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.

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!”

Yukio Kagayama

World Superbike rider Yukio Kagayama is returning to the British Superbike Championship in 2010 for the Worx Crescent Suzuki team.

The Japanese rider made the switch to WSB in 2005 after two seasons with the Rizla Suzuki team while the current BSB rider for the Worx team Sylvain Guintoli is making a surprise move in the opposite direction after confirming that he will be riding alongside Leon Haslam at the Alstare WSB team.

The Worx Crescent team manager Jack Valentine said;

“To have Yukio back in the UK is great news.  He is still a class act and was incredibly popular with UK fans during his two year stint in the series last time. He is as determined as ever and will be back here with one goal in mind – to challenge for the title.

Our decision to run two riders in 2010 is also good news for the BSB Championship, for Suzuki and for all of our partners.”

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

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

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.

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.

James Ellison - Airwaves Yamaha 2009

The British Superbike riders and teams were at Cadwell Park this weekend for round nine of the championship, with the Airwaves Yamaha riders Leon Camier and James Ellison taking the wins.

Race One

Simon Andrews on the Confused.com Kawasaki that took to the front as the race got underway but was soon passed by Stuart Easton on the Hydrex Honda.  Camier was running in third place when he tried to make a move on Easton but the Honda rider snatched the place back as he dived up the inside of the Yamaha.  Camier moved into second on the following lap before hunting down Easton and then passing him to create a gap.

Andrews made a mistake going into Charlie’s and was passed by the second Airwaves Yamaha of James Ellison, who had already passed the Buildbase Kawasaki of John Laverty.

Easton, Ellison and Ian Lowry on the Relentless Suzuki by TAS, were fighting each other for the other two steps on the podium, with Easton and Ellison almost touching in their battle for second.  Easton managed to hold off the Yamaha to claim second followed by Elllison in third.

In fourth place was Lowry, scoring his best place this season ahead of the two Confused.com Kawasaki’s of Simon Andrews and Julien Da Costa. The two Kawasaki riders were in a race of their own and after Simon had held his position for most of the race, Da Costa made his way past on the penultimate lap.  On the final lap, Andrews tried to retake his position but was too fast and forced both riders onto the grass.  Andrews secured fifth place ahead of his team-mate who took sixth.

Karl Muggeridge took seventh place for the HM Plant Honda team, holding off the Worx Crescent Suzuki of Sylvain Guintoli as they crossed the line.  John Laverty finished in ninth for the Buildbase Kawasaki team ahead of Gary Mason on the Quay Garage Honda in tenth.

Here are the results;

1. Leon Camier GBR Airwaves Yamaha 26mins 38.546secs 18 laps
2. Stuart Easton GBR Hydrex Honda +7.384secs
3. James Ellison GBR Airwaves Yamaha +7.651secs
4. Ian Lowry GBR Relentless TAS Suzuki +8.133secs
5. Simon Andrews GBR Confused.com Kawasaki +17.793secs
6. Julien Da Costa FRA Confused.com Kawasaki 18.126secs
7. Karl Muggeridge AUS HM Plant Honda +25.398secs
8. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Worx Crescent Suzuki +25.522secs
9. John Laverty IRL Buildbase Kawasaki +25.979secs
10. Gary Mason GBR Quay Honda +28.760secs Cup
11. Chris Walker GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha +30.488secs
12. John McGuinness GBR HM Plant Honda +32.582secs
13. Tommy Bridewell GBR Team NB Suzuki +34.734secs Cup
14. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Yamaha +34.988secs Cup
15. Karl Harris GBR Hydrex Honda +44.779secs

23. Tom Tunstall GBR Hardinge Doodson Honda 11 laps completed Cup
24. Michael Howarth GBR STP-JHS MV Agusta 8 laps completed
25. Kenny Gilbertson GBR Jx Fuelcards Kawasaki 3 laps completed Cup

Race Two

Leon Camier crossed the line to take the second win of the day but he was excluded from the race after an incident on the final lap, gifting the victory to his team-mate James Ellison.

On the final lap of the race, Camier’s Yamaha was seen with blue smoke coming from the back.  Black and orange flags were waved but Camier remained on track and continued to the chequered flag where he was  disqualified for not stopping immediately on seeing the flags.

A statement was released by the team, stating that Camier mistakenly believed that he had until the end of the lap to come in.  The team apologised to Leon for the problem on his bike which turned out to be a small oil leak, and thanked him for his dignity and professionalism after learning of the disqualification.

Stuart Easton again took to the front as the race got underway while Camier passed the Buildbase Kawasaki of Laverty, with Andrews following his lead.  Andrews lost the place almost immediately as Ellison slipped up the inside.

On the following lap, Camier took Easton with Ellison making a copycat manoeuvre three laps later as Andrews then passed the Honda of Easton.

On lap 6, the safety car was deployed after the STP MV Agusta of Michael Howarth developed a huge oil leak, leaving marshalls to clean-up the track.  The safety car left the track on lap 9 and Easton made an immediate move on Andrews at Coppice, but Andrews snatched it back before the end of the lap.

On the penultimate lap, Easton moved in front of Andrews to take second place ahead of Easton in third.  Julian Da Costa finished in fourth followed by his team-mate John Laverty in fifth.

The Motorpoint Yamaha rider Chris Walker finished in sixth ahead of Sylvain Guintoli on the Worx Suzuki, Karl Harris on the Hydrex Honda, Gary Mason on the Quay Garage Honda and Tommy Bridewell for Team NB Honda.

Ian Lowry had been in ninth place on the Relentless Suzuki, putting in faster laps than both Easton and Andrews until he crashed out on lap 16.  John McGuiness was another non-finisher after retiring the HM Plant Honda with two laps to run.

Here are the results;

1. James Ellison GBR Airwaves Yamaha 28mins 02.679secs 18 laps
2. Stuart Easton GBR Hydrex Honda +4.099secs
3. Simon Andrews GBR Confused.com Kawasaki +4.584secs
4. Julien Da Costa FRA Confused.com Kawasaki +5.435secs
5. John Laverty IRL Buildbase Kawasaki +6.843secs
6. Sylvain Guintoli FRA Worx Crescent Suzuki +7.239secs
7. Chris Walker GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha +12.836secs
8. Karl Harris GBR Hydrex Honda +14.833secs
9. Gary Mason GBR Quay Honda +15.100secs Cup
10. Tommy Bridewell GBR Team NB Suzuki +16.684secs Cup
11. Peter Hickman GBR Ultimate Yamaha +19.920secs Cup
12. Tristan Palmer GBR Buildbase Kawasaki +24.193secs
13. Karl Muggeridge AUS HM Plant Honda +24.359secs
14. Howie Mainwaring GBR Team Maxxis Yamaha +24.769secs
15. Jon Kirkham GBR Rob Mac Racing Yamaha +26.729secs

Graeme Gowland GBR Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha
Kenny Gilbertson GBR Jx Fuelcards Kawasaki Cup

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!”

Tommy Hill - Worx Crescent Suzuki - Mallory Park 2009

After an impressive weekend from Tommy Hill at the last round of the British Superbike Championship at Mallory Park, the Worx Crescent Suzuki team are to retain the rider for the Brands Hatch round on the 9th August.

Replacing the injured rider Sylvain Guintoli, the former World Superbike man was fastest in all  practice sessions and took second on the grid in the qualifying session.  Hill was taken out in the huge accident that wiped-out the front six runners in race one and the weather scuppered any chances of him being on the podium in race two after the red flag came out.

His performance at the Mallory Park track certainly merited a second outing on the GSX-R1000 and obviously impressed team boss Jack Valentine, who hailed the rider as ‘a real revelation’.