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Redding leads Brookes for Ducati 1-2 at Snetterton

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2019 British Superbike Championship

Round Six – Snetterton

Scott Redding has proven unstoppable across both BSB Superbike races at Snetterton, with Australian Josh Brookes hot on his heels. Redding claimed both wins and Brookes was regulated to runner-up in each race for a Ducati 1-2, with MacKenzie and Bridewell sharing the final podium positions. Redding leads the standings, with Josh Brookes now three-points off Bridewell in third.

BSB Round Snetterton Brookes Redding
Scott Redding and Josh Brookes – Snetterton BSB 2019

Jason O’Halloran took ninth in Race 1, however a crash in Race 2 delivered a DNF result, and made for his third crash of the weekend. Ben Currie returned from injury and laid claim to 19th in Race 1, however was directed not to take part in Race 2 due to pain from his injury, with recovery ongoing.

BSB Round Snetterton Girls Ohalloran
Jason O’Halloran – Snetterton BSB 2019

Jack Kennedy took the Supersport Sprint win ahead of Brad Jones and Alastair Seeley, while the feature race saw Rob Guiver claim the win from Sean Nearv and Josh Day. Jack Kennedy leads the Supersport standings to Thruxton.

BSB Round Snetterton STK McConnell Rollo Reid
Billy McConnell – Snetterton BSB 2019

Billy McConnell also made a strong return to the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 series claiming fourth despite his lengthy lay-off and surgeries, with fellow Aussie Levi Day happy coming home in seventh. Richard Cooper took the race win from Lee Jackson and Taylor Mackenzie. Richard Cooper leads the standings, with Day 10th and McConnell 14th.

BSB Round Snetterton STK Levi Day
Levi Day – Snetterton BSB 2019

Superbikes Race 1

At the start of the race one Tarran Mackenzie got an incredible launch off the line to lead the pack on the opening lap ahead of Brookes and Redding with Tommy Bridewell in fourth. The rider was not happy to settle where he was though and was instantly on the attack, moving ahead of Redding into Agostini for the first time.

BSB Round Snetterton Race Mackenzie Brookes Bridewell Redding
Tarran Mackenzie took the Race 1 holeshot- Snetterton BSB 2019

On the fourth lap Bridewell had moved into second with a decisive dive down the inside at Riches, pushing Brookes back into third. At the front, Bridewell claimed the lead ahead of Mackenzie as Redding moved into third. Bridewell tried to make a break from the pack but he made a mistake into Agostini a lap later and crashed out unhurt.

Redding had cut through into second and with Bridewell out of the race he captured the race lead, but behind there was an intense battle between Brookes and Mackenzie with the pair trading blows for several laps. The fight between the pair gave Redding the opportunity to edge out a gap, but Brookes was then able to get the better of Mackenzie and keep him behind over the closing stages.

BSB Round Snetterton Redding Mackenzie Brookes
Scott Redding quickly reclaimed the lead – Snetterton BSB 2019

Danny Buchan maintained his position inside the top six in the standings with a fourth place, but the FS-3 Racing Kawasaki rider had a lonely end to the race. However behind him there was a scrap between the Honda Racing pairing; Xavi Forés and Andrew Irwin colliding on the final lap, but both formation flying to the finish line with the Spaniard having the edge at the chequered flag.

Peter Hickman was also in the group and he held off Luke Mossey for seventh place ahead of Jason O’Halloran who had a strong race to carve through the field from his seventh row start on the second McAMS Yamaha. Christian Iddon completed the top ten, passing his teammate Michael Laverty in the final moments of the race on his return after his Knockhill injury.

BSB Round Snetterton Jason Ohalloran
Jason O’Halloran took ninth in Race 1- Snetterton BSB 2019

Superbikes Race 2

In race two Brookes had the perfect start off the line to lead the pack into Riches for the first time ahead of Redding, Bridewell and Mackenzie. Jason O’Halloran meanwhile had also made a good start to move into fifth on the second of the McAMS Yamahas. The Australian though crashed out on the fourth lap at Brundle, ending his race prematurely.

BSB Round Snetterton Brookes Redding Bridewell Mackenzie
Josh Brookes took the early lead in Race 2 from Scott Redding – Snetterton BSB 2019

At the front Brookes held the lead until there were just three laps remaining as Redding made a dive down the inside on the brakes at the end of the Bentley Straight to take the lead. The race one winner was able to hold off his Be Wiser Ducati teammate to the finish line.

However it was a double disaster for Mackenzie who crashed out at Wilson on lap eleven as he bid to close down Bridewell for the final podium position. The Oxford Racing Ducati rider bounced back from his race one crash to claim third place and maintain his second place position in the championship standings ahead of Brookes.

BSB Round Snetterton Bridewell Redding Mackenzie
Tommy Bridewell – Snetterton BSB 2019

In the battle for fourth place Irwin scored his best result of the season so far for Honda Racing, holding off Peter Hickman and Iddon who had a strong performance despite still recovering from his Knockhill injuries.

Hector Barbera had an impressive performance on his first visit to Snetterton on the Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki, taking the chequered flag ahead of Forés who maintained his position inside the top six in the overall standings.

BSB Round Snetterton Iddon Hickman
Christian Iddon and Peter Hickman – Snetterton BSB 2019

Michael Laverty and Luke Mossey completed the top ten, whilst Buchan and Josh Elliott failed to score points after both crashing in individual incidents on the sighting lap.

Scott Redding

“I felt better with the bike in race two, I felt more comfortable and more confident but I didn’t know whether I could be faster. Then when I passed Josh I went faster, so I learnt I need to believe in myself a bit more. I tried to see what the other guys were doing with the tyres in the race as I didn’t want to break away and then have an issue later on. Again, I’m still learning, I’m still a rookie in this class and I don’t know the tracks. I’m really happy and I had a wicked time this weekend the fans have been amazing, we’ve had great fun, the reception was amazing. To come back with a pole and two race wins – I can’t take much more. To be a Monster athlete and for them to have an event here and for me to win the Race of Aces Trophy just puts the icing on the cake really.”

BSB Round Snetterton Race Podium Redding
Scott Redding – Snetterton BSB 2019
Josh Brookes 2-2

“I felt really strong at the end of the first race and whilst I was being a little bit conservative in the early stages, the battle I had with Tarran Mackenzie cost both of us time and it allowed Scott to make a bit of a break. By the time I got up to second, it was too big a gap to bridge but it was a good start to the day. We made a slight change in between races and it allowed me to push to the limit so with a good start, I felt comfortable out front. I felt like I was controlling the race well but when Scott came by, he seemed to have just a little bit in reserve and had enough of a gap so I couldn’t get back by. Given where I was on Friday, I’ve got to be happy with two second place finishes, so we’ll work hard to find that bit extra to try and get back on the top step at the next round.”

BSB Round Snetterton Josh Brookes
Josh Brookes – Snetterton BSB 2019

Andrew Irwin scored his best result so far this season, closing his gap to the top-six thanks to a 5-4 result, achieving his goal of dual top-six results.

Andrew Irwin 5-4

“I keep saying I want two-top sixes near enough every round we’ve been to, it’s what I wanted and we’re coming away from here with a fifth and fourth, which is a step in the right direction! At Knockhill we finished the last race in fifth and we are starting to be where we belong inside the top-six, and hopefully we can continue to close the gap to the Showdown. We took six points out of Xavi this weekend, so we go to Thruxton looking to take another set of points out of him to try and close that down. I’m really happy, the team are working so hard and the Fireblade is working well, so I’m pleased with the progress and the fourth place finish today!”

BSB Round Snetterton Irwin Hickman Iddon
Andrew Irwin – Snetterton BSB 2019

Hickman remains in seventh place in the overall standings but has made up ground towards Xavi Fores who holds sixth position, with a crash during qualifying a rare mistake, which was then followed up with strong results in a seventh and fifth across the two races.

Peter Hickman 7-5

“Overall, it’s been a strong weekend and after being in the top three for most of practice, it was a real shame I made a small mistake in qualifying as it cost me a second row start at least. We’re still having an issue with getting the bike stopped and we’re still running a stock engine so it was hard going in both races and although seventh in race one was a good effort, I knew I could improve upon it in race two. I was further back on the grid, but I made a good start and am really pleased to have finished fifth and also close in a little bit on Fores in sixth. Snetterton has never been one of my best circuits but the next two rounds are Thruxton and Cadwell, places I really enjoy and go well at so I’m looking to take full advantage and claw back the deficit I currently have.”

BSB Round Snetterton Linfoot Hickman
Peter Hickman chases Dan Linfoot – Snetterton BSB 2019

Xavi Forés collected valuable points with sixth in Race 1 and eighth in Race 2, holding onto sixth in the standings.

Xavi Forés 6-8

“To be honest this weekend has been harder than I expected; I like the track and enjoyed my laps but honestly from the first day I had a small issue with the bike and was never able to solve it, and for the races it was not so easy to manage. Race 1 I was trying to defend my position and had a good battle with Andrew, but at the end I got some important points and finished in the top-six. I did expect a little more and especially in the second race, but the first part was really, really bad for me, I never felt a good grip on the apexes, especially in the first ten laps. After that I was able to manage a little more and able to almost have the same pace as the top-four, but unfortunately it was too late and sometimes it’s quite frustrating when you lose so much gap at the start. But anyway, sixth and eighth isn’t so bad for my first time here in Snetterton and I am looking forward to Thruxton in order to keep the Showdown still alive! I want to say thanks to all the team, we made a good job inside the box and see you at Thruxton!”

BSB Round Snetterton Xavi Fores Andrew Irwin
Xavi Fores – Snetterton BSB 2019

Mackenzie took a spot on the podium in Race 1 and got a good start in Race 2 before the Ducatis started to pull away in the early stages. Initially trying to save his tyre, the 23-year-old began to close the gap but lost the rear at Wilson on lap 11.

Tarran Mackenzie 3- DNF

“Race one was obviously really good. I ended up third and felt like I put together a good race in the first two thirds, but the last third was a bit difficult. When I saw Tommy went out it was hard to go with the two PBM bikes so I settled for third. In race two I didn’t get the best of starts, held my position in fourth and the Ducatis got away a bit. I was trying hard to catch them and setting quite a good pace. I was slowly catching them towards the end, but ended up losing the rear and then losing the front from that. I feel like I’m riding really well, it was another solid weekend and we were in the top two for a lot of it. I’m really happy, to be honest. Finishing fourth would be OK but I’d rather finish third for podium points. I’ll keep trying and come back at Thruxton even stronger.”

BSB Snetterton QP Tarran Mackenzie
Tarran Mackenzie – Snetterton BSB 2019

Bad luck awaited Australian rider Jason O’Halloran when he endured three crashes at Snetterton, the first two in practice and open qualifying, while ninth in Race 1 from the seventh row was a good result. Unfortunately in Race 2 a third row start saw O’Halloran move up to fifth only to crash out.

Jason O’Halloran 9 – DNF

“I’m OK, I’ve got a little bit of an injury on my left hand where you can see the bone on my knuckle but other than that I’m alright. Thanks to the guys at the medical centre for cleaning it up and patching it up. I was happy with the first race, we haven’t been able to do a lot of laps this weekend so to get 16 laps under our belt was really beneficial. We came from 21st to ninth and kept fighting all the way to the end. We made some changes for race two and, starting from a better position, we got away well and I was feeling comfortable in fifth. All was looking good until I highsided out! We’ve a few things to work on for Thruxton and look for a clean smooth weekend. We’ve go the pace, the potential is there with both me and the bike, we’ve just got to have a clean smooth weekend and it’ll come together.”

BSB Round Snetterton Jason Ohalloran
Jason O’Halloran – Snetterton BSB 2019

Australian Ben Currie also made his return from injury, riding home to 19th in Race 1, but was advised by the team manager not to race in the second race due to the pain he was suffering in his foot.

BSB Round Snetterton Ben Currie Claudio Corti
Ben Currie – Snetterton BSB 2019
Ben Currie

“I didn’t opt not to race I was told not to. Sorry to my sponsors!”

BSB Round Snetterton Ben Currie
Ben Currie – Snetterton BSB 2019

Snetterton Superbike Results

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Buchan & Redding share Knockhill BSB victories

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British Superbike 2019

Knockhill – Round 5

Images by David Yeomans

Danny Buchan of the FS3-Racing Kawasaki team took victory in the opening race at Knockhill, marking the fifth different winner in the premiere class in five rounds.

Scott Redding scored top honours in the second bout to reclaim the championship lead from Tommy Bridewell.

BSB Rnd Knockhill Danny Buchan AUYA
Danny Buchan

Josh Brookes went 8-4 for the weekend, while fellow Aussies Jason O’Halloran and Ben Currie failed to finish either race.

Jason O’Halloran suffered machine problems in both races which saw organisers give him the black-orange flag forcing his retirement from both races.

For Ben Currie his return from injury turned out to be a little premature with his injured foot not coping with the stress of the racing conditions which forced the young Victorian to pull out of the races.

BSB Rnd Knockhill Josh Brookes AUYA
Josh Brookes

In Superstock 1000 Levi Day suffered a DNF in race one due to a loosening boot starting to come adrift from his foot which forced him to pit. He then closed out the weekend with a 14 place result.

BSB Rnd Knockhill Levi Day AUYA
Levi Day in the wet conditions

British Superbikes

BSB Superbikes Race 1

At the start of the opening race Tarran Mackenzie launched off the front row to lead the pack from pole-sitter Xavi Forés and Buchan with Christian Iddon and Jason O’Halloran in close contention. A moment for Forés dropped him behind Buchan on lap five and then the FS3-Racing Kawasaki rider was hunting down Mackenzie at the front.

BSB Rnd Knockhill Jason O’Halloran AUYA
Jason O’Halloran

Buchan was piling the pressure on Mackenzie at the front and with a decisive move at the Hairpin on lap five and then posted consistent lap times to begin to make a break from the pack. Mackenzie though crashed out of contention before mid-race distance ending his chance of a podium finish.

Buchan was untroubled at the front but behind the battle for second place went down to the wire as Scott Redding was cutting through the pack from his 16th place grid start; by the final ten laps the Be Wiser Ducati rider had closed down the battle for second with Forés leading Iddon.

BSB Rnd Knockhill Danny Buchan AUYA
Danny Buchan

Redding had closed the gap and with three laps to go he made a move at turn five on Iddon to move ahead of the Tyco BMW rider and then repeated the move a lap later to move into second place as Forés held third.

Redding celebrated a determined second place finish ahead of Forés and Iddon who claimed Tyco BMW’s best result of the season. Tommy Bridewell was fifth ahead of Bradley Ray and Luke Mossey. Luke Stapleford and Glenn Irwin completed the top ten.

BSB Rnd Knockhill Christian Iddon AUYA
Christian Iddon

BSB Superbikes Race 2

In race two Redding returned to the top of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship podium at Knockhill, mastering the Scottish circuit to claim the race two victory for Be Wiser Ducati and move back to the top of the standings by four points.

BSB Rnd Knockhill Scott Redding AUYA
Scott Redding

At the start of the race Mackenzie claimed the initial advantage into turn one, but Buchan carved ahead just a corner later to put the FS3-Racing Kawasaki back at the front of the field. Redding was in third and he moved second on lap two with a move at the Hairpin on the Be Wiser Ducati.

Iddon had been sitting in eighth place but a crash at turn four on the third lap left the Tyco BMW with a fractured left fibula. The BMW Safety Car was deployed and as the pack formed up behind, Buchan, Redding and Mackenzie were the leading trio with Josh Brookes, Ray and Bridewell next in line.

BSB Rnd Knockhill Danny Buchan AUYA
Danny Buchan would also crash out in Race 2

Redding was instantly on the attack when the race resumed and after two laps he had pulled a decisive move on Buchan to take the lead. Buchan and Mackenzie then were embroiled in a battle for second, but Bridewell was also on the move and desperate to forge his way further up the order.

By lap 17 Buchan had made a move on Redding to regain the lead, but a lap later an unfortunate crash saw the FS3-Racing Kawasaki rider tumble out of the action unhurt. That gave Redding the advantage he needed and he was able to hold the advantage until the race was red flagged on lap 25 when Ray suffered a mechanical failure and subsequently affected the track conditions.

BSB Rnd Knockhill Scott Redding AUYA
Scott Redding claimed the Race 2 win for an overall victory and championship lead

Mackenzie had been eager to make amends for his race one crash and he was able to hold off Bridewell in the closing stages as the pair completed the race two podium with Brookes and Andrew Irwin completing the top five.

Peter Hickman had been giving chase to Ray before his technical problem and that meant the Smiths Racing BMW rider claimed sixth place ahead of Dan Linfoot and Mossey who held off Glenn Irwin and James Ellison.

Danny Buchan – Race One Winner

“It’s still not sunk in yet and I’m pretty overwhelmed by it, it was such a long first race. At the beginning of the race I actually hit Taz (Mackenzie), I hit his exhaust going down the straight. It was a good race and I knew I could do a good job, mid race onwards I settled into a rhythm and brought the bike home and took my first win. Credit to the FS3 team for all their hard work that they have put in, to pick up my first win and the team’s first BSB win, it has been a long time coming. I’ve been trying and trying it’s been a stressful three years for everyone around me. Thanks to all my family and friends who have always supported me.”

BSB Rnd Knockhill Danny Buchan AUYA
Danny Buchan on the podium in Race 1
Scott Redding – Race Two Winner

“Scotland is great! Danny (Buchan) is the man at Knockhill this weekend – he has been strong in the wet and dry. He won the first race so he had that confidence, I was confident as well as I came through I knew I had the pace. I didn’t really want to lead. I wanted to learn as I am still learning the tracks so when he came by he was pulling away, but I could catch him so I was like, just stay there. The Safety Car came out and I just thought, ‘ok regroup’, we went again and he had a little moment and I thought should I just stay behind? And I thought no I will just try and lead a little bit and see how it goes. I led a couple of laps and felt good, then I think I ran a bit wide in to one of the corners and Danny came by and I thought, that’s alright I will try and stay and learn. I learnt a little bit through the chicane and I thought I will just stay here and have a dig at the end and he lost the front and I thought, oh now I am leading again! I picked my pace up and then it was done. The race was good, I am happy to have the win with the second this morning; people said will Redding manage the British tracks once we get to Knockhill – now we know!”

BSB Rnd Knockhill Scott Redding AUYA
Scott Redding claimed the Race 2 win and top overall honours with a 2-1
Josh Brookes – 8-4

“To be honest, I’m glad to be leaving Knockhill as it hasn’t been a great weekendand I’m disappointed for the whole team as everyone’s been working hard and putting in as much effort as always. It just hasn’t clicked for me this weekend and although it started well on Friday, it came to a halt after that and we never really progressed with our pace stuck at that level. The weather made it tough although it was the same for everyone, but we made some small improvements for the second race and salvaged a half decent result with fourth. I wish we were going to Snetterton straightaway to clear my head but it’s been a good circuit to me in the past and I’m confident the Be Wiser Ducati will work well there so I’ll be looking to bounce back strongly and get back to the front.”

BSB Rnd Knockhill Josh Brookes AUYA
Josh Brookes
Xavi Forés – 3-11

“It’s been a bitter sweet weekend at Knockhill, but we do have many positives to take away. I wasn’t expecting at all to take the pole position yesterday, or finish on the podium! Being back on the podium after the results at Brands was like a victory for me and the team, I’m happy as we were there in dry conditions, so we are making good steps with the Fireblade, but we do still have some work to do. The second race was hard, I started from 13th and made it hard work for myself to get back up into the leading pack. During the race I felt I was defending rather than attacking and it was hard work, the wind at the circuit also picked up and that didn’t help. But I think moving to the next round we have to take the positives with us from this weekend and remind ourselves that we can be up there, have the pace and finish on the podium.”

BSB Rnd Knockhill Xavi Fores AUYA
Xavi Fores
Tarran Mackenzie – DNF-2

“I’m leaving with a smile on my face, which is nice I was very annoyed with myself for crashing out of the first race. There was a backmarker in front of Danny and I tried to stick to the left as the inside of the track was so wet and I was on the dirty part of the track and it caught me out. Fortunately we made amends in race two. I put together a good pace towards the end of the race, Scott was probably a bit too far away but it got cut short anyway. It’s nice after what happened at Brands, I’m happy to finish second and come away with some solid points.”

BSB Rnd Knockhill Tarran Mackenzie AUYA
Tarran Mackenzie
Jason O’Halloran – DNF-DNF

“We worked hard this weekend and were fourth quickest overall after practice. Then the rain came for qualifying and I ended up eighth on the grid but I was feeling good for race day. Conditions were really hard in race one with a narrow dry line. I was up to fifth when I unfortunately had to retire with a technical problem. I was given a penalty for race two and ended up 21st on the grid, but I made my way into the group fighting for the top ten before unfortunately having to retire again with a technical problem. Snetterton is up next, somewhere I love racing so I’m looking forward to that already.”

BSB Rnd Knockhill Jason O’Halloran AUYA
Jason O’Halloran

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Scott Redding paints Donington BSB Ducati Red

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2019 BSB
Round Three – Donington Park

Images by David Yeomans Photography

Scott Redding cemented his earlier race win by completing a hat trick at Donington Park on Sunday, taking victory from Xavi Forés and Tommy Bridewell to end the triple-header weekend on the top step of the podium, and with a six-point championship lead.

Scott Redding may have ruled the day, but Josh Brookes claimed a 4-5 result on Sunday, and expressed his disappointment at not being on the podium. Jason O’Halloran meanwhile had a rough weekend with a 7-0 result, while in the Superstock 1000 Levi Day claimed sixth, with fellow Aussie Brayden Elliott 19th.

BSB Rnd Donington Sun DYeoman Scott Redding AROA
Scott Redding – Donington Park Round 3 – BSB 2019

British Superbikes Race 2

In the second race of the weekend Redding narrowly claimed a second Bennetts BSB victory as the Be Wiser Ducati rider made a decisive move on Forés at Roberts to take the lead before the race was red flagged for rain.

At the start of race two, Forés led Christian Iddon and Bridewell, but again an aggressive Bridewell dived into second before moving into the lead with a pass into Redgate on the second lap. Forés had taken it back though by the end of the lap and Iddon had moved back into second for Tyco BMW.

BSB Rnd Donington Sun DYeoman Xavi Fores AROA
Xavi Fores – Donington Park Round 3 – BSB 2019

Bridewell had been pushing for the lead again and on lap eight he forged ahead of the Honda until the sixteenth lap when Forés made a move on the brakes into Roberts to regain the position. As the pair diced at the front Redding had again had a slow launch off the line and he was having to carve his way through the order from tenth place on the opening laps.

Redding wasn’t inside the top five until lap 11 when he had Josh Brookes and Tarran Mackenzie ahead of him and the three scrapped it out before the race one winner made a move on the McAMS Yamaha rider and his own team-mate before pushing to bridge the gap to the leading pair.

BSB Rnd Donington Sun DYeoman Jason O Halloran AUYA
Jason O’Halloran – Donington Round 3 – BSB 2019

Redding had closed in on the pair and on lap 17 he was able to move ahead of Bridewell and then Forés a lap later before the red flag to claim his second race win of the weekend for the Be Wiser Ducati team.

Brookes was able to hold off Mackenzie for fourth place ahead of Iddon and Jason O’Halloran who was embroiled in an intense battle with Hector Barbera on the leading Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki in the closing stages. Peter Hickman and Keith Farmer completed the top ten.

BSB Rnd Donington Sun DYeoman Josh Brookes AROA
Josh Brookes – Donington Park Round 3 – BSB 2019

Bennetts British Superbike Race 2 result

  1. Scott Redding (Be Wiser Ducati)
  2. Xavi Forés (Honda Racing) +0.275s
  3. Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing Ducati) +1.523s
  4. Josh Brookes (Be Wiser Ducati) +1.740s
  5. Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) +1.791s
  6. Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) +2.845s
  7. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +5.399s
  8. Hector Barbera (Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +5.583s
  9. Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) +6.515s
  10. Keith Farmer (Tyco BMW) +8.054s

British Superbikes Race 3

In the final race Be Wiser Ducati’s Redding had his best start of the weekend to hit the front of the pack into Redgate for the first time with pole-sitter Barbera, Forés and Brookes in close contention as the pack streamed down Craner Curves for the first time.

BSB Rnd Donington Sun DYeoman Josh Brookes AROA
Josh Brookes – Donington Park Round 3 – BSB 2019

Forés grabbed the lead at Redgate on lap two as Brookes moved into second with Redding back in third and Iddon and Bridewell shuffling up the order. On the sixth lap Forés went wide at Coppice, giving Brookes the room he needed to move ahead.

Redding was into second place by lap eight with a move on Forés into Redgate and then two laps later the former MotoGP contender was in the lead and pushing for a breakaway. The battle was then on for second place and a big moment for Brookes on the 16th lap at Roberts on the brakes saw him run on to avoid contact and dropped him down the order, finishing the race in fifth place.

BSB Rnd Donington Sun DYeoman Tarran Mackenzie AROA
Tarran Mackenzie – Donington Park Round 3 – BSB 2019

Mackenzie was holding second place for the McAMS Yamaha team but he was demoted back to third when Forés launched ahead at the Old Hairpin with six laps to go. The battle for second continued with Mackenzie and Forés trading blows, but the Spanish contender had the edge with two laps to go and then Bridewell was pushing for the final podium position.

Bridewell made a lunge at Roberts on the final lap to narrowly cross the line ahead of Mackenzie on the final lap to claim third place.

BSB Rnd Donington Sun DYeoman Tommy Bridewell AROA
Tommy Bridewell – Donington Round 3 – BSB 2019

Iddon was sixth on the Tyco BMW after teammate Keith Farmer crashed out with two laps to go at Roberts. Peter Hickman was seventh ahead of Andrew Irwin and the Buildbase Suzuki pairing of Bradley Ray and Luke Stapleford completed the top ten.

Scott Redding (1-1)

“I just showed to myself the confidence and belief that I’ve got, which is something that I’ve been working on over the past years. It just feels amazing to be back in a fighting position and winning races. It’s not easy out there, those guys are so strong the first few laps and I just need a bit of time to find my way, and they attack and that’s great racing so I was a bit more fortunate to kind-of get out of it. I led a bit then Xavi came past and I thought ‘he’s going again’. He was going so fast in the beginning and then I managed to close the gap a little bit to him and Brookes and go through I thought ‘right, just be consistent’, that’s my strongest point – I can be very consistent every lap of the race and I managed it perfectly. I was just understanding more the tyres because I’m still very new to the Pirellis and all the races I’ve done so far this year I’m always attacking I’m always trying to get the best I can. That’s the first race [race 3] where I could control and kind-of learn the tyres, so I learned over the three races and I’m very happy.”

BSB Rnd Donington Sun DYeoman Scott Redding AROA
Scott Redding – Donington Round 3 – BSB 2019
Xavi Fores (2-2)

“Honestly I didn’t expect this weekend to finish the way it has, yesterday I was happy to get my first BSB podium, but today we got two more! We’ve worked really hard with the Fireblade to be fast and consistent with the lap times. The second race today I felt a lot worse, I had a lot of spin and I was trying to manage the situation throughout the race. I lost some time battling with Tarran, which I did enjoy but losing the time wasn’t so good, as once I had passed him for the final time the gap to Scott was too much. But leaving here with a third and two second places is great and more than a win for me, especially after the first two rounds. Brands is next and the last time I was there was in 2006, it’s a lovely track and I hope to keep my level across the weekend and hope to see the podium again soon!”

BSB Rnd Donington Sun DYeoman Xavi Fores AROA
Xavi Fores – Donington Park Round 3 – BSB 2019
Tarran Mackenzie (5-4)

“The first race was OK. I didn’t come through fast enough and towards the end of the race I started to chip away at a podium, but unfortunately the rain stopped play. In the last race I started seventh so had a bit of work to do from the start, but I came through. Someone made a mistake at the last chicane and I passed two or three of them and then chased down Josh and Scott. I got past Josh and felt like I was making good inroads on Scott but then Xavi came past me and we probably scrapped a little too much for two or three laps allowing Scott away. I thought I was OK for third, but made a mistake at McLeans and that enabled Tommy to get close enough to pass into the final chicane. I’m gutted to miss the podium, but I can’t complain with a fourth and good points for the championship.”

BSB Rnd Donington Sun DYeoman Tarran Mackenzie AROA
Tarran Mackenzie – Donington Park Round 3 – BSB 2019
Josh Brookes (4-5)

“Finishing in fourth and fifth isn’t what we go racing for and the results have been disappointing today. Everything felt like it was going to plan in the first race and I was catching the leaders but just after mid-race, I lost both grip and a bit of performance with the bike whilst I also eased off a bit more than some of the other riders when the rain began to fall. In the second race, I got sucked in a bit when I was in the draft of Scott and made a mistake going into the chicane which obviously lost me a lot of time. After that it was damage limitation so the results, for me personally, have been less than acceptable so we’ve got some work to do ahead of the next round.”

BSB Rnd Donington Sun DYeoman Josh Brookes AROA
Josh Brookes – Donington Park Round 3 – BSB 2019
Andrew Irwin (12-8)

“The weekend has been difficult to be honest and 12th in Race 1 really isn’t good enough! We did start to find some rhythm and then it was red flagged, I think we could have moved forwards, perhaps not much but I think we could have chased down 10th at least. Race 2 was better; I got a really good start but made a few silly mistakes throughout. I do feel that we did make some steps forward and turned a bit of a corner in some areas, so it’s a positive and we have to continue in this manner. Now we’re heading to Brands where I have been fast in the past, so I know I can be fast there. Well done to Xavi and the team for the podiums this weekend, it’s great to see the Fireblade being competitive and show what it can do!”

Jason O’Halloran (7-0)

“It’s not been the easiest of weekends. We’ve been chasing something all weekend, made some changes for Saturday and improved the feeling but in the first two races I struggled at the start. For the third race we made some more changes but I was quite far back on the grid which made things difficult. The bike felt much better, I had a lot more confidence on the brakes and I felt like I could ride the bike how I wanted to again. I’m really happy with that and I’ll take that away from this race as obviously a crash isn’t ideal. It’s our third DNF of the year, which isn’t what we want. I want to go fast and be at the front, I don’t want to be messing around in seventh or eighth so we have to keep pushing and looking for the feeling we are after. Once we nail that on the head I’m confident we’ll be at the front.”

BSB Rnd Donington Sun DYeoman Jason O Halloran AUYA
Jason O’Halloran – Donington Round 3 – BSB 2019

Bennetts British Superbike Race 3 result

  1. Scott Redding (Be Wiser Ducati)
  2. Xavi Forés (Honda Racing) +1.196s
  3. Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing Ducati) +1.779s
  4. Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) +1.857s
  5. Josh Brookes (Be Wiser Ducati) +2.004s
  6. Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) +9.220s
  7. Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) +10.334s
  8. Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing) +12.952s
  9. Bradley Ray (Buildbase Suzuki) +18.966s
  10. Luke Stapleford (Buildbase Suzuki) +21.979s
BSB Rnd Donington Sun DYeoman Scott Redding Podium AROA
Scott Redding topps the podium – Donington Park Round 3 – BSB 2019

Bennetts British Superbike standings after Donington Park

  1. Scott Redding 115
  2. Tommy Bridewell 109
  3. Tarran Mackenzie 108
  4. Josh Brookes 74
  5. Xavi Fores 70
  6. Danny Buchan 68
  7. Josh Elliott 52
  8. Andrew Irwin 48
  9. Christian Iddon 44
  10. Jason O’Halloran 42

Pirelli National Superstock 1000

BSB Rnd Donington Sun DYeoman Brayden Elliott Australia Start AROA
Pirelli National Superstock 1000 start – Donington Round 3 – BSB 2019

Lewis Rollo took his maiden Pirelli National Superstock 1000 win at Donington Park, mastering the difficult wet conditions to cross the line three seconds ahead of the rest of the field.

BSB Rnd Donington Sun DYeoman Lewis Rollo AROA
Lewis Rollo – Donington Round 3 – BSB 2019

As he did on yesterday’s two races, Richard Cooper grabbed the holeshot however Rollo had soon moved through, extending his lead each lap.

BSB Rnd Donington Sun DYeoman Levi Day AROA
Levi Day – Donington Round 3 – BSB 2019

Behind him, Alex Olsen held second for most of the race, but a fast final few laps from series leader Cooper saw him grab second place at the final chicane. Taylor Mackenzie finished fourth ahead of Luke Jones and Levi Day.

BSB Rnd Donington Sun DYeoman Levi Day AROA
Levi Day – Donington Round 3 – BSB 2019

Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Race 2

  1. Lewis Rollo 1:17.722
  2. Richard Cooper +3.173
  3. Alex Olsen +3.280
  4. Taylor Mackenzie +5.883
  5. Luke Jones +23.235
  6. Levi Day +29.393
  7. Lee Jackson +41.407
  8. Eemeli Lathi +41.510
  9. Tim Neave +44.269
  10. Milo Ward +45.600
  11. Tom Neave +52.130
    …19. Brayden Elliot
BSB Rnd Donington Sun DYeoman Brayden Elliott Australia AROA
Brayden Elliott – Donington Round 3 – BSB 2019

Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship Standings

  1. Richard Cooper 121
  2. Alex Olsen 93
  3. Taylor Mackenzie 86
  4. Lewis Rollo 56.5
  5. Lee Jackson 55.5
  6. Eemeli Lathi 47.5
  7. Tom Neave 39
  8. Luke Hedger 33
  9. Chrissy Rouse 25.5
  10. Levi Day 25

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Keith Farmer tops Donington BSB opening day from Brookes

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2019 BSB

Round Three – Donington Park

Tight at the top as BSB Donington gets underway

Images by David Yeomans Photography

Tyco BMW’s Keith Farmer set the pace after the opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship free practice sessions at Donington Park on Friday afternoon, firing the new S1000 RR to the top of the times ahead of Saturday’s Datatag Qualifying and opening race of the triple-header weekend.

BSB Rnd Fri Keith Farmer
Keith Farmer topped Friday Practice- Tyco BMW

Tommy Bridewell had initially set the benchmark, but in the closing ten minutes the Tyco BMW contender forged ahead to set the pace for the first time since returning to the Superbike class after lifting the Superstock title last season. The session saw an incredibly close field with 0.893s covering the top 18 riders.

BSB Donington Rnd Fri Scott Redding Be Wiser Ducati AROA
Scott Redding – Donington Park BSB

Farmer edged ahead of 2015 champion Josh Brookes by just 0.036s with Scott Redding in third after he led the pack in the opening session for the Be Wiser Ducati team with joint championship leader Bridewell holding fourth place at the chequered flag.

BSB Donington Rnd Fri Josh Brookes Australia Be Wiser Ducati AROA
Josh Brookes – Donington Park BSB

Keith Farmer Fastest on Friday

“I am very happy with how the session went this afternoon; I am still learning the Superbike and we haven’t changed much today between the first and second free practice sessions. We started the day good and to finish the opening day fastest is mega. It is the first time for me on the BMW in BSB and I am looking forward to raceday tomorrow. Hopefully we can have a good qualifying and can get a good start so that we can get away with them at the front and see what we can do.”

BSB Rnd Fri Keith Farmer
Keith Farmer – Tyco BMWw

Hector Barbera had an impressive debut in Bennetts BSB, leading the Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki charge in fifth, moving ahead of Luke Mossey and Tarran Mackenzie who is tied on points with Bridewell at the top of the standings.

Peter Hickman was eighth fastest ahead of Christian Iddon and Luke Stapleford, who completed the top ten for the Buildbase Suzuki team.

BSB Donington Rnd Fri Jason O Halloran Australia McAMS Yamaha AROA
Jason O’Halloran was 11th in FP2- Donington Park BSB

2019 BSB Donington FP1

  1. Scott Redding (Be Wiser Ducati) 1m:06.527s
  2. Josh Brookes (Be Wiser Ducati) +0.023s
  3. Luke Mossey (OMG Racing Suzuki) +0.198s
  4. Keith Farmer (Tyco BMW) +0.283s
  5. Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) +0.385s
  6. Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) +0.465s
  7. Xavi Forés (Honda Racing) +0.508s
  8. Josh Elliott (OMG Racing Suzuki) +0.669s
  9. Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) +0.679s
  10. Dan Linfoot (Santander Salt TAG Yamaha) +0.688s

2019 BSB Donington FP2

  1. Keith Farmer (Tyco BMW) 1m:06.475s
  2. Josh Brookes (Be Wiser Ducati) +0.036s
  3. Scott Redding (Be Wiser Ducati) +0.252s
  4. Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing Ducati) +0.308s
  5. Hector Barbera (Quattro JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +0.310s
  6. Luke Mossey (OMG Racing Suzuki) +0.317s
  7. Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) +0.324s
  8. Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) +0.345s
  9. Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) +0.403s
  10. Luke Stapleford (Buildbase Suzuki) +0.421s

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Brookes does the Oulton Park BSB double | O’Halloran 4-7

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2019 BSB

Round Two – Oulton Park

Images by David Yeomans Photography

Josh Brookes was on form at Oulton Park BSB, claiming both Superbike race wins on the Be Wiser Ducati, firing himself up into the top six, with 50 championship points to his name, after a tough season opener, just 14-points off the current leaders.

BSB Rnd Oulton Park DY Josh Brookes AUYA
Josh Brookes

Brookes had been strong throughout the weekend as the 2015 champion arrived in Cheshire determined to make amends for a non-point score at the Silverstone season opener. The Be Wiser Ducati ace became the third different rider to claim a victory in 2019 as he held off Tommy Bridewell in the opening race. Ducati also became the third race-winning manufacturer so far this season, marking the first triumph for the new V4R.

Brookes and Bridewell made a breakaway at the front of the pack with the Oxford Racing Ducati rider shadowing the Australian throughout the 17 lap race but he couldn’t find the opportunity to make a pass and, despite piling on the pressure, the Be Wiser Ducati team emerged victorious.

BSB Rnd Oulton Park DY Tommy Bridewell AUYA
Tommy Bridewell

Jason O’Halloran had initially been holding third place over the opening laps but the McAMS Yamaha rider was soon under threat as Danny Buchan carved his way up the order from sixth to close in on the Australian by the tenth lap.

O’Halloran was defending but the FS-3 Racing Kawasaki rider was determined, made his move and gradually edged out an advantage to the finish line. The battle for fifth went down to the wire between Scott Redding and Peter Hickman, with the Bennetts BSB rookie holding off the challenges of the Smiths Racing BMW rider despite his circuit knowledge to claim a hard-fought fifth place.

BSB Rnd Oulton Park DY Jason O Halloran AUYA
Jason O’Halloran

Keith Farmer was the leading Tyco BMW to cross the finish line at the chequered flag, claiming seventh place as teammate Christian Iddon was forced to retire despite battling in the top five during the opening stages of the race.

At the start of the second race Brookes again launched to the front of the pack on the Be Wiser Ducati ahead of O’Halloran and Bridewell, but the Oxford Racing Ducati rider was instantly on the attack and on the second lap and moved ahead of the McAMS Yamaha.

BSB Rnd Oulton Park DY Danny Buchan AROA
Danny Buchan

O’Halloran was fighting hard but he was soon under pressure from Iddon and Buchan. Iddon edged the Tyco BMW down the inside at Old Hall on lap four with Buchan then diving down the inside at Lodge to push O’Halloran back down the order.

Redding was also on the move and he was shadowing O’Halloran for fifth place; which he grabbed on the run into Old Hall at the start of the sixth lap as Mackenzie closed in on the pair. Mackenzie was pushing his teammate and he also made a move as the Australian continued to push on despite still suffering from a shoulder injury from last week’s test.

BSB Rnd Oulton Park DY Scott Redding AROA
Scott Redding

As Brookes held off Bridewell for the win in the closing stages, Buchan celebrated his third consecutive podium finish for FS3-Racing Kawasaki, with Redding holding fourth after fending off the final push from Mackenzie over the closing laps.

BSB Rnd Oulton Park DY Superbike Overall Podium AROA
Josh Brookes claimed top Superbike honours at Oulton Park BSB
Josh Brookes

“It has been a really great weekend and the result that the Be Wiser Ducati team deserved and we can move on from Silverstone. Race one was a really positive start and then before race two I knew Tommy was going to be a big threat. But I was also a bit worried about Danny because I knew he’d come through the pack quite strong in race one, and in that race he was starting a lot further up the grid so I was thinking it could be the three of us battling out at front. I just wanted to try and stay clear of any trouble, and I knew Tommy was right behind me in both races. I just put as many fast laps together as I could, the race pace was a lot quicker in race two than race one, so I just looked at my board and I kept seeing plus zero. I knew that one of us (Bridewell) was going to have to break but finally I was able to get a little buffer and then it kind-of crept out so it made the end of the race a bit easier for me but this was a perfect weekend.”

BSB Rnd Oulton Park DY Josh Brookes AROA
Josh Brookes

Iddon claimed his best result of the season in sixth place for Tyco BMW ahead of O’Halloran and Farmer who battled with his McAMS Yamaha rival until the finish. Andrew Irwin managed to get the better of rookie Ryan Vickers in the closing stages to finish ninth ahead of the Superbike rookie.

Jason O’Halloran

“It’s good to score some points! I was really happy with fourth in race one, but in race two I struggled a bit and ended up seventh. We had to salvage as many points as we could after not scoring at Silverstone, but it wasn’t easy as unfortunately last week at the test I had a small slip off at Hizzy’s and fractured my right humerus just near my shoulder… I haven’t said a lot about it as I wanted to keep my head down and everyone focused on what we were doing, but riding Oulton Park with a slightly broken bone is not ideal. We’ve got a few weeks now before Donington, so I’ll keep on with the therapy, get fit and healthy and hopefully be back to full fitness.”

BSB Rnd Oulton Park DY Jason O Halloran AROA
Jason O’Halloran
Tarran Mackenzie

“It’s been a tricky weekend, race one was difficult as I out braked myself into Lodge on the first lap, making it hard work for myself as I re-joined 17th! I managed to finish eighth which wasn’t too bad and then had a better starting position in race two. I got stuck behind a rider for a bit too long, two or three laps, but once I got past I managed to chase after Jason, Christian and Scott and finally caught Scott, but I was a little bit too late to take fourth! Fifth place doesn’t sound great, but after the weekend I’ve had I’m happy with that. We’ve got a good feeling on the bike and I’m looking forward to my home round in a couple of weeks’ time.”

BSB Rnd Oulton Park DY Tarran Mackenzie AUYA
Tarran Mackenzie

BSB Superbikes Results

Pos Name Gap
1 Josh Brookes 27’07.841
2 Tommy Bridewell 0.204
3 Danny Buchan 3.543
4 Jason O’Halloran 7.307
5 Scott Redding 10.529
6 Peter Hickman 10.648
7 Keith Farmer 15.758
8 Tarran Mackenzie 16.147
9 Ryan Vickers 16.859
10 Josh Elliott 19.364

Pos Name Gap
1 Josh Brookes 28’38.183
2 Tommy Bridewell 2.686
3 Danny Buchan 7.035
4 Scott Redding 9.37
5 Tarran Mackenzie 9.614
6 Christian Iddon 12.572
7 Jason O’Halloran 16.142
8 Keith Farmer 16.171
9 Andrew Irwin 20.801
10 Ryan Vickers 21.027

  1. Tarran MACKENZIE (Yamaha) 64
  2. Tommy BRIDEWELL (Ducati) 64
  3. Danny BUCHAN (Kawasaki) 55
  4. Josh ELLIOTT (Suzuki) 52
  5. Josh BROOKES (Ducati) 50
  6. Scott REDDING (Ducati) 40
  7. Andrew IRWIN (Honda) 31
  8. Luke MOSSEY (Suzuki) 25
  9. Jason O’HALLORAN (Yamaha) 22
  10. Keith FARMER (BMW) 22
  11. Luke STAPLEFORD (Suzuki) 20
  12. Peter HICKMAN (BMW) 19
  13. Ryan VICKERS (Kawasaki) 18
  14. Dan LINFOOT (Yamaha) 16
  15. Christian IDDON (BMW) 15

Pirelli Superstock 1000

Richard Cooper took his third Pirelli National Superstock 1000 victory of the season with a last lap, last corner move on Taylor Mackenzie. Mackenzie launched off the line to be the early race leader but the Buildbase Suzuki of Cooper had found a way past by lap three and set about building a small lead over the pursuing pack.

BSB Rnd Oulton Park DY Billy McConnell AROA
Billy McConnell had to settle for fifth

A string of fast laps from Mackenzie however saw the Bathams BMW rider close up, re-taking the lead on lap ten before Cooper took it back just two laps later. Coming down to the final lap, Mackenzie was back into the lead but a move into the final corner saw Cooper take the victory by just 0.148s. Alex Olsen was able to secure third place ahead of Lee Jackson and Billy McConnell.

BSB Rnd Oulton Park DY Pirelli National Superstock Championship Podium AROA
Pirelli National Superstock 1000 podium – Oulton Park

Aussies Levi Day claimed 21st, with Brayden Elliott 27th.

Levi Day

“Wasn’t our race today! Damp but drying track with everyone on wets. A rider infront of me spun out on the grid and I had to take avoiding action, just clipping him but fortunately missing big impact. I lost a heap of positions and dropped down to 29th. Managed to fight back to 21st, not how we had hoped the race would go but did my best after the start drama! Big thanks to my team at IN Competition Aprilia and all my sponsors, AJN Steelstock and everyone in my corner! We will continue working hard for round 3 at Donington in three weeks time!”

BSB Rnd Oulton Park DY Levi Day AROA
Levi Day
Brayden Elliott

“Difficult weekend from start to finish. Letting myself down with poor qualifying making for such hard work to push forward during the race. With the help of my team I’m confident we can pin point a few areas to focus on and improve at Round 3!”

BSB Rnd Oulton Park DY Brayden Elliott AUYA
Brayden Elliott

Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Results

  1. Richard COOPER GBR Suzuki 24:29.311
  2. Taylor MACKENZIE GBR BMW +0.148
  3. Alex OLSEN GBR BMW +0.683
  4. Lee JACKSON GBR Kawasaki +4.309
  5. Billy McCONNELL AUS Suzuki +15.042
  6. Luke HEDGER GBR Kawasaki +24.909
  7. Lewis ROLLO GBR Aprilia +25.420
  8. Tom NEAVE GBR Honda +27.602
  9. Andrew REID GBR BMW +31.173
  10. Joe COLLIER GBR Kawasaki +31.395
    …21. Levi DAY AUS Aprilia +1:03.053
    …27. Brayden ELLIOTT AUS Suzuki +1:19.010

  1. Richard COOPER 71
  2. Taylor MACKENZIE 63
  3. Alex OLSEN 58
  4. Lee JACKSON 39
  5. Eemeli LAHTI 26.5
  6. Tom NEAVE 26
  7. Lewis ROLLO 25
  8. Luke HEDGER 24.5
  9. Billy McCONNELL 21.5
  10. Leon JEACOCK 12
    …14. Levi DAY 8

British Supersport

Jack Kennedy cemented a perfect weekend at Oulton Park, completing the double in the Dickies British Supersport Championship; his fourth win from four races. In a carbon copy of yesterday’s Sprint race, the Appleyard Macadam Integro Yamaha rider controlled the race from the opening lap, steadily pulling away to take victory by 2.387s and extend his lead at the top of the standings to 20 points.

BSB Rnd Oulton Park DY SSP Jack Kennedy AUYA
Jack Kennedy leads the Dickies Supersport

It was an action-packed battle for the final podium slots behind him though as Alastair Seeley and Brad Jones swapped paint every lap as they vied for second place whilst Kyle Ryde was in close contention in fourth. A red flag on lap 11 prevented a last lap showdown, leaving Seeley to take second, Jones third whilst Ryde was again the leading GP2 machine.

BSB Rnd Oulton Park DY SSP Alastair Seeley AUYA
Alastair Seeley

Jamie Perrin was the second of the GP2 machines in fifth overall, ahead of Harry Truelove, Lee Johnston and the third GP2 bike of Sam Wilford.

BSB Rnd Oulton Park DY SSP Podium AUYA
Dickies Supersport Podium Oulton Park

Dickies British Supersport Results

  1. Jack KENNEDY IRL Yamaha 19:40.668
  2. Alastair SEELEY GBR Yamaha +3.601
  3. Brad JONES GBR Yamaha +3.682
  4. Kyle RYDE GBR Kalex +18.658
  5. Harry TRUELOVE GBR Yamaha +24.965
  6. Jamie PERRIN GBR Chassis Factory +25.752
  7. Josh OWENS GBR ABM Triumph +27.241
  8. Kurt WIGLEY GBR Yamaha +29.757
  9. Bradley PERIE GBR Yamaha +30.198
  10. Charlie NESBITT GBR Yamaha +30.263

  1. Jack KENNEDY IRL Yamaha 16:25.641
  2. Alastair SEELEY GBR Yamaha +2.387
  3. Brad JONES GBR Yamaha +2.578
  4. Kyle RYDE GBR Kalex +3.269
  5. Jamie PERRIN GBR Chassis Factory +16.259
  6. Harry TRUELOVE GBR Yamaha +16.989
  7. Lee JOHNSTON GBR Yamaha +17.656
  8. Sam WILFORD GBR Honda +26.171
  9. Bradley PERIE GBR Yamaha +26.854
  10. Richard KERR IRL Triumph +27.546

  1. Jack KENNEDY 100
  2. Alastair SEELEY 80
  3. Brad JONES 64
  4. Harry TRUELOVE 45
  5. Lee JOHNSTON 37
  6. Richard KERR 34
  7. Bradley PERIE 29
  8. Kurt WIGLEY 28
  9. Ben WILSON 23
  10. Tom OLIVER 21

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Oulton Park BSB | Josh Brookes takes pole

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2019 British Superbike Championship
Round Two – Oulton Park

Josh Brookes claimed the first Bennetts British Superbike Championship pole position for the new Ducati V4R at Oulton Park for the Be Wiser Ducati team ahead of the Monday races.

Josh Brookes – Be Wiser Ducati
Pole position

“I’ve just turned up to Oulton Park with a clear mind and put Silverstone behind me. Luckily we had a test here so we had great momentum, got a good setting of the bike and came here and refined it a little bit further.

“The team have done a fantastic job, we have been working through a lot of fine tuning – nothing big at the moment because the bike’s already in good range so it’s nice to be in that zone where you can do some fine tuning and just work through little areas to just refine the bike, as opposed to having to make big changes and hoping that works.

“I think we’re in a fantastic position, all I can say is that I’m pleased and looking forward to the races tomorrow. I just hope now that I can put this one-lap speed into race-long consistency.”

BSB Rnd Oulton Park QP Josh Brookes
Josh Brookes

The 2015 champion set his personal best lap of the Cheshire circuit to lap under the existing record to hold off rivals Tommy Bridewell and Peter Hickman who complete the front row ahead of Monday’s Bank Holiday races.

BSB Rnd Oulton Park QP Tommy Bridewell
Tommy Bridewell

Brookes had been the fastest rider on track yesterday, but he continued to make strides forward as the Australian upped the pace to give him the edge in the final stage of qualifying to head off Bridewell as Hickman claimed the first front row start for the new BMW S1000RR in third.

BSB Rnd Oulton Park QP Peter Hickman
Peter Hickman

A hectic Q2 saw an intense fight to be in the final nine for the last stage of Datatag Qualifying and impressively in only his second round on a Superbike, rookie Ryan Vickers qualified for the first time in Q3. He will start ninth on the grid for the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki team for tomorrow’s opening race.

Jason O’Halloran bounced back from an earlier crash in free practice to finish fourth fastest to head the second row from Christian Iddon on the Tyco BMW and Danny Buchan for FS-3 Racing Kawasaki ahead of tomorrow’s race one.

BSB Rnd Oulton Park QP Jason Ohalloran
Jason O’Halloran

Scott Redding continues to try and grasp the technically challenging Oulton Park on his race debut at the track, firing himself into the top nine and qualifying seventh on the grid ahead of Keith Farmer.

Bennetts British Superbike Championship
Oulton Park, Datatag Qualifying
  1. Josh Brookes (Be Wiser Ducati) 1m:34.084s
  2. Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing Ducati) +0.625s
  3. Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) +0.801s
  4. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +0.856s
  5. Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) +0.929s
  6. Danny Buchan (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) +0.938s
  7. Scott Redding (Be Wiser Ducati) +1.082s
  8. Keith Farmer (Tyco BMW) +1.143s
  9. Ryan Vickers (RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki) +1.259s

British Superstock 1000

Buildbase Suzuki’s Richard Cooper took his first pole position of the season at Oulton Park, just 0.419 from Taylor Mackenzie and Billy McConnell.

Cooper set the fastest time early on in the session, and Mackenzie set about chasing it down to leapfrog in to pole position. Although setting his fastest time late on, it wasn’t enough for the BMW man to take pole.

Rounding out the front row is OMG Racing’s Billy McConnell, with Lee Jackson fourth, Olsen fifth and Jones sixth.

BSB Rnd Oulton Park QP Billy McConnell
Billy McConnell

Levi day qualified 13th while Brayden Elliott with start from position 32 on the grid.

British Supersport

Jack Kennedy has made it three victories from three races in the Dickies British Supersport Championship, cruising to a dominant victory in the opening Sprint race. It was Kennedy’s Appleyard Integro Yamaha team mate Brad Jones who grabbed the holeshot but the reigning champ had soon made his way past to lead at the end of the opening lap.

Jones did his best to fend of the advances of Alastair Seeley, but the former Champion made his move on lap four. At the front, Kennedy was able to continue to stretch his lead to eventually secure the victory by 3.601s and setting a new lap record in the process. Trying his hardest, Jones just could not find a way past the EHA Racing Yamaha of Seeley, missing out on second place by just 0.081s.

Kyle Ryde was again the leading British GP2 Cup machine, also his third win of the season, in fourth overall ahead of a strong ride from rookie Harry Truelove in fifth with Jamie Perrin sixth on the GP2 machine and Josh Owens seventh.

British Supersport Championship and GP2 Cup
Oulton Park, Sprint Race
  1. Jack Kennedy (Yamaha)
  2. Alastair Seeley (Yamaha) +3.601s
  3. Brad Jones (Yamaha) +3.682s
  4. Kyle Ryde (Kalex GP2) +18.658s
  5. Harry Truelove (Yamaha) +24.965s
  6. Jamie Perrin (GP2) +25.752s
Dickies British Supersport Championship and GP2 Cup
Championship Standings
  1. Jack Kennedy (Yamaha) 75
  2. Alastair Seeley (Yamaha) 60
  3. Brad Jones (Yamaha) 48
  4. Harry Truelove (Yamaha) 32
  5. Kurt Wigley (Yamaha) 28
  6. Lee Johnston (Yamaha) 26

Images by Dave Yeomans

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

Josh Brookes tops FP at Oulton Park | O’Halloran P7

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2019 BSB

Round Two – Oulton Park – Free Practice

Images by David Yeomans Photography

Josh Brookes topped free practice at Oulton Park, with the 2015 champion claiming the fastest times at each of the opening two Bennetts British Superbike Championship free practice sessions at the Cheshire circuit, upping his pace in the afternoon to end the day with the edge over Danny Buchan by 0.723.

BSB Rnd Oulton Park FP Josh Brookes AROA
Josh Brookes – Oulton Park BSB 2019

The opening session had been interrupted with red flags, but Brookes was unfazed and continued to improve his pace, despite Danny Buchan moving ahead several times during the opening free practice before the FS-3 Racing Kawasaki rider ended the session third fastest.

BSB Rnd Oulton Park FP Danny Buchan AROA
Danny Buchan – Oulton Park BSB 2019

The 45 minute afternoon session saw all the positions change in the closing minutes with Brookes heading back to the top, positing a time on his final one that would cement his position at the top as he became the only rider to lap in the 1m:34s barrier, 0.723s ahead of Buchan.

Josh Brookes – P1

“It has been a good day. I am not surprised with the lap time because I’ve been there before, or close to that. The fastest I’ve been here before was actually in a race and I did 34.4, which is a lap record, so to do 34.3 is a PB, which is great. But Jake Dixon did 33.7 last year so there’s still areas to gain and still room to improve. Without Jake being here on his bike from last year and showing what the gauge is, I don’t know if that’s even achievable. Maybe a 33.8 is possible, a 33.7 isn’t, I don’t know. At the moment I know that the bike’s not perfect, there’s definitely more edge grip to be found because I had it in this morning but we’ve gained a load of drive grip so I’ve got to decide which way is better – to go in search of more edge grip or ride with the bike as it is and work on other little details and see if that helps, so that’s where we’re at.”

BSB Rnd Oulton Park FP Josh Brookes AROA
Josh Brookes – Oulton Park BSB 2019

It has been a strong session for the FS-3 Racing Kawasaki team with Buchan building on his experience at the recent test to maintain his position inside the top five with Peter Hickman again repeating his impressive performance on the Smiths Racing BMW to hold third place, having also had a stint at the top of the times in the earlier stages of the session.

Luke Mossey was again the fastest of the OMG Racing Suzuki riders, holding off Tommy Bridewell and Christian Iddon in the closing stages as he improved his pace on the final run of the second free practice session.

BSB Rnd Oulton Park FP Peter Hickman AROA
Peter Hickman – Oulton Park BSB 2019

Earlier in the day Jason O’Halloran bounced back from his crash at last week’s test to finish fourth fastest in the opening session for McAMS Yamaha, holding off Tommy Bridewell who continued to move up the order for the Oxford Racing Ducati team.

Jason O’Halloran had to settle for seventh fastest in FP2 however, as the leading McAMS Yamaha as he bids to make amends this weekend after a double non-points score last time out at Silverstone, while Ryan Vickers continued to build momentum in his rookie campaign with the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki team in eighth place.

Jason O’Halloran – P7

“It was nice to get back on the bike after the test last week. I feel good and my body is good. We’re just working through chassis settings and trying different things with the bike as I’m still learning about the Yamaha and looking to find the sweet spot around here. We learned a lot today and I expect to make a step forward in the morning, so I’m not too stressed.”

BSB Rnd Oulton Park FP Jason OHalloran AROA
Jason O’Halloran – Oulton Park BSB 2019

Tarran Mackenzie was back inside the top ten in this afternoon’s session holding off Keith Farmer who completed the top ten, edging out joint championship leader Josh Elliott, Bradley Ray on the leading Buildbase Suzuki and Scott Redding on the second Be Wiser Ducatis.

Ben Currie took P13 in FP1 , but while having a good session crashed at Shell and sustained a fracture to his left leg, and is currently undergoing checks on his leg and foot in Stoke Hospital.

BSB Rnd Ben Currie watching the timing ImageDaveYeomans
Ben Currie fractured his leg, ending his weekend at Oulton Park

Fraser Rogers also crashed during the opening session at Water Tower, sustaining a fracture to his right arm.

BSB Superbikes FP1/FP2 Results

Source: MCNews.com.au

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Scott Redding tops opening day of BSB Testing at Portimao

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BSB 2019 Portimao Test Day One

Be Wiser Ducati’s Scott Redding claimed the fastest time at the official BSB Official Test at Portimao on Day 1 from Honda Racing’s Xavi Forés, with only 0.026s separating the two, despite a crash earlier in the day leaving Redding on the back foot.

Forés was fast straight out of the blocks, putting his track knowledge to good use to maintain a position at the top of the times throughout the day, before he was pipped in the closing stages by Redding.

BSB Portimao Test Day Xavi Fores
Xavi Forés

Redding had been inside the top five before lunch, but a crash at turn five ended his morning session prematurely, whilst Josh Brookes climbed the order to third in the final ten minutes, nudging Tommy Bridewell down to fourth.

Andrew Irwin had a strong opening day on the second Honda Racing Fireblade, holding a position inside the top three before ending the day in fifth place as Brookes and Bridewell improved in the final 20 minutes.

Tarran Mackenzie didn’t attempt a time attack in the closing stages of the day, but his earlier time put him sixth fastest ahead of Team WD-40’s Claudio Corti and Luke Mossey, who had been running inside the top five earlier in the day.

Jason O’Halloran had been making strides forward in the afternoon with the McAMS Yamaha but a crash in the afternoon at turn 13 when he lost the front sidelined him from the remainder of the day despite being uninjured. Danny Buchan completed the top ten for FS3-Racing Kawasaki.

Ben Currie continued his Superbike learning curve to finish the opening day 13th quickest while Billy McConnell trailed Gary Johnson in the Superstock 1000 ranks.

BSB 2019 Portimao Test Day One Times

  1. Scott Redding (Be Wiser Ducati) 1m:44.502s
  2. Xavi Forés (Honda Racing) +0.026s
  3. Josh Brookes (Be Wiser Ducati) +0.175s
  4. Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing Ducati) +0.731s
  5. Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing) +0.824s
  6. Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) +0.923s
  7. Claudio Corti (Team WD-40 Kawasaki) +1.010s
  8. Luke Mossey (OMG Racing Suzuki) +1.021s
  9. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +1.040s
  10. Danny Buchan (FS3-Racing Kawasaki) +1.082s
  11. Josh Elliott (OMG Racing Suzuki) +1.113s
  12. Glenn Irwin (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +1.315s
  13. Ben Currie (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +1.964s
  14. Matt Truelove (McAMS Yamaha) +2.124s
  15. Ryan Vickers (RAF Kawasaki) +2.440s
  16. Jack Kennedy (Macadam Yamaha) +2.682s
  17. Fraser Rogers (Gearlink Kawasaki) +2.871s
  18. Alastair Seeley (Be Wiser Ducati) +3.017s
  19. Sam Coventry (Team 64 Kawasaki) +3.593s
  20. STK Gary Johnson (RAF Kawasaki) +3.855s
  21. STK Billy McConnell (OMG Suzuki) +4.074s
  22. STK Lee Jackson (FS-3 Kawasaki) +4.502s
  23. STK Tom Neave (Honda Racing) +4.636s
  24. SS Brad Jones (Macadam Yamaha) +4.786s
  25. SS Harry Trulove (Yamaha) +5.002s
  26. STK Eemeli Lahti (Staff Quick Connect Kawasaki) + 5.132s
  27. SS Ross Twyman (Gearlink Kawasaki) +6.506s
  28. SS Ben Wilson (Gearlink Kawasaki) +6.725s

Source: MCNews.com.au

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Scott Redding tops opening day of BSB pre-season testing

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2019 BSB Test
Monteblanco Day One

Former Aprilia Gresini Racing and Pramac Ducati MotoGP rider Scott Redding made and impressive start as the 2019 Bennetts British Superbike Championship kicked off today (Wednesday) with the opening day of official testing at Monteblanco in Spain. The Be Wiser Ducati Panigale V4 rider set the benchmark pace, toppling fellow debutant Xavi Forés by 0.169s with Jason O’Halloran also cutting the advantage on his final run in third.

The opening day of BSB testing got underway on a glorious sunny spring day at the Spanish circuit with Forés setting an early pace and holding the position on his second visit to the track as he prepares for his debut season in Bennetts BSB.

Forés Honda CBRRR
Forés Honda CBR1000RR

Redding though had been chipping away and on his penultimate run of the day he moved ahead of his Spanish rival with a string of faster laps as the Ducati V4R debuted for the first time in Bennetts BSB.

Forés improved in the closing ten minutes of the last session of the day as he completed his final run of laps, but it wasn’t enough to relegate Redding from leading the time sheets on close.

Redding said:

“It has been a good first day here in Monteblanco and have had great fun on the bike, understanding a lot of things and the team have been amazing – we have gelled really well. I actually miss them from the last test so it has been a relief after a long wait and I am looking forward to tomorrow to actually test some things on the bike, working with the new engine and the electronics to find the best ways. Day one is done and I am really happy and can’t wait to get back out tomorrow.”

Australian O’Halloran demonstrated that he was adapting well to his McAMS Yamaha YZF-R1M, closing in on Redding and Forés in the final minutes and only ending up 0.321s the leader Redding.

Danny Buchan saved his best until his last run of the day onboard his FS-3 Racing Kawasaki ZX-10R as he claimed fourth, pushing back the OMG Racing Suzuki GSXR piloted Luke Mossey in the closing minutes of the day.

Tarran Mackenzie made it both McAMS Yamahas inside the top ten as he posted the sixth fastest time ahead of Claudio Corti who had been riding impressively until a unfortunate ended his charge crash, but he was unhurt and able to finish the day.

Glenn Irwin led the Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki assault as the title-winning team bid to retain their crown, he was marginally faster than his younger brother Andrew on the Honda Racing Fireblade with Josh Brookes completing the top ten.

Bennetts British Superbike Championship,
Monteblanco, Official Test, Day 1 result:
1 Scott Redding (Be Wiser Ducati) 1m:38.385s
2 Xavi Forés (Honda Racing) +0.169
4 Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +0.321s
5 Danny Buchan (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) +0.750s
6 Luke Mossey (OMG Racing Suzuki) +0.792s
7 Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) +0.853s
8 Claudio Corti (Team WD-40 Kawasaki) +0.872s
9 Glenn Irwin (Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +0.883s
10 Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing) +0.978s
11 Josh Brookes (Be Wiser Ducati) +1.100s

BSB moves to Portimao for the penultimate test on  17 – 18 March.

Source: MCNews.com.au

Motorcycle News, Motorcycle Racing, News

BSB 2019 | Hickman on BMW | Fores to Honda | Linfoot on Yamaha

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BSB 2019 Rider Line-up taking shape

More pieces of the BSB 2019 puzzle have fallen into place with Smiths Racing BMW confirming that Peter Hickman will be joined onboard the brand-new S1000RR by James Ellison.

31-year-old Hickman from Louth in Lincolnshire remains with Alan and Rebecca Smith’s team for a third successive season having finished in an impressive fifth place in the 2018 Bennetts BSB series with a double podium finish at Thruxton to ensure qualification into the Showdown for a second successive season, from where he scored another podium at Assen.

Peter Hickman

“I’m absolutely over the moon to be staying with Smiths Racing for 2019. Myself, Rebecca, Alan and all the team get on so well and really gel as our results prove, so staying with them was always what I wanted. And now we’re welcoming James into the fold too, someone I’ve worked with before in 2016 and we got on great, he helped me a lot that year and I really think we’ll motivate and push each other. He’s a championship contender and so am I, so between us we have one of the strongest teams on the grid and to say I’m excited is an understatement. Along with all that we have the new Smiths BMW S1000RR which looks absolutely stunning and I can’t wait to throw my leg over it in testing before it gets real at BSB and on the roads.”

BSB Rnd Thruxton Hickman Image DYeomans AUYA
Peter Hickman – Smiths BMW 2018 – Image Dave Yeomans

Hickman had a stellar season on the roads too, winning at every major road race, including the Isle of Man TT Races, International North West 200, Ulster Grand Prix as well as this month’s Macau Grand Prix. Peter also claimed the outright TT lap record at 135.452mph on his way to victory on the Smiths BMW in the Senior TT race. Hickman will also contest the full closed roads programme once again as in 2018.

Joining Hickman in the Smiths Racing BMW squad will be experienced Cumbrian James Ellison, who joins Smiths Racing BMW from rivals Anvil Hire TAG Racing. Originally from Kendal but now residing at Swadlincote in the Midlands, the 38-year-old is a former World Endurance and double European Superstock champion who has just missed out on the BSB title in the past.

James Ellison

“First of all I just want to thank Alan, Rebecca and Darren for giving me this opportunity. I had an incredibly difficult 2018 season for various reasons, we had great pace but were lacking one key component that stopped me from getting the results which both myself and the TAG team were capable of. They are such a friendly, family-run team that made me feel so welcome, so I want to say a huge thank you to them and I wish them the best of luck in the future. I figured it would be impossible to call 2018 my ‘last’ season in BSB after having so many successful seasons fighting for the championship and it is just not in my nature to walk away knowing I can still fight for the BSB title given the right tools. The Smiths Racing BMW team have had another strong season with Hicky proving they are true title contenders and I’m delighted to be teaming up with Hicky again. We are really good friends off track but of course tough rivals on it and I believe we will push each other all year and work closely together to speed up the development of the all-new BMW S1000RR. The support from the fans has been incredible, even when I was struggling, which means so much to me and I can’t wait to start testing in March.”

BSB Smiths BMW Ellison Hickman
Ellison and Hickman at BMW

BSB Musical Chairs

Other recent movements in BSB include Jason O’Halloran heading from Honda to McAMS Yamaha and Dan Linfoot to Tag Racing Yamaha. Their previous positions at Honda have been filled by Xavi Fores alongside Andrew Irwin. 

BSB McAMS Yamaha Jason OHalloran Mackenzie
Jason O’Halloran and Tarran Mackenzie – McAMS Yamaha for BSB 2019

Before the 2018 season had even finished Josh Brookes announced his move to Be Wiser Ducati where he will be joined by MotoGP exile Scott Redding. The pair should be a force to be reckoned with on the new Panigale V4 R.  In addition to their British Superbike Championship campaigns, Redding and Brookes are also hoping for wild card appearances at least one event in the World Superbike Championship.

Australia’s Ben Currie makes the step up to Superbike with the JG Speedfit Kawasaki squad alongside Glenn Irwin. 

BSB Showdown Oulton Park Ben Currie P Podium ImageDyeomans
Ben Currie makes the step up to Superbike with JG Speedfit Kawasaki

Christian Iddon and Keith Farmer are expected to ride for Tyco BMW while Ryan Vickers steps in to the RAF Kawasaki squad.

Danny Buchan is definitely in with a good chance aboard the FS-3 Racing Kawasaki and has the benefits of being one of the few top runners not to move teams for the new season. 

Danny Buchan #83 is definitely in with a good chance aboard the FS-3 Racing Kawasaki

Buildbase Suzuki have confirmed Bradley Ray but it seems that a possible second GSX-R1000R seat is yet to be filled in that team.  Luke Mossey and Gino Rea will ride for OMG Suzuki. 

Who will rise to the top?

With Shane Byrne’s recovery from injury seemingly further delayed, 2018 BSB Champion Leon Haslam heading to World Superbike, and second place getter Jake Dixon heading to Moto2, it will be very interesting to see how the form guide for season 2019 shakes up when things get underway in the 12-round series at Silverstone over Easter next year (19/21 April).

Who is your money on?

Source: MCNews.com.au