Dean Thomas

It's been a good day today and I've ended the day with two sixth positions, which I certainly can't complain about. I found a good set up on the bike and the weather was really good which was a bonus. I felt very happy with the bike, it was a little down on power on such a fast track like Silverstone but things should be good at Cadwell next week where it's more physical and technical.

It's been a mad few days and we seem to have experienced all forms of weather over the weekend except for snow, but I guess in the UK anything is possible! I feel really happy with the progress we have made over the weekend and I felt very comfortable with the bike and set up. I'm jetting off to Italy tomorrow (Monday) for a test with Kawasaki so that's something I'm looking forward to.

It seemed to be a mixed race for everyone as just as we thought Rutter and Kiyonari were walking away with the Championship but both riders fell off at the Chicane in the first race on separate laps. Kio managed to salvage 8th place but Rutter only managed 15th. It has now left the Championship wide open and anyone of four riders could still possibly win it, the rest of the year is going to be exciting to watch!

Only four rounds left now, Cadwell, Oulton, Donington and Brands, I can't believe how fast the season is going. It's been a very productive but difficult year and certainly a new learning curve in my book, but each time I go out on the Hawk bike I feel more at ease with it. I'm looking forward to gaining some good results at the remaining rounds.

Paul Young

Paul Young suffered a ‘shocker’ of a meeting at Silverstone on Sunday but still leads the Metzeler Racetec National Superstock Championship by 23 points.

The week had been going badly for the Hinckley-based Aussie as he crashed during a test at Cadwell Park on the Wednesday. He said: "I was attacked by a traffic cone! They put these things out to mark the apexes for the less experienced riders and as I was going through Barn Corner, I was patiently sitting behind a 600 guy and about to pass him down the start-finish straight. Suddenly he clipped the cone and sent it spinning under my front tyre. I ended up hitting the wall and in doing so took a knock to my right arm and shoulder as well as taking some skin off my arms, knee and leg."

In more than a little discomfort from the Cadwell fall, Youngy then struggled during practice and qualifying at Silverstone to get his Yamaha YZF-R1 to turn well at the Northamptonshire circuit.

"I was ninth overall in qualifying," said Youngy, "so we changed the bike quite dramatically to get the bike to turn that bit better in a last-ditch attempt to find a few more tenths." With lighter springs in the front forks, Paul was third quickest in morning warm-up and hoping for a good result in the race.

He said: "Sadly come the race I forgot how to start ! I dropped the clutch and felt like I was going to jump the start, so I whipped the clutch back in just as the lights went out! I was way back and to make matters worse, the changes which worked well when I was out on my own on the track now meant the forks were bottoming out under hard braking. I eventually slipped back to 14th, which is where I finished. With Adrian Coates winning the race, he’s in second now, with Lee Jackson third. I’m looking for better at Cadwell this weekend as I was going well there at the test and that was on a bike that was a bit second-hand after the crash."

David Johnson

22-year-old Hinckley based rider Dave Johnson riding for Xpress Racing gained a credible 6th place at the 9th round of the National Superstock Championships at Silverstone at the weekend. Johnson managed to qualify his Drayton Croft/Xpress Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 K5 in 8th place and went on to ride a consistent and positive race.

Suffering with tyre problems for the last eight laps of the race he was unable to catch and make a pass on the freight train in front of him. Gaining a good start the young Australian soon settled into a rhythm and was making tidy passing manoeuvres on his fellow rivals.

Once again soaring temperatures proved to be the downfall of Johnson as the grip in his tyres began to fade. In a valiant effort to remain with the front runners, Johnson ended up riding in a race of his own beating his nearest rival by 3 seconds.

Commenting Johnson said 'I'm fairly disappointed with my results today as I was hoping to be a bit further up the pecking order. My tyres started to go around mid distance and I really had to pace myself to ensure that I lasted the full race distance. We've had a long break off from racing, just over five weeks so it was a case of getting back into the flow of things again. I'm feeling confident as we head to Cadwell Park next Monday and would like to think that I can gain a podium position there.

It's been a good break I had a holiday to Cyprus and also a trip back home to Australia where I managed to catch up with a few friends and family. It’s good to be back racing again though and now there doesn't seem to be much longer left of the series and I hope I can make the most of it and gain some healthy results.'

Nigel Broomhall, Team Principal added 'I am pleased overall with 6th place, although like Dave I was also hopeful of a rostrum finish. Unfortunately we were not able to get the tyres to work in our favour and David rode a very sensible and mature race to put some more points on the table.'

Brendan Roberts

Silverstone played host to Round 8 of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, 2004 Australian Superstock Champion Brendan Roberts had only memories of his horrifying crash at Snetterton five weeks ago as he focused towards a win as the title chase grew harder with more potential winners.

During qualifying Roberts was the first to break under the 1:34 bracket as the tussle grew ever harder, with twelve minutes to go it was fellow Australian Dave Anthony who knocked him off the top spot. As things seemed to have settled and the chequered flag was waved, it was Tommy Bridewell, Adam Jenkinson and Jon Boy Lee who put in a last lap charge to knock Roberts right off the front row. “I pushed and pushed out there, on fast laps I over rode a little which cost me but the chicane here is killing me. I’m half a second down in the last sector and it’s all out of one corner!” Roberts said in confusion as he had no answer to the lighter riders.

With fourteen laps confronting them it was Jon Boy who got the jump as the lights went out, as everyone fought for position and stayed up right Roberts emerged in third as he had sliced through the front row. Pushing hard on the opening laps trying to staying in touch with the leaders, Roberts started to slide as his Dunlop 208RR’s were cooking in the blistering conditions. By lap seven Roberts had slid back to sixth position as he conceded to bring it home, he stayed there until the finish but was bitterly disappointed with the situation he found himself in.

Reflecting back on the race Roberts was near speechless as he gave his all, “I don’t know what to say, it’s so hard to watch these guys pull away out of the chicane and keep focused as you ride the wheels off it in the first two sectors. I cant do anything more, I’m training hard off the bike to keep my weight right down, but the four stone I have on these guys is always going to make it hard as they are built like jockeys”.

Rory Rock

Things where looking very promising going into Sundays race as qualifying had gone ok. Considering I was only 1.3 seconds off pole I was a bit disappointed with ending up 15th on the grid after been as high as 11th with less than 3 minutes of qualifying 2 to run. I just needed to get a good start and get away with the main pack if I had any chance of running a good race as Silverstone is another one of the horsepower tracks and our bike was down a bit through both speed traps (31st and 28th) but I was making it up through the complex section.

The good start wasn’t to be though as I got boxed in a bit in turn one as I was starting from the inside and that put me back in about 16th on lap one.  I was locked in a real dog fight with Ian Hutchinson and I think I must have passed him 5 times in 5 laps through the complex but he just managed to squeeze back past as I had to run a bit wider line to pass him, we banged fairings plenty out there and it was a bit messy. It was really holding me up as he was able to stand his bike up after slowing down most of the corners and just fire out. The R1 still likes to run a lot more corner speed than that and I was getting held up pretty bad. By lap 6 I was starting to get a bit desperate but as we came onto the finish straight he had a big moment right in front of me out of the chicane and we all had to get out of the throttle a bit, unfortunately someone coming up behind didn’t see it or just decided to use me as a berm and slammed into the side of me while I was pinned in second gear and hanging right off the bike. I slammed into the ground with my head and shoulder and got shook up pretty bad, I am not even too sure who hit me or what really happened as it all happened too fast.

That was that as they say and unfortunately that was my first dnf this year even though it wasn’t really my fault. The team have now got there work cut out to get it all up and running for Cadwell this weekend but it should be OK. I am starting to get real frustrated with qualifying back and then having to fight it out in the mid pack when I know that I can run in the top bunch as I have kept improving my lap times all weekend into the races this year. Every track we have gone to this season I have dramatically improved my lap times from last year ( at Silverstone I was nearly 3 seconds faster and I was within a second of the fastest lap). The last little bit of time is in the suspension set up as every time I really sit down and hash out what to change and do it we improve heaps. Hopefully before the last 3 rounds we can get some serious testing done and be getting to the tracks with a good setting so I can go for it from the first session.

Cadwell this weekend, I’ll let you all know how it goes.

Northpoint Honda Racing

Northpoint Honda Racing achieved their first double podium of the year when both Craig Jones and Cal Crutchlow took a fantastic second and third place at the ninth round of the British Supersport Championships at Silverstone circuit. In baking hot sunshine the pairing certainly displayed a fantastic performance coming from 5th (Crutchlow) and 7th (Jones) on the grid.

The race was action packed and had to be restarted after 5 laps as a fellow rider blew an engine spraying oil over a major part of the circuit. Jones got a fantastic start in the first part of the race slotting in behind Stuart Easton. It was not long before he took the lead and was beginning to make huge progress pulling a massive two and a half seconds on nearest rival Leon Camier.

As the red flag was shown Jones was somewhat disappointed that all his valiant efforts had gone to waste. The race was delayed for 20 minutes but on the re-start Jones once again got off the line superbly and began to gain a gap on the dramatic 12-lap rerun. It was Crutchlow however who was a man on a mission in the re-start, battling in a fraught battle for the win.

As position swapped every lap between Jones, Camier, Riba and Crutchlow it was anyone's guess as to who was going to take the win. As the four diced and touched at every possible opportunity it was set to be an epic battle for the overall win. It was the Spaniard Riba who finally took the win but was closely followed over the line by Jones, Crutchlow and Camier for what has been described as the best race of the year so far. The results came from a combined effort between Honda, Metzeler and the entire Northpoint Honda Squad allowing them to move onto Cadwell next week with a positive frame of mind.

20-year-old Jones from Peterborough commented 'I'm disappointed not to have taken the win and would have liked to have tried to make a pass on the last lap on Riba but unfortunately the yellow flags were being waved. I'm happy to have taken second and I have narrowed the gap in the overall Championship standings. We still have four rounds remaining and it's going to be extremely tight towards the end of the year. I have to remain consistent and I am still desperate to take my first win of the season.'

Coventry based Crutchlow said 'It's been a pretty good weekend for me and I now feel almost fully fit again after the operation to fix my arm. I've had two podiums on the trot now and hope this form will carry on until the end of the season and that I'll be able to gain a win in one of the final races of the year.'

Michael Rutter saw his advantage in the chase of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship slashed during a problematic double race ninth round at Silverstone where his rivals Gregorio Lavilla and Ryuichi Kiyonari each took a victory.

The action was both dramatic and littered by incidents, but it was Rutter, riding the HM Plant Honda who set the pace in the opener, either side of a stoppage caused by a three rider tumble at Copse Corner, only to make a rare error, running marginally wide at Park and allowing Lavilla to nose ahead.

The Airwaves Ducati rider held on, under increasing pressure from Rutter, but at Woodcote on the penultimate lap, the Honda rider tipped off at exactly the same place that his team-mate Kiyonari had crashed on the second lap.

“I lost the front end – there was on warning, nothing I could do about it I was looking to go for the win, but not at that point. I am really gutted, very disappointed,” reflected Rutter who managed to re-start and salvage a single point, coming in fifteenth. “Riding that last lap was bit dodgy because the handlebar was broken.”

Kiyonari, meanwhile had remounted, charging through the pack from last to finish eighth, underlining his determination to become the first Japanese rider to win the British crown.

Lavilla enjoyed his fourth victory of the campaign, just ahead of his Airwaves Ducati teamster Leon Haslam, with the reigning champion John Reynolds bringing his Rizla Suzuki home in third place.

The Spaniard then battled hard for a winning double, but Kiyonari was out to set the record straight with a brilliant front-running performance, again in a race re-started after a three rider crash early on.

“Very pleased – I was determined to finish the second race without problem but pushed very hard on the last lap to ensure the victory – very lucky in the first race, and hard work to pick up places after the crash,” smiled Kiyonari as he enjoyed his tenth victory of the campaign.

He now heads to the Holiday Monday, 29 August tenth round at Cadwell Park within 26 points of Rutter, who took a distant fourth in that race. Lavilla, second, again just ahead of his team-mate Haslam, is only a further four points down.

James Buckingham, with a winning double aboard the Quay Garage Suzuki, tightened his grip on the British Superbike Cup – Steve Brogan and Malcolm Ashley took second placings.

Rizla Suzuki

Rizla Suzuki's John Reynolds took his second podium of the year with a third place finish at today’s sun-drenched ninth round of the British Superbike Championship at Silverstone in Northamptonshire.

Starting from sixth on the grid, JR posted the third fastest lap of the opening race. Holding fourth with just a lap to go, he was boosted onto the podium when Honda’s Michael Rutter fell at the chicane. In race two he changed his front tyre to a harder compound and was in fifth place closing down the riders ahead of him when he crashed out at Priory unhurt and disappointed.

Rizla Suzuki racer James Haydon took 10th and eighth place finishes as he struggled to find rear end grip with his GSX-R1000. Ducati’s Gregorio Lavilla took victory in the opening race and Honda’s Ryuichi Kiyonari triumphed in the second.

Rizla Suzuki now travels to Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire for the 10th round of the British Superbike Championship next weekend, with a huge crowd expected at the circuit on race day, Bank Holiday Monday, August 29th.

JR: “Changing my front tyre to a harder compound for the second race was certainly a move in the right direction. I had a good feeling with my Rizla Suzuki and after a lap or two really thought we could compete for the top honours. I had just passed a rider and was closing up on fourth quickly when I lost the front without any warning going into Priory.

“My Rizla Suzuki felt pin sharp and planted in race two apart from when I crashed. Put that on top of a podium position in the opening race and I am leaving here in a positive frame of mind. I am frustrated but now very much looking forward to Cadwell Park and going for a good result there.”

James: “All weekend I have struggled to find rear end grip with my Rizla Suzuki. On the fast sections my bike is mint but out of the slower corners I just couldn’t get the power down and was losing time. I will be spending time with my technicians to figure out how to progress before heading to Cadwell Park.

“It’s been a hard weekend of racing with poor results and will do my best to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Dave Marton, Team Technical Consultant:
“Getting a podium with JR in race one was a brilliant result and well deserved but it doesn’t mask a weekend of frustration for us all. JR was much more competitive at the start of the second race and it’s a shame he crashed out. However, he is not hurt and he now has a setting on his bike that he is very happy with and that bodes well for Cadwell Park.

“James battled for grip all weekend and we tried numerous combinations of suspension and chassis settings as well as tyre compounds to fix that for him with no real success. We have a good idea of what needs to be done and will be making some changes to his bike before he races again.”
 

HM Plant Honda

Ryuichi Kiyonari claimed his tenth race win of the season at Silverstone today for round nine of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship. An eventful day’s racing was filled with high drama for the HM Plant Honda Racing team.

It has allowed the Japanese rider to slash team-mate Michael Rutter’s lead to just 26 points with four rounds remaining. The day started well for the team at the 2.213-mile Northamptonshire International Circuit. Race one saw Kiyonari grab the holeshot from pole position and Rutter slotted into second position behind him.

An exciting lap saw the 32-year-old Midlander pass his HM Plant Honda Racing team-mate for the race lead and shortly after the Japanese rider was relegated to third position by Leon Haslam. The duo maintained station aboard the factory CBR1000RR Fireblades until the race was red flagged on lap five.

A restarted 19-lap race again looked promising when Rutter this time secured the holeshot from pole position and Kiyo moved into fourth place. Drama hit once again when a mistake by the 22-year-old at New Woodcote saw him lay his motorcycle down and rejoin the race at the back of the field.

Undeterred, the determined rider powered his HM Plant Honda through the pack, focussing on getting back into a points-scoring finish. By the midway point he had moved into 13th position, setting a new lap record of 1:26.870 on lap four. He further improved his position to take eighth by the time he passed the chequered flag.

Meanwhile, Rutter continued to fend off challenges from the two Ducatis of Gregorio Lavilla and Leon Haslam at the front of the field. The Leicestershire rider maintained his advantage until lap eight when Lavilla passed him, but Rutter remained close to his rival and continued to challenge for the front-running position.

However, misfortune struck at New Woodcote when Rutter lost the front of the HM Plant Honda on the penultimate lap. He rejoined the pack in 13th but damage to the machine slowed him, forcing the championship leader to eventually finish in 15th place.

With both riders coming under pressure in the title chase it was vital for the pair to achieve strong results in race two. Once again, Kiyo took the holeshot from pole position and Rutter slotted in behind him. The two HM Plant Hondas immediately set about pulling out a sizeable gap over their rivals at the front of the field.

This was negated by the appearance of the safety car at the end of lap one and another red flag fell one lap later. With the opportunity to restart the race in their original positions, both riders remained focussed. Kiyo again took an early lead on the opening lap, while Michael settled for fourth position behind Lavilla and Haslam.

A close battle ensued at the front of the field between Kiyo and Lavilla, with the Japanese rider holding off the Spaniard’s challenges, despite his lap record-setting pace. A last lap push saw the HM Plant Honda Racing rider pull out a greater advantage over his rival to secure victory number ten of the season.

Rutter remained in fourth place across the line. Despite closing in on Haslam, a lack of confidence in the front tyre after his first race crash left the experienced rider feeling unable to push too hard for a much needed podium finish.

Michael Rutter: “Today has obviously not been a very good day for me in terms of the races or the championship. My main aim was to at least maintain my advantage in the series if not extend it, but instead Kiyo and Lavilla have both closed the gap on me. It’s really important now that I finish in the top three positions for the remaining races and try to keep those two behind me.”

Ryuichi Kiyonari: “My target for the rest of the series is to finish every race and I was lucky today. Usually when I crash I cannot get back on the bike but in race one I was able to continue and pull back some points. I felt under a lot of pressure and I have had to push hard to get good results, but it was worth it.”

Karl Harris

Honda-Racing.co.uk’s Karl Harris achieved his best finish since Mondello Park in May at the ninth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship today. The Yorkshireman’s steely performance in race one at Silverstone earned him fourth position at the chequered flag followed by ninth place in race two.

The 25-year-old had a less than promising start to the day at the 2.213-mile International Circuit. Starting from 15th position, he powered the Dunlop/BLD-backed CBR1000RR Fireblade into 11th on the opening lap. He remained there until the start of lap five when an incident involving Michael Laverty and Ben Bostrom at Copse also saw Harris in the gravel.

A red flag, with positions taken from the running order at the time of the crash for the restarted 19-lap race, allowed the Sheffield rider to move up the grid to 11th place. Another strong start saw Harris move into ninth by the end of lap one. He continued to pick off his opponents, taking advantage of a James Haydon mistake on lap six for seventh place.

By lap 16, Harris was again challenging his rivals, first passing Dean Thomas to move up to sixth position. The Honda-Racing.co.uk rider remained there until a dramatic penultimate lap saw him pass Glen Richards. He crossed the line in fourth, proving a return to form for the back-to-back British Supersport Champion.

Race two was less eventful for Harris. A poor start from row three saw the Yorkshireman drop to 15th position aboard the Dunlop/BLD-backed machine. The opening lap appearance of the safety car, followed by a red flag on lap two, relegated Harris back to row four for the 16-lap restart.

However, this enabled the determined rider to get a better start on the Honda-Racing.co.uk Fireblade. He moved into tenth position and remained there until he gained a place on lap three when John Reynolds crashed out. Harris maintained station until he reached the chequered flag in ninth for further points towards his top six position overall.

Red Bull Honda

Jonathan Rea made a successful comeback to the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Silverstone. The Red Bull Honda protégé finished the ninth round of the series in 12th and 11th positions respectively in front of thousands of sun-drenched spectators around the 2.2-mile International Circuit.

The first race was shortened from 22 to 19 laps when a red flag halted the initial proceedings. With the positions for the restart allocated to the running order at that time, Rea was relegated to 18th place on the grid.

The hard charging Ballyclare teenager was back up to 16th at the end of lap one, before settling down into a race-long battle with fellow Honda rider Steve Plater. The close formation CBR1000RR Fireblades crossed the finishing line in 11th and 12th positions respectively, with the Red Bull Honda rider just losing out to his more experienced adversary.

It was a similar story in race two – another restart and a shortened 16-lap event, as Rea battled with Plater once again. However, on this occasion there was a different outcome as Plater crashed out at mid-distance. That helped Rea take his second points-scoring ride of the day on the Red Bull Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade.

Jonathan Rea: “I’ve had to work hard today under the most challenging of conditions. With all the red flags and restarts, I’m happy to have taken two top 12 results. After the frustration of missing the second qualifying session yesterday, I needed to pull out two results today. Thanks to the hard work of the Red Bull Honda team, I’ve managed to do just that!”

The luck of the Irish deserted Eugene Laverty at the ninth round of the Metabo British Supersport Championship at Silverstone. After qualifying in pole position, the 19-year-old Ulsterman crashed out of contention at the exit of Ireland on the opening lap of the restarted race.

Laverty’s front row position was negated after a poor start to the original race. Eighth at the end of the first lap, the Red Bull Honda CBR600RR was up to sixth position when the red flag was shown on lap six.

A long delay ensued while the hard working team of marshals attended to the reason why the race had been stopped – an oil spill on the straight between Ireland and Abbey. His second row position for the restart failed to change his fortunes as he highsided out of the shortened 12-lap race.

Pere Riba took his first victory in the series by a fraction of a second from the Honda CBR600RRs of Craig Jones and Cal Crutchlow. Leon Camier brought his CBR600RR home in fourth position and now leads the 13-round series by 16 points from Jones.

Eugene Laverty: “You could say it’s been a bit of a mixed weekend for me. After the joy of taking pole yesterday, I’ve been brought down to earth again. It was quite a big crash, with the back end of the Red Bull Honda coming right round before it spat me off. Fortunately, I’m feeling OK and will be back on the grid next weekend at Cadwell Park.”