Tommy Hill – Worx Crescent Suzuki 2010

This weekend saw the first of the three rounds of the title showdown for the British Superbike championship of 2010 with Tommy Hill and Michael Laverty sharing the wins of the day.

Race One

The Worx Crescent Suzuki rider Tommy Hill crossed then line to take the chequered flag in race 1 of the day at Croft followed by Michael Laverty on the Relentless Suzuki, just a tenth of a second behind.

The safety car was deployed on lap 1 following a crash at Clerveaux of David Johnson, who although battered and bruised didn’t appear to have any serious injuries.  At the restart of the race it was Michael Laverty that took to the front of the pack followed by Hill, Michael Rutter, James Ellison and Dan Linfoot.

Within two corners, Hill had put his Suzuki ahead of Laverty and attempted to create a gap, while on lap 5, Simon Andrews made his move past Dan Linfoot to slot into seventh place.

The HM Plant Honda rider Ryuichi Kiyonari dropped several places after running straight-on at Tower Corner, finding himself down in 22nd place.

On lap 9, Alistair Seeley was passed by the second HM Plant Honda of Josh Brookes before crashing his Relentless Suzuki at the hairpin.

Michael Rutter crashed his Ridersmotorcyles.com Ducati on lap 13, losing the front end at the hairpin as Hill’s lead on Laverty increased to six-tenths of a second.

Hill took the win ahead of Laverty in second, Stuart Easton in third, Simon Andrews in fourth, Dan Linfoot in fifth, Josh Brookes in sixth, Loris Baz (replacement rider for Andrew Pitt) in seventh, John Laverty in eighth, Chris Walker in ninth and Gary Mason in tenth.

Here are the results;

1.  Tommy Hill  GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki  27mins 43.359s
2. Michael Laverty GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +0.155s
3. Stuart Easton GBR Swan Honda +10.177s
4. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +13.512s
5. Dan Linfoot GBR Motorpoint Yamaha +14.742s
6. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda +15.407s
7. Loris Baz FRA Motorpoint Yamaha +21.044s
8. John Laverty GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +25.983s
9. Chris Walker GBR Sorrymate.com SMT Honda +26.304s
10. Gary Mason GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +26.670s
11. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN HM Plant Honda +31.454s
12. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Racing Yamaha +35.436s
13. Adam Jenkinson GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +40.448s
14. Tom Tunstall GBR Doodson Motorsport Honda +43.184s
15. Hudson Kennaugh RSA Splitlath Aprilia +45.526s

25. James Ellison GBR Swan Honda 17 laps completed
26. Tommy Bridewell GBR Quay Garage Honda 13 laps completed
27. Alastair Seeley GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki 8 laps completed
28. David Johnson AUS Becsport Suzuki 0 laps completed

Race Two

In race two, it was the Irishman Michael Laverty that took the chequered flag for the Relentless Suzuki team ahead of Tommy Hill.

Laverty took the lead as the lights went out followed by Stuart Easton on the Swan Honda ahead of Hill and the second Swan Honda of James Ellison with Michael Rutter in hot pursuit.

Easton didn’t make it easy for Hill to get past giving Laverty time to create a gap from his lead position.  As Josh Brookes, who had struggled with illness all weekend, managed to catch-up with Ellison after starting from ninth on the grid, he was passed by Tommy Bridewell on the inside at the hairpin.  Only two laps later he was passed by Dan Linfoot and Simon Andrews and by the halfway point of the race, his team-mate Kiyonari also got ahead of him.

Rutter and Ellison were battling for fourth place with Rutter winning the contest until the final lap when Kiyonari passed both riders.

Laverty took the victory ahead of Hill in second, Stuart Easton again in third, Kiyonari in fourth, Rutter in fifth, Ellison in sixth, Bridewell in seventh, Brookes in eighth, Linfoot in ninth and Andrews in tenth.

Here are the results;

1. Michael Laverty  GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki  25mins 42.670s
2. Tommy Hill GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki +0.202s
3. Stuart Easton GBR Swan Honda +8.534s
4. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN HM Plant Honda +9.590s
5. Michael Rutter GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati +9.833s
6. James Ellison GBR Swan Honda +10.138s
7. Tommy Bridewell GBR Quay Garage Honda +10.730s
8. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda +11.619s
9. Dan Linfoot GBR Motorpoint Yamaha +12.412s
10. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +16.489s
11. Gary Mason GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +17.680s
12. Chris Walker GBR Sorrymate.com SMT Honda +27.340s
13. John Laverty GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +27.714s
14. Yukio Kagayama JPN Worx Crescent Suzuki +29.477s
15. Alastair Seeley GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +31.153s

27. Loris Baz FRA Motorpoint Yamaha 10 laps completed
28. David Johnson AUS Becsport Suzuki 0 laps completed

Josh Brookes

Race 1

Tommy Hill claimed his first win in four months at this weekends round of the British Superbike championship at Cadwell Park for the Worx Crescent Suzuki team.

It was the HM Plant Honda rider Josh Brookes that led the riders into the first corner with Tommy Hill right on his tail.  By lap 8, Hill had made his way past the Australian and held on for the win leaving a trailing Brookes and his team-mate Ryucihi Kiyonari to claim second and third respectively.

Michael Laverty crossed the line for fourth place ahead of Michael Rutter in fifth position and James Ellison in sixth.  Yukio Kagayama finished in seventh place followed by Alastair Seeley in eighth, Dan Linfoot in ninth and Stuart Easton in tenth.

Tommy Bridewell had his points disqualified after his collision with John Laverty on the final lap of race one.

Here are the results;

1.  Tommy Hill  GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki  26mins 25.609s
2. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda +5.116s
3. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN HM Plant Honda +7.092s
4. Michael Laverty GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +12.522
5. Michael Rutter GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati +14.623s
6. James Ellison GBR Swan Honda +20.822s
7. Yukio Kagayama JPN Worx Crescent Suzuki +28.158s
8. Alastair Seeley GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +28.533
9. Dan Linfoot GBR Motorpoint Yamaha +34.523
10. Stuart Easton GBR Swan Honda +34.945s
11. Chris Walker GBR Sorrymate.com SMT Honda +49.900s
12. Adam Jenkinson GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +50.932s
13. Steve Brogan GBR Jentin Racing BMW +51.699
14. Gary Johnson GBR AIM Suzuki +54.599s
15. Tom Tunstall GBR Doodson Motorsport Honda +1min 04.821s

DQ Tommy Bridewell GBR Quay Garage Honda +30.198s

Race 2

It was the HM Plant Honda rider Josh Brookes that crossed the finish line to take the chequered flag in the second race of the day at Cadwell Park.

Brookes took to the front as the race got underway but was passed by Tommy Hill before the end of the first lap followed by Ryuichi Kiyonari in second.

It was Brookes skill at ‘the mountain’ that gave him the edge over the leading two riders, giving him the lift he needed to get in front.

On lap 11, Brookes passed the leading man and shortly afterwards the red flags were waved ending the race after James Edmeades crashed and needed medical help on circuit for a fractured pelvis.

Once again it was Michael Laverty and Michael Rutter in fourth and fifth places respectively ahead of James Ellison in sixth.  Yukio Kagayama finished in seventh place followed by Tommy Bridewell in eighth, Alastair Seeley in ninth and Gary Mason in tenth.

Kiyonari will now head into the three round shoot-out on 525 points, Hill is also on 525 points and Brookes is on 524 points.

These races will begin at Croft on September 12 with each rider will have their previous points deleted and will each be credited with 500 points plus their bonus points from this seasons performance.

1.  Josh Brookes  AUS HM Plant Honda  19mins 00.530s
2. Tommy Hill GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki +0.230s
3. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN HM Plant Honda +0.888s
4. Michael Laverty GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +5.071
5. Michael Rutter GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati +11.719s
6. James Ellison GBR Swan Honda +13.178s
7. Yukio Kagayama JPN Worx Crescent Suzuki +15.712s
8. Tommy Bridewell GBR Quay Garage Honda +21.347s
9. Alastair Seeley GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +24.287s
10. Gary Mason GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +27.445s
11. Stuart Easton GBR Swan Honda +27.640s
12. John Laverty GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +28.063
13. Dan Linfoot GBR Motorpoint Yamaha +29.143s
14. Adam Jenkinson GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +30.768s
15. Chris Walker GBR Sorrymate.com SMT Honda +35.609s

Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki DNS

This weekend saw three races at the Snetterton circuit with the re-run of Race 2 from the Knockhill round of the championship taking place on Saturday and the two races from round seven going ahead as scheduled on the Sunday.

Race 1 (re-run of Knockhill race two – Saturday)

The HM Plant Honda rider Josh Brookes took the chequered flag in the re-run of the cancelled Knockhill race 2 on Saturday after passing his team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari on the final lap.

Kiyonari had dominated the race from the flag ahead of the Relentless Suzuki pairing of Michael Laverty and Alastair Seeley.  Tommy Hill on the Worx Crescent Suzuki had soon moved into third position passing both Relentless Suzuki riders as he chased down the leading HM Plant Honda duo.

Brookes was sitting in ninth place by the end of the first lap after a terrible start but by the seventh lap had passed Seeley, Michael Rutter and Laverty and was up to third place.  The HM Plant Honda rider was soon attacking Hill, passing him on the inside at Riches before going after his team-mate.  Kiyonari was defending his position but Brookes managed to make his way past on the final lap again at Riches to take his third win of the season.

Hill finished in third place ahead of Rutter in fourth, Seeley in fifth, Michael Laverty in sixth, James Ellison in seventh, Simon Andrews in eighth, Gary Mason in ninth and Tommy Bridewell in tenth.

Here are the results;

1. Josh Brookes  AUS HM Plant Honda  19mins 41.650s
2. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN HM Plant Honda +0.594s
3. Tommy Hill GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki +4.475s
4. Michael Rutter GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati +4.989s
5. Alastair Seeley GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +5.485s
6. Michael Laverty GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +5.889s
7. James Ellison GBR Swan Honda +9.148s
8. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +11.305s
9. Gary Mason GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +14.364s
10. Tommy Bridewell GBR Quay Garage Honda +14.386s
11. Chris Walker GBR Sorrymate.com SMT Honda +14.698s
12. John Laverty GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +15.007s
13. Dan Linfoot GBR Motorpoint Yamaha +17.458s
14. Andrew Pitt AUS Motorpoint Yamaha +28.761s
15. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Racing Yamaha +28.933s

25. Stuart Easton GBR Swan Honda 5 laps completed
26. Chris Burns GBR Splitlath Aprilia 0 laps completed

Race One - Snetterton

It was Michael Rutter on the RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati that took to the lead as the opening race got underway ahead of Tommy Hill, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Michael Laverty and James Ellison.

Brookes was back in sixth place by the end of lap one despite claiming pole position in the Swan Combi Roll for Pole after another iffy start.  By the fourth lap the HM Plant Honda rider had moved up to third while his team-mate Kiyonari was forced to retire from the race following a mechanical problem.

Hill had fallen back down the field running behind both Seeley and Ellison but was soon looking to make a pass on the Swan Honda rider which he succeeded in doing to finish the race in second place.

By lap 7, Brookes had passed second place man Hill before being gifted the lead 7 laps later when Rutter was seen slowing down with a gear shift problem on the Ducati.

Hill finished in second place followed by Seeley in third, Ellison in fourth, Michael Laverty in fifth, Tommy Bridewell in sixth, Chris Walker in seventh, Stuart Easton in eighth, Simon Andrews in ninth and John Laverty rounding off the top ten riders.

Here are the results;

1.  Josh Brookes  AUS HM Plant Honda  24mins 13.327s
2. Tommy Hill GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki +1.472s
3. Alastair Seeley GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +2.740s
4. James Ellison GBR Swan Honda +3.757s
5. Michael Laverty GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +4.152s
6. Tommy Bridewell GBR Quay Garage Honda +15.640s
7. Chris Walker GBR Sorrymate.com SMT Honda +17.779s
8. Stuart Easton GBR Swan Honda +18.417s
9. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +18.860s
10. John Laverty GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +19.131s
11. Gary Mason GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +21.546s
12. Andrew Pitt AUS Motorpoint Yamaha +21.838s
13. Steve Brogan GBR Jentin Racing BMW +32.999s
14. Gary Johnson GBR AIM Suzuki +34.969s
15. Tom Tunstall GBR Doodson Motorsport Honda +44.072s

DNS Chris Burns GBR Splitlath Aprilia
DNS Luke Jones GBR PR Racing Yamaha

Race Two

Josh Brookes was denied his third win of the weekend after a technical problem occurred seeing him retiring from the race on lap 12.

It was the Swan Honda of James Ellison that took to the front of the pack as the race got underway ahead of Josh Brookes and Ryuichi Kiyonari.

By lap 3, Kiyonari squeezed his way through on Michael Laverty before passing his team-mate Brookes seven laps later.  On lap 9, the Honda rider had managed to get past the leading Swan Honda rider Ellison as they headed into Riches.  Brookes was hot on the tail of his team-mate until he was forced to retire from the race.

Kiyonari was leading the race 1.3 seconds ahead of Michael Laverty, Rutter and Ellison until Alastair Seeley attempted a pass on Ellison taking them both out of the race.

Michael Laverty made a move on the leading man only to run wide and lose his second position to a stalking Tommy Hill.  Rutter finished in fourth place ahead of John Laverty in fifth, Simon Andrews in sixth, Chris Walker in seventh, Andrew Pitt in eighth, Gary Mason in ninth and Yukio Kagayama in tenth.

Here are the results;

1.  Ryuichi Kiyonari  JPN HM Plant Honda  26mins 52.964s
2. Tommy Hill GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki +0.591s
3. Michael Laverty GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +0.954s
4. Michael Rutter GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati +1.584s
5. John Laverty GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +3.897s
6. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +4.899s
7. Chris Walker GBR Sorrymate.com SMT Honda +6.127s
8. Andrew Pitt AUS Motorpoint Yamaha +8.211s
9. Gary Mason GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +8.349s
10. Yukio Kagayama JPN Worx Crescent Suzuki +9.566s
11. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Racing Yamaha 10.663s
12. Dan Linfoot GBR Motorpoint Yamaha +12.146s
13. Steve Brogan GBR Jentin Racing BMW +16.226s
14. Gary Johnson GBR AIM Suzuki +17.302s
15. Hudson Kennaugh RSA Splitlath Aprilia +17.607s

DNS James Edmeades GBR Redline KTM
DNS Chris Burns GBR Splitlath Aprilia
DNS Luke Jones GBR PR Racing Yamaha

Josh Brookes – HM Plant Honda 2010

It was a great weekend for the HM Plant Honda team for the latest round of the British Superbike championship with Ryuichi Kiyonari winning the opening race of the day and his team-mate Josh Brookes taking the victory in race two.

Race One

In race one, Ryuichi Kiyonari took his first win of the season despite nearly losing his Honda in the closing stages.

Kiyonari led the field as the lights went out for the start of the race followed by pole sitter Tommy Hill, Michael Rutter and Stuart Easton.

Easton lost his position on the second lap after losing the rear of his Swan Honda at Charlies and was followed two laps later by Tommy Hill who went down at Hall.  The Worx Crescent Suzuki rider managed to ground an engine case on the Kerb racing through Hall Bends causing him to crash and the deployment of the safety car.

As the race restarted on lap 8, Kiyonari pulled away from Rutter who was being put under pressure from Michael Laverty on the Relentless Suzuki who soon moved into that second position and began chasing down the race leader.  Laverty worked his way past Kiyonari with just a couple of laps left to run but the position was soon taken back by the Honda rider, crossing the line to take the chequered flag.

Laverty took second place ahead of Michael Rutter on the RidersMotorcylces.com Ducati and Tommy Bridewell for an impressive fourth place on the Quay Garage Honda.

Here are the results;

1. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN HM Plant Honda 27m 35.356s
2. Michael Laverty GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +0.497s
3. Michael Rutter GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati +1.877s
4. Tommy Bridewell GBR Quay Garage Honda +2.528s
5. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda +5.168s
6. John Laverty GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +7.754s
7. Chris Walker GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +10.072s
8. Martin Jessopp GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati +11.042s
9. Alastair Seeley GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +11.953s
10. Dan Linfoot GBR Motorpoint Yamaha +13.178s

24. David Anthony AUS MIST Suzuki Racing 13 laps completed
25. Christian Iddon GBR Sorrymate.com SMT Honda 8 laps completed
26. Tommy Hill GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki 3 laps completed
27. Stuart Easton GBR Swan Honda 1 lap completed

Race Two

Josh Brookes took the victory in the second British Superbike race of the day while his team-mate and race one winner Ryuichi Kiyonari was forced to miss out after his HM Plant Honda developed techincal problems on the warm-up lap.

Michael Laverty got the lead as the race got underway followed by Michael Rutter and Brookes but before the end of the first lap, Brookes had moved past Rutter for second place.

The Australian rider then made his move to take the lead on lap 2 where he stayed until lap 16 of race two when the red flag came out after Dan Linfoot had a big accident going up the Mountain.

On lap 13, Laverty, who had looked good for second position, made a mistake at the chicane which saw him riding across the grass allowing Rutter to close-up while he fought to hold off the challenging Tommy Hill.  Hill soon moved into third position before slotting into second as he passed Laverty on the following lap.

Here are the results;

1. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda 22m 15.411s
2. Tommy Hill GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki +4.398s
3. Michael Laverty GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +5.675s
4. Michael Rutter GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati +5.921s
5. John Laverty GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +10.465s
6. Tommy Bridewell GBR Quay Garage Honda +10.731s
7. Alastair Seeley GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +13.663s
8. Chris Walker GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +19.568s
9. Martin Jessopp GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati +1 lap
10. Stuart Easton GBR Swan Honda +1 lap

24. Dan Linfoot GBR Motorpoint Yamaha 14 laps completed
25. Steve Heneghan IRL Quattro Plant Honda 7 laps completed
26. Chris Burns GBR Splitlath Aprilia 6 laps completed
27. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN HM Plant Honda Did not start

James Ellison – Airwaves Yamaha 2009

This weekend sees the final round of the British Superbike Championship of 2009 taking place at Oulton Park with crowned champion Leon Camier aiming for another victory.

This weekends triple-header consists of one race on the Saturday with two further races on the Sunday at the Cheshire circuit.

The second Airwaves Yamaha rider James Ellison, will be aiming for maximum points to become runner-up in the championship against rival Hydrex Honda rider Stuart Easton.  Ellison has a 51 point advantage over Easton but if he fails to finish in the points at this round Easton will take the second place.

Although the pressure has eased off slightly for Camier, he feels that this weekend will see his team-mate riding his socks off and also expects to be challenged by the HM Plant Honda rider Josh Brookes.

Camier said;

“These past couple of weeks have been pretty hectic so I’ve not had a chance to sit down and really let the Championship sink in. But it does feel as though the pressure is off to some extent. The motivation to win is as strong as ever, although I know it’s not going to be easy. My teammate James is going to be fast straight away, as will Josh Brookes. The GSE Racing team has been incredible all year, so I know they’ll give me the best possible package once again.”

Ellison said;

“I’m so excited about this weekend, but also disappointed it’s the final round. The past three race meetings have gone better and better for me. We’ve made small changes here and there, and now the Airwaves Yamaha is really working for me. It’s a shame we couldn’t have got to this point earlier, but the Championship now belongs to Leon and all I can do is go out there, top Practice, and try and win all three races.”

Not only is it the end of the BSB series this weekend but also the end of the five-year partnership between the GSE Racing team and sponsors Wrigley’s Airwaves

Alastair Seeley will be on a full Relentless Suzuki by TAS this weekend after making his British Superbike debut at the last round at Silverstone.  The machine he rode at the Northampton circuit however, was the Suzuki specified to the newly introduced ‘Evo’ regulations, to be used in 2010, whereas this time out he will be riding the same machine as ridden by Ian Lowry and Atsushi Watanabe this season.

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

Michael Rutter – NW200 Ducati 2008

Michael Rutter has now made it onto the circuit in the British Superbike Championship riding a Rob Mac Yamaha, a Worx Crescent Suzuki, the SMT Honda and the MSS Colchester Kawasaki.  He has now been given the chance to ride at the last two rounds of the season on a Ducati at Silverstone and Oulton Park.

Rutter said to the BSB site;

“I haven’t been to the last two rounds and have been forced to watch it on TV and I have missed being out there. I have had a few offers but for one reason or another they haven’t worked out and I was desperate to get back out there for the final two rounds.

Alistair Kennedy still had our two Ducatis from last season and we spoke several times and decided if we could get the sponsorship together that we would get them back out again for the final rounds. I have been able to secure backing from some local sponsors to me including Bathams, Blackhorse Finance and Shoei helmets and then we hit the target to be able to come back.

It’s definitely good to be bringing Ducati back to the championship; my dad won with Ducati and I have won several races with them, including on this bike last year at Mallory Park so we know we should be competitive. We have a completely new set-up within the team; ‘Desmo’ Dave Allenby will be with me who used to work with GSE Racing and Neill Mansell from Laverty’s side of the team from last year is coming back.

I had to ride a Ducati this year as then I will have ridden everything! We just missed the podium at Silverstone last season and I want to come back and make an impression as soon as I can.”

Rutter will be riding his former NW200 Ducati in The Bathams Brewery livery.

Stuart Easton – Hydrex Honda – Croft 2009

The British Superbike Championship headed to the Croft circuit this weekend with Stuart Easton taking the victory in race one and Leon Camier winning race two.

Race One

After leading several races this season and being on the podium in second place five times, the Hydrex Honda rider Stuart Easton took his maiden victory in race one.

Starting from third on the grid, Easton took his place at the front of the pack going into the first corner ahead of HM Plant Honda rider Josh Brookes and James Ellison on the Airwaves Yamaha.

Leon Camier on the second Airwaves Yamaha, moved back to seventh place as the race got underway but was soon back on the pace as he passed Gary Mason on the Quay Garage Honda and then Simon Andrews on the Confused.com Kawasaki.

On attempting to take Chris Walker on the Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha, Camier went wide allowing Andrews to re-pass.  The following lap, Camier once again tried to pass Andrews but went in to fast causing him to run straight-on, across the grass and into a ditch.  Camier rejoined the track but was now down in last place and had lost more than 20 seconds.

Andrews recovered from his earlier incident and was on a mission to get on the podium, taking Josh Brookes on lap 7, however, after such an impressive ride, Andrews was caught-up in an accident with only four laps remaining and was out of contention.

Easton and Ellison were in a race of their own, with Ellison right on the tail of the Hydrex Honda on the final lap.  Easton kept his nerve and took the victory ahead of Ellison with the returning Australian rider Josh Brookes in third. 

Ryuichi Kiyonari on the second HM Plant Honda finished in fourth place followed by Ian Lowry on the Relentless TAS Suzuki in fifth, Leon Camier on the second Airwaves Yamaha in sixth, Tommy Hill on the second Hydrex Honda in seventh, Gary Mason on the Quay Garage Honda in eighth, Julian Da Costa for Confused.com Kawasaki in ninth and Graeme Gowland on the Motorpoint/ Henderson Kawasaki in tenth.

Chris Walker ended the race early after a bizarre incident saw the handlebar of his Kawasaki break while riding at speed.

Here are the results;

1. Stuart Easton GBR Hydrex Honda 27mins 06.092secs 20 laps
2. James Ellison GBR Airwaves Yamaha +0.359secs
3. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda +10.216secs
4. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN HM Plant Honda +10.967secs
5. Ian Lowry GBR Relentless TAS Suzuki +19.612secs
6. Leon Camier GBR Airwaves Yamaha +21.436secs
7. Tommy Hill GBR Hydrex Honda +22.380secs
8. Gary Mason GBR Quay Honda +25.776secs Cup
9. Julien Da Costa FRA Confused.com Kawasaki 31.236secs
10. Graeme Gowland GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha +31.750secs
11. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Yamaha +31.994secs Cup
12. Tommy Bridewell GBR Team NB Suzuki +32.034secs Cup
13. John Laverty IRL Buildbase Kawasaki +33.554secs
14. Karl Harris GBR Node4 Yamaha +44.160secs
15. Howie Mainwaring GBR Team Maxxis Yamaha +47.927secs

Kenny Gilbertson GBR Jx Fuelcards Kawasaki Did Not Start Cup

Race Two

Airwaves Yamaha rider Leon Camier was back on form by race two and took the win with an eight second lead on second place man, race one winner Stuart Easton on the Hydrex Honda.

After a better start for Camier, he was in fourth behind leading man Josh Brookes, Stuart Easton and Simon Andrews.  Camier passed Andrews on the first lap before getting past Brookes on lap four.  Easton was now leading the race having passed Brookes on the opening lap, but by lap six Camier had reeled him in and took the lead, crossing the line almost nine seconds ahead of Easton.

The second Airwaves Yamaha rider James Ellison, finally finished the race in fourth position after a terrible start saw him in seventh place.  He was followed by Simon Andrews in fifth, Tommy Hill in sixth, Ian Lowry in seventh, Gary Mason in eighth, Julien Da Costa in ninth and John Laverty completing the top ten riders.

The Airwaves Yamaha team are now guaranteed the championship for the 2009 season but it remains to be seen if it will be Leon Camier or James Ellison that walks away with the title, after the five remaining races left to run.

Gary Mason has been confirmed as the Mirror.co.uk Cup Champion for 2009 for the Quay Garage Honda team.

Here are the results.

1. Leon Camier GBR Airwaves Yamaha 26mins 57.535 20 laps
2. Stuart Easton GBR Hydrex Honda +8.788secs
3. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda +11.336secs
4. James Ellison GBR Airwaves Yamaha +11.970secs
5. Simon Andrews GBR Confused.com Kawasaki +17.437secs
6. Tommy Hill GBR Hydrex Honda +17.589secs
7. Ian Lowry GBR Relentless TAS Suzuki +18.043secs
8. Gary Mason GBR Quay Honda +25.331secs Cup
9. Julien Da Costa FRA Confused.com Kawasaki +27.433secs
10. John Laverty IRL Buildbase Kawasaki +28.579secs
11. Chris Walker GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha +28.975secs
12. Graeme Gowland GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha +29.241secs
13. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Worx Crescent Suzuki +29.469secs
14. Tommy Bridewell GBR Team NB Suzuki +31.584secs Cup
15. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Yamaha +37.176secs Cup

Kenny Gilbertson GBR Jx Fuelcards Kawasaki Did Not Start Cup

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

Sylvain Guintoli on the Worx Suzuki 2009

This weekend the British Superbike Championship takes place at Mallory Park and Tommy Hill, the replacement rider for the injured Sylvain Guintoli, has already fulfilled his promise of putting a smile on a few faces.

The Worx Suzuki GSX-R1000 rider, topped the time-sheets in both of today’s free practice session, going faster in the afternoon and slicing two-tenths of a second of his best time set in the morning.

The Hydrex Honda of Karl Harris was in second place with James Ellison on the Airwaves Yamaha in third and Chris Walker on the Henderson/Motorpoint Yamaha in fourth.

Second Airwaves Yamaha rider Leon Camier, had been running in second place in the 50 minute morning session, but sat the afternoon out after developing mechanical problems on his machine.

John Laverty on the Buildbase Kawasaki finished the day in fifth followed by the HM Plant Honda pair, Josh Brookes and Steve Brogan in sixth and seventh respectively.

Julian de Costa finished in eighth place, despite crashing the MSS Colchester Kawasaki at Charlie’s during the session, followed in ninth place by Stuart Easton on the second Hydrex Honda and Graeme Gowland on the second Henderson/Motorpoint Yamaha in tenth.

Here are the times;

1. Tommy Hill GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki 56.227secs
2. Karl Harris GBR Hydrex Honda 56.591secs
3. James Ellison GBR Airwaves Yamaha 56.594secs
4. Chris Walker GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha 56.689secs
5. John Laverty IRL Buildbase Kawasaki 56.841secs
6. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda 56.898secs
7. Steve Brogan GBR HM Plant Honda 56.915secs
8. Julien Da Costa FRA MSS Colchester Kawasaki 57.003secs
9. Stuart Easton GBR Hydrex Honda 57.005secs
10. Graeme Gowland GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha 57.115secs
11. Michael Rutter GBR SMT Honda 57.182secs
12. Ian Lowry GBR Relentless TAS Suzuki 57.236secs
13. Tommy Bridewell GBR Team NB Suzuki 57.240secs Cup
14. David Johnson AUS Team Maxxis Adept Yamaha 57.265secs
15. Richard Cooper GBR Team Co-ordit Yamaha 57.304secs
16. Gary Mason GBR Quay Honda 57.333secs Cup
17. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki 57.580secs
18. Tristan Palmer GBR Buildbase Kawasaki 57.614secs
19. Atsushi Watanabe JPN Relentless TAS Suzuki 57.680secs
20. Tom Tunstall GBR Hardinge Doodson Honda 57.720secs Cup
21. Kenny Gilbertson GBR JX Fuelcard Kawasaki 57.814secs Cup
22. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Yamaha 58.062secs Cup
23. Martin Jessopp GBR Riders Racing Honda 58.905secs Cup
24. Aaron Zanotti GBR Red Viper Honda 59.152secs
25. Michael Howarth GBR MV Agusta-JHS Racing 1min 01.078secs
26. Leon Camier GBR Airwaves Yamaha (No Time Set)