The battle is on to be crowned the King of Brands as Bennetts BSB hits Kent
It’s coming home! The Bennetts British Superbike Championship returns to Kent for the annual summer bash at Brands Hatch this weekend (July 20/21/22) with local contenders Bradley Ray and Jake Dixon hunting home glory as the battle to be inside the all-important top six intensifies.
Dixon became the fourth different race winner of the season last time out at Knockhill and came tantalisingly close to making it a double celebration, but a huge moment saw the RAF Regular & Reserves Kawasaki rider wrestle the bike back into line to finish second to standings leader Leon Haslam.
JG Speedfit Kawasaki’s Haslam heads the standings as he arrives back at the Grand Prix circuit, the scene of his crushing title defeat last year. But he’s focused on putting that firmly behind him as he bids to hold off his closing rivals.
Ashford’s Bradley Ray is third in the title stakes after Dixon edged ahead at Knockhill, but the Donington Park double race winner knows that he needs to fire the Buildbase Suzuki to the front of the field with a home crowd eagerly watching his every move.
Glenn Irwin heads the Be Wiser Ducati charge and he is pushing for his first victory of the season at a circuit that has been strong for the team in the past with Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne, who remains sidelined through injury.
Essex contender Danny Buchan surged up the order last time out and, after a double podium finish, the FS-3 Racing Kawasaki rider now holds the final place inside the top six with McAMS Yamaha’s Josh Brookes just nudged into seventh. The Australian, who was crowned the champion in 2015, will be pushing for his first win of the season at the round celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Yamaha R1.
The Tyco BMW teammates arrive at Brands Hatch equal on points, with Michael Laverty looking to repeat his podium finish from earlier in the season at the Kent circuit as Christian Iddon bids for his first top three finish of his 2018 campaign.
Meanwhile Honda Racing’s Jason O’Halloran and Dan Linfoot will be keen to put their recent injuries behind them, whilst Peter Hickman and James Ellison will also be pushing to leap up the order after this weekend.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings:
1.Leon Haslam (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) 210
2.Jake Dixon (RAF Regular & Reserves Kawasaki) 136
3.Bradley Ray (Buildbase Suzuki) 112
4.Glenn Irwin (Be Wiser Ducati) 105
5.Shane Byrne (Be Wiser Ducati) 98
6.Danny Buchan (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) 95
The next round of the 2018 Bennetts British Superbike Championship take place at Brands Hatch on July 20/21/22. For more information visit www.britishsuperbike.com
Jake Dixon
(RAF Regular and Reserves Kawasaki)
“I am just taking each race as it comes but I know when we get it right, we can win – we saw that at Knockhill. It was great to win but at the same time I felt like it should have been the double; it was my mistake that cost us the win in race two. The bike is at the best place it has been this season and the team have done a fantastic job to get us to this point.
“We have a few improvements for Brands Hatch and the aim is obviously to bang in some more podiums. I am going into the weekend with an open mind and I love the Grand Prix circuit; I have had a lot of success there in the support classes so I am looking for my first Superbike podium there this weekend that’s for sure!
“I think we showed at Knockhill that we can win races and be ahead of Leon; I feel in a good place ready for the next two races but the main thing is to keep getting the Podium Points so that we get into the Showdown again and are ready to fight for the title.”
More, from a press release issued by Be Wiser Ducati:
Brands Beckons For Be Wiser Ducati
The 2018 Bennetts British Superbike Championship hits the halfway stage this weekend when the famous Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in Kent hosts round six of the series and sees Northern Irish brothers Glenn and Andrew Irwin go in search of success.
In the absence of the team’s reigning and six times BSB champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne who is still side-lined through injury, the Be Wiser Ducati pairing hope to continue the good form shown at the last round at Knockhill for Paul Bird’s Lake District-based team.
Up in Scotland, 28-year-old Carrickfergus ace Glenn couldn’t quite manage to add to his podium tally for the season when he brought the factory-backed Be Wiser Ducati Panigale R home in a pair of fourth places but is strategically poised in fourth place in the standings and looking to consolidate his claims of a Showdown slot later in the season.
Younger brother Andrew contests his third meeting on the Be Wiser Ducati Superbike and after an impressive showing on his debut at Snetterton, he was again in the mix at Knockhill where he recorded a best result of eighth. The County Antrim-based 23 year old heads to Brands Hatch in confident mood and is aiming to upset some of the established stars over the weekend once again.
Glenn Irwin: “Knockhill was a little frustrating but we are going from one track which didn’t suit the Be Wiser Ducati to one which most certainly does, and my intention is to push for my first wins of the year. We’ve not been a million miles away at any round so far and Brands Hatch GP is a fantastic track which I really enjoy so hopefully it will all come together this weekend. I’ll be very disappointed not to come away with at least one win.”
Andrew Irwin: “I’m really looking forward to Brands Hatch this weekend, it’s a track that clearly suits the Ducati as Shakey has proved many times in the past. On Friday I’ll work on adapting my lines to suit the Superbike, then the plan is to qualify as best I can on Saturday and get a good grid position for race one. On Sunday, my minimum aim is to score a couple of top ten finishes which is more than a realistic target I feel.”
There is live action on Eurosport and on the Eurosport player throughout the weekend with Datatag Qualifying on Saturday from 16.00 and the Bennetts BSB races live on Sunday at 13.30 and 16.30. Highlights on ITV4 will be shown on Wednesday evening at 20.00.
For further information, please visit the team’s website, www.pbmuk.net and the official website of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship www.pbmuk.net
More, from a press release issued by Bathams Racing:
Mackenzie joins Bathams Racing for Brands Hatch triple header
Taylor Mackenzie will make a rapid return to race action this weekend with the 25-year old contesting the three Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship races at Brands Hatch for the Bathams Racing team.
The Ashby resident looked set for a spell on the sidelines after being released by the Moto Rapido Ducati squad, for whom he’d been competing in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship but he’ll now campaign a BMW S1000RR for the Bathams team owned and managed by regular pilot Michael Rutter.
With the Bridgnorth rider unable to ride at the previous round at Knockhill nor at Brands Hatch this weekend due to family commitments, he’s acted fast to secure the services of Mackenzie particularly as the Kent venue is the local round for one of the team’s main sponsors, Aspire Ho.
Mackenzie is no stranger to either the BMW S1000RR or the class having won the 2016 Championship whilst riding for Stuart Hicken’s Buildbase team. That year saw him win no less than six races and with two other podiums, he eventually ran out victor by 26 points. He’s now looking forward to being back on board the German manufacturer and kick starting his season.
Speaking about the deal, Mackenzie said: “I need to say a big thank you to the Bathams Racing team for this opportunity as I didn’t expect to be back on the grid so soon. I really enjoyed racing a BMW in 2016 and sitting on the bike in the workshop this week felt like home to me and put a big smile back on my face. I’m very excited to see what the rest of the year will bring.”
Rutter added: “Whilst I’m naturally disappointed not to be riding at present, it’s the right decision for me to make but with the infrastructure and machinery that we have, we were eager to have a presence on the grid in front of our sponsors so I’m delighted that Taylor will be riding for the Bathams Racing team at Brands Hatch. His pedigree in the class and on the BMW speaks for itself and I witnessed at close quarters in 2016 just how talented he is so we’re all eagerly looking forward to working with him this weekend.”
Saturday sees two 18-lap races take place around the iconic 2.6-mile circuit with the third scheduled for 2.15pm on Sunday.