Donington Park

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

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

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

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

Scott Smart on the Hawk Kawasaki 2008

As the Moto Rapido Ducati team revealed that they would be stepping-up to the premier class in 2010 it has now been announced that they have signed Scott Smart as one of their riders.

Moving up from the Superstock series, the team will be taking advantage of the new ‘Evo’ rules as they enter a pair of Ducati’s for the coming season.

Scott Smart began his first full season in the British Superbike series back in 2003 for the Hawk Kawasaki team, where after twice qualifying on the front row of the grid he finished the season in ninth place overall and the following year ended the season in fourth position after three race wins.

In 2005, the 34-year-old rode alongside John Reynolds for the Rizla Suzuki team but after struggling with the bike he ended his season midway through the year and moved to the smaller Vivaldi racing team.  Smart had to sit out a few rounds due to a broken collarbone but the following season he finished the wet, chaotic Donington Park round with a win.  Later in the season Smart broke his wrist before moving back to the Hawk Kawasaki team for 2007 and then spending a year in the Superstock series.

Neil Hodgson - AMA Superbike Series

The former British Superbike champion Neil Hodgson is coming back to the British Superbike series after signing with the Motorpoint Yamaha team for the 2010 season.

The 35-year-old has been racing in the AMA Superbike championship since 2005 where he finished sixth in his first season and fifth overall the following year.  The Ducati team decided to pull-out of the series for the 2007 season leaving Hodgson without a ride although he took part in the Laguna Seca round for the Corona Honda team alongside James Ellison, finishing in fifth place.

In September 2007, the Honda America team announced that Hodgson would be racing for them in the 2008 season riding the new Fireblade.  He finished sixth overall for the team that season before signing with the Corona Honda team for the 2009 season.

After a strong start to the season with a second place finish at the Daytona circuit, Hodgson had a motorcross accident and suffered a collapsed lung and dislocated shoulder, seeing him miss the next three rounds and finishing the season in eleventh place.

Hodgson became the British Superbike champion for the GSE Racing team after the final round of the 2000 season where he battled with Chris Walker on the Suzuki throughout the year.  In the last round of the season at Donington Park, there were only a few points between the two riders when the engine blew on Walker’s Suzuki allowing Hodgson to take the title.

Hodgson then move onto the World Superbike series again with the GSE Racing for 2001, riding alongside James Toseland.  He took fifth overall in his rookie year and continued to make progress in the following season.  In 2003 he became the number one rider for the works Ducati team after both Troy Bayliss and Colin Edwards moved to the MotoGP series and ended the season winning the title against his team-mate Ruben Xaus.

It has also been announced today that Dan Linfoot is moving from the British Supersport Championship to ride alongside Hodgson full-time with the Motorpoint Yamaha team.

Donington Park

The owner of the Donington Park circuit Tom Wheatcroft, has died at the age of 87 after suffering a long illness it has been confirmed.

The official statement read;

TOM WHEATCROFT 1922 – 2009

Donington Park is mourning the loss of the owner of the estate and circuit, Tom Wheatcroft.

The Leicester businessman succumbed to a long illness, passing peacefully away at his family home at 10.30 on the morning of Saturday 31 October.

Tom, as he was affectionately known throughout the sporting world, was first attracted to motor sport and Grand Prix racing as a schoolboy when he cycled from his Leicester home to watch the great races of the 1930 era of the circuit.

After military service, he returned to Leicestershire, soon owning and prospering a highly successful building and property development company.

Tom continued his enjoyment of racing, never missing a British Grand Prix and visiting others overseas, and at the same time supporting local drivers, and fostering the career of the highly talented Roger Williamson, taking him into Grand Prix racing.

He also owned a growing collection of racing cars, and in 1971 bought part of the Donington Park estate, opening there the world renowned Donington Collection of Grand Prix cars.

After a lengthy, often bitter and very costly, planning hearing, he was given consent to re-build and re-open the Donington Park circuit, which had lain derelict after military use during the Second World War.

Racing returned in 1977 and soon the circuit was hosting major events, bringing the world’s best motorcycle racers into action and then various FIA Championships for Formula 2, World Sports Cars and European Touring Cars.

Tom celebrated his 65^th birthday by securing the British Motorcycle Grand Prix ran for the first of 23 times on his circuit in 1987 – it was voted the best in the world, and then in 1993, and he achieved his dream, when at short notice, his circuit staged the award winning FIA Formula One World Championship Grand Prix of Europe.

Tom continued to take an active interest in the circuit and it development, under the direction of lease holders Donington Ventures Leisure Limited, through to his passing.

His contribution to the sport has been immeasurable, and the word ‘legend’ hardly does justice to the man who was Donington Park – Tom Wheatcroft.

Sylvain Guintoli - Worx Crescent Suzuki 2009

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

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

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

Guintoli said;

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

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

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

Alastair Seeley - Superstock 1000cc Champion 2009

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

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

Seeley said;

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

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

Sylvain Guintoli 2009

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

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

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

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

Team Manager Jack Valentine said;

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

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

Chris Burns - MV Agusta

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

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

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

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

Mallory Park

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.