BSB 2011 – Round Four – Thruxton
BSB heads to Thruxton with Hopkins chasing Byrne for series lead
Shane Byrne takes a slender three points advantage over John Hopkins into the fourth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship on Bank Holiday Monday, 30 May, at Thruxton and while one of them has a winning pedigree at the Hampshire circuit the other is taking a step into the unknown.
HM Plant Honda rider Byrne, fresh from his victory at Croft last time out, a result that put him back at the top of the title standings, has a good track record at this circuit, including taking a winning double in the 2003 season in which he won the first of his two British titles, and then a first and a second, as he regained the crown in 2008.
Byrne is the only rider to have won two races so far in what has proved to be a highly competitive start to the campaign and he is looking for more of the same: “I really want to maintain that momentum. I am really looking forward to these races and I think the circuit should suit my bike from a performance point of view. Thruxton is all about speed and I think with a few more steps before the race we should be back up the front again and challenging for some more wins.”
Hopkins, the former MotoGP rider, has to learn the circuit quickly as he aims for a second victory of the season aboard the locally prepared Samsung Crescent Suzuki to remain in close contention with Byrne.
“I have seen a bit of Thruxton with just a few laps in the passenger seat of the car so this is probably going to be my toughest race of the season so far as I don’t really have any track knowledge compared to the other guys,” explained Hopkins, adding: “I may not know the track but my confidence is growing every weekend and I feel increasingly comfortable on the bike and getting it working how we need to.”
Both riders face tough in-team challenges. Byrne expects three times title winner Ryuichi Kiyonari to come out fighting after his disappointing time last time out at Croft where, having scored only a single point, he lost ground in the championship standings. Hopkins, meanwhile, has a buoyant Jon Kirkham lining up alongside him, the Derby rider having powered in maiden race winning glory at the North Yorkshire circuit.
Tommy Hill, riding Swan Yamaha, will be stronger, though still pained by the shoulder injury sustained in a tumble in the second round, and will be gunning for top results to get back into contention for the title he narrowly missed out on last year. His team-mate Michael Laverty also needs positive results to boost his hopes of making the end of season title showdown.
Gary Mason, who scored his first podium finish at Croft, is intent on more of the same aboard his MSS Colchester Kawasaki and for this round he is joined in the team by Alex Lowes. The Lincolnshire rider replaces Stuart Easton who is recovering from injuries sustained in a crash during practice for last weekend’s NorthWest 200 race.
French teenage Loris Baz is a fast maturing force aboard the Motorpoint Yamaha while the most experienced rider in the series Michael Rutter aboard the Rapid Solicitors Bathams Ducati should be at the sharp-end of the pack.
The move by Lowes from the WFR Honda team, due to contractual issues after the Croft round, opens up the race for the Mirror.co.uk BSB-EVO title. Glen Richards, the former team-mate of Lowes look well placed to go for the crown though not without a fight from Tyco Honda’s Patrick Muff and Simon Andrews riding for the Buy-Force.com PR Kawasaki team.
– HM Plant Preview
HM Plant Honda Aims To Carry Winning Momentum to Thruxton
The HM Plant Honda team is aiming to carry its race-winning momentum to Thruxton this Bank Holiday weekend for the fourth round of the British Superbike Championship as Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne looks to extend his advantage in the title standings.
Shakey was victorious last time out at Croft and heading to the high-speed Hampshire circuit he has a three point advantage over nearest rival John Hopkins in the title standings. Shakey has celebrated podiums and victories at the track in the past and is feeling confident ahead of the weekend.
Ryuichi Kiyonari is also determined to make amends after a disappointing round at Croft, but the defending champion is eager to return to race-winning form in a bid to close down the title advantage of his team-mate.
In the Superstock 1000 Championship Jason O’Halloran has scored two second places from the opening three races and the Australian is aiming to go one better this weekend in his quest to secure his first win of the season for the HM Plant Honda team on the CBR1000RR Fireblade.
Shakey said: “We had another win last time out at Croft and I really want to maintain that momentum at Thruxton. I am really looking forward to the weekend and I think it should suit the HM Plant Honda Fireblade from a performance point of view. Thruxton is all about speed and I think with a few more steps before the race we should be back up the front again and challenging for some more wins and those podium credits. The last time I raced there I had a win and last year HM Plant Honda won so hopefully that bodes well ahead of the weekend!”
Kiyo said: “Last year Thruxton was a good race for the team with a win, although I just missed out on the podium. It was a very hard weekend at Croft for me and HM Plant Honda but I am going to Thruxton and I want to try and do again what I did at Oulton Park; I want to win and be back on the podium. I hope that we can work hard in free practice and qualifying to make changes to solve the problems we had at Croft so that we can be fast and pushing for wins.”
Jason said: “I think Thruxton should be good for us; we made some changes at Croft and we felt more comfortable and went from sixth on the grid to second. I need to aim for a front row start and just go for it in the race. We know we are capable of winning with the package we have in the Fireblade, with a few steps forward in practice we should be up there ready to go on Monday.”
HM Plant Honda team manager Havier Beltran concluded: “Following the Croft round we know we have the potential to have another good weekend at Thruxton. If you look at Shakey from the last round he looked like he could have taken a double win had it not been for the problem in the first race. He was in a class of his own so hopefully he can carry that momentum to Thruxton this weekend. For Kiyo we are aiming for a big turnaround from the last round and we have been working hard since Croft to make this happen. Thruxton is a circuit he likes so we should see the Kiyo that won at Oulton Park back this weekend. In the Superstock class Jason is looking to improve on the second place he had at Croft and maybe he can pull something out of the bag this weekend. He has been preparing hard and is feeling confident so we will see if he can go one better.”