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

Stuart Easton - Brands Hatch 2009

For the second consecutive year, the British Superbike rider Stuart Easton won the Macau Grand Prix at the weekend starting from pole position.

Easton, riding the Hydrex IGT Honda Fireblade 1000cc machine, dominated the race from the off ahead of a challenging Connor Cummins on the PBM Kawasaki WSBK.

The Scottish youngster had pulled a lead of 6.172 seconds by lap 6 but by lap 10, Cummins began to challenge the Honda rider and decreased the gap to 3.078 seconds.

By the penultimate lap, Cummins was only 0.421 seconds behind the race leader, managing to make a pass on the Honda at Fisherman’s Bend but on the final lap, Easton outbreaked the Kawasaki rider as they approached Lisboa to retake the lead.

In third place was the second PBM Kawasaki ridden by Ian Hutchinson while John McGuinness, Michael Pearson and Steve Mercer all retired from the race.

Simon Andrews made his debut at the Macau Grand Prix, finishing in an impressive seventh place for the Team Of Paris-AXA Racing, behind his team-mate Michael Rutter who finished in sixth.

Here are the results;

1 1 Stuart EASTON GBR Hydrex IGT Honda 36:50.910 15 149.47 2:25.170
2 4 Conor CUMMINS IOM PBM Kawasaki WSBK Team 36:51.291 15 0.381 149.45 2:26.251
3 8 Ian HUTCHINSON GBR PBM Kawasaki WSBK Team 37:00.702 15 9.792 148.81 2:26.803
4 69 Gary JOHNSON GBR A.I.M. Racing 37:06.508 15 15.598 148.43 2:26.081
5 13 Rico PENZKOFER GER BMW Macau Racing Team 37:15.519 15 24.609 147.83 2:27.208
6 3 Michael RUTTER GBR Team of Paris – AXA Racing 37:22.761 15 31.851 147.35 2:27.235
7 12 Simon ANDREWS GBR Team of Paris – AXA Racing 37:25.237 15 34.327 147.19 2:28.352
8 33 Luis CARREIRA POR Benimoto Suzuki Cetelem 37:26.117 15 35.207 147.13 2:28.129
9 57 Jeremy TOYE USA Lee’s Cycles Racing 37:26.403 15 35.493 147.11 2:27.507
10 11 Stephen THOMPSON GBR Robinson Concrete Honda 37:34.767 15 43.857 146.56 2:28.569
11 6 Gerald MUTEAU FRA Team of Paris – AXA Racing 37:37.449 15 46.539 146.39 2:28.317
12 10 Mark MILLER USA Celtic Racing 37:42.208 15 51.298 146.08 2:28.223
13 34 Mike BARNES USA PBM Kawasaki WSBK Team 38:09.510 15 1:18.600 144.34 2:29.141
14 9 James McBRIDE GBR PAZZO/EAST Coast Racing 38:24.254 15 1:33.344 143.42 2:31.960
15 31 Horst SAIGER AUT BMW Macau Racing Team 38:25.379 15 1:34.469 143.35 2:31.058
16 37 James HILLIER GBR A.I.M. Racing 38:28.566 15 1:37.656 143.15 2:31.978
17 66 Mark BUCKLEY GBR Jentin Racing 38:31.525 15 1:40.615 142.97 2:31.804
18 15 James STORRAR GBR DMR Racing 38:32.104 15 1:41.194 142.93 2:32.013
19 5 SS Amaury BARATIN FRA Team of Paris – AXA Racing 36:52.569 14 1 LAP 139.40 2:35.584
20 35 SS CHEUNG Wai On HKG CHEUNG Wai On 36:55.852 14 1 LAP 139.20 2:36.267
21 32 SS Joao FERNANDES MAC Joao FERNANDES 37:19.683 14 1 LAP 137.71 2:36.748
22 18 SS SOU Sio Hong MAC Sonic Racing Performance 38:54.896 14 1 LAP 132.10 2:44.520
23 39 SS Jason BROOME HKG Jason BROOME 37:20.516 13 2 LAPS 127.83 2:48.900
24 19 SS Tiago MAGALHAES POR AG Racing 37:41.159 13 2 LAPS 126.66 2:39.152
25 70 SS IP Weng Keong MAC Sonic Racing Performance 39:07.582 12 3 LAPS 112.62 2:49.530
NOT CLASSIFIED
2 John McGUINNESS GBR Hydrex IGT Honda 18:10.518 7 D.N.F. 141.42 2:30.317
7 Thomas HINTERREITER AUT Yamaha Austria Racing Team 10:34.473 4 D.N.F. 138.90 2:31.525
36 Michael PEARSON GBR BTS Racing 8:26.925 3 D.N.F. 130.38 2:38.025
17 Steve MERCER GBR DMR Racing 5:08.914 2 D.N.F. 142.64 2:31.087
FASTEST LAP
1 Stuart EASTON Hydrex IGT Honda 2:25.170 5 151.76kph 94.30mph

Tommy Hill - Worx Crescent Suzuki 2009

Tommy Hill has signed a contract to race for the Worx Crescent Suzuki team for the 2010 season to ride alongside Yukio Kagayama.

The 24-year-old rider was given a chance in the 2009 season with the Worx Suzuki team to cover for the injured Sylvain Guintoli at Mallory Park where he qualified in second place in race 1 before being caught-up in the carnage when Josh Brookes lost control of his bike.  Hill was kept on for the following round scoring two-top five finishes at the Brands Hatch triple header before it was announced that Guintoli would be back for the next meeting.

Hill then filled in for the Hydrex Honda rider Karl Harris after he was sacked by the team and achieved a seventh and sixth position on his first outing at Croft followed by two fifth positions at Silverstone.

Tommy said;

“I’m over the moon. I’m very happy to be in the Worx Crescent Suzuki team.  I’ve worked with the team this year, and so for me going into winter testing with a team that I’ve already worked with is fantastic. The Suzuki GSX-R1000 is a cracking bike, to have that and a team that I want to work with is so important – that’s always good for a rider’s confidence.

For me, the only downside is that now I’ve got to sit around and wait! I just want to get on with the season right now and get racing again. In the British championship we have a long winter period. Sure, we will be testing in the New Year, and there will probably be the odd shakedown before Christmas, but you know I just really want to get riding right now!”

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

Leon Camier - Airwaves Yamaha 2009

This weekend the riders and teams of the British Superbike Championship head to Silverstone for the penultimate round of the 2009 series.

The Airwaves Yamaha team rider Leon Camier, has a 99.5 point advantage over his team-mate James Ellison, meaning that if he finishes ahead of Ellison in the first race of the day the title is his.

Ellison will need to keep his eyes open for the Scottish rider Stuart Easton on the Hydrex Honda, who is only 32 points behind the Yamaha rider and could be a real threat for the runner-up spot in the championship especially since getting a taste of winning at the last round at Croft.

According to reports, the 2009 National Superstock champion Alastair Seeley, will be on board the new Evo specification GSX-R1000 for the Relentless Suzuki by TAS at the weekends meeting, making his BSB debut.

The specifically built 2010 machine has a Superstock engine fitted into the full British Superike spec rolling chassis, featuring a Yoshimura EM Pro kit ECU.  Last weekend Seeley not only raced the bike at the Anglesey round of the Irish National Superbike Championship, but claimed the victory as well as setting a lap record.

With the announcement that MotoGP will once again be returning to the Silverstone circuit, there is to be a host of GP legends at the event this weekend to meet fans and sign autographs.

Randy Mamola will be joining Steve Parish, Jeremy McWilliams, Niall MacKenzie and Rob McElnea for a question and answer session hosted by Toby Moody , along with current British 125cc MotoGP rider Bradley Smith.

SMT Honda 2009

The SMT Honda team are to be back on the grid for the final two rounds of the 2009 British Superbike Championship with Karl Harris, after securing sponsorship from sorrymate.com.

The team were forced to miss the last three rounds of the season at Brands Hatch, Cadwell Park and Croft due to the economic crisis.

As original team rider Jason O’Halloran is out of contention after suffering a broken wrist in practice at the Croft circuit and with Karl Harris having recently lost his ride with the Hydrex Honda team, he seemed the ideal solution.

Robin Croft said;

“We’re all absolutely delighted to be back on the British Superbike grid and are indebted to Fergus Dalgarno and sorrymate.com for their financial support which has allowed us to return. It’s been hard work since our last outing at Mallory Park and we’ve explored a number of avenues to continue competing but it’s only now that we have the solid financial footing to do so. As for Karl, he knows the bike inside out and what we’ve been running all year is very similar to the bike he was riding at Hydrex Honda – we’ve had on-going support during the year from Shaun Muir and Mick Shanley and Karl’s desperate to get back on a Honda so it’s a hungry team and a hungry rider that will be heading to Silverstone. We ‘re all itching to get back and are planning to end the season with a flourish.”

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

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.