– BSB kicks off this weekend
The 2013 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship kicks off at Brands Hatch on 5/6/7 April and the anticipation is already building as the two most successful riders in the series’ history, Kent’s Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne and Japan’s Ryuichi Kiyonari, prepare to commence battle in the ‘War for Four’ title victories.
Byrne, from Sittingbourne, returns to his home circuit to begin his title defence for the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki team and is just two race wins short of Kiyonari’s record race-winning tally of 43. The pair have shown a similar pace in pre-season testing and both riders are fully focused on becoming the undisputed king of MCE BSB at the end of this year’s 26 race-long Championship campaign.
Shakey said: “Brands Hatch is my home circuit and we want to get the season off to the best possible start. My Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki team have been working hard all winter to give me the best possible package and I am prepared to push it as far as it takes to win a fourth title. We would have liked to have done more laps in testing, but everyone is in the same boat so it should make it interesting! Pre-season everyone is talking about me and Kiyo but I think there is going to be a great deal more to come from the other riders too. I genuinely think this is one of the most competitive Championships in the world and I think the racing is going to be really exciting across the classes.”
Kiyonari said: “I am looking forward to the first races of the season but I am also a bit nervous; I always get nervous before the start of a season! It is exciting for me to be back in the championship with Samsung Honda – testing has been good, but now all I want to do is race. I have come back to get good results again for myself, the team and the British fans. I want to show that I am not finished, that I can be faster and can win again. There are many good riders in the championship like Shakey, Alex (Lowes) and Josh (Brookes) so it won’t be easy, but I will be trying very, very hard to win again.”
The 2013 grid at Brands Hatch will feature a further six MCE BSB race winners, including last season’s title contenders Josh Brookes at Tyco Suzuki and Samsung Honda’s Alex Lowes, plus former runner-up James Ellison at Milwaukee Yamaha, who switches from MotoGP. The international field will also feature two domestic double champions as Italy’s Matteo Baiocco bids for success for Rapido Sport Racing Ducati and Australia’s Josh Waters makes his debut for Milwaukee Yamaha.
In addition to the two MCE BSB races there will be eleven support races including the consistently thrilling Motorpoint British Supersport Championship, plus the fabulous spectator viewing offered by the Indy circuit means fans won’t miss any of the action!
— Supersport Preview
Multiple British champion Glen Richards starts his Motorpoint British Supersport Championship title defence at Brands Hatch this weekend (5/6/7 April) as the Smiths Racing Triumph team aim to retain the crown against a grid that features two returning British champions.
Richards sealed the 2012 title at the Kent circuit at the final round and returns ready to take on his new challengers, including 2002 champion Stuart Easton (Mar-Train Yamaha) and 2011 title-winner Alastair Seeley (Gearlink Kawasaki) as the pair return to the Supersport grid from MCE BSB.
Richards is ready for the season ahead; he said: “I’m looking forward to the new season but I know I’ve got a massive job on my hands to defend the number one plate. There have been a couple of fast guys move out of the championship but you just have to look at who has come in and it will be no easier this year. We have been testing on the new bike and although it’s been hard work to get where we want to be, it’s all coming together and I know the brand new Triumph Daytona 675R will be good. My main priority is to win the title again this year and I’m focusing hard on that.”
The three title-winning riders have strong team-mates pushing them for podium finishes this season; Richards again lines up alongside fellow countryman Billy McConnell who has come close to the title in previous seasons. In the Mar-Train Yamaha garage Easton is joined by Supersport Cup champion Glen Irwin whilst Seeley teams up with his former rival and sparring partner Ben Wilson.
The 2013 season also marks the return of two former title-winning teams to the grid as Samsung Honda line up with former Australian Supersport champion Jason O’Halloran and Tyco Suzuki feature Taylor Mackenzie, son of three-time Superbike champion Niall.
Podium finishers including Graeme Gowland (Seton Tuning Yamaha), Luke Jones (Hereford), Richard Cooper (Oxford TAG Triumph) and Luke Mossey (Techcare/Profile) return in their quest for a maiden title whilst former MCE BSB race-winner Scott Smart also lines up for the Oxford TAG Triumph team.
— Milwaukee Yamaha Preview
The Milwaukee Yamaha team return to action this weekend for the opening round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship as the season kicks off at Brands Hatch in Kent. James Ellison and Josh Waters are ready to launch their 2013 campaign, whilst William Dunlop prepares to represent the team in the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship.
2011 champions SMR are determined to win back the title and the Guisborough team have high hopes for the season opener. Ellison returns to the Championship following two seasons on the world stage and is ready to challenge for the podium again and Australian double champion Waters makes his MCE BSB debut on the 1.2-mile Indy circuit and is keen to make an impression.
The Milwaukee Yamaha will also feature on the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship grid this season as Dunlop combines it alongside the major road races. The Ballymoney rider is preparing for the opening races of the season following recent pre-season tests and is aiming for a solid start to his campaign.
Ellison said: “I am looking forward to the first round so I can gauge how strong we are going to be and what I’m up against this year; obviously I can see it’s a strong pack from watching on TV last year but with the little amount of testing we have it’s not enough to really have an idea where we will be. I know the team and bike is strong enough to run at the front every weekend so it’s down to me to make that happen. I’m a little nervous about the first round, but I get that every year and I think if I didn’t I wouldn’t be human so it’s all good! With the Showdown rules I know there are pros and cons that I am sure will affect us all at some point during the season so I’m just going to do my best every weekend and ride the wave, then we will see what happens. Bring it on!”
Waters said: “I can’t wait to get started in the Championship as I have been looking forward to the first round for weeks! It has been hard to judge where everyone is at during the recent tests because of the weather, but at the same time it gave me a chance to learn the tracks which was important. I really want to have a good start to the season and get some good results for the Milwaukee Yamaha team.”
Dunlop said: “It feels good to get the season started but at the same time it was unfortunate that the weather meant we didn’t get as much testing as we would have liked. For me this is a really different start to the season and we want to build up throughout the weekend and over the opening three rounds.”
Team owner Shaun Muir concluded: “The whole of the team are looking forward to getting the season started this weekend and we intend to have a strong opening round both for James and Josh in the Superbike class and for William in Supersport. This will be the first weekend for the new look Milwaukee Yamaha team and we want to make an impression.”
— Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki Preview
Reigning MCE Insurance British Superbike Champion Shane Byrne heads for his local Brands Hatch circuit this weekend with the sole aim of getting his title defence off to the best possible start.
Aboard the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki ZX-10R, it was at his local Kent track last October that Shakey clinched his and the PBM team’s third MCE BSB crown amidst jubilant scenes after scoring another amazing hat-trick to take his tally to eight wins for the season.
For the first time ever in his career, 36-year-old Byrne, from Sittingbourne, has remained with his team from the previous year and with continued backing from Rapid Solicitors and additional support from Minxflix.com, he is hoping to repeat last year’s success which added to his 2003 title, with PBM, and the one he won in 2008.
But with very little pre-season testing because of the weather, and another very strong grid assembled for the 12-round series, Shakey knows he has his work cut out but is confident of adding to his three wins around the tight and twisty 1.2-mile Indy circuit.
Joining Byrne is the reigning National Superstock 1000 champion Keith Farmer who made it a double success for Paul Bird’s Penrith-based team last year and has been rewarded with a move to the premier MCE BSB class.
The 25-year-old Ulsterman from Clogher in County Tyrone made an impressive MCE BSB debut last season when he stood in for the injured Stuart Easton at Oulton Park and has shown excellent pace in the limited pre-season testing which has taken place.
Farmer, the 2011 National Superstock 600 champion, won the National Superstock 1000 race at Brands Hatch Indy last year in the damp conditions so will be looking for a good result with the aim of securing a top six Showdown place as the season progresses.
PBM, Britain’s most expansive and diverse motorsport team, are also competing in the MotoGP World Championship with Ulsterman Michael Laverty and Colombian Yonny Hernandez. Both riders are contesting the Claiming Rules Teams (CRT) series where Hernandez will compete on the team’s updated-specification Minxflix.com Aprilia ART and Laverty will be aboard the revolutionary brand new PBM-chassised Minxflix.com Aprilia for his debut season which starts in Qatar this weekend also.
Shane Byrne: “For the first time ever in my career I’ve stayed with my team from the year before and this year especially, we have proved the benefit of that consistency given the lack of testing. It’s my same team, the same bike and even the same sponsors as last year but we could have done with some more testing. I’d be lying if I said we were 100% ready to go racing but we’ll do what we need to in practice at Brands Hatch and we will be ready to race on Sunday. One thing’s for sure, we are much better prepared than some teams and I’m really looking forward to going racing again.”
Keith Farmer: “I am looking forward to the first meeting at Brands Hatch just to get my teeth into it. I am with my existing team so am just aiming a steady first round with a couple of solid finishes and to learn the bike and set up. The plan is after Brands Hatch to chip away and gradually get faster over the next couple of rounds as this is a big learning curve for me. I have a good team-mate to learn from and to point me in the right direction so I am very excited for this season.”
Paul Bird, Team Owner: “We said we weren’t coming back to BSB to finish second last year and we didn’t so now our focus is on retaining our title. To keep hold of both Shakey and Keith was our priority and we aim to give them the best package to do the business on which is the Kawasaki ZX-10R. This is an historic new chapter for us and a tenth British title would be perfect for the team and the sponsors both old and new, which I’m pleased to welcome. The boys have worked hard over winter in getting the bikes ready and despite the lack of testing, we are ready to go.”
— Seton Tuning Yamaha Preview
Seton Tuning Yamaha is raring to go as the lights get ready to go out on the opening round of the 2013 season (5-7 April). The two-pronged assault on the British Championship comprises of the vastly experienced and talented Graeme ‘Gowla’ Gowland and Mark ‘Wilko’ Wilkinson.
The pair will return to competitive action this weekend as the 1.2mile Brands Hatch Indy circuit in Kent hosts the opening round of the campaign.
Graeme joined Seton Tuning Yamaha for the final two rounds of last season, scoring a brace of top 5 finishes – a best of fourth in the final race of the season at Brands Hatch GP. Fully charged for 2013, Graeme will lock horns at the sharp end in what is being billed as the most competitive Motorpoint British Supersport class in history.
Mark had a superb learning season in 2013 as part of the three-pronged Seton Tuning Yamaha assault on the National Superstock 600 title. Mark will look to emulate the success story of fellow countryman and former teammate Ben Burke by challenging for top honours as he once again lines up on the grid to do battle in the National Superstock 600 class.
Race action begins with 18 laps of the British Supersport Sprint on Saturday afternoon at 16.00. The National Superstock 600 race is scheduled for 22 laps at 11.50 on Sunday morning, followed at 14.55 by the 26 lap Supersport Main Event.
Phil Seton, Team Principal: “I’m very proud to announce the continued partnership with Linxcel and to introduce new partners for the 2013 season in the guise of Teng Tools, Swift-Moto, Excel Skip Hire, Putoline and Pipercross. A big thank you must also be said to the rest of our partners that have continued to support us for the coming season.
Pre-season testing has been very encouraging. The boys both showed great pace at Cartagena in Spain, and ran at the sharp end in the official BSB test at Brands Hatch. Everything appears to be falling neatly into place just at the right time.
The whole team has worked tirelessly behind the scenes over the winter, and team morale is at a high going into the opening round this weekend.”
Graeme Gowland #81: “We have had a really good pre-season testing program and it’s helped me a lot adjusting back to the 600. We did four days out in Spain and have now found a really good base-setting for me on the Seton Tuning Yamaha R6. We had a really good, consistent race pace when we did a race simulation. We also tested at Brands in tricky conditions but the bike felt really good and I felt comfortable on it. Next time on the bike will be Round One, and I feel we are in a good place to have a good start to the season. It’s a long year with lots of races and there is a lot of quality riders, so consistency is going to be important.”
Mark ‘Wilko’ WIlkinson #56: “I’m really excited about the 2013 National Superstock 600 Championship. We have had a really good lead up to the season opener at Brands Hatch and I’m happy with the progress made in preseason. We developed the Seton Tuning Yamaha R6 a lot to suit my style a bit more and put into place a lot of ideas we had from 2012. The weather has made our UK based test program a bit difficult but all in all I’m really excited of the team’s prospects for 2013. I’d like to thank Plaza Auto Sales, GSAutomotive and ROMPdesign for their support in 2013. Roll on Round 1!”
