Donington Park

A revised calendar for the 2010 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli has been announced today due to the major changes involving Donington Park which is unable to be included for the coming year.

The Donington Park round due to take place on 10-12 September will now be held at the Croft circuit and on May 21-23 is now being held at the Cadwell Park circuit.

Other changes to the calendar show the Knockhill round has moved to the 2-4 July while the 16-18 July round will be held at the Snetterton circuit.

* – Denotes three BSB races at these events, all others two.

Sylvain Guintoli - Worx Crescent Suzuki 2009

The Worx Crescent Suzuki British Superbike rider Sylvain Guintoli, has extended his contract with the team to once again ride for them in the 2010 season.

Guintoli suffered compound fractures to his right fibula and tibia in a freak, two bike accident on his sighting lap for the first race at Donington Park.  It happened as Guintoli was turning into the Melbourne hairpin, Josh Brookes on the HM Plant Honda arrived at the corner too fast and crashed into the Suzuki.  It was later discovered that it was caused by a failure in the operation of the braking system of the Honda.

Although Guintoli has only managed to complete six round of the British Superbike Championship this season due to his injuries, he was on the podium four times out of the six, one of them being a win, and also had a pole position, proving to himself and the team he was worthy of the contract.

Guintoli said;

“This is the first time in my career I’ve signed a contract this early in the year – I think that shows just how comfortable both sides are with each other. Right now we are working on regaining the competitiveness we showed at the beginning of this season, but as well we know now that the experience that I am gaining at the tracks this year will be something we can carry into next season.

“With the experience we will have of the tracks, of the GSX-R and of working together as a team we can look forward to next year with a lot of optimism.”

The team are now seeking additional funding to allow them to run two bikes in the 2010 season, which they are hoping will be filled by a younger rider to work alongside Guintoli.

Alastair Seeley - Superstock 1000cc Champion 2009

Alastair Seeley took his ninth win of the season at Cadwell Park at the weekend to be crowned the new National 1000cc Superstock Champion.

It is the second British Championship title in the past three-years for the Relentless Suzuki by TAS Racing Team, after winning the Supersport series in 2007 with Michael Laverty.

Seeley said;

“I really didn’t expect that this weekend and I didn’t expect Brogan to DNF. I didn’t even know he was out of the race, which I suppose wasn’t a bad thing as I was just concentrating on reeling the laps off. It’s been a great year so far and I just couldn’t fault the effort of the team or the 2009 GSX–R1000. I’m well chuffed for Philip and Hector Neill as they gave me the chance at the start of the year, and also a big thanks to Ian Glen, Suzuki GB and Relentless for putting their faith in me.

Seeley, not only recorded clean sweeps at three rounds of the championship this season on the GSX-R1000, at Donington Park, Brands Hatch and Cadwell Park, but also claimed four circuit lap records.

Sylvain Guintoli 2009

The Worx Crescent Suzuki rider Sylvain Guintoli, is to make his return to the British Superbike Championship next weekend at Cadwell Park.

Guintoli was hit by the HM Plant Honda rider Josh Brookes at the Donington Park round of the championship back in May and suffered a broken right fibula and tibia.

The 27-year-old, tested at Cadwell Park on Tuesday after missing the previous five rounds of the championship while his leg mended.  He is now out of contention for the title he intends to aim for a podium place on every round left this season and has no intention of taking it easy.  Sylvain Guintoli said;

“It’s great to be back, I’ve missed this a lot. I’ve been a long time not on a bike and while I could deal with it at the start, to be honest, it got worse as the time dragged by.

Team Manager Jack Valentine said;

“Sylvain’s passed today’s test with flying colours. We set the bike up just as he last had it and he got on and rode it like he’s never been away. He did 45 laps and at the end he wasn’t even sweating.

His lap times were excellent as well. He’s been away for three months, the track looked decidedly green and he’s only been here once before for a few laps on a road bike, so his pace today was impressive, not exactly lap record, but fast enough to say this is the Sylvain we know and love. We’re really looking forward to the Cadwell races now!”

The American began his career in the late 70’s before reaching the top of the American Road Racing  series in the early 80’s.  He decided to retire from the sport in the Summer of 1982 to concentrate on business commitments.

In 1986, he was talked into coming out of retirement and rode for Suzuki team in the GSXR National Cup series where by the end of the season he had racked-up 45 wins out of 51 races.  He joined the Kosar Racing Team for 1987 and competed in the AMA Superbike championship where he finished in fourth place overall, riding against the likes of Wayne Rainey and Kevin Schwantz.

The American got his big break in 1988 when he was signed by the team Yoshimura R&D of America, allowing him also to ride in it’s parent company Yoshimura of Japan in 1989, seeing him win both of the championships.

Doug then went onto the Ducati team, allowing him to race in not only the World Superbike Championship but also the AMA Championship.  He not only won the World Superbike Championship by 150 points but also made history by winning a record 17 victories during the season and claimed the title of AMA Pro Twins Championship.

Taking the crown for the second year running in the WSB Championship of 1992, he finished third in the AMA Superbike series.

In 1993, Doug rode exclusively for the Ducati Italy squad in the AMA Superbike series and claimed the title with two rounds still to run.

In 1994, Doug was given the chance to ride for the Honda Racing Corporation (HRC) on their new RC45 Superbike, finishing fourth in the championship. He only rode a handful of races for the team in the following year.

After leaving the Honda, Doug  joined the Suzuki Endurance Racing team riding a 750cc and also riding a 1100cc in the AMA Superteams series for Team Ebsco Suzuki.   He won the World Endurance Championship of 1997 alongside his team-mate Peter Goddard on the GSXR 750cc.  He won the World Endurance Championship again in 1998 but this time riding for the Honda Racing team on the RC45.

Doug, now 49,  has raced in various events throughout the years and is now offering his services to help others as an instructor at track days and day events in the United States.

Here’s a little clip of Doug winning the 1991 first race at Donington Park;

Chris Burns - MV Agusta

Chris Burns will allegedly be on the grid of the next round of the British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch, on August 7/8/9, for the Jentin Racing Yamaha Team

Burns was signed at the beginning of the season to ride the STP-JHS MV Agusta Team, however, before he had even ridden the machine, the contract ended after delays in getting the bike on track.

The Geordie rider, landed a full-time ride in the German Superbike Championship for this season with the Holzhauer Honda Racing team.  Initially, the former MotoGP rider, was a replacement rider for the injured reigning champion Martin Bauer, but after an impressive 2nd and 4th place at the Sachsenring, he was offered the ride until the end of the season, alongside Bauer and team-mate Michael Schumacher.

There is still no confirmation at this point, but with Michael Schumacher returning to the Formula One series to cover for the injured Ferrari driver Felipe Massa, and Bauer still recuperating, it leaves Burns as the sole rider for the German Superbike Team making it seem unlikely that they would let him go, however, I didn’t expect to see Schumacher back in F1!

Mallory Park

The next round of the British Superbike Championship will take place at Mallory Park on the 17-19 July and there will be some new faces on the grid standing-in as  replacements for injured riders.

British Superstock Champion Steve Brogan will be on the HM Plant Honda, filling-in for Glen Richards who broke his left femur last weekend at Knockhill.  On Sunday, Richards underwent surgery to have a pin inserted to hold the bone together and is now up and about on crutches.

It is hoped that Richards will be back on the grid before the end of the season, although it has already been decided that Steve Plater will be the replacement at the Brands Hatch round on the 7-9 August and at Cadwell Park on the 29-31 August.

Michael Rutter had been covering for Guintoli until he and the team mutually agreed to end their association after the Knockhill round.

After leaving the Hanspree Honda Althea World Superbike team earlier this season, Tommy Hill is to be the replacement rider for the injured Worx Crescent Suzuki man Sylvain Guintoli at Mallory Park.

Guintoli suffered compound fractures to his right fibula and tibia in a freak, two bike accident on his sighting lap for the first race at Donington Park.  It happened as Guintoli was turning into the Melbourne hairpin, Josh Brookes on the HM Plant Honda arrived at the corner too fast and crashed into the Suzuki.  It was later discovered that it was caused by a failure in the operation of the braking system of the Honda.

Hill will be riding under a one race contract until Guintoli is considered fit enough to return after making a steady recovery so far.

Noriyuki Haga - Ducati Xerox Team 2009

The next round of the World Superbike Championship takes place at Brno in the Czech Republic on the 26th July, and some of the top riders are set to return after suffering injuries in earlier rounds.

The Xerox Ducati ride Noiryuki Haga, is expected to be on the starting grid after his crash in race 2 at the Donington circuit.  He suffered a fracture to his right arm and cracks to his left scapula and spent the next three days in hospital before returning to his home in Milan.

Haga is leading the Championship ahead of Yamaha World Superbike rider Ben Spies, but by a mere 14 points and is eager to get back on his bike and battle with the American.

Suzuki Alstare rider Max Neukirchner, and Kawasaki Superbike Racing Team rider Makoto Tamada were both injured during the same accident at Monza in April, but are now ready to return to work at Brno.

Neukirchner suffered a broken right femur, a double fracture to the fibula and dislocated his foot.  He had to endure a six-hour operation to have a pin inserted into his right thigh while the fibula was left to heal naturally.  The operation was a success and the German rider eventually returned to his home in the back of a camper-van, propped-up by cushions as he was advised not to fly.

Makoto Tamada received a broken wrist in the carnage at the first corner at Monza, after hitting the back of the Brendan Roberts Guandalini Ducati. After further examinations in Japan, Tamada was also found to have fractures in two of his fingers and had to have a wire inserted to stabilise the fractures.  The Japanese rider is now fully recovered from his injuries and is also eager to get back on the grid.

Stuart Easton - Hydrex Honda 2009

This weekend the British Superbike riders and teams head to Scotland for round six of the Championship at the Knockhill circuit in Fife.

Michael Rutter will once again be riding the Worx Crescent Suzuki, where he is aiming for nothing less than a podium finish for the team.  In 2008, Rutter rode the NW 200 Ducati, claiming fourth in the first race and second in race two and has said that he loves this track and knows that he can be at the front.

The two Airwaves Yamaha riders, Leon Camier and James Ellison, will be back in the British Superbike series after competing as wild-cards in last weekends World Superbikes at Donington.  Both riders will then return as wild-card riders for the following weekend race in the World Superbike Championship.

Another rider who wants no less than a win this weekend is the Scottish rider Stuart Easton on the Hydrex Honda machine.  With five podium finishes so far this season, Easton believes he can get in front of the leading Airwaves Yamaha riders at his home circuit.

The two HM Plant Honda riders Josh Brookes and Glen Richards, are also expected to be in the front runners, with Brookes claiming three thirds in the last three races.  Richards has always been strong at the Scottish circuit and has a lot of experience of the tight, short track.

Rumours have been circulating that Gary Mason would not be at Knockhill this weekend as the Quay Garage Honda team had run out of money, however, it has been confirmed that although the team are struggling and desperately need to find backers, they will be on the grid for round six.  Mason is currently leading the Superbike Cup and is only 4 points behind Josh Brookes in the Championship.

Yesterday afternoon the annual ‘Superbikes In The Square’ took place, where the championship riders ride through the city centre of Glasgow, demonstrating their skills to thousands of spectators.

Leon Camier and team-mate James Ellison entertained the crowd with burn-outs and wheelies, along with Simon Andrews.  Josh Brookes was on the back of Steve Plater’s machine before he and his team-mate Glen Richards put on some demonstration laps for their fans.

John McGuiness was cheered by onlookers as he rode the Padgetts Honda along with Steve Brogan.  Rutter raised one of the loudest cheers as he destroyed the rear tyre of the Worx Crescent Honda.  Atsushi Watanabe, Ian Lowry, Billy McConnell, Tom Grant and Dan Cooper were also in attendance along with riders from the 125GP British riders.

Ben Spies - Donington Park

The Yamaha World Superbike rider Ben Spies, won both races in round nine of the World Superbike Championship at Donington Park on Sunday.

Race 1

Spies dominated the qualifying session on Saturday and continued by winning the race on Sunday shadowed by the Aprilia Racing rider Max Biaggi.

On the final lap of the race it looked like all the hard work from Biaggi had been wasted as his machine came almost to a halt, just a couple of hundred yards from the chequered flag.  However, after a bit of weaving by the Italian he picked up speed and shot across the line to take his place on the podium, it was later confirmed that he had some sort of fuel problem.

Noriyuki Haga on the Ducati Xerox bike took the final step of the podium followed in fourth place by Leon Haslam on the Stiggy Motorsport Honda.

Shane Byrne was right on the tail of Haslam for the Sterilgarda Ducati team ahead of the second Aprilia Racing bike ridden by Shinya Nakano in sixth.

Jonathan Rea on the Hanspree Ten Kate Honda took seventh followed by John Hopkins on the second Stiggy Honda, Jakub Smrz on the Guandalini Racing bike was in ninth and Ryuichi Kiyonari on the Ten Kate Honda Racing bike to complete the top ten riders.

Here are the results;

1  19 Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 34′57.230 (158,831 kph)
2   3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 7.156
3  41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R 10.968
4  91 Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 18.843
5  67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 19.125
6  56 Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 21.286
7  65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 23.644
8 121 Hopkins J. (USA) Honda CBR1000RR 32.849
9  96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R 32.904
10   9 Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 33.192
11   7 Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR 34.535
12  84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 35.093
13  22 Camier L. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 35.441
14  57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 39.034
15 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 41.067
16  14 Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 46.452
17  71 Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 47.924
18  23 Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 48.246
19  99 Scassa L. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 50.932
20 117 Andrews S. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 55.032
21   2 Hacking J. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 55.216
22  53 Polita A. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1′02.758
23  25 Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 1′02.977
24  94 Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF R1 1′12.255
25  79 Young B. (USA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 1′12.531
RET  11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR
RET  27 Ellison J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1
RET  88 Resch R. (AUT) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9
RET  66 Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1
RET  36 Lavilla G. (ESP) Ducati 1098R
RET  77 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR

Race 2

The second race was again dominated by the American rider Ben Spies, who started the race as he meant to go on, creating a gap from the off, and claiming his tenth win of the 2009 season.

Noriyuki Haga crashed out from second place on lap 5 of the race while trying to bridge the gap between himself and Spies.  The Ducati rider was taken to a Derby hospital and was treated for a fracture to the ulna in his right arm.  Haga today underwent surgery to insert a plate and screws to the ulna which has been deemed a success, the multiple fractures discovered to his left shoulder will heal on their own and did not need intervention.  The team believe it would still be possible for Haga to ride at the next round at Brno but he will not take part in the test due at Imola.

British rider Leon Haslam, took the Stiggy bike across the line to claim the second step of the podium, after battling for the position with Michel Fabrizio on the Ducati Xerox and Shane Byrne on the Sterilgarda machine.  Haslam finally made his move stick with three laps of the race remaining and said that he had been spurred on by the British fans at his home track.

Fabrizio finished in third ahead of Byrne in fourth after suffering technical problems in race one.  The Italian had broken the lap record during qualifying but a gear problem saw him sliding backwards to finally finish in twelfth position, but he was back on the podium in the second race after jumping on his spare bike.

Neither of the Aprilia Racing riders finished the second race with Biaggi crashing out on lap 4 at the Melbourne hairpin.  The Italian got back on his machine only to make contact again with another rider and later x-rays showed he had received a hairline fracture to his right foot.  Fortunately, with the three week break now before Brno, Biaggi is expected to be fit to ride in the next round.

Shinya Nakano, on the second Aprilia, amazingly walked away without injury when he crashed at high speed just after the opening lap of race two.

John Hopkins was not on the grid for the second race despite finishing the first race in eighth place from thirteenth in qualifying.  Hopkins apologised to his fans and supporters for not taking part but was said to be suffering so much pain from the first race that he could not carry on.

Simon Andrews, riding as a wild-card, achieved his aim of a top ten finish in race two for the Kawasaki team after qualifying in twenty-sixth position.

Leon Camier was another wild-card rider this weekend, claiming sixth in race two after starting in twenty-second place.  The Airwaves Yamaha rider demolished his number one bike during provisional qualifying and on the spare could only manage seventeenth position.  In both races he made a terrible start but fought his way back to the top in race two.  His team-mate James Ellison, crashed out in the first race but finished an impressive eighth in race two.

Here are the results;

1 19 Spies B. (USA) Yamaha YZF R1 35′14.788 (157,512 kph)
2 91 Haslam L. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 6.622
3 84 Fabrizio M. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 6.816
4 67 Byrne S. (GBR) Ducati 1098R 7.349
5 66 Sykes T. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 8.145
6 22 Camier L. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 13.463
7 9 Kiyonari R. (JPN) Honda CBR1000RR 15.751
8 27 Ellison J. (GBR) Yamaha YZF R1 16.837
9 111 Xaus R. (ESP) BMW S1000 RR 22.891
10 117 Andrews S. (GBR) Kawasaki ZX 10R 30.347
11 57 Lanzi L. (ITA) Ducati 1098R 30.622
12 14 Lagrive M. (FRA) Honda CBR1000RR 31.562
13 71 Kagayama Y. (JPN) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 32.148
14 23 Parkes B. (AUS) Kawasaki ZX 10R 32.607
15 65 Rea J. (GBR) Honda CBR1000RR 32.806
16 99 Scassa L. (ITA) Kawasaki ZX 10R 34.269
17 79 Young B. (USA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9 40.644
18 36 Lavilla G. (ESP) Ducati 1098R 40.956
19 25 Salom D. (ESP) Kawasaki ZX 10R 41.302
20 11 Corser T. (AUS) BMW S1000 RR 42.856
21 3 Biaggi M. (ITA) Aprilia RSV4 Factory 47.769
RET 77 Iannuzzo V. (ITA) Honda CBR1000RR
RET 88 Resch R. (AUT) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9
RET 53 Polita A. (ITA) Suzuki GSX-R 1000 K9
RET 7 Checa C. (ESP) Honda CBR1000RR
RET 94 Checa D. (ESP) Yamaha YZF R1
RET 41 Haga N. (JPN) Ducati 1098R
RET 96 Smrz J. (CZE) Ducati 1098R
RET 56 Nakano S. (JPN) Aprilia RSV4 Factory
RET 2 Hacking J. (USA) Kawasaki ZX 10R