A few rounds away from the action didn’t have the teams or riders missing me much perhaps, but I’d missed them, and it was great to back amongst the highly professional environment of British Superbike Racing.

It was turn for, arguably, the greatest racetrack in the World to play host to the best Superbike series in the World. Brands Hatch in the South East county of Kent, housing acres of motorhomes and articulated transporters for three days, also opened its gates to over thirty thousand bike mad fans. The weather was hot, the grid girls hotter and the racing was sizzling as ever.

Bringing to the proceedings an oriental feel was factory Suzuki superstar Kagayama ( a permanent fixture with the Rizla team, and TSR Honda Supersport’s Tsujimura. Meanwhile Young, Richards, Thomas, Johnson, Arnold and Ashkenazi were flying the Australian flag in their respective classes.

With many months away from competitive racing, Nigel Arnold was itching to have a go on his PDM Racing Superbike, and qualifying gave him his first the chance. 9th on the Privateer grid was the result, a commendable effort when considering his lack of experience with the big 4 cylinder machine, and with slick rubber.

“That’s the fastest bike I’ve ever ridden and it’s simply a struggle holding on at this stage. My body sure knows its been riding a Superbike today” said Arnold of his steep learning curve with the big GSXR, sporting huge bruises on each inner thigh.

A consistently fast Glen Richards has seen everyone involved with the series stand up and take notice this year. With no plans yet for next season but a legion of suitors, things are looking promising for 1994s 125GP Australian champ.

Needless to say, the slower, yet nimble 750 Kawasaki he pilots for the Mallory Park based Hawk squad, was again on the front row after Superpole and the affable South Australian had his cornering speed and tenacious riding style to thank for 3rd place.

“It’s been hard work this season, but a lot of fun. At Brands our thing struggles up the hills but is good through the turns. I did two laps then came in for tyres. The clutch got so hot the bike wouldn’t re bump start, and then once it fired the mechanic stalled it. That fired me up for the last 10 minutes of Superpole. I've heard of qualifying tyres moving around, but that set were sliding all over the place” said a happy yet embarrassed Richards while sat upon his ‘out of petrol’ pit scooter after qualifying. It seems the Hawk team have everything in hand with regard to their Superbikes, choosing however to leave the running of the paddock bike down to its rider.

Another Aussie who calls Mallory Park home is super fast Paul Young. Still recuperating from injuries sustained prior to the opening round of 2003, and seemingly not as one with the TDB Recruitment Yamaha R1, Youngy fought the odds, managing to book a place for the opening 20 laps amongst the top 15 qualifiers. The bikes - built new but to 2002 specifications, are proving a handful in the dry conditions for both Paul and his team mate John Kirkham, but once the heavens open it’s a completely different story, evident by the fantastic 2nd place at Knockhill only weeks before. A great result for the team, and even though being hit in the second race resulted in ninth, both Youngy proved that in the wet he’s as good, if not better than the rest. No surprise then when I met Paul early Sunday morning after a torrential downpour and he was all smiles.
“I could do with this today. The rain looks set in” he opined, disguising the obvious element of wishful thinking.

Supersport racing was not where Port Macquarie racer Dean Thomas wanted to be this season, but after testing at Sugo for the World championship leading Ten Kate team, it was evident that he’d change his mind if given half a chance. “Id been chasing rides in the Worlds after my Superbike ride in the British series fell through, but as soon as I’d ridden at Sugo I knew that if the opportunity came up to ride one of these, I’d go for it.”

The only difference from the bikes Ten Kate take to the WSC is the less exotic suspension, and as a result Dean finds it difficult keeping the rubber in line. Being that as it may, the ex World Ducati Supersport rider, still rammed the Vitrans liveried CBR600 into pole position, ahead of championship leader, Team Honda Britain’s Karl Harris.

Another likeable Australian coming back for more British Supersport action after a time away on World Motorcross duty, was Kim Ashkenazi. Unfortunately, try as I might, I failed to locate him over the course of the weekend amongst the plethora of caravans, garages and marquees. Stopping him for a chat at 100mph proved harder still. Maybe next time. Qualifying mid field in a class that not so long ago yielded British championship victory for the multiple off road champ’, may suggest Kim and R6 encountered some problems.

The Superstock category wasn’t to be outdone and boasted its very own Australian charge. David Johnson and his Rhencullen R1 were out to do battle, and if the claims pre race were anything to go by, the local betting shop was the place to be.  “Snetterton was a nightmare and didn’t go the way Id wanted. I’m now outside the top ten in the series, and twelfth on the grid today, so I’ll be aiming for Top 5 today”, he proclaimed in confident fashion… I believed him!

The wet conditions on Sunday morning were as contrast to the previous day’s heat, as night is to day, but for at least three of our Aussie hopefuls, the rain sticking around and settling in was atop their wish lists. Nigel, DJ, and Youngy all enjoy the tricky conditions, and the weather looked like playing into their hands by morning warm up. All three appeared comfortable with the wet track, yet by the time the Superstock machines gathered in anger mid morning, it had turned, and teams were presented with tough decisions on tyre choice.

David, opting for a wet front and rear slick, suffered the fate of many riders who’d shared a similar view. It was going to be a waiting game, a game of attrition. After a first lap incident pushed our 12th placed qualifier back to 28th. It was a gritty ride that helped ‘Deej’ claw his way back to 10th by the end.

“That was tough. After being pushed to last on the first lap, when I was hit, I had to ride so hard to get em back. My front wet has nothing left. You should see it, it’s completely shagged!”
I did. It was!

I’d been looking forward to the Supersport Race all day, and decided that rather than my usual pit lane viewing point, which only offered the usual start & finish strait tedium, I’d chance a spot at Paddock Hill Bend (the exciting downhill Turn 1). A good decision, as much of the action took place there, with some frantic pushing and shoving between Red Bull Ducati youngster Leon Haslam, reigning champion Stuart Easton and Honda man Karl Harris. It certainly wasn’t a race for the faint of heart, as the early tussle for 2nd place behind Harris was a battle of the young guns. Meanwhile, Dean, waiting for his hard compound tyres to work, watched it all unfold as he followed several bike lengths adrift. His calculated and swift charge to the front came with only 2 laps remaining.

“I hadn’t been paying attention to how many laps were left, so thought Id better have a look at the pit board. When I saw there were only 2, I went into panic mode”.

After upping the anti and despatching the pair of 748 Ducatis with relative ease, he was out after Harris and within a lap had made the fight for honours a two-way affair. The last lap saw the battle intensify as both sliding and bucking CBRs staged a battle royale until a drafting duel was all that seemed likely to separate them at the flag. Thomas got the nod and his first victory of 2003 was complete.

“I picked too hard a tyre, so just keeping up early on was a struggle. After I’d caught up I got a better drive out of the old Dingle Dell section on the last lap (now named Sheene Curve) and just knew Karl would out brake himself at the last turn. He did just enough to let me in, but even by the line neither of us knew who’d got it.”

It was only when the parc ferme marshals ushered the two riders into position, the result became clear. Commenting from his Yorkshire home days after the race Dean proclaimed “I’m very happy with the result at Brands. Harris was not too pleased being beaten, as he thought he’d won it until we got back to pit lane. I’m looking forward to Rockingham in two weeks now, and a repeat performance. I have a feeling Rockingham will be good!”

Kim Ashkenazi, after starting from the pit lane, where a post warm up chain adjustment appeared to be the culprit, managed to catch and pass half the field, eventually finishing just outside the points.

SUPERBIKES.

The sun was well and truly back by the time the first of the two Superbike races got under way. The first, however was made to wait, while Hawk Kawasaki’s Scott Smart, paraded around the picturesque 2.6 mile track on the famous #7 Suzuki raced by his uncle Barry (Sheene) to World Title glory in the 70s.

With the usual suspects surely to be vying for honours it was down to Youngy , Richards and Arnold to upset the apple cart at Brands.
It wasn’t to be the start to Race 1 that the Hawk Kawasaki squad had envisaged, with Glen mounting the second bike and leaving from the pit lane. Paul Young meanwhile got a blinding start from the 4th row and was fighting furiously for 9th on the road within a lap. Nigel, missing the sighting lap due to a BSB administration bungle, still managed to settle into a consistent groove early, even though the temperature in his tyres was less than optimum, and found himself amongst the top privateers. He returned to the pits, however, sooner rather than later, with a loose handle bar grip.

It was turning out to be a tough introduction to British Superbike racing for both the PDM racing outfit and Nigel Arnold, but finishing became the order of Race 1, and that he did in fine fashion, posting some consistently fast lap times in the process.
Nige, displaying his professional approach to racing told me, “ I could see Williamson (Privateer championship leader) just ahead and I was catching, but after feeling the grip come off, then the throttle sticking wide open over the hill, it phased me a bit. I decided I needed to bring it home safely and see the flag in my first race for the team”.

Coming from the pit lane leaves a mountain to climb at the best of times, but in the current company of British championship hopefuls, riding to within the top 10 is akin to scaling Everest. That is just what Glen managed to do by halfway, and when Young went down hard through Turn 1, rising bruised and battered but otherwise unhurt, the pack filed obediently behind he pace car, allowing Glen a deserved breather.

Championship points leader Shane Byrne slugged it out with old timer John Reynolds for a brilliant win considering the array of injuries that had ailed him since a high speed Friday tumble.

With Young, down and out of the top 10, and Arnold battling back from a lap down, it was up to Glen to inspire some Aussie flag waving. By the end, 5th on bike #2, was enough to ensure there was plenty of appreciative applause to accompany them. “The jetting felt wrong on the warm up lap and it turned out to be a drilled jet that had been but labelled wrongly. I rode so hard on the second bike, the pace car gave me the rest I needed” mused a spent yet satisfied Glen afterwards.

Race 2 was minus Paul Young but both Glen and Nigel were determined to improve on their respective problems in Race 1. Glen got away with the leading pack, and Nigel turned his inside grid position into good use after launching from the line and gaining valuable privateer scalps. From then on, Byrne (Monstermob Ducati) and Reynolds (Rizla Suzuki), staged a repeat performance of their Race 1 epic, with Michael Rutter (Renegade Ducati) following in a lonely 3rd. Reynolds was the eventual victor. Renegade’s other man Sean Emmett held onto a narrow 4th place from race long pursuer Richards, who in turn had daylight behind him to the chasing due of Gary Mason and Steve Hislop, both of Virgin Yamaha fame.

Nigel toiling down the field was showing obvious signs that the bike was experiencing severe handling problems, but again, brought he guided it home and did himself proud. The gaping craters in his rear tyre where once Michelin rubber had been, told the fuller story, prompting Nigel to comment, “Holding onto that for 20 laps feels like I’ve just been badly beaten up. My body is so tired from just trying to keep the bike on the road and doing consistent times.”

Rockingham, one hour north of the English capital is home to the next round, and with all current Aussie combatants making the trek, I’m guaranteed another action packed weekend, and perhaps another Aussie podium or six.

Kempy 67