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 2008
Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship
Win number two for Plater at Cadwell Park Steve Plater on board his AIM Yamaha recorded his second win since joining the 2008 Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship part way through the season. The popular Cadwell Park circuit delivered an epic bank holiday race with Plater snatching the win from series leader Glen Richards - MAP Triumph on the very last lap of what was a closely fought battle from start to finish. James Webb - Padgetts Honda converted his fifth spot in qualifying into third place in the race to take his first podium result in front of a bumper crowd. The Plater versus Richards tussle begun during Sunday's qualifying session, with the Yamaha rider grabbing the initial advantage at his home circuit. However Plater was once again about to taste the full competitiveness of this six hundred capacity showroom class as both Richards and Raceways Yamaha rider Hudson Kennaugh pushed him down into third position on the grid by fractions of a second. The true depth of field was highlighted with the top thirteen riders being separated by less than a second around this unique and almost road like track. Kennaugh, who holds second in the series, stole the early lead, but was soon reeled in by Plater on lap five. Although out in front Plater was far from safe, as Richards was on the move having passed Kennaugh to take second place a lap later. The leading duo traded blows over the next few laps with the championship leader taking the advantage on lap nine. Despite his best efforts Richards could not hold off Plater's brave pass at Park on the final lap, and instead settled for safety and twenty points to further increase his gap at the top of the overall standings with just three rounds remaining. Fuchs-Silkolene are proud to be the official lubricant of the 2008 British Superbike Championship in addition to being title sponsors of the 2008 British Supersport Championship. Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship Results Round 9 - Cadwell Park - 25th August 2008 1. Steve Plater (AIM Racing) 2. Glen Richards (MAP Embassy Racing) +0.220s 3. James Webb (Padgetts Motorcycles) +1.123s 4. Hudson Kennaugh (Raceways Yamaha) +5.932s 5. James Westmoreland (Centurion Racing) +10.203s 6. Paul Young (MAP Embassy Racing) +10.378s 7. Rob Frost (Team Buff) +12.258s 8. Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +14.085s 9. Chris Martin (Gearlink Kawasaki) +14.173s 10. Tommy Bridewell (Centurion Racing) +14.448s General standings to date: 1. Glen Richards (MAP Embassy Racing) 177 2. Hudson Kennaugh (Raceways Yamaha) 140 3. Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 128 4. James Westmoreland (Centurion Racing) 92 5. Steve Brogan (HM Plant Honda) 85 6. Chris Martin (Gearlink Kawasaki) 76 7. Steve Plater (AIM Racing) 70 8. James Webb (Padgetts Motorcycles) 61 9. Rob Frost (Team Buff) 52 10. Ian Hutchinson (AIM Racing) 42 Top 15 for Centurion Racing www.centurionracing.net It was a very successful weekend for the Centurion Racing Team at round nine of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship at Cadwell Park. The two regular Centurion Riders James Westmoreland and Dan Cooper were joined this weekend by Tommy Bridewell. All three riders secured strong top 15 positions in the 14-lap races, Westmoreland gained a positive fifth place, Bridewell in 10th and an injured Cooper in 14th place. James Westmoreland had been struggling throughout the weekend with bike set up and a few technical problems during practice, which saw him lose out on vital track time. The youngster from Hull could only qualify in ninth position but he was eager to gain a good start and battle with the front runners. A great start saw Westy lying in fifth place into the first corner, the race was soon red flagged after an incident on the opening lap. After a short delay the race was cut short to 14 laps, Westy did not gain a great start and was in eighth place after the first lap, working hard and digging deep he managed to get passed Chris Martin and Steve Brogan, he was then locked in a tight battle to the finish with Triumph rider Paul Young. Commenting he said "I'm really happy with my results as I raced well after a difficult weekend with set up problems. Cadwell is not a track that suits me and my riding style all that well, so fifth on a bad weekend is good and I've managed to close in on Lowry in the Championship and pulled a gap on Martin and Brogan so I'm pretty pleased. Thanks again to all the Centurion team." Tommy Bridewell became a welcomed member to the Centurion Racing team, despite very little time on the Honda 600 and still recovering from a badly broken leg, Bridewell rode extremely well over the weekend to gain a solid tenth place in the race. As Bridewell battled to get to grips with the Centurion bike around the very difficult Cadwell track his times were consistently improving and a big effort in second qualifying saw him qualify in tenth place, just behind Westmoreland. Riding on the one off CJ Riders Fund number '9' machine Bridewell was boxed into the first corner off the start but still managed to gain a place by the end of the first lap. He then became locked in one of the closest battles of the race in a four man scrap for eighth position with regular front runners Ian Lowry, Chris Martin and Steve Brogan. Getting the better of Brogan and only being 0.2 behind Martin at the chequered flag, young Bridewell rode an exceptional race. Speaking with him "I'm really grateful to the Centurion Team for giving me this opportunity. It was a hard weekend and a difficult track to learn everything all at once, I had to dig deep during qualifying if I was going to get a good grid position. The race was tricky but I really enjoyed it and I was having a good dice with the others. My leg was getting quite sore towards the end of the race but I'm pretty pleased with where I finished." Dan Cooper was also riding injured and after dislocating his shoulder at Knockhill two weeks ago he was eager to prove he could ride and finish in a good position. He gained 14th place and two points in the overall standings. Fighting through the pain Cooper was adamant that he wanted to ride at the physical track after missing out last year with the same injury. He said "I knew this weekend was going to be difficult and it was a battle with the time to try and get fit for it. My shoulder is still giving me some grief and there were times I thought about not riding. Cadwell is such a physical circuit and although I was injured I really wanted to ride there as it's also a great track. I had a couple of problems with the bike during practice but once we sorted them, my aim was just to get some points during the race. It's definitely put pressure on my shoulder and I know the best thing for me will be to get the operation on it at the end of the year. I'm looking forward to the last three races of the year and hope I'll be fully fit for them all." More Good Results for Injured Andrews www.si-andrews.co.uk Still suffering the effects from broken bones in his hand and an injured knee, Simon Andrews once again rode two extremely confident races at the very physical Cadwell Park circuit, at round nine of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship. In front of a massive crowd, Andrews on the Lloyds British backed Jentin Yamaha scored a seventh and sixth place respectively in the two difficult races. Despite rest and physio on his injuries Andrews knew that the tough, demanding 2.2-mile circuit of Cadwell Park would test his fitness and his injuries to the maximum. With no rest around the track the youngster once again achieved two more confidence boosting top ten results, which also promoted him to eighth place in the overall Championship standings. In the new Formula 1 style qualifying sessions Andrews managed to place himself seventh on the grid, but with the new grid system of 3-3-3, this meant that Andrews would start from row three as opposed to the second row. Undeterred he was keen to gain two good starts and achieve two strong place finishes. Andrews secured a good start in both races and was able to gain a place in the first race and move through to sixth position, by lap three the factory Ducati of Leon Camier who managed to pass Andrews and push him back to seventh. Despite his efforts the 25-year-old from Evesham rode a solid but lonely race to finish in seventh place. Race two was much the same and another strong start saw him away with the leading pack. Soon the factory riders were making a break and getting away from the eager Andrews. Setting extremely consistent lap times throughout the 15-lap race Andrews gained a solid sixth position in front of Rizla Suzuki rider Atsushi Watanabe and behind NW200 Ducati rider Michael Rutter. Andrews commented "Today was hard work, Cadwell is so hard on the body and you are constantly moving around on the bike. You have to be 100% fit to tackle a circuit like that and come away with two good results as it's so tough, and when you have injuries like I have it really knocks the wind out of you. Once again the physios helped me out and once again I'm very grateful to them for all their help over the weekend. I'm going to try and rest now for a few weeks before Croft and hope to come back there 100% fit. I really enjoyed the races but glad they weren't any longer. The team worked really hard again all weekend but it's so difficult to stay and keep on the back of those factory boys, no matter how hard you try their bikes are quick, making things that little bit tougher. I'm hoping for some more good results in the closing stages of the Championship." Solid Point Scoring Positions for NW200 Ducati Riders www.nw200ducati.com It was a good weekend for the NW200 Ducati Team at round nine of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Cadwell Park. Michael Rutter on the North West 200 Ducati gained a solid sixth and fifth place respectively at the ultra technical Lincolnshire circuit. His team-mate John Laverty kept his lead in the Daily Star Cup, and is now sitting 111 points clear of his nearest rival Martin Jessopp in the Championship standings. An injured Laverty gained a second place and a win in the two Cup races. Rutter secured a strong sixth place during the new Formula 1 style qualifying session on Sunday and lined up on the second row on the newly formatted 3-3-3 grid. Rutter on the F08 Ducati gained a good start in the first 18-lap race and was sitting in fourth place for the opening ten laps. Struggling to find a good rhythm through the tricky mountain section he was losing time and was passed by Airwaves Ducati riders Shane Byrne and Leon Camier. The second race was cut short to 15-laps and another positive start saw Rutter sitting in a comfortable fifth place at the end of the first lap. Cal Crutchlow crashed out at Hall Bends on lap three promoting Rutter to fourth position. Leon Camier made a strong pass on Rutter into the first corner on lap six, which left him riding in a lonely fifth place for the remaining nine laps. With the absence of James Ellison from the races, due to injury, Rutter has now moved up to sixth in the overall Championship standings. Commenting he said "I'm pleased with the way today went as Cadwell is not one of my favourite tracks and I'm glad to be moving on from here and going away with two good points scoring positions. It's a tricky circuit to master and I was struggling on the Mountain section and losing a lot of time on other riders around there. I've moved up a place in the Championship so hopefully I'll be able to continue to improve at the remaining three rounds of the year." The still suffering John Laverty on the Buildbase NW200 Ducati 1098R battled through the pain barrier to secure a second and first respectively in the Daily Star Cup Championship races. After missing Knockhill, where he crashed heavily breaking two ribs and damaging ligaments in his knee and neck, the youngster worked hard to gain the results he did and in the process he gained a 14th and 15th place respectively in the Superbike Championship. Commenting he said "I'm feeling very second hand after riding in those two races today and it's totally taken it out of me. I knew I had to ride to try and keep the points advantage in the Cup series and I wanted to just do the best I could. I dug deep and worked hard to keep on going and even though I'm sore I'm really happy with the way things went today despite my injuries. I'd like to thank all the Buildbase team for working so hard over the weekend to help me and once again the CJ Physios in the medical centre." Bennetts British round of the HANNspree Superbike World Championship Brands Hatch, UK Sunday 3 August Bennetts BSB Champion conquers the world Reigning Bennetts British Superbike Champion Ryuichi Kiyonari proved that he is world class at Brands Hatch today with a double race victory at the Bennetts round of the HANNspree Superbike World Championship. The Japanese rider - who secured two championship wins during his three years in the domestic series - was on top form at the Kent circuit. Kiyonari has seemingly found it difficult to adapt to the new circuits in his debut Superbike World Championship season, but his true potential shone through today at a track that he knows well. Bennetts British Superbike wildcard rider Tom Sykes also performed well following his first race win and double victory at the last round of the domestic championship at Oulton Park. Sykes enjoyed a strong start to race one and was battling for a top five position before being forced to retire due to a technical problem. He returned to the grid for race two and this time clinched seventh place at the chequered flag - further proving the British rider's talent. Bennetts British round of the Superbike World Championship race one result: 1. R. Kiyonari 36:18.607; 2. T. Bayliss +0.137; 3. M. Biaggi +0.180 Bennetts British round of the Superbike World Championship race two result: 1. R. Kiyonari 36:14.904; 2. N. Haga +1.848; 3. T. Corser +8.883 Superbike World Championship standings (after round ten) 1. Bayliss 334; 2. Neukirchner 252; 3. Corser 242; 4. Checa 233; 5. Haga 230; 6. Nieto 183; 7. Biaggi 166; 8. Kiyonari 165; 9. Fabrizio 161; 10. Xaus 148
2008 Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship Triumph's Glen Richards extended his lead at the top of the 2008 Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship with his second win of the season, and in doing so made it two victories in his two visits to the flowing Cheshire circuit this year. Main championship rival Hudson Kennaugh on board his Yamaha kept the Australian true right to the end of the race after having led for ten of the sixteen laps. Less than two tenths of a second separated the two overseas riders come the finish, with Suzuki's Ian Lowry taking the last podium place from Chris Martin in the dying stages of the race. Saturday afternoon's qualifying session saw Kennaugh grab pole position as only a third of a second covered the top four places. Ironically it was eventual race victor Richards who came off worse in this initial battle for supremacy, the Triumph rider being pushed down to fourth behind Martin and Lowry respectively. Steve Brogan's run of bad luck in the Supersport was to continue as he was demoted to the fifth row after receiving a forty second penalty for cutting the chicane, as well as having to endure severe pain from his injured foot. Brogan's weekend was to go from bad to worse as due to a broken front brake lever this ruled him out of the race on lap one. The thirty-nine strong field thankfully escaped the many rain showers to enjoy a dry race. Richards who was running his spare engine following a problem with his number one motor in qualifying, tucked into a close second place behind Kennaugh during the opening laps, as Lowry, Martin and Steve Plater completed the initial top five. Previous race winner Plater was soon to disappear from the leading pack, with a mechanical problem causing his early retirement. Richards had to wait until lap ten before moving to the front, and managed to hold off a late charge by former South African champion Kennaugh to take an important win. Fuchs-Silkolene are proud to be the official lubricant of the 2008 British Superbike Championship in addition to being title sponsors of the 2008 British Supersport Championship. Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship Results Round 7 - Oulton Park - 20th July 2008 1. Glen Richards (MAP Embassy Racing Triumph) 2. Hudson Kennaugh (Raceways Yamaha) +0.198s 3. Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +3.299s 4. Chris Martin (Gearlink Kawasaki) +6.320s 5. James Webb (Padgetts Honda) +19.481.s 6. James Westmoreland (Centurion Racing) +19.599s 7. Daniel Cooper (Centurion Racing) +27.787s 8. Rob Frost (Team Buff) +27.969s 9. Ben Wylie (Wylie & Holland Racing) +34.383s 10. Sam Owens (Premier Motorsport) +34.814s General standings to date: 1. Glen Richards (MAP Embassy Racing Triumph) 141 2. Hudson Kennaugh (Raceways Yamaha) 116 3. Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 95 4. Steve Brogan (HM Plant Honda) 75 5. James Westmoreland (Centurion Racing) 61 6. Chris Martin (Gearlink Kawasaki) 61 7. Steve Plater (AIM Racing) 45 8. Ian Hutchinson (AIM Yamaha) 42 9. BJ Toal (Virgin Media Yamaha) 40 10. Craig Fitzpatrick (BLDS Couriers) 21 Floodgates open for Sykes at Oulton ParkRizla Suzuki rider Tom Sykes broke his Bennetts British Superbike duck with a fantastic double at Oulton Park this afternoon. In jubilant scenes at the Cheshire track, Sykes took advantage of a fantastic start in both races to secure a maximum points haul and his first wins in Britain’s premier motorcycle racing series. In the first incident-filled Bennetts British Superbike race of the afternoon, Sykes got off to a flying start, taking the holeshot from HM Plant Honda pole-sitter Cal Crutchlow. James Ellison also enjoyed a superb start, jumping from eighth on the grid into second position. The Hydrex Bike Animal man sneaked into the lead on lap two, but Sykes kept Ellison in his sights and re-took the initiative on lap seven. Series leader Shane Byrne remained anonymous until lap ten when Cal Crutchlow and Karl Harris both suffered accidents, which resulted in the Airwaves Ducati man jumping into the final podium position. Race two was a tactical affair, which promised last gasp action. The usual suspects of Sykes, Crutchlow, Haslam and Byrne were once again joined at the front by James Ellison. However, the Hydrex Bike Animal man couldn’t keep on terms with the top four, who battled until the last lap for the win. Byrne, as he had done several times already this season, stalked the lead from fourth position, grabbed third from Haslam but failed to make further progress. Meanwhile, despite intense pressure from Crutchlow, Sykes secured his second victory of the afternoon, and his career, with steely determination. The double win stands Sykes in good stead ahead of his wildcard appearance at the Bennetts supported British round of the Superbike World Championship at Brands Hatch on August 3. Race one result: 1. T. Sykes 29:12.165; 2.J. Ellison +4.779; 3. S. Byrne +5.089 Race two result: 1. T. Sykes 29:04.554; 2. C. Crutchlow +0.097; 3. S. Byrne +0.619 Championship standings: 1. Byrne 312; 2. Crutchlow 213; 3. Sykes 176; 4. Haslam 174; 5. Camier 160; 6. Ellison 150; 7. Rutter 141; 8. Laverty 100; 9. Andrews 90; 10. Palmer 64 Mixed Weekend for NW200 Ducati www.nw200ducati.com It was a mixed weekend for the NW200 Ducati team at round seven of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at the picturesque Oulton Park circuit. Michael Rutter on the North West 200 F08 Ducati scored a seventh and 11th place respectively in the two 18-lap races. Team-mate John Laverty on the Buildbase NW200 1098R Ducati gained two extremely positive wins in the Daily Star Cup races, which also resulted in a stunning 10th and 13th place in the overall Championship results. In the mixed weather conditions at the Cheshire circuit throughout the weekend the two riders rode well through a difficult qualifying session, where the weather proved temperamental. Rutter secured seventh place and John Laverty gained 15th place on the grid. In the blustery, wet and sunny conditions it was difficult to get a consistent set of laps on the Ducati's and find the ideal set up for the two races around the technical 2.7-mile track. Rutter got boxed into the first corner during the first race and was lying in tenth place after the first lap. Dicing in the early stages with Billy McConnell, Rutter was soon sitting in a lonely eighth place at half distance, Karl Harris crashed out at Shell corner and Cal Crutchlow crashed at Britten's but re-joined. Sitting in sixth position Rutter began to suffer electrical problems with his Ducati and had to fight hard to bring the NW200 Ducati home in seventh place. Rutter gained a much better start in race two and held his qualifying place after the opening lap but once again suffered mid-way through the race with technical problems and fell back to 11th. A disappointed Rutter commented "It's a shame to have got the results I did today as I was on a real high after my win at Mallory the other week. Once again we struggled with the traction control, which we turned off for the second race, this made the bike a little quicker and also feel better in some parts around the track but on the flip side it also effected me in other places. We are going to look again at the problems and hopefully find a solution for Knockhill in a couple of week's time. I was pretty happy with my result in the first race but not the second and I want to be back near the front of the pack for the remainder of the season. I'm confident we'll get it sorted and look forward to be back dicing with the leaders at Knockhill." In contrast John Laverty on the Buildbase NW200 Ducati had a fantastic weekend and equalled his best overall position of tenth place in the first race and two extremely solid wins in the Daily Star Cup races. He now leads the Cup Championship by a massive 135 points from his nearest rival Martin Jessopp. Laverty was locked in a tight fast battle in race one with elder brother Michael, Scott Smart and James Haydon for ninth position, only being beaten to the line by his brother. John Laverty rode an extremely consistent race and was locked in a fraught dice on his Superstock machine against some of factory built machinery. Race two proved just as tough for the young Irishman and he finished fractionally ahead of Gary Mason to take another cup win, making his win tally to eight wins from 14 starts. A content Laverty commented "I'm really pleased with the results today, the Buildbase NW200 boys have worked really hard and it's nice to take the double win again in the Cup plus two good overall results. I felt happy all weekend with everything and the results just made it all worthwhile. It's sometimes tricky still being on a stock bike as the factory bikes obviously have the slight edge with speed and handling but the old girl did me proud today and I hope I'll be able to carry on with this form at Knockhill." Best Results of the Season for Andrews www.si-andrews.co.uk Simon Andrews riding for the Lloyds British Jentin Racing team gained his best results of the season so far at round seven of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park this weekend. Andrews gained a solid fifth and sixth place respectively in the two 18-lap races at the tricky Cheshire circuit. The youngster from Evesham rode extremely well throughout the weekend at the technical 2.9-mile circuit. Andrews was setting very consistent times through the two practice sessions he participated in, missing the third session due to horrendous weather conditions. Looking forward to qualifying he finally managed to get a trouble free qualifying session and secured his highest grid position to date of sixth place. Eager to get two strong results Andrews gained a great start in the opening race holding his position of sixth at the end of the opening lap. Shakey Byrne came past Andrews on lap three but then Harris and Crutchlow both crashed out in separate incidents on lap nine promoting Andrews to a lonely but comfortable fifth position a great result for Andrews and the Jentin Team. Keen to get a similar result in the second race the youngster once again secured a good start and had dropped one place to seventh at the end of the opening lap. Andrews tried to pass Michael Rutter into the first corner on lap two but went in too hot and took a small excursion down the grass, rejoining in 11th place Andrews had his work cut out. Fighting hard he made some very impressive moves on Billy McConnell, Scott Smart, Michael Rutter, Karl Harris and finally Michael Laverty to gain a hard fought sixth place. A delighted Andrews said "I'm really pleased with the results this weekend as everyone has been working really hard to get to this point. We finally got a trouble free weekend and everything just fell into place, these are the best results I have got all season and hopefully we have now turned a corner and we can get similar results in the remaining races. I made a small mistake in the second race and ran wide but knew if I got my head down I could get past people as I knew I had a good race pace, I had to make some strong passes and luckily they all pulled off. I'd like to thank all the team at Jentin for helping me so much and fingers crossed this will continue. I'm really looking forward to competing as a wild card at Brands next weekend and it will be interesting to see what results we can get there." Andrews next outing will be at the World Superbike race at Brands Hatch where the Lloyds British Jentin Racing Team have gained a wild card placing to compete against some of the best riders in the World. Brands Hatch World Superbikes takes place on the 1st - 3rd August. Strong Results For Centurion Racing www.centurionracing.net It was another solid weekend for the Centurion Racing team at round seven of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship at Oulton Park. The two riders James Westmoreland and Dan Cooper once again scored two healthy top ten finishes with a sixth and seventh place respectively. James Westmoreland had been running in a good position throughout the weekend despite the inconsistent weather conditions, which played havoc through all the practice and qualifying sessions. He was looking all set for a front row start in the final qualifying session and was just bettered by Ian Lowry and Glen Richards in the closing stages, qualifying in fifth position the youngster was eager for a good result. Dan Cooper had been riding a new bike all weekend and was trying to adjust to the new machine and find a comfortable set up for the 16-lap race. Struggling through all the sessions Cooper could only manage to qualify in 18th position on the grid. As they sat on the grid it was confirmed that Marty Nutt would take no further part in the race and Honda's Steve Brogan went out of the race on the opening lap. Both Centurion riders got good starts with Westy lying in sixth at the end of the opening lap and Cooper making an incredible lunge through the pack and was already sitting in 12th position. Westy was battling with Rob Frost in the early stages of the race and was soon chasing down James Webb who he was unable to make a move on and had to settle for sixth position overall. Cooper was picking off riders on every lap and was surging through the fierce field. He made strong passes on Ben Wylie, Sam Owens and Ian Hutchinson and was left fighting with the wild Rob Frost. Cautiously making a move on him on the penultimate lap to secure him a very strong seventh place and equalling his best result of the season so far. Westy commented "I'm pretty pleased with the result I got today is more solid Championship points in the bag. I'm disappointed that I couldn't get away with the front runners and put up more of a fight but I still got sixth so can't complain too much. I got stuck behind James Webb and was struggling to find a good safe place to pass him. I'm looking forward to Knockhill in a couple of week's time." Cooper added "It was a whole new experience for me this weekend, as I had a new bike, which I love but it took a little getting used to and setting up. My mechanics worked really hard through the weekend and by the time the race came I was feeling pretty confident. I rode a very hard and solid race and I knew I could do ok if I got a good start, thankfully I did and worked my way through the pack. I just need to work on my qualifying position now as if I get that sorted the results will be a bit easier to obtain."
Kennaugh becomes the first double winner Yamaha's Hudson Kennaugh became the first rider to record more than one win in the 2008 Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship, as he took a convincing second victory at a rain hit Mallory Park. Last round victor Steve Plater followed Hudson home, but was a long way behind in the tricky conditions as a heavy shower delayed the start of the race by twenty minutes and reduced the race distance by two laps. Ian Lowry on his Relentless Suzuki completed the podium, as championship leader Glen Richards finished in fifth spot just behind Plater's team mate Ian Hutchinson. Richards had looked strong throughout Saturday's qualifying session, and took pole position from Hutchinson with twelve minutes of the session still remaining. Saturday's action was brought to a premature close when Chris Martin's Kawasaki suffered a technical problem that left oil on the Leicestershire circuit. Thankfully Martin had posted the fourth fastest time before disaster struck, putting him just behind Lowry and in front of the emerging talent of James Westmoreland for Sunday's grid positions. The rain that had threatened all day eventually arrived with the Supersport riders on the grid, which forced a delayed start and a frenzy of action as the teams swapped slicks for wet weather tyres as the track soon became sodden in a matter of a few minutes. Amongst a wall of spray it was Richards who appeared from the mist as the early leader, but the Triumph rider was soon hunted down and left for dead as Kennaugh eventually crossed the line some twenty seconds ahead of Plater who had picked his way into second place. Both Hudson and Lowry have now moved ahead of Steve Brogan in the overall standings, after the Honda teamster crashed out well before half distance. Fuchs-Silkolene are proud to be the official lubricant of the 2008 British Superbike Championship in addition to being title sponsors of the 2008 British Supersport Championship. Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship Results Round 6 - Mallory Park - 29th June 2008 1. Hudson Kennaugh (Raceways Yamaha) 2. Steve Plater (AIM Yamaha) +20.161s 3. Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +21.398s 4. Ian Hutchinson (AIM Yamaha) +23.684s 5. Glen Richards (MAP Embassy Racing) +30.398s 6. James Westmoreland (Centurion Racing) +35.076s 7. BJ Toal (Virgin Media Yamaha) +41.846s 8. James Webb (Padgetts Honda) +42.958s 9. Daniel Cooper (Centurion Honda) +51.323s 10. Marty Nutt (Nutt Travel Yamaha) +52.600s More Top Tens For Centurion Racing www.centurionracing.net Centurion Racing riders James Westmoreland and Dan Cooper gained two solid results at round six of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship at Mallory Park this weekend. Westmoreland once again showed the promise that he showed at Snetterton a few weeks ago and gained a good sixth place with Dan Cooper not far behind in ninth position. Westmoreland rode extremely well throughout the weekend and sat happily at the top of the time sheets during Friday's practice session. Dropping to fifth place during qualifying but only 0.4 off pole the youngster who celebrated his 20th Birthday last week was eager to gain another podium. Cooper had been struggling throughout the weekend at Mallory Park and with the close times he managed to work his way through to 13th place on the grid. The heavens opened just as the Supersport riders lined up on the grid and it was a frantic panic with all team to choose the correct tyres. The race was cut from 28-laps to 24 and the two Centurion riders were eager to gain good results and both opted for full wet tyres. Westy held seventh place at the end of lap two with Cooper securing a great start and was through to ninth position. Westmoreland was locked in a battle with factory Honda rider Steve Brogan who then crashed out on lap five leaving the young Centurion rider in a race of his own in sixth place. Cooper was fighting hard with Marty Nutt and Rob Frost who he eventually got the better of at the chequered flag. Westy commented "I'm pretty happy with my result, it was mental on the grid and everyone was running around trying to get tyres sorted. The weather suddenly turned really bad which I knew would make for an interesting race. I'd been running really well all weekend at Mallory and I was keen to try and get another podium, it wasn't to be this time but I'm still very happy with the result I got." Cooper added "I'm really pleased with this result as I've been struggling a bit at the last few rounds but managed to pull it together this weekend. I'd like to thank all the Centurion Team for working so hard and glad I could get the top ten finish that I did. I struggled at the start of the weekend to put the lap times together but we finally found a good setting and I just got my head down. I was having a real scarp in the race and hopefully I can carry on like this at the remaining rounds." It is with great regret that Centurion Racing would like to announce that Dennis Hobbs will not be able to ride for the rest of the season due to a serious shoulder injury he sustained at Thruxton Circuit. Hobbs who has been hoping he would get the all clear from the physio has since found out that he now requires an operation to regain feeling in his shoulder. The Centurion Racing Team would like to wish Dennis a speedy recovery and also to wish him luck for his forthcoming wedding to Gemma. Rainman Rutter reigns Two further faultless displays of riding from Bennetts British Superbike Championship leader Shane Byrne marked round six of the series at Mallory Park in Leicestershire. However, it was not enough to secure another double victory for the Airwaves Ducati rider. The opening race of the day ran in dry conditions and produced familiar results with Shakey Byrne claiming the top step of the podium, followed by HM Plant Honda team-mates Leon Haslam and Cal Crutchlow respectively. Drama came in the form of an opening lap crash for Leon Camier, forcing him to retire early form the race. Michael Rutter and Michael Laverty also ran off the track with Rutter unable to re-join the action. A reversal of fortunes in race two saw Laverty crash out of contention while leading the pack with a comfortable advantage. However, former Kirkby Mallory resident Rutter surprised the crowd with a seemingly easy victory. Tyre choice proved crucial for the second 30-lap battle of the day. The race was declared wet but with a drying track and bright sunshine, selecting the right tyres enabled Rutter to reap the rewards. He was followed past the chequered flag by Shakey and Crutchlow, who enjoyed an impressive charge through the field in the second half of the race. Bennetts British Superbike Championship race one result: 1. S. Byrne 28:33.049; 2. L. Haslam +1.024; 3. C. Crutchlow +1.147 Bennetts British Superbike Championship race two result: 1. M. Rutter 18:41.592; 2. S. Byrne +4.405; 3. C. Crutchlow +4.596 Bennetts British Superbike championship standings (after round six) 1. Byrne 280; 2. Crutchlow 183; 3. Camier 160; 4. Haslam 148; 5. M. Rutter 127; 6. Sykes 126; 7. Ellison 119; 8. Laverty 84; 9. Andrews 69; 10. Easton 62 Solid Results for Andrews www.jentinracing.com www.si-andrews.co.uk The Lloyds British Jentin Racing secured some solid results this weekend at Mallory Park, rider Simon Andrews gained two strong seventh places finishes in the sixth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship. At one stage in race two Andrews was battling hard with the factory riders for a good podium position. The 25-year-old qualified in 13th position on the grid, it was a dramatic qualifying session for Andrews as he was shown the black and orange flag mid way through qualifying and the youngster was forced to pull in, which lost him valuable track time. On the small 1.4-mile circuit it is difficult to get a clear track during qualifying and this set back lost Andrews vital time. After checking the bike thoroughly no problem was found and Andrews continued with his challenge for a good grid position. Starting on the fourth row was always going to be difficult for him to carve his way through the field but two stunning starts saw him fighting hard which eventually turned into two very solid point scoring positions. Andrews gained two places at the end of the opening lap in race one and was locked in a fierce battle throughout the race with Billy McConnell and Tristan Palmer, finally finishing in seventh place. Race two proved very exciting for Andrews and the Jentin Racing team, with rain showers prior to the second race, tyre choice proved vital, running an intermediate front and rear Andrews was pleased with his choice and ready to race. As the light turned green for the 30-lap race Andrews got a flying start and was up to 8th after the opening lap. By lap five Andrews had passed Championship leader Shane Byrne and was sitting in fourth place and looking eager for a podium, by lap nine Andrews had moved into a comfortably second position and was looking to gain a positive result at the end of the 30 laps. Sadly for him the tyres began to wear and the factory bikes took advantage, Andrews held a solid podium position up to lap 18 and was unfortunate not to have finished higher in the overall standings. An extremely pleased Andrews said "We're definitely getting there and I'm really pleased with the results that I got for myself and also the team today. I have equalled my best result to date and I know things are moving forward, it was a great feeling running up at the front but I just had a feeling that the factory boys would get the better of me in the closing stages of the race. I hope we can carry this form through the rest of the season and I'd like to thank the entire Jentin Racing team for working so hard throughout the weekend. We have a few weeks off now so hopefully things will continue this way at Oulton Park."
Airwaves Ducati reign supreme Round five of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Snetterton in Norfolk brought changeable weather conditions and dramatic racing, but it was Airwaves Ducati who reigned supreme in both races. The 21-lap race one ran in dry and bright conditions with HM Plant Honda’s Leon Haslam seizing the holeshot from fourth position on the grid. However, by lap four, Leon Camier had passed him and started to carve out an advantage at the front of the pack. The Airwaves Ducati rider held on to the position for the majority of the race, but by the final lap team-mate Shane Byrne had caught him and mounted a serious challenge for the race win. Camier remained determined and, despite stiff competition from series leader Byrne, emerged victorious from the fierce final lap dogfight between the team-mates. Race two was a different story with all riders being evacuated from the grid for a delayed start after heavy rain began to fall. A reduced 15-lap race re-started and Camier took the holeshot into turn one ahead of Karl Harris and Byrne. However, misfortune struck early and Harris slid off in front of the series leader – causing him to brake to avoid the fallen rider and pushing him down into 13th position. Byrne fought back from the setback with a display of faultless riding on the drying track to move his way towards the front of the field. By lap 14 Byrne had closed the advantage between him and his team-mate and seized the opportunity to take the lead when Camier was held up by a backmarker. The series leader hung on to first place for the race win and a maximum 25 points towards his overall tally. Strong Result for NW200 Ducati www.nw200ducati.com The NW200 Ducati team gained some positive results at the ultra fast Snetterton Circuit today, 15th June, in round five of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship. Riders Michael Rutter riding the Ducati F08 Ducati gained a ninth place in the opening 21-lap race and a strong fourth place in the second, wet 15-lap race. Team-mate John Laverty on the 1098 R Buildbase NW200 Ducati got two consistent second places in the Daily Star Cup races. Rutter struggled slightly in the first Superbike race with power issues at the extremely fast 1.9-mile circuit; he had to settle for ninth position after battling hard with James Ellison. The second race saw the weather conditions deteriorate rapidly as the Norfolk track was hit with thunder, lightning and heavy rain. A previous accident prior to the Superbike race at the Russell chicane, saw a large amount of oil fall on the track, the wet conditions meant that the Race Directors had to ensure the track was safe before sending the Superbikes out. This forced the race to be delayed and cut short to 15-laps and not 21-laps as originally planned. Rutter gained a good start and was fortunate to avoid a collision with Karl Harris when he crashed at the Esses. Falling back to sixth at one point Rutter got his head down in the closing stages of the race and made smooth passes on Michael Laverty and Leon Haslam taking fourth place at the chequered flag, he now only lies one point behind James Ellison for fifth in the Championship. Speaking with Rutter he said "I struggled a bit throughout the weekend with the Ducati and we have to try and solve the problem and be back on the pace at Mallory. I managed to qualify on the second row but knew that I would have my work cut out during the races. Snetterton is such a fast circuit and I had to work hard to stay with the front runners. The bad weather for the second race seemed to work in my favour as it slowed the pace down slightly. I was a bit careful out there for the first few laps, as there was a lot of standing water but I pushed harder mid way through the race and got back past Michael and Leon. I'm pleased with the second race result and looking forward to Mallory with it being my home circuit." John Laverty further extended his lead in the Daily Star Cup Championship to 93-points from his nearest rival Martin Jessopp. Laverty rode two solid places and gained two second places in the Cup and two sixteenth places in the overall Superbike races. Laverty who has been dominating the Daily Star Cup has had his work cut out since former Superbike racer Gary Mason returned to the Championship, Mason has previously finished overall in the top ten in the Superbike class and therefore is providing Laverty with some fierce competition. Laverty commented "I'm pleased with my two second place finishes as I'm still riding on the stock Ducati so I'm having to work very hard to stay with the Superbike boys. I'm enjoying the challenge but it sometimes proves difficult as I want to try and get better results in the overall series. The team once again worked really hard for me and I'm glad I was able to get two podiums for them! Gary (Mason) is pushing me hard and hopefully we can have a better battle at Mallory in a couple of weeks time. I still have a good lead in the Championship and want to keep working on extending that lead." Bennetts British Superbike Championship race one result: 1. L. Camier 23:13.162; 2. S. Byrne +0.092; 3. T. Sykes +0.597 Bennetts British Superbike Championship race two result: 1. S. Byrne 18:41.592; 2. L. Camier +2.433; 3. C. Crutchlow +6.012 Bennetts British Superbike championship standings (after round five) 1. Byrne 235; 2. Camier 152; 3. Crutchlow 151; 4. Haslam 118; 5. Ellison 103; 6. Rutter 102; 7. Sykes 100; 8. Laverty 79; 9. Easton 62; 10. Andrews 51
Plater makes a winning debut Fresh from his maiden TT on the Isle of Man, Steve Plater made an emphatic debut in the 2008 Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship with a close fought win over series leader Glen Richards. Honda mounted James Westmoreland took the final rostrum place to record his first ever Supersport podium finish after having battled hard with Hudson Kennaugh throughout the shortened race. Plater became the fifth different victor in this year's highly competitive series, with the AIM Yamaha teamster confirming that he will now compete in all the remaining rounds. Richards had claimed the first victory of the weekend at the ultra fast Norfolk circuit, taking pole position from Plater by the slimmest of margins as less than a tenth of a second separated the top four riders. The quickest times were recorded during Saturday's morning session, as damp conditions in the second afternoon session prevented the riders improving their track pace. With dark clouds overhead Richards took the initial lead in Sunday's race, with Plater, Kennaugh and a slightly surprised Westmoreland all in close company as this leading quartet soon broke clear of the rest of the field. Work to Richard's Triumph since the last round at Donington to give him more top end speed appeared to benefitting the Australian as he held off the attentions of Plater until eventual half race distance. Knowing that the threat of rain could bring a premature end to the race at any point, Richards and Plater traded the lead lap after lap during the second half of the race in the hope that they would be in the commanding position at the critical time. An incident as the rain began to fall saw the race red flagged four laps short of full race distance, giving Plater the win just ahead of Richards, who now heads the overall standings by thirty points. Fuchs-Silkolene are proud to be the official lubricant of the 2008 British Superbike Championship in addition to being title sponsors of the 2008 British Supersport Championship. Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship Results Round 5 - Snetterton - 15th June 2008 1. Steve Plater (AIM Yamaha) 2. Glen Richards (MAP Embassy Racing) +0.192s 3. James Westmoreland (Centurion Racing) +0.408s 4. Hudson Kennaugh (Raceways Yamaha) +0.698s 5. Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +7.726s 6. Steve Brogan (HM Plant Honda) +7.944s 7. Ashley Beech (Colin Appleyard / Macadam R'g) +8.250s 8. Chris Martin (Gearlink Kawasaki) +8.553s 9. Rob Frost (Team Buff) +8.993s 10. Marty Nutt (Nutt Travel / T+G) +10.065s Debut Podium for Centurion & Westmoreland www.centurionracing.net James Westmoreland secured Centurion Racing their first British Supersport podium this weekend at round five of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport round at Snetterton circuit. Westmoreland grabbed a stunning third place after running with the leaders throughout the 18-lap race and passing experienced rider Hudson Kennaugh in the closing stages, shortly before the race was red-flagged due to an accident. Young Westmoreland who celebrates his 20th Birthday next week gained an early Birthday present at the super fast Norfolk track. Running consistently strong throughout the weekend it was looking likely that Westy would be able to get on the podium. Not even half way through the season and the youngster has got to grips with his Honda 600 and is now eager to get similar results at the remaining rounds of the series. Westy qualified in a healthy fifth position and missed second qualifying late in the afternoon on Saturday due to the heavy rain, the team opted out as the circuit was un-ride-able and no-one would improve on the dry qualifying times that were set in the morning. His team-mate Dan Cooper could only manage to qualify in 18th place in the fiercely competitive series. Westy gained a fantastic start and was away with the leading pack, Glen Richards, Steve Plater and Hudson Kennaugh. As they bridged a huge gap on the rest of the field Westy was able to stay with the front runners and made a clean pass on Kennaugh the South African on lap 12 at the bottom of the fast Revett Straight into the Esses. It was perfect timing from Westy as the race was red flagged just one lap later after an accident at Russell Corner. A delighted Westy commented "I'm so pleased that I managed to get onto the podium, not just for myself but for the whole Centurion Racing Team who have worked so hard and kept their faith in me for the last couple of years and it's nice to be able to repay them. I was running well all weekend and I knew if I got a good start I could run with the front runners and push for a podium. I hope this won't be a one off and that I can continue running at this end of the pack at the future races. I'd just like to say a big thanks to all the people that have helped me get here." Dan Cooper could only salvage 16th place from 18th place on the grid. He got blocked into the first corner and struggled to stay with the riders in front of him, battling hard the youngster was unable to break into a points scoring positions. A disappointed Cooper said "I'm gutted not to have scored any points this weekend I just couldn't seem to stay with the guys in front of me down the long back straight. I know the team have worked really hard and I wish I could have brought it home in a better position for the team. I would like to congratulate Westy on his first podium, he did a great job. I would also like to wish Midge Smart a speedy recovery as his crash was the cause of the red flag and I narrowly missed hitting him after he crashed. Hopefully I can turn things around at Mallory in a couple of weeks time." Second for Fitzpatrick www.craigfitzpatrick.com Craig Fitzpatrick and his run of British Supersport Cup victories came to an end at Snetterton Circuit at the weekend, Fitzpatrick had to settle for second place in the Fuchs-Silkolene supported series. Fitzpatrick on the BLDS Couriers Yamaha finished 14th in the overall race and only 0.6 from his nearest Cup rival Andy Weymouth. Fortunately for the 30-year-old he acquired a second race bike for Snetterton thanks to his sponsors BLDS, Close Print and race developments. The second machine came into good use when Fitzpatrick’s number one bike suffered an electrical problem early on in the first qualifying sessions. After swapping parts around between the two machines he managed to get out on the new bike for the remainder of the qualifying session and finished 14th. With the second session being wet times were not improved during the afternoon session. Riding a machine which had just been built two days before the race weekend took some getting used to and with the wet qualifying session Fitzpatrick had to further test some components in morning warm-up, making further changes before the race. A poor start in the race saw Fitzpatrick fall to 22nd place after the opening lap. He slowly had to work his way through the field and plough through the riders, he was locked in a battle for 12th position and fought his way through to 14th place. Craig said “It’s been a hard weekend, we had a lot of work to do on the second bike as it wasn’t set up at all and I’d not even ridden it before. My number one bike broke in first qualifying and therefore we had to change the engine and loom over into the number two bike to make it feel similar. I’d like to thank my mechanic James and K-Tech for all their help over the weekend and although I didn’t get the race win I think we was lucky to even start the race!! I still have a good lead in the Cup Championship and hope I can get back to my winning ways at Mallory.” Cup Race Result Weymouth Yamaha Fitzpatrick Yamaha Walter Triumph Cup Standings Fitzpatrick 120 Weymouth 105 Hipwell 64 General standings to date: 1. Glen Richards (MAP Embassy Racing) 105 2. Steve Brogan (HM Plant Honda) 75 3. Hudson Kennaugh (Raceways Yamaha) 71 4. Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 63 5. Chris Martin (Gearlink Kawasaki) 48 6. James Westmoreland (Centurion Racing) 41 7. Craig Fitzpatrick (BLDS Couriers) 31 8. BJ Toal (Virgin Media Yamaha) 31 9. Marty Nutt (Nutt Travel / T+G) 25 10. Steve Plater (AIM Yamaha) 25 Next event: Round 6 - Mallory Park - 29th June 2008 Win for Roberts at Nürbergring www.brendan-roberts.com Australian Brendan Roberts took a stunning win at round four of the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup at Nürbergring, Germany. Roberts on the Ducati 1098R gained the full hat-trick over the weekend with Pole Position, fastest lap/new lap record, (with it being a new circuit) and also the race win, his second of the season. This places the youngster in second place in the overall Championship standings. Roberts riding for the Ducati Xerox Junior Team looked extremely strong throughout the weekend at the 5.1-km circuit. After a number of changes were made to the circuit he was eager to make an impression and did just that throughout the weekend. A strong start from the Australian saw him sitting in second place into the tight first corner and he was led by Davide Giugliano and was being hunted down by Championship leader Xavier Simeon. The trio were dicing with each other throughout the 11-lap race were swapping positions at various stages through the race. Roberts set a fastest lap time on lap five of 1:59.970, making him the only rider in the Superstock class to go under the two minutes time over the entire weekend. He managed to bridge a gap from the hounding pair on lap six but they were soon back on his tail and fighting hard for the race victory. By lap nine Roberts had once again pushed through to the front after dropping to third place momentarily and he was eager to secure his second win of the season. Battling hard Roberts fought off the pressure from Giugliano and Simeon and gained a fantastic win by only 0.3 from Giugliano. A delighted Roberts said "I'm really pleased to have taken the win today, things have gone really well throughout the weekend and the team worked very hard to make sure everything was right and went to plan. I needed to win this for the team and also to keep my Championship hopes alive. We're back on track now and hopefully the bike gremlins that we had at the last round are behind us and things will continue going like this for the rest of the season. My next stop is Misano so it'd be good to go for another win or a podium there, fingers crossed." Race results: 1. Brendan Roberts Ducati 1098R Xerox Junior Team 2. D.Giugliano Suzuki 3. X.Simeon Suzuki 4. M.Pirro Yamaha Championship Standings: 1. X.Simeon 73 points; 2. Brendan Roberts 63; 3. D.Giugliano 48; 4. M.Berger 43;
Bennetts British Superbike Championship frontrunner Shane 'Shakey' Byrne extended his lead at the top of the points table with a glorious double victory at Donington Park this afternoon. Following a magnificent qualifying performance, Byrne began today's races on pole position. The first Bennetts British Superbike race was one of the closest of the season so far. After qualifying second on the grid, Hydrex Bike Animal Honda rider James Ellison grabbed the holeshot. However, by the beginning of lap three, Byrne had taken his place at the front of the field. It was a lead built to last as he held on until the chequered flag, despite a spirited challenge by second-placed Leon Haslam. Rizla Suzuki ma n Tom Sykes fought his way through the field to claim the final step on the podium. Race two proved far more challenging for Byrne. After a poor start saw him slip down the field to seventh, it seemed unlikely that the former double champion would claim the spoils. However, Byrne took the lead from Leon Haslam on lap 17 and never looked back to secure his sixth win of the season. Haslam's HM Plant Honda team-mate Cal Crutchlow continued his strong start to the season with a well-deserved third place. Consistency for NW200 Ducati www.nw200ducati.com It was a consistent day for the NW200 Ducati team at Donington Park, Monday 26th May. In the blustery conditions Michael Rutter on the North West 200 Ducati F08 gained two eighth positions in the Bennetts British Superbike series with his team-mate John Laverty on the Buildbase NW200 1098 R Ducati securing a win and second place in the Daily Star Cup races. Fresh from his Superbike win at the North West 200 last week, Rutter was eager to continue his form and retain his fourth position in the overall Championship. In the wet conditions for Sunday's qualifying at Donington he secured a fantastic front row start, putting the NW200 Ducati in third position on the grid. Electrical problems during morning warm up on Monday forced Rutter to ride his spare bike in both races. The 36-year-old got fantastic starts in the two 20-lap races and was battling with the front runners for a podium position. Struggling with power out of the corners he was unable to match the pace of the leaders and was left in a lonely eighth position in both Superbike races. A disappointed Rutter commented "I'm a bit gutted to have finished where I did as it's my worst results of the season so far. I've found it difficult all weekend to find a good set up and with the rain yesterday we missed out on vital dry track time. The circuit was very greasy and that meant the bike was moving around a lot more than normal. I was really happy with my qualifying position and upset with myself that I wasn't able to turn that into two strong race finishes. The team was again worked very hard and it's been an extremely busy month for us all, we went from Oulton to Brands, then the North West and now here, it will be nice to have a few weeks off and allow us all too fully recharge our batteries and be back in fighting form at Snetterton." John Laverty further extended his lead in the Daily Star Cup Championship; he now holds an 84-point advantage from his nearest rival Martin Jessopp. Laverty once again took a stunning win in the Cup and a solid second in the second race. The youngster from Ballymena, Northern Ireland secured two 16th places in the overall Championship narrowly missing out on the points. John said "I'm really pleased with the results that I got at Donington today, the weather has been so mixed over the weekend and we had to try a number of different settings on the bike to get something that felt right. I think the weather covered all aspects at Donington and gave us some good data, which I'm sure will be useful in the future at other rounds. The team have worked really well and I'm pleased that I managed to get the results for them and I must thank them all. Gary Mason is back in Superbikes now and he's running in the Cup series so I'm sure he'll be pushing me hard at future races and will be making me dig deep for the Championship title. I'm looking forward to the break and coming back and extending my lead further at Snetterton." Race one result: 1. S. Byrne 32:01.058; 2.L. Haslam +2.473; 3. T. Sykes +3.442 Race two result: 1. S. Byrne 31:06.337; 2. L. Haslam +0.355; 3. C. Crutchlow +1.447 Championship standings: 1. Byrne 190; 2. Crutchlow 122; 3. Camier 107; 4. Haslam 96; 5. Ellison 88; 6. Rutter 82; 7. Sykes 75; 8 . Easton 62; 9. Laverty 59; 10. Andrews 37 Stunning Results for Andrews www.jentinracing.com www.si-andrews.co.uk Simon Andrews of the Lloyds British backed Jentin racing team rode two incredible races at Donington Park and scored his first double finish of the 2008 season. After a heavy crash during qualifying the 25-year-old knew he would have to face the pain barrier after being left in 24th position on the grid. The youngster then followed up with a fantastic 10th and ninth place respectively in the two 20-lap Bennetts British Superbike races. Andrews who for a variety of reasons has not been able to show his true form this season, certainly managed it in style at Donington, a circuit which he has never ridden before on a Superbike machine. In the horrendous wet weather conditions on qualifying day at the 2.5-mile circuit, Andrews crashed heavily at Starkey's Bridge damaging his shoulder and thumb. Badly battered and bruised he fought on and secured the Jentin team some very creditable results and he also gained the Airwaves Kick Up A Gear award for the rider gaining the most places in both races. With a huge amount of work to do Andrews was eager for this new challenge and he knew that he would have to dig deep to gain two good results for the team. Starting virtually at the back of the grid he got two fantastic starts in both races and was soon carving his way through the tough Superbike field. By the end of lap one he had worked his way through to 15th position and into a points scoring place. Not satisfied with just a points position Andrews worked exceptionally hard and pushed through to tenth place. The second race was just as tough and Andrews was certainly on a mission to beat his position from race one, starting once again from the back, a fantastic start saw him gain six places by the end of lap one. By lap five the youngster was up to 14th place behind the two factory Kawasaki's of Stuart Easton and Billy McConnell. On the final lap he had matched his position in race one but was hunting Gary Mason down and a strong pass saw Andrews secure ninth place and complete two incredible rides from the Evesham based rider. Commenting he said "I hurt myself pretty badly in the crash on Sunday and I wasn't sure if I would be able to race or not. Thankfully I went to see the physio's at the medical centre and they strapped me up and worked on my shoulder, they did a great job and I'd like to thank them for that. We decided to race on the Monday and I'm really pleased we did, I had to dig deep but I was really determined to get two good finishes. With starting at the back I didn't really have any expectations as I had no idea what would happen so I just worked hard and wasn't thinking about the result. It's a great confidence lift for myself and the team and I'd like to thank them all for working so hard and I'm really looking forward to Snetterton now." Fourth Win for Fitzpatrick www.craigfitzpatrick.com Craig Fitzpatrick took his fourth straight win on the BLDS Couriers Yamaha at round found of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship at Donington Park. Fitzpatrick also managed to finish in a strong eighth place in the overall Championship result. In the windy conditions at Donington and with mixed weather throughout the weekend the 30-year-old now living in Alfreton rode consistently throughout and was keen to further extend his lead in the Cup series. In the first practice session on Saturday he managed to finish in fifth position at the end of the session. Four extra riders were present at Donington Park, all from the exclusive World Supersport series who were at the circuit for testing purposes in preparations for their race at Donington later in the year. Fitzpatrick finished the opening session only 1.4 seconds behind World Supersport contender Andrew Pitt. The opening qualifying session was dry and Fitzpatrick did a time which would see him qualify in twelfth position on the grid. Heavy rain showers on Sunday afternoon saw the circuit turn extremely greasy and Fitzpatrick opted out of the second session in the hope of a dry race on the Monday. Luckily for him it was dry although it was extremely windy. A good start saw Fitzpatrick move to ninth position by the end of the opening lap, a fraught battling was taking place for seventh place and Fitzpatrick got pushed wide on lap 13 and was pushed back from seventh to tenth place. Crossing the line in tenth place the two Hannspree riders were later excluded from the results promoting Fitzpatrick to eighth place. Speaking with Craig after the race he said “I’m really pleased to get another win in the Cup and I’m pretty happy with my overall result too. The weather played havoc with everyone this weekend and with the track being so slippery throughout the weekend it made it hard to find a good race set up. With were working hard with the suspension people and trying and testing different aspects and we have definitely made progress with the bike this weekend and hope we continue to move forward at the remaining races left. We have a bit of a break now which is ideal as it allows me to do a bit of work on the bike and to see if we can get anything more from it. I’m looking forward to Snetterton in a couple of weeks time.” Mixed Fortunes for Centurion Racing www.centurionracing.net It was a mixed weekend for the Centurion Racing team at round four of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship. Riders James Westmoreland and Daniel Cooper gained a 10th and 19th place respectively in the 18-lap race. With wintry conditions hitting Donington Park over the weekend, making it difficult to find good tyres and a good bike set up on their Honda 600 machines. Both riders struggled during qualifying to get a good feeling on the bike at the technical 2.5-mile circuit. With Westmoreland qualifying in a respectable ninth place and Cooper in a low 19th position. Westmoreland moved to sixth fastest in the wet qualifying and found a good race set up for the wet but although bad weather was predicted on Monday the blustery winds enabled it to stay dry. Cooper crashed in second qualifying early in the session at the first corner and was unable to rejoin the session. Four World Supersport riders joined the British Championship this weekend in preparation for their race at Donington in September, Andrew Pitt, Jonathan Rea, Craig Jones and Miguel Praia. Pitt and Rea were later excluded from their first and second place due to fuel regulations. It was a good opportunity for the Centurion Riders to gain some vital knowledge and information from some of the World's best riders. During the 18-lap race Westy was locked in a tight battle with Craig Fitzpatrick, Paul Young, BJ Toal, Ben Wylie and Sam Owens for tenth position, they fought for positions lap after lap with young Westmoreland eventually getting the better of Toal, Wylie and Owens over the finish line and securing 12th position, being promoted to 10th after the race classification was amended. Dan Cooper struggled all weekend with the Centurion Honda and despite the best efforts of the mechanics was unable to find a comfortable and good bike set up. Fighting with grip throughout the race Cooper was unable to better his qualifying position and sadly could only manage 19th place overall, his worst result this year. Speaking with Westy he said "It's been quite a difficult weekend for the team and we couldn't get things to work just how we'd like them to. I was having a few problems in the race with grip towards the closing stages and had to fight hard to bring it home in a good top ten place. Hopefully things will be ok for Snetterton and with any luck we'll have nice weather there too!" Cooper commented "I'm gutted to have finished so low down the field, I was really finding it difficult to control the bike in the conditions and found it hard with grip also similar to Westy. I don't think the weather conditions over the weekend helped matters at all, I'm not the heaviest of people and fighting with the wind during the race was very hard. I'm really gutted for the team also as they've all been working so hard. I just want to move on from this and get back on track and in the points at Snetterton."
Kennaugh makes it three winners in three rounds Living up to its billing as the most competitive domestic six hundred class in the World, the 2008 Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship saw its third different winner in as many rounds as Hudson Kennaugh took his Yamaha to a disjointed win at Brands Hatch. Although Kennaugh led from the opening lap, he twice had to endure the frustration of the safety car as two separate incidents brought the race to a slower pace, which in turn allowed the pack to close up. Round two victor and current championship leader Glen Richards rode the wheels off his Kawasaki to claim a valuable second place come the flag, after having had to battle his way through the field. Richards had to over come both John McGuiness and Steve Brogan on route to claiming the runners' up spot. Whilst McGuiness' challenge faded, Brogan who claimed the opening round win, put up strong resistance in an attempt to halt Richards' progress. One series contender who enjoyed a slightly less successful visit to the famous Kent circuit was Kawasaki rider Chris Martins who crashed late on in the race, his heavy fall at the exit of Surtees causing the second showing of the safety car, in what was a drama filled Supersport encounter. Richards now heads the overall standings by just seven points, with Kennaugh having closed the gap on the 2008 Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship leader thanks to his recent race win. HM Honda rider Steve Brogan, who has dominated the Superstock class to date with three race wins, slipped to third place in the Supersport championship table despite grabbing the last podium position this time out. Even with his no score at Brands Hatch, Martin still maintains fourth spot in the series, just ahead of Ian Lowry who was another who collected no points at round three. Fuchs-Silkolene are proud to be the official lubricant of the 2008 British Superbike Championship in addition to being title sponsors of the 2008 British Supersport Championship. Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship
General standings to date: 1. Glen Richards (MAP Embassy Racing) 65 2. Hudson Kennaugh (Raceways Yamaha) 58 3. Steve Brogan (HM Plant Honda) 52 4. Chris Martin (Gearlink Kawasaki) 29 5. Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 27 6. Ian Hutchinson (AIM Yamaha) 24 7. Craig Fitzpatrick (BLDS Couriers) 21 8. BJ Toal (Virgin Media Yamaha) 21 9. James Westmoreland (Centurion Racing) 19 10. Marty Nutt (Nutt Travel / T+G) 17 Stunning Results for Centurion www.centurionracing.net Not only was the weather stunning at Brands Hatch but as were the results from the Centurion Racing team. James Westmoreland and Dan Cooper secured two fantastic results in the rescheduled Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship at Brands Hatch, taking a fourth and 11th place respectively. Having already qualified at the beginning of April, before the race was abandoned due to heavy snow, the Centurion duo had put their Honda's in 12th, Westy and 20th, Cooper on the grid. The race initially was the opening round of the Championship and the two were struggling to get to grips with their new Pirelli tyres and therefore were unable to place themselves higher on the starting grid. In the two hot practice sessions on Saturday they were flying and were setting some extremely fast lap times with Westy setting the third quickest time in the second practice session and Cooper in sixth, it was looking likely that they would be able to make the best of their low qualifying positions. In an action packed race, which saw the safety car deployed on two occasions they were able to make the most of the 18-lap battle and score two solid results for the Centurion Racing team. The safety car was despatched on the first lap after two separate crashes involving various riders at Paddock Hill and also Druids corner. The riders lined up in formation waiting for the lights on the car to be turned off. The race got underway again on lap three and Westy was through to 12th on lap four and Cooper had slipped back to 18th place. Westy was making huge progress through the pack and was up to seventh by lap nine with Cooper in 17th position. The safety car was once again called out on lap 11 when Chris Martin and Aaron Walker crashed out in two different incidents. Cooper was making the most of the falling riders in front of him and he was eagerly pushing his way through the pack and getting up to 13th by lap 14 and was eyeing up a top ten finish. He was locked in a tight battle with Andy Weymouth and Paul Young for ninth place and only 0.2 split the trio as they reached the chequered flag where he gained 11th. Westy pushed hard and made some unbelievable passing manoeuvres around the outside of Clearways and the outside of Paddock Hill, both times pulling the moves off and making tidy passes on Craig Fitzpatrick and BJ Toal, sealing him a well earned fourth position. James Westmoreland was delighted with his result saying "I'm so pleased for the team that we have managed to achieve what we did today. It's been a long time coming, I gained a fourth place last year at Thruxton and it's a really nice feeling being there again. I'm eager for these results to carry on for the rest of the season and there should be no reasons why I can't make that happen. I love Donington Park and it would be good to be fighting at the front end again there. I really enjoyed the scrap and thanks again to all the guys at Centurion Racing for working so hard." Dan Cooper commented "Considering my poor qualifying position it's great to be pushing with the boys and fighting for a top ten position. We'd not had much track time when we came here in April and it was taking me a little while to get used to the new tyres and dusting up on my riding skills again. I was running really well in practice here and it was a shame we'd already qualified as I think I would have got an even better result if I'd not started from 20th on the grid. I'm really pleased for the team as they've all been working really hard and it would be good to continue this into the next races." General Manager/Team Owner Paul Rees said "Westy and Dan pushed hard this weekend knowing that they had to salvage a result from the qualifying positions they attained in April. Some good clean 'scraps' were had on the track as they moved there way through the pack. Exciting to watch them both out there and there will be many more of those results coming our way with the new improvements to the bikes that the engineers are working so hard at. Gary Stubbington (Race Manager) and myself would like to thank all the support and messages received from the people who follow us as a team, and this is what it is all about, team work. Congratulations to all". Race Result 1 Hudson Kennaugh Yamaha 2 Glen Richards Triumph 3 Steve Brogan Honda 4 James Westmoreland Centurion Racing Honda 5 BJ Toal Yamaha 6 Craig Fitzpatrick Yamaha 7 Ian Hutchinson Yamaha 8 Marty Nutt Yamaha 9 Andy Weymouth Yamaha 10 Paul Young Triumph 11 Dan Cooper Centurion Racing Honda Championship Positions 1 Richards 65 2 Kennaugh 58 3 Brogan 52 9th Westmoreland 19 12th Cooper 14 Strong Win for Fitzpatrick www.craigfitzpatrick.com It was another strong win for Craig Fitzpatrick in the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Cup race at the rescheduled Brands Hatch event; he also gained a fantastic sixth place in the overall race. Fitzpatrick on the BLDS Couriers Yamaha extended his lead in the Cup Championship by 15 points from his nearest rival Andy Weymouth. Having already qualified back in April on the front row in fourth position, Fitzpatrick was looking forward to racing at one of his favourite circuits and securing a strong result in the Cup and also in the main Championship. The 30-year-old from Alfreton, Derbyshire was consistently running in the top four through both free practice sessions and was aiming at his first podium in the main race. In the dramatic race Fitzpatrick got his head down and was fighting hard for a solid result in the 18 lap scrap. He gained a good start and was into first place by the first corner, an incident behind him at Paddock Hill Bend and Druids forced the safety car out on track whilst the marshal’s cleared the debris. By lap three the race was up and running again and Fitzpatrick had slipped back to sixth position. Battling hard he was locked in some tight battles with Chris Martin and John McGuinness, once again on lap 11 the safety car was sent out after two crashes needed to be cleared from the circuit. Fitzpatrick was unable to match the power of the factory riders and slipped back down the pack. However he was eager for a good result and fended off the challenges from Ian Hutchinson and Marty Nutt, he was involved in a dice to the flag beating the duo by 0.4 for sixth place. Commenting he said “I’m a little disappointed with my result as I was really hoping to be able to fight for a podium at Brands in the main Championship. I know I’m strong round there and I wanted to prove that. I struggled both times when the safety car went back into the pits to match the power of the other bikes in front of me and tried to stay with them but it was hard. I can’t complain too much as I won the Cup race again and sixth is a good result for a Cup competitor. I’m looking forward to Donington in a few weeks time and it would be good to keep getting consistent top ten finishes in the main race.” Bennetts British Superbikes It was second time lucky for the re-run of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship season opener at Brands Hatch today. The glorious sunshine saw the Bennetts Babes sunbathing and eating ice cream in stark contrast to the snowball fight that the girls enjoyed here five weeks ago when the weather stopped play. With qualifying positions from the first event still in place, the scene was set for two more exciting Bennetts BSB showdowns. Shane Byrne and Cal Crutchlow enjoyed one win apiece for the second time this season – with Byrne fighting his way back from a bad start in race one to claim the victory and further cement his championship lead. He was followed past the chequered flag by Tom Sykes and Crutchlow respectively. Race two was equally dramatic with a HM Plant Honda one-two for the first part of the second race until Leon Haslam ran straight on at Surtees before rejoining the field in 11th place. Sykes and Byrne set about hunting down Crutchlow but the entrance of the safety car on to the circuit calmed proceedings for four laps. The pair seemed equally determined to steal the race lead when the car entered the pits but a Sykes highside brought out the red flag. Crutchlow was declared race winner ahead of Byrne and team-mate Leon Camier. The action was witnessed by Bennetts British Superbike enthusiast Jodie Marsh. Race one result: 1. S. Byrne 29:24.345; 2. T. Sykes +1.855; 3. C. Crutchlow +3.111 Race two result: 1. C. Crutchlow 30:31.299; 2. S. Byrne +0.110; 3. L. Camier +0.748 Championship standings: 1. Byrne 140; 2. Crutchlow 96; 3. Camier 83; 4. Ellison 64; 5. Haslam 56; 6. Rutter 55; 7=. Easton 52; 7=. Laverty 52; 9. Sykes 49; 10. Palmer 29 Mixed Weekend for NW200 Ducati - www.nw200ducati.com It was a mixed weekend for the NW200 Ducati team at the rescheduled Brands Hatch round. In completely contrasting weather conditions from the cancelled race in April the two riders Michael Rutter and John Laverty secured varying results in the two 20-lap Bennetts British Superbike races. Rutter on the Ducati F08 was unfortunate to crash out of race one but secured a solid fifth place in race two, team-mate John Laverty on the Ducati 1098 R took a third and a confident win in the two Daily Star Cup races in glorious sunshine at the Kent circuit. With the qualifying positions already decided at the original round Rutter lined up on the grid in seventh place and John Laverty first in the Daily Star Cup (14th overall). Two 30-minute sessions yesterday did not give the riders the ideal time they required to get the two bikes set up properly for the races. Rutter crashed out of race one on lap 13 whilst battling for seventh place with James Ellison. A strong start by Rutter was short lived when he was blocked into the first corner, Paddock Hill Bend, pushing him back to 11th after the opening lap. Fighting hard Rutter looked good and was consistently running fast times but lost the front going into Surtees, cutting his race short. In the second race Rutter gained and awesome start and was fourth into the first corner. A charging Shakey Byrne and Leon Camier managed to find away past the North West 200 rider by the end of the fifth lap but the West Midlands based rider dug deep and fought his way back through to fifth. Tom Sykes blew an engine on lap 19 and the race was red-flagged and a race result was declared. The 36-year-old, who is preparing for the North West 200 this forthcoming week, is still sitting in fourth place in the overall Championship. Michael Rutter commented "I'd been struggling a bit with the front end during free practice yesterday, due to the short sessions we had, it was hard to find the problem and try and rectify them fully. I was pushing hard in the first race as I could see the leaders getting away. After getting blocked into the first corner I think I was riding a little harder than normal and just tucked the front end going into Surtees. The second race was much better and I got a great start and was eager to finish and keep a good position in the Championship. I could see the leading pack making a gap but I wanted to secure a solid result for the team, I'm a bit disappointed but I still got some good points in the second race and have a good position in the Championship. I leave for the North West tomorrow so it's a busy few weeks, the North West is one event in the year that I really look forward to and this year would be a great year for me to get some good results there with the team's association with the event." John Laverty on the Buildbase Ducati further extended his lead in the Daily Star Cup Championship today by 39-points from his nearest rival Martin Jessopp. Laverty took two solid podium finishes including the race win in the second race. After crashing during the second practice session yesterday Laverty missed out on valuable track time as he currently only has bike to compete on. Laverty was locked in a tight scrap for second in the cup in race one with Martin Jessopp who is riding the ex Stobart Honda, only 0.8 separated the pair as they crossed the line with Jessopp making a pass on Laverty on the final lap. Race two was a different matter for the Ulsterman, feeling happier on the bike he rode a strong and confident race and was dicing in a battle of 11 riders for ninth place overall. Fending off the challenges from Aaron Zanotti and Luke Quigley he took his fourth win from six races and 13th overall in the main Bennetts British Superbike Championship. Speaking with John Laverty he said "I was really annoyed with myself after the first race as I just couldn't get comfortable on the bike. I'm still running the Metzeler front tyres and they are really difficult to ride on. Plus with me still being on a stock bike I don't have the same specifications on my bike as the other cup riders, I have different forks and also a smaller radiator, which in the boiling hot conditions today my bike was getting too hot and causing me to lose power. I struggled in race one but I'm much happier about my second race result and once again I've pulled an extra advantage in the overall Cup Championship. I'm looking forward to Donington in a few weeks time as it's a track I like a lot and hopefully I'll be able to get some good results there too." Race 1 Result 1 Byrne Ducati 2 Sykes Suzuki 3 Crutchlow Honda Race 1 Cup Result 1 Burns MV Agusta 2 Jessopp Honda 3 Laverty Buildbase Ducati Race 2 Result 1 Crutchlow Honda 2 Byrne Ducati 3 Camier Ducati 4 M Laverty Suzuki 5 Rutter North West 200 Ducati Race 2 Cup Result 1 J Laverty Buildbase Ducati 2 Quigley Suzuki 3 Jessopp Honda Championship Point Byrne 140 Crutchlow 96 Camier 83 Rutter 66 Cup Championship Points Laverty 126 Jessopp 87 Burns 81 Tough Weekend for Jentin Racing www.jentinracing.com www.si-andrews.co.uk There was certainly a very mixed weekend for the Lloyds British backed Jentin Racing team and their rider Simon Andrews at the rescheduled Brands Hatch round. After the cancellation of the opening Bennetts British Superbike round back in April due to heavy snow the meeting was rescheduled for a shorter two day event this weekend, 10th and 11th May. In scorching hot conditions Andrews gained a solid ninth place position in race one and was very unlucky to crash out of the second 20-lap race whilst battling for a top placing. Having qualified in seventh place at the opening round he was promoted to sixth on the grid after Karl Harris was missing due to injury. He gained a brilliant start in race one and was third into the first corner and fourth after the opening lap. Michael Laverty crashed out in front of Andrews at Druids seeing him step back up to third position and fighting with the factory riders. He was hounded on lap three by the factory Ducati's of Leon Camier and Shakey Byrne and dropped back to fifth place. Holding the position for a number of laps he was beginning to struggle with tyre grip and dropped back to ninth, which he held to the chequered flag. The second race saw Andrews in a good position in the opening laps but he lost the front end on the exit to Druids corner on lap 13, an unfortunate end once again for the youngster. The 25-year-old from Evesham said "I'm gutted again as I've not managed to finish both races yet in the three rounds that we've had. I know the team have been working really hard and I know we will eventually get to where we want to be but I keep having DNF's and it's not helping my Championship position. We had a few small problems with the bike this weekend and with the shorter sessions it made it difficult to get it 100% for the races. I know things will improve and I still feel confident that we can get good results and that we are moving in the right direction. I want to be out there and I want to be a serious contender, fingers crossed for us for Donington in a couple of weeks time." Team Manager Bernie Toleman commented "Overall it has clearly been a disappointing weekend but there is no doubt in my mind that everything is in place to recover from this. Every race we have finished has been inside the top ten and there is a long season still ahead. We are working extremely hard on some development work that should be in place for Donington in two weeks time where our sole aim is for a strong result in both races.'' 2008 Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship Last lap thriller gives Richards Supersport win at Oulton Park Glen Richards fought out a thrilling final lap on board his Triumph against Yamaha's Hudson Kennaugh to take an important victory at the second round of the 2008 Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship held at the fast and flowing Oulton Park circuit. With first round winner and Honda rider Steve Brogan down in fifth place on this occasion, Richards now heads the series after two outstandingly close races. Ian Lowry powered his Suzuki into third spot, although a little off the leading pace, to complete a rostrum packed with three different manufacturers. Richards was kept off pole position during Saturday's qualifying session by Chris Martin, with the Kawasaki rider leaving it to the final minutes to put in a time that was just five hundredths of a second quicker than Glen. In fact all the action happened in the last part of the session after Kennaugh looked odds on favourite to take pole position until the last ten minutes, but was finally demoted to third position on the grid. Martin converted his pole position into an early race lead, whilst Richards had work to do as he fought his way past Kennaugh before the end of the first lap. Unfortunately for Martin the race was red flagged on lap four following an incident at Durids. The restart saw Kennaugh take advantage of the stoppage as he headed Richards, a position he held right through to the last lap. The Yamaha rider lost his lead to Richards as they crossed the line for the penultimate time, but grabbed it back as the Triumph teamster run wide later in the lap. Kennaugh defended his line well going into Lodge, but could not stop Richards going around the outside of him and out powering him in the sprint to the flag. Fuchs-Silkolene are proud to be the official lubricant of the 2008 British Superbike Championship in addition to being title sponsors of the 2008 British Supersport Championship. Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship Another Win for Fitzpatrick www.craigfitzpatrick.com Craig Fitzpatrick secured another solid win and fastest lap in the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Cup at Oulton Park, he also gained a fantastic eighth place in the overall race. Fitzpatrick on the BLDS Couriers Yamaha extended his lead in the Cup Championship by 10 points. The 30-year-old from Alfreton, Derbyshire looked smooth throughout the weekend and was consistently running in the thick of the action. Struggling in the first qualifying on Saturday in the wet conditions he dropped down the pack. However, during the second qualifying session he managed to place himself in sixth place on the grid only a second off pole-position rider Chris Martin. Fitzpatrick got a fantastic start in the race and was soon up to a great fourth place. The safety car was deployed on lap three and then the race was red-flagged due to the same incident. The race was re-started as a 12-lap race and unfortunately Fitzpatrick was blocked into the first corner and he dropped back to eighth position. After fighting his way through to sixth place he came under attack from the factory backed Honda of Steve Brogan and also Honda mounted Dan Cooper. He was able to fend off the challenge from TT star Ian Hutchinson and was in eighth place when the chequered flag came out. Commenting he said “It’s been a tough weekend with a number of aspects. I’m really pleased to have gained my first top ten placing in the Supersport class and it gives me confidence as I head to one of my favourite circuits this weekend, Brands Hatch. I had a few problems in the rain on Saturday and was hoping the race would be dry. Although the track was pretty slippery I just got my head down in the race, I was sat in fourth when it was red-flagged and was fighting with the leaders, which was a nice feeling. I got a bad start in the re-start and got pushed backwards into the first corner and slipped back to eighth. It is so hard to fight with the factory boys as they have so much more power so it’s all down to corner speed witch I had but just couldn’t quite pass them. I had some really good battles out on track and managed to take the Cup win, I’m really looking forward to Brands and keeping my fingers crossed that it will be dry!.” Points for Centurion Racing www.centurionracing.net Centurion Racing secured a positive result at Oulton Park this weekend, when riders Dan Cooper and James Westmoreland gained a seventh and eleventh place respectively in the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship. This was 20-year-old Dan Cooper's best result to date in the tough 600 Class. After dislocating his shoulder during first qualifying this was a fantastic result from the youngster. Westmoreland also improved from the 15th position that he achieved at Thruxton a couple of weeks ago and obtained a healthy points scoring position. The Centurion team were missing a rider at Oulton Park, Dennis Hobbs, after the incident at Thruxton involving James Webb, Hobbs is currently seeing specialists regarding an operation on his shoulder, which he hurt during the crash and as yet it is not known when he will return to racing. Cooper from Stroud, looked exceptionally good all weekend and despite his off in qualifying he was keen to get a good result after his disappointment at Thruxton. Seventh place at Oulton has seen him leap to 12th in the overall Championship positions. After completing qualifying he ended up in 14th place on the grid and was left with a lot of work to do if he were to gain a top ten finish. The race was red flagged on lap three after an accident at Druids and was re-started as a 12-lap race. Cooper got a great start and was up to 10th after the first lap. Fighting his way past Ian Hutchinson and Craig Fitzpatrick he was eager to chase down the 2007 R6 Cup Winner Toal, only 0.14 separated the pair as they crossed the line. Commenting the youngster said "I'm really thrilled to have got seventh place. It was a really tough race but I just got my head down and got on with the job in hand. My shoulders were killing me at the end of the race but I was having a good scrap with BJ Toal and I'm sure I'll be feeling a little second hand tomorrow. It was quite a big crash in qualifying and both my shoulders took a bit of a battering but hopefully they will be feeling a little better by the time that we get to Brands. I would like to thank all the Centurion team for working so hard this weekend and I'm delighted I could get the result that I did for them. We go to Brands this coming weekend and I'm eager to try and get a similar result." James Westmoreland qualified in eighth position on the Centurion Honda and was unable to gain a good start in the 12-lap re-start and was down in 14th place after the opening lap. After opted for an intermediate front tyre the 19-year-old from Hull struggled for grip throughout the race forcing him to make small mistakes and dropping him places. He said "I'm really disappointed with my result today; I was hoping that I would be able to run within the top eight and get a good result. With the drying weather conditions I choose to run an intermediate front tyre and I struggled with it for most of the race. I also out-braked myself at Knickerbrook which obviously lost vital seconds and a couple of places. It was a shame as I was running really good times with would have put me nearer the top end. I had an engine problem in morning warm up and therefore had to use the second engine from my other bike which was slightly different. Hopefully things will change for the better at Brands at the weekend." Team Manager Gary Stubbington commented "It's been a good weekend for the boys in general despite some minor problems that cropped up. Both have scored points in the Championship and that's the main priority. After Thruxton we needed a little bit of a confidence boost and that was just the thing. Dan Cooper rode an exceptional race despite his injured shoulders; it would be nice to be able to gain similar results to those at the remaining races. We are still waiting to hear from Dennis and his situation but the team would like to wish him well and hope to see him back out on our bikes soon." General Manager Paul Rees, was delighted with the results commenting, "Especially after the engine problems we had. The engineers worked extremely hard and fast to enable the bikes to be on the circuits both at Thruxton and here at Oulton. Dan had to grit his teeth and ride through the pain in order to gain such an important position at this stage of the competition. It was a shame Westy out-braked himself at Knickerbrook though, as he was riding strong and this obviously lost him time and places. He did well to come in at eleventh position and gain some points. However, a good weekend was had and we are looking forward to the short visit back to Brands Hatch this coming weekend. The Centurion teamwork in the paddock was again exceptional, so a huge thanks go to the whole team for their efforts." Results Round 2 - Oulton Park - 5th May 2008 1. Glen Richards (MAP Embassy Racing) 2. Hudson Kennaugh (Raceways Yamaha) +0.294s 3. Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +7.990s 4. Chris Martin (Gearlink Kawasak) +14.775s 5. Steve Brogan (HM Plant Honda) +22.687s 6. BJ Toal (Virgin Media Yamaha) +23.913s 7. Daniel Cooper (Honda Centurion Racing) +24.054s 8. Craig Fitzpatrick (Yamaha BLDS Couriers) +24.456s 9. Ian Hutchinson (AIM Yamaha) +24.724s 10. Steven Neate (Gearlink Kawasaki) +28.698s General standings to date: 1. Glen Richards (MAP Embassy Racing) 45 2. Steve Brogan (HM Plant Honda) 36 3. Hudson Kennaugh (Raceways Yamaha) 33 4. Chris Martin (Gearlink Kawasaki) 29 5. Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 27 6. Ian Hutchinson (AIM Yamaha) 15 7. Steven Neate (Gearlink Kawasaki) 12 8. Craig Fitzpatrick (Yamaha BLDS Couriers) 11 9. Tom Grant (Thomson Group Ltd/Rob Mac Proride) 10 10. BJ Toal (Virgin Media Yamaha) 10 Next event: Round 3 - Brands Hatch GP - 11th May 2008 Bennetts British Superbike Championship Double joy for Shakey! Airwaves Ducati rider Shane Byrne claimed an awesome double victory at Oulton Park this afternoon for round three of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship to establish himself as the early series leader. Despite difficult conditions in race one, the former British Superbike Champion secured maximum points at the Cheshire track. As the riders lined up on the grid for the opening Bennetts BSB race the heavens opened. Tom Sykes stormed into the lead from the line but lost the front end at the first corner. David Johnson, Guy Martin and Billy McConnell also slid off leading to a red flag and re-started race. A fierce battle played out between Byrne and Leon Haslam, with Haslam chipping away at the lead on the final four laps. A grandstand finish ensued, but Byrne hung on to claim the top step of the podium for the second time this season. He was followed past the chequered flag by Haslam and Leon Camier. The second instalment proved equally nail-biting with Byrne running off the track early on but recovering to fight his way to fourth position. For the second consecutive weekend, Haslam and Tom Sykes came together in a racing incident - prematurely ending the race for both Bennetts BSB contenders and leading to Haslam's disqualification from the race. Shakey was propelled into second place before overtaking Crutchlow for the race lead. Once again the red flag was waved as Dean Ellison and Steve Mercer crashed out, but with two thirds race distance completed the result was declared with Byrne taking the spoils ahead of James Ellison and Camier. Positive Results for NW200 Ducati www.nw200ducati.com It was another positive weekend for the NW200 Ducati team at Oulton Park this weekend. Michael Rutter on the North West 200 Ducati scored a fourth and seventh place respectively in the two Bennetts British Superbikes races on his Ducati F08. Team-mate John Laverty on the Buildbase NW200 Ducati gained a sixth and a strong win in the Daily Star Cup races. Following an incident between Tom Sykes and Leon Haslam in race two, Haslam has been excluded from the second British Superbike race subject to a 'rights of appeal' from Honda. Therefore this promotes Rutter from seventh to sixth and John Laverty from 14th to 13th. Rutter is now lying in joint third position in the overall Championship with only two points separating him and Leon Camier who is in second, with 20 races still remaining there is a long way to go and anything can happen. The 36-year-old rider from the West Midlands qualified in fifth position on the grid and was keen to repeat his results from Thruxton. As race one at Oulton got underway the heavens opened causing a number of riders to crash into the first corner and forcing the race to be red flagged. It became a mad dash between the teams to change from dry tyres to wet in preparation for a complete re-start. At the end of lap one Rutter was lying in seventh position when Karl Harris crashed out in front of him causing him to lose valuable seconds on the leading pack. He had to dig deep and set his sights on reeling in Crutchlow and Sykes to a confident fourth place behind Shane Byrne, Leon Haslam and Leon Camier. Minor set up issues caused Rutter to struggle slightly in race two, by lap eight he had fallen back to ninth place and was having to fight hard to ensure he gained a good result and some healthy Championship points. A crash on lap 12 involving Cal Crutchlow forced the race to be red flagged and because of the two thirds distance ruling, a race result declared. Rutter commented "I'm pretty happy with my first race result but I just had a few issues in the second race that I couldn't do anything about. I still managed to get two good points scoring positions and with the incidents today it's not affected my Championship position drastically. We have Brands next weekend and then straight to the North West 200; I'm joint third in the Championship and looking forward to improving that at the next round next weekend." John Laverty who is still running on the Metzeler tyres in the Daily Sport Cup Championship, suffered with terrible grip problems during the first race, which was declared wet. After qualifying in first position (Cup) and 15th overall, he opted for the harder compound Metzeler tyre for race one and struggled from start to finish from lack of grip causing him to finish in sixth position in the Cup. Race two saw a totally different result for Laverty when he regained the form and promise that he showed at Thruxton and took a strong win in the dry race, extending his Championship lead in the Cup to 29 points from his nearest rival Chris Burns. Speaking with the Ulsterman he said "I was really unhappy with my first race result. After crashing yesterday at Lodge and destroying my number one bike I just wanted to ensure that I finished the first race. I had a nightmare with tyres and hopefully soon I'll be able to run on the Pirelli's and have more of a choice on what I can use. The second race, thankfully, was dry and I managed to take another win in the Cup which I was really pleased about. We go straight to Brands next weekend and with the qualifying already finalised I'm looking forward to racing at one of my favourite circuits." Team Manager Ken Foley commented "It's been a roller-coaster ride this weekend for the team but that is nothing unusual at this level. We are obviously very pleased with John Laverty's performance in the second race and he has now extended his lead in the Daily Star Cup, which is great news. Rutter has done a fabulous job for the NW200 Team this weekend, given the fact that we are still waiting for certain parts to arrive from Italy, which would have eradicated some of the problems that we've had to overcome at Oulton. We are now looking forward to Brands Hatch where we had two great days testing at the beginning of April, which has given us lots of useful data and information. Whilst the qualifying positions have already been set we know that we will be in good shape for the races." Race 1 Result 1 Shane Byrne Ducati 2 Leon Haslam Honda 3 Leon Camier Ducati 4 Michael Rutter North West 200 Ducati5 Tom Sykes Suzuki 20 John Laverty Buildbase NW200 Ducati Race 1 Cup Result 1 Steve Mercer Yamaha 2 Chris Burns MV Agusta 3 Leon Morris Ducati 4 Luke Quigley Suzuki 5 Malcolm Ashley Kawasaki 6 John Laverty Buildbase NW200 Ducati Race 2 Result 1 Shane Byrne Ducati 2 James Ellison Honda 3 Leon Camier Ducati 4 Michael Laverty Suzuki 5 Stuart Easton Kawasaki 6 Michael Rutter North West 200 Ducati 13 John Laverty Buildbase NW200 Ducati Race 2 Cup Results 1 John Laverty Buildbase NW200 Ducati 2 Luke Quigley Suzuki 3 Chris Burns MV Agusta Championship Standings Shane Byrne 95 Leon Camier 56 Cal Crutchlow 55 Michael Rutter 55 James Ellison 46 Championship Standings - Daily Star Cup John Laverty 85 Chris Burns 56 Martin Jessopp 51 Solid Seventh for Andrews www.jentinracing.com www.si-andrews.co.uk The Lloyds British backed Jentin Racing team left Oulton Park with one solid seventh place result after Evesham based rider Simon Andrews crashed out of the wet first race at Shell Oils Corner. However Andrews bounced right back from this disappointment to finally gain seventh place in the second action packed Bennetts British Superbike race at the 2.7-mile circuit. In glorious sunshine on Saturday, Andrews and the team found a very good dry set up on the Yamaha and finished seventh and eighth in the two free practice sessions. Heavy over night rain continued into Saturday and the team worked hard to find a comfortable wet set up on the bike, but not quite getting it as far as they would have liked. After a few mechanical problems during the day Andrews upped his game in the qualifying session and put the team in a respectable 10th position on the grid. The rain began for the first race just as the lights turned green and before the completion of the opening lap the race was red-flagged. It then became something of a mad panic for the teams who had to change to wet tyres/settings in a very limited amount of time to comply with the quick restart procedure. Unfortunately the race was short lived for Andrews who crashed out while making good progress through the field in very difficult conditions. Andrews gained a steady start in the second race and was locked in a battle with Scott Smart on the Kawasaki for a number of laps. Making a tidy pass on Karl Harris moved Andrews through to tenth place. Crutchlow and Sykes crashed out of the race and Leon Haslam was later excluded from the results after the incident between himself and Sykes, promoting the Jentin rider to seventh place. Andrews is now 11= in the overall Championship standings and looking forward to Brands Hatch this forthcoming weekend. Andrews commented "I'm gutted to have crashed in the first race but I'd struggled in the wet all weekend as we couldn't find a set-up that we were really happy with. I still had a few mechanical problems in the second race but knew I had to get the points and I rode a safe race to ensure I finished and got in the points. Hopefully Brands Hatch will run a bit more smoothly for us next weekend." Team Manager Bernie Toleman said "The whole team have, as usual, worked incredibly hard all weekend and of course we were really disappointed after the race one DNF. However Simon really delivered for us in race two, where despite some mechanical issues we ended up seventh. We start from row two at Brands Hatch this coming weekend and lets all hope for better weather."
After the opening round of the 2008 Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch was postponed due to snow a fortnight ago, race action finally got under way at Thruxton today (Sunday 20 April). Following a dramatic afternoon of racing, Shane 'Shakey' Byrne and Cal Crutchlow will be leaving the Hampshire circuit happiest, after taking victories in race one and race two respectively. It was Cal Crutchlow who led the pack in race one, shadowed by team-mate Leon Haslam for the first few laps. Pole-sitter Byrne passed Haslam on lap four, diving through on the Airwaves Ducati, before moving on to pass Crutchlow at the front of the field. He did so on lap thirteen and held on for his fourth victory at Thruxton. 'Shakey' said: "We have come along way, and it is great to be back racing and get this result. I settled into the race and Cal was really going for it. I gout up to second and the gap was opening up. As I came across the line a few laps later my pitboard was showing plus zero so I thought I should pull me finger out, which I did! It is a great result for us." Despite race two of the Bennetts British Superbike event resulting in a maiden class victory for HM Plant Honda man Cal Crutchlow, all the headlines are likely to focus on Rob Mac Yamaha rider Karl Harris, who suffered a catastrophic accident which resulted in a red flag and a restart. The Sheffield-born rider was lucky enough to walk away from being clattered in the face by an airborne Rizla Suzuki, and a broken nose seems good value considering the force of the collision. After the restart Tom Sykes, on a spare bike after the Harris incident, took the initiative, however Crutchlow could sense a win and went for it with venom. Crutchlow - two laps after the lights went out for the second time - took to the front. After a superb race one, Michael Rutter got in the points again, on lap seven putting a move on Sykes, who by this time was going backwards. |
2008
Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship
Bennetts
British Superbike Championship - Round five – Snetterton - Sunday 15
June
2008
Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship
Donington
double for dominant Byrne
2008 Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship
Results
Round 3 - Brands Hatch GP - 11th May 2008 1. Hudson Kennaugh (Raceways
Yamaha) 2. Glen Richards (MAP Embassy Racing) +3.241s 3. Steve Brogan (HM
Plant Honda) +8.631s 4. James Westmoreland (Centurion Racing) +8.692s 5.
BJ Toal (Virgin Media Yamaha) +8.865s 6. Craig Fitzpatrick (BLDS Couriers)
+9.214s 7. Ian Hutchinson (AIM Yamaha) +9.351s 8. Marty Nutt (Nutt Travel
/ T+G) +9.585s 9. Andy Weymouth (Linxcel / Seton Tuning) +10.354s 10. Paul
Young (MAP Embassy Racing) +10.438s
No
snow at Thruxton as Byrne and Crutchlow take the spoils