Updated Post: Rutter, Reynolds Take Wins At Silverstone British Superbike Opener

Updated Post: Rutter, Reynolds Take Wins At Silverstone British Superbike Opener

© 2004, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

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From a press release issued by MonsterMob Ducati:

British Superbike Championship
Round 1
Silverstone, Northants
27/28 March

FOURTH AND FIFTH FOR EMMETT, WHILST LAVERTY GETS THIRD

MonsterMob Ducati rider Sean Emmett got his season off to a start by scoring a fifth and a fourth place respectively at the opening round of the British Superbike Championship in front of a 23,500 crowd at Silverstone today.

The first race was marred with damp weather at the start, which meant a tough tyre choice for all the teams. Emmett led the race for the first couple of laps but then dropped back as he struggled with the track conditions, to end up in fifth place at the end of the 22 laps.

Race two saw the 34 year old Londoner finish in fourth place aboard the VK Vodka Kick and Cetelem (UK) supported Ducati 999 F04, after leading early on, but scored more important points in the 26 race series.

“I would have been satisfied with two rostrums today, but now I’ll have to be satisfied with a fourth and fifth instead. This circuit suits the four cylinder bikes but it is a difficult for the twin cylinder bikes, especially with it being a new bike as well. We’ve got some data from here and we can build on that and also the next round is at Brands Hatch which is a completely different circuit. There’s only one real corner here but I’ve got two finishes and we’re 17 points off the lead, but there is still a long way to go yet” said Emmett.

Team mate Michael Laverty scored an impressive third place in his first race aboard the Ducati 749 Supersport machine. The 22 year old from CountyAntrim enjoyed a race long battle to score 16 points and claim his third place in the Championship.

“I’m happy enough with the result but disappointed that I wasn’t closer to Karl Harris who won the race. But considering how things have gone this weekend I am pretty pleased with the result. We will get the bike set up better for Brands Hatch and start the challenge from there” said Laverty.

Penrith-based team boss Paul Bird was pleased with his team’s overall results.

“That’s a good start. We knew it was going to be tough and it definitely has been. The weather didn’t help in the first race, but overall that was two good starts. It’s a difficult circuit for the Ducati here at Silverstone but we’re happy enough. The Supersport result was perfect – top three was better than we could ask for” said Bird.

Superbike Race One Result
1, Michael Rutter (Honda) 36:18.615
2, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) -2.874
3. John Reynolds (Suzuki) -21.065
4, Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) -33.099
5, Sean Emmett (MonsterMob Ducati) -45.732
6, Marty Nutt (Yamaha) -50.747
7, Scott Smart (Kawasaki) -51.751
8, Dean Thomas (Ducati) -51.808
9, Glen Richards (Kawasaki) -53.367
10, Craig Coxhell (Honda) -61.019

Superbike Race Two Result
1, John Reynolds (Suzuki) 32:10.864
2, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) -0.510
3, Michael Rutter (Honda) -1.340
4, Sean Emmett (MonsterMob Ducati) -12.504
5, Scott Smart (Kawasaki) -17.619
6, Dean Thomas (Ducati) -22.764
7, Stuart Easton (Ducati) -36.684
8, Gary Mason (Yamaha) -43.615
9, Steve Plater (Yamaha) -57.525
10, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) -59.826

Supersport Race Result
1, Karl Harris (Honda) 30:24.585
2, Craig Jones (Triumph) -2.708
3, Michael Laverty (MonsterMob Ducati) -3.002
4, Pere Riba (Kawasaki) -5.571
5, Leon Camier (Honda) -10.240
6, Kieran Murphy (Honda) -11.248
7, Cal Crutchlow (Honda) -17.950
8, Jay Vincent (Honda) -26.889
9, Adrian Coates (Suzuki) -33.820s
10, Tom Sykes (Suzuki) -35.092



Superbike Championship Standings (after Round 1)
1, Michael Rutter (Honda) 41 pts
1, John Reynolds (Suzuki) 41 pts
3, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 40 pts
4, Sean Emmett (MonsterMob Ducati) 24 pts
5, Scott Smart (Kawasaki) 21 pts
6, Dean Thomas (Ducati) 19 pts
7, Stuart Easton (Ducati) 14 pts
8, Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) 13 pts
9, Craig Coxhell (Honda) 12 pts
10, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) 11 pts


Supersport Championship Standings (after Round 1)
1, Karl Harris (Honda) 25 pts
2, Craig Jones (Triumph) 20 pts
3, Michael Laverty (MonsterMob Ducati) 16 pts
4, Pere Riba (Kawasaki) 13 pts
5, Leon Camier (Honda) 11 pts
6, Kieran Murphy (Honda) 10 pts
7, Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 9 pts
8, Jay Vincent (Honda) 8 pts
9, Adrian Coates (Suzuki) 7 pts
10, Tom Sykes (Suzuki) 6 pts



BSB 2004 Dates
Mar 28: Silverstone, Northamptonshire.
Apr 12: Brands Hatch Indy, Kent.
Apr 25: Snetterton, Norfolk.
May 3: Oulton Park, Cheshire.
May 23: Mondello Park, Ireland.
Jun 6: Thruxton, Hampshire.
Jun 20: Brands Hatch, Kent.
Jul 4: Knockhill, Fife, Scotland.
Jul 18: Mallory Park, Leicestershire.
Aug 15: Croft, North Yorkshire
Aug 30: Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire.
Sep 12: Oulton Park, Cheshire.
Sep 19: Donington Park, Leicestershire


More, from a press release issued by MSS Discovery Kawasaki Team:

British Supersport/Superstock Championships ­ Round one ­ Silverstone

Sunday March 28 2004

RIBA AND ZX-6RR SECURE SOLID FINISH FOR MSS DISCOVERY KAWASAKI AT SILVERSTONE

Hard-charging Pere Riba grabbed a fourth place finish in Sunday’s opening round of the British Supersport Championship at Silverstone, Northants as the MSS Discovery Kawasaki team launched its campaign in determined fashion.

Riba¹s ride, from seventh place on the grid, came in contrast to the fortunes of his team-mate Rob Frost, a second-lap faller after being hit by another rider. Frost escaped injury in the Woodcote corner crash.

Riba, after his British Championship debut, commented: “I’m really, really pleased with fourth place. We knew before the weekend that it would be tough but we are so close now to a perfect setting. The engine is very strong and the tyres are excellent. Once we find that base setting for the chassis and suspension I will be able to win races.”

Spaniard Riba added: “I worked so hard to keep fourth place but I was convinced I may be able to get onto the podium so there was no way I wanted to lose sight of the third place rider. But as soon as riding this machine becomes really enjoyable I will start to challenge for victories.”

Frost blasted through the field on the first lap and had moved from 18th place on the grid to 11th when he fell, after a tangle with another rider on lap two.

“I’m not even sure who it was who hit me,” said Frost. “I was peeling into Woodcote and minding my own business, next thing I knew I was down. I’m as frustrated about the lack of a result as I am about the crash. The team worked really hard overnight on my set-up and the machine felt brilliant.

“I knew the race would be tough from 18th on the grid but I got a great start and was into 13th place by the first corner. It’s disappointing but I know we have a good enough package in the ZX-6RR for me to be able to challenge for wins in the next few rounds.”

Steve Allan completed the day with a podium finish for the MSS Discovery team as the Scotsman took the ZX-10R to third place in its debut in the National Superstock Championship.

Allan grabbed the holeshot and led until lap 13 of the 18-lap affair ­ breaking the lap record along the way ­ before accepting a comfortable third place.

“I knew that I needed to finish the race and, beforehand, I was confident that I’d be in the top six ­ just from the performance of the ZX-10R in pre-season testing,” explained Allan.

He continued: “I could only go at a pace I was comfortable with and after crashing yesterday in the final qualifying session the last thing I needed to do was give the team another load of work. Third place will do and we’ll build on that. To take a podium finish in the first race for the new machine is perfect.”

British Supersport Championship, round one result (20 laps ­ 44.26 miles):
1 Karl Harris, Honda, 30:24.585
2 Craig Jones, Triumph, 30:27.293
3 Michael Laverty, Ducati, 30:27.587
4 Pere Riba, Kawasaki, 30:30.156
5 Leon Camier, Honda, 30:34.825
6 Kieran Murphy, Honda, 30:35.833
7 Cal Crutchlow, Honda, 30:42.535
8 Jay Vincent, Honda, 30:51.474
9 Adrian Coates, Suzuki, 30:58.405
10 Tom Sykes, Suzuki, 30:59.677

Championship points after one of 13 rounds: 1 Harris 25, 2 Jones 20, 3 Laverty 16, 4 Riba 13, 5 Camier 11, 6 Murphy 10, 7 Crutchlow 9, 8 Vincent 8, 9 Coates 7, 10 Sykes 6.

Next round: Brands Hatch ­ April 12

National Superstock Championship, round one result (18 laps ­ 39.83 miles):
1 Ben Wilson, Suzuki, 27:20.577
2 Andy Tinsley, Suzuki, 27:21.476
3 Steve Allan, Kawasaki, 27:21.737
4 Tristan Palmer, Suzuki, 27:24.830
5 Les Shand, Yamaha, 27:28.918
6 Jamie Morley, Suzuki, 27:33.095
7 Danny Beaumont, Yamaha, 27:33.213
8 Craig Fitzpatrick, Suzuki, 27:47.091
9 Kevin Reilly, Ducati, 27:52.829
10 Mark Heckles, Yamaha, 27:58.894

Championship points after one of 13 rounds: 1 Wilson 25, 2 Tinsley 20, 3 Allan 16, 4 Palmer 13, 5 Shand 11, 6 Morley 10, 7 Beaumont 9, 8 Fitzpatrick 8, 9 Reilly 7, 10 Heckles 6.

Next round: Brands Hatch ­ April 12


More, from a press release issued by Hawk Kawasaki:

BSB Championship, Round 1
Silverstone
Race 1 & 2

Sunday March 28
Track length: 2.2130 miles
Track temperature: 12 C
Air temperature: 7 C

SMART TAKES SUPERB FIFTH IN ZX-10R’s FIRST BSB ROUND

Hawk Kawasaki rider Scott Smart took a superb fifth place in the second BSB race at the opening round at Silverstone today. The number 88 rider’s excellent showing backed up his hard-fought seventh place in the first race, secured on a drying track when he pipped Ducati-mounted Dean Thomas to the line by just one tenth of a second.

“It was a pretty good result because I made an error on the last lap and I was quite a way back on Dean,” said Scott of his first race finish. “I knew I was much quicker through the last two corners so I had a go and passed him cleanly, although it was probably a bit of a surprise to him. I had a massive moment near the beginning when Glen and Dean got past me. I could see Kagayama and Reynolds and thought, ‘right I’m going to have them’ but I went though the second chicane and my feet were off the pegs and I ran onto the grass. I managed to drag it back onto the track and got a good result in the end though. We ran wets because it was declared a wet race and they were destroyed at the end. I was trying higher gears in the hope it’d hook up better but all it did was spin more. It didn’t matter though in the end because both Glen and Dean were in the same boat.”

Smart’s fifth in the second race upped his weekend’s points haul to 21, and fifth place in the points table. “It’s a lot harder in the dry than it is in the wet and the bike is very aggressive near the limit,” he said. “You’ve just got to be really gentle with it all the time. I’m pleased because I’ve come away with two good results, but also gutted because if I’d found a tenth of a second a lap I could have beaten Emmett in the second race. I was hanging on, hanging on, missed a couple of gears and then thought, ‘must bring it home’, plus I so nearly hit Glen when he crashed. We’ve now got a good base point and we just want to start finishing a few places further up.”

Smart’s team mate, Glen Richards, had a more challenging first outing on the ZX-10R, finishing ninth in the first race, due to badly worn wet tyres, and crashing out of a potential fifth in the second race. “The rear wet that we had was fairly soft so after half a dozen laps it wasn’t real good, but most people’s tyres were no good by then,” explained the Aussie of the first race. “Because of that we didn’t have any grip at the back. The bike wasn’t too bad but I if I’d tried to go any faster I think I would have crashed and after the day that I had yesterday I was determined to make it to the finish.” Sadly he fell in the second race, although fortunately was uninjured from the spill.

Smart’s strong finishes aboard the ZX-10R delighted Hawk Team Principal Stuart Hicken, especially as there is so much more to come from the new machine. “We were running very close to the leading pack using an almost stock motor – we’ve still got an ignition key on the bike,” he said. “Glen could have done without that tumble, but Scott’s adapted to the bike quickly which is good. I’m very pleased with how close we are to the leaders. To see that halfway through the race we’re still on the start/finish straight with the leading pack is real important because we have a tremendous amount to come at the moment. We’re looking forward to getting the Motec ignition on and doing more work on the bikes.”

The next BSB round is at Brands Hatch from April 10-12.

BSB Race 1
1) Michael Rutter, Honda. 2) Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda. 3) John Reynolds, Suzuki. 4) Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki. 5) Sean Emmett, Ducati. 6) Marty Nutt, Yamaha (P). 7) Scott Smart, Hawk Kawasaki. 8) Dean Thomas, Ducati. 9) Glen Richards, Hawk Kawasaki. 10) Craig Coxhell, Honda. 11) Stuart Easton, Ducati. 12) James Ellison, Yamaha (P). 13) Jon Kirkham, Suzuki (P). 14) Tommy Hill, Yamaha. 15) Sam Corke, Suzuki (P)

Fastest lap: Michael Rutter, Honda: 1:37.543

BSB Race 2
1) John Reynolds, Suzuki. 2) Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda. 3) Michael Rutter, Honda. 4) Sean Emmett, Ducati. 5) Scott Smart, Hawk Kawasaki. 6) Dean Thomas, Ducati. 7) Stuart Easton, Ducati. 8) Gary Mason, Yamaha. 9) Steve Plater, Yamaha. 10) Tommy Hill, Yamaha. 11) Jon Kirkham, Suzuki (P). 12) Craig Coxhell, Honda. 13) Dennis Hobbs, Suzuki (P). 14) Dean Ellison, Ducati. 15) James Ellison, Yamaha (P)

Fastest lap: Michael Rutter, Honda: 1:26.890

BSB Championship after 1 round
1) Michael Rutter, 41. 1=) John Reynolds, 41. 3) Ryuichi Kiyonari, 40. 4) Sean Emmett, 24. 5) Scott Smart, Hawk Kawasaki, 21. 6) Dean Thomas, 19. 7) Stuart Easton, 14. 8) Yukio Kagayama, 13. 9) Craig Coxhell, 12. 10) Tommy Hill, 11. 11) Gary Mason, 9. 12) Glen Richards, Hawk Kawasaki, 8. 13) Steve Plater, 7. 14) Kieran Clarke, 4. 15) Dean Ellison, 4

Manufacturers Championship after 1 round
1) Honda, 45. 2) Suzuki, 41. 3) Ducati, 24. 4) Kawasaki, 21. 5) Yamaha, 14

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