BSB Oulton Park 2015 Day One Wrap
Shane Byrne under the lap record in the dry but Josh Brookes tops wet FP2 session
Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne lapped under the existing lap record in the opening free practice session for the Bank Holiday Monday third round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, but Tommy Bridewell proved to be the rider for all conditions with consistent performances in both the dry and wet.
PBM Kawasaki’s Byrne saved his best for last in the morning session to post a flying lap of the Cheshire circuit in the closing moments of the session to move fastest, with the four-time title-winner 0.351s ahead of Tyco BMW’s Bridewell.
Ryuichi Kiyonari is eager to put his bid for a fourth title back on course, setting the third fastest time in the dry on the Buildbase BMW ahead of Stuart Easton on the second PBM Kawasaki. Brands Hatch double race winner James Ellison held fifth place as the JG Speedfit Kawasaki rider bids to close the six point deficit on Byrne in the standings in Monday’s two races.
Rain during the afternoon session spoiled the chances of any improvement in lap times, but Australian Josh Brookes mastered the damp conditions on his Milwaukee Yamaha to head off the challenge of Howie Mainwaring on the Quattro Plant Kawasaki and Bridewell in the final minutes of the session.
Josh Brookes – “This morning was a bit frustrating for me as I didn’t feel comfortable on the bike and though we made a couple of little changes, I still didn’t feel really comfortable or able to get into a rhythm. I thought we will put that behind us in the afternoon but then it rained, and it was case of ‘oh no’ we need more time in the dry. But I had not ridden this bike in the wet. I went out feeling a bit timid, and I saw Michael [Laverty] and then my team-mate Broc [Parkes] crash so I was a little more cautious. We made changes to the bike and I got a feel for it in the wet and started going faster, getting the fastest time. There are some positives but it is important that we are fast in all conditions.”
Byrne played a waiting game to sit out most of the second session, but with just under 15 minutes on the clock he headed out on track to set the sixth fastest time in the wet conditions.
Tommy Bridewell (Tyco BMW) – FP1: 2nd, FP2: 3rd – “It has been a good all-round show. We have a really strong package here – at the test last week we found something that made a big, big difference to the bike. At Brands Hatch I was riding at the very limit but we have moved on from that and even in the wet I was able to put in strong, consistent laps so we are not too far away. In the dry we are on the podium pace, in the wet it can be a bit of a lottery though. I was quickest until the last couple of minutes when Josh Brookes and Howie Mainwaring got in front of me. It is nice to ride with a smile and enjoy it so I think we will soon be battling for wins.”
Broc Parkes continued to work through changes as he pushes to make progress at the challenging Oulton Park circuit. Parkes was 2.5 seconds adrift of the fastest lap of free practice one in the dry conditions, before bouncing back from a small crash to hit the top ten in the afternoon wet session.
Broc Parkes – “Today I think I experienced a typical English day with both the wet and dry conditions! In the first session we made some changes in a different direction based on what we learnt at the test and it didn’t work out for us, so we have gone back ready for the next dry session. In the wet I just got on the gas too early and crashed, but it wasn’t bad and the guys turned it around so we could be back in the top ten by the end of the session. In BSB you don’t have to be too far off for it to drop you down the order, but we have a good plan for tomorrow. I am hoping we get some more dry time before the races to give me more time on the track, but we will be doing our best no matter what the conditions.”
British Supersport
Team Traction Control Yamaha’s Andy Reid fired himself to the top of the times in the opening Motorpoint British Supersport Championship free practice session, remaining on top over the combined sessions after the afternoon session took place in damp conditions.
Reid had topped the morning session but crashed out of the afternoon session at Lodge. Series leader Luke Stapleford was second fastest in the dry on the Profile Triumph. He headed off the challenges of title rival Jake Dixon on the Smiths Triumph by a little under a quarter of a second with Gearlink Kawasaki’s Ben Wilson and Kyle Ryde in close contention.
In the afternoon session Ryde took the initiative, powering almost two seconds ahead, only to crash his PacedayZ Trackdays Yamaha at Hizzys.
Supersport Evo rider Josh Day aboard the Ruby Racing Triumph was second fastest in the afternoon, ahead of Luke Hedger on the second Gearlink Kawasaki and another Evo category rider Bjorn Estment who just beat off Danny Webb with a late fast lap.
Dixon put in seven acclimatisation laps to be twelfth fastest in the damp, four places and a half a second up on Stapleford.
Motorpoint British Supersport Championship, Oulton Park, free practice one
1: Andy Reid (Team Traction Control Yamaha) 1m39.196s
2: Luke Stapleford (Profile Triumph) +0.080s
3: Jake Dixon (Smiths Triumph) +0.289s
4: Ben Wilson (Gearlink Kawasaki) +0.399s
5: Kyle Ryde (PacedayZ Trackdays Yamaha) +0.437s
Motorpoint British Supersport Championship, Oulton Park, free practice two
1: Kyle Ryde (PacedayZ Trackdays Yamaha) 1m52.671s
2: Josh Day (Ruby Racing Triumph) +1.814s
3: Luke Hedger (Gearlink Kawasaki) +2.618s
4: Bjorn Estment (NFB Financial Services Triumph +2.696s
5: Danny Webb (Appleyard Macadam & Doodson Yamaha) +2.725s
