— Walker & Byrne come to the fore
Results
Race one – top six:
1: Chris Walker (Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki)
2: Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +1.790s
3: Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) +4.212s
4: Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) +14.865s
5: Stuart Easton (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +17.512s
6: Alastair Seeley (Tyco Suzuki) +18.071s
Race two – top six:
1: Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki)
2: Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) +2.612s
3: Stuart Easton (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +5.481s
4: Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) +6.093s
5: Tommy Bridewell (Supersonic BMW) +10.464s
6: Noriyuki Haga (Swan Yamaha) +13.209s
Championship standings:
1: Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) 98
2: Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) 92
3: Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 88
4: Stuart Easton (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 58
5: Ian Lowry (Padgetts Honda) 52
6: Alastair Seeley (Tyco Suzuki) 49
Report
Chris Walker stunned his title rivals in the third round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship by taking the victory in the first of the two races ahead of Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne who then became the sixth rider from six different teams to taste the victor’s champagne in the six races so far .
The Championship introduced new technical regulations for this season, abolishing electronic aids such as traction control and it has again proven to have levelled the playing field at Oulton Park.
For Walker it was an emotional ride to glory, his first in MCE B
B since winning in September 2000 at Brands Hatch and the Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki rider who drew deeply on his years of experience to master the difficult drying conditions at the Cheshire circuit enthused: “It’s amazing really. I’ve missed winning a race for so long, though I always felt it was in me to do it but I began to think it would never happen again and that it might have gone away.
“It had been nice to keep up with Shakey – last year we were at a totally different level but the new rules have altered that. Now I can hold my own and take them on in a level playing field,” added Walker who was unable to repeat his performance next time out, having to settle for ninth.
Byrne had to work hard to take the victory next time out. His Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki team-mate Stuart Easton made the early charge with Josh Brookes and Tommy Hill, once they had taken Walker in hot pursuit. But, the former two times winner of the title was soon reeling them in, moving into second place just into the second half of the race.
Hill, who on Sunday had won the race postponed from Brands Hatch aboard his Swan Yamaha, was under intense pressure and it was no surprise that Byrne pushed ahead of him at Lakeside with two laps remaining to take a victory that consolidates his third place in the overall standings.
Hill remains at the top of the overall standings, leading by six points over Tyco Suzuki’s Brookes who finished the race in fourth place, adrift of the determined Easton who claimed his first podium of the season.
— Hill wins Oulton Park BSB race one
Race One (Race of Brands Hatch) 8 laps
1: Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha)
2: Noriyuki Haga (Swan Yamaha) +1.525s
3: Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) +1.685s
4: Alastair Seeley (Tyco Suzuki) +4.320s
5: Tommy Bridewell (Swan Yamaha) +4.460s
Qualifying for Monday race one – top six
1:Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) 1m:35.606s
2:Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +0.506s
3:Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) +0.548s
4:Noriyuki Haga (Swan Yamaha) +0.599s
5:Tommy Bridewell (Supersonic BMW) +0.770s
6:Alex Lowes (WFR Honda) +1.118s
Report
MCE BSB champion Tommy Hill hailed his winning performance at Oulton Park as ‘the best of his career’ after beating his Swan Yamaha team-mate Noriyuiki Haga and Josh Brookes in the first race of the Bank Holiday weekend.
The race had seen Hill start on the fifth row of the grid but he powered in a performance full of fight and determination to carve through the pack and snatch his first victory of the season.
Hill enthused: “People talk about the last race of last season when I won the title as being the best but for me this one has to be one of the best. I went into it with an open mind as I knew that it would be tough because of my starting position but my bike was working well and I went for it. OK the race was stopped but on the re-start Nori pushed on hard but I wanted this one, I really did.”
Hill had been running third, just adrift of Josh Brookes and Shane Byrne on the ninth lap when Jon Kirkham crashed heavily and at high-speed at Water Tower, he suffered concussion, with the race red-flagged.
On the restart, over eight laps, Brookes led the pack on the opening lap, but Haga forged ahead and looked set for a first MCE BSB victory but Hill had other ideas. The defending champion took the lead at Lakeside and went on to take his first win of the season. Haga scored his maiden podium in the championship whilst Brookes finished third, to give Hill a two point lead in the overall standings.
– Victory for Richards in Supersport
The Smiths (Gloucester) Racing team enjoyed another excellent weekend of racing at Oulton Park in the third round of the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship protected by Datatag with Glen Richards taking another race win for the team.
With a fourth place in race one by the Australian and strong top ten finishes by Triumph 675 team-mates Billy McConnell and Luke Mossey, the squad left the Cheshire venue with a solid haul of points and with all three riders handily placed in the 12-round Championship.
Richards was the best of the trio in qualifying for Sunday’s 10-lap Sprint race and was joined by Mossey on the front row of the grid with McConnell in seventh meaning the team had high hopes for the race. A great start for Richards saw him slot into second place with McConnell and Mossey giving chase and as the race wore on, there were no less than six riders battling it out for the win. Although Glen slipped to the back of the leading pack at mid race distance, he regrouped and fought his way back up to fourth at the chequered flag. Aussie McConnell was just over half a second back in fifth whilst Royston rider Mossey also improved to eighth place for some more solid points.
Richards posted the quickest lap of the team members and so lined up in fourth on the grid for Sunday’s longer 16-lap race with McConnell and Mossey a row further back. Although he briefly dropped back, Glen was able to move his way through to the front of the eight-strong group of riders fighting it out for the win and was back in the lead by lap 10. It proved to be the right place to be as the race was stopped prematurely on lap 11 and he was duly awarded the win. McConnell and Mossey were part of the same group and finished in seventh and ninth as less than two and a half seconds separated the leading nine riders.
There was disappointment for Johnny Blackshaw in the Metzeler National Superstock 600cc race when he crashed out on lap 11 after colliding with race leader Josh Wainwright. The Stretton rider had qualified in eighth place for his 14-lap race and had moved through the pack to run inside the top three but just as a podium finish looked likely, Wainwright crashed and Blackshaw had nowhere to go although he luckily escaped injury in the nasty looking spill.
Glen Richards: “It was nice to get the win as I thought I was going to be awarded second place after the race was stopped as I was unsure of the ruling. It’s been a solid weekend and there’s still a long way to go in the championship so it’s important to keep scoring in every race and I’m really pleaed for the team and for Triumph.”
Billy McConnell: “I’m absolutely made up for Glen, Triumph and the team to win but it’s not been my best weekend with regards to the championship so we need to come back stronger at the next round at Snetterton.”
Luke Mossey: “I’m a bit disappointed with how the weekend’s gone. I had high expectations and the bike’s been awesome but I’ve been struggling a bit and just didn’t have the pace to run with the front guys. I can do one fast lap but have been unable to string them all together so if I can find that consistency I’m sure I’ll be running with the front pack.”
Rebecca Smith, Team Manager: “It’s been a great end to the weekend for us and another fantastic win for the team. Glen got his head down in the second half of the race and was in the lead when it mattered most so it’s put us right back in the championship fight. The first race on Sunday was a bit disappointing as the boys had a few small issues which was just enough to hold them back but all three were inside the top eight and scored well. Likewise on Monday although I’m sure if the race had gone full distance both Billy and Luke could have finished higher than what they did.
“It’s been a bitter-sweet day though with the unfortunate crash of Johnny’s. It wasn’t nice to watch and it certainly shook him up but the good thing was that he went all through the weekend without any issues with the bike. There was a bit of pressure riding at his home round but he was running in the front group and was looking good for a podium so it was shame it happened, thankfully he’s ok though so can take the positives onto the next round.”
– Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki
Wonderful Walker gives Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki debut BSB win
The Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki team were back in action over the Bank Holiday weekend at Oulton Park, Cheshire for round 3 of the British Superbike Championship and it proved to be an excellent meeting with Chris Walker giving the squad their first ever BSB win. The Nottinghamshire rider was in superb form and put in a scintillating ride in difficult, damp conditions to claim his first victory in the series since 2000 and hand Pete Extance’s squad a dream win.
Walker was strong throughout practice and qualifying and with rain having fallen prior to the race, he was able to utilise all of his, and crew chief Ray Stringer’s, experience. A bullet start saw him move up from 10th on the grid to 4th at the end of the first lap and although the track was drying, the set up of the ZX-10R Kawasaki meant that Walker was able to race without his full wet tyres overheating as much as his rivals. Third on lap 5 after overtaking reigning Champion Tommy Hill, Chris enjoyed a good tussle with Josh Brookes for 2nd and after finally passing him for good on lap 10 he set about reducing the gap to leader Shane Byrne. With just 3 laps to go he was right on his back wheel and grabbed the lead at Island Bend on lap 15 eventually taking a fairytale win by 1.79s.
Chris also shone in the other two races held over the weekend coming through the pack to take an excellent 7th place in Sunday’s race (rescheduled from Brands Hatch), Michael Laverty pipping him for sixth on the final lap. He then backed that up with a solid ninth place in Monday’s second race to move onto 46 points and move up to 7th overall in the Championship table.
Team-mate James Hillier enjoyed his best qualifying of the year so far in 19th place overall but was thwarted by mechanical problems in two of the races. First up was Sunday’s rescheduled race and he was again looking good for some points as he ran in 15th place in the early stages only for an oil leak to intervene. A rear brake problem caused him to retire from Monday’s first race but he bounced back well to take a strong 18th in the second race.
It was a good day for third team member Kyle Wilks with the 17-year old taking a strong 16th place in the Metzeler National Superstock 600cc Championship race. The Southampton rider was unlucky not to score a debut point, finishing just 0.150s adrift of 15th placed Tom Young.
Chris Walker: “At the beginning of the season, I felt we’d perform strongly so to get a win so early in the year is simply brilliant. We had a really good wet setting which meant I could ride hard without overheating the tyres so fair play to all the boys in the team and it’s thanks to them that I could take the top step. I’ve genuinely surprised myself with my pace this year but the rules are playing into my hands and with two more good top ten finishes, I couldn’t have asked for anymore from the weekend. It was a long winter for me and a lot of people – friends, family etc – have dug deep to get me back out onto the grid so this win’s for them. The team are brilliant and I’m enjoying my racing as much as ever so it’s been a dream weekend.”
James Hillier: “Two DNF’s is obviously disappointing but we can put it down to sheer bad luck and I’ve enjoyed myself a lot this weekend. One of my aims at the beginning of the year was to make it into the top 20 regularly and I feel I’m now doing that so once the luck turns, I’m sure the points will follow. The potential’s definitely there so when I come back to the BSB races, that’s what I’ll be aiming for. Now, I’ll just focus on the month ahead and the North West 200 and Isle of Man TT, which I’m really excited about.”
Pete Extance: “What can I say, it’s just been a brilliant weekend and I’m so thrilled for everyone connected with the team, especially Chris obviously. It’s been a while since he’s had a win but we all knew he had it in him this year, particularly in tricky conditions, and he was in great form all weekend. To get out first ever BSB win is an absolute dream and with two more good top ten finishes, Chris is now up to 7th and we aim to keep him up there for the rest of the year. We’ve said all along our aim was to get him into the Showdown and there’s nothing at all to alter that view so let’s hope we can.”
“I was also pleased with how James rode all weekend and it was only a few niggling little mechanical problems that prevented him from getting the results he deserved. He made it into the second phase of qualifying for the first time and it was very satisfying to see him finish in 18th in the last race of the weekend. Coming through from the back of the grid was a great effort indeed. Overall, we’re delighted so a big thanks to all the guys at Pr1mo and all our team sponsors as this is a day we’ve all dreamed of.”
There’s now a three week break before the next BSB round at Snetterton but, prior to that, Hillier will be in action at the International North West 200, the first International road race of the year. Held in Northern Ireland, the meeting is run on the public roads linking the towns of Portstewart, Coleraine and Portrush and takes place from May 15-19.
– Gearlink Kawasaki
Ben Wilson had his best weekend of the year so far for the Gearlink Kawasaki team riding the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R scoring two solid second places at Oulton Park. He now leaves Oulton in second place in the Championship only 9.5 points behind the leader Jack Kennedy. David Jones improved throughout the weekend and he gained a 27th in race one and 22nd in race two.
Ben qualified in fifth place on the second row and was into fourth after the opening lap. Once again the Supersport races are providing some of the best racing across all the Championships. Ben managed to get past Richards and Cooper and was soon trying to bridge the gap between himself and race leader Kennedy. Setting some of the fastest laps of the race and breaking the lap record in the process Ben just did not have enough laps and despite taking 0.2 out every lap he came a close second with only just over half a second separating them as they crossed the line.
With the fastest lap in the opening race Ben sat on pole position for race two and he was eager to get another good result for the Gearlink team. A fantastic hole-shot saw him take the lead into the first corner but he was soon being hounded by Jack Kennedy again and the pair swapped places for a couple of laps. There were soon seven bikes in the mix for the win with, Ben, Jack and Glen Richards dicing for the lead with each other and all having a brief spell at the front. The race was cut short at the start of lap 11 after a rider crashed at the first corner and forced the race to be red flagged, six laps short of the full race distance, the result was taken back a lap and Ben gained another superb second place.
David Jones was locked in his own battles down the field and managed to take half a second off his best lap time in race one to his best lap time in race two and is showing improvement and confidence at each round.
Ben Wilson – “I’m really pleased with this weekend I am still chasing that win and hope it will come soon, there has been a lot of pressure on me, mainly from myself to go out and do well this year and I just need to try and take each race at a time and get myself some good results. It’s a long season and despite what has been said it’s a very competitive field with a lot of good and strong competition and I know this year will be tough. I rode well and Oulton is one of my favourite tracks and we found a good set up on the Kawasaki here. I can see the full Championship being very close all season and a good handful of them are capable of winning races so I have to keep fighting my corner and doing a good job for the Gearlink team.”
David Jones – “Every weekend is getting a little better for me I had a few crashes towards the end of last year and also in testing and it did knock my confidence a bit so I have been working hard to try and forget about those and start to enjoy my riding again and get myself back in the points. I know it’s a long season but hopefully I can get things sorted sooner rather than later for the Gearlink team.”
Metzeler Superstock 600s – Scott Hudson made another appearance at a track he has never ridden before and was able to make big improvements every time he went out on track. He took a second off his time between the two qualifying sessions and put himself to 21st place on the grid from a massive 45 riders out on track. However it was not meant to be as the 24-year-old hit a damp patch on the warm up lap at Druids and he tucked the front and crashed out before he managed to start in the race.
Scott Hudson – “This is a really technical track and hard track to learn to come here for the first time, it’s a great track but difficult to understand and know where the correct line is. I was really pleased with the progress I made and totally mad at myself for making such a stupid mistake on the warm up lap, I’m sorry and gutted for the Gearlink team. I go to Donington next week which is another track I’ve never been to so I know this is a learning year for me and hope at some point I can get myself into the points at one of the races.”
Team Manager Michael de Bidaph – “It has been a good weekend for us at Oulton we did struggle at the start of the weekend with Ben to find a good set up on the Gearlink Kawasaki but once we found something that worked we stuck with it for the races. Both races were mixed but very close racing and we knew right from the start that we had to try and be consistent and hopefully the wins would start coming later in the season but we have to get some good points and stay within sight of winning the Supersport Championship. We are now second and the standings are very close we know it’s important to keep gaining podiums and good results to keep us in contention. It’s a very tight and close season and it will be through the whole year but it is a long season and we still have 18 races left to go so we are not in a hurry to try and win it too soon.
We are moving forwards with David but we are trying to rebuild his confidence from a few crashes at the start of the year, his times over the weekend improved and we hope soon his confidence will come back and we can get him back in the points. The crash Scott had on the warm up lap was purely down to inexperience and I’m sure most riders have done something similar in their riding careers. His results and times have started to improve but we know he still has a lot of tracks to learn and a lot of knowledge to gain, we hope he’ll be able to get into the points before the season is out as he’s a talented rider.”
– PBM
Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki riders Shane Byrne and Stuart Easton emerged from round three of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship in third and fourth place respectively following a successful weekend at Oulton Park.
Londoner Byrne overcame a fuelling problem which saw him relegated to 11th in Sunday’s race held over from Brands Hatch earlier in the season before bouncing back with a superb second place finish in today’s opening 18-lap encounter in damp conditions.
But better news was to come for the third race of the weekend when the former double BSB champion clawed his way through the field to take the lead with a couple of laps remaining which he held to the flag to take his first win of the 2012 season.
Easton, meanwhile continued his remarkable return following serious injury last year and despite a lowly grid position for the Brands Hatch race, the Scotsman from Hawick fought his way through to finish ninth but it was in Sunday’s races that he really impressed.
After another spirited ride through the field in the opening race, Easton claimed a fine fifth place to grab a front row slot for the day’s second outing. In that race, Stuart grabbed the lead and remained there for most of the race before eventually being overhauled but gamely hung on to claim an emotional third place at his favourite track.
The result sees the best ever result for the Penrith based Paul Bird Motorsport team in BSB which bettered their second and third place finish with Tom Sykes and Shane Byrne at Donington Park in 2007.
Ulsterman Keith Farmer was unable to take part in the Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship race after crashing in qualifying meaning he couldn’t add to his two victories in the opening two rounds. However, with his nearest rivals not scoring too well, remarkably he maintained his lead in the series, just dropping five points going into next weekend’s double header at Donington Park.
Shane Byrne: “We had an issue with fuelling in Sunday’s race and that was a bit of a disaster but we made some changes for today’s first race and it didn’t help that it was damp. I was controlling the first race but had no answer for Chris Walker when he came past but in race two, I was having that one. It’s great to win again and even better to be just 10 points off the lead, whilst racking up the podium credits.”
Stuart Easton: “It’s been a good weekend and I’m especially pleased to get my first podium of the season. I thought if I could make a break, I may be able to hold them off but as the race progressed, I started to fade as I’m still not bike fit. I’m really pleased to see Shakey take the win and our first and third place finish was the best for the team, and with both Shakey and me inside the top four of the standings we are well placed going into Snetterton.”
Paul Bird: “Things weren’t looking too good on Sunday but the team pulled it round and we have had a great day today. This is the best result for the team and I’m proud of both Shakey and Stuart, they both deserved that. Keith was unfortunate but still holds the series lead in the Superstock 1000 series so all in all, it’s been a good weekend.”
– John McGuinness
Morecambe’s John McGuinness put in a fine ride at his local Oulton Park circuit on Bank Holiday Monday to finish in 9th place in round 3 of the Metzeler National Superstock 1000cc Championship. Competing in the series for the first time since Easter, John showed strong form throughout practice and qualifying on the Padgetts Honda Fireblade and his efforts were rewarded on race day to see him pick up his first points of the season.
Tenth in opening qualifying on Saturday, a strong performance in Sunday’s final qualifying session saw John take exactly a second off his time and a lap of 1m39.383s meant he lined up in 7th place and on the second row of the grid. Conditions on race day weren’t expected to be good but, fortunately, the predicted rains stayed away and the 14-lap race got underway in dry weather. However, a sluggish start by John, later diagnosed as a clutch problem, meant he got pushed back in the usual opening lap melee and he found himself back in 12th place as he went onto lap 2. He was soon up to 10th though and although he was unable to overtake any other riders, he was running the same pace as the front runners and was only 3 seconds adrift of third and the final podium place. As the race went into its final third, John was right on the back of a three-way dice for 8th but when Adam Jenkinson crashed out of 6th, the race was ended prematurely and John was promoted up a spot to 9th for a strong finish as he heads into the pure road racing season.
Speaking aftewards, a satisfies John said; “Oulton’s always been kind to me and I always enjoy coming here so it was good to get a run out on the Superstock bike and even more pleasing to end the weekend with a strong performance. I had a few niggling little issues in qualifying but I was happy with the final session and 7th on the grid boded well. One of the problems we’d had was with the clutch and although we thought it had been resolved, it came back on the warm up lap and when the race came under starters orders it was ‘grabbing’ a little and I had to be really careful so as not to get a jump start. That meant I was more cuatious than normal and that’s why I got pushed back a few places like I did. I regrouped though, got stuck in and was really happy with my lap times, which were really competitive. Ninth’s a little bit frustrating as I felt a top six finish could have been ours today but it was a good ninth and it puts me in a really good frame of mind for the important month ahead. The North West 200 and Isle of Man TT are very much on the horizon now so with a good result today, I can now look ahead to the roads and fully focus on the job in hand.”
The International North West 200 takes place on the 8.9-mile road circuit linking the towns of Portstewart, Coleraine and Portrush with first practice getting underway on Tuesday 15th May. John will be action on the Honda TT Legends Superbike and Padgetts Honda Supersport and Superstock machines.
– AP Kawasaki
The AP Kawasaki team had a tough day over the Bank Holiday weekend when they were competing at Oulton Park in round three of the Metzeler National Superstock 600cc and 1000cc Championship races.
Josh Wainwright looked set to claim the team’s first win only to suffer a nasty crash towards the closing stages of the 600cc race whilst Freddie Russo and Patrick Medcalf recorded 15th and 16th in the 1000cc category.
Brentwood’s Russo finished inside the points for the third successive race but was disappointed with 15th as he had been running as high as 12th before being affected by arm pump. The problem meant he was unable to brake as hard as he would have liked nor ride to his full potential but he battled manfully to the end and was rewarded for his efforts with one more championship point.
Australian rider Medcalf was just one hundredth of a second and one place further back in 16th having fought his way through from 25th on the grid. A good start saw him quickly inside the top 20 and he put in a strong ride around the undulating Cheshire circuit and was unlucky to have missed out on his first points of the season.
Meanwhile, Thamesmead’s Wainwright had been in superb form all weekend and after qualifying in pole position, led the Superstock 600cc race in the early stages. Although he was briefly shuffled back to second on lap eight, he was soon back in the lead but it all went wrong on lap 11 when he crashed heavily at Druids, subsequently being hit by the following rider. The crash looked terrifying but he was able to escape relatively unscathed although he could well miss the next round of the championship at Donington Park next weekend.
Freddie Russo: “We worked really hard throughout the two days of practice and qualifying and had got the bike working really well so I was really looking forward to the race and it was all going to plan until I started to get arm pump. I’d made a great start and was up in 12th, looking to move up inside the top ten when it kicked in and it was a battle then all the way to the end. Oulton’s a physical track and maybe a lack of pre-season testing has affected me this weekend but I scored another point and we know we’ve the potential to run in the top ten so I’ll work hard on my fitness over the next few days and look forward to the next round.”
Patrick Medcalf: “It’s been another new track for me to learn but some decent dry weather in practice certainly helped and although 25th on the grid wasn’t where I wanted to be, I felt confident I could move forward in the race. I got a good start and was getting quicker as the race wore on so it was a shame the race was stopped early. I was right behind Freddie though so I know I’m making good progress and I’m sure we’ll get some points sooner rather than later.”
Alan Greig: “It’s been a real rollercoaster of a weekend and we’ve gone from the real high of pole position to a real low with Josh’s crash. He was buzzing after qualifying and felt confident of taking the race win and it was all going to plan. We don’t know what happened but he was lucky to get away with just a broken rib and a broken collarbone and hopefully he will be discharged from hospital within the next 24 hours. Initially there were some fears he’d injured his neck but thankfully this is not the case.
“Freddie qualified well again and got a championship point but his race was severely compromised by the arm pump, which was a real shame as another top ten finish looked on the cards. He’ll work hard on that though so I’m sure he’ll be back in the top ten soon. Patrick again impressed us throughout the three days and his grid position didn’t really affect his pace as he’d failed to get a clear track in Q2. He dug deep in the race though and moved through from 25th to 16th so it won’t be long before we’ve got both riders in the points.”
Metzeler National Superstock 1000cc Championship race (14 laps)
1 Danny Buchan (Kawasaki)
2 Jimmy Storrar (BMW)
3 David Johnson (BMW)
4 Howie Mainwaring (BMW)
5 Steve Brogan (BMW)
6 Gary Johnson (Honda)
15 Freddie Russo (AP Kawasaki)
16 Patrick Medcalf (AP Kawasaki)
Championship standings (after three rounds)
1 Farmer 50pts
2 Mainwaring 37
3 Buchan 33
4 O’Halloran 32
5 Brogan 31
6 Johnson 31
Metzeler National Superstock 600cc Championship (10 laps)
1 Grant Whitaker (Yamaha)
2 Alex Olsen (Triumph)
3 Niall Campbell (Yamaha)
4 Jake Dixon (Yamaha)
5 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)
6 Ben Burke (Yamaha)
Championship standings (after three rounds)
1 Dixon 54pts
2 Whitaker 43
3 Rose 40
4 Hastings 33
5 Fisher 25
6 Wainwright 23
– Dan Kneen/Marks Bloom Racing
Dan Kneen got his 2012 Metzeler National 1000cc Superstock Championship campaign firmly up and running at Oulton Park on Bank Holiday Monday when he took his Marks Bloom Racing Suzuki into a superb 12th place. The Braddan rider made a brilliant start to the race and overhauled over a dozen riders to move up from 28th on the grid and claim 4 well earned Championship points.
The weekend started steadily for Dan though with 36th place in Saturday’s opening qualifying session but with a number of improvements to the bike, he was able to take almost two seconds off his time in the final session on Sunday to move up to 28th place and ensure he qualified for the race outright. Further changes to the front end of the bike were made in preparation for Monday’s 14-lap race.
Indeed, Dan eventually made drastic changes, reverting to the set-up he had used at the early season Donington Park meeting and with the forecasted rain holding off, he was able to take to the grid for a fully dry race. Starting from the 7th row of the grid should have made for a tough race but with the aforementioned lightning start, he made huge strides forward on the opening lap and passed a staggering 12 riders to move up to 16th. His progress didn’t stop there and, lapping almost a second quicker than what he had done in qualifying, he soon moved up to 14th and by half race distance he was up to 12th. With his pace similar to that of the leading group, positions remained the same for the next few laps and with the race ending prematurely, Dan was able to hold onto a superb 12th place and take his first points of the season.
Speaking afterwards, a pleased Dan commented: “I’m well chuffed with today’s result especially after the changes I made meant I went into the race a little bit blind. We’d been changing things all weekend and although we were continually improving, it was only by small amounts so I decided to go back to what we had at Donington back in March and it paid dividends. I made a lightning start and really got stuck in and the pleasing thing was that the leading riders weren’t that far in front of me nor were they pulling away. By the time I’d got up to 12th, they’d opened up a gap but once there it remained pretty much the same and lapping so much quicker than what I’d done in qualifying showed how much happier I was with the handling of the bike, especially the front end. I was able to run with the riders I know I’m capable of running with so it’s great to finally get the result I know I’m capable of and it’s a good platform for us to build on. There’s still room for improvement with the bike but if I can hit the ground running next time out and qualify well, I’m sure a top ten finish is just around the corner.”
The next round of the series will see two races held at Donington Park alongside the World Superbike Championship programme. The event takes place on May 11-13.
