Steve Plater wins final British Supersport round and the crown, McConnell second

Steve Plater wins final British Supersport round and the crown, McConnell second

Steve Plater and the HM Plant Honda team have secured the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship crown after winning the final race of the season at Oulton Park.

"It was a mega race and I knew I wanted to win it. Me and Billy had taken three each until this round and I wanted to win in style and I could only do that by winning the race,” explained Plater.

“It is all credit to the HM Plant Honda team and it has been a great season-long battle between myself and Billy and I am just so happy to be the new champion," he added.

It was Gearlink Kawasaki's Ben Wilson whole stole the whole shot off the line from Plater's main rival Billy McConnell on the MAP Raceways Yamaha, but McConnell hit the lead when both him and Plater went side-by-side into Old Hall on the third lap with the pair both passing Wilson.

Wilson lost another place to James Westmoreland when the A1 Moto Services/ JT Performance Triumph forced his way down the inside at Island. Westmoreland then had Plater in his sights for second and made a move at Shell Oils corner on the brakes, but carrying too much speed he ran wide allowing Plater to retake second on the exit.

On the tenth lap Plater was attacking his championship rival and a brave move on the brakes into Lodge, with the pair touching on the approach but the HM Plant Honda was back at the front. McConnell had a moment on the exit of the corner and later dropped down through the order after gambling on tyre choice for the race. He ended the race 19th after a big moment at Cascades on the penultimate lap.

"I had been struggling with the track time all weekend as I had been really ill before the weekend and I knew I had to come up with something special to beat Steve,” reflected McConnell.

“I gambled on a different tyre and unfortunately it didn't pay off, which was my mistake but we had to try it as it could have been a different story. It has been a great season and Steve deserved the win so congratulations to him," he added.

Plater was coming under increasing pressure from Westmoreland but despite his best efforts the HM Plant Honda rider was not going to be fazed and he took the emotional win before celebrating his maiden crown in the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship on the podium.

Wilson took third from team-mate Hudson Kennaugh who improved throughout the race, with the second MAP Raceways Yamaha of Lee Johnston in fifth place. Sam Lowes was also crowned as the 2009 Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Cup champion.

British Supersport Championship 2009 - Final Standings

Steve Plater (HM Plant Honda) 215
Billy McConnell (MAP Raceways Yamaha) 179
James Westmoreland (JW Racing Triumph) 171
Ben Wilson (Gearlink Kawasaki) 137
Dan Cooper (Centurion Racing Honda) 104

-- HM Plant Honda Report

Steve Plater claimed victory in the final race of the season to not only take the race win but also seal the British Supersport Championship with a 36 point advantage over his nearest rival, Billy McConnell.

Starting from pole position, Steve settled into second place behind fellow Lincolnshire rider Ben Wilson. The pair were swiftly followed by McConnell and James Westmoreland and all four steadily pulled away from the pursuing pack. On lap three McConnell took the lead with Plater in his tyre tracks but Westmoreland was also anxious to claim a victory and followed through. McConnell pulled clear but as the race went on Plater began to claw back the deficit taking over a second out of him on lap nine before snatching the lead one lap later.

Westmoreland stayed in close formation and as McConnell dropped back it was left to Plater and Westmoreland to battle it out for the win. With two laps to go the pair were head to head as they exited Druids but Plater got the racing line and held station for the remainder of the race to claim the victory and the championship.

Steve Plater
"I really wanted to win the race, as well as to win the championship. It's ok to finish in the points or on the podium but it's not really my way. There is nothing better than to stand on the top step and obviously Billy had three wins, I had three wins and Westy had two so if Westy won it would have given us three wins apiece. As it is now I have had more podiums than anyone else, more wins and now the championship so that's nice. It's mega to put the championship to bed here at Oulton Park and it's a big relief as much as anything else as for the last four or five rounds it's been a closely fought thing. It's also mega for HM Plant Honda and all my family, fans and all the people who have been ringing and texting me this last few weeks, who I'd like to thank for their continued support."

-- Map Raceways Yamaha Report

McConnell second in the Supersport Championship

MAP Raceways Yamaha’s Billy McConnell took second place in the hard-fought Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship at Oulton Park in Cheshire this afternoon.

His race didn’t quite go to plan as his tyre went off halfway through. He had a healthy lead at this point but unfortunately he was unable to keep up the pace and dropped back out of contention. He finally came over the line in a lowly 19th position but he still had enough points to keep second in the title chase.

McConnell said: “We went for a soft tyre but unfortunately it didn’t work. I got a good start and I thought it was going to be ok but my dream turned into a nightmare pretty quickly. That’s racing I guess. A podium would have been nice but we went all out and tried our best. We’ll re-group and come back stronger.”

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