Airwaves Yamaha rider Leon Camier has added another championship title to Yamaha’s 2009 collection. A win in the first race of the British Superbike Championship at Silverstone yesterday gave Camier his 17th victory of the season and enough points to take the championship title. Having taken his ninth pole position start of the season, Camier had battled with team mate and championship rival James Ellison for the lead for most of the race before finally passing on the penultimate lap to take the well deserved chequered flag. Camier’s Airwaves Yamaha team mate Ellison is favourite for the second spot in the championship, especially after winning the second race before Camier, leading Hydrex Honda rider Eaton by 39 points with one race weekend remaining. The final round will be at Oulton Park, 9th-11th October. The dominance of the Airwaves Yamaha Team also gave them the manufacturer’s title with an impressive 145.5 point advantage over Honda, with one round to go. “I really don’t know what to make of it all to be honest,” said Camier after his race win yesterday. “It is such a big moment for me to win the title. The first race was one of the hardest races of the season for me and there were some places that I was a bit out of control, which everyone could see. It was great to see James win the second race though and this has been an awesome weekend for the Airwaves Yamaha team and all of our sponsors. It has been a dream come true today and without doubt we will be celebrating tonight!” In the British Supersport class the title is going to the wire, with MAP Raceways Yamaha rider Billy McConnell currently in second position just 11 points adrift of championship leader Steve Plater on the HM Plant Honda. With one round to go at Oulton Park it’s still possible for McConnell to take the win and the title. In The Netherlands, Australian rider Gareth Jones has taken the ONK Dutch Superbike Championship title on his 2008 RT Motorsports Yamaha R1. Jones, the 2009 Rookie of the year was one of five Yamahas to finish in the top six in the championship, including Raymond Schouten on the VD Heyden Motors 09 R1 who took the second spot. Schouten’s season was hampered by injury after the Superstock 1000 race in Brno in the World Championship, forcing him to miss some racing. After taking part in the Bol d’Or Schouten’s injuries forced him to miss out on the final round at Assen, giving Jones the points advantage he needed to take the title. More, from a press release issued by Tom Tunstall Racing: Strong Performance from Tunstall The penultimate round of the 2009 British Superbike Championships was staged at Silverstone over the weekend. Hardinge Doodson Superbike racer Tom Tunstall showed strong form all weekend, netting another Superbike Cup Podium. With sunshine bathing the 2.21mile Northamptonshire circuit throughout the weekend Tom and the teams progress was clear. Making it through to the second phase of qualifying Tunstall showed impressive pace lapping two seconds a lap faster than ever before, his best lap averaged just over 91mph and for the majority of the session looked to be good enough to net another Superbike Cup Pole Position. As the chequered flag ended the session Cup wildcard Richard Cooper just crept through, edging the Hardinge Doodson Motorsport rider into second place by just 0.14seconds, but still in front of some established riders like Michael Rutter, Karl Harris & Cup Champion Gary Mason; “I’m really pleased with my times and my feeling on the bike. Of course it’s a shame to miss out on the cup pole by such a tiny amount but we’ve got to be happy, the cup class is getting stronger and its one of our strongest qualifying performances of the year, I’m looking forward to getting stuck in to the races” As the 30-rider strong field launched off the line Tunstall made a good start however, lap two saw the Yorkshireman make a rare mistake running off the track exiting the fast Copse Corner, loosing time and a place to cup rival Peter Hickman. Three corners later Rutter attempted to pass Tom at the Abbey Hairpin but Tunstall fought back and regained the place. The fracas had opened up a two second gap to the battle ahead. Tunstall managed to close the gap down to just over a second but was unable to catch the group before the flag ending the race 5th in the superbike cup but only a couple of seconds behind Gary Mason in 2nd. Tunstall explained: “I made a mistake early on and with the pace being so close it was difficult to close the guys down. “By mid race I was really struggling with the front tyre. It was shot and was difficult to balance between pushing on to catch the guys ahead without going too hard and crashing. “It was good to be so close but frustrating not having the tyre left to sustain my race pace, especially as we’ve used the compound all weekend”. With the right hand side of the front tyre very heavily worn it was clear changes would have to be made for the second outing. Tom and the team opted for the Harder compound front, unknown territory as Tunstall hadn’t run with it this season. Cooler conditions greeted the riders for the second of Sunday’s 20-lap races. Tunstall again got away well and into the Abbey Hairpin on the opening lap Tristan Palmer’s Kawasaki engine blew Tunstall avoided the incident and was placed well just behind Mason, and Suzuki mounted Sylvain Guintoli. However the race was abandoned as the debris from the incident was cleared up. On the restart Tunstall was edged out after battling with Rutter, Yamaha rider Dan Linfoot, and Martin Jessop in the early laps and lost touch to the battle ahead. Holding fourth place Tunstall was elevated to 3rd place as Cup Champion Mason crashed out at the Woodcote chicane. Crossing the line 10 laps later Tunstall took his eighth podium of the season. “I didn’t have quite as much confidence in the front and combined with getting held up behind Jessop meant I couldn’t fight for a higher position in race two. But it’s great to be back on the podium again and I think we certainly deserved it as we’ve performed well and had a strong pace all weekend. “Hopefully we can keep the momentum through to the final round at Oulton Park and pick up some more trophies there!” With three races taking place over the final round weekend, Tom and the Hardinge Doodson Team will have three opportunities to add to their trophy cabinet in just under two weeks time. More, from a press release issued by Hydrex Honda: Top five all round at Silverstone for Hydrex Honda Round Eleven 27th September Silverstone MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli It was fifth place all round for Hydrex Honda at Silverstone on Sunday when all three members of the team finished inside the top five in their respective races. Stuart Easton again led the way with a brace of fourths in the two Superbike races although new recruit Tommy Hill wasn’t too far behind with a pair of fifths and the results meant that for the first time ever, the team had both their riders finish in the top five in both BSB races. Meanwhile, Tom Grant added to the solid haul of results with an excellent fifth in the British Supersport 600cc Championship race. Having taken his first win of the year at the previous round, Easton was hoping for more of the same to continue to eat into James Ellison’s advantage in the race for second overall but a problem with the front tyre in the first race meant he was unable to challenge and had to settle for fourth. The team made a number of adjustments for the second race and they certainly helped as Stuart was able to run a lot closer to the front despite coming under extreme pressure throughout the race. In the final third of the race, new Champion Leon Camier found his way through although third place and another podium looked on the cards for Stuart, It wasn’t to be though as fellow Honda rider Josh Brookes made a determined move on the last corner on the last lap and it was enough to push Stuart back for his second fourth place of the day, the first time since Mallory Park in July that he hadn’t finished on the podium in at least one of the races. If Easton was disappointed with his results, Tommy Hill made significant progress in just his second outing with the team and was justifiably rewarded with two fifth place finishes, just behind his new team-mate in each race. Still learning both the machine and his new team, Hill overcame a number of set-up issues in practice and qualifying to put in two fine riders. Continuing to work hard in a bid to edge closer to the front, the Surrey rider did just that and is sure to be challenging even stronger at the final round in two weeks time. Meanwhile, the team’s British Supersport 600cc Championship rider Tom Grant took his first top six finish since joining the squad in August. A solid qualifying performance saw the Shiptonthorpe rider line up in eighth place and on the second row of the grid but he made considerable advances forward in the 18-lap race, overtaking a number of riders, and he was rewarded with an excellent fifth place. Speaking afterwards, it was a frustrated team manager Shaun Muir said: “It’s a measure of how far we’ve come as a team this season that I’m slightly disappointed and frustrated with the results today. For whatever reason, Stuart just didn’t have the pace to challenge this weekend and whilst he could do flat 1’26s all the time he couldn’t dip below them, which was what he needed to do to push the Airwaves riders. After the highs of Croft it would have been nice to have kept at that level, or at least take some more podiums, but he got mugged on the last lap of the last race by Brookes so I’m sure he’s been kicking himself ever since it happened. I can’t be too hard though after his performances all year long and the triple header at Oulton will give him plenty of opportunities to put that right.” “Tommy worked really hard all weekend and I can’t express enough how happy we all are with him. He was chasing a good setting all weekend and never did quite get the bike how he wanted so to come away with two fifth’s is a fine effort. He’s doing an excellent job for us and proving what a quality racer he is. If he’d had the same amount of track time as what the rest of the field have had, he’d be a definite podium contender and it would be nice if he could get on the box at Oulton. He’s doing everything we expected of him and he’s certainly putting himself in the shop window for 2010.” “Tom Grant rode really well all weekend in the Supersport class and after what happened at Croft, he pulled himself together and did a very professional job for us this weekend. He qualified well and then made no mistakes at all in what was a hard fought race so fifth place was just rewards for all the effort he put in. I’m really pleased with his performance here at Silverstone and we’ll all be looking for more of the same from him at the final round at Oulton.” The final round of the 2009 British Superbike Championship is another triple header and takes place at Oulton Park, Cheshire on October 9-11. Race 1 1 Leon Camier (Airwaves Yamaha) 2 James Ellison (Airwaves Yamaha) +0.244s 3 Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +8.837s 4 Stuart Easton (Hydrex Honda) +9.164s 5 Tommy Hill (Hydrex Honda) +18.278s Race 2 1 James Ellison (Airwaves Yamaha) 2 Leon Camier (Airwaves Yamaha) +1.200s 3 Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +3.783s 4 Stuart Easton (Hydrex Honda) +3.974s 5 Tommy Hill (Hydrex Honda) +9.774s Championship table (after 11 rounds) 1 Camier 479.5points 2 Ellison 380 3 Easton (Hydrex Honda) 329 4 Brookes 163 5 Lowry 149 15 Hill (Hydrex Honda) 78 More, from a press release issued by 314racing.com: 314Racing.com Wins CRA 5-Hour Endurance Race The 3 rider team of Mark Nelson, Greg Fryer and Christian Schmidt piloted the 314Racing.com/ JA Racing and Customs/ Mason Racin Tires GSXR1000 to a 5 lap victory at Brainerd International Raceway on Sunday. Treacherous conditions just past the 3.5 hour mark brought out the red flag, suspending the race until the green flag once again dropped for a final 50 minute stint of rain, 40mph winds and 49 degree temperatures. Christian, the newest member of the team, brought home the Michelin shod Suzuki to complete a flag to flag season finale win. The team, and JA Racing and Customs team owner Chad Bakkene would like to thank Darrin at 314Racing.com and Tom Mason of Mason Racin Tires for their years of support and look forward to 2010. More, from a press release issued by Roxanne Gravelle’s publicist: GATINEAU, QUEBEC (September 29, 2009) “” A great end to the 2009 Season for Team Gym Max road racer Roxanne Gravelle Shannonville Motorsports Park [September 26-27] was the sight of round 7 of the Women’s Cup Challenge and Final Round of the RACE regional series. For road racer Roxanne Gravelle it was a weekend full of surprises. Gravelle had her sight set on maintaining her 5th championship position in the Women’s Cup Challenge Series (WCC). She also decided to take part in the RACE Women’s Open (RWO) and the Accelerated Technologies Novice 600. Qualifying 5th in the WCC, 3rd in the RWO and 14th in the Novice 600 her expectations were to go out there and have some fun. Gravelle finished 4th in the WCC, 6th in the Novice 600 and 3rd in the RWO, claiming her first ever podium as an “expert” road racer. “I had such an awesome weekend and I don’t see how my season could have finished on a better note. I can’t thank my sponsors enough Gym Max, Hybrid Racing, Bell Helmets, TechSpec Canada, Hindle, Galfer USA and Vortex were there for me all season long and to finish on such a strong note wouldn’t of been possible without them”. With a great season wrap-up, finishing 5th with 79 points, Gravelle is looking forward to the 2010 season and is excited to see what it will have in store. For more information about the Pro Honda Women’s Cup Challenge, visit www.womenscup.ca For more information about Roxanne Gravelle’s road racing efforts, visit www.racingroxy.com More, from a press release issued by Racing for a Wish: Racing for a Wish and their racer, Gerry Signorelli, were really looking forward to a great weekend of racing at Brainerd International Raceway in Minnesota. The track possesses the fastest turn in America! The motorcycle racers enter turn one in sixth gear at wide open throttle, passing through at speeds above 150mph. Signorelli has been on the road for almost two months now racing all over the country. Missing most of the year from ACL reconstruction and a fractured femur, he’s pushing hard to make the year a huge success regardless. The weekend started with Middleweight Supersport. Gerry got a decent start from the second row and worked his way into second place. Unfortunately, the gearing settings were too short and Signorelli was left hitting the engine rev limiter half way down the long straight away at BIR. This meant he was giving up a ton of time on the leaders and had to fight hard to finish third. The same was true for the next race, Heavyweight Supersport, where he finished third again. The team owes a big thanks to national fast guy Matt Hall for letting us borrow a rear sprocket to lengthen the gearing on the racebike. Middleweight Superbike was Gerry’s race and he fought hard for the win. The gearing settings made a big difference and helped give the audience a great show as the four lead racers battled it out for the entire race! On lap three Gerry took the lead only to lose it a couple corners later. He stayed patient though and planned his attack for the last lap. He put a move on the Hall in the second to last corner and took the lead. He knew Hall would try to take back the lead in the last corner so he tried breaking as late as he could. Hall attempted anyways and braked later than Signorelli but couldn’t make it stick. He ran wide as Gerry squeezed underneath him and out drove him to the finish line. “That was one of the most fun races of my life and really enjoyed stealing this win from the local riders! Great job and congrats to the other Hall and Pretts for riding a great race and making this a hard earned win” The team looks forward to the Michelin National Invitational this coming weekend at Barber Motorsports Park in Alabama. Final Results: Middleweight Superbike – 1st Place, stated 9th. Middleweight Supersport – 3rd Place, Started 8th Heavyweight Supersport – 3rd Place, Started 9th Middleweight GP – 3rd Place, Started 8th