as I had a front tyre grip problem for some reason. I hadn’t had a problem all weekend but I nearly crashed three times in the race before I finally slid off at the hairpin so I don’t know why. It was ok at mid 50s pace but as soon as I went a little faster it became a big problem. The HM Plant Honda team is checking the bike over now to see if it was a tyre issue or something else. But I did manage to pick up a few points for 11th place which could make all the difference at the end of the year.” At the half way stage of the championship Plater holds a 15-point advantage at the top of the rider standings on 100 points but with six more races and a potential 150 points up for grabs in the final six races, his championship challenge is nowhere near over. There are four riders right behind him all waiting for a chance to snatch the title and any further mishaps could see any one of them take the series lead away from him. The next round is at Mallory Park on July 19. Mallory is a track that has seen Plater on the top step of the podium on many occasions and he will be going all out at the Leicestershire track to record a top result and extend his series lead. More, from a press release issued by Hydrex Honda: HYDREX HONDA AGAIN ON THE PODIUM AT KNOCKHILL Hydrex Honda’s Stuart Easton put in two strong rides at his home round of Knockhill in the latest round of the 2009 British Superbike Championship and, for the second meeting in succession, the Hawick ace recorded 2nd and 4th place finishes in the two races. The results and 33-point haul saw him close to within 16 points of second-placed James Ellison in the Championship table. Strong in qualifying, the 25-year old put the Honda into third place on the grid and a great start in the opening 30-lap race saw him take an early lead although championship leader Leon Camier pushed him back to second on the second lap. Easton kept the margin down to one-second whilst he also hand his hands full keeping HM Plant Honda’s Josh Brookes at bay but he did just that and for the remaining 29 laps, he ensured Brookes could find no way through. Despite the intervention of the safety car, Stuart held on excellently for his sixth podium of the year and with Ellison down in fifth he closed the gap to him significantly. In the second race, Stuart made a slight change to the set-up with his machine and although he slotted in to third place he wasn’t quite able to run the same pace that he had in the first race and he dropped back slightly from the battle for the lead. He then came under pressure from Ellison and when his Yamaha rival slipped by at two-thirds race distance, he had to settle for fourth place at the chequered flag although the result more than consolidated his third place in the Championship table and he closed the gap on Ellison from 22 points to 16. Team-mate Karl Harris will be glad to see the back of Knockhill though after a crash and a retirement saw him leave the Scottish venue pointless. A strong fifth in qualifying looked to have seen the Sheffield rider back to his best and hopes were high of two good finishes. However, a first lap spill at the hairpin ended his first race early and a mechanical problem in the second, when lying seventh, ended his second race at two-thirds race distance. The DNF’s mean the 29-year old drops back to seventh place overall in the Championship. Speaking afterwards, team manager Shaun Muir said: “Stuart’s stepped on to the podium and had another good points haul today and whilst that’s obviously very pleasing, I think we’re both slightly disappointed not to have been on the box in both races. In the first race, I don’t think Stuart could have done any more and he kept Camier honest throughout also doing a great job fighting off Brookes. He made a few changes for the second but it didn’t quite work out and he was a lot further back from the front but overall it’s been a good day for him. It’s another podium and he’s also taken some more points off James Ellison in the battle for second place in the Championship so we’re still well in the hunt.” “Karl arrived at Knockhill with quite a heavy bout of food poisoning and that’s affected his performance all weekend although he dug deep in qualifying to end up fifth. He’s still lacking a bit in confidence though and needs to improve his race craft slightly as he’s finding himself in positions that he shouldn’t be in. It was his own mistake in the first race and then in the second he got stuck a bit in no man’s land down in seventh when the chain jumped off. He needs to get his focus back and try that little bit harder and if he can do that I’m sure he’ll be back to where he was at the beginning of the year.” “It’s been a long trip to Knockhill and maybe we expected a bit more but, like I say, we’re still in 3rd and 7th in the title race and there are still plenty of rounds left for us to climb even higher so we’ll remain positive, keep working hard and move onwards and upwards to the next round.” The next round takes place in two weeks time at Mallory Park in Leicestershire, with the meeting taking place on July 17-19. More, from a press release issued by John McGuinness’ publicist: Podium success for McGuinness at Knockhill Morecambe’s John McGuinness put in another superb display of riding on Sunday when he finished 3rd and 5th in the latest rounds of the Metzeler National 1000cc Superstock Championship. Competing at Knockhill in Scotland, the Padgetts Honda ace got back on the podium for the first time since the second round at Oulton Park and the excellent results have catapulted him back up into 5th place overall in the Championship table. After placing fifth in free practice, a time of 51.064s put John in a superb second in first qualifying, right on the tail of team-mate Steve Brogan, and although he lapped slightly slower in final qualifying, his first session time placed him in a strong third place on the grid, his second successive front row start of the season. A perfect start in Sunday’s opening race saw him slot in to third place, just behind Brogan, and this was how the positions stayed until the 10th lap when John moved up to second place. Four laps later, Brogan was back ahead and, comfortably ahead of fourth placed Luke Quigley, John brought the bike home for an excellent third place. The second race later in the day was slightly more hectic with the podium positions more eagerly fought but again John was in the thick of the action as he held fourth for the majority of the race. In the closing stages, Quigley pushed him back to fifth and this was where he finished at the end of the 20 laps, less than half a second adrift of third place. With 27 points from the two races, John was able to leap back up to 5th overall in the title race. Speaking at the end of the day, an extremely happy John commented: “What can I say, it’s been another great day for both myself and the Padgetts team and I’m extremely pleased with the results we’ve achieved this weekend. The bike was working fantastically well around Knockhill throughout the three days and I couldn’t have felt more comfortable on it, everything I wanted it to do, it did it and to step on to the rostrum again is brilliant. It would have nice to have done it again in the second race but we were in contention for the entire race and I only just missed out so I can’t be too disappointed. I’ve had some success on the roads this season and am also enjoying myself in the Superstock Championship so I’m really happy with how I’m riding and how the season is going I can’t wait for the next round!” John’s next outing in the Superstock Championship comes in five weeks time at Brands Hatch, Kent with the meeting take place on the weekend of August 7-9. More, from a press release issued by JW Racing: Another Podium for James Westmoreland and JW Racing at Knockhill. JW Racing rounded off a very hectic 3 weeks of Supersport action with a 2nd consecutive podium in the British Supersport Championship. After a fine 3rd place at Snetterton and 11th as a wildcard at Donington World Supersport, Westy climbed up another place on the podium to finish in 2nd place and close down the Championship leader. Free practice and Qualifying went well with James concentrating on learning a new set up on the JT Performance Triumph 675 and claiming a front row grid position for Sundays race. As the race got underway James got a good start and slotted in 2nd behind Isle Of man TT winner and Championship leader Steve Plater. On the seventh lap the Triumph rider made his move at the hairpin to take the lead. Plater retook the lead on lap 9 into the hairpin but pushed too hard and went down. James found himself out front with a freight train in pursuit and led until Ben Wilson made a move and a excellent battle commenced for the next ten laps with both riders swapping places. Going into the final lap James was positioned well to have a final go when the red flags came out and the result was declared a lap early crediting James in 2nd spot. Although victory escaped the Yorkshire man, he broke Leon Camiers lap record from 2006 to add to his current 125 lap record at the Scottish circuit. “I have to be happy with that and I feel I gave it everything today to win. The bike was fantastic all weekend and I just rode it to its strengths in the race. It was very difficult once Steve went down as I knew there was a pack of riders chasing me down and I had to keep my concentration and not make a single mistake.I enjoyed the battle with Ben and congratulations to him and his team. Maybe we were unlucky with the red flag going out when it did but that’s all part of racing. I would just like to say thank you to everyone that is part of JW Racing, the team members, sponsors, fans, my Family and friends, we are really gaining momentum in this Championship and it is going to be a great second half of the season.” commented James. More, from a press release issued by Conor Cummins’ publicist: Cummins roars into the top six at Knockhill Fresh from his superb showing at the European Superstock round at Donington Park just over a week ago, Conor Cummins put in his best rides of the season in the Metzeler National 1000cc Superstock round at Knockhill on Sunday. With two races at the Scottish venue there were plenty of points on offer for Conor and his Team Blackhorse Yamaha squad and they took full advantage, scoring a brace of sixth places for 20 well-earned Championship points. Tenth in free practice, Conor jumped up to an excellent fourth in first qualifying and went quicker still in the final qualifying session. A number of other riders went quicker also and so Conor lined up in seventh, his best qualifying performance of the season to date, just 0.502s off pole position. A sluggish start in the opening 20-lap race saw Conor slip back to ninth at the end of the first lap but he soon got into his stride and by half race distance he had climbed up to seventh having overhauled James Hillier and circuit specialist Bob Grant. On the 13th lap he moved up to sixth, a position he maintained until the end of the race. In the second race later in the day, Conor got a much better start and slotted into sixth just behind Luke Quigley and fellow TT ace John McGuinness. In an extremely consistent race, Conor stayed in sixth throughout the race and, with the fifth fastest lap of the race, he was able to comfortably take his second sixth place of the day, just over five seconds adrift of the podium. The 20 points haul has also seen Conor jump up the Championship table to ninth place overall. Talking later, Conor said: “It’s been a good weekend for me and the team and everything came together over the course of the three days. All the time and effort we put in at Donington is certainly paying dividends and we’ve made massive progress with the handling of the bike this weekend, which has allowed me to push that little bit harder. The team have been working so hard to give me what I need and I’ve got a good feel for what the bike’s doing now so we’re at a place where I think we can start pushing for podiums.” “I didn’t get the best of starts in the first race and it took me a while to get past local rider Bob Grant who was riding well and had all the lines covered. Once I’d got by him the front group had pulled a gap but sixth was a good way to open the day. In the second race, I managed to get a lot better start and moved up to sixth straightaway although I made a couple of small errors and that was just enough for me to lose the tow. My lap times were on a par with the front guys though and we’re right in the ball park now so to come away with two sixth places is a good return and just rewards for all the effort Ian and the team have been putting in. I’m really looking forward to the next round at Brands now so I’ve just got to say a big thank you to Team Blackhorse Yamaha and all my personal sponsors, especially Pokerstars and Solway Slate and Tile, as I wouldn’t be able to do it if it wasn’t for them.” Prior to the Brands Hatch meeting, Conor will switch back to the public roads for his next outing, linking up once more with McAdoo Kawasaki for the Southern 100. The meeting, held on the 4.25-mile Billown circuit on the Isle of Man, takes place from July 13-16. More, from a press release issued by Tim Reeves’ publicist: Reeves gets back to World Championship winning ways at Albacete Tim Reeves got his 2009 World Sidecar Championship challenge firmly back on track on Saturday when he won the Gold Race at the second round of the series at Albacete, Spain. The triple World Champion had the perfect weekend as he took pole position, the 20-lap race win and a new lap record and all achieved with substitute passenger James Neave. The 21-year old only received the call to join Tim a week before the event due to brother Tristan’s unavailability but it didn’t show as the duo were the picture of excellence all weekend and the victory means that Tim has now closed to within 8 points of the Championship lead. The weekend got off to a slow start for Tim and James as a problem in free practice, when a camshaft sensor failed, caused them to miss almost the entire 30-minute session missing out on valuable track time at a circuit they were both seeing for the first time. The lack of track time didn’t affect them though and within 3 laps of the first qualifying session they were 3rd quickest, just behind arch rivals Pekka Paivarinta and Ben Birchall. A change in gearing for final qualifying didn’t work as planned and meant Tim and James spent most of the session in the pits changing it back once more but they made it out on to the circuit with 5 minutes remaining and a flying lap of 1m34.480s saw them take a superb pole position with Paivarinta and Birchall pushed back to second and third. The 20-lap race couldn’t have gone any better for Tim and James and, having grabbed the holeshot, they controlled the race from the front of the pack. As expected, there was little between the leading three drivers but at half race distance, Tim upped the pace and with a new lap record of 1m34.215s, almost one and a half seconds quicker than the old mark set by Steve Abbott/Jamie Biggs, he was able to open up a 5-second lead. He maintained his advantage until the chequered flag and he crossed the line a comfortable 4.712s clear of Paivarinta for yet another World Championship win with the victory moving him on to 57 points, 8 behind Paivarinta and 4 behind Birchall. Speaking later, a delighted Tim said: “What a brilliant weekend, it really couldn’t have turned out any better and to have claimed the perfect set pole, the win and the lap record is fantastic and has got my World Championship season fully up and running. Schleiz was very much a damage limitation weekend and here at Albacete was again challenging for the team but we’ve come through with flying colours. Tristan was unable to make it due to prior commitments so James agreed to step in and I cannot fault him at all he was simply superb all weekend. We’d only done 5 laps together, at Cadwell Park in the damp a while ago, before we got to Spain and whilst it was our first time here, it was also his first ever World Championship race!” “We didn’t get a lot of time in during practice and qualifying but we got pole position right at the end and that set us up nicely for the race. I got a great start and set the pace for the first 10 laps of the race, doing just enough to keep Pekka and Ben behind me whilst also conserving the tyres. Once we’d got to half race distance though, I decided to up the pace and see who could go with me but within 3 laps, I’d got a 5-second lead and was able to control the race from there until the end. It was great to win and I’ve got to say a huge thank you to James for doing such a sterling job. There aren’t many passengers who can run right at the very top but he didn’t put a foot (or a hand!) wrong all weekend and he really was faultless. The victory has put me right back in the title race now and I’m eagerly looking forward to the next round where I hope to do the same again!” Tim’s next race comes at round 3 of the World Sidecar Championship, which will host 2 races alongside MotoGP meeting at Sachsenring, Germany on the weekend of July 18-19.