From a press release issued by MonsterMob Ducati:

SHAKEY AIMS FOR TITLE GLORY

Fresh from his superb double victory in the World Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch a couple of weeks ago, MonsterMob Ducati’s Shane Byrne heads back to domestic action this weekend hoping for a repeat performance as the British Superbike Championship visits Oulton Park for the second time this season.

Three months ago, the 26 year old Kent rider claimed a double win at the Cheshire circuit to bolster his title aspirations and a similar effort this time out around could net him the crown with three rounds to spare, such is his advantage over second placed John Reynolds (Suzuki).

But his WSB performance aside, ‘Shakey’ has had to play second fiddle to Reynolds and team mate Yukio Kagayama in the last five BSB rounds which is something that rankles with the nine times winner this season:

“There’s nothing I enjoy more than winning and I’ve decided I’m not prepared to settle for anything less than that this weekend. I got another sniff of the winner’s champagne at Brands and I’d nearly forgotten what it was like and it’s made me so determined to go out there and do the business” said the Isle of Sheppey rider.

Byrne leads the series by a massive 135 points and if he can leave Oulton with a 150 point gap or more, he will be crowned 2003 British Superbike Champion at the Paul Bird Motorsport team’s local track.

Meanwhile Supersport team mate Stuart Easton goes in search of his third win of the series after a superb victory last time out at Mondello Park which saw him close the gap on series leader Karl Harris (Honda) by twenty points.

And whilst the 19 year old Scot wants to win for his own title aspirations, he plans on doing it for fellow Teri and former team mate Steve Hislop who was tragically killed in an air accident last week.

“If ever there was a race I wanted to win it’s this one and that’s what I’m aiming for. Hizzy was my hero as a kid and I’d love to dedicate a win to him at one of his favourite tracks” said the Hawick teenager who has been given the honour of opening the new “Hizzy’s Chicane” on Sunday, named as a mark of respect for the reigning British Champion.

Team Owner Paul Bird commented:
“What a roller coaster couple of weeks we’ve had with the highs of winning at Brands and them the devastating news about Steve. We now need to put all of that behind us and focus on the job in hand which is to make sure both riders leave Oulton in a better position than when they arrived. If the title comes along, then fine, if not, we’ll roll it over until next time but what we need are wins. Three of them would be nice!”


More, from a press release issued by Hawk Kawasaki:

BSB Round 9
Oulton Park, Cheshire
8-10 August
Circuit length: 2.692 miles
Preview

On-form Hawk look to make it second time lucky at Oulton

Hawk Kawasaki head to Oulton Park this weekend for the ninth round of the British Superbike Championship. This is the series’ second visit of the season to the 2.69 mile Cheshire circuit, and one which Hawk Kawasaki is confident will see the continuation of its recent rich vein of form.

Glen Richards, who was elevated back to fourth in the riders’ championship after taking fourth and third at Mondello Park three weeks ago, is sure this second meeting at Oulton will be more productive for Hawk Kawasaki than round four in May. ‘The bike is working real good at the moment,’ he said. ‘We know where we went wrong here last time, so I’m looking forward to having another go at this track. If we can repeat what we did at Mondello it would be fantastic.’

Scott Smart proved at the last round how comfortable he is aboard the ZX-7RR, by almost snatching pole position in qualifying and running strongly in both races, and is keen to improve further on his recent performances. ‘My bike feels like MY bike now,’ explained Scott. ‘It’s been getting better at every meeting, but now I can really grab it by the scruff of the neck. Oulton was tough for us earlier in the season and we struggled to get the bike working with the track, but this time I’m confident the bike is better, we’re better prepared and we can learn from the data we already have. I can’t wait to get out there and race.’

Lee Jackson has his sights firmly set on strengthening his points position this weekend by taking the fight to his nearest championship rivals. ‘My aim is to keep beating Youngy (Paul Young) because he’s the man directly behind me in the championship at the moment,’ said Lee. ‘I think all three of us can go quicker at Oulton this time and I certainly aim to do that. I’ve been a bit too cautious in practice since those three crashes at Brands and Rockingham, so I need to get my head down and produce what I know I’m capable of.’

BSB Riders’ Championship, after 8 rounds
1) Shane Byrne: 352. 2) John Reynolds: 217. 3) Michael Rutter: 203. 4) Glen Richards, Hawk Kawasaki: 170. 5) Yukio Kagayama: 169. 6) Steve Plater: 166. 7) Gary Mason: 148. 8) Steve Hislop: 122. 9) Sean Emmett: 116. 10) Scott Smart, Hawk Kawasaki: 100. 11) John Crawford: 74. 12) Lee Jackson, Hawk Kawasaki: 69. 13) Paul Young: 64. 14) Mark Heckles: 59. 15) Jon Kirkham: 34. 16) Leon Haslam: 30. 17) John McGuinness: 26. 17=) Paul Jones: 26. 19) Dean Ellison: 25. 20) Nick Medd: 19. 21) Dean Thomas: 13


More, from a press release issued by Dean Ellison’s publicist:

Oulton Park British Superbike Preview

Dean Ellison and the D&B Firepower Ducati Team supported by Alcatel head to Oulton Park, Cheshire this weekend. Dean will be hoping to regain the front row form he showed there earlier in the year.

Dean is keen to get back on his bike after his commendable results from the recent Brands Hatch World Superbikes and is looking forward to one of his favorite circuits of the series this weekend.

In a phone call yesterday evening Dean said; ‘This is where I managed to get on the front row on our last visit here and I have so many people reminding me of that. It’d be great to do it again. During race one I was lying in third place when I lost the front end going into Lodge, the last corner on the final lap. It’s ironic because the late great Steve Hislop took third in the race after my spill. I paid my respects to Steve at his funeral yesterday along with many other British Superbike competitors. Things in the paddock will certainly never be the same without him. He went from being my childhood hero to my friend and he’ll be greatly missed.’

The atmosphere in the whole paddock will be a little different this weekend after the sad loss of British Superbike and TT Hero Steve Hislop who lost his life in an air accident last Wednesday. Many riders will be sporting black armbands and a one minutes silence is to be held before the first race as a mark of respect for the reigning British Champion.

Oulton Park is situated near Tarporley, Cheshire. One of the most spectator friendly circuits, Oulton will surely pull in a large crowd over the weekend to cheer on Dean and the Team.