Top four again for McGuinness John McGuinness put in yet another storming ride at Donington Park on Sunday, when he piloted his Padgetts Honda into a fine fourth place in the penultimate round of the British Supersport Championship. The result strengthens his sixth place overall in the championship table and also means he goes into the final round at Brands Hatch with a great chance of moving up to fifth. A time of 1m35.854s in second qualifying saw John line up on the second row of the grid in eighth place and a great start saw him move up to 6th at the conclusion of the opening lap. Places held station for the next few laps but the gap between John and the leaders was negligible and he was well placed as the race moved beyond half race distance. However, the red flag came out on the tenth lap due to an oil spill through the Craner Curves section of the course and the race re-run over 8 laps. Again John made a great start and moved up to fifth place immediately just behind team-mate Dennis Hobbs. Sadly for the Padgetts team, Hobbs went out on the third lap, but it moved John up to fourth and he was right on the exhaust pipes of the the three leaders. When Aaron Walker ran wide at the Melbourne Hairpin, he slotted into third but it was all too brief as Billy McConnell overhauled both riders at the same time to take control of the final podium spot. With the shortened race distance, the race was soon over but John held firm in fourth only 0.2seconds off the podium and 2 seconds off the win! Speaking afterwards, a satisfied John said: “What can I say, it’s been another good weekend for me 2 seconds away from the win can’t be bad can it?! We made some more improvements to the bike during qualifying and it was flying and I managed to get a good start on both occasions. In the re-run, I just sat behind Dennis and was hoping to shepherd him along up to the two leading TAS bikes so that we could keep the title alive but when he went down, I was intent on giving the Padgett’s team a good result Dennis didn’t deserve to go down and I really felt for him.” “I managed to get up to third but no sooner had I done so I was back to fourth and try as I might, Billy had everything covered. It was another solid ride though and I was there or thereabouts all race long still putting in strong lap times at the end of the race. We’re definitely having a strong end to the year and the bike’s flying so let’s hope I can move up to fifth overall at the final round.” The final round of the British Supersport Championship takes place at Brands Hatch on Sunday October 14th but, prior to that, John will be taking part in the annual Stars at Darley event where he will be reunited with his TT-winning HM Plant Honda Superbike. The meeting takes place at Darley Moor, near Ashbourne this weekend. More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki Press Office: Michael Laverty finally confirmed himself as the number one rider in the British Supersport Championship, taking the title for Relentless Suzuki with a penultimate round victory at Donington Park. Ian Lowry played the perfect wingman’s role for his senior team-mate and the 20-year-old Moira rider also hoisted himself back into second place in the championship with his efforts at the Derbyshire venue. Laverty, who had set the pole position time in Saturday’s combined qualifying sessions, only needed a fourth placed finish to secure the title, and in a race that was to run in two parts, the Toomebridge man kept his head while others failed to do so, taking the victory in a re-started eight-lap sprint on his Pirelli-shod GSX-R600. Credit must also to go Ian Lowry who held off the Padgett’s pairing of Dennis Hobbs – Relentless Suzukis only potential title spoiler – and John McGuinness while protecting Laverty at the front of the field in the closing stages. Lowry then shadowed Laverty across the line at the end of eight lap re-start, taking the fastest lap of the race as well as 20 championship points. Michael Laverty: “I’m just so relieved to have finally clinched the title but it hasn’t sunk in yet. I knew after qualifying that I could have run an even faster pace than I did today but I wanted to keep it upright and out of trouble. I didn’t have any big gaps but I just rode my own race and let the rest of them chase me. I haven’t raced with Aaron Walker before so I didn’t want to take any chances dicing with him, but Ian Lowry also did a good job and we weren’t flustered by the red flag situation. I actually didn’t know that Dennis Hobbs had gone out but another double podium for the team is great and a great way to clinch the championship. I was dubious about moving down from Superbike this year but it was 100% the right move and the Relentless Suzuki team has been superb for me. I have been comfy on the bike and also with the boys in the garage all year, so a big thanks to everyone involved.” Ian Lowry: “The team has worked hard for four years to win this championship so I’m really pleased for everyone at Relentless Suzuki and TAS Racing. Michael’s away home with the championship but I’m also pleased with my weekend’s work. I qualified well on the front row and everything was hunky dory in the first race before the oil spill, as I was sitting in second place just behind Michael. In the re-start I didn’t get away just as well but I eventually got past Dennis Hobbs and Aaron Walker and again sat on the back of Michael. I possibly could have passed him on the last lap but I wasn’t prepared to take any risks with so much at stake. I’m now 16 points ahead of Dennis in the championship so a Relentless Suzuki ‘one-two’ is still very much a possibility.” Philip Neill – Team Principal: “Today was the dream scenario with Michael winning the race to take the championship and Ian tucked in behind him to move back into second place in the series. Michael may have won the title, but they both rode like champions out there today. Once again the GSX-R600 Suzuki has proved dominant in the series and Pirelli have all but proved they are the top tyre in British Supersport racing. “Michael Laverty was brought in this year to win the championship, yes, but his professionalism and his win/ podium rate have been phenomenal. Ian was also brought in to do a job, but I must say he has exceeded even my lofty expectations. He rode like a seasoned pro out there today; every time someone seemed to be threatening Michael’s position he got right back in front of them. It was superb. “I must take this opportunity to give my heart-felt thanks to all our sponsors today, not least to Suzuki and Relentless, but I also must thank Ian Glen at Beacon Security and John Hayden at Putoline Lubricants. I’ve already mentioned Pirelli’s massive involvement in our title challenge and I must also commend WP Suspension for helping us find the perfect set-up throughout the year. Every member of our team has also played a major role in this success, from the lorry drivers to our crew chiefs. It’s been a complete team effort and one that’s been worth the wait.” British Supersport Championship [8 lap re-started race]: 1 Michael Laverty [Relentless Suzuki] 12:50.920; 2 Ian Lowry [Relentless Suzuki] +0.536; 3 Billy McConnell [Yamaha] +1.868; 4 John McGuinness [Honda] 2.098; 5 Aaron Walker [Honda] +2.435; 6 Steve Brogan [Honda] +2.630. Championship Points [Round 12 of 13]: 1 Michael Laverty 215 points, 2 Ian Lowry 169, 3 Dennis Hobbs 153, 4 Billy McConnell 136, 5 Jamie Robinson 118, 6 John McGuinness 117. More, from a press release issued by Shannon Moham: Shannon Moham wrapped up this 2007 MRA season by bringing home three class championships in LW Endurance, Supertwins GTU, and LW GrandPrix. If that wasn’t enough, he finished second overall in the MW Supersport Championship, third overall in the HW Endurance Championship, fourth overall in the HW Supersport Championship, fifth overall in the MW Superbike Championship, and fifth overall in the Race of the Rockies GTU!!! Wow, what a mouthful. Over the course of the MRA season, Shannon went undefeated in Supertwins GTU, took 17 first place finishes, and was on the podium 30 times! Shannon also set three class track records at Motorsports Park Hastings in Supertwins GTU, LW Grandprix, and LW Endurance. In short, this has been an incredible end to an incredible season. The ’07 R6 and SV650 hit a couple speed bumps along the way, but the bikes and his sponsors carried Shannon through the season like true champs. His season does speak for itself. Championships, wins, podium finishes, and track records…..definitely a season to be proud of. None of this would have been possible without the continuing encouragement and support from all of Shannon’s fantastic sponsors. Thanks to all the awesome racers out there that gave Shannon a run for his money, to all the MRA staff and volunteers that made this season safe and fun, and to the fans that came out every weekend to cheer us on. We will see you all in 2008. More, from a press release issued by RPS: Dustin Doucet and Danny Kelsey completed a long weekend of tight racing, fast laps, and championship honours at Mid-Ohio. Coming into the weekend, expectations were high, and the initial part of the weekend looked to be going to plan. The Repsol/Komodo/RPS riders where carefully following standing team orders. This included keeping the machines clean and off the ground while becoming comfortable with the track and bike setup(s). By Friday, Doucet was ready to make his assault on the “Top Novice” award while Kelsey prepared to qualify in 8 classes in hopes of an opportunity to be considered for the Horizon Award. Qualifying went exactly to plan when Kelsey qualified on the front row of every race and included putting his GSX-R600 in 3rd spot for the 600 superbike expert race that was a real dogfight during qualifying. Times for the top three were only 0.3 seconds apart and it indicated that Kelsey would be able to match the pace of the front-runners Westby and Chapman. A small mishap on Friday afternoon would appear harmless, but would ultimately end the opportunity for victory in any of the 600 classes when Kelsey lowsided in the Keyhole after dragging his footpeg and lifting both wheels off the ground. Saturday morning practice appeared to be going well. Both Kelsey and Doucet felt very comfortable. The last 600 practice for Kelsey was used as a shakedown to ensure the GSX-R of Kelsey was back in top running shape. During practice, it was realized the Suzuki would not rev over 12,000 RPM. After practice, it was found the Power Commander may have been damaged during the Friday afternoon crash. Attempts to reload the map failed and after the first 600-class race, the team realized the Power Commander problem was indeed terminal. Disaster struck again during the 750 races when the clutch of Kelsey’s GSX-R750 disintegrated coming off the starting line. The team quickly put in another clutch and Kelsey was ready for the second 750 race when the problem immediately replicated itself. A second clutch pack was put in quickly and Kelsey cautiously got off the line to finish 2nd in the Formula 1000 expert class. Dan Jonsen of Safety First racing diagnosed the problem after the second failure and found that it was improperly adjusted from the previous owner of the bike. Doucet had a trouble free Saturday winning four races and rode flawless. The team hit another “bump” when Doucet’s GSX-R600 spun a rod bearing during the first of Sunday’s races. Kelsey also raced on Sunday and did well after removing the Power Commander on his GSX-R600. The loss in hp though for all intents and purposes removed any chance for a win or podium finishing position on his 600. Doucet and Kelsey did gain some good news for Sunday though after Doucet won the “Top Novice Award” and Kelsey earned another podium in the 1000 Superstock expert race. For Doucet, this was an amazing accomplishment. He just started racing this year and to be able to turn lap times that would have qualified him well for the AMA Supersport race after racing for only 6 months is a testament to his skill. The 18 year old Bridgestone rider has a bright future in this sport and RPS is glad to be part of his start. The team left Mid-Ohio in good spirits. Every racer and team goes through troubles and issues on any given weekend. It is how a rider and team work through the issues that ultimately define the success of their efforts. A tip of the hat goes to all of the competitors and 2007 Horizon Award winner Zac Chapman as well as Dane Westby. They came to Mid-Ohio and faced many obstacles too. Zac and Dane were definitely the class of the field and the riders and team acknowledge their great accomplishments. More, from a press release issued by Hydrex Honda: Difficult times at Donington for Hydrex Honda. Karl Harris had a difficult race weekend at Donington Park for round twelve of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship on board his Hydrex Honda. He qualified in tenth place but suffered a DNF in race one due to a tyre issue and a tenth place finish in race two which he wasn’t happy about. New comer to the team, Aaron Zanotti had a more productive weekend qualifying 12th and finishing race one in 14th and race two in 12th. Zanotti will be running the Hydrex machines next year within his own SMT team and that is why he has joined Hydrex at this late stage of the year, he is preparing for his 2008 season. Harris had a very shorted lived race one as he had to retire on lap five as he explains, “Race one the tyre slipped on the rim by about a foot so it made the wheel out of balance.” Race two was shaping up much better as Harris was in the top eight and battling hard with the likes of Gregorio Lavilla and Shane Byrne, when further tyre woes materialised. The first half was good and then all of a sudden my tyre went off and it dropped my pace by about three or four seconds. The tyre just wasn’t working very well so I dropped back to tenth,” he complained. Harris had been hoping for a stronger showing at Donington as it is a circuit that he enjoys. Zanotti was more up beat about his race weekend saying, “It was brilliant; we made good progress every session. We came in and sorted problems out that I found and they have their own technician here for the Showa suspension. We dialled it in and had two great races. We just went quicker and quicker in every session and in the second race. I managed to go faster than I did in qualifying so we just progressed throughout and I’m over the moon, it is a really good feeling.” He enjoyed jumping into the team and can’t wait to join them again at Brands, “The guys have been great here, got on really well with everybody. I was over the moon with the results and I had a really good race so I enjoyed it. I like Brands a lot and I’m hoping for a top ten finish there.” Team owner Shaun Muir commented, “Although the team worked extremely hard over the past weeks to get the best setting for the bikes, we just have not moved forwards in recent meeting. We seemed dogged by bad luck and inconsistent performances. Let’s hope for a strong performance at the last round to finish on a high.” The final round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship will take place at Brands Hatch on the Indy circuit on the 12th 14th October. More, from a press release issued by Witchkraft Racing: Eddie Kraft finished off the 2007 season by securing the WERA North Central 600 and 750 Superstock class championships at the AMA Roadracing Grand Championships held at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this past weekend, while finishing runner-up in the 600 and 750 Superbike classes, aboard a TRS-built Yamaha R6. The second-year 600 rider consistently ran at the front throughout the entire season and grabbed his first 600 and 750 race wins in the process at BeaveRun Motorsports Complex earlier in the year. Building speed and confidence as the season progressed; Eddie continued to improve at Mid-Ohio against top-level, national competition. “I’m very happy with how the season turned out. I was able to go significantly faster at every track we visited this year, on nearly the same bike,” Eddie said. “In the Pro/Am 600 race on Sunday, I started from the third row and was heading towards a potential podium finish before the race was red flagged. I had just put in a 1:31.37 pretty comfortably, as the Pirelli combination we had was perfect. It was a melee into turn one on the restart. I had to grab the front brake while leaned over and lost the front, sliding off into the gravel trap.” “I had a great team of people helping to get back out there and I want to say thank you to everyone for their help. Once back out for the 750 Superstock race, I just wanted to finish on two wheels and make sure we had clinched the championship.” “We made so much progress this past weekend. I’m disappointed that I didn’t get to push into the 1:29’s. It was doable and I left it out on the table by crashing. I apologize again to the team for that.” “I can’t put into words how much I appreciate what our team did this year. My dad (Joe Kraft) and Doug Cornett took care of everything each weekend, which truly let me focus on riding. These two could work on an AMA team; they’re that good. Thank you to everyone. I’m already looking to next year and can’t wait to build on what we’ve accomplished this season.” More, from a press release issued by Pro Italia: The AMA Road Race Grand Championships were held at Mid Ohio Sports Car Course over the September 21-23 weekend. Emerging on the top rung of the podium ladder with two AMA National Championships now under his belt was Pro-Italia Ducati’s fourteen year old Tyler Odom. On the same weekend Casey Stoner gave Ducati a Moto-GP World Championship, Odom produced the first AMA National titles for the Dunlop shod 1098 Ducati, taking victories in the Heavy Weight Twins Superbike Expert class and the Heavy Weight Twins Superstock Expert finale. The Alpinestars/Arai pilot in only his second time racing the 1098 also contested the Pro-Am Superbike 1000cc race and the Pro-Am Superstock 1000cc race, and finished fourth and fifth respectively. This would seem to indicate Odom has put his Class A speedway and Super-Moto days behind him as he apparently has taken his career to a whole new level.