RISPOLI EDGES CLOSER TOWARDS SUPERSPORT VICTORY AT SILVERSTONE
James Rispoli celebrated his strongest Motorpoint British Supersport Championship weekend of the season at the penultimate round of the season at Silverstone, scoring a pair of second places as he pushed closer to victory for Team Traction Control.
Team Traction Control arrived at the Northamptonshire circuit feeling confident after the previous event at Assen and Rispoli again was challenging for the podium, leading the Feature race before narrowly missing out on the victory.
Joe Francis continued building momentum on his second weekend in the Supersport class with the team; fighting to two eighth place finishes after running as high as sixth place during the last lap of the Feature race.
Rispoli said: “It was another weekend where we were getting closer to the win at Silverstone, we had a good first race being back on the podium again and then it was an even better feature race. It was great to be back on the podium again in the second one and Glenn [Irwin] just had it on the last lap. I didn’t know what had happened to Stapleford but when the safety car came out I knew he wasn’t around but I knew Glenn was behind me so it was going to be a real dogfight. He came by and then I got him back and he let me lead for a bit and I had a pretty decent pace, but I knew nobody was making any moves behind us.
“It was going to come down to the last laps and I knew there would be some spots where I would have to dig deep, I was trying to get ahead on the last lap but he rode a fantastic race. We haven’t put the American flag up there yet but we still have two more chances at Brands Hatch.”
Francis said: “We went out in free practice with some of the leading guys and following them for a couple of laps and I learnt a lot from them. We qualified in eighth and then I had a bit of a bad start in race on, but I felt we had the pace to move up the order. We made some changes for the second race and the bike felt even better. We were in a good fight and I was up to sixth but then I got beaten up a bit on the last lap so I finished eighth but that was a stronger weekend than the first one at Assen and I want to try and move forward again in the final two races at Brands Hatch.”
More, from a press release issued by Josh Elliott’s publicist:
ELLIOTT CROWNED 2015 BRITISH SUPERSTOCK 1000 CHAMPION
Northern Ireland’s Josh Elliott says he is delighted to have finally clinched this year’s Pirelli National Superstock 1000cc title, heaping praise on his Morello Racing team and the ZX-10R Kawasaki that took him to this year’s main prize.
The 21-year-old Fermanagh racer took his tenth podium of the season during the penultimate round at Silverstone on Sunday, and his second placed finish was enough to lift the title with one round to spare.
“On that last lap when I was sitting in fourth place, I told myself not to panic, even though Seeley was leading,” he said of main series rival Alastair Seeley. “I had three very fast BMWs in front of me, but if I’ve learned anything this year, it’s to be patient and not panic. That’s exactly what I did and second place was enough to clinch the title, although I wasn’t quite sure until the end.”
Josh added: “It really is a massive relief to get it out of the way and now that I have won a British title, I have the desire for more success. Full credit must go to my Morello Racing team who have given me a great package all year, and apart from one little blip at Brands in July, second place has been our lowest finish all year.
“Now we go back to Brands for the final round looking for our fifth win of the season without the added pressure of the title, and I’m really looking forward to it.”
Championship Standings after Silverstone
Josh Elliott 220 points [2015 CHAMPION]
Alastair Seeley 193
Hudson Kennaugh 166
Luke Quigley 114
Adam Jenkinson 88
Jesse Traylor 83
The final round of the 2015 Pirelli National Superstock 1000cc Championship takes place at Brands Hatch on the full GP circuit on October 18.
More, from a press release issued by Mason Law’s publicist:
LAW CLINCHES BRITISH SUPERSTOCK 600 TITLE AFTER NINTH PODIUM OF THE SEASON
Mason Law clinched the 2015 Pirelli National Superstock 600cc Championship title on Sunday [October 4] after posting his ninth podium of the season for the NMT No-Limits Kawasaki squad at Silverstone.
The 19-year-old Benfleet racer, who settled for a safe second place at the penultimate round, has had a phenomenal season. With one round remaining he has already recorded six wins from his nine podiums, which has included numerous pole positions and fastest laps.
Speaking of his title triumph, which will now see him look to establish himself in the higher echelons of racing in 2016, he said: “Job done! The pressure is now off going into the final round and I have to admit it feels great.”
Recounting his championship winning season he further explained: “We started really strong this season with four straight wins and then had a little slide off at Snetterton. I got myself back on the podium at Knockhill; missed out at Brands, but since then we have been consistent with further wins at Thruxton and Cadwell, backed up by the two second places that clinched the championship at Oulton Park and Silverstone.”
Speaking of his Silverstone race, where he started from pole position, he said: “I got a good jump off the line but completely messed up my gear pattern into turn one. There were so many bikes around me and I was thinking, ‘I can finish thirteenth to clinch this title’ but it wasn’t the way I wanted to finish it.
“I knew I could ride the bike well on used tyres in the latter part of the race and in the circumstances I think we did a good job on the NMT No-Limits Kawasaki. Yes I think we maybe could have won the race, but didn’t think taking a risk would be worth it, so we settled for a podium where I was able to showcase my sponsors. Now I can’t wait to race at Brands and try to get that seventh win of the year.”
In closing the new champion said: “There are so many people to thank but you can’t win a championship without a team so a big shout out to the NMT No-Limits boys and of course Kawasaki. Last but not least my Dad who I could never have done this without and my mentor and friend Andrew Pitt.”
More, from a press release issued by Gearlink Kawasaki:
Gearlink Kawasaki had a fantastic weekend at the penultimate round of the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship at Silverstone this weekend. Glenn Irwin was third in the Sprint race and then took a brilliant victory in race two. Ben Wilson was seventh in race one and secured his best result of the year in race two with fourth. Luke Hedger was ninth in race one and finished a solid sixth in race two.
The Gearlink Kawasaki team made some changes to their suspension this weekend and this made a big difference to the rider performance. Glenn was looking strong all weekend and the Gearlink Kawasaki machine was handling well. He managed to qualify in second place for the opening sprint race on Saturday and he got a good start and was locked in a close battle for the entire race with James Rispoli, just getting pushed back to third on the final lap.
He was third on the grid for the second race and another brilliant start saw him get away with the leaders. He was second after the opening lap and then the safety car was deployed for a couple of laps to clear debris off the circuit. Glenn made the most of this and took to the front on lap five. Once again he was locked in a battle with Rispoli and they continued to exchange their positions throughout the race. Glenn hit the front with three laps to go and managed to bridge a very small gap but enough to take his third victory of the season and also third in the Championship standings.
Ben Wilson also found his old form this weekend and despite a lower qualifying position than he had hoped for in ninth place he was keen to get some good results. He got one of his fantastic starts and was up to fifth at the end of lap one but he dropped to seventh position by the end of the 10 lap race.
For race two Ben started from sixth place for the second race and got one of his amazing starts. For the first time this year he was back and battling for a podium position within the race. He was dicing for third place for a number of laps and dropped back to fourth in the closing stages but securing his best result of the season so far.
Luke Hedger was hindered in the races after a big crash in the qualifying session; he still managed to be placed 10th on the grid for the Sprint race. Riding slightly injured a couple of hours later Luke was quite sore but still managed to bring the Gearlink Kawasaki in a top then position in ninth.
For race two Luke started from ninth place on the grid for the 12-lap race. He struggled off the start and dropped to 12th but took advantage of the safety car and moved up to seventh by lap four. He was locked in a really tough battle with Danny Webb and Joe Francis for sixth position. Despite several challenges from them Luke fended them off and took sixth place at the end of the race.
Glenn Irwin – “Firstly I would like to say a huge thanks to Michael and Norma and the entire Gearlink Kawasaki team for this weekend. We changed our suspension here at Silverstone and it made a big difference to how the bike performed and it suited my personal riding style better, I’d like to thank them for that and allowing me to be back on the top step of the podium.
The team took a huge gamble by using Silverstone to develop the bike for the 2016 season but it has made us really competitive and was a great idea which has helped us massively.
I think the win today showed great race craft and it is still possible to try and secure second place in the Championship standings and that will be my main aim at Brands Hatch. A big thank you to my sponsors again and everyone who has supported me. It’s great to walk away from here having secured two podium places.”
Ben Wilson – “Things have really settled into place this weekend and the team made some really good changes to the bike which allowed us to be back up there and fighting. Finally I was back up near the front of the pack and I will be riding my heart out at Brands Hatch, the final round to try and secure a podium. I would like to thank the Gearlink Kawasaki team for all their hard work and effort over the weekend to get the bike right for me.”
Luke Hedger – “I struggled all weekend trying to find a set-up on the bike and had a huge crash during the qualifying session, where I hurt my leg and ankle which certainly set me back a little bit for the opening race. Andy and the Gearlink Kawasaki team continued to make progress and move us forward which allowed us to secure a couple of decent top ten finishes. I’m pleased with the sixth place and hope we can end the season on a high at Brands.”
MCE British Superbike
Jed Metcher had a difficult weekend in the MCE British Superbike class but he managed two 20th place finishes after struggling to get out on track for the qualifying session.
Jed Metcher – “We were again plagued with a few niggling issues which reduced our track time over the weekend. We will sit down in the week and discuss everything to try and make further progression at the final round at Brands Hatch.”
Team Manager Michael de Bidaph – “I’m really pleased with the results in the Supersport this weekend especially in the second race. It was great to see Glenn take another win and he fought hard all weekend for the results he gained and they were well deserved.
We made some changes to the suspension this weekend and it helped us take a big step forward with development and the riders were all very pleased with it.
It was good to see Ben back to his old form and achieving the results that he is more than capable of and we hope now that we can end the season on a high note with all three Supersport riders. Luke was hindered by his crash but still rode really well to get the results he did.
We are not sure what direction to go with the Superbike but we will keep plugging away to try and get some decent results.”
2015 GEARLINK TEAM SPONSORS
AKRAPOVIC – B & C EXPRESS – DAYTONA – DAMEN LEATHERS – DBR – FERIDAX – FORCEFIELD – GALFER – GB RACING – GEARLINK LTD – GOODRIDGE – JOHNY WILLS PHOTOGRAPHY – K-TECH – MWR AIR FILTERS – NGK SPARK PLUGS – OCTANORM – PERFORMANCE PARTS – PERFORMANCE FRICTION BRAKES – PRO-BOLT – R & G RACING – RENTHAL – ROCK OIL – SAMCO SPORT – SCORPION – SHOEI HELMETS – SIGMA PERFORMANCE – SINNIS – SKIDMARX – SOLO SIGNS – TTS SURFACING LTD – TSUBAKI – VALE LIVESTOCK – WWW.1STCHOICE-FLOORING.CO.UK
#15 – Ben Wilson – #69 Glenn Irwin – #2 Luke Hedger – #71 Jed Metcher
Facebook – www.facebook.com/GearlinkRacing
Twitter – Gearlink Kawasaki
More, from a press release issued by Gearlink Kawasaki:
GEARBOX PROBLEM FORCES PRIME FACTORS RACING OUT OF DEBUT PIRELLI NATIONAL SUPERSTOCK RACE!
It was a disappointing conclusion to the Silverstone weekend for Prime Factors Racing, as after qualifying in an impressive fifth place a fault with the gearbox saw rider Barry Burrell forced to retire.
With the Silverstone round marking Prime Factors Racing’s debut in Pirelli National Superstock 1000, it was a strong start with rider Barry Burrell finishing the opening Free Practice in ninth. Some big changes overnight to accommodate the treaded Pirelli tyres used in the series saw Barry immediately improve his lap time to qualify on the second row of the grid in fifth.
Continuing to set the bike up through the short morning warm up session on Sunday, the team tried a few changes which saw Barry finish tenth. Unfortunately for the team, despite confidence being high and a strong start seeing Barry run in fourth, machine troubles saw him slowly drop back. With the problems continuing to persist, seeing him slip back to 13th by the end of the second lap it later proved terminal, forcing the team to retire.
A disappointed Barry Burrell said, “It’s a real shame to end the weekend in this way. After the changes we made on Friday I was feeling pretty confident that we could be challenging at the front and looking at the lap times from the race we were definitely capable of challenging for a podium. The team has worked fantastic all weekend though and although it’s gutting, that’s racing and we can be pleased that our pace was particularly strong.”
Team Principal of Prime Factors Racing, Bruce Charman added “This wasn’t how we wanted to end our debut race in the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship, but we can certainly take a lot of positives from the weekend. I’m really pleased with how the team worked and how we were able to continuously improve with every outing. It was also encouraging to qualify as high as we did and if it wasn’t for the problems, I’m sure we would have been challenging for a podium.”
More, from a press release issued by Adam Jenkinson’s publicist:
Strong fourth place for Jenkinson at Silverstone
Adam Jenkinson had his penultimate ride of the 2015 Pirelli National Superstock 1000cc Championship at Silverstone on Sunday and the Northern Escalator Installations BMW rider put in another strong performance to claim fourth place at the chequered flag.
The weekend started well for Adam and the team as he placed seventh in Friday’s free practice session but the afternoon’s qualifying session saw the BMW beset by gearbox problems and he failed to register a time. It left him amongst the non-qualifiers but with changes to the bike in time for Saturday’s second session, he more than made up for the lost time and a lap of 2m08.857s placed him in an excellent third place and on the third row of the grid.
With his lap being only 0.2s adrift of pole position, hopes were high going into Sunday’s 11-lap race and at the end of the opening lap he slotted into fourth place with less than a second covering the leading quintet. However, the Knutsford-based rider was already encountering an issue with his quickshifter which saw him lose time when changing down the gearbox and by lap five he’d been pushed back to fifth.
Nevertheless, he stuck with the leading group of riders, setting the third fastest lap of the race in the process and was able to close in through some sections of the course. The quickshifter issue ultimately meant he was unable to get close enough to make any passes but with Alastair Seeley running wide and dropping back to sixth on the final lap, Adam crossed the line in a well-deserved fourth place, just 1.2s adrift of the race win.
Adam Jenkinson: “Losing the quickshifter on the first lap made it a tough race and had it not been for that, I genuinely thought I could have won. It made it so hard changing through the gears and I had to roll off the throttle through the corners which was losing me quite a lot of time. I was surprised the gap to the guys in front of me didn’t get any bigger and through some parts of the course I was actually quicker than them and able to close up.”
“I hung in with them as best I could so whilst it’s disappointing not to have taken at least a podium, to be so close to the win whilst encountering a problem shows just how well we were going. Silverstone’s always been a bit of a bogey circuit for me so we’ve laid that to rest and I really love the BMW. The speed and handling are both excellent and the bike really suits my style so it’s been a big confidence boost for me this weekend.”
The final round of the series takes place in two weeks time at Brands Hatch but Adam will be back in action next weekend contesting the Anglesey Grand National.
Pirelli National Superstock 1000cc Championship race (11 laps)
1 Hudson Kennaugh (BMW)
2 Josh Elliott (Kawasaki)
3 Luke Quigley (BMW)
4 Adam Jenkinson (Northern Escalator Installations BMW)
5 Joe Burns (Aprilia)
6 Alastair Seeley (BMW)
Championship standings (after 11 rounds)
1 Elliott 220pts
2 Seeley 193
3 Kennaugh 166
4 Quigley 114
5 Jenkinson 88
6 Trayler 83
More, from a press release issued by Joe Collier’s publicist:
Joe Collier, racing on the Haribo Starmix Triumph, had a strong weekend at round 11 of the Motorpoint British Supersport Cup Championship at Silverstone this weekend. After a tough qualifying session Joe rode a fantastic opening race to take a stunning victory. In race two he had a couple of tyre issues in the closing stages and had to settle for third.
Joe won the Supersport Evo Championship at Assen a couple of weeks ago and is now wanting to concentrate on 2016 and securing a good ride somewhere. The weather on Saturday was much cooler and several riders were crashing during the qualifying session. Joe did not want to do anything stupid in the final stages of the season and suffered with his grid position for the first race.
He started from 20th place on the grid for the sprint race on Saturday. He gained a good start and slowly started to settle into a rhythm and work his way up through the pack. He made it to third Evo rider and sat there for five laps but was slowly reeling in the leaders. On the final lap he felt confident enough to make a couple of passes and took his 12th Evo win of the season.
In the second race Joe started from 10th place on the grid and again he was looking comfortable sat at the front of the Evo class for the majority of the race. However, in the closing stages he was struggling with grip on the rear tyre and had to fight to bring his Triumph home in a solid third position and 11th place overall.
Joe Collier – “I did not really come to Silverstone with any high expectations as I know I have won the Championship and didn’t want to do anything stupid. It is important for us to keep the bike upright at the final two rounds of the series and get some solid overall Championship points in the bag.
I need to find a ride for next season either in Supersport or moving up to the bigger class, I think with the race directors changing the Supersport rules it might give everyone the same chance. I’ve managed to have some strong overall results this year and I hope I’ve done enough to prove I can do a good job.
The racing was really good this weekend and I found myself walking away with a win and another podium place. The team have been great again and we found a good set-up early on and they worked hard and we were rewarded with some really good race results.
Once again I would like to thank all my personal sponsors for their help and support this season, without them I wouldn’t have been in this situation and it’s a great opportunity. I hope we can continue next year to move forwards and I’m looking forward to the final race of the year at Brands Hatch.”
2015 Personal Sponsors
MC Motors – KGN Pillinger – Gemini Control Systems – Robin Hood Harley Davidson – Triumph World – Black Horse Finance – Silkolene – Daytona – Shoei – RST Leathers – Knox – Teng Tools – Jap4Performance
More, from a press release issued by Taz Taylor’s publicist:
17-year-old Taz Taylor from Mansfield, riding for the RS Racing KTM, had good weekend during round 11 of the HEL Performance Motostar British Championship at Silverstone. He took very strong second places in both races over the weekend.
Taz has been looking strong again all weekend as he has all season and despite a couple of crashes and a DNF with a technical problem he is still putting in every effort to continue to try and win races. Taz paced himself on Friday morning but came out fighting in qualifying and set pole position by 0.3 from Scott Deroue.
The first race once again was going to be a tough one between Taz and his season rival Deroue. The pair got a great start and continued to swap positions with each other over the eight laps with Ed Rendell also hitting the front on a couple of occasions. Scott and Taz went head to head and Scott got the drag to the line and took the win by only 0.04.
On Saturday evening Taz had a crash off his Oset bike in the paddock which caused him to sustain a fracture to his elbow. It was looking likely that Taz was not going to be able to start the race but after his friend and physio Aidan Robinson came to the circuit, he got Taz race ready.
Taz started from third place for race two and once again despite the pain the youngster gave it everything he had to push Scott Deroue throughout the entire race. He got a good start and hit the front on lap four, battling with Deroue and also Ed Rendell. Taz continued to lead the 10 lap race until the final lap when Dutchman and newly crowned Motostar Champion Scott Deroue beat him to the line by 0.03.
Taz Taylor – “It was a bit of a crazy weekend, I wanted to push Scott as much as I could to try and narrow the points gap between us but I knew it was a big ask.
The first race was really close and we were swapping places like we have been all year long! It was a good race and I managed to take another podium which I was pleased about but really wanted the win.
I had a small crash on Saturday night in the paddock and after an x-ray they told me I’d broken my elbow. On Sunday morning I had very little movement in my arm and I was going to pull out of the race. A quick call to Aidan and he came to my rescue. He taped me up and got the movement back and did an incredible job.
I really just had to forget the pain during the race, grit my teeth and just get on with it. It was only decided an hour before the race to ride and it wouldn’t have been possible without Aidan. It was another good race with Scott and we battled from start to finish. We’ve had a really good season riding against each other and I would like to congratulate him on winning the Championship.
Dad and I need to sit down and make a decision on what I ride next season and where we will be looking for sponsors over the off season and hope to be competitive again in wherever we end up.
Thanks again to my sponsors, my family and my team for everything they have done up to now it’s been great!”
For race results click here:-
http://www.tsl-timing.co.uk/Event/154004
2015 TAZ TAYLOR RACING SPONSORS
K.C.S, Hookless Holiday Homes, D.L.R, FLG, A-Plant, Eclipse Motorsport, JKT, Shoei, Sidi, Putoline, BD Site Services, Mike Ashton, G.Jones Services, Paul Derbyshire, Forcefield, Two Wheel Centre, Snowy, The Tyre Shop, 4TheWeekend Barbershop.
Facebook – www.facebook.com/RaceTazTaylor
More, from a press release issued by Josh Daley Racing:
It was a very challenging weekend for youngster Josh Daley at round 11 of the Motorpoint Evo Supersport Championship at Silverstone. Josh was unlucky this weekend and was unfortunate to be taken out in both races at the fast GP circuit.
Josh was making good progress throughout the weekend and had improved his times from 2014 considerable before the qualifying session on Saturday. He once again went out in qualifying and took more time off and started the opening Evo race from 24th place on the grid. He got a good start and was 11th Evo rider after lap one, he began to make progress but was hit hard on lap five by another rider at one of the fastest parts of the circuit.
The bike came off worst and Josh, his Dad and mechanic worked hard that night to put the bike back together ready for race two on Sunday. He moved up to 22nd position on the grid and was eager to get a result, it seemed to be a case of wrong place wrong time for Josh this weekend and was taken out on the opening lap of the race by another rider. This put an abrupt end to a very challenging weekend.
Josh Daley – “I have mixed feelings about this weekend as I was managing to improve on my times from last year by over a second which is really pleasing.
Then not finishing both races is really disheartening as I feel like we could have done quite well. Thankfully I wasn’t injured and I can’t thank my Dad and team enough for all the effort they put in Saturday night to fix my very sorry looking bike!
Now we will go home and make sure we get everything ready for Brands Hatch and finish the season on a better note. Thank you again to all my personal sponsors and sorry I wasn’t able to get a result for them at Silverstone.”
2015 JOSH DALEY RACING TEAM SPONSORS
INTEK ADHESIVES & SEALANTS – DEVELOP (WWW.DSALES.EU) – FLEETSMART UK LTD – PUTOLINE OILS – NO FEAR ENERGY DRINKS – LINDSTRANDS LEATHERS – SHARK HELMETS – NEVIS MARKETING – DAYTONA BOOTS – IMPACT SAFE-T ARMOR – KAY WELDING SUPPLIES LTD – FJG LOGISTICS LTD – TOILETSPARES.CO.UK – MOTORCYCLE CENTRE ORRELL – MTC EXHAUSTS – SPEEDYCOM.CO.UK – LBF SOLUTIONS – JONES IT UK – HvH FITNESS – GB RACING – PROBOLT – HEL – CLUB 88 MEMBERS – ENVIRONMENT & POWER TECHNOLOGY LTD
Facebook – www.facebook.com/JoshDaleyRacing
Twitter – @JoshDaleyRacing
More, from a press release issued by Chrissy Rouse Racing:
Rouse eighth after tough Silverstone scrap
CHRISSY Rouse battled on to take eighth in the penultimate round of the Pirelli National Superstock 600 Championship after a tough race at Silverstone.
The 19-year-old from Burnopfield, Tyne and Wear, endured what he described as a ‘tough challenge’ as the series headed to the Northants track for Round 11.
At a track which he knew would not necessarily suit his Team HARIBO Starmix Triumph, Rouse knew he would have to work hard to keep in touch with the Yamahas and Kawasakis.
After qualifying in ninth place, Rouse needed to get a good start but didn’t get off the line as well as he’d hoped, dropping back to 12th. However he was determined to fight back, and picked off two riders in the opening lap to move up to 10th.
He stuck in 10th for the next six laps before moving up to ninth on Lap Seven of the 10-lap race. Moving up to eighth a lap later, he came under pressure from Matt Truelove behind, and spent the final two laps locked in a battle.
At the chequered flag Rouse crossed the line in eighth place, setting his fastest lap of the race but admitted afterwards he was disappointed with the result.
“It wasn’t a great race for me, there’s not a lot that I can say to make it sound better than it was, I’ve got to be honest and say I’m disappointed with that result,” he said.
“I got a bad start and then I had to make up the places I’d lost, so I had to really push. I made a couple of mistakes here and there and I almost crashed a couple of times. It was just a really difficult race.
“I was expecting to have much better race pace so I’m pretty puzzled as to why I didn’t. But it’s done now and I’ve got to move on. I’ve got a busy two weeks ahead at uni and working but I’m already looking forward to Brands Hatch to see if we can’t end the year on a high.”
Rouse has now moved up to ninth in the championship on 60 points.