BSB 2011 – Round Six – Snetterton
Hopkins & Kiyonari share Snetterton wins; Brookesy on the podium
British Superbike Race 1 [17 laps]:
1. John Hopkins [Suzuki]
2. Tommy Hill [Yamaha] +0.274
3. Shane Byrne [Honda] +2.966
4. Michael Laverty [Yamaha] +3.638
5. Ryuichi Kiyonari [Honda] +4.199
6. Jon Kirkham [Suzuki] +5.505
7. Josh Brookes [Suzuki] +10.427
8. Chris Walker [Kawasaki] +11.572
9. Loris Baz [Yamaha] +11.792
10. Peter Hickman [Honda] +13.909
British Superbike Race 2 [9 lap re-start]
1. Ryuichi Kiyonari [Honda]
2. Josh Brookes [Suzuki] +0.810
3. John Hopkins [Suzuki] +1.518
4. Shane Byrne [Honda] +3.550
5. Michael Laverty [Yamaha] +4.819
6. Martin Jessopp [Ducati] +9.648
7. Loris Baz [Yamaha] +9.815
8. Chris Walker [Kawasaki] +16.360
9. Ian Lowry [BMW] +18.208
10. Jake Zemke [Honda] +20.145
British Supersport Race 2 [15 laps]:
1. Alastair Seeley [Suzuki]
2. Ben Wilson [Kawasaki] +8.699
3. Luke Mossey [Triumph] +12.535
4. Sam warren [Yamaha] +13.193
5. Dan Cooper [Triumph] +17.188
6. AJ Venter [Triumph] +20.799
Report
John Hopkins and Ryuichi Kiyonari took the victories in the sixth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship which at the halfway point of the campaign intensified the chase for the crown.
The racing on the all-new Snetterton 300 circuit was packed with fast moving drama and incident and while Shane Byrne maintained his position at the top of the standings, Hopkins enjoyed an early celebration of American Independence Day and closed within 19 points of him.
Hopkins riding the Samsung Crescent Racing Suzuki had shown his mastery of the Norfolk circuit with a fast lapping performance to become the first American to claim pole start in the championship. He made good use of that as he made the early running in the opening race though Swan Yamaha rider Tommy Hill was in close contention.
The intervention of the Nissan GTR Safety Car after four laps while marshals dealt with two incidents that saw Hudson Kennaugh and Simon Andrews crash bunched the pack up and when the race resumed Hill grabbed the initiative prompting a terrific duel for supremacy. They traded places twice on the final lap before Hopkins grabbed his second win of the season by just 0.274secs from Hill with Byrne third from Michael Laverty and Ryuichi Kiyonari.
Hopkins enthused: “To win for the first time here on this new circuit feels great. I am having so much fun out there. I knew I had the pace and that was a great race for me. The bike has been working well all weekend and on this new circuit it is an even playing field for everyone. I enjoy the track sliding around, drifting through corners and having fun.
“I had a really good pace going but then the Safety Car came out and it took the flow out of me and it took time for me to get it back. The tyres were going off a bit towards the end and I felt a bit emotional,” added Hopkins.
He looked on course for the double as he led the second race from Kiyonari who had held on at Montreal as the fast moving Hill clipped the back of his bike before tipping off. The Japanese rider was untroubled as he pursued Hopkins with a rejuvenated Josh Brookes on the Relentless Suzuki running third from Michael Laverty and Byrne.
Hopkins had a lead of half a second when the race was red-flagged on the eighth lap by a crash involving Simon Andrews who sustained a broken leg and Steve Brogan who suffered a shoulder injury.
Hopkins again made the running on the re-start but soon was under intense pressure from series leading HM Plant Honda rider Byrne and on the final lap as they duelled for supremacy. Byrne had taken the lead but on the final lap they collided as Hopkins tried to regain the position, both losing ground as reigning champion Kiyonari charged through to take the victory from Brookes.
Hopkins was able to rejoin in third from Byrne whose lead in the title stakes over the American has been cut down to 19 points when he finished fourth.
Brookes’ first podium finish of the season elevated him up the order to sixth in the overall standings as Stuart Easton dropped out of the Title Fighter positions.
WFR Honda team-mates Graeme Gowland and American Jake Zemke shared the victories in the Mirror.co.uk BSB-EVO class but the third member of that team Glen Richards with third and second placings leads the title chase.
– Relentless Suzuki Report
It was a day of firsts for Relentless Suzuki by TAS Racing at round seven of the British Superbike Championship at the all-new Snetterton 300 circuit: Josh Brookes took his first podium in Relentless Suzuki livery with second place in race two, with the added bonus of jumping into a provisional Shoot Out top six position.
Alastair Seeley followed up his domination of the Supersport class on Saturday by making it a double, his first of the season, with victory on Sunday in the longer 15-lap race by almost nine seconds. The ‘Wee Wizard’ also took both pole positions and fastest laps over the weekend at the Norfolk circuit.
Josh Brookes – Superbike – “Now I’ve got something to smile about! In race one we just didn’t have the grip we’d been having in qualifying and free practice. I knew from lap one we had a problem, but I did the best I could, although I was disappointed as we had been so strong up to that point. I really do believe we could have had the same result in race one that we had in race two. I was riding past pit wall looking at the guys knowing they would be thinking, ‘oh no our luck hasn’t changed’, so there was a sigh of relief when I came in and told them what was wrong.
“Race two is the first opportunity I’ve had this year to show people what I can really do on the GSX-R1000 Suzuki and there’s more to come. We really do have more room for improvement. I did expect to move forward this weekend but jumping into the top six is a bonus. We’ve just got to get out there now and make the results and the rest will happen.”
Alastair Seeley – Supersport – “That’s what we came here to do: win races. Ben tried to rough me up in the first few laps but I got him back pretty early on and just watched my board and pulled away. It has been a perfect weekend for us with poles, fastest laps and two wins. Now we’ve just got to keep chipping away, but I have to say, the boys in the team have done a great job with the bike. It’s making my job that bit easier and I’m sure my GSX-R600 will be even stronger as the season goes on. It was also good to see Josh getting the podium he deserved today. I’m convinced he’ll go from strength to strength now.”
Philip Neill – Team Manager – “We’re back in the hunt in the Superbike class and what is pleasing, is that Josh was able to ride at the front, well within his limits today. We could well have been up there in race one if we hadn’t had a problem, but race two made up for it. It’s been a fantastic weekend all round and with the pace he has shown I knew Josh was capable of fighting for podiums. It’ll give him confidence especially coming away from the meeting in the top six. I have to thank my team for ten days of hard work in testing which enabled us to provide Josh with an easier bike to ride. We never doubted his ability it was just a matter of getting everything to gel.
“What can I say about Alastair Seeley that hasn’t already been said? It’s hard to describe how good he is to watch in that sort of mood. We have improved the bike yes, but the rider is always the final ingredient, and even we as a team were surprised to see how he dominated such a quality field. He needs to keep plugging away now. We know how good the new GSX-R600 is and with the improvements, we can make it even better for Alastair. He’s not under any pressure and in that sort of form who knows what he can do.”
