From a press release issued by Hawk Kawasaki:

HAWK KAWASAKI
THINK! BSB Championship, Round 8, July 4
National Superstock Cup, Round 6
Knockhill, Scotland
Track length: 1.3 miles
Weather: overcast, threatening rain, 17°C
Track: damp with drying line, 26°C

SMART TAKES SECOND BSB WIN IN COMMANDING STYLE

Hawk Kawasaki star Scott Smart destroyed the opposition at Knockhill today by winning the first race at the eighth round of the THINK! BSB Championship by more than 18 seconds.

Smarty, who qualified fifth, took a gamble on intermediate tyres, despite the rapidly changing weather conditions, and was able to hit the front on lap seven and stretch out an unassailable lead over the remaining 18 laps. The number 88 Hawk rider’s pace was so strong he was able to lap everyone up to sixth place – including BSB title contender Michael Rutter – and cruise to the flag to take his and Hawk’s second victory of the season.

“The race worked so well for me because I was on the right tyres, but then there were other guys out there on the right tyres and they were nowhere near,” said a beaming Smart after the race. “I gambled on tyres on the line. I was umming and ahhing on using a wet front before choosing intermediates. On the first couple of laps I thought it might have been better to go for wets, but then it started to dry up and work for me. Once I extended my three second lead to 14 seconds I backed off by half a second a lap to bring her home. In fact there were a bunch of guys I wasn’t even going to bother passing near the end. Those 25 points have pulled me further to the front of the championship again, so I’m really pleased.”

His Hawk team-mate, John McGuinness, looked equally commanding in the first race, leaping from eighth on the grid to third on the road in just two laps. The Lancastrian followed Smart to the front of the field, passing Yamaha’s Gary Mason for second on lap seven. By mid-race distance both Hawk riders had carved out an impressive 10 second lead over the rest of the field. Unfortunately McGuinness lost the front of his ZX-10R at the hairpin on lap 14 and was unable to restart the stalled motor.

“I feel gutted because the race was going so well for me,” said John, who was uninjured in the fall. “I went into the hairpin the same as any other lap, not any faster or slower, and it just folded the front. I felt I could have stayed with Scott and maybe even made a pass on him if that hadn’t happened. Everything was fine and I was just pumping the laps out. His tyres came into their own because he had a cut slick front, whereas I had a wet, although mine were still holding up really well. Maybe there was oil at the hairpin, I don’t know, because a few other riders fell in the same spot just a lap or two later.”

Smart was unable to repeat his win in race two, which was declared wet, after his visor steamed up, drastically reducing his vision. Despite tricky conditions he crossed the line in sixth, with McGuinness a strong seventh.

“I was a bit disappointed with that really because I got a really good start and I was up with the leaders, then I just seemed to get left behind,” said McGuinness of race two. “The bike didn’t seem to have much rear grip, but maybe that’s our fault for not getting on top of it in the wet sessions. I definitely didn’t want to crash again and I knew I had to bring the bike home. I’d have liked to have been in the top five, but top 10 is good. I want to prove that I’m not just a TT racer and that I can do it on the short circuits too. Hopefully by mixing it with these guys I can do that.”

McGuinness will now have the chance to prove himself in BSB for the rest of season after being confirmed as a permanent member of the Hawk Kawasaki team for the remainder of 2004. “John’s proved great on the bike, so he’ll continue to run him for the rest of the year alongside Scott and Glen when he returns,” said Hawk Kawasaki Team Principal Stuart Hicken. “Of course the first race would have been better if John hadn’t slid off at the hairpin, because with a one-two I’d have been over the moon, but to be honest I’m really happy the win. Sixth and seventh in the second race is good enough for me because this year we’ve always got to be happy with top 10s from a new bike. The conditions have been lousy all weekend, but the racing’s been excellent.”

Hawk Kawasaki National Superstock Cup rider Peter Hickman brought his ZX-10R home in only his second ever wet race. The 17 year-old was unable to better his qualifying position, of 16th, and finally finished in 18th due to a lack of feel from his machine in what were atrocious conditions.

“That was really frustrating,” explained Hickman after the race. “I normally go faster in the race than in qualifying, but that wasn’t possible today because I couldn’t feel the level of grip from the front tyre or tap on the power without it spinning. We should have softened the suspension more to suit the conditions, which were far worse than yesterday, but this is the first time we’ve raced the ZX-10 in the wet and we’re still learning. I’m pleased to have brought it home though.”

BSB RACE 1
1) Scott Smart, Hawk Kawasaki. 2) James Haydon, Yamaha. 3) Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki. John Reynolds, Suzuki. 5) Jon Kirkham, Suzuki (P). 6) Gary Mason, Yamaha. 7) James Ellison, Yamaha (P). 8) Iain MacPherson, Ducati. 9) Michael Rutter, Honda. 10) Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda. 11) Chris Platt, Kawasaki (P). 12) Kieran Clarke, Yamaha (P). 13) Chris Martin, Suzuki (P). 14) Dennis Hobbs, Suzuki (P). 15) Craig Coxhell, Honda
(P)= Privateer
Fastest lap: Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki: 52.867, 88.42mph

BSB RACE 2
1) James Haydon, Yamaha. 2) Sean Emmett, Ducati. 3) John Reynolds, Suzuki. 4) Michael Rutter, Honda. 5) Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki. 6) Scott Smart, Hawk Kawasaki. 7) John McGuinness, Hawk Kawasaki. 8) Craig Coxhell, Honda. 9) Dean Thomas, Ducati. 10) James Ellison, Yamaha (P). 11) Jon Kirkham, Suzuki (P). 12) Kieran Clarke, Yamaha. 13) Sam Corke, Suzuki (P). 14) Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda. 15) Dennis Hobbs, Suzuki (P)
Fastest lap: Sean Emmett, Ducati: 54.123, 85.37mph

BSB CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS AFTER 8 ROUNDS
1) John Reynolds, Suzuki, 290. 2) Michael Rutter, Honda, 252. 3) Yukio Kagayama, Suzuki, 208. 4) Sean Emmett, Ducati, 206. 5) Scott Smart, Hawk Kawasaki, 199. 6) Dean Thomas, Ducati, 108. 7) Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, 95. 8) Tommy Hill, Yamaha, 88. 9) James Haydon, Yamaha, 87. 10) Glen Richards, Hawk Kawasaki, 78. 11) Gary Mason, Yamaha, 74. 12) James Ellison, Yamaha, 71. 13) Craig Coxhell, Honda, 68. 14) Jon Kirkham, Suzuki (P). 15) Kieran Clarke, Yamaha, 50. 16) Leon Haslam, Ducati, 43. 17) Dennis Hobbs, Suzuki, 38. 18) John McGuinness, Hawk Kawasaki, 35. 19) Sam Corke, Suzuki, 34. 20) James Buckingham, Suzuki, 31

MANUFACTURERS CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 8 ROUNDS
1) Suzuki, 331. 2) Honda, 269. 3) Ducati, 241. 4) Kawasaki, 215. 5) Yamaha, 175



More, from a press release issued by MonsterMob Ducati:

MonsterMob Ducati British Superbike and Supersport Championship Team

4th July, 2004

THINK! British Superbike Championship – Rounds 15/16 – Knockhill, Fife, Scotland–
3rd/4th July

DOUBLE PODIUM FOR TEAM MONSTERMOB

MonsterMob Ducati riders Sean Emmett and Michael Laverty left a soggy Knockhill in Scotland with a rostrum each after a difficult day’s racing in round eight of the THINK! British Superbike Championship today.

With both qualifying as well as the racing interrupted by torrential rain showers, Superbike rider Sean Emmett qualified sixth whilst Supersport counterpart Michael Laverty set pole position on the 749 Ducati amidst the storms of Saturday.

But despite their best combined efforts they couldn’t manage a win at the Fife circuit due to the treacherous conditions. In the opening Superbike race Emmett crashed out when another rider fell in front of him and he had to take avoiding action but he bounced back in race two with a superb second place after being denied the race win due to tangling with back markers.

“I’m just disappointed, it’s been a bad day in the office. I got knocked off in the first race and I had the perfect combination of tyres on – the same as Scott Smart who won. In the second race I worked my way from a mediocre start and caught James Haydon very quickly with three laps to go and just got my worst run of back markers I have ever had. But that’s the way it goes” said Emmett who now lies in fourth position in the Championship.

Laverty’s race was delayed due to a cloud burst and when eventually it got underway the young Ulsterman rode a calculated race to bring the bike home in third position to maintain his championship challenge.

“I spun off the line and dropped down to fifth or sixth and once I caught up I started to make some headway on Karl Harris but he got through the back markers better than me. I’m disappointed to lose points to Karl but happy enough to get it home and on the podium. There was nothing more I could do today in those conditions” said Laverty.

Team owner Paul Bird said the following:
“Two rostrums in such awful conditions is a credit to the riders and Sean was desperately unlucky in the first race to get brought off. Hopefully we can get back to winning ways at Mallory in a couple of weeks time” said Bird.

Superbike Race One Result
1, Scott Smart (Kawasaki) 22m53.543s, 2, James Haydon (Yamaha) +18.147s, 3,
Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) +20.532s, 4, John Reynolds (Suzuki) +34.758s, 5, Jon
Kirkham (Suzuki) +50.576s, 6, Gary Mason (Yamaha) +51.395s, 7, James Ellison
(Yamaha) +1 lap, 8, Iain MacPherson (Ducati) +1 lap, 9, Michael Rutter (Honda)
+1 lap, 10, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +1 lap.

Superbike Race Two Result
1, James Haydon (Yamaha) 23m42.685s, 2, Sean Emmett (MonsterMob Ducati) +0.420s,
3, John Reynolds (Suzuki) +1.186s, 4, Michael Rutter (Honda) +2.521s, 5, Yukio
Kagayama (Suzuki) +11.780s, 6, Scott Smart (Kawasaki) +11.959s, 7, John McGuinness
(Kawasaki) +30.058s, 8, Craig Coxhell (Honda) +32.956s, 9, Dean Thomas (Ducati)
+34.927s, 10, James Ellison (Yamaha) +39.958s.

Supersport Race Result
1, Paul Young (Honda) 21m56.004s, 2, Karl Harris (Honda) +9.226s, 3, Michael
Laverty (MonsterMob Ducati) +14.689s, 4, Pere Riba (Kawasaki) +20.875s, 5,
Tom Sykes (Suzuki) +21.005s, 6, Kieran Murphy (Honda) +25.234s, 7, Cal Crutchlow
(Honda) +28.888s, 8, Craig Jones (Triumph) +39.673s, 9, Lee Jackson (Honda)
+40.033s, 10, Bob Grant (Honda) +42.484s.

Superbike Championship Standings (after Round 16)
1, John Reynolds (Suzuki) 290 pts
2, Michael Rutter (Honda) 252 pts
3, Yukio Kagayama (Suzuki) 208 pts
4, Sean Emmett (MonsterMob Ducati) 206 pts
5, Scott Smart (Kawasaki) 199 pts
6, Dean Thomas (Ducati) 108 pts
7, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 95 pts
8, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) 88 pts
9, James Haydon (Yamaha) 87 pts
10, Glen Richards (Kawasaki) 78 pts

Supersport Championship Standings (after Round 8)
1, Karl Harris (Honda) 156 pts
2, Michael Laverty (MonsterMob Ducati) 132 pts
3, Pere Riba (Kawasaki) 101 pts
4, Jay Vincent (Honda) 97 pts
5, Simon Andrews (Yamaha) 76 pts
6, Luke Quigley (Suzuki) 65 pts
7, Leon Camier (Honda) 49 pts
7, Craig Jones (Triumph) 49 pts
9, Tom Sykes (Suzuki) 47 pts
10, Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 41 pts


More, from a press release issued by Team Suzuki:

DOUBLE PODIUM FOR RIZLA SUZUKI
Rizla Suzuki’s John Reynolds left a soaking wet eighth round of the THINK! British Superbike Championship at Knockhill in Scotland with a podium and an extended points lead while his team mate Yukio Kagayama also scored a podium finish and the Steve Hislop award for the fastest lap of the weekend.

Thunder, lightning and torrential rain played havoc with the race-day schedule but it didn’t dampen the spirits of the riders who both improved their championship standings: JR increased his lead in the series to 38-points while Yuki reclaimed third place in the Championship as the team continued its impressive manufacturer’s record of scoring a podium in every Superbike race so far this year.

The first race was declared wet but the track dried as the race went on, making tyre selection critical. Yuki went out on intermediates and JR with an intermediate rear and wet front tyre to finish third and fourth respectively behind winner Scott Smart on a Kawasaki. Yuki’s quickest lap time of 52.867s won him the ‘Flying Haggis Steve Hislop Award’ for the fastest lap of the weekend.

The second race was delayed by a storm and was run in full wet conditions. JR was always in contention for the win but was baulked by back-markers in the final stages of the race and settled for third. Yuki battled gamely through the wet weather to finish fifth.

Scotland’s triple BSB Champion and Rizla Suzuki test rider Niall Mackenzie was joined at trackside by ex-World Rally Car Champion and Playstation 2 computer game hero Colin McRae to cheer on Yuki and JR today.

John Reynolds:

“That was a hard day’s work. The first race was run in changing conditions which is always a challenge. The second race was frustrating as I had the pace to win but found it difficult to overtake James because of the treacherous surface water.

“But overall I am happy with an extended Championship points lead and the fact I didn’t fall off in such difficult conditions. Now I have a further two weeks to let my broken collarbone heal up and then it’s back to action at Mallory Park and hopefully the top step of the podium.”

Yukio Kagayama:

“In the first race I think this is maximum result on my intermediate tyres. In the second race I really need to change setting in wrist – I should open throttle more. I would prefer better results, but maybe this is not best track or weather conditions for me. I am happy to win the ‘Steve Hislop Flying Haggis Award’ for the fastest lap and meet his mother Margaret – this is great honour for me.”

Paul Denning – Team Manager:

“Both riders brought their Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000s home in challenging weather conditions and scored sensible points. In JR’s case, he beat his nearest rival in both races and has extended his series lead – which is a great result. Yuki reclaimed third place in the Championship and the team kept its fantastic record of scoring a podium in every race of the season so far, so all in all, a good day’s work.

“Thanks to all our sponsors and fans for their support – including Scottish rally heroes Colin and Alistair McRae who joined us today. Even when the thunder was crashing overhead and the rain sheeting down, you could see the Rizla Suzuki blue colours in the stands. That sort of support really lifts the riders and the team, so thank you all!”

The next round of the British Superbike Championship takes place at the fast and furious Mallory Park venue in Leicestershire on Sunday, July 18th.

Race One Results: 1: Scott Smart (Kawasaki) 22:53.543, 2: James Haydon (Yamaha) +18.147, 3: YUKIO KAGAYAMA (RIZLA SUZUKI) +20.532, 4: JOHN REYNOLDS (RIZLA SUZUKI) +34.758, 5: Jon Kirkham (Suzuki) +50.576, 6: Gary Mason (Yamaha) +51.395, 7: James Ellison (Yamaha) +1-lap, 8: Iain MacPherson (Ducati) +1-lap, 9: Michael Rutter (Honda) +1-lap, 10: Ryui chi Kiyonari (Honda) +1-lap.

Race Two Results: 1: Haydon 23:42.685, 2: Sean Emmett (Ducati) +0.420, 3: JOHN REYNOLDS (RIZLA SUZUKI) +1.186, 4: Rutter +2.521, 5: YUKIO KAGAYAMA (RIZLA SUZUKI) +11.780, 6: Smart +11.959, 7: John McGuinness (Kawasaki) +30.058, 8: Craig Coxhell (Honda) +32.956, 9: Dean Thomas (Ducati) +34.927, 10: Ellison +39.958.

Championship Positions (after eight rounds): 1: JOHN REYNOLDS (RIZLA SUZUKI) 290, 2: Rutter 252, 3: YUKIO KAGAYAMA (RIZLA SUZUKI) 208, 4: Emmett 206, 5: Smart 199, 6: Thomas 108, 7: Kiyonari 95, 8: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) 88, 9: Haydon 87, 10: Glen Richards (Kawasaki) 78.