Last season’s innovative rule change will remain in place, ensuring that no one runs away with the championship. Following the first nine events, the top six riders in the standings will qualify for “The Showdown” and become the “Title Fighters” for the remaining three events, battling it out to become champion. They will each be awarded 500 points, plus additional points for each podium they have achieved up to this point. Meanwhile the remaining riders will continue to contest the “British Superbike Riders’ Cup”.

As always race day at Brands Hatch will be broadcast live on British Eurosport on Bank Holiday Monday when you can join the commentator Jack Burnicle, who is once again joined by former BSB Champion James Witham.

Looking ahead to an exciting challenge for the championship, Witham says;

“There’s a lot of anticipation this year with riders returning to the championship, like former winner Shakey Byrne. He’s going to be quick, he’s tested really well and he’s with one of the top teams in HM Plant Honda. I think the fan’s favourite is Tommy Hill. After a good season last year, he’s swapped teams and he’s very confident.

“The defending champion Ryuichi Kiyonari is going to take some beating if he gets his eye in, but we know how fragile he can be, little things can put him off his stride so he’s by no means a firm favourite in the championship for me.”

One of the biggest stories pre-season is the arrival of former MotoGP rider American John Hopkins in the paddock and Whitham thinks he could be a contender;

“John Hopkins is a big coup for the championship. He’s a colourful character, he’s loud and he’s got the biggest baseball cap in the world! I can’t wait to see how he’s going to get to grips with the best, quirky British tracks. There’s no doubt the man has got the talent if he’s still got the fire in his belly and he can get his head around the circuits.”

Making history will be Jenny Tinmouth, the first ever female rider to contest the British Superbike Championship. Having finished third in the British Supersport Cup last season, Tinmouth also set a new record for the fastest lap by a female competitor at the Isle of Man TT event.

TV Times for Brands Hatch:

Monday 25 April
1230-1800 LIVE Race day on British Eurosport 2
2200-2330 Highlights on British Eurosport 2

Tuesday 26 April
1330-1430 Highlights on British Eurosport 2

Thursday 28 April
0830-0930 Highlights on British Eurosport
1930-2030 Highlights on British Eurosport 2
2030-2145 British Superbike Extra (support race highlights) on British Eurosport 2

Sunday 1 May
1730-1900 Highlights on British Eurosport 2

As well as testing the British Supersport 600cc machines, Gary Johnson has also been putting the Fireblade through its paces for his assault on the International Road Race calendar in 2011.

Testing took place over three days at Cartegena but was restricted to just one day at Guadix, where bad weather forced the team to abandon their second day at the circuit and head back to base.

Gary Johnson said, “All in all I’m really pleased with the test and how productive it was for us all. I was riding the 600 and the Superbike and getting both bikes set up to a comfy base setting, which we’ll be working on in more tests before the season starts. I know now where we need to go with the bikes and confident the team will get them to that position where everything will be perfect come the start of the season.

“We concentrated mainly on the 600 as this is the bike I will be running in the British Supersport Championship, from the off the bike felt great. We changed a number of things on the Honda with springs, suspension and tyres to see which worked best for me. We have definitely got something to work from now and going in the right direction.

“I did a few runs out on the Superbike, the Fireblade is an awesome bike and the power is immense on it. My times improved every time we made small changes which is great news and I feel confident about everything now.

“I was happy at the end of Cartagena and was looking forward to getting myself out at Guadix. My crew chief James made a few changes after I’d done a few initial laps and these automatically took my times down on the 600, it’s all a learning curve for all of us and testing is all about finding the right set up.

“I jumped back on the Fireblade and was testing a new Pirelli tyre which I’ll be using on the roads but this forced us to make some changes with the bike. I was able to stay with the Suzuki riders of Kirkham and Hopkins so it gave me a lot of confidence. The second planned day at Guadix, the heavens opened and track activity was called off for the day so homeward bound we headed. I’m really happy with the progress we made and I know where we have to go but I’m very excited about it all. I can’t wait for the season to start now and get things going again.”

The young Irish rider Lee Johnston bonded with the new Honda immediately and ending testing feeling positive with his performance, saying;

“Testing was mega at Cartagena, the weather was kind to us and stayed dry for the three days, even though it was a little on the windy side. We spent the majority of the first day just making me comfortable on the CBR 600 as this was the first time I’d even sat on the bike. It felt good instantly so I knew we wouldn’t need to change much on it. We knew the bikes were good as Sam won the Championship on it in 2010 so we didn’t want to change much to start with.

“The second day proved to be challenging as there were a number of crashes which kept putting halt to proceedings and the third day we spent working on the forks and my times were coming down each time I went out on track which has given me my confidence back after a couple of dodgy years.

“We then headed to Guadix where I managed to complete 70 laps on the first afternoon and I managed to get a really good feel for the bike. The second day they weather turned a little more like what I’m used to back in Ireland, the track was flooded and therefore the day was cancelled. I would like to thank all the East Coast Racing team for making me feel so welcome and working so hard over the few days, I just can’t wait for Brands now.”

2011 British Supersport Dates

Rd 1 – 22 – 25th April
Brands Hatch Indy

Rd 2 – 30th April – 2nd May
Oulton Park

Rd 3 – 13th – 15th May
Croft Race Circuit

Rd 4 – 28th – 30th May
Thruxton

Rd 5 – 17th – 19th June
Knockhill

Rd 6 – 1st – 3rd July
Snetterton

Rd 7 – 15th – 17th July
Oulton Park

Rd 8 – 5th – 7th August
Brands Hatch GP

Rd 9 – 27th – 29th August
Cadwell Park

Rd 10 – 9th – 11th September
Donington Park

Rd 11 – 23rd – 25th September
Silverstone Arena GP

Rd 12 – 7th – 9th October
Brands Hatch GP

International Road Racing Dates

North West 200 – 21st May

Isle of Man TT – 30th May – 10th June

Ulster GP – 10th – 13th August

Scarborough Gold Cup – 17th – 18th September

Macau GP – 17th – 20th November

Loris Baz - Superstock 600 - 2008

Loris Baz has been appointed as the replacement rider for the injured Andrew Pitt at this weekends round of the British Superbike championship at Croft alongside Dan Linfoot.

Pitt broke his collarbone at the Brands Hatch round of the championship and now the Frenchman has been given the chance to get aboard the Motorpoint Yamaha teams YZF-R1 which he tested for the first time on Wednesday.

Team boss Rob McElnea said;

“We have a lot to look forward to this weekend at Croft, this is Dan’s local track and our bike should work very well. It is Loris’s first time at BSB and on a Superbike so we are all keen to get the weekend started.

This will be a baptism of fire for Loris, he knows the pace will be hot and he cannot wait to get on track. We want him to take things step by step and enjoy the whole experience. He tested yesterday at Mallory and put together a good performance. On the bike you would never imagine he is only 17 years-old so I am sure he will get a good welcome.”

Riders For Health 2010 - Auctioning Rossi's Helmet

The World Champion Darts player Andy Fordham along with AP Kawasaki Team Manager Alan Greig, are to launch a British Superbike Darts League for 2011 to raise funds for Riders For Health.

Fordham was spotted on the grid at the Brands Hatch round of the Superbike Championship alongside John Wainwright who was racing in the Metzeler National Superstock 600cc series.  The two met when Wainwright visited his local pub previously owned at the time by the darts player in his hometown.

Leon Haslam is also known to love the sport of darts and a match was held in the Alstare garage between the rider and Fordham.  Haslam reportedly beat Fordham before the pair began to throw darts at a picture of Max Biaggi that had been pinned to the board!

The darts league will be open to all riders and teams in the series with 100% of the nominal fee going directly to the Riders For Health fund.

Mike Edwards battles with Jeremy McWilliams at Brands Hatch

RidersMotorcycles.com completed a remarkable weekend at Brands Hatch with Mike Edwards finishing second in both of the Harley-Davidson series races, making five podium places for the team with Michael Rutter’s perfomances in the British Superbike Championship.

Edwards had the crowd on their feet as he battled with his arch rival and former GP racer Jeremy McWilliams for supremacy at the Kent track.

The pair pulled well away from the chasing pack creating their own personal duel in a spectacle that thrilled the Brands Hatch crowd particularly along the start finish straight where they were repeatedly side by side.

But it was McWilliams who finished both races in front to take maximum points and goes into the final round at Cadwell Park in prime position.

Edwards is hoping that the technical qualities of the Cadwell track will lever the advantage towards his RidersMotorcycles.com team at the Bank Holiday meeting and is relishing the final showdown. He said;

“The RidersMotorcycles.com Harley-Davidson is working really well. The XR1200s are great on the street but are long heavy bikes to use as racing machines but I can’t fault our bike’s handling or performance. The guys in the race shop have done a great job setting the machine up to suit me. If anything we lacked a bit of top speed on the long fast Brands straights against Jeremy but get us to the next round at Cadwell Park, where it’s a much more technical track, and it’ll hopefully be a different story.”

Fourteen points separate the two riders going into the final round and Edwards will have to winn all three races to be in with a serious shout of the title, but Riders boss Phil Jessopp said;

“Mike may not have won at Brands but he played a major part in two closely fought races that the fans loved. Cadwell is going to be tough but Mike’s up for it and we’re looking forward to a really good showdown.”

Michael Rutter ensures a place in final showdown of BSB 2010

Michael Rutter continued his sensational form at Brands Hatch over last weekend, ensuring his place in the final six Title Fighters who will go into the final three round showdown to decide the British Superbike title.

Much against my initial judgement Michael Rutter has grown in stature as the season has gone on, he appears to be riding better than ever this season and it has been a joy to watch his fantastic riding style and commitment in recent races.

He has produced some of the most outrageous overtaking maneuvers always looking at one with his machine and his results speak for themselves, competing with a two year old Ducati against the latest machinery of the opposing teams.

Rutter claimed pole position for the RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati team on Saturday and was leading the race when it was red flagged due to the rain. In the re-start he finished in second place.

The first race on Sunday was also stopped due to an accident involving Andrew Pitt and Alastair Seeley, at this point Rutter was in second place. After the re-start he managed to finish the race in third place, a feat that was repeated in the final race of the day, giving Rutter three podium places over the weekend.

Rutter said:  “It’s been a brilliant weekend for the team. I think I could have gone with Sykes and Kiyo in Sunday’s first race but I just didn’t have the grip after five laps. The temperature had gone up and made the track greasy. I know it’s the same for everyone  – I could see Kiyo struggling too – but you were never quite sure of the grip levels and it seemed a better idea to score points rather than risking everything. I also had a battle with Michael Laverty in that one but it’s all about getting podium credits now so there was no way I was going to let him through.”

Team boss Phil Jessopp was delighted and said: “Everything is going to plan. Michael has now qualified for the final Showdown and we’re confident of a good run in those final three rounds. It’s a pity the organisers changed the point-scoring system for this year from the previous system of points counting from the entire season. The championship has never been more finely balanced with only 28 points covering the top five. But either way, the RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati is going to be up there battling for the title.”

Brands Hatch 2010 Race 1

This weekend saw the triple header take place at the circuit of Brands Hatch in Kent with Alastair Seeley winning the Saturday race and Tom Sykes taking both wins on Sunday.

Race 1 (Saturday)

The Saturday race began with Michael Rutter, who qualified in pole position, leading the two HM Plant Honda riders Josh Brookes and Ryuichi Kiyonari until the mid-way stage.

Rutter looked to be on to take his second win of the season until the rain began leading to the race being red flagged and a wet race being called.  As the newly shortened 10 lap race restarted it was Rutter who once again led the pack into the first bend ahead of Kiyonari.

Alastair Seeley had moved up from sixth place on the grid to during the first few bends to pass Rutter as they headed into the Graham Hill bend leaving the Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati rider and Kiyonari to chase him down.

Rutter was left to settle for second position followed by Kiyonari in third, Josh Brookes in fourth, Tom Sykes in fifth, Michael Laverty in sixth, James Ellison in seventh, Yukio Kagayama in eighth, John Laverty in ninth and Ian Lowry in tenth.

Tommy Hill was forced to start from the back of the grid for the re-start of the race after failing to line-up in time and could only manage a fifteenth place finish.

Here are the results;

1.  Alastair Seeley  GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki  16mins 22.271s
2. Michael Rutter GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati +0.298s
3. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN HM Plant Honda +1.470s
4. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda +2.926
5. Tom Sykes GBR Kawasaki SRT +14.320s
6. Michael Laverty GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +17.241s
7. James Ellison GBR Swan Honda +21.713s
8. Yukio Kagayama JPN Worx Crescent Suzuki +23.516s
9. John Laverty GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +24.738s
10. Ian Lowry GBR Kawasaki SRT +26.213s
11. Andrew Pitt AUS Motorpoint Yamaha +27.731s
12. Tommy Bridewell GBR Tyco Honda +29.819s
13. Dan Linfoot GBR Motorpoint Yamaha +29.897s
14. Chris Burns GBR Splitlath Aprilia +33.393s
15. Tommy Hill GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki +34.253s
16. Aaron Zanotti GBR Red Viper Spike Suzuki +35.063s
17. Gary Johnson GBR AIM Suzuki +36.407s
18. David Johnson AUS Becsport Suzuki +37.148s
19. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Racing Yamaha +37.428s
20. Hudson Kennaugh RSA Splitlath Aprilia +40.478s
21. Adam Jenkinson GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +45.684s
22. Chris Walker GBR Sorrymate.com SMT Honda +45.854s
23. Tom Tunstall GBR Doodson Motorsport Honda +48.342s
24. Pauli Pekkanen FIN 777 RR Motorsport Suzuki +50.388s
25. Craig Fitzpatrick GBR Close Print Finance Honda +1min 24.983s
26. Michael O’Brien GBR Motomob/O’Brien Yamaha +1min 29.226s

DNS Steve Heneghan IRL Quattro Plant Honda

Race 2 (Sunday)

Race 2 was also split into two parts after race 1 winner Alastair Seeley high-sided coming out of Surtees on lap 4, although the rider was uninjured his Relentless Suzuki was left stranded on the crest of the Hill and unseen by Andrew Pitt who caught the wheel.  Pitt was thrown heavily from his Motorpoint Yamaha forcing the race to be stopped while he was attended to at the side of the track by the medical team before being taken to the medical centre.  Pitt was transferred to hospital and has been diagnosed with a collarbone broken in three places.

The re-start consisted of 14 laps but was missing the second HM Plant Honda rider Josh Brookes who had crashed out at Druids whilst leading the race and had returned to the pits meaning that he would not be able to take part in the second start.

Michael Rutter was on pole position ahead of Kiyonari, Sykes and Michael Laverty but it was Sykes that moved into second position, passing Kiyonari before the end of the first lap.  Sykes then began to chase down the race leader Rutter before passing him on lap 4.

Kiyonari managed to get past Rutter and was tailing Sykes but could not get close enough to pass the Kawasaki rider leaving him to finish in second place with Rutter in third.  Michael Laverty crossed the line in fourth ahead of James Ellison in fifth, Tommy Hill in sixth, Stuart Easton in seventh, Yukio Kagayama in eighth, Dan Linfoot in ninth and Gary Mason in tenth.

Here are the results;

1.  Tom Sykes  GBR Kawasaki SRT  20mins 19.948secs
2. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN HM Plant Honda +1.118s
3. Michael Rutter GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati +3.497s
4. Michael Laverty GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +4.000s
5. James Ellison GBR Swan Honda +4.189s
6. Tommy Hill GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki +11.142s
7. Stuart Easton GBR Swan Honda +11.812s
8. Yukio Kagayama JPN Worx Crescent Suzuki +11.937s
9. Dan Linfoot GBR Motorpoint Yamaha +15.507s
10. Gary Mason GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +15.637s
11. Ian Lowry GBR Kawasaki SRT +20.513s
12. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +25.373s
13. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Racing Yamaha +27.994s
14. Steve Brogan GBR Jentin Racing BMW +33.430s
15. Adam Jenkinson GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +33.629s

Andrew Pitt AUS Motorpoint Yamaha
Alastair Seeley GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki
Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda
John Laverty GBR Buildbase Kawasaki
David Johnson AUS Becsport Suzuki

Race 3

It was a fantastic day for the Kawasaki SRT team after the World Superbike rider Tom Sykes took his second win of the day at Brands Hatch.

It was Michael Laverty that started on pole position for race 3 ahead of Ryuichi Kiyonari and Tom Sykes but it was Kiyonari that took to the front as the race got underway.

Sykes soon moved into second position and began to chase down the HM Plant Honda of Kiyonari who was unable to get away from the approaching Kawasaki.  Sykes managed to get into the slipstream of the Honda and slide through into the lead on lap 5 leaving Kiyonari to once again finish in second place ahead of Michael Rutter in third.

Michael Laverty crashed out on lap 14 while challenging Rutter for the final step of the podium and Alastair Seeley also had his second fall of the day at Paddock Hill Bend.

Tommy Hill crossed the line in fourth place followed by James Ellison, Josh Brookes, Yukio Kagayama, Stuart Easton, John Laverty and Simon Andrews.

Ryuichi Kiyonari is now leading the championship standings ahead of Tommy Hill and Josh Brookes.

Here are the results;

1.  Tom Sykes  GBR Kawasaki SRT  28mins 56.799secs
2. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN HM Plant Honda +0.563s
3. Michael Rutter GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati +4.788s
4. Tommy Hill GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki +6.531s
5. James Ellison GBR Swan Honda +11.804s
6. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda +11.910s
7. Yukio Kagayama JPN Worx Crescent Suzuki +13.927s
8. Stuart Easton GBR Swan Honda +20.929s
9. John Laverty GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +21.181s
10. Simon Andrews GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +25.089s
11. Ian Lowry GBR Kawasaki SRT +30.719s
12. Tommy Bridewell GBR Tyco Honda +33.271s
13. Chris Walker GBR Sorrymate.com SMT Honda +39.166s
14. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Racing Yamaha +52.013s
15. Tom Tunstall GBR Doodson Motorsport Honda +52.699s

John Reynolds Rizla Suzuki 2004

The 1992, 2001 and 2004 British Superbike Champion John Reynolds is confirmed as the guest rider at this weekends round of the championship at Brands Hatch.

Reynolds won the title on the Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000 before his retirement in 2005 and is still involved in the series as a Suzuki GB race director.

The 47-year-old is looking forward to riding the GSV-R800 and will also be joined at the Suzuki GSX-R 25th Anniversary celebrations by Leon Haslam on the World Superbike Alstare Suzuki along with Sylvain Guintoli and the Rizla Suzuki MotoGP rider Alvaro Bautista.

Tom Grant - East Coast Yamaha

Tom Grant has been signed by the Gearlink Kawasaki team to ride for them at the Brands Hatch round of the British Supersport championship on the 8th August.

Grant was given the chance to test ride for the team last week at Mallory Park and they were so impressed with his effort they signed him to ride at the next round.

The 22-year-old Yorkshire rider finished eighth in the 2009 championship with the East Coast Yamaha team with a top finish of third place.

Grant is replacing the teams current rider Jamie Hamilton who has now parted company with the Kawasaki squad after a dismal season.  Hamilton, who is the reigning Metzeler National Superstock 600 champion, has only managed a top score of fourteenth place so far after a disastrous season which has seen him not only break his collarbone but also having his motor-home raided and all his equipment stolen.

Tom Sykes - Kawasaki WSB 2010

The former British Superbike rider Tom Sykes is to make an appearance once again in the series when he rides the factory Kawasaki in the eighth round of the championship at Brands Hatch at the beginning of August.

Sykes is currently riding for the PBM Kawasaki team in the World Superbike Series where at the moment he is their only rider after team-mate Chris Vermeulen has been ruled out for the remainder of the championship through injury.

The triple header event will be Sykes first return to the BSB grid since leaving at the end of 2008 where he rode for the Rizla Suzuki team.  He began his 2009 season aboard the Yamaha before a switch to Kawasaki for this season but is really looking forward to being in front of a British crowd again.