British Supersport: Mallory Park

Martin and Gearlink Kawasaki take the victory

Press Release

Chris Martin followed up team-mate Ben Wilson's win at the previous round by storming to victory in the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship race at Mallory Park for Round 7 of the series on Sunday.

The Gearlink Kawasaki duo were formation flying at the front of the pack, with Martin then able to gradually edge an advantage over his team-mate on track in the wet conditions.

Ian Hutchinson was quick off the line and was able to put himself third for the Padgetts Honda team, giving him the best result of the season.

For fourth there was an all-Australian tussle between title contender Billy McConnell on the MAP Raceways Yamaha and Brendan Roberts on the NW200 Coca-Cola Zero Yamaha.

The pair who previously battled together in the Virgin Yamaha Cup were swapping places in a bid for supremacy, with McConnell able to put himself ahead and hold it to the line.

Championship leader Steve Plater was only able to manage a seventh place for the HM Plant Honda team, but still holds an 11 point advantage in the overall standings ahead of Brands Hatch.

Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship race result:

Chris Martin (Gearlink Kawasaki)

Ben Wilson (Gearlink Kawasaki) +7.143s

Ian Hutchinson (Padgetts Honda) +10.969s

Billy McConnell (MAP Raceways Yamaha) +15.294s

Brendan Roberts (NW200 Coca-Cola Zero Yamaha) +15.469s

Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship standings:

Steve Plater (HM Plant Honda) 109

Billy McConnell (MAP Raceways Yamaha) 98

Ben Wilson (Gearlink Kawasaki) 92

Daniel Cooper (Centurion Racing Honda) 81

James Westmoreland (Centurion Racing Honda) 72

The next round of the British Superbike Championship takes place at Brands Hatch GP on August 7-9.

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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