British Superbike Championship – round six, Silverstone (July 1-2) - Preview
| Rob
Frost will join Team Harris Honda Britain regular, Sean Emmett, in the
sixth round British Superbike meeting at Silverstone in Northamptonshire
this weekend. Frost
has been drafted into the team as a replacement for Shane Byrne who was
injured in a crash last Sunday at Snetterton.
Byrne remains in Norfolk & Norwich Hospital under observation for
abdominal injuries sustained in the first lap crash. Currently
in his tenth year of road racing, Frost is a regular in both the British
Superstock and Supersport championships this year and heads for
Silverstone with a brace of podium finishes from last weekend's races at
Snetterton. "I’m going to give both those series a miss this weekend and concentrate on the superbike races," said the 27-year-old from Lincoln. "It’s a great opportunity and I’m determined to make the most of it." "My only regret is that Shane had to get injured for this to happen," continued Frost. "I’ve worked and ridden with Shane for the last couple of years and he’s had a terrible run of luck this season. I hope to see him back real soon." Emmett will be looking for a return to the form that took him to sixth in last year’s British Superbike championship and a best finish of sixth in this year’s series on the kitted Honda VTR1000 SP-1 at Donington Park in April. "The new bike handles incredibly," said Surrey-based Emmett, "but we’ve gone in the wrong direction with set-up over the last couple of rounds in trying to get the most out of the engine. "We got a chance to test at Silverstone this week," continued the 30-year-old, "and went back to the settings we used earlier in the year. It made a big difference and I’m feeling a whole lot more confident for this weekend." Steve Plater and Marty Craggill team up for a second successive race as the Team Kawasaki spearheads. Both Steve, who was thwarted in his efforts to add to his series points score at Snetterton last week, and Craggill who notched up a seventh place on his debut for the squad, are determined that better things are in store on the impressive Northamptonshire track. The International circuit where the TOTAL backed team will be doing battle, is a tricky and technically demanding track that provides many challenges for rider and machine alike, and both Marty and Steve were planning to hone their circuit knowledge with an outing at this week's Kawasaki Riders Club Track day. "I love the circuit and the facilities are second to none but Silverstone hasn't been a very lucky track for me," said Steve. "Last year on the supersports bike I suffered a misfire and finished out of the points just when I thought I was on target for a good result. This year Team Kawasaki have the potential to go very well on this circuit and I am really looking forward to the two SuperBike races." In addition to racing the ZX-7RR in the superbike class the Lincolnshire rider is looking for his first win in the British Superstock Championship following two runner-up spots at Oulton and Snetterton. Marty Craggill, standing in for Peter Goddard who is racing at the Suzuka Eight Hour, was a top six finisher at Silverstone last year and is confident he can go even better this time around despite bruising his back at Snetterton. "The injury is getting better each day and I'll be fine by the weekend," he said. "Silverstone is a great track and I think it will suit our bike, plus I now have a race under my belt so I should be able to have more set-up input. I'm looking forward to it," he said. Castrol Honda riders, Kirk McCarthy and John
McGuinness, head for Silverstone this weekend seeking success in round
six of the 2000 British Supersport championship. McCarthy finished second in the fifth round race at
Snetterton last Sunday and currently lies second in the points table
with wins at Brands Hatch and Thruxton. "I’m looking forward to this race,"
commented the 30-year-old Australian from Mickleham in Victoria. "We
got some track time during Honda’s FireBlade Day at Silverstone on
Tuesday and the CBR600 felt really strong. I managed to string a few
good laps together so I’m hoping for another good result this weekend." McGuinness is still awaiting his first competitive
outing on the Castrol Honda machine after pulling out of the Snetterton
race. The 26-year-old Morecambe rider had qualified in fourth place for
the supersport encounter but then crashed his 250cc machine in the
following session, injuring his right hand. "I tried riding in Sunday’s warm up,"
said McGuinness, "but couldn’t really control the bike
properly. My practice and qualifying sessions gave me real
encouragement, though, and my hand is a lot better now. I’ll certainly
be up for the race at Silverstone." The British Supersport action begins at Silverstone on Friday afternoon with free practice followed by two qualifying sessions on Saturday to determine the grid for Sunday’s 20-lap race. And the SuperBikes begin with free practice on Friday, followed by two timed qualifying sessions on Saturday to determine the grid for Sunday’s two 20-lap races. British
Superbike Championship points after five of 12 rounds: British Supersport
Championship points after five of 12 rounds: |