From a press release issued by Hawk Kawasaki:
HAWK KAWASAKI
THINK! BSB Championship, Round 10
National Superstock Cup, Round 8
Croft, Teeside
Aug 13-15
PREVIEW
SMART LOOKS FOR GLORY AT CROFT’S FIRST EVER BSB ROUND
The tenth round of the THINK! British Superbike Championship takes place at Croft, Teeside, this weekend. The former airfield, which has a reputation for its tight, twisty and bumpy layout, is new to the BSB calendar so the series’ main players, including Hawk Kawasaki’s Scott Smart, will be looking to stamp their authority on the weekend’s proceedings.
“We tested at Croft last week and were on the pace,” said Smarty. “So we’ve got a strong starting point for the weekend. The track’s quite like Mondello, in that it’s flat, twisty and fairly bumpy, so it should suit my style if my results in Ireland are anything to go by. We’ll need to get into the groove straight away because it’s vital to qualify well at Croft if you want to be up with the leaders in the opening laps and stand any chance of a decent result.”
Smart’s fellow Hawk rider, Glen Richards, who has not raced since breaking his left arm at Thruxton in June, will be back in action at Croft after completing a successful test at the circuit a week ago.
“The arm’s a lot better this week than last week and I’ve been doing heaps of training,” explained Glen. “I’ve been swimming every day and cycling too to get back into shape. It’s taking some time to heal completely but it is getting better everyday. We tested at Croft last week and that was my first time back on the bike since Thruxton. It was hard work and I struggled a bit getting through the left handers, but another week’s gone by since then and the arm’s stronger than it was. I’m going to be back on the bike this weekend which is great. I’m not expecting miracles, but it’ll be great to be back out there. There’s no pressure so we’re just going to see how it goes.”
Richards’ stand-in, John McGuinness, who will ride alongside Smart and Richards for the remainder of the season, is looking to take his second podium of the year at what is his local track.
“Croft’s not far for me so I’m looking forward to it,” he said. “I think we’re all pretty much on a level playing field because a lot of teams tested there over winter and also last week. It’s quite a tight track so I think we’re going to be in for some good close racing. It’s quite a physical and bumpy track too but I don’t mind the bumps because I’m used to them from road racing. When we tested last week I didn’t feel I was any slower than anyone else out there. A good result for me this weekend would be a top six, or if I can get on the podium that’d be great. I’m going to need a good start though because it becomes a bottle neck at the end of the start/finish straight, so qualifying is going to be really important.”
Hawk Kawasaki’s National Superstock Cup rider, Peter Hickman, also tested at Croft last week and is in buoyant mood for the weekend ahead.
“I like the track even though it’s a bit on the bumpy side,” commented the 17 year-old. “I’ve tested there twice this year so I know the track pretty well. In fact I did more than 50 laps there last week. It was a good test for us because we were able to concentrate on set-up before we get there this weekend. The aim this weekend is, as always, to finish, and finish as high as I can. If I can keep getting podiums in the remaining rounds there’s still a chance I can win the championship, because we can drop our two worst scores at the end of the year.”
Free practice starts Friday 13.
BSB CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 9 ROUNDS
1) John Reynolds, Suzuki, 335. 2) Michael Rutter, Honda, 262. 3) Scott Smart, Hawk Kawasaki, 240. 4) Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, 229. 5) Sean Emmett, Ducati, 226. 6) Dean Thomas, Ducati, 124. 6) Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, 124. 8) James Haydon, Yamaha, 111. 9) Tommy Hill, Yamaha, 98. 10) Gary Mason, Yamaha, 85. 11) Glen Richards, Hawk Kawasaki, 78. 12) James Ellison, Yamaha, 75. 13) Craig Coxhell, Honda, 73. 14) Jon Kirkham, Suzuki, 61. 15) Kieran Clarke, Yamaha, 54. 16) John McGuinness, Hawk Kawasaki, 49.
NATIONAL S/STOCK CUP POINTS AFTER 7 ROUNDS
1) Simon Wright, 71. 2) John Fisher, 57. 3) Graham Seward, 50. 4) Paul Shoesmith, 47. 5) Peter Hickman, Hawk Kawasaki, 44. 6) Simon Pomeroy, 41. 7) Alan Moreton, 40. 8) Donald MacFadyen, 38. 8=) Rory Rock, 38. 10) Rob Barber, 33. 10=) Derek Shiels, 33. 12) Jamie Hitter, 32. 12=) Dan Stewart, 32. 14) William Monie, 30. 14=) James McBride, 30