Stuart Easton - Oulton Park 2010

This weekend saw the British Superbike championship riders head to Oulton Park for a wet bank-holiday Monday outing with Stuart Easton and Michael Laverty taking victory in the two races.

Race 1

In Race 1, Stuart Easton, on the only Swan Honda of the weekend, managed to hold back a challenging Tommy Hill to take the chequered flag by just 0.058 seconds.

It was the first win of the season for Easton after a fantastically quick get away off the line, his team-mate James Ellison, was unable to race this weekend due to the injuries he suffered at the last round of the championship.

Hill on the Worx Crescent Suzuki had qualified in pole position and stuck to the tail of the Swan Honda for the entire race while his team-mate Yukio Kagayama, crashed out at Island bend on the opening lap.

Michael Rutter on the Ridermotorcycles.com Ducati was running in an impressive fourth place and attempting to pass the HM Plant Honda of Josh Brookes but ran wide and within a few laps was forced to retire from the race.

On lap 2, Ian Lowry on the Motorpoint Yamaha, crashed out at the Shell Oils corner ending his race followed moments later by Christian Idden on the Sorrymate.com Honda at Brittens.

The second HM Plant Honda rider Ryuichi Kiyonari had been running in fifth place until Alstair Seeley on the Relentless Suzuki began to pile on the pressure behind him, eventually making a move up the inside at Shell Oils corner on lap 9, forcing the Honda rider wide and moving him down to seventh.  Kiyonai later retired from the race.

John Laverty on the Buildbase Kawasaki and his brother Michael on the Relentless Suzuki, appeared to be racing each other on the track with Michael running wide on lap 16 of the race leaving enough space for John to get through and move in to fifth place.

Easton crossed the line for the win followed by Hill in second and an impressive John Laverty in third after a fantastic final lap.

Alastair Seeley finished in fourth place ahead of Michael Laverty in fifth, Josh Brookes in sixth, Gary Mason on the MSS Colchester Kawasaki in seventh, Chris Walker on the second MSS Kawasaki in eighth, Dan Linfoot on the Motorpoint Yamaha in ninth and Tommy Bridewell on the Quay Garage Honda in tenth.

Here are the results;

1. Stuart Easton GBR Swan Honda 28mins 55.815s 18 laps
2. Tommy Hill GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki +00.058s
3. John Laverty GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +10.399s
4. Alastair Seeley GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +10.843s
5. Michael Laverty GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +10.849s
6. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda +11.073s
7. Gary Mason GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +23.428s
8. Chris Walker GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +27.478s
9. Dan Linfoot GBR Motorpoint Yamaha +35.997s
10. Tommy Bridewell GBR Quay Garage Honda +36.709s
11. Martin Jessopp GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati +37.359s
12. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Racing Yamaha +43.608s
13. Adam Jenkinson GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +47.997s
14. Hudson Kennaugh RSA MAR Kawasaki +48.550s E
15. Steve Brogan GBR Jentin Racing BMW +59.109s E
16. David Anthony AUS MIST Suzuki Racing +59.203s E
17. Gary Johnson GBR AIM Suzuki +1m 04.680s E
18. David Johnson GBR TwoWheelTuning.com Suzuki +1m 12.038s E
19. Aaron Zanotti GBR Red Viper Spike Suzuki +1m 22.557s E
20. Pauli Pekkanen FIN 777 RR Motorsport Suzuki +1 lap E
21. Peter Ward GBR Astro-Chase SST Racing Kawasaki +1 lap E
22. Michael Howarth GBR Magic Bullet Two Wheel Suzuki +1 lap E
23. Michael O’Brien GBR Motomob/O’Brien Hifi +1 lap E

DNF. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN HM Plant Honda 12 laps completed
DNF. Craig Fitzpatrick GBR Close Print Finance Honda 6 laps completed E
DNF. Michael Rutter GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati 5 laps completed
DNF. Christian Iddon GBR Sorrymate.com SMT Honda 3 laps completed
DNF. Tom Tunstall GBR Doodson Motorsport Honda 3 laps completed
DNF. Alex Lowes GBR Redline KTM 3 laps completed E
DNF. Ian Lowry GBR Motorpoint Yamaha 1 lap completed
DNF. Yukio Kagayama JPN Worx Crescent Suzuki 0 laps completed

Fastest laps:

Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN HM Plant Honda 1m 35.859s
David Anthony AUS MIST Suzuki Racing 1m 37.841s E

Race 2

Michael Laverty appeared to be the happiest man on the planet yesterday after sealing his first win in the second race of the day for the Relentless Suzuki team.

With very changeable weather conditions for the third round of the championship, Laverty rode a faultless race to secure his number one spot on the podium.

It was the HM Plant Honda rider Ryuichi Kiyonari who got to the front as the race got underway ahead of Tommy Hill and Michael Laverty.  However, Laverty was already on a mission and had moved past the championship leader to move up to second place as they headed to the Shell Oils corner.

Michael Rutter on the Ridersmotorcyles.com Ducati had moved into fourth place by the second lap before passing Kiyonari.  Rutter and Kiyonari swapped the position once again before Rutter made the move stick and Laverty slipped back to fourth place.

Michael Laverty crossed the line to take the victory on his maiden win ahead of an impressive Michael Rutter and third placed man, championship leader Tommy Hill.

In fourth place was Ryuichi Kiyonari followed by John Laverty, Alastair Seeley, Tommy Bridewell, Josh Brookes, Hudson Kennaugh and Adam Jenkinson.

Stuart Easton failed to finish in the second race after struggling for grip.  He was seen returning to the pits with a possible rear tyre problem but it later turned out to be a problem with the electronics and he later retired.

Chris Burns was forced to miss both races this weekend after his wrist injury failed to heal in time following the surgery only 12 days ago.  The Splitlath Motorsport Aprilia rider, found the practice and qualifying stints to painful to endure and was forced to withdraw on the morning of the race.

Here are the results;

1. Michael Laverty GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki 27mins 26.150secs 15 laps
2. Michael Rutter GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati +06.000s
3. Tommy Hill GBR Worx Crescent Suzuki +11.333s
4. Ryuichi Kiyonari JPN HM Plant Honda +16.029s
5. John Laverty GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +23.590s
6. Alastair Seeley GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki +27.258s
7. Tommy Bridewell GBR Quay Garage Honda +30.287s
8. Josh Brookes AUS HM Plant Honda +30.823s
9. Hudson Kennaugh RSA MAR Kawasaki +32.463s E
10. Adam Jenkinson GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +54.950s
11. Chris Walker GBR MSS Colchester Kawasaki +56.620s
12. Martin Jessopp GBR Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati +59.748s
13. Aaron Zanotti GBR Red Viper Spike Suzuki +59.957s E
14. Dan Linfoot GBR Motorpoint Yamaha +1m 10.760s
15. Steve Brogan GBR Jentin Racing BMW +1m 11.833s E
16. David Anthony AUS MIST Suzuki Racing +1m 14.396s E
17. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Racing Yamaha +1m 35.805s
18. Gary Johnson GBR AIM Suzuki +1m 44.656s E
19. Pauli Pekkanen FIN 777 RR Motorsport Suzuki +1m 54.437s E
20. Alex Lowes GBR Redline KTM +1 lap E
21. David Johnson GBR TwoWheelTuning.com Suzuki +1 lap E
22. Craig Fitzpatrick GBR Close Print Finance Honda +1 lap E
23. Michael Howarth GBR Magic Bullet Two Wheel Suzuki +1 lap E
24. Peter Ward GBR Astro-Chase SST Racing Kawasaki +1 lap E

Michael Laverty GBR Relentless by TAS Suzuki 1m 48.173s
Hudson Kennaugh RSA MAR Kawasaki 1m 49.813s E

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!

Tom Sykes

Shane Byrne on the Airwaves Ducati was the fastest man in this morning free practice session but in the afternoon session, the championship leader had a dramatic highside only ten minutes into the session.

The practice session was immediately red-flagged after he crashed at the esses and Byrne’s was put into the ambulance before going to the medical centre who confirmed that hehad suffered soft tissue damage to his left shoulder as well as losing his front teeth.

He was unable to ride for the rest of the day and a decision will be made tomorrow morning if he will be fit to qualify.

Tom Sykes was the fastest man in the afternoon session after the announcement this week that he will be replacing Noriyuki Haga in the World Superbike series for 2009.

He sat out the rest of the session as the rain began to fall while team-mate Atsushi Watanabe continued learning the track and picked up the pace.

There wasn’t much improvement when the session was restarted after the red flag but Sykes set a time that was good enough to get ahead of the two HM Plant Honda riders of Leon Haslam and Cal Crutchlow.

Karl Harris on the RM Racing Yamaha was fourth followed by Ducati riders, Leon Camier, Michael Rutter and Shane Byrne.

James Ellison at his home race for the Hydrex Bike Animal Honda team, finished in eighth place followed by Simon Andrews on the Lloyds British Jentin Yamaha and Gary Mason for the Quay Garage Honda team to complete the top ten riders of the session.

The new Formula One style qualifying which took place for the first time at the Cadwell Park round is in three seperate sessions.

Q1, is a twenty-five minute session with all the riders attempting to set a time to put them through to Q2.  Any rider outside the the top twenty will form at the back of the grid based on their qualifying times.

Q2, is only fifteen minutes long and is for the top twenty riders from Q1, with all riders again trying to set the fastest time and go through to Q3.  Any rider outside the top ten will line-up ahead of the riders already at the back of the grid from Q1.

Q3, the final session will select the times of the top ten riders to see who will qualify where at the front of the grid rows.

A little bit more exciting to watch perhaps but it still seems to reward the teams with bigger budgets and more spares to rely on.

Leon Haslam

HM Plant Honda rider Leon Haslam, won both races this weekend in the ninth round of the British Superbike Championship at Cadwell Park.

In race one, Tom Sykes led the race from the start on the Rizla Suzuki after starting from pole position, but Haslam remained on his tail until just over half way when Sykes had a front end slide allowing Haslam through.

Exactly the same scenario happened in race two with Haslam out braking Sykes on lap seven to take the lead moving Sykes again into second position.

In both races, Shane Byrne took third place on the Airwaves Ducati with Leon Camier on the second Airwaves Ducati in fourth.

It was a disastrous weekend for the second HM Plant Honda rider, Cal Crutchlow, who could only manage fifth place in race one after struggling to keep up with the pace and then crashed out in race two on the third lap going into Halls Bend.  He managed to rejoin the race but finished down in thirteenth place.

Haslam said,

“This weekend didn’t start great here for me, I had the crash in practice then we had a wet session and qualifying didn’t go according to plan and I was fourth.  But the HM Plant Honda worked like a dream today, it was unfortunate for Cal to crash out but these things happen.

To get the first double win of the year for the HM Plant Honda team is great and I think it might be the first time the team have taken the double here at their local circuit.

We had a bit of bad luck at the start of this year and I did lack a bit of confidence but the team have worked hard and the bike has increased ten-fold now and we are back to winning ways.”

Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Cadwell Park, Race one result:

1. Leon Haslam (HM Plant Honda)

2. Tom Sykes (Rizla Suzuki) +0.551s

3. Shane Byrne (Airwaves Ducati) +8.819s

4. Leon Camier (Airwaves Ducati) +11.981s

5. Cal Crutchlow (HM Plant Honda) +18.970s

6. Michael Rutter (North West 200 Ducati) +19.482s

7. Simon Andrews (Lloyds British Yamaha) +22.094s

8. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +26.571s

9. Atsushi Watanabe (Rizla Suzuki) +33.816s

10. Gary Mason (Quay Garage Honda) +34.606s

Bennetts British Superbike Championship, Cadwell Park, race two result:

1.Leon Haslam (HM Plant Honda)

2. Tom Sykes (Rizla Suzuki) +0.541s

3. Shane Byrne (Airwaves Ducati) +0.910s

4. Leon Camier (Airwaves Ducati) +1.269s

5. Michael Rutter (North West 200 Ducati) +16.556s

6. Simon Andrews (Lloyds British Yamaha) +23.458s

7. Atsushi Watanabe (Rizla Suzuki) +27.178s

8. Scott Smart (Hawk Kawasaki) +27.375s

9. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +28.549S

10. Karl Harris (Rob Mac Racing Yamaha) +37.426s

Shane Byrne

This bank holiday weekend sees the British Superbikes head to Cadwell Park for round nine of the championship.

shane Byrne is determined to win more points for the Airwaves Ducati team after a disappointing round at Knockhill, two weeks ago when he crashed out while in the lead of race two.  Byrne said,

“At this moment in time I would say that I have recovered 95% from my fall at Knockhill, but I will be back to full fitness in time for first practice on Saturday.  I really love the Cadwell Park circuit and, as always, my sole intention for going as quickly as I possibly can around there will be to get back to The Mountain – I can’t go over it enough!  I know that I gave the Airwaves Ducati team a lot of work to do after Knockhill so I want to repay them here this weekend with some results to really celebrate about.”

HM Plant Honda riders, Cal Crutchlow and Leon Haslam, are also intending to secure some good results this weekend at their home circuit.

Crutchlow, is now being chased by the Rizla Suzuki rider, Tom Sykes for the second place in the championship.

Leon Camier, is looking forward to riding his Airwaves Ducati at Cadwell park despite suffering his horrendous injuries at the circuit last year.

Camier broke his left leg after landing awkwardly going over The Mountain, throwing him off his machine and ending his 2007 season.  He said,

“I know it might seem strange after my accident last year, but I’m looking forward to going back to Cadwell Park.  It will be good to get on with racing and put last year’s crash behind me once and for all.  It’s a circuit that I like and that I believe the Airwaves Ducati 1098R can be competitive around, but it will definitely help if the weather remains consistent.”

Tom Sykes

Tom Sykes on the Rizla Suzuki, took victory in the first race in round eight at Knockhill on Sunday, with the second race being won by Leon Haslam on the HM Plant Honda.

Race One

Sykes took second place off the line after qualifying on the second row, as Michael Rutter on the North West 200 Ducati, led the race.

Leon Haslam was in third place after starting from pole position until he crashed out on lap ten, with his team-mate Cal Crutchlow having already crashed on lap six, a bit of a disaster for the Honda team.

Sykes almost high-sided off his bike as he attempted to get past Rutter, who shut the door forcing Sykes onto the curb.  He finally got past Rutter on lap nine and Shane Byrne past the Ducati rider on lap twenty to take second place.

James Ellison on the Hydrex-Bike Animal Honda, past Rutter next to claim the final place on the podium.

Scott Smart crashed out on lap nineteen on the Hawk Kawasaki, and on the next lap there was a coming together for the MSS Discovery Kawasaki rider, Billy McConnell and the Rizla Suzuki rider, Atsushi Watanabe.  Watanabe was seen being carried off track on a stretcher, although it is believed he is only badly bruised.

Lap twenty-seven, saw Shane Byrne making contact with the MV Agusta rider Chris Burns, nearly losing his second position.

Here are the results;

Pos – Rider – Bike – Team – Time

1 - Tom Sykes - Suzuki – Rizla Suzuki - 25:09.296
2 - Shane Byrne - Ducati – Airwaves Ducati - 25:12.389
3 - James Ellison - Honda – Hydrex Bike Animal Honda - 25:12.775
4 - Michael Rutter - Ducati – North West 200 Ducati - 25:15.048
5 - Leon Camier - Ducati – Airwaves Ducati - 25:18.641
6 - Michael Laverty - Suzuki – Relentless Suzuki by TAS - 25:18.757
7 - Karl Harris - Yamaha – Team Yamaha - 25:28.347
8 - Simon Andrews - Yamaha – Jentin Racing / Lloyds British - 25:45.351
9 - Tristan Palmer - Honda – Tena for Men Honda - 25:48.393
10 - Gary Mason - Honda – Quay Garage - 25:49.317
11 - Tom Grant - Honda – SMT Honda - 25:49.377
12 - Steve Mercer - Kawasaki – MSS Discovery Kawasaki - 25:10.086
13 - David Johnson - Honda – Team MAXXIS - 25:17.264
14 - Martin Jessopp - Honda – Riders Racing - 25:18.241
15 - Chris Burns - MV Agusta – STP Superbike - 25:19.257
16 - Leon Morris - Ducati – Brookspeed - 25:39.011
17 - Aaron Zanotti - Honda – Red Viper Racing - 25:46.845
18 - Tom Tunstall - Honda – Hardinge – Ice Valley Motorsport - 25:52.310
19 - Shannon Etheridge - Kawasaki – MAR Adept - 25:13.987
20 - Michael Howarth - Honda – Tena for Men Honda - 25:27.590

Not Classified

DNF - Billy McConnell - Kawasaki – MSS Discovery Kawasaki - 18:10.609
DNF - Atsushi Watanabe - Suzuki – Rizla Suzuki - 16:27.886
DNF - Scott Smart - Kawasaki – Hawk Racing - 15:24.634
DNF - Kenny Gilbertson - Kawasaki – Astro Racing Kawasaki - 13:15.947
DNF - Leon Haslam - Honda – HM Plant Honda - 9:53.231
DNF - Guy Martin - Honda – Hydrex Bike Animal Honda - 5:08.270
DNF - Cal Crutchlow - Honda – HM Plant Honda - 2:39.390
DNF - Dean Ellison - Yamaha – Co-ordit Racing - 3:18.893

Race Two

Leon Haslam took victory in the second race of the day at Knockhill after Shane Byrne crashed out and the race had to be stopped.

The race had previously been stopped after a three bike crash between Tom Grant, Kenny Gilbertson and David Johnson, on the ninth lap.

As the red flag was waved, Haslam was in the lead followed by Byrne, Rutter and Crutchlow. The race would now consist of only twenty laps.

Some of the riders had to restart the race from the pit lane as they had not got out in time, including, Cal Crutchlow and Guy Martin.

Here are the results;

Pos – Rider – Bike – Team – Time

1 - Leon Haslam - Honda – HM Plant Honda - 11:58.300
2 - Michael Rutter - Ducati – North West 200 Ducati - 12:01.514
3 - Karl Harris - Yamaha – Team Yamaha - 12:01.841
4 - Tom Sykes - Suzuki – Rizla Suzuki - 12:01.980
5 - James Ellison - Honda – Hydrex Bike Animal Honda - 12:04.891
6 - Simon Andrews - Yamaha – Jentin Racing / Lloyds British - 12:14.176
7 - Cal Crutchlow - Honda – HM Plant Honda - 12:14.839
8 - Leon Camier - Ducati – Airwaves Ducati - 12:16.908
9 - Billy McConnell - Kawasaki – MSS Discovery Kawasaki - 12:21.728
10 - Chris Burns - MV Agusta – STP Superbike - 12:24.739
11 - Steve Mercer - Kawasaki – MSS Discovery Kawasaki - 12:24.905
12 - Tristan Palmer - Honda – Tena for Men Honda - 11:38.548
13 - Scott Smart - Kawasaki – Hawk Racing - 11:44.627
14 - Guy Martin - Honda – Hydrex Bike Animal Honda - 11:46.835
15 - Atsushi Watanabe - Suzuki – Rizla Suzuki - 11:47.653
16 - Martin Jessopp - Honda – Riders Racing - 12:00.088
17 - Gary Mason - Honda – Quay Garage - 12:00.247
18 - Michael Howarth - Honda – Tena for Men Honda - 12:01.172
19 - Dean Ellison - Yamaha – Co-ordit Racing - 12:09.165
20 - Tom Tunstall - Honda – Hardinge – Ice Valley Motorsport - 12:16.967
21 - Michael Laverty - Suzuki – Relentless Suzuki by TAS - 12:18.095
22 - Shannon Etheridge - Kawasaki – MAR Adept - 12:20.258
23 - Aaron Zanotti - Honda – Red Viper Racing - 12:04.868

Not Classified

DNF - Shane Byrne - Ducati – Airwaves Ducati - 11:57.702
DNF - Leon Morris - Ducati – Brookspeed - 1:57.400

Leon Haslam

Leon Haslam on the HM Plant Honda, claimed his first pole position of the season today in the qualifying session at Knockhill.

Michael Rutter on the NW Ducati was in second place followed by Shane Byrne on the Airwaves Ducati and an impressive fourth place for Michael Laverty on the Relentless Suzuki.

Cal Crutchlow starts the second row of the grid on the second Honda ahead of Ducati rider Leon Camier and Suzuki rider Tom Sykes.

Championship leader, Shane Byrne, who is 99 points clear of the rest of the field, slid off the damp track in the session, but no damage was suffered and he returned moments later on a second bike.

Here are the results;

Pos – Rider – Bike – Team – Qualifying Time

1 - Leon Haslam - Honda – HM Plant Honda 52.692
2 - Michael Rutter - Ducati – North West 200 Ducati 52.966
3 - Shane Byrne - Ducati – Airwaves Ducati 52.974
4 - Michael Laverty - Suzuki – Relentless Suzuki by TAS 53.003
5 - Cal Crutchlow - Honda – HM Plant Honda 53.177
6 - Leon Camier - Ducati – Airwaves Ducati 53.268
7 - Tom Sykes - Suzuki – Rizla Suzuki 53.295
8 - James Ellison - Honda – Hydrex Bike Animal Honda 53.587
9 - Karl Harris - Yamaha – Team Yamaha 53.768
10 - Tristan Palmer - Honda – Tena for Men Honda 53.876
11 - Billy McConnell - Kawasaki – MSS Discovery Kawasaki 54.109
12 - Tom Grant - Honda – SMT Honda 54.409
13 - Gary Mason - Honda – Quay Garage 54.634
14 - Kenny Gilbertson - Kawasaki – Astro Racing Kawasaki 54.705
15 - Guy Martin - Honda – Hydrex Bike Animal Honda 54.734
16 - Atsushi Watanabe - Suzuki – Rizla Suzuki 54.818
17 - Chris Burns - MV Agusta – STP Superbike 54.891
18 - Scott Smart - Kawasaki – Hawk Racing 55.112
19 - Simon Andrews - Yamaha – Jentin Racing / Lloyds British 55.157
20 - David Johnson - Honda – Team MAXXIS 55.202
21 - Steve Mercer - Kawasaki – MSS Discovery Kawasaki 55.317
22 - Tom Tunstall - Honda – Hardinge – Ice Valley Motorsport 55.330
23 - Leon Morris - Ducati – Brookspeed 55.351
24 - Martin Jessopp - Honda – Riders Racing 55.638
25 - Dean Ellison - Yamaha – Co-ordit Racing 55.930
26 - Michael Howarth - Honda – Tena for Men Honda 56.279
27 - Aaron Zanotti - Honda – Red Viper Racing 56.407
28 - Shannon Etheridge - Kawasaki – MAR Adept 56.885

Craig Jones - Brands Hatch

The British Superbike riders are at Knockhill this weekend for round eight of the Championship as spectators, teams and riders remember Craig Jones.

Craig Jones, 23, died last week after injuries sustained in round seven of the Championship when he crashed.

The HM Plant Honda rider, Cal Crutchlow will be wearing one of Craig’s crash helmets during the race as a mark of respect to his best friend, he said,

“I’m so fired up for this weekend.  I want wins – nothing else.  Knockhill is tight and twisty and it’s up-hill and down-dale but I do enjoy going north of the border.  I’m hoping the sun will shine but we will do our best whatever the weather.

This will be a special, but hard weekend for me, after one of my best mates – Craig Jones – passed away at the start of the week.  I will be wearing one of his actual helmets that he wore this season for the weekend and I’ll be proud to do so and I hope my results will make him proud of me.”

Jim Moodie will also take a lap of honour on the Valmoto Triumph which Craig won the British Supersport series on four years ago.

The tribute by Moodie will take place at 11am on the Sunday morning, with the triumph bearing the number 18.

In the free practice today, Leon Haslam and Shane Byrne were joint leaders at the Fife circuit, followed by Tom Sykes and Cal Crutchlow.

Stuart Easton was back on track today after suffering a broken wrist at the Snetterton round, however, after a dozen laps out of the circuit, he was replaced for the afternoon session by Steve Mercer.  Easton felt he could not ride competitively as his wrist was too weak.

John Laverty high-sided heavily off his Ducati in the first free practice session and suffered concussion and rib injuries.

Here are the top ten riders;

1. Leon Haslam (HM Plant Honda) 49.004s

2. Shane Byrne (Airwaves Ducati) +0.000s

3. Tom Sykes (Rizla Suzuki) +0.002s

4. Cal Crutchlow (HM Plant Honda) +0.008s

5. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 0.193s

6. Michael Rutter (North West 200 Ducati) +0.317s

7. Leon Camier (Airwaves Ducati) +0.324s

8. Billy McConnell (MSS Discovery Kawasaki) +0.396s

9. Scott Smart (Hawk Kawasaki) +0.494S

10. Karl Harris (Rob Mac Racing Yamaha) +0.537s

Tom Sykes on the Rizla Suzuki took a double victory yesterday at the Oulton Park round of the British Superbike Championship.

Race 1

Tom Sykes won his first race of the season in the first race yesterday after being moved back to second place by the end of lap one by James Ellison on the Hydrex Bike Animal Honda, who remained in the lead for a third of the race until passed by Cal Crutchlow on the HM Plant Honda.

Crutchlow, took the lead on lap eight but crashed out on the eleventh lap, he managed to rejoin the race but could only finish in seventh place.

As Crutchlow made his error, Sykes grabbed his opportunity and took his place back at the front of the pack to claim his first win of the season.

Shane Byrne got a terrible start off the line on the Airwaves Ducati, but soon battled his way through the riders, however, not without incident.  Byrne had a coming together with Karl Harris on the Rob Mac Racing machine, which ended Harris’s race.

As Harris ran wide, Byrne tried to pass on the inside as Harris closed the gap and smacked into the side of the Ducati, which saw him sliding off the track.  The incident is now under investigation.

Here are the results;

Pos – Rider – Bike – Team – Time

1 - Tom Sykes - Suzuki – Rizla Suzuki - 29:12.2
2 - James Ellison - Honda – Hydrex Bike Animal Honda - 29:16.9
3 - Shane Byrne - Ducati – Airwaves Ducati - 29:17.3
4 - Leon Haslam - Honda – HM Plant Honda - 29:26.5
5 - Simon Andrews - Yamaha – Jentin Racing / Lloyds British - 29:37.7
6 - Cal Crutchlow - Honda – HM Plant Honda - 29:43.6
7 - Michael Rutter - Ducati – North West 200 Ducati - 29:48.5
8 - Billy McConnell - Kawasaki – MSS Discovery Kawasaki - 29:50.8
9 - Michael Laverty - Suzuki – Relentless Suzuki by TAS - 30:00.2
10 - John Laverty - Ducati – Buildbase NW200 Ducati - 30:00.8
11 - Scott Smart - Kawasaki – Hawk Racing - 30:00.9
12 - James Haydon - Kawasaki – MSS Discovery Kawasaki - 30:01.2
13 - Atsushi Watanabe - Suzuki – Rizla Suzuki - 30:08.6
14 - Dean Ellison - Yamaha – Co-ordit Racing - 30:15.9
15 - Tom Grant - Honda – SMT Honda - 30:17.3
16 - Martin Jessopp - Honda – Riders Racing - 30:29.3
17 - Tom Tunstall - Honda – Hardinge – Ice Valley Motorsport - 30:30.9
18 - Dan Stewart - Honda – Wilcock Consulting - 30:32.2
19 - Aaron Zanotti - Honda – Red Viper Racing - 29:31.4
20 - Michael Howarth - Honda – Tena for Men Honda - 30:13.3

Not Classified

DNF - Guy Martin - Honda – Hydrex Bike Animal Honda - 28:55.2
DNF - Howie Mainwaring - Suzuki – Lenzkes Clamping Tools GB Ltd - 29:04.1
DNF - David Johnson - Honda – Team MAXXIS - 20:10.6
DNF - Chris Burns - MV Agusta – STP Superbike - 19:04.6
DNF - Shannon Etheridge - Kawasaki – MAR Adept - 17:01.1
DNF - Karl Harris - Yamaha – Team Yamaha - 14:41.9
DNF - Francis Williamson - Ducati – Moto Rapido Racing - 10:44.5
DNF - Tristan Palmer - Honda – Tena for Men Honda - 06:41.3
DNF - Gary Mason - Honda – Quay Garage - 07:25.9
DNF - Kenny Gilbertson - Kawasaki – Astro Racing Kawasaki - 03:45.9
DNF - Leon Morris - Ducati – Brookspeed - 02:17.5

Race 2

Tom Sykes sealed his win at round seven of the Championship at Oulton Park by winning the second race as well as the first for the Rizla Suzuki team.

Leon Haslam on the HM Plant Honda took the lead from the off, but Sykes snatched it back on the second lap and held it until the end.

Cal Crutchlow frantically tried to pass Sykes but just couldn’t get close enough and had to be content with a second place ahead of Byrne.

Haslam finished in fourth position followed by James Ellison, Simon Andrews and Michael Laverty.

Here are the results;

Pos – Rider – Bike – Team – Time

1 - Tom Sykes - Suzuki – Rizla Suzuki - 29:04.554
2 - Cal Crutchlow - Honda – HM Plant Honda - 29:04.651
3 - Shane Byrne - Ducati – Airwaves Ducati - 29:05.173
4 - Leon Haslam - Honda – HM Plant Honda - 29:05.819
5 - James Ellison - Honda – Hydrex Bike Animal Honda - 29:16.203
6 - Simon Andrews - Yamaha – Jentin Racing / Lloyds British - 29:29.809
7 - Michael Laverty - Suzuki – Relentless Suzuki by TAS - 29:31.052
8 - Scott Smart - Kawasaki – Hawk Racing - 29:31.503
9 - Karl Harris - Yamaha – Team Yamaha - 29:35.743
10 - Billy McConnell - Kawasaki – MSS Discovery Kawasaki - 29:35.775
11 - Michael Rutter - Ducati – North West 200 Ducati - 29:37.248
12 - Tristan Palmer - Honda – Tena for Men Honda - 29:39.741
13 - John Laverty - Ducati – Buildbase NW200 Ducati - 29:39.912
14 - Gary Mason - Honda – Quay Garage - 29:40.057
15 - James Haydon - Kawasaki – MSS Discovery Kawasaki - 29:48.548
16 - Dean Ellison - Yamaha – Co-ordit Racing - 29:48.654
17 - Atsushi Watanabe - Suzuki – Rizla Suzuki - 30:02.121
18 - Guy Martin - Honda – Hydrex Bike Animal Honda - 30:03.106
19 - Tom Grant - Honda – SMT Honda - 30:05.530
20 - Martin Jessopp - Honda – Riders Racing - 30:14.907
21 - Dan Stewart - Honda – Wilcock Consulting - 30:17.661
22 - Shannon Etheridge - Kawasaki – MAR Adept - 30:23.189
23 - Tom Tunstall - Honda – Hardinge – Ice Valley Motorsport - 30:23.572
24 - Aaron Zanotti - Honda – Red Viper Racing - 30:43.339
25 - Francis Williamson - Ducati – Moto Rapido Racing - 30:43.653
26 – Michael Howarth - Honda – Tena for Men Honda - 29:43.865

Not Classified

DNF – Leon Morris - Ducati – Brookspeed - 19:15.706
DNF – David Johnson - Honda – Team MAXXIS - 10:15.058
DNF – Chris Burns - MV Agusta – STP Superbike - 10:29.251

Cal Crutchlow on the HM Plant Honda took the pole position today at Oulton Park in the final minute of the session.

Shane Byrne on the Airwaves Ducati was the man who lost out to Crutchlow in the remaining seconds.  He was followed by Tom Sykes on the Rizla Suzuki who has been going well all weekend.

Karl Harris on the Rob Mac Racing Yamaha took the fourth place to complete the front row of the grid followed by Simon Andrews on his Lloyds British Jentin Yamaha to start the second row.

Michael Rutter for the NW 200 Ducati team came in sixth place ahead of James Ellison on the Hydrex Bike Animal Honda and Tristan Palmer on his the TENA for Men Honda.

Leon Camier on the second Airwaves Ducati, crashed out with thirty-five minutes of the session still remaining and will now start in twenty-ninth position on the grid.

Billy McConnell on the MSS Discovery Kawasaki, was another faller towards the end of the session after going well in the earlier practice.

Here are the results;

1-Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 1:36.298

2-Shane Byrne (Ducati) 1:36.590

3-Tom Sykes (Suzuki) 1:36.591

4-Leon Haslam (Honda) 1:36.821

5-Karl Harris (Yamaha) 1:36.831

6-Simon Andrews (Yamaha) 1:37.105

7-Michael Rutter (Ducati) 1:37.371

8-James Ellison (Honda) 1:37.558.