Full house in WSB for BSB riders past and present

Press Release

Riders from the past three seasons of the ViSK British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli put on a stunning performance at the World Superbike Championship event at Donington Park Sunday, taking seven of the top ten places in race two.

The championship-leading Airwaves Yamaha team was joined by confused.com-backed MSS Colchester Kawasaki's Simon Andrews as wildcards for this round. Leon Camier made an astounding comeback after a massive crash in second qualifying yesterday at Craner Curves. The team worked hard to rebuild his number one machine overnight and from his fifth row start in 17th place he was able to fight his way through the field to finish sixth in race two.

James Ellison on the second of the Airwaves Yamahas crashed out of the top ten in race one and was edged out by former double BSB champion Ryuichi Kiyonari for sixth in race two. Andrews meanwhile was the top Kawasaki rider in the second race, finishing tenth.

Last year's BSB championship runner-up Leon Haslam put on an impressive display at his home track, finishing second in race two to Ben Spies. Reigning BSB champion Shane 'Shakey' Byrne had his strongest qualifying performance of the season to start from the front row and finished third in the opening race and fourth in race two. Tom Sykes also had a strong finish in race two, finishing fifth after closing down Byrne in the final laps.

In the World Supersport Championship race, last year's title contender Cal Crutchlow took the win to extend his lead in the overall standings, whilst wildcard James Westmoreland finished 11th on the JW Racing Triumph ahead of next weekend's Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship round at Knockhill.

Your next chance to see BSB will be on Wednesday 1 July when it takes to the streets of Glasgow for Superbikes in the Square presented by Swan. See all your favorite BSB riders in action at George Square.

The next round takes place at Knockhill July 3-5.

June 29, 2009

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ViSK British Superbike Championship

Easton heads for home glory but Camier threatens at Round 6 this weekend at Knockhill

Press Release

Flying Scot Stuart Easton is aiming for maiden race winning glory in his home round of the ViSK British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli at Knockhill this Sunday, 5 July.

Riding the Hydrex Honda, the former Supersport Champion, has put together a string of strong performances so far, including two second placings in five podium finishes, but at the Fife circuit, Easton believes that he can head off the threat posed by the two dominant Airwaves Yamahas in the hands of series leading Leon Camier and James Ellison.

"I can't wait to get there. It is my home round and I hope that all the Scottish fans will come and get behind me. The last time the fans had a Scottish winner was probably Steve Hislop so if I can replicate that, and then of course I would be celebrating with them.

“I am third overall in the standings so I am in a strong position to challenge the Airwaves Yamahas and if I am going to do it anywhere it has to be in Scotland. If I can pull it off I will be buying everyone a drink,” said Easton with a big smile.

Re-enforcing Easton in the Hydrex equipe is Karl Harris, another former Supersport title holder, who has achieved a couple of second placings already, and he too is long overdue a victory in the elite series.

They face tough challenges with the Airwaves duo keen to put a tough weekend of ‘wild-card’ action in the World series, in which both Camier and Ellison crashed heavily, behind them with a return to winning ways.

Camier has won eight of the ten races, including three daily doubles, as he has opened up a 55 points advantage over Ellison who has won once and piled up five second placings to be second in the standings, but only 22 points clear of Easton, leaving all to play for the young Scot.

Expect to see the HM Plant Honda riders adding to the front-running action. Josh Brookes has settled into the groove, with three third placings in the last three races, and the rider with World Supersport experience under his belt, is confident that he can learn this tight, short circuit which he is racing for the first time.

Brookes will benefit from the experience of his team-mate Glen Richards who has strong form at Knockhill, while Michael Rutter will be at his most determined to secure strong results as he continues to deputize for the injured Sylvain Guintoli aboard the Worx Crescent Suzuki. Ian Lowry, riding Relentless Suzuki, will add to the thrills at the sharp-end.

June 29, 2009

Simon Andrews, fresh from his ‘wild-card’ experiences in the World series, will be maintaining his maturing speed and style aboard the MSS Colchester Kawasaki while John Laverty, riding a similar machine, but in Buildbase colours, is keen to build on his Snetterton good form.

Keep an eye also on the Motorpoint Henderson Yamaha in the hands of Chris Walker while Jon Kirkham rides the North West 200 Coca Cola Zero Yamaha.

And, in the Mirror.co.uk Cup Gary Mason, riding the Quay Garage Honda, will be bidding for further victories to maintain his sizeable advantage in this race within a race for independent teams.

Ahead of the practice and qualifying – including the Swan Combi 50 Roll for Pole grid decider – through Saturday and Sunday, and the races on Sunday, there is a special preview event “Superbikes in the Square presented by Swan” in George Square, Glasgow on Wednesday.

Knockhill fast-facts:
Lap records - 1.2713mile circuit
Superbike: Shane Byrne, Suzuki, 48.474s, 94.41mph, 16/07/06
Supersport: Leon Camier, Honda, 50.473s, 90.67mph, 16/07/06
125GP: James Westmoreland, Honda, 53.790s, 85.08mph, 16/07/06
1000 Superstock: Torquil Paterson, Suzuki, 50.810s, 90.07mph 16/07/06
600 Superstock: Jimmy Hill, Yamaha, 52.409secs 87.32mph 10/08/08

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British Supersport: Round 6 Preview

Plater versus McConnell as tussle for the title reaches Knockhill

Press Release

It’s two all in the battle for the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship, with Steve Plater and Billy McConnell equal on race wins ahead of round six at Knockhill this weekend.

Plater leads the championship chase by 23 points, taking the advantage after McConnell suffered a disappointing DNF at Snetterton, but now the MAP Raceways Yamaha rider is determined to close the gap and force his HM Plant Honda rival back to second.

Plater said: “It is spot on to be leading the championship but there is still a long way to go before it will be decided and as you can see from Snetterton, anything can happen. There has been a break between rounds which has given the HM Plant Honda team the chance to regroup so hopefully we can come back even stronger this weekend. It’s a short lap so you have to work hard and be accurate every lap, one mistake there is going to be costly and you need to qualify well. I have only raced once at Knockhill in the past five years for a variety of reasons so I need to get dialed in but I like the place so I am looking forward to it.”

James Westmoreland will be looking to build on his strong performance at Snetterton, when he took a maiden podium finish for the JW Racing Triumph team. A strong performance in Scotland could see him move into the top three in the standings; he is just five points adrift of Daniel Cooper in third and will be able to take advantage of Dan Linfoot missing out through injury for the NW200 Coca-Cola Zero Yamaha team.

Centurion Racing Honda’s Daniel Cooper is the third rider to have won a race so far this season and after finishing second best to Plater at Snetterton he is seeking to beat his Honda rival.

Hudson Kennaugh on the Linxcel-Seton Tuning Yamaha is desperate to finish on the podium for the first time this season. Last year’s title contender has finished fourth twice and the pressure is mounting for him to return to the podium this year.

Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship standings after round five:

• Steve Plater (HM Plant Honda) 95
• Billy McConnell (MAP Raceways Yamaha) 72
• Daniel Cooper (Centurion Racing Honda) 57
• Dan Linfoot (NW200 Coca-Cola Zero Yamaha) 52
• James Westmoreland (JW Racing Triumph) 52

You can see Steve Plater and Billy McConnell in action ahead of the weekend at Wednesday’s Superbikes in the Square presented by Swan. The title contenders will be completing demonstration laps and meeting the fans in George Square, Glasgow, at 17:00.

June 29, 2009

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Haga’s condition less serious than expected

World Superbike Press Release

Noriyuki Haga was transported to the Emergency department of Derby City Hospital by helicopter at about 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon, after having been victim of a massive high-side during Race 2 at Donington Park. The Japanese rider, accompanied by doctors from the Clinica Mobile, was seen by Doctor Rajan and once extensive tests and an urgent CAT scan were carried out, Dr. Rajan declared that the fracture to one of the vertebrae that had shown up on the X-ray taken at the circuit's Medical Centre was actually a very old fracture and must have been caused during another much earlier incident, years previously. This fracture has, over time, sealed without medical intervention and doesn't present a problem.

After a stable night in the Pre-Op assessment ward of Derby City Hospital, Noriyuki Haga will undergo surgery this afternoon to insert a plate and screws in his right forearm, to set a fracture to the right ulna. He is continuing to experience pain in the left shoulder blade, and so although no serious damage has yet been detected, doctors will investigate further to understand the cause of the pain.

The only injury needing immediate treatment at this time is the broken ulna. If the surgery is deemed a success, and there are no complications regarding his shoulder blade, Noriyuki should be able to return home to Italy in the next two days and the Ducati Xerox Team does not currently exclude the possibility of Noriyuki's return to the track in time for the next round in the Czech Republic, on the 26th July at Brno.
June 29, 2009

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MotoGP heads west to Laguna Seca

The riders in the premier class this week make a dash across the Atlantic to the West Coast of the US, to the superb Californian track of Laguna Seca.

Press Release

This weekend’s Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix at Laguna Seca is the first of two World Championship visits to America this year and is the second of four GPs in a five week period as the 2009 season really begins to gather pace.

With Indianapolis to come in August the MotoGP riders will this weekend enjoy their first Stateside trip of the campaign as they head to California, with visits to Sachsenring and Donington Park still to come on the busy schedule before the summer break.

After seven rounds so far this year things are tight at the top, with three main protagonists emerging as the title candidates. Heading to Assen in the Netherlands last weekend, Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo and Casey Stoner were all square on points at the head of the standings and even though Rossi has pushed ahead with the superb 100th GP victory of his career at the Dutch track his young rivals are still snapping at his heels.

Last year at Laguna Rossi took a hugely important win over Stoner, passing him brilliantly on infamous Corkscrew corner and scoring a significant psychological blow against the Australian. This year, however, he has two key rivals to contend with.

World Champion Rossi goes into round eight in great from, with a five point lead over Lorenzo in the general classification, having relegated his Fiat Yamaha team-mate to second place in the last two races at Catalunya and Assen. The Italian looks as strong as ever, with his Yamaha M1 machine working brilliantly as he looks to turn up the heat on his rivals.

Lorenzo, meanwhile, has never completed a race at Laguna having crashed out on the first lap on his debut at the Californian track last year. He insists however that this year he is finding things more comfortable at tracks which did not favour him in the past and can be expected to be pushing Rossi hard at the front again this weekend.

Fitness doubts for Stoner could be the major factor hindering the Ducati star following another grueling race in The Netherlands, where for the second round in succession he finished third, but was totally exhausted on the podium. If he can recover full strength he will be confident of another good performance on Sunday, at a track where he won in 2007 and finished second in 2008.

Behind the leading three in the championship, the Repsol Honda duo of Andrea Dovizioso and Dani Pedrosa will be desperate to bounce straight back from their Assen disappointments having both crashed out of the Dutch contest, in separate incidents at the same corner, when well positioned to earn some decent points. Dovizioso is currently fourth in the standings, some distance behind the top three, but with just a two point advantage over Pedrosa and Colin Edwards.

Texan rider Edwards arrives for his home race in good form following his fourth place at Assen and is hoping for another good result as he seeks to extend his MotoGP career. The Monster Yamaha Tech 3 rider was on the podium at Laguna Seca in 2005 but since then has struggled for good results there and will aim to correct that pattern on Sunday.

His compatriot Nicky Hayden, the only other American rider in the premier class at present, boasts two of his three MotoGP career wins at Laguna and would love nothing more than to get his first top five result of 2009 on his Stateside debut for Ducati this weekend.

The Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix promises to be a memorable event, coinciding with the American 4th July celebrations and commencing this Friday, 3rd July, with Free Practice 1 at 1.55pm local time, (9.55pm GMT, 10.55pm CET). The 250cc and 125cc classes do not compete at Laguna and will be back in action at Sachsenring on the 17th-19th July weekend.

June 30, 2009

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