Hill and Ellison take the victories in dramatic BSB season opener
Tommy Hill won the opening race of the new MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship season and he followed that up with a closely fought second place to James Ellison next time out on the short, fast Brands Hatch Indy circuit.
It was the perfect start for Hill to his first full campaign with the Worx Crescent Suzuki team and one that lays to rest his painful memories of two years blighted by serious injuries.
“The last two years have been full of drama, but now I am back and working well – this is my return for real,” enthused Hill who lives at nearby Lingfield. “I am just over the moon to be leading the series after this opening round at my local circuit and am delighted for my team who have worked so hard to help me achieve this.”
Hill had to work hard in the opening race as he took on the returning force of former two times title winner Ryuichi Kiyonari who had put his HM Plant Honda onto pole position which he used to good effect as he led for the first two thirds of the race.
The Japanese rider was always under pressure from Hill who timed his move to perfection with eight laps remaining as he powered ahead into Surtees, and then held on to take the race by 0.723secs.
Behind them James Ellison, shrugging aside his third row start after a machine problem in qualifying, was opening up the power of his Swan Honda to take third place from Alastair Seeley with Josh Brookes in fifth.
Stuart Easton, riding through the pain of the badly gashed left leg sustained in pre-season testing, took a brave sixth for Swan Honda while Liverpudlian Steve Brogan was underlining the competitiveness of the new Mirror.co.uk BSB-EVO class bikes by taking his Jentin BMW to 14th place overall, and winning that category from MAR Kawasaki rider Hudson Kennaugh.
The changes to the championship regulations that re-shuffled the starting grid for the second race based on the fastest laps from race one recorded by the riders saw Brookes take pole ahead of Ellison, Hill and Kiyonari, and that paved the way for another thriller.
“My brother Dean told me to get out front straightaway and then stay consistent – so I did,” reflected Ellison as he discussed his race tactics. He had stormed clear from the start with Hill and Brookes tucked in behind while Kiyonari, sluggish away, was soon sidelined by an electrical problem.
Ellison led throughout, unaware of the dramas behind as Chris Walker and Dan Linfoot tangled, then Tommy Bridewell slid off and Brookes tumbled out of third place. Hill, meanwhile, was riding hard and closing in on Ellison, and at one point running inches adrift, but the Cumbrian re-asserted himself taking the victory by 0.186secs.
Seeley took third, the first ever BSB podium for the Relentless Suzuki team, who had Michael Laverty running fourth from Easton and RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati rider Michael Rutter.
Brogan was again strong, completing an EVO class winning double as he finished in an impressive tenth place overall. Kennaugh was second, ahead of Chris Burns.
— Supersport
Sam Lowes took the opening Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship race win of the season at Brands Hatch after an impressive performance on the GNS Racing Honda to hold off the challenges of Paul Young on the Oxford TAG Triumph.
The first race of the season was a real race-long tussle among the leading six riders Young led the pack on the first lap into Paddock Hill Bend with Graeme Gowland, James Westmoreland and Jason O’Halloran tucked in behind. Billy McConnell on the second CAME Yamaha was running outside the top six in the opening laps after getting a poor start from pole position.
McConnell was soon fighting back as he carved his way through the pack, but reigning Supersport Cup champion Lowes was determined and was able to edge out an advantage, before the race was red flagged on the 21st lap.
Lowes said: “I feel like I can finally sleep tonight now we have got the first race out of the way! I need to thank my team as the new squad came together over the winter and they have done a great job. I knew we had the potential to do it we just needed to prove it on circuit in the race. It was the first time I had led a Supersport race let alone win so I need to keep that going now when we get to Thruxton.”
The chasing pack were scrapping for the final podium places with Westmoreland, McConnell and O’Halloran all fighting out, with Gowland dropping to the back of the group when the red flag was shown.
| SBK Race 1 | SBK Race 2 | SBK Championship |
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| Superstock 1000 Race | Superstock 1000 Championship | |
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— Worx Crescent Suzuki Report
Worx Crescent Suzuki’s Tommy Hill leads the 2010 British Superbike Championship after a win and a second place at today’s Brands Hatch opening round.
Hill qualified second fastest yesterday and used the front-row start to great effect in race one, shadowing rival Ryuichi Kiyonari for two-thirds distance before passing and making good the race win. In race two, he closely followed James Ellison, but in view of their very fast pace and the complications of passing lappers on the tight track, elected to take a safe second-placed finish to secure the Championship lead.
Tommy Hill: “After all the work that the team has put in over the winter and in the build up to the race this weekend, it was just fantastic to come away with the race one win.
“The bike’s been consistently good all weekend and I was able to sit behind Kiyo and work out a race plan. At two-thirds distance I thought it was time to make a move. I calculated that ‘Surtees’ would be the place to make it as it would be a surprise to him and mess-up his momentum.
“Hats off to James Ellison in race two; he rode well. The pace was really fast, even in the last laps we were lapping as fast as we have all weekend. The grip had gone but we were still doing 45s. To come away with a first and second is brilliant; I really have to thank the team for putting me there. I’m really looking forward to Thruxton now for more of the same.”
Hill’s team-mate Yukio Kagayama had a tougher day: His first race was compromised by the bolt breaking that holds his gear lever, meaning he rode for two-thirds of the race stuck in third gear. Impressively, despite this handicap, he finished 12th and set ninth-fastest time in the race. In race two, Kagayama started well and despite his third-row start was inside the top six when he high-sided at Clearways on lap 10.
Yukio Kagayama: “My first race I feel was unlucky and then lucky. To lose the gear change was unlucky, but being stuck in third gear was at least a good gear, sometimes too short, sometimes too long, but okay for making a lap.
“In the second race it was all going well; I was happy but then I crashed. Again I feel lucky as it was a fast crash but I’m okay and only in a little pain.
“So, I’d like to say congratulations to Tommy for his win and podium. At Thruxton, for sure, I’d like to join him on the podium!”
Jack Valentine – Team Manager: “Tommy showed our true potential this weekend. We put in a lot of hard work into pre-season testing – very hard work – as we had a lot of new equipment to test and we struggled with the weather. But that hard work paid off today with Tommy netting two fantastic results.
“Yukio was extremely unlucky today; firstly in that first race and then again when he high-sided in the second when he was looking good for a fifth or even fourth place finish there. I’ve no doubt Yukio has the potential to be there with Tommy. So we’re looking forward to Thruxton and building on our championship lead.”
— HM Plant Honda Report
The HM Plant Honda team got its 2010 season underway at Brands Hatch today (Monday) with Steve Plater securing the opening win of the National Superstock 1000 Championship and Ryuichi Kiyonari taking a podium finish on his return to the British Superbike Championship, with team-mate Josh Brookes further securing a points finish.
Ryuichi Kiyonari finished second in the opening race after holding the lead for the majority of the race before he was edged out by Tommy Hill just eight laps from the end. Starting race two from fourth under the new BSB rules, Kiyo was forced to retire with an ignition problem, leaving him fifth in the overall standings.
Josh Brookes had a challenging day finishing fifth in race one, but, after setting the fastest lap in that race he was keen to take advantage of his pole position start for race two. Josh made a good start to get off the line in second on the opening lap, before being nudged back to third. He looked set to make a move to regain the position but he lost the front at Druids, crashing out of contention.
Steve Plater got his season off to a flying start by winning the opening National Superstock 1000 Championship race of the season for the HM Plant Honda team. Plater had been running second in the opening laps of the race and closing the gap on the Padgetts Honda of Glen Richards, until the Australian high-sided out of the lead. Plater then maintained his position, finishing an impressive 6.702 seconds ahead of the second placed rider.
Kiyo said, “I was a bit disappointed with my last laps of the race as I had a good start. I was having a few problems with the setting as the traction control was affecting the tyre life during the race. I knew I needed to be consistent with the lap times and that was my aim for race two. In the second race I really wanted to challenge for the win, but we had an ignition problem and I had to stop. Of course I am disappointed but now I am looking forward to Thruxton and try to get the win there.”
Josh said, Today hasnt been the best for me. In race one I wanted to push hard but I couldnt, so I needed to try and figure out why. I know that I can do fast laps, but I needed to do them all of the way through the race. I was happy to be starting from pole in the second race after setting the fastest lap time in race one, but I didnt get the start I wanted. Tommy (Hill) passed me and that was ok, as I thought I could have a go back, but I just had a few moments. At Druids I tried too hard, its as simple as that. I went in too hot and just lost the front. It has not all been bad though as we have learnt a lot about the HM Plant Honda Fireblade Superbike and I am already in a better position than I was this time last year.
Steve said, To get 25 points on the board straight away is the best possible start to our championship. I was closing in on Glen as he had a flying start, so I just chipped away and was closing him down when he had a big high-side. I then just got my head down and settled back into the race. I watched the gap closely but it was enough not to worry too much, even when we got caught up in the back-markers. I am happy with the pace we had today and now I am looking forward to Thruxton.
Team Manager, Havier Beltran concluded, I am very happy that Steve took the first win of the season in the National Superstock 1000 Championship. He has shown how well he has adapted to the Superstock bike and that is the start we wanted at Brands Hatch. In the first BSB race, it was a great result for Kiyo to start the season with a podium and hold the lead for the majority of the race, although he was disappointed not to win. Josh was obviously frustrated with fifth as he was aiming for more, but it doesnt always go according to plan. For race two we knew that both riders had a good race pace to challenge for podium but it was just unfortunate that Kiyo had an ignition problem and Josh crashed whilst pushing hard for a podium finish. The team is now looking forward to Thruxton.
— Relentless Suzuki by TAS Report
Relentless Suzuki by TAS Racing’s Alastair Seeley sits proudly in third place in the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship after the opening two races at Brands Hatch in Kent.
The series Rookie’s fourth place in race one was bettered in the second with a strong third-placed podium finish, boosted by the fastest lap of the race.
Michael Laverty retired from the opening race after a mechanical problem, but the former British Supersport Champion bounced back in race two, finishing fourth just behind his team-mate on his Relentless Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike.
Both riders showed courage and determination on race day, battling through the pack on the short-and-demanding Brands Hatch Indy Circuit: Seeley fought through to third in race one after a mediocre start, sweeping past title favourites Stuart Easton and Josh Brookes and only losing out on a debut podium to James Ellison by half a second.
Laverty’s crew worked tirelessly to guarantee his place on the grid in race two, and although the Toomebridge man was forced to take a chance on some untried settings, he impressively pushed through from eighth on the grid to a podium position after 11 laps.
The hard-charging Seeley did eventually pass Laverty on lap 12 which he held to the flag, but to have both Relentless Suzukis in the top-four was a pleasing start to the season for everyone involved.
Alastair Seeley: “It was nice to get that result in race two: the first BSB podium for the boys and also the fastest lap of the race on the Relentless by TAS Suzuki. We’ll need to work on our starts for the next round, but I really enjoyed today. There were some hard moves going on out there; I think I swapped paint with Easton in race one a few times! The guys in the team have been doing a great job for me, and I know I’ve said it more than once today, but the bike was on rails in race two. The biggest thing I noticed from riding in Superstock is the quality of the entry and when you make a pass it has to be forceful and very precise. I’m delighted with our start and I’m now well set up for Thruxton.”
Michael Laverty: “I’ll take the positives from the weekend with fourth place in race two, but I have to admit I was frustrated at times with the problems we encountered this weekend. The biggest problem was the lack of track time, but I must give big credit to the boys in the garage as they had absolutely no time to sit back and relax this weekend. There will be better days but it was nice to see Alastair getting his podium.”
Philip Neill – BSB Team Principal: “We’ll certainly take that as a start to the season. All the hard work over the winter from the team and the riders is already paying off. This is an early repayment to our sponsors Suzuki and Relentless and all our other loyal backers, but we will not get carried away. To score a podium finish at the start of our third season in the premier BSB class is very satisfying. However, now we have ticked that box our next goal must be the top-step of the podium.
“We are operating with two highly-motivated riders this season. With Alastair, we never really knew how long it would take for him to make the transition to Superbike. His quiet confident manner is hard to read at times but I think today is a sign of what’s to come from him.
“Michael Laverty has been equally-impressive this weekend and how he conducted himself during and after the problems he encountered, demonstrates his level of professionalism. After the race one disappointment, his result in race two was phenomenal; especially running some untried settings. It was also especially-pleasing to see both bikes running P3 and P4 on track together in race two, as that’s the sort of thing that makes it all worthwhile. It’s onwards and upwards now.”
— SMT Honda
Impressive BSB debut for Iddon
Christian Iddon made an impressive British Superbike Championship debut at the weekend and the sorrymate.com/SMT Honda rider was duly rewarded with 13th place in the second race at Brands Hatch on Easter Monday for his first ever BSB points. The talented youngster had been strong throughout qualifying and although he slid off in the opening 30-lap race, he regrouped strongly for the second and strung together an extremely consistent race to finish just outside the top ten.
With four free practice sessions before official qualifying, Christian gained valuable time in getting more used to the Superbike although the mixed weather conditions meant that the entire grid were up and down on the timesheets. The best weather came in Saturday afternoon’s dry session and a time of 47.154s saw Christian just 1.2 seconds off the quickest time but by qualifying on Sunday afternoon, he was confident of improving upon that and climbing into the all important top 20. Sure enough, with a superb lap of 46.867s he slotted into 15th place at the end of the first 20-minute session, less than a second off provisional pole position, thus advancing through to the second stage of qualifying. Sadly, any hopes of improving further were dashed when a technical problem limited him to just one lap in Q2 and he slipped back to 20th on the grid although the former World Supermoto ace was still comfortably ahead of vastly more experienced riders including former World Superbike champion Neil Hodgson.
Monday’s opening 30-lap race saw Christian make a great start and by the end of the opening lap he was up to 17th, a position he made 16th a lap later as he circulated right on the edge of the points. Here he remained until lap 4 when he got pushed back to 17th but he was riding well, embroiled in a great dice for 14th place. Briefly relegated to 18th, he was back into 17th by lap 14 and still in with a great chance of claiming his first British Superbike Championship points but on lap 19 he slid off at Druids and his race was over.
The new grid format for race 2, where positions are decided on the fastest laps set in the first race, saw Christian line up in 18th on the grid, two places further forward from where he had originally lined up, and although he dropped back to 20th at the end of the first lap, he was back up to his original start place of 18th by lap 7. With a number of crashes amongst the front runners in the first ten laps, Christian was promoted up the order and by half race distance he was running in 14th. On lap 20, he finally got the better of circuit specialist Steve Mercer to move up to 13th and here he stayed for the remainder of the race to round out an extremely strong weekend with three deserved championship points.
Meanwhile, Kenny Gilbertson ensured their were more points for the team when he took the sorrymate.com Honda into 14th place in the opening round of the Metzeler National 1000cc Superstock Championship.
Looking back at the weekend, team owner Robin Croft said: “We were all a little bit disappointed after the first race but the crash was simply one of those things and could have happened to anyone, as we saw in race 2. Having qualified 20th, we were looking to move forward in the race and get as close to the points as we could so in that respect it was working well. The team worked hard to get the bike ready and we made a couple of changes for race 2 and although it gave Christian more grip at the rear, he lost a little bit of feel for the front end and it took him the first ten laps to get used to the bike. Once he got going though, he started to put in some extremely consistent times and with all the carnage that was going on out there, he rode sensibly and cleanly which ultimately paid dividends. The race came to us and after a good dice with Luke Jones, we were all delighted to see Christian come home in 13th place. To qualify inside the top 20 and then claim his first ever BSB points at his first attempt is no mean feat by Christian so we’re all very pleased with the way the weekend has finished. The whole team and everyone at sorrymate.com are delighted with his riding this weekend and we can now look forward to Thruxton in a confident mood.”
— John McGuinness Report
John McGuinness got his 2010 season off to a strong start at Brands Hatch on Easter Monday when he finished in sixth place in the opening round of the Metzeler National 1000cc Superstock Championship. The Morecambe man was in fine form all weekend on the Padgetts Honda and was less than two seconds adrift of second place at the chequered flag with the hard earned ten championship points ensuring his 21st year in racing is up and running in fine style.
Carrying on from where he left off at the end of the 2009 season, John was on the pace immediately and 3rd in free practice signalled his intentions for the weekend. First qualifying was slightly damp with the track drying throughout the 25-minute session but a slight mix-up towards the end meant that John didn’t get enough time on a dry rear tyre and he had to settle for 10th. However, second and final qualifying for his group was dry and a lap of 48.616s saw John leap up to 3rd overall and and 3rd in the group. When the qualifying positions for the two groups were combined, John lined up in 5th overall and headed off the second row of the grid.
The rains stayed away for Monday’s 24-lap race although conditions were still very cool and after being shuffled back a couple of places at the first corner, John completed the first lap in eighth place, a position he maintained until lap 7 when race leader, and team-mate, Glen Richards crashed out. Up in to 7th, John was slowly reeling in the 5-strong group in front of him but overtaking opportunities around the Indy circuit were limited as always so it was very much a patient game for the experienced rider. However, with less than two laps of the race remaining, he moved by Richard Cooper to claim sixth and here he stayed for the final lap and a half to get his season underway.
Speaking afterwards, John commented; “It was a strong ride and I felt that I was as quick as anyone else out there, it was just the first half a lap that was my undoing. I definitely had the pace to be running second but I was a little bit lazy away from the line and it was ultimately my track position that conspired against me. I closed up to the boys in front of me quite comfortably but finding a way by someone on this circuit is never easy and whilst a couple of the boys made slight mistakes, they weren’t big enough to allow me to find a way by. I was a bit de-tuned when I saw Glen go down but I got back into my rhythm and stayed strong until the end of the race so it’s a solid start. The opening round sometimes throws up a few surprises but I’ve got some decent points on the board already and the bike’s mega so we’re well placed for another challenge for the title.”
The second round of the British Superstock 1000cc Championship takes place at Thruxton, Hampshire on Sunday April 18th.
— GNS Racing Report
GNS Racing rider Sam Lowes romped to a fantastic victory in the opening round of the Fuchs Silkolene British Supersport Championship at Brands Hatch in Kent today and in doing so, recorded a sensational debut win for Gary Stubbington’s brand new team.
After qualifying in sixth place, the 19 year old from Lincoln got a great start and was soon battling with the leading bunch before making his move for the lead at half race distance.
Lowes gradually pulled away at the front aboard the 600cc Honda CBR and was looking in control when out came the red flags a few laps short following an accident and oil spillage meaning the 2009 British Supersport Cup Champion took his maiden win to lead the Championship.
It got even better for the Southampton-based team when Lowes’ team-mate Paul Jordan managed to score a third placed finish in the British Supersport Cup class whereby the young Ulsterman claimed a fine 18th overall in his first ever four-stroke race after qualifying in 20th place on the grid.
Sam Lowes: “I’m mega happy to get the result for me and for the team as it’s been a lot of hard work for both sides. It was a good race and I tried to keep calm at the start as it’s a long race and once I got to the front it felt strange as I’ve never led a Supersport race before! My pit board showed I was getting better and better and I just kept my head down. It upset me a little bit when I came upon the backmarkers but then the red flag came out and I came into pit lane and saw everyone celebrating and I was overwhelmed. We’ve now got something to build on for the rest of the year and it was nice just to prove that I can do it. A big thanks to all the team for their hard work, I was on it!”
Paul Jordan: “I’d also like to say a big thank you to all the team for all their hard work this weekend and it’s a great start to the Championship. I got into my groove and just plugged away at it and managed to set the fastest lap of the Cup riders. I’m looking forward to the next round now and I’ve got a good starting point that I can build upon.”
Gary Stubbington: “I’m ecstatic and I just don’t know what to say! I’d like to thank everyone in the team for all their hard work and after all the pressures we’ve had over the winter to get a result like this is great. I’d also like to thank all the people who have helped me behind the scenes the engineers and graphics people and especially the team members and I can’t believe what they have done to help me and this great result is all down to them as they have taken us to where we are now. We have to try to emulate this now over the rest of the season.”
The team now looks forward to the next round of the Championship which takes place at their local Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire over the weekend of April 17/19 and where they’ll be looking to continue their great start to the season.
— Conor Cummins Report
Manxman Conor Cummins got his 2010 season off to a flying start on Easter Monday when he took fourth place in the opening round of the Metzeler National 1000cc Superstock Championship at Brands Hatch. The Team Blackhorse Kawasaki rider was in fine form throughout the weekend, never out of the top 5 in the practice and qualifying sessions, and a brilliant ride in the 24-lap race, that saw him running in 2nd at one stage, was just reward for his stirling efforts.
With both wet and dry weather during free practice and qualifying, the Ramsey man proved to be more than adept in either and after placing 5th in the first (damp) qualifying session hopes were high for improving on that in Sunday’s second and final 25-minute session. Sure enough, a time of 50.378s in the dry conditions saw Conor move up to 3rd in his group and this meant that when the positions were combined for the two groups of qualifying, Conor was handily placed in 6th and on the second row of the grid.
Always a strong starter, Conor served up his usual flying getaway when the lights turned green for Monday’s race and he completed the first lap of the Indy circuit in fifth place. Briefly relegated to sixth on lap 4, Conor was back up to fifth two laps later and part of a terrific 5-rider battle for second. When Sam Warren crashed out on lap 15, there was enough confusion in the pack for Conor to move up to 3rd and a lap later he was up to 2nd and looking very good for a rostrum position. However, the cool temperatures were causing a few anxious moments for all the riders and when the rear tyre let go exiting Graham Hill Bend on lap 19, it was enough for both Jon Kirkham and Howie Mainwaring to move past and push Conor back to 4th. Despite his best efforts, he couldn’t find a way past around the tight, twisty 1.198-mile circuit in the final few laps and he crossed the line in 4th, albeit just two tenths of a second off second, for 13 extremely valuable and hard earned points.
Speaking afterwards, a highly satisfied Conor said: “I always enjoy my racing but I definitely enjoyed that race today and it’s so nice to get my season underway with a strong result and with some decent points on the board. I had a few skippy moments out there when the rear let go due to the colder temperatures but the bike was flying and the team have done a terrific job in preparing it for me. I thought 2nd could have been mine today but it was one of those races where the result could have gone either way and when I had a bit of a slide at one corner it was enough to let two of the boys through. I was a bit tentative for the next couple of laps after that as I was worried about the rear grip but 4th is a great result for all of us. We haven’t been out of the top 5 all weekend, whether wet or dry, and it’s great for my confidence to be so competitive so soon. The Championship is harder than it’s ever been with ex-British Superbike riders, the reigning British Supersport Champion etc but I’m not in awe of anyone and I think we’re going to have a great year. I’m really, really chuffed with 4th place so a big thanks to all the team and sponsors as they’ve put together a great package that has allowed me to show what I can really do – roll on round 2!”
