Round 2 – Bennetts British Superbike Championship Meeting Donington Park, Leics. Friday 7h to Sunday 9th April 2006 MORE POINTS FOR THE BRIDEWELLS DESPITE DONINGTON DELUGE In between a number of downpours worthy of the tropics, round two of the 2006 British Championship season was fought out in unseasonably cold temperatures at a wet and windy Donington Park yesterday but despite the merciless conditions, Etchilhampton near Devizes in Wiltshire brothers Tommy and Ollie Bridewell both added to their points tallies in their respective championships. Racing in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship for only the second time, 20 year old Ollie followed up a superb performance at Brands with even more points in race two at Donington after just missing out in the opening leg. After taking avoiding action to avoid a fallen rider at the very first corner, Ollie battled his way through the field form dead last and was as high as 17th when the red flag came out following another incident. The former runner up in the Virgin Mobile Cup made amends for it in race two however, with a brilliant ride into eighth place in monsoon conditions, overshadowed only by Vivaldi Racing team mate Scott Smart, who took an historic victory. As a result, Ollie lays in joint 16th place in the series, alongside works Rizla Suzuki rider James Haydon. “I’ve never been so wet and cold in my life but I’m very pleased to have claimed 8th in race two. I was dead last, half a lap behind the field, after nearly crashing to avoid Tommy Hill in the opening race and had it gone the distance, I’m confident I could have salvaged some points. But well done to Scott and the team on a fantastic result, it has made me even more determined to get on that rostrum this season” said Ollie. Meanwhile younger brother Tommy had to endure perhaps the worst conditions of the afternoon in the British Supersport Championship which was first delayed and then stopped after oil was deposited onto the wet track. In the restart, the 17 year-old battled against the opposition for six laps to bring his Vivaldi Suzuki home in a fine 13th place to add three valuable points to the a single point he scored at Brands Hatch two weeks previous and now lies in joint 17th in the thirteen race series. “I’ve never been particularly good in the wet so to finish in the points is a really good achievement for me. The conditions out there were horrible and my bike wasn’t handling at all well so you can imagine my relief when I saw the chequered flag. It’s all about learning for me this year but I hope I don’t have to race in conditions like those again for a long time. Still, two points-scoring rides in the opening two rounds is what we wanted and roll on Thruxton this weekend” said Tommy. Indeed the next round of the respective championships takes place this forthcoming weekend on Easter Monday (April 17th) at the Wayside Racing Team’s local track of Thruxton in Hampshire whereby both riders will be looking to add to their scores, hopefully in drier and warmer conditions. More, from a press release issued by Cartersport Motorsport Media, on behalf of Stobart Motorsport: Bennetts British Superbike Championship – Round 2 Donington Park, Leics 8th/9th April LAVERTY FOURTH AT RAIN LASHED DONINGTON Stobart Motorsport rider Michael Laverty overcame some of the worst conditions seen in recent years by recording a fourth and seventh place finish in round two of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at a wet and windy Donington Park today. The 24 year old from Toomebridge, Co Antrim followed up a superb fourth place in the opening leg, held in the dry conditions, with a battling seventh in the deluge which was race two to end up sixth in the Championship going into next weekend’s third round at Thruxton. It wasn’t quite such good news for team mate Michael Rutter who followed up a seventh place in race one with a battling performance in race two which saw him dicing for the lead only to slide out at Redgate Corner towards the end, much to his frustration. As a result Rutter lies in ninth position in the Championship after two rounds. Michael Rutter: “I’m disappointed as it has been a frustrating weekend. In the first race I was lacking a bit and couldn’t stop the bike, it just kept wanting to run into corners really fast and in the second race I was struggling with rear end grip like everyone was. It just came round on me and highsided me and threw me down the road. We were up there with them and I wanted to finish on the podium but it wasn’t meant to be.” Michael Laverty: “I was happy enough with the first race. After the pace car came out I lost a bit of time because it took some time for my tyres to get warm again. I got faster as the race went on and I think I could have challenged Leon Haslam for the podium as I know I can run in the top three. In the last race I just kept it as steady as possible and tried to bring it home so I was happy enough with seventh place. Everything is looking positive for the next few races and we’re getting stronger and stronger.” Team owner Paul Bird was frustrated by the weather and commented “We’ve had a difficult day but this is what happens sometimes. It was good to see Michael (Rutter) up there and challenging for race wins and that’s where we need to be but he was just caught out with the bad conditions. Michael (Laverty) is going from strength to strength and is now a serious contender for a race win. We now need to make all our results count from here on in.” The next round of the Championship takes place at Thruxton next weekend. Superbike Race One Result: 1, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 20m53.166s, 2, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +0.134s, 3, Leon Haslam (Ducati) +5.246s, 4, Michael Laverty (Stobart Honda) +9.361s, 5, Shane Byrne (Suzuki) +9.591s, 6, Karl Harris (Honda) +10.540s, 7, Michael Rutter (Stobart Honda) +11.533s, 8, Jonathan Rea (Honda) +20.235s, 9, Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) +22.451s, 10, Scott Smart (Suzuki) +23.216s. Superbike Race Two Result: 1, Scott Smart (Suzuki) 27m37.071s, 2, Leon Haslam (Ducati) +0.576s, 3, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +2.297s, 4, Gary Mason (Honda) +5.943s, 5, Jonathan Rea (Honda) +30.768s, 6, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +33.586s, 7, Michael Laverty (Stobart Honda) +36.829s, 8, Ollie Bridewell (Suzuki) +59.273s, 9, Chris Martin (Honda) +59.297s, 10, Malcolm Ashley (Kawasaki) +1:04.142s. Bennetts British Superbike Championship Standings (after round 2) 1, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 82pts 2, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 58pts 3, Leon Haslam (Ducati) 56pts 4, Karl Harris (Honda) 41pts 5, Scott Smart (Suzuki) 33pts 6, Michael Laverty (Stobart Honda) 31pts 7, Jonathan Rea (Honda) 30pts 8, Shane Byrne (Suzuki) 26pts 9, Michael Rutter (Stobart Honda) 25pts 10, Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) 23pts 10, Gary Mason (Honda) 23pts 2006 Bennetts British Superbike Race Dates R1: 2426 March, Brands Hatch, Kent (Indy) www.motorsportvision.co.uk R2: 79 April, Donington Park, Leics www.donington-park.co.uk R3: 1417 April, Thruxton, Hants www.barc.net R4: 29 April1 May, Oulton Park, Cheshire www.motorsportvision.co.uk R5: 1921 May, Mondello Park, Co Kildare www.mondellopark.ie R6: 24 June, Mallory Park, Leics www.mallorypark.co.uk R7: 16-18 June, Snetterton, Norfolk www.motorsportvision.co.uk R8: 1416 July, Knockhill, Fife www.knockhill.co.uk R9: 21-23 July, Oulton Park, Cheshire www.motorsportvision.co.uk R10:11-13 August, Croft, N Yorks www.croftcircuit.co.uk R11: 26-28 August, Cadwell Park, Lincs www.motorsportvision.co.uk R12: 15-17 September, Silverstone, Northants www.silverstone-circuit.co.uk R13: 29 September 1 October, Brands Hatch, Kent (GP) www.motorsportvision.co.uk More, from a press release issued by Hawk Kawasaki: Character Building weekend for Hawk Kawasaki Round 2 Donington Park – 9th April The Hawk Kawasaki riders Dean Thomas (33), Craig Coxhell (23) and Peter Hickman (19) experienced a difficult weekend at the second round of the British Superbike Championship at Donington Park on Sunday (9th April). With varying weather conditions throughout the weekend, race day was no better with wintry showers hitting the Leicestershire circuit. Conditions were worse than they have ever been at a British Superbike meeting for the last five years and this effected the Hawk riders dramatically. Australian Coxhell qualified 10th, the best of the three riders with Thomas in 15th and Hickman 19th on the grid. A huge crash into the first corner in the first race saw the safety car despatched onto the circuit for three laps to enable the marshals to clear the debris. All the Hawk riders managed to avoid getting tangled up in the melee. Race one finished with Thomas in ninth, Coxhell in 11th and a DNF for Hickman. Sheffield based Thomas gradually worked his way through the field from his 15th place start and manoeuvred his way through to tenth. He became locked in a battle with Rizla Suzuki’s James Haydon and Vivaldi rider Scott Smart. As Thomas and Haydon were side by side on the exit to Coppice Corner and with the rain just beginning to fall, the Rizla rider crashed out missing Hawk rider Thomas by inches. Coxhell was running at a steady pace throughout the race still learning the Hawk Kawasaki and adjusting his riding style. Peter Hickman who celebrated his 19th Birthday on Saturday was running in a strong 14th position and lost the front end into Coppice, which saw an end to his chance of his first Superbike points. The race was red flagged on lap 13 due to the increasingly bad weather conditions, with it rapidly getting worse as the day progressed. The second race was almost a wash out with 13 of the 29 riders crashing or retiring including Thomas and Coxhell. Hickman was the sole finisher for Hawk who finished just outside the points in 16th position, a very creditable position under the circumstances. It was later revealed that Craig Coxhell has a broken collarbone and will be fighting to get fit for the third round next weekend at Thruxton. A disheartened Thomas said “I had to pull in from the second race as I had no rear grip what-so-ever. I’d already seen Craig crash and didn’t fancy joining him. We had a 15-minute wet session before the second race and I suffered a pretty hefty crash in that, which has certainly left me feeling a little worse for wear. I was happy to have finished 9th in the first race but we have to sort some issues out with the bike before Thruxton.” Coxhell, who was certainly suffering in pain, was still upbeat saying “I was gutted to have crashed as I was up to 5th and had the front runners in my sight. I set two fastest laps, one after the other and I know that if I had stayed on then there was a good chance I would have been on the podium. I guess I was a little eager and the bike just came round on me and flung me over the bars. I landed heavily and had it confirmed that I have broken my collarbone. I’m gutted as we have a back-to-back weekend and I might have to miss the next round if it’s not healed.” Rookie to the series Hickman said, “This certainly is the worst weather conditions that I have ever ridden in. The first race was a bit of a nightmare and I had a small off, I was determined that I just wanted to finish the second race in one piece. The conditions certainly didn’t make that job very easy but I got there. I’m still enjoying it but it’s very difficult, I was gutted not to have scored any points but hopefully it won’t be too long coming now.” Race One Result: 1) Gregorio Lavilla 13 laps, 2) Ryuichi Kiyonari +0.134, 3) Leon Haslam +5.246, 4) Michael Laverty +9.361, 5) Shane Byrne +9.591, 6) Karl Harris +10.540, 7) Michael Rutter +11.533, 8) Jonathan Rea +20.235, 9) Dean Thomas +22.451 (Hawk Kawasaki), 10) Scott Smart +23.216, 11) Craig Coxhell +23.881 (Hawk Kawasaki) Race Two Result: 1) Scott Smart 15 laps, 2) Leon Haslam +0.576, 3) Gregorio Lavilla +2.297, 4) Gary Mason +5.943, 5) Jonathan Rea +30.786, 6) Tommy Hill +33.586, 7) Michael Laverty +36.829, 8) Ollie Bridewell +59.273, 9) Chris Martin +59.297, 10) Malcolm Ashley +1:04.142, 16) Peter Hickman + 1:33.684 Overall Championship Positions Lavilla 82 Kiyonari 58 Haslam 56 Harris 41 Smart 33 Laverty 31 Rea 30 Byrne 26 Rutter 25 Thomas 23 Mason 23 Hill 20 Coxhell 18 The next round of the British Superbike Championship is Easter Weekend, 14th, 16th and 17th April (No Track Activity on Saturday) at Thruxton Race Circuit. For more details go to www.hawkkawasaki.co.uk More, from a press release issued by Paul Young: Youngy survives Donington deluge for 16th place PAUL YOUNG played it safe on his Triumph Daytona 675 and came home in 16th place at the second round of the Metabo British Supersport Championship while conditions played havoc with other riders and the event race schedule. He said: “It was more important for me to stay upright as we only have one bike and only three days between Donington and Thruxton. To be honest I felt it was a sad and sodden event. In fact I’ve never been to an event that was more abandonable! I would be interested to see what would cause a postponement now that the organisers have ITV coverage. Nuclear assault or terrorist activity only I reckon!” The Hinckley based Aussie added: “I know it’s the same for everyone, but half the field in every race ended up in the kitty litter, it was a lottery and one I wasn’t prepared to buy a ticket for, so I went steady. I wanted to load the bike up in the van in one piece at the end of the weekend. I would have loved to score some championship points, and I usually go well in the rain, but pushing harder could have meant three days of repairs instead of three days working on improvements! At the moment developing the bike is the important thing.” With many of his rivals looking at bent and battered bikes on Monday morning, Youngy has spent his time on the dyno finding more power from the 675 triple for this weekend’s race. “I’ve found something useful on the dyno which means I’ll have more horsepower for the race at Thruxton,” explained Youngy. “The bike was feeling better at Donington and we’re getting more power out of it. Thruxton and Oulton Park are my two favourite circuits so I want to go there with the best bike I can and get some good results” British Supersport round 2 results. Donington Park, April 26th 1 – Cal Crutchlow – Honda -Northpoint Ekerold Honda – 11:20.935 2 – Pere Riba – Kawasaki-MSS Discovery Racing – 11:27.923 3 – Eugene Laverty – Honda – Red Bull Honda – 11:34.740 4 – Dennis Hobbs – Honda – Padgetts Racing – 11:34.855 5 – Tom Sykes – Suzuki – TAS Suzuki – 11:35.069 6 – Rob Frost – Kawasaki – Team Buff Kawasaki – 11:37.297 7 – Jamie Robinson – Honda – – 11:45.087 8 – Pete Spalding (Cup) – Honda – Centurion Racing – 11:45.349 9 – James Hillier – Kawasaki – Gearlink Racing – 11:46.882 10 – Stuart Easton – Ducati – Lloyds British Ducati – 11:49.083 16 – Paul Young – Triumph – Paul Young Racing – 12:11.262