Leon Camier - 2009 British Superbike Champion

The 23-year-old Airwaves Yamaha rider Leon Camier, claimed the British Superbike Championship title at Silverstone yesterday after taking the victory in race one.

Race One

After starting on pole position, Leon Camier dropped back to fifth position as the race got underway, behind Stuart Easton on the Hydrex Honda, Josh Brookes on the HM Plant Honda and his team-mate James Ellison.

By the end of the first lap, Ellison had passed both Easton and Brookes to take the lead, while Camier got on with the job in hand, taking first Brookes and then taking advantage of Easton as he ran wide on lap 4 before chasing Ellison, who was now 1.2 seconds ahead.

With 16 laps of the race still to go, the Airwaves Yamaha swapped the lead a couple of times before Camier took the lead on the penultimate lap, passing Ellison on the inside at the Priory left-hander.

Camier held the lead and took the championship by 0.244 seconds and was presented with a #1 for his bike on his return to the pits.

James Ellison finished in second place followed by Josh Brookes in third and Stuart Easton in fourth.  In fifth place was Tommy Hill on the second Hydrex Honda, John Laverty on the Buildbase Kawasaki was in sixth, Sylvain Guintoli on the Worx Crescent Suzuki in seventh, Ian Lowry on the Relentless by TAS Suzuki in eighth, Simon Andrews on MSS Colchester Kawasaki in ninth and his team-mate Julian Da Costa in tenth.

Michael Rutter on the Bathams Ducati was out of the race on lap 4 after developing technical problems with his machine while Karl Harris didn’t even make the start as a mechanical problem occurred before the race.

The British Superbike Cup winner was Tommy Bridewell on the NB Suzuki after finishing in twelfth place while Cup champion Gary Mason finished in fourteenth for the Quay Garage Honda team.

Here are the results;

1. Leon Camier GBR Airwaves Yamaha 20 laps
2. James Ellison GBR Airwaves Yamaha 0.244sec
3. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda 8.827sec
4. Stuart Easton GBR Hydrex Honda 9.164sec
5. Tommy Hill GBR Hydrex Honda 18.278sec
6. John Laverty IRL Buildbase Kawasaki 18.787sec
7. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Worx Crescent Suzuki 18.933sec
8. Ian Lowry GBR Relentless TAS Suzuki 22.408sec
9. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki 22.921sec
10. Julien Da Costa FRA MSS Colchester Kawasaki 24.682sec
11. Graeme Gowland GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha 30.923sec
12. Tommy Bridewell GBR Team NB Suzuki 31.473sec Cup
13. Glen Richards AUS HM Plant Honda 35.532sec
14. Gary Mason GBR Quay Honda 37.551sec Cup
15. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Yamaha 38.199sec Cup
16. Richard Cooper GBR Co-ordit Yamaha 38.780sec Cup
17. Tom Tunstall GBR Hardinge Doodson Honda 40.462sec Cup
18. Dan Linfoot GBR Rob Mac Racing Yamaha 56.937sec
19. Atsushi Watanabe JPN Relentless TAS Suzuki 1min 1.468sec
20. Martin Jessopp GBR Riders Racing Honda 1 lap Cup
21. Michael Howarth GBR STP-JHS MV Agusta 1 lap

DNF:
Alastair Seeley GBR Relentless TAS Suzuki 18 laps Evo
Tristan Palmer GBR Buildbase Kawasaki 18 laps
Howie Mainwaring GBR Team Maxxis Yamaha 11 laps
David Haire GBR JX Fuelcard Kawasaki 10 lap Cup
Chris Walker GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha 9 laps
David Johnson AUS Jentin Yamaha 7 laps
Aaron Zanotti GBR Red Viper Honda 7 laps
Michael Rutter GBR Bathams Ducati 4 laps
Karl Harris GBR SMT Honda 0 laps

Race Two

In the second race of the day it was yet again an Airwaves Yamaha on the top step of the podium but this time it was the turn of James Ellison.

Race two was red flagged before the end of lap one after a huge oil spillage caused chaos for the mid-pack riders on the approach to Abbey corner.

At the restart, which reduced the race to 18 laps, it was once again Stuart Easton on the Hydrex Honda that led the pack, ahead of Josh Brookes, Ellison and Camier.

Camier made a move to pass Ellison as the pair headed to the Bridge/Priory turns, firing Ellison up and regaining his position at the final chicane.  Ellison then moved into second place after passing Brookes at Abbey on lap 2 as Camier followed a lap later.

Camier managed to get in front of his team-mate again on lap 3 before chasing down Easton.  This time however, as he tried to outbrake the Hydrex Honda rider entering Abbey, he went wide and was forced onto the grass, dropping him back to ninth place with 14 laps left to run.

Within two laps, Camier has muscled his way back to sixth place as Ellison snatched the lead from Easton through Maggots.  With 9 laps to go, Camier passed Tommy Hill to take fourth place, 2.1 seconds behind his team-mate and then hunted down Brookes to take third and then second as he passed Easton on lap 15.

Ellison took the lead, 1.2 seconds ahead of his team-mate and leaving him with a 51 point advantage of the runner-up spot in the championship over Easton.

Josh Brookes finished in third place followed by Stuart Easton in fourth, Tommy Hill in fifth, Julien Da Costa in sixth, Simon Andrews in seventh, Sylvain Guintoli in eighth, Ian Lowry in ninth and Alastair Seeley in tenth.

Here are the results;

1. James Ellison GBR Airwaves Yamaha 18 laps
2. Leon Camier GBR Airwaves Yamaha 1.200sec
3. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda 2.583sec
4. Stuart Easton GBR Hydrex Honda 3.974sec
5. Tommy Hill GBR Hydrex Honda 9.774sec
6. Julien Da Costa FRA MSS Colchester Kawasaki 11.099sec
7. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki 14.340sec
8. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Worx Crescent Suzuki 16.148sec
9. Ian Lowry GBR Relentless TAS Suzuki 21.434sec
10. Alastair Seeley GBR Relentless TAS Suzuki 23.963sec Evo
11. Chris Walker GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha 24.269sec
12. Tommy Bridewell GBR Team NB Suzuki 24.362sec Cup
13. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Yamaha 27.693sec Cup
14. Karl Harris GBR SMT Honda 28.296sec
15. Michael Rutter GBR Bathams Ducati 32.883sec
16. Tom Tunstall GBR Hardinge Doodson Honda 45.709sec Cup
17. Martin Jessopp GBR Riders Racing Honda 55.170sec Cup
18. Aaron Zanotti GBR Red Viper Honda 1 lap
19. Michael Howarth GBR STP-JHS MV Agusta 1 lap

DNF:
John Laverty IRL Buildbase Kawasaki 13 laps
Gary Mason GBR Quay Honda 10 laps Cup
Graeme Gowland GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha 10 laps
David Haire GBR JX Fuelcard Kawasaki 5 laps Cup
Dan Linfoot GBR Rob Mac Racing Yamaha 2 laps

Glen Richards - HM Plant Honda 2009

The British Superbike HM Plant Honda rider Glen Richards, is due to make his return at Silverstone next weekend after missing eleven races this season through injury.

Richards suffered a broken left femur at the Knockhill round back in July when he crashed with Ian Lowry on the Relentless Suzuki during qualifying.

The Australian has maintained his fitness levels during the five rounds that he was side-lined and has recently tested at the Silverstone circuit on a Superstock bike.

The team manager Havier Beltran said;

“We are happy to have Glen back on the HM Plant Honda for Silverstone, especially as he has worked so incredibly hard to maintain his fitness levels since the crash. He completed around 40 - 50 laps of Silverstone today on a Superstock bike and he feels 100% stronger than he did when he rode the bike before the Croft round.”

Ryuichi Kiyonari - HM Plant Honda

This weekend the British Superbike teams and riders head to the Croft circuit for round 10 of the British Superbike Championship.

One of the biggest surprises coming to the circuit will be Ryuichi Kiyonari, who has confirmed that he is to ride for the HM Plant Honda team as a replacement for the injured Glen Richards. The double British Superbike champion will ride alongside Josh Brookes who will be returning to the championship after serving his two-race ban.

Kiyonari said;

“I’m really excited to be riding for the HM Plant Honda team again.  I’m also very happy to race in BSB and especially at Croft. I love this circuit and won both races when I last raced there in 2007.”

Tommy Hill will also be back at the British Superbike series with the Hydrex Honda team this weekend, replacing Karl Harris who recently lost his ride with the team.  The former World Superbike rider, rode for the Worx Crescent Suzuki team earlier in the year while Sylvain Guintoli recuperated from his injuries, but was left on the side-lines on his return.  Hill will be riding alongside Stuart Easton at Croft and his hoping to secure some points for the team.

Meanwhile Karl Harris has been given a one-race deal with his former Rob Mac boss, to ride the MCE British Superbike at Croft.  Harris will be replacing Jon Kirkham in the team after his seasons struggle to regain full fitness to his hand, broken earlier in the year.  Harris is looking forward to experiencing  the Yamaha R1 alongside Chris Walker for the Motorpoint/Henderson team.

Hudson Kennaugh - Yamaha 2009

Hudson Kennaugh and the Linxcel-Seton Tuning Yamaha team have parted company with the South African setting his sights on a Superbike seat.

In 2008, Kennaugh was the runner-up behind Glen Richards in the British Supersport Championship having claimed six podium finishes and three wins, this season the best he has managed with the team is a fourth place and currently lies eleventh in the standings.

Kennaugh said;

“I would like to thank Phil Seton and the boys for the way they welcomed me into the team.   I really appreciate all the work they have done but I need to get into Superbikes and the best time to start is now. Phil has worked really hard to give me a fast machine and we have achieved so much. It is a real credit to the team to see how they have stepped up from last year in the way they have.”

Nick Clark will be replacing Kennaugh at the next round of the British Supersport series at Cadwell Park, fulfilling one of his all time dreams.  He is usually running in the Metzeler National Superstock 600cc Championship but this is the chance he says he has been waiting for and he intends to make the most of his ride.

Leon Camier

Leon Camier appeared to have sorted the problems on his Airwaves Yamaha to take pole position today ahead of the former World Superbike rider Tommy Hill on the Worx Crescent Suzuki.

Hill had been fastest all weekend and looked to have secured the pole position until Camier snatched it away with three minutes of the session remaining.

Chris Walker on the Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha took third position alongside Cup rider Richard Cooper on the Co-ordit Yamaha to complete the front row.

John Laverty on the Buildbase Kawasaki starts the second row in fifth place ahead of Simon Andrews on the MSS Kawasaki, James Ellison on the second Airwaves Yamaha in seventh and Karl Harris on the Hydrex Honda in eighth.

Graeme Gowland on the second Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha, qualified in ninth place followed by Stuart Easton on the second Hydrex Honda .

Michael Rutter, was back on the grid, but this time riding the SMT Honda, replacing Jason O’Halloran and qualifying in eleventh ahead of Julian de Costa on the second MSS Colchester Kawasaki.

Tristan Palmer on the second Buildbase Kawasaki of Tristan Palmer starts the fourth row, followed by Team Maxxis Yamaha rider David Johnson.  Atsushi Watanabe on the Relentless Suzuki and Cup leader Gary Mason on the Quay Garage Honda in sixteenth.

Not a good qualifying session for the HM Plant Honda team, with Josh Brookes qualifying way down in seventeenth place while his team-mate Steve Brogan, who is covering for the injured Glen Richards, is further back in twenty-third place.

Ian Lowry on the Relentless Suzuki, joins Brookes on the fifth row, alongside two more Cup riders, Peter Hickman on the Ultimate Yamaha and Tommy Bridewell on the Team NB Suzuki.

Lining-up behind are Tom Tunstall on the Hardringe Doodson Motorsport Honda, Kenny Gilbertson on the Jx Fuelcards Kawasaki, Steve Brogan and Martin Jessopp on the Riders Racing Honda.

Aaron Zanotti on the Red Viper Racing Honda qualified in twenty-fourth place and Michael Howarth, for the first time on the STP-JHS Racing MV Agusta, finished at the rear of the grid.

Here are the results;

1. Leon Camier GBR Airwaves Yamaha 56.016secs
2. Tommy Hill GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki 56.195secs
3. Chris Walker GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha 56.221secs
4. Richard Cooper GBR Team Co-ordit Yamaha 56.345secs Cup
5. John Laverty IRL Buildbase Kawasaki 56.379secs
6. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki 56.489secs
7. James Ellison GBR Airwaves Yamaha 56.547secs
8. Karl Harris GBR Hydrex Honda 56.605secs
9. Graeme Gowland GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha 56.642secs
10. Stuart Easton GBR Hydrex Honda 56.642secs

11. Michael Rutter GBR SMT Honda 56.754secs
12. Julien Da Costa FRA MSS Colchester Kawasaki 56.786secs
13. Tristan Palmer GBR Buildbase Kawasaki 56.825secs
14. David Johnson AUS Team Maxxis Adept Yamaha 56.968secs
15. Atsushi Watanabe JPN Relentless TAS Suzuki 56.981secs
16. Gary Mason GBR Quay Honda 56.989secs Cup
17. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda 57.006secs
18. Ian Lowry GBR Relentless TAS Suzuki 57.132secs
19. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Yamaha 57.185secs Cup
20. Tommy Bridewell GBR Team NB Suzuki 57.625secs Cup

21. Tom Tunstall GBR Hardinge Doodson Honda 57.337secs Cup
22. Kenny Gilbertson GBR JX Fuelcard Kawasaki 57.377secs Cup
23. Steve Brogan GBR HM Plant Honda 57.547secs
24. Martin Jessopp GBR Riders Racing Honda 58.667secs Cup
25. Aaron Zanotti GBR Red Viper Honda 59.307secs
26. Michael Howarth GBR MV Agusta-JHS Racing 1min 00.496secs

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.

Glen Richards - HM Plant Honda

The HM Plant Honda British Superbike rider Glen Richards, has had a successful operation after a pin was inserted into his broken left femur, after his accident in qualifying at Knockhill last weekend.

Richards suffered a  huge crash, colliding with Relentless Suzuki rider Ian Lowry, and was taken to a local hospital where his brake was diagnosed.

The Australian has been reported as being mobile already and the brake was described by a doctor as a ‘clean break’, which is expected to heal relatively quickly.

The HM Plant Honda team manager Havier Beltran said;

“Glen’s operation to pin his broken left femur went well at the weekend and he is due to be released from hospital today,”

“He has been up and mobile already, but of course he will have to take it easy over the next few weeks.

“It was a clean break in the middle of his femur which means that it should heal reasonably fast, so we want to pass on our best wishes to Glen for his recovery. In terms of a replacement for the Mallory Park round, we will announce the rider this week.”

Leon Camier - Airwaves Yamaha 2009

Leon Camier won both races at the Knockhill round of the British Superbike Championship for the Airwaves Yamaha team today.

Race 1

From second on the grid, Leon Camier took the lead in race one on the second lap after passing Stuart Easton on the Hydrex Honda.

Towards the end of the race, Gary Mason on the Quay Garage Honda, lost the front end of his machine and collected Tristan Palmer on the Buildbase Kawasaki in the process, bringing out the red flag.

At the restart, it was once again Camier that took the lead, and held it for the remaining six laps. Easton finished in second, almost two-seconds behind Camier, followed by Josh Brookes in third for the HM Plant Honda team.

Simon Andrews on the MSS Colchester Kawasaki finished in fourth place ahead of James Ellison on the second Airwaves Yamaha and Ian Lowry on the Relentless Suzuki.

Chris Walker claimed seventh place for the Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha team followed by his team-mate Graeme Gowland in eighth.

In ninth place was the Mirror Cup runner Tommy Bridewell riding the Team NB Suzuki followed by Jason O’Halloran in tenth on the SMT Honda.

Karl Harris crashed his Hydrex Honda while trying to pass Chris Walker at the Hairpin, and just a couple of laps later Julian De Costa and then John Laverty both went down.  David Johnson crashed out not long after leaving a list of retirees from the first race with no points.

Here are the results;

1. Leon Camier GBR Airwaves Yamaha 27mins 49.745secs 33 laps
2. Stuart Easton GBR Hydrex Honda +1.805secs
3. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda +1.904secs
4. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +4.001secs
5. James Ellison GBR Airwaves Yamaha +4.875secs
6. Ian Lowry GBR Relentless TAS Suzuki +4.898secs
7. Chris Walker GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha +6.587secs
8. Graeme Gowland GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha +7.326secs
9. Tommy Bridewell GBR Team NB Suzuki +9.551secs Cup
10. Jason O’Halloran AUS SMT Honda +9.728secs
11. Michael Rutter GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki +9.928secs
12. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Yamaha +11.750secs Cup
13. Tom Tunstall GBR Hardinge Doodson Honda +22.387secs Cup
14. Atsushi Watanabe JPN Relentless TAS Suzuki +28.191secs
15. Aaron Zanotti GBR Red Viper Honda +1 lap
16. David Haire GBR DHR Racing Honda +1 lap Cup

DNS. Glen Richards AUS HM Plant Honda Did not start
DNS. Jon Kirkham GBR North West 200 Yamaha Did not start
DNS. Alastair Fagan GBR Red Viper Honda Did not start Cup

Race 2

Camier went onto win the second race of the day at Knockhill after passing Stuart Easton and then chasing down the race leader, Josh Brookes on lap 7.  However, Camier didn’t make the move stick until the following lap when he then began to edge away from the pack.

Brookes finished in second place for the Honda team ahead of James Ellison on the second Airwaves Yamaha, who had passed Easton earlier when the Hydrex rider made a mistake.

Easton claimed fourth place followed by Chris Walker on the Yamaha and Simon Andrews on the Kawasaki in sixth.  In seventh place was Walker’s team-mate Graeme Gowland ahead of Julian De Costa on the second Kawasaki.

Tommy Bridewell took ninth position ahead of Gary Mason, who had managed to get his Quay Garage Honda on the grid for the second race to take tenth place.

On lap 4, John Laverty crashed his Buildbase Kawasaki while a technical problem caused the retirement of Ian Lowry on the Relentless Suzuki on lap 8.

Karl Harris retired his Hydrex Honda later in the race followed by the Worx Suzuki rider Michael Rutter on lap 21, who went off at the hairpin.

Here are the results;

1. Leon Camier GBR Airwaves Yamaha 24mins 41.486secs 30 laps
2. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda +4.996secs
3. James Ellison GBR Airwaves Yamaha +6.307secs
4. Stuart Easton GBR Hydrex Honda +6.748secs
5. Chris Walker GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha +16.488secs
6. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +26.311secs
7. Graeme Gowland GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha +29.157secs
8. Julien Da Costa FRA MSS Colchester Kawasaki +30.550secs
9. Tommy Bridewell GBR Team NB Suzuki +30.813secs Cup
10. Gary Mason GBR Quay Honda +31.621secs Cup
11. Tristan Palmer GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +32.134secs
12. Jason O’Halloran AUS SMT Honda +36.114secs
13. David Johnson AUS Team Maxxis Adept Yamaha +42.160secs
14. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Yamaha +44.008secs Cup
15. Atsushi Watanabe JPN Relentless TAS Suzuki +1 lap
16. Tom Tunstall GBR Hardinge Doodson Honda +1 lap Cup
17. Kenny Gilbertson GBR Jx Fuelcards Kawasaki +1 lap
18. David Haire GBR DHR Racing Honda +1 lap Cup
19. Aaron Zanotti GBR Red Viper Honda +1 lap

DNS. Glen Richards AUS HM Plant Honda Did not start
DNS. Jon Kirkham GBR North West 200 Yamaha Did not start
DNS. Alastair Fagan GBR Red Viper Honda Did not start Cup

Josh Brookes - HM Plant Honda 2009

Qualifying for the British Superbike Championship took place today at the Knockhill circuit with the HM Plant Honda rider Josh Brookes claiming his first British Superbike Pole.

Leon Camier had to settle for second place on the grid for the Airwaves Yamaha team, after finding no way around the Honda rider.

Stuart Easton on the Hydrex Honda qualified in third position ahead of Worx Crescent Suzuki rider Michael Rutter in fourth.

The session ran in two-parts after a crash for HM Plant Honda rider Glen Richards,brought out the red flag.  The rider went down at the hairpin leaving nowhere for Ian Lowry to go, crashing his Relentless Suzuki into the Honda.

Richards is receiving medical attention at a nearby hospital for what it suspected to be a broken right femur, he is awaiting x-ray results.

Karl Harris on the Hydrex Honda will start in fifth on the grid after crashing out towards the end of the session, ahead of James Ellison on the second Airwaves Yamaha and Chris Walker on the Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha.

Graeme Gowland, Walker’s team-mate, was in eighth and Ian Lowry was able to return to the session on his spare bike and qualified in ninth place followed by Glen Richards in tenth, it remains to seen if Richards will be on the grid tomorrow but it seems unlikely.

Alastair Fagan on the Red Viper Honda crashed and is suspected of suffering a dislocated shoulder and Jon Kirkham went down on his Lloyds British Yamaha and looked to have injured his hand.

Here are the results;

1. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda 48.759secs
2. Leon Camier GBR Airwaves Yamaha 49.056secs
3. Stuart Easton GBR Hydrex Honda 49.110secs
4. Michael Rutter GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki 49.133secs
5. Karl Harris GBR Hydrex Honda 49.183secs
6. James Ellison GBR Airwaves Yamaha 49.348secs
7. Chris Walker GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha 49.383secs
8. Graeme Gowland GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha 49.490secs
9. Ian Lowry GBR Relentless TAS Suzuki 50.404secs
10. Glen Richards AUS HM Plant Honda No time

11. Gary Mason GBR Quay Honda 49.584secs Cup
12. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki 49.605secs
13. John Laverty IRL Buildbase Kawasaki 49.614secs
14. David Johnson AUS Team Maxxis Adept Yamaha 49.663secs
15. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Yamaha 49.698secs Cup
16. Tristan Palmer GBR Buildbase Kawasaki 49.764secs
17. Julien Da Costa FRA MSS Colchester Kawasaki 49.772secs
18. Tommy Bridewell GBR Team NB Suzuki 49.804secs Cup
19. Jon Kirkham GBR North West 200 Yamaha 49.864secs
20. Jason O’Halloran AUS SMT Honda 49.929secs

21. Atsushi Watanabe JPN Relentless TAS Suzuki 50.015secs
22. Tom Tunstall GBR Hardinge Doodson Honda 50.526secs Cup
23. Aaron Zanotti GBR Red Viper Honda 50.572secs
24. David Haire GBR DHR Racing Honda 50.772secs Cup
25. Alastair Fagan GBR Red Viper Honda 51.133secs Cup

Cup denotes eligible for Mirror.co.uk Cup

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.