British Superbike News

Leon Camier crashed out on the first corner at Mallory Park last weekend, losing his second position in the British Superbike standings.

Camier on the Airwaves Ducati, started in eleventh place on the grid after a terrible qualifying session, but on the first right-hander, Gerard’s, he got tangled-up with Billy McConnell and shot off across the grass.

Camier said,

“I knew I needed to get a good start to make up for my poor starting position.  I’m not sure what happened at the first corner, all I know is Billy McConnell sat up and hit the front of my bike and that was the end of that.

It was really frustrating because we had found something quite major with the electronics between qualifying and the race.

I have been struggling with the electronics pushing me into slower corners too much.  But in Warm-Up we found something that sorted that and I’m really confident that it’ll work for the rest of the season.

It’s the one major point we’re losing out to Shane Byrne on, so that might give us a better chance to challenge for the second half of the season.”

Leon was unscathed although disappointed with his crash in race one at Mallory Park but finished in eighth place in the second race and said,

“In race two I wanted to get another good start but with the track being a bit wet it was difficult.  My shoulder had started to twinge a bit from my crash and it was a tough race for me but I am pleased I brought it home for some championship points.

We are midway through the season and I am third in the championship, I have a bit of a break now when I will keep training and then get back on it at Oulton Park in a few weeks and hopefully it will go well as it has so far.”

The next round of the British Superbike Championship, takes place on July 20th at Outlon Park.

Yesterday was the British Superbike Championship at Mallory Park with wins from Shane Byrne and Michael Rutter.

Race 1

In Race one, Shane Byrne took the victory on the Airwaves Ducati despite colliding with the Relentless Suzuki rider Michael Laverty.

Leon Haslam on the HM Plant Honda, tried to pass Laverty at the hairpin but ran wide forcing Laverty wide with him.  Byrne tried to pass on the inside of Laverty, but Laverty moved back in sandwiching Byrne between the wall and the Suzuki.  Laverty crashed out on lap twenty-eight after sitting in second place for most of the race.

Leon Camier on the second Airwaves Ducati, crashed out on the first corner and was unable to take any further part in the race.

Leon Haslam finished in second place followed by the second HM Plant Honda rider Cal Crutchlow in third and Tom Sykes, who had started on pole position for the Rizla Suzuki team, finishing in fourth.

Michael Rutter had to start from the back of the grid on the North West 200 Ducati but quickly moved through the pack until he high-sided on lap twenty-eight.

Karl Harris for team Yamaha also failed to finish the race after a hole developed in the exhaust pipe of the R1.

Here are the results;

1. Shane Byrne GBR Airwaves Ducati 30 laps
2. Leon Haslam GBR HM Plant Honda +1.024secs
3. Cal Crutchlow GBR HM Plant Honda +1.147secs
4. Tom Sykes GBR Rizla Suzuki +1.355secs
5. James Ellison GBR Hydrex Bike Animal Honda +11.302secs
6. Billy McConnell AUS MSS Discovery Kawasaki +17.149secs
7. Simon Andrews GBR Lloyds Jentin Yamaha +18.252secs
8. Tristan Palmer GBR Tena for Men Honda +19.761secs
9. Atsushi Watanabe JPN Rizla Suzuki +26.433secs
10. John Laverty GBR NW200 Ducati (CUP) +27.593secs
11. Michael Laverty GBR Relentless TAS Suzuki +33.981secs
12. David Johnson AUS Maxxis Honda +46.927secs
13. Gary Mason GBR Quay Garage (CUP) +47.134secs
14. Dean Ellison GBR Co-ordit Racing Yamaha +58.827secs
15. Chris Burns GBR STP MV Agusta +1min 00.131secs
15. Guy Martin GBR Hydrex Bike Animal Honda +1 lap
16. Martin Jessopp GBR Riders Racing Honda (CUP) +1 lap
17. Aaron Zanotti GBR Red Viper Honda +1 lap
18. Malcolm Ashley GBR MAR Adept Kawasaki (CUP) +1 lap
19. Tom Tunstall GBR Hardinge/Ice Valley Honda (CUP) +1 lap
20. Leon Morris GBR Trimite Brookspeed Ducati (CUP) +1 lap

Rtd. Michael Rutter GBR NW 200 Ducati 27 laps completed
Rtd. James Haydon GBR MSS Discovery Kawasaki 12 laps completed
Rtd. Sean Emmett GBR SMT Honda 12 laps completed
Rtd. Scott Smart GBR Hawk Kawasaki 11 laps completed
Rtd. Karl Harris GBR Team Yamaha 9 laps completed
Rtd. Leon Camier GBR Airwaves Ducati 0 laps completed

Race 2

In the second race for the British Superbikes, Michael Rutter on the NW200 Ducati, claimed his first win of the season in what started as a wet race.

Michael Laverty led from the start until crashing out on lap four, he tried to continue but returned to the pits on the next lap and retired from the race.

In second place was Shane Byrne on the Airwaves Ducati after struggling with his tyres as the track continued to dry during the race.

Cal Crutchlow on the HM Plant Honda took third place followed by Tom Sykes on the Rizla Suzuki in fourth and Karl Harris on the Yamaha in fifth.

Here are the results;

1 - Michael Rutter - Ducati - North West 200 Ducati - 30:10.219
2 - Shane Byrne - Ducati - Airwaves Ducati - 30:14.624
3 - Cal Crutchlow - Honda - HM Plant Honda - 30:14.805
4 - Tom Sykes - Suzuki - Rizla Suzuki - 30:23.602
5 - Karl Harris - Yamaha - Team Yamaha - 30:23.808
6 - Leon Haslam - Honda - HM Plant Honda - 30:29.736
7 - Simon Andrews - Yamaha - Jentin Racing / Lloyds British - 30:36.147
8 - Leon Camier - Ducati - Airwaves Ducati - 30:45.226
9 - Tristan Palmer - Honda - Tena for Men Honda - 30:54.413
10 - Scott Smart - Kawasaki - Hawk Racing - 31:06.641
11 - James Ellison - Honda - Hydrex Bike Animal Honda - 31:06.931
12 - David Johnson - Honda - Team MAXXIS - 30:23.287
13 - Chris Burns - MV Agusta - STP Superbike - 30:23.569
14 - John Laverty - Ducati - Buildbase NW200 Ducati - 30:28.856
15 - James Haydon - Kawasaki - MSS Discovery Kawasaki - 30:38.541
16 - Billy McConnell - Kawasaki - MSS Discovery Kawasaki - 30:43.452
17 - Guy Martin - Honda - Hydrex Bike Animal Honda - 30:43.665
18 - Dean Ellison - Yamaha - Co-ordit Racing - 31:06.896
19 - Aaron Zanotti - Honda - Red Viper Racing - 30:15.157
20 - Atsushi Watanabe - Suzuki - Rizla Suzuki - 30:19.937
21 - Tom Tunstall - Honda - Hardinge - Ice Valley Motorsport - 30:20.901
22 - Martin Jessopp - Honda - Riders Racing - 31:00.157
23 - Gary Mason - Honda - Quay Garage - 31:16.343

DNF - Michael Laverty - Suzuki - Relentless Suzuki by TAS - 75.99

Tom Sykes on the Rizla Suzuki, took pole position today ahead of tomorrow’s British Superbike Championship round at Mallory Park.

In the final few seconds of the qualifying session, Sykes denied the Relentless Suzuki rider Michael Laverty, his first ever pole position. Sykes was on his spare bike after his first machine developed problems which saw him stop on the start/finish straight with less than half-an-hour of the session remaining.

Shane Byrne is in third position on the grid for Airwaves Ducati followed by Cal Crutchlow on the HM Plant Honda.

The second HM Plant Honda rider Leon Haslam is in fifth to start the second row of the grid ahead of Michael Rutter on the North West 200 Ducati and Karl Harris for the RM Racing Yamaha team.

Tristan Palmer went well in the practice sessions and in qualifying, and was rewarded with eighth place for The Tena for Men Honda team followed by John Laverty on the NW200 Buildbase Ducati and Billy McConnell on the MSS Discovery Kawasaki to complete the top ten.

Here are the results;

1. Tom Sykes Rizla Suzuki 56.006
2. Michael Laverty Relentless Suzuki 56.109
3. Shane Byrne Airwaves Ducati 56.172
4. Cal Crutchlow HM Plant Honda 56.135
5. Leon Haslam HM Plant Honda 56.234
6. Michael Rutter North West 200 Ducati 56.336
7. Karl Harris RM Racing Yamaha 56.435
8. Tristan Palmer Tena for Men Honda 56.494
9. John Laverty NW200 Buildbase Ducati 56.534
10. Billy McConnell MSS Discovery Kawasaki 56.535
11. Leon Camier Airwaves Ducati 56.540
12. Atsushi Watanabe Rizla Suzuki 56.736
13. Simon Andrews Lloyds British Jentin Yamaha 56.776
14. Scott Smart Hawk Kawasaki 56.880
15. James Ellison Hydrex Bike Animal Honda 56.941
16. Gary Mason Quay Garage Honda 56.983

This weekend the Bennetts British Superbike Championship will be at Mallory Park and Sean Emmett will be standing-in for the injured Adam Jenkinson at the SMT Honda team.

Emmett said “I am really up for it this weekend!  I am looking forward to being out again in BSB and mixing it with the guys.  I haven’t ridden at Mallory Park for two years and therefore have not ridden the new layout of the chicane, but I do have a lot of experience and I am just going to jump on the bike and go for it in free practice on Friday.  I want to finish in the top ten so that I can do both myself and the team justice and there is no real reason why I shouldn’t.”

Emmett usually races in the Henderson Yamaha R1 Cup but has also been a title contender in the British Supebike Championship.

Emmett is one of the most experienced riders in the country, since his career started in 1997.  In his first season in World Superbikes he nearly lost his arm in at the Donington Park race, but after an eight hour operation, 17 screws, 2 plates and a chain he continued despite being warned that he shouldn’t race again.

After only 14-weeks he won his first race at Oulton Park and went onto win 12 British Superbike races.

The SMT Honda team are on the search for a replacement rider for the next round of the British Superbike Championship at Mallory Park.

The replacement is needed for the injured Adam Jenkinson who broke both of his wrists in the second race of the opening round at Thruxton.

Tom Grant raced in his place for the Honda team at Oulton and Donington Park and Marshall Neill took to the track for the last round at Snetterton, but as yet there is no rider reported to be racing at Mallory Park.