2021 British Superbike Championship Round One – Oulton Park
Images by David Yeoman
Jason O’Halloran has dominated the opening round of the British Superbike Championship in style, adding two more wins to his Saturday victory to grab a handy lead in the championship. Defending Champion Josh Brookes took a 7-6 result on Sunday, improving but still struggling to resolve some issues from Saturday.
Jack Kennedy won the Supersport class, despite tying on points with Bradley Perie, with Aussie Ben Currie third overall with a 3-4 result.
Taylor Mackenzie took the Superstock win, ahead of Luke Mossey and Billy McConnell. Levi Day finished seventh, just ahead of Brayden Elliott, with New Zealand’s Damon Rees 19th and Shane Richardson 21st.
Casey O’Gorman took the British Talent Cup win, with a double win, with Evan Belford and Carter Brown leaving the weekend tied on 36-points.
In the Junior Superstock it was Jack Nixon claiming the race wins and championship lead, with George Stanley and Joe Talbot second and third respectively. Aussie Seth Crump ran 15-19 and claimed a championship point.
British Superbike
O’Halloran had been victorious in yesterday’s curtain raiser and he carried his momentum into today’s action for the McAMS Yamaha team.
O’Halloran hounded Iddon throughout the second race of the weekend, but despite several earlier attempts at a pass, he couldn’t get ahead.
The Australian was determined to return to winning ways at Oulton Park though and he pulled off an exuberant last corner move on Iddon into Lodge on the brakes to secure the win.
Peter Hickman meanwhile, had been battling in the early stages with the leading pair, before arm pump struck later in the race. The FHO Racing BMW rider showed determination to hold onto third place and claim the team’s maiden podium finish on its debut weekend – also the first for the new BMW M 1000 RR.
SYNETIQ BMW’s Danny Buchan was able to move his way up the order into fourth place, just ahead of Bradley Ray and Tarran Mackenzie, who had overcome a collision with Tommy Bridewell to regain ground before the chequered flag.
The rivalry between O’Halloran and Iddon continued in the final race of the triple-header as the pair went head-to-head for the final time in Cheshire. Iddon once again got a lightning start off the line to lead O’Halloran on the opening lap with Hickman again tucked into third after his pole position start.
O’Halloran was shadowing Iddon throughout the race and on more than one occasion looked to try to find a way ahead, but the VisionTrack Ducati rider kept holding him at bay.
The victory would once again come down to a final lap decider as O’Halloran made a brave overtake on the run down Lakeside to lead into Shell Oils corner.
Jason O’Halloran – P1
“It has been a great weekend and it couldn’t have gone any better, so I need to thank everyone at McAMS Yamaha. Race two was a comfortable race and Christian was setting a good pace and I was looking for somewhere to get ahead but it wasn’t working out. I got out of the seat and then got a good run out of Druids and was as close as ever so I just thought ‘let’s try’. I don’t know how I did get it stopped, but I did and then I just had enough to the line so I was happy with that. In the third race, I had been lining Christian up for a move at Shell, but when I tried there a couple of times I didn’t think I could make a clean pass as he was strong there. He gapped me in some other places and I was a bit worried as I knew it wasn’t just the two of us at the front. I left it until the last lap again and I got a great run out of Cascades and hung on to his draft a little bit and went for the move and got through. I thought he might have come back at me, but to start the season with three wins was a perfect weekend for me.”
Iddon tried to retaliate but had to settle for second, his third of the weekend to lead the charge for VisionTrack Ducati.
Christian Iddon – P2
“I think I’m going to lobby Stuart Higgs to see if we can get extra points for the most laps led in a race. It’s hard to take when you lead for that long and get overtaken on the final lap and although three second place finishes are obviously a great start, three wins would have been better. Jason had something more than us in certain parts of the circuit though and he had plenty of opportunity to weigh things up by sitting behind me for so long. I was half expecting him to come by, especially in the last race but I felt confident leading, and we can take away a lot of positives from the weekend.”
Bridewell meanwhile, had been desperate to make amends for his DNF in the previous race when the incident forced him to retire. He carved his way through from 12th position at the start and was soon piling the pressure on the riders ahead of him.
By lap 11, Bridewell was into fifth before he made a move on Hickman, who was beginning to suffer again from arm pump. He then targeted Mackenzie, hunting the McAMS Yamaha rider down before making a decisive pass on the brakes on lap 16.
Bridewell held off Mackenzie to the chequered flag to take the final podium position of the weekend with Hickman completing the top five.
Peter Hickman – P3
“Great weekend for myself and the FHO Racing BMW team, fantastic to get the first-ever podium for the team at round one and the first-ever podium for the M 1000 RR BMW. If we were offered a 4th 5th and podium from the weekend before we got there, we would have definitely taken it, especially when I was struggling with arm pump really badly this weekend, which is unusual for myself. I felt I had the pace to have been on the podium for all three races, if not to win one or two. That’s the way things go, but I will work to get that sorted before the next round. So leaving here on a positive, the bike has worked really well and shown its potential and it is only round one for us and look forward to getting to Knockhill. Finally, wishing my teammate Xavi all the best and look forward to getting him back with the team for Knockhill.”
It was a difficult weekend for defending champion Josh Brookes, the Australian ending today’s two races in seventh and sixth place respectively.
Josh Brookes – P6
“We’ve definitely made a step forward today especially in the last race although sixth place is a relatively small consolation. It’s important to always think about the positives though and irrespective of the position, I got a decent feeling with the bike again. I actually felt like I could be aggressive and attack into the corners and by doing that, the confidence slowly returned. I got further up the field and scored more points, but I’ve created a bit of a challenge for myself and need to put in some hard work ahead of the next round.”
Jason O’Halloran leads the Superbike standings as a result, on a perfect 75-points, with Iddon second overall on 60. Hickman is a distant third on 40-points, ahead of Mackenzie (34), Bridewell (32) and defending champ Josh Brookes on 25.
2021 British Superbike Championship – Oulton Park Results
2021 British Superbike Championship Round One – Oulton Park
Images by David Yeoman
Australian Jason O’Halloran has kicked off the 2021 British Superbike Championship in the best way possible, winning the opening race of the year’s first round, taking the win at Oulton Park ahead of Christian Iddon and Tommy Bridewell.
Iddon had hit the front of the pack on the opening lap as he launched off the front row to lead into Old Hall for the first time ahead of O’Halloran and Tarran Mackenzie.
As Iddon led the pack, O’Halloran was looking to make his move, but it wasn’t until lap eight when he could make it ahead with a move down the inside at Old Hall.
The VisionTrack Ducati rider tried to reclaim the position, edging ahead as the crossed the line on the tenth lap, but O’Halloran had the lead into Old Hall.
The McAMS Yamaha rider held off the challenge until the chequered flag as Iddon claimed second place for VisionTrack Ducati, with Bridewell in third continuing his successful weekend so far for Oxford Products Racing Ducati.
Jason O’Halloran – P1
“It feels absolutely great to claim the first win of the year! We’ve had probably the best pre-season I’ve ever had, I’ve topped the majority of the test sessions – but the first sessions that actually counted were this weekend and we got one lap so I was a bit unhappy about qualifying. I put my head down though in the race and got a really good start. I’ve done about three practice starts this weekend and fluffed them all so I’m glad I got that one right when it mattered! I just settled in to the race, I sort of knew my pace as I had done a pretty long run in FP3 and I could see Christian ahead. I was pretty happy with what he was doing, he wasn’t really getting away although there was a little gap, it was more of a yo-yo gap and I just picked my time. Once I got to the front I started to push it a bit more. I knew he would come with me because when you’re following you can tag on and get pulled away, and I was happy to just run my normal lines and learn as much as I could for tomorrow. I think we can still improve tomorrow, it’s a longer race as well which I think will play into our favour.”
Christian Iddon – P2
“To come away from the first race of the season with a trophy is obviously great but it was a hard race and after eight months away from racing it was quite a shock to the system. I don’t think I’ve been riding as well as I can do this weekend so I didn’t want to lead and when Jason came by, he pulled quite a gap straight away, but our bikes are so completely different these gaps can come and go and that’s what happened. We’ve definitely improved, and we’ll look to see if we can make further improvements for tomorrow, but 20 points is a good start to the season.”
Peter Hickman was just adrift of the leading trio to lead the BMW contenders to score fourth place on the FHO Racing BMW team debut at Oulton Park.
Mackenzie finished in a lone fifth place ahead of Honda Racing’s Glenn Irwin and Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW’s Kyle Ryde after teammate Bradley Ray was forced to retire in the early stages of the race.
Lee Jackson scored FS-3 Kawasaki eighth place, maintaining his position ahead of Ryan Vickers and Josh Brookes as the reigning champion completed the top ten.
Josh Brookes – P10
“We’ve used testing to try a number of things with the bike and did so with optimism and we felt we had the package to come here and challenge for the win. For whatever reason though, that’s not happened and even though we eventually put in exactly the same settings as what we had last year, I haven’t been able to get anywhere near where I should be. We know what the issue is, we just need to work out how to solve it. Sometimes you can look at your own shortcomings which I can accept so we’ll sit down and have a good look at what we need to do to make a better fist of things in tomorrow’s races.”
It was a disappointing opening race for SYNETIQ BMW’s Andrew Irwin, who crashed out at Old Hall and Buildbase Suzuki’s Danny Kent, who slid off at Lodge.
2021 British Superbike Championship – Oulton Park Race 1 Results
2021 British Superbike Championship
Silverstone Test
Images by David Yeomans Photography
Australia’s Jason O’Halloran has set the initial benchmark as the Bennetts British Superbike Championship testing at Silverstone kicked off on Wednesday as the McAMS Yamaha rider topped all four sessions, edging out title rival and reigning champion Josh Brookes by 0.358s on the combined times.
The Australian’s best time came in the second session of the day before lunch, with the McAMS Yamaha contender continuing to build momentum in the team’s first test of the season.
Jason O’Halloran – McAMS Yamaha
“To be honest it was great to get back out on the bike. The first session was a little bit patchy, so we just did some laps to get the feeling back. The second session was really good for us. It was pretty much an identical bike to the one I rode here last year. In the lunchbreak, the boys changed the engine and we tried the 2021 spec, which we tried this afternoon for the last two sessions. Although we ended up at the top, this slowed us down a bit – when you put a new spec in you have to work through things like fuelling and throttle cables, so we’ve just been doing laps this afternoon to get things to my liking.Compared with how I felt on the previous bike, the changes we’ve made have been really positive and I feel comfortable, we’ve just got to tweak it to make it my own again. We’ll do that tomorrow and also some chassis stuff, so we can look forward to that tomorrow.”
Brookes meanwhile was consistently close and the defending champion set his best lap of the day in the third session, which put him 0.074s clear of his teammate Christian Iddon as the VisionTrack Ducati pairing locked out the final top three positions.
Kyle Ryde was the leading BMW rider onboard the all-new M 1000 RR, the Rich Energy OMG Racing BMW rider was fourth fastest on the combined timings, setting the second fastest time in the final session of the day as he pushed for a final run before the chequered flag.
Xavi Forés marked his return to Bennetts BSB action with the all-new FHO Racing BMW team by holding fourth place in the final session of the day, putting him in fifth place on the combined times as the Spaniard saved his best until last ahead of day two tomorrow.
The overall combined times featured five different manufacturers in the top seven and Buildbase Suzuki’s Danny Kent bounced back from an earlier crash to lead their charge in sixth place with Honda Racing’s Glenn Irwin in seventh place overall.
Tommy Bridewell and Oxford Products Racing Ducati set their best time in the final session of the day, putting him into eighth place and just ahead of Gino Rea on the second of the Buildbase Suzukis with Tarran Mackenzie in tenth place, ending the day early following a crash in the final session.
An incredible opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship race produced the most dramatic action of the 2020 season so far; with all five of the title contenders going all-in to battle for the victory, and it was Jason O’Halloran and McAMS Yamaha who aced the opening round of the weekend.
The lead changed every lap throughout the 16-lap tussle for supremacy in the standings and at the start of the race, Josh Brookes had lead the pack into Paddock Hill Bend for the first time, getting the jump on Glenn Irwin, O’Halloran and Christian Iddon.
Iddon was soon into third, but at the front, Glenn Irwin had captured the lead. The Honda Racing rider though was instantly under fire again from Brookes who regained the position before they crossed the line to start the next lap.
On lap five, Irwin went for another attempt; passing Brookes for the lead, with the VisionTrack Ducati rider nudged into third as Iddon moved ahead into second place.
Two laps later and Iddon became the third different rider to lead the race, but by lap eight, the Honda Racing Fireblade was back in front. Glenn Irwin was then holding the advantage from O’Halloran, Brookes and Iddon, and then the McAMS Yamaha rider was pushing for the lead.
O’Halloran made a decisive move to grab the position at Surtees, becoming the fourth of the five title contenders to lead the race. However, before lap 11 was completed, Iddon had fired the VisionTrack Ducati back ahead of O’Halloran with Glenn Irwin holding third place.
Iddon led the pack until the penultimate lap when he came under attack from a determined O’Halloran, who then made a break on the final two laps to claim his third victory of the season.
Iddon held second to the finish line despite the best efforts of Tarran Mackenzie, who carved his way through his rivals to end the race in third place ahead of Brookes, who had his advantage cut to seven points.
Danny Buchan and Rapid Fulfillment FS-3 Kawasaki completed the top five as he made ground over the final laps, with Glenn Irwin ended the race in sixth place, with his brother Andrew in close contention. Lee Jackson, Tommy Bridewell and Gino Rea completing the top ten.
Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) – P1
“That race was mental! It felt like it was the last race in the championship – everyone was just going for it! It think there are five of us who can challenge for the title and we all knew that today’s race was one of the most important of the weekend. We knew if Josh won today it would make it more difficult tomorrow and so we were all desperate to get to the front. I felt good but every time I made a pass, I got passed back! Towards the end of the race I managed to make a move on Christian, and then I made it stick and I thought that’s enough, put your head down and try and make a break. It felt so good to win that one.”
Christian Iddon – P2
“That race was insane, there’s no other way to describe it! You were focusing on Christian Iddontrying to find a way by the rider in front of you but whilst you were doing that, two riders would come flying by so there was a lot going on. When Glenn was leading, he was controlling the race but it was perhaps a bit too slow so when I got by him, I tried to push on and edge away which helped and although Jason got the win, second has closed things right up. I’m still trying not to think about the championship but it’s hard to do that when there’s so much going on in a race.”
Josh Brookes – P4
“It was a fantastic race which I’m sure was great to watch but I’m not happy with fourth place. We had a bike which was good enough to win but maybe I took things a bit too cautiously in the early stages. But then again, I could be explaining a different story now and hindsight is a wonderful thing. It just means tomorrow is going to be more exciting for everyone and I must now rider harder and more aggressively, I’ll do whatever is necessary and bring that to the fight tomorrow.”
Glenn Irwin – P6
“On the grid we talked about getting a good start, and I knew I needed one starting from seventh and it was perfect! We got really stuck in and I was comfortable with the pace I was leading at, but I knew others had perhaps more pace in that race. I was trying to defend and be smart, Jason pulled a move and as I was drafting back I had some big turbulence I suppose, with a big moment and dropped back to third. That was the race from there and unfortunately we dropped further. But it’s been a positive, there are areas we know we can work on, and I think if we work on those we can continue to make inroads. Championship wise, for sure we lost points and that’s frustrating, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable race and it was nice to make moves on some people.”
Andrew Irwin – P7
“Today’s race was quite a fun race to be honest, the first ten laps were fast-going and I didn’t really look at the pit board until about three laps from the end. It was nice to be close to the front for a while, but we have just one area we need to improve on and I think if we manage that, then we will hopefully be a bit closer to the front tomorrow. But it was a good race, we’re not too far away and we’ll try and improve for tomorrow’s final two races.”
Race One Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Jason O’HALLORAN
Yamaha
23m08.127
2
Christian IDDON
Ducati
+1.877
3
Tarran MACKENZIE
Yamaha
+2.075
4
Josh BROOKES
Ducati
+3.055
5
Danny BUCHAN
Kawasaki
+3.667
6
Glenn IRWIN
Honda
+4.479
7
Andrew IRWIN
Honda
+4.787
8
Lee JACKSON
Kawasaki
+4.845
9
Tommy BRIDEWELL
Ducati
+5.899
10
Gino REA
Suzuki
+6.134
11
Luke MOSSEY
BMW
+6.742
12
Jack KENNEDY
Kawasaki
+11.127
13
Peter HICKMAN
BMW
+11.303
14
Kyle RYDE
Suzuki
+11.460
15
Joe FRANCIS
BMW
+11.770
16
Héctor BARBERÁ
BMW
+20.001
17
Taylor MACKENZIE
BMW
+26.188
18
Storm STACEY
Kawasaki
+35.470
19
Josh OWENS
Kawasaki
+37.901
20
Brian McCORMACK
BMW
+1m08.252
21
Bjorn ESTMENT
Suzuki
+1m10.945
22
Lachlan EPIS
BMW
+2 Laps
Not Classified
DNF
Graeme IRWIN
Kawasaki
9 Laps
DNF
Bradley RAY
BMW
12 Laps
British Superbike Championship Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Josh BROOKES (Ducati)
238
2
Jason O’HALLORAN (Yamaha)
231
3
Christian IDDON (Ducati)
229
4
Glenn IRWIN (Honda)
217
5
Tarran MACKENZIE (Yamaha)
195
6
Tommy BRIDEWELL (Ducati)
153
7
Andrew IRWIN (Honda)
148
8
Lee JACKSON (Kawasaki)
139
9
Kyle RYDE (Suzuki)
132
10
Danny BUCHAN (Kawasaki)
112
11
Luke MOSSEY (BMW)
81
12
Gino REA (Suzuki)
76
13
Bradley RAY (BMW)
74
14
Peter HICKMAN (BMW)
55
15
Ryan VICKERS (Kawasaki)
45
16
Héctor BARBERÁ (BMW)
31
17
Jack KENNEDY (Kawasaki)
31
18
Joe FRANCIS (BMW)
21
19
Keith FARMER (Suzuki)
10
20
Alex OLSEN (BMW)
8
21
Taylor MACKENZIE (BMW)
5
22
Storm STACEY (Kawasaki)
4
23
Markus REITERBERGER (BMW)
2
24
Dan LINFOOT (Yamaha)
2
25
Graeme IRWIN (Kawasaki)
1
British Supersport Championship & British GP2 Cup
Tysers Yamaha’s Rory Skinner took his ninth win of the season in the 2020 Quattro Group British Supersport Championship at Brands Hatch, with Ben Currie taking his first podium of the year and Brad Jones third.
It was Ben Currie who made the best start and led after the opening lap, with Skinner and Harry Truelove hounding the leader. By lap three though Skinner had made his way to the front with Truelove, Currie and Jones in hot pursuit.
By half race distance Skinner continued to hold the advantage, forcing Currie and Jones to ride out of their skins to keep up with the Champion. Truelove was pushing to catch the leader, but his machine developed an issue and forced him to retire from the race.
But as the race came to a close, Currie and Jones couldn’t catch Skinner, handing him another victory in 2020 as Currie took his first podium of the season.
Tom Toparis did well in his return form injury to be the ninth Supersport machine home.
Race Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Rory SKINNER
Yamaha
17m51.566
2
Ben CURRIE
Kawasaki
+0.206
3
Brad JONES
Yamaha
+1.856
4
Bradley PERIE
Yamaha
+3.142
5
Korie McGREEVY
Yamaha
+15.197
6
Lee JOHNSTON
Yamaha
+15.309
7
Mason LAW GP2
Spirit
+15.355
8
Jack SCOTT GP2
Harris
+15.381
9
Rob HARTOG
MV Agusta
+16.925
10
Charlie NESBITT GP2
ABM Quattro
+17.027
11
Tom OLIVER GP2
Chassis Factory
+17.336
12
Richard KERR
Triumph
+17.701
13
Alastair SEELEY GP2
ABM Quattro
+17.929
14
Dan JONES GP2
FTR
+21.191
15
Cameron HORSMAN GP2
Chassis Factory
+27.201
16
Tom TOPARIS
Yamaha
+27.343
17
Jake ARCHER GP2
Kalex
+27.799
18
Kurt WIGLEY
Yamaha
+27.920
19
Phil WAKEFIELD
Yamaha
+36.867
20
Jorel BOERBOOM GP2
Honda
+36.934
21
Gary JOHNSON
Triumph
+38.387
22
Tomás DE VRIES GP2
Chassis Factory
+41.338
23
Cameron FRASER GP2
Chassis Factory
+41.761
24
Mark CONLIN
Yamaha
+1m11.121
25
David KRAWIEKCI
Yamaha
+1m:11.223
26
Cedric BLOCH
Kawasaki
+1m:12.009
Not Classified
DNF
James WESTMORELAND
Kawasaki
2 Laps
DNF
Ross PATTERSON
Yamaha
5 Laps
DNF
Harry TRUELOVE
Yamaha
7 Laps
DNF
Luke HEDGER
Triumph
/
DNF
Jamie PERRIN
Yamaha
/
Championship Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Rory SKINNER (Yamaha)
245
2
Brad JONES (Yamaha)
158
3
James WESTMORELAND (Kawasaki)
143
4
Bradley PERIE (Yamaha)
127
5
Lee JOHNSTON (Yamaha)
108
6
Harry TRUELOVE (Yamaha)
103
7
Richard KERR (Triumph)
90
8
Ben CURRIE (Kawasaki)
78
9
Rob HARTOG (MV Agusta)
76
10
Kurt WIGLEY (Yamaha)
56
11
Jamie PERRIN (Yamaha)
43
12
Korie McGREEVY (Yamaha)
43
13
James ROSE (Kawasaki)
41
14
Ross PATTERSON (Yamaha)
41
15
Phil WAKEFIELD (Yamaha)
38
16
Tom TOPARIS (Yamaha)
24
17
Alan NAYLOR (Yamaha)
18
18
Scott SWANN (Yamaha)
12
19
Ricky TARREN (Yamaha)
11
20
Keenan ARMSTRONG (Kawasaki)
6
21
Mike NORBURY (Kawasaki)
6
22
Ben WOTTON (Triumph)
6
23
Grant McINTOSH (Yamaha)
5
24
Gary JOHNSON (Triumph)
4
25
Michael DUNLOP (Yamaha)
3
26
Mark CONLIN (Yamaha)
3
27
David KRAWIEKCI (Yamaha)
2
28
Cedric BLOCH (Kawasaki)
1
British Superstock 1000
OMG Racing’s Billy McConnell topped the final Pirelli National Superstock 1000 qualifying of the season, beating Jordan Weaving by 0.1s. On a damp but drying track, there was a flurry of names at the top of the session early on but Luke Jones held top spot for much of the session.
The closing stages saw a host of fast laps but it was McConnell who was able to top the session ahead of Weaving. Chrissy Rouse secured third ahead of Dan Linfoot, Keith Farmer and Danny Kent.
Qualifying
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Billy McCONNELL
BMW
1m30.992
2
Jordan WEAVING
Suzuki
+0.162
3
Chrissy ROUSE
BMW
+0.635
4
Dan LINFOOT
BMW
+0.721
5
Keith FARMER
Suzuki
+1.041
6
Danny KENT
Kawasaki
+1.258
7
Fraser ROGERS
Kawasaki
+1.503
8
Luke HEDGER
Kawasaki
+2.095
9
Tim NEAVE
Suzuki
+2.220
10
Ashley BEECH
Suzuki
+2.271
11
Lewis ROLLO
Aprilia
+2.476
12
Michael RUTTER
BMW
+2.831
13
Tom NEAVE
Honda
+2.847
14
Shane RICHARDSON
BMW
+3.199
15
Lee WILLIAMS
Kawasaki
+3.565
16
Conor CUMMINS
Honda
+3.661
17
Joe SHELDON-SHAW
Suzuki
+3.853
18
Luke JONES
Aprilia
+4.184
19
Ian HUTCHINSON
BMW
+4.363
20
Tom WARD
Kawasaki
+4.751
21
Josh WOOD
Kawasaki
+5.102
22
Davey TODD
Honda
+5.659
23
Tom TUNSTALL
Suzuki
+5.751
24
Brayden ELLIOTT
Suzuki
+5.956
25
Rob McNEALY
BMW
+6.455
26
Craig NEVE
BMW
+6.480
27
Shaun WINFIELD
Honda
+6.489
28
Luke HOPKINS
Kawasaki
+7.504
29
Robert HODSON
Kawasaki
+7.505
30
Ricky ELDER
BMW
+7.764
31
Dani SAEZ GUTERREZ
Kawasaki
+7.855
Qualifying Lap Time (110.0% of 1m30.992) = 1m40.091
32
Dave MACKAY
Suzuki
+9.705
33
Ben BROADWAY
Aprilia
+10.307
34
Johnny BLACKSHAW
Aprilia
+13.280
35
David BROOK
BMW
+14.830
British Superstock 600
Ben Luxton has taken the 2020 Pirelli National Superstock 600 Championship in style at Brands Hatch, grabbing the victory on the line from TJ Toms and Caolan Irwin.
After the opening lap it was Championship leader Ben Luxton who led the way, with Nixon and Irwin in hot pursuit of the Kawasaki man. But by half race distance Irwin hit the front and led the way ahead of Luxton and TJ Toms.
The battle then hotted up with the front three swapping and changing places until the final lap where Luxton took his fifth victory on the line from Toms and Caolan Irwin, and with that the 2020 title crown.
Race Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Ben LUXTON
Kawasaki
18m34.069
2
TJ TOMS
Yamaha
+0.023
3
Caolan IRWIN
Kawasaki
+0.128
4
Liam DELVES
Yamaha
+0.513
5
George STANLEY
Kawasaki
+0.838
6
Joe TALBOT
Kawasaki
+3.740
7
Zak CORDEROY
Kawasaki
+3.821
8
Jack NIXON
Kawasak
+4.082
9
Louis VALLELEY
Kawasaki
+15.205
10
Simon REID
Yamaha
+15.367
11
James ALDERSON
Triumph
+15.440
12
Asher DURHAM
Kawasaki
+17.774
13
Eugene McMANUS
Kawasaki
+19.610
14
William LATHROPE
Triumph
+19.635
15
Aaron SILVESTER
Yamaha
+21.784
16
Owen JENNER
Kawasaki
+27.337
17
Daniel BROOKS
Kawasaki
+27.468
18
Nathan DRURY
Kawasaki
+27.665
19
Trystan FINOCCHIARO
Kawasaki
+27.809
20
Matthew BOWER
Kawasaki
+41.156
21
Josh COWARD
Kawasaki
+41.277
22
Toby REYNOLDS
Yamaha
+41.666
23
James BULL
MV Agusta
+55.972
24
Bradley RICHMAN
Kawasaki
+1m05.347
25
Kayla BARRINGTON
Kawasaki
+1m05.495
26
Jamie LE MASURIER
Triumph
+1m12.762
Not Classified
DNF
Adam HARTGROVE
Yamaha
8 Laps
DNF
Michael LARGE-TAYLOR
Yamaha
9 Laps
DNF
Rhys IRWIN
Yamaha
11 Laps
DNF
Connor THOMSON
Yamaha
11 Laps
Championship Points
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Ben LUXTON (Kawasaki)
154
3
Zak CORDEROY (Kawasaki)
105
2
Rhys IRWIN (Yamaha)
96
4
Caolan IRWIN (Kawasaki)
79
5
Liam DELVES (Yamaha)
62
6
Jack NIXON (Kawasaki)
60
7
Joe TALBOT (Kawasaki)
55
8
James ALDERSON (Triumph)
53
9
Daniel BROOKS (Kawasaki)
46
10
Simon REID (Yamaha)
44
11
George STANLEY (Kawasaki)
34
12
TJ TOMS (Kawasaki)
30
13
Adam McLEAN (Yamaha)
27
14
Eugene McMANUS (Kawasaki)
25
15
Kade VERWEY (Kawasaki)
20
16
Sam LAFFINS (Kawasaki)
18
17
Aaron SILVESTER (Yamaha)
12
18
Asher DURHAM (Kawasaki)
11
19
Connor THOMSON (Yamaha)
8
20
Louis VALLELEY (Kawasaki)
7
21
Adam HARTGROVE (Yamaha)
7
22
Conor WHEELER (Yamaha)
7
23
Luke VERWEY (Kawasaki)
6
24
Trystan FINOCCHIARO (Kawasaki)
4
25
Taylor MORETON (Kawasaki)
4
26
William LATHROPE (Triumph)
3
27
Christopher SINANAN (Kawasaki)
2
28
Matthew BOWER (Kawasaki)
1
Ducati Performance TriOptions Cup
Levi Day has taken the 2020 Ducati Tri-Options Cup down to the final day with victory over Championship rival Josh Day at Brands Hatch, with Elliot Pinson third.
Josh Day started the race the strongest and grabbed the holeshot from Levi Day and Compton, with Shoubridge and Cox chasing the leaders down, but after the opening lap Josh Day had pulled a 0.8 second gap.
By half race distance Levis Day had closed the gap down to half a second but Championship leader Josh continued to hold the advantage over his closest rival.
But with three laps to go Josh Day’s bike began to develop a problem, however he rode around the issues, holding second with Levi holding the lead until the flag, with Pinson taking third.
2020 British Superbike Championship Round Five Donington Park Sunday wrap
Images Dave Yeomans
Andrew Irwin opened the weekend’s racing with a victory for Honda Racing, winning the opening British Superbike race at the Donington triple-header, ahead of Ducati mounted rider’s Christian Iddon and Josh Brookes.
Race 2 saw Josh Brookes return to the top step of the podium, working his way to the front by lap five and then edging out his rivals and laying claim the championship lead. Jason O’Halloran took second meanwhile, while Tarran Mackenzie was third.
Tarran Mackenzie became the third different rider to top the Bennetts British Superbike Championship podium at Donington Park, grabbing the lead with four laps to go to give McAMS Yamaha the final victory of the weekend in Race 3. Glenn Irwin was second overall, with Josh Brookes making his third appearance on the podium for the triple-header.
Josh Brookes now sits on 225-points, 16-points clear of Christian Iddon on 209, with Glenn Irwin third on 207. Jason O’Halloran is only a point adrift in fourth on 206.
In the British Supersport James Westmoreland took his first victory of 2020 in a rain effected encounter at Donington Park, with James Rose and Bradley Perie rounding out the podium, and Cameron Horsman taking the GP2 victory. Ben Currie crashed out early, in what he described as a “Really strange crash”, with 11 of the 27 riders not finishing.
Rory Skinner took the 2020 British Supersport Championship title with victory in the Feature race at Donington Park, winning from Brad Jones and Lee Johnston in the second Supersport race of the weekend, while Ben Currie came home in seventh.
Rory Skinner holds the Supersport standings lead on 220-points, to second place James Westmoreland on 143. Third overall is Brad Jones on 142-points. Australian Ben Currie current sits eighth on 58-points.
Aussie Billy McConnell took a last lap victory in Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Race 1, beating long-time race leader Lewis Rollo, with Tom Neave the final podium sitter. Tom Neave hit back in Race 2, closing the gap in the Championship standings with a dominant win in the second Pirelli National Superstock 1000 race of the weekend.
Chrissy Rouse currently holds the standings lead on 165-points, to Tom Neave on 155, with Rollo third on 117. Billy McConnel is fourth on 110, while New Zealand’s Damon Reese is eighth overall. Brayden Elliott sits 14th, with Shane Richardson 17th.
Rhys Irwin took the Pirelli National Superstock 600 victory at a damp but drying Donington Park, after an impressive final lap saw him fend off challenges from Jack Nixon and Championship leader Ben Luxton. Luxton now leads the standings by 33-points from Irwin and Zak Corderoy who are tied on 96-points.
The opening Junior Supersport race saw Taz Taylor make a victorious return to racing action, taking victory by four seconds from Adon Davie and Lewis Jones, with Owen Jenner taking the 2020 crown.
Brody Crockford took the final Hel Performance British Junior Supersport win of the season in a dominant display, winning by over five-seconds from Jenner, with Lynden Leatherland third. Owen Jenner holds the title on 176-points, while Seth Crump is second overall on 131, with Brody Crockford third on 116.
British Superbike Race One
On the opening lap Glenn Irwin led the pack, however there was a disaster for the championship leader when he crashed out at Goddards unhurt on the opening lap, and losing the lead in the standings for the first time this season.
At the front though Andrew Irwin was still flying the flag for Honda Racing, riding a perfect race to claim his third win of the season with the VisionTrack Ducati pairing behind him. Josh Brookes wasn’t able to get the better of his teammate for second place in the closing stages and Christian Iddon now leads the standings by two points ahead of Round 14.
Glenn Irwin is now equal on points in third place in the standings with Jason O’Halloran as the McAMS Yamaha rider also endured a tough opening race to the weekend, finishing in 14th place, just ahead of Tommy Bridewell.
At the front Tarran Mackenzie had been moving up the order on the leading McAMS Yamaha, edging out Ryan Vickers in the closing stages to finish fourth.
The RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki team though celebrated Vickers’ best result of the season and on the opposite side of the garage, Jack Kennedy was one of three riders to opt for an intermediate rear tyre, which saw him move up to seventh in the closing stages and he will start on pole position for Round 14.
Vickers was able to maintain fifth ahead of Gino Rea, who claimed his best finish for Buildbase Suzuki after also opting for the intermediate rear tyre option as conditions improved in the closing stages with teammate Kyle Ryde holding eighth place.
Danny Buchan and Lee Jackson completed the top ten for the Rapid Fulfillment FS-3 Kawasaki team .
Race One Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Andrew IRWIN
Honda
24m58.1
2
Christian IDDON
Ducati
+1.824
3
Josh BROOKES
Ducati
+2.508
4
Tarran MACKENZIE
Yamah
+8.048
5
Ryan VICKERS
Kawasak
+10.776
6
Gino REA
Suzuki
+12.297
7
Jack KENNEDY
Kawasaki
+12.387
8
Kyle RYDE
Suzuki
+13.841
9
Danny BUCHAN
Kawasaki
+17.938
10
Lee JACKSON
Kawasaki
+25.058
11
Luke MOSSEY
BMW
+25.608
12
Peter HICKMAN
BMW
+27.339
13
Keith FARMER
Suzuki
+27.801
14
Jason O’HALLORAN
Yamaha
+28.222
15
Tommy BRIDEWELL
Ducati
+38.199
16
Graeme IRWIN
Kawasaki
+41.714
17
Joe FRANCIS
BMW
+47.764
18
Ian HUTCHINSON
BMW
+49.254
19
Storm STACEY
Kawasaki
+50.336
20
Taylor MACKENZIE
BMW
+50.393
21
Markus REITERBERGER
BMW
+1M10.101
22
Héctor BARBERÁ
BMW
+1m10.612
23
Bjorn ESTMENT
BMW
+1m39.330
Not Classifieds
DNF
Brian McCORMACK
BMW
10 Laps
DNF
Glenn IRWIN
Honda
/
British Superbike Race Two
A hectic opening lap was lead by Kyle Ryde on the Buildbase Suzuki ahead of Tarran Mackenzie, Gino Rea, and pole-sitter Jack Kennedy, but the Silverstone race winner was later forced out of the action with a technical problem.
However the race action was ended prematurely for Ryan Vickers and Andrew Irwin, who crashed out together at the Melbourne Loop for the first time, with Peter Hickman and Danny Buchan also falling on the exit to curtail their bid for results.
At the front, Kennedy had then grabbed the advantage on the RAF Regular and Reserve Kawasaki, but Rea was attacking and he moved into the lead at Redgate at the start of lap three.
Brookes was calmly working his way up from sixth, were he was at the start of the race, taking the lead with a decisive move on lap five to push Rea into second place and then the VisionTrack Ducati rider put in a consistent run of laps to break the pack.
Jason O’Halloran was on the move, and the McAMS Yamaha rider was able to move ahead of Glenn Irwin and then Rea by the ninth lap, and despite his best efforts to reel Brookes back in, he crossed the line second and 0.578s adrift. The podium finish moves him back up to second in the standings now ahead of today’s final race.
Glenn Irwin was having a tough final part of his race and he was dropping back down the order, but ahead of him Mackenzie had got the better of Rea to grab third place and ensure that he made a break to give McAMS Yamaha a double podium finish.
Rea claimed his best result of the season in fourth for Buildbase Suzuki, with Tommy Bridewell having a resurgent race two to finish fifth ahead of Christian Iddon, who had been at the top of the standings after his second place in the first race of the day.
Glenn Irwin eventually crossed the line in seventh place ahead of Kennedy with Luke Mossey and Joe Francis completing the top ten.
Race Two Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Josh BROOKES
Ducati
22m36.095
2
Jason O’HALLORAN
Yamaha
+0.578
3
Tarran MACKENZIE
Yamaha
+1.805
4
Gino REA
Suzuki
+3.123
5
Tommy BRIDEWELL
Ducati
+4.419
6
Christian IDDON
Ducati
+4.908
7
Glenn IRWIN
Honda
+7.734
8
Jack KENNEDY
Kawasaki
+8.307
9
Luke MOSSEY
BMW
+11.511
10
Joe FRANCIS
BMW
+12.165
11
Keith FARMER
Suzuki
+20.656
12
Taylor MACKENZIE
BMW
+21.243
13
Storm STACEY
Kawasaki
+21.504
14
Markus REITERBERGER
BMW
+39.642
15
Graeme IRWIN
Kawasaki
+40.001
16
Bjorn ESTMENT
BMW
+2 Laps
Not Classified
DNF
Héctor BARBERÁ
BMW
4 Laps
DNF
Lee JACKSON
Kawasaki
13 Laps
DNF
Ian HUTCHINSON
BMW
13 Laps
DNF
Brian McCORMACK
BMW
13 Laps
DNF
Kyle RYDE
Suzuki
13 Laps
DNF
Andrew IRWIN
Honda
/
DNF
Ryan VICKERS
Kawasaki
/
DNF
Peter HICKMAN
BMW
/
DNF
Danny BUCHAN
Kawasaki
/
British Superbike Race Three
The final race of the weekend got underway with Josh Brookes leading the pack into Redgate for the first time ahead of Jason O’Halloran, but Tommy Bridewell was instantly on the attack and grabbed second on the Oxford Products Racing Ducati.
Glenn Irwin was making a move up the order, edging into third with a move on lap four, before the Honda Racing rider snatched second two laps later from Bridewell.
Bridewell’s race ended in disappointment when he retired with a technical problem on lap seven, but at the front Brookes was leading Glenn Irwin with Mackenzie piling on the pressure in third place.
On the ninth lap, there was drama for O’Halloran, when the McAMS Yamaha rider collided with Christian Iddon as the pair battled for fourth place and the collision with jammed his clutch in his lever guard, which dropped him down to eighth place by the finish.
By the tenth lap Glenn Irwin had grabbed the lead with Mackenzie in second and Brookes in third, but the McAMS Yamaha rider made his move at the Fogarty Esses and was able to hold off his Honda Racing rival.
Brookes completed the podium and his biggest points haul overhaul from the three races meant he was crowned the Monster Energy King of Donington; the VisionTrack Ducati rider leads the standings by 16-points into the final three rounds.
Christian Iddon was fourth fastest on the second of the VisionTrack Ducatis, and he heads into the final rounds in second place in the standings, with Gino Rea completing his best weekend of the season in fifth place for Buildbase Suzuki.
Lee Jackson led the Rapid Fulfillment FS-3 Kawasaki charge in sixth place, ahead of Round 13 winner Andrew Irwin and O’Halloran whilst Luke Mossey and Joe Francis completed the top ten.
Josh Brookes – P1
“The target is always to win a race at the slowest possible speed as the faster you go, the more you risk. In the second race, I had a couple of minor issues, so I tried to maintain my rhythm and the lead which I was able to do for the win. It was a lot trickier in the first race when I had to ride more conservatively due to the damp. The bike was moving around a lot, so it was all about consolidating the points. In the final race, I tried to keep the lead for as long as possible, but I didn’t have the pace to win so brought the bike home for some more good points. It’s been a strong weekend and great to lead the championship going into the final meeting at Brands Hatch.”
Christian Iddon – P2
“The main focus was to leave Donington Park still with a good chance of the Christian Iddonchampionship and I’ve managed that and got the boxes ticked. It was good to get on the podium in the first race in the damp conditions, but I struggled quite a lot in the second race with a couple of issues. We improved the bike for the final race but fourth was the best I could do although maybe I should have tried a different plan in hindsight. I’m just 16 points off the championship lead with all to play for at Brands Hatch, although we missed a couple of opportunities to close the gap today but either way, I’m looking forward to it.”
Glenn Irwin – P3
“If you summarise this weekend from a points view it was really disappointing because we have come away 18 points behind after starting the weekend in front, so to gain back some points in the last race was so important. In the final race I knew immediately from the warm-up lap that the Fireblade was working well, so hats off to the team, they deserved this second place position backing up Andy’s win. Again it’s an all-new Fireblade and over three races this weekend we have grabbed a first and a second place finish, Tom has also done a mega job again in Superstock. So looking ahead, it’s a big ask at Brands, I would rather be the one with the target on my back because if nothing changes you are the champion, but we won’t give up. The team never give up and neither will I.”
Andrew Irwin – Race 1 Winner
“This weekend has been a little up and down, but we won another race again – it was something I needed to lift my spirits. In the second race unfortunately I got hit on the first lap and took out. It’s one of those things, I have been on both ends of it before, it’s racing and we will just move on from it. In race three it took me far too long to get going, I got a good start but kind of got beat up in the first turn, which upset my rhythm a bit. It then took me about four or five laps to get into it again but once I did we had quite good pace. I feel we should have been fighting for the podium, but we didn’t and I came seventh. However the Fireblade felt good and I’ve built some confidence going into Brands, I think we can do a good job, I’m looking forward it.”
Tarran Mackenzie – Race 3 Winner
“The first race was really nice today, coming through from 19th. It was a calculated gamble to go with the harder wet tyre as I knew the track would dry out and that would leave me with some tyre at the end of the race. The aim was to get a good lap for race two, which I did. I did not expect to get third in race two, I went in having only done five dry laps all weekend, so we bolted in the setting from Silverstone and I had the first few laps of the race to adapt to it! It was a tough race, I got knocked back to seventh or eighth and had to come back through so to get third I was really happy. I knew if I could get a better start in the last race I could maybe have something to show at the end, and that was the case. I didn’t get a good start but I made my way back through, when I got to Glenn I was quite comfortable sat behind him so I knew I could maybe put some time into him if I got past in the last few laps, which I did so I was really happy with that. I’ve always wanted to win in the superbike class so it was an epic feeling. It’s been a good day for the whole team, so we’re looking forward to getting to Brands Hatch in a couple of weeks.”
Jason O’Halloran
“Race two today was really good, we came from 12th on the grid to finish second which was great. Race three was going pretty well, I lost a few places in the middle and I was struggling to find a way past Christian, I just needed to get by as I was losing too much time. I was trying everywhere but the bikes are quite different and the one place I could pass was into McLeans, he knew that as well and blocked me going in there and I clipped him on the way through. When I hit him the brake guard on the left hand side moved up and pulled the clutch in, I didn’t know it was in and took a couple of laps to figure out what was going on – when I got the lever back down the clutch was fried. I was able to get some pace back towards the end, but the clutch kept slipping. I’m a bit disappointed but we managed to get a couple of positions back in the last couple of laps which is a few more points. The pressure isn’t on us at Brands now, we have to turn up there, get maximum points and see what happens with everyone else. It’s not over yet, that’s for sure.”
Race Three Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Tarran MACKENZIE
Yamaha
22m27.782
2
Glenn IRWIN
Honda
+1.223
3
Josh BROOKES
Ducati
+3.951
4
Christian IDDON
Ducati
+6.742
5
Gino REA
Suzuki
+7.441
6
Lee JACKSON
Kawasaki
+7.685
7
Andrew IRWIN
Honda
+8.090
8
Jason O’HALLORAN
Yamaha
+9.274
9
Luke MOSSEY
BMW
+10.383
10
Joe FRANCIS
BMW
+10.860
11
Peter HICKMAN
BMW
+14.880
12
Danny BUCHAN
Kawasaki
+16.795
13
Jack KENNEDY
Kawasaki
+18.758
14
Kyle RYDE
Suzuki
+18.983
15
Keith FARMER
Suzuki
+22.927
16
Storm STACEY
Kawasaki
+22.978
17
Taylor MACKENZIE
BMW
+30.442
18
Markus REITERBERGER
BMW
+31.330
19
Graeme IRWIN
Kawasaki
+39.956
Not Classifieds
DNF
Tommy BRIDEWELL
Ducati
8 Laps
DNF
Héctor BARBERÁ
BMW
9 Laps
DNF
Ryan VICKERS
Kawasaki
/
British Superbike Championship Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Josh BROOKES (Ducati)
225
2
Christian IDDON (Ducati)
209
3
Glenn IRWIN (Honda)
207
4
Jason O’HALLORAN (Yamaha)
206
5
Tarran MACKENZIE (Yamaha)
179
6
Tommy BRIDEWELL (Ducati)
146
7
Andrew IRWIN (Honda)
139
8
Lee JACKSON (Kawasaki)
131
9
Kyle RYDE (Suzuki)
130
10
Danny BUCHAN (Kawasaki)
101
11
Luke MOSSEY (BMW)
76
12
Bradley RAY (BMW)
74
13
Gino REA (Suzuki)
70
14
Peter HICKMAN (BMW)
52
15
Ryan VICKERS (Kawasaki)
45
16
Héctor BARBERÁ (BMW)
31
17
Jack KENNEDY (Kawasaki)
27
18
Joe FRANCIS (BMW)
20
19
Keith FARMER (Suzuki)
10
20
Alex OLSEN (BMW)
8
21
Taylor MACKENZIE (BMW)
5
22
Storm STACEY (Kawasaki)
4
23
Markus REITERBERGER (BMW)
2
24
Dan LINFOOT (Yamaha)
2
25
Graeme IRWIN (Kawasaki)
1
British Supersport Race One
It was Championship leader Skinner who grabbed the holeshot, notching up a 3.6 second lead after the opening lap with Ben Currie and Lee Johnston leading the chasing pack. The conditions then began to catch some riders out, with Ben Currie crashing out on the second lap.
As Skinner held his lead, Johnston then began to put the pressure on and he quickly forced the Championship leader into a mistake, with Skinner crashing out on lap five, handing Johnston the lead.
By half race distance Johnston led the way from Westmoreland and James Rose, who had worked his way into a podium position after starting from the back of the grid, and they began to chase down the ‘General’ at the front.
But with four laps remaining the Gearlink Kawasaki man of Westmoreland put the hammer down, caught and passed Johnston, and continued to push hard as he led the race.
With just three laps to go Johnston had brought the gap down to under half a second, but on the final lap he crashed out, meaning Westmoreland would take his first victory of the season. James Rose finished second with Cameron Horsman third. Ben Currie crashed out early in the race.
British Supersport Race One Result
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
James WESTMORELAND
Kawasaki
23m01.033
2
James ROSE
Kawasaki
+18.904
3
Cameron HORSMAN – GP2
Chassis Factory
+49.689
4
Bradley PERIE
Yamaha
+50.731
5
Tom OLIVER – GP2
Chassis Factory
+51.106
6
Dan JONES – GP2
FTR
+52.919
7
Rob HARTOG
MV Agusta
+1:17.819
8
Alastair SEELEY – GP2
ABM Quattro
+1:20.907
9
Richard KERR
Triumph
+1:30.972
10
Mason LAW – GP2
Spirit
+1:40.730
11
Tomás DE VRIES – GP2
Chassis Factory
+1:45.735
12
Kurt WIGLEY
Yamaha
+1 Lap
13
Harry TRUELOVE
Yamaha
+1 Lap
14
Alan NAYLOR
Yamaha
+1 Lap
15
Jack SCOTT – GP2
Harris
+2 Laps
Not Classified
DNF
Lee JOHNSTON
Yamaha
1 Lap
DNF
Gary JOHNSON
Triumph
3 Laps
DNF
Brad JONES
Yamaha
6 Laps
DNF
Cameron FRASER – GP2
Chassis Factory
8 Laps
DNF
Rory SKINNER
Yamaha
9 Laps
DNF
Jorel BOERBOOM – GP2
Honda
9 Laps
DNF
Ross PATTERSON
Yamaha
9 Laps
DNF
Jake ARCHER – GP2
Kalex
10 Laps
DNF
Ben CURRIE
Kawasaki
11 Laps
DNF
Charlie NESBITT – GP2
ABM Quattro
/
DNF
Tom TOPARIS
Yamaha
/
DQ
Phil WAKEFIELD
Yamaha
/
British Supersport Race Two
Skinner grabbed the holeshot and was able to extend a small lead over the pursuing pack over the opening laps, but team mate Brad Jones and Lee Johnston soon began chipping away. With the duo trading fastest laps, they were able to close the lead down to just 0.2s at the halfway stage of the race.
As they stated lap eight, Jones was able to find a way past his team mate to take the lead. Fighting straight back, Skinner wasted no time in retaking the lead but was unable to shake off Jones or Johnston. Continuing to trade places throughout the closing stages, the race came down to the final two laps and Skinner was able to edge away from Jones to take the victory and claim the 2020 Quattro Group British Supersport title.
Johnston completed the podium in third, with James Westmoreland in fourth ahead of Harry Truelove and the first of the of the GP2 machines of Charlie Nesbitt. After a disappointing race one, Ben Currie raced so seventh in race two.
British Supersport Race Two Result
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Rory SKINNER
Yamaha
21m53.026
2
Brad JONES
Yamaha
+2.011
3
Lee JOHNSTON
Yamaha
+5.367
4
James WESTMORELAND
Kawasaki
+6.918
5
Harry TRUELOVE
Yamaha
+7.167
6
Charlie NESBITT – GP2
ABM Quattro
+9.133
7
Ben CURRIE
Kawasaki
+9.787
8
Rob HARTOG
MV Agusta
+19.457
9
Richard KERR
Triumph
+20.812
10
Jack SCOTT – GP2
Harris
+24.063
11
Kurt WIGLEY
Yamaha
+27.613
12
Alastair SEELEY – GP2
ABM Quattro
+28.109
13
Tom OLIVER – GP2
Chassis Factory
+28.219
14
Mason LAW – GP2
Spirit – Spirit
+28.631
15
Tom TOPARIS
Yamaha
+32.492
16
Cameron HORSMAN – GP2
Chassis Factory
+33.393
17
Ross PATTERSON
Yamaha
+40.743
18
Dan JONES – GP2
FTR
+47.878
19
Jake ARCHER – GP2
Kalex
+50.649
20
Phil WAKEFIELD
Yamaha
+51.001
21
Cameron FRASER – GP2
Chassis Factory
+51.731
22
Tomás DE VRIES – GP2
Chassis Factory
+1m09.988
23
Alan NAYLOR
Yamaha
+1 Lap
Not Classified
DNF
Jamie PERRIN
Yamaha
8 Laps
DNF
Gary JOHNSON
Triumph
11 Laps
DNF
Bradley PERIE
Yamaha
13 Laps
DNF
Jorel BOERBOOM – GP2
Honda
/
British Supersport Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Rory SKINNER (Yamaha)
220
2
James WESTMORELAND (Kawasaki)
143
3
Brad JONES (Yamaha)
142
4
Bradley PERIE (Yamaha)
114
5
Harry TRUELOVE (Yamaha)
103
6
Lee JOHNSTON (Yamaha)
98
7
Richard KERR (Triumph)
82
8
Rob HARTOG (MV Agusta)
67
9
Ben CURRIE (Kawasaki)
58
10
Kurt WIGLEY (Yamaha)
50
11
Jamie PERRIN (Yamaha)
43
12
James ROSE (Kawasaki)
41
13
Ross PATTERSON (Yamaha)
41
14
Phil WAKEFIELD (Yamaha)
33
15
Korie McGREEVY (Yamaha)
32
16
Alan NAYLOR (Yamaha)
18
17
Tom TOPARIS (Yamaha)
17
18
Scott SWANN (Yamaha)
12
19
Ricky TARREN (Yamaha)
11
20
Keenan ARMSTRONG (Kawasaki)
6
21
Mike NORBURY (Kawasaki)
6
22
Ben WOTTON (Triumph)
6
23
Grant McINTOSH (Yamaha)
5
24
Michael DUNLOP (Yamaha)
3
Superstock 1000 Race One
Launching off the line, it was Fraser Rogers who led the way at the end of the opening lap ahead of Chrissy Rouse and Rollo, with Danny Kent holding fourth. Trading places throughout the race, Rogers, Rouse and Rollo battled for the lead throughout the opening few laps, but a string of fast laps from Rollo saw him grab the lead and begin to stretch a lead over the two pursuers.
Things began to heat up in the closing stages as it became a seven rider battle for the podium. A fast charging McConnell climbed up through the field, taking second on lap six he continued to set fastest lap after fastest lap, closing down Rollo’s lead to take the win on the final lap. Tom Neave eventually secured third place ahead of Kent and Rouse.
Shane Richardson was top New Zealand performer in race one in 13th, while Damon Rees came come in 19th. Australian Brayden Elliott was 24th.
Superstock 1000 Race One Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Billy McCONNELL
BMW
17m50.050
2
Lewis ROLLO
Aprilia
+0.220
3
Tom NEAVE
Honda
+2.901
4
Danny KENT
Kawasaki
+3.603
5
Chrissy ROUSE
BMW
+4.940
6
Tim NEAVE
Suzuki
+6.360
7
Dan LINFOOT
BMW
+6.874
8
Fraser ROGERS
Kawasaki
+6.970
9
Luke JONES
Aprilia
+7.531
10
Davey TODD
Honda
+10.503
11
Luke HEDGER
Kawasaki
+18.309
12
David ALLINGHAM
Suzuki
+27.372
13
Shane RICHARDSON
BMW
+29.568
14
Johnny BLACKSHAW
Aprilia
+38.231
15
Jordan WEAVING
Suzuki
+38.789
16
Joe SHELDON-SHAW
Suzuki
+39.164
17
Tom TUNSTALL
Suzuki
+39.479
18
Dave SELLARS
Suzuki
+41.957
19
Damon REES
BMW
+42.213
20
Craig NEVE
BMW
+42.718
21
Josh WOOD
Kawasaki
43.132
22
Matt TRUELOVE
BMW
+43.261
23
Dani SAEZ GUTERREZ
Kawasaki
+44.792
24
Brayden ELLIOTT
Suzuki
+46.977
25
Ashley BEECH
Suzuki
+50.541
26
Ian HUTCHINSON
BMW
51.253
27
Luke HOPKINS
Kawasak
+1m22.263
28
Dave MACKAY
Suzuki
+1m24.610
29
Ben BROADWAY
Aprilia
+1m25.842
Not Classifieds
DNF
Lee WILLIAMS
Kawasaki
3 Laps
DNF
David BROOK
BMW
4 Laps
NC
Tommy PHILP
Suzuki
4 Laps
Superstock 1000 Race Two
McConnell grabbed the holeshot, leading across the line at the end of the opening lap by 0.6s ahead of Kent and Tom Neave. Neave moved into the lead on lap three, setting about trying to extend his lead at the front as title rival Chrissy Rouse moved into third.
At the halfway point, Kent had begun to close down Tom Neave at the front whilst Tim Neave was chasing down Rouse in third. With Tom Neave taking the win ahead of Kent, a mistake from Rouse on the penultimate lap saw Tim Neave find his way past Championship leader Rouse, to claim the final rostrum position. McConnell was fifth ahead of Rogers, Hedger and Rollo.
New Zealand’s Shane Richardson was 17th, while Damon Rees and Brayden Elliott both recorded DNF results. Rees crashed on the opening lap at Melbourne Hairpin and injured his AC joint, the Kiwi is undergoing medical evaluation as to if he will be able to make the championship finale.
Superstock 1000 Race Two Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Tom NEAVE
Honda
18m26.045
2
Danny KENT
Kawasaki
+0.097
3
Tim NEAVE
Suzuki
+3.648
4
Chrissy ROUSE
BMW
+3.890
5
Billy McCONNELL
BMW
+4.005
6
Fraser ROGERS
Kawasaki
+4.985
7
Luke HEDGER
Kawasaki
+5.929
8
Lewis ROLLO
Aprilia
+8.349
9
Jordan WEAVING
Suzuki
+13.986
10
Ian HUTCHINSON
BMW
+14.235
11
Matt TRUELOVE
BMW
+17.521
12
Dan LINFOOT
BMW
+20.251
13
Joe SHELDON-SHAW
Suzuki
+20.452
14
Davey TODD
Honda
+21.320
15
David ALLINGHAM
Suzuki
+23.368
16
Lee WILLIAMS
Kawasaki
+30.234
17
Shane RICHARDSON
BMW
+33.868
18
Luke HOPKINS
Kawasaki
+41.779
19
Johnny BLACKSHAW
Aprilia
+42.432
20
Tom TUNSTALL
Suzuki
+43.456
21
Craig NEVE
BMW
+45.923
22
Dani SAEZ GUTERREZ
Kawasaki
+48.746
23
Ashley BEECH
Suzuki
+57.994
24
Dave SELLARS
Suzuki
+59.077
25
Dave MACKAY
Suzuki
+1m10.470
26
David BROOK
BMW
+1m11.619
Not Classified
DNF
Luke JONES
Aprilia
3 Laps
DNF
Josh WOOD
Kawasaki
4 Laps
DNF
Tommy PHILP
Suzuki
6 Laps
DNF
Ben BROADWAY
Aprilia
6 Laps
DNF
Brayden ELLIOTT
Suzuki
7 Laps
Superstock 1000 Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Chrissy ROUSE (BMW)
165
2
Tom NEAVE (Honda)
155
3
Lewis ROLLO (Aprilia)
117
4
Billy McCONNELL (BMW)
110
5
Tim NEAVE (Suzuki)
108
6
Danny KENT (Kawasaki)
88
7
Fraser ROGERS (Kawasaki)
82
8
Damon REES (BMW)
71
9
Luke HEDGER (Kawasaki)
51
10
Davey TODD (Honda)
42
11
Jordan WEAVING (Suzuki)
40
12
Ian HUTCHINSON (BMW)
37
13
Dan LINFOOT (BMW)
33
14
Brayden ELLIOTT (Suzuki)
32
15
Matt TRUELOVE (BMW)
28
16
Joe COLLIER (Suzuki)
23
17
Shane RICHARDSON (BMW)
20
18
David ALLINGHAM (Suzuki)
15
19
Luke JONES (Aprilia)
10
20
Richard COOPER (BMW)
9
21
Leon JEACOCK (Suzuki)
8
22
Joe SHELDON-SHAW (Suzuki)
6
23
Shaun WINFIELD (Yamaha)
6
24
Luke HOPKINS (Kawasaki)
2
25
Johnny BLACKSHAW (Aprilia)
2
Superstock 600
Luxton made the best leap off the line, leading the way after the opening lap with Rhys Irwin second and Talbot third, but as the group headed into their second lap the safety car was deployed for an incident. By lap five the car returned to the pits, with Luxton aiming to regain his two second lead over the chasing pack.
By half race distance Luxton had increased his gap to 1.3 second over Talbot and R. Irwin and was consistently the fastest man on track. However, in the closing stages of the race, the group caught Luxton with R. Irwin and Jack Nixon dicing for the lead, and on the final lap it was Irwin who took the victory, with Nixon second and Luxton Third.
Superstock 600 Results
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Rhys IRWIN
Yamaha
20m34.574
2
Jack NIXON
Kawasaki
+0.850
3
Ben LUXTON
Kawasaki
+3.959
4
Zak CORDEROY
Kawasaki
+5.592
5
Caolan IRWIN
Kawasaki
+10.051
6
George STANLEY
Kawasaki
+10.148
7
James ALDERSON
Triumph
+11.588
8
Joe TALBOT
Kawasaki
+11.724
9
Liam DELVES
Yamaha
+22.097
10
Simon REID
Yamaha
+23.634
11
TJ TOMS
Yamaha
+24.057
12
Daniel BROOKS
Kawasaki
+27.326
13
Asher DURHAM
Kawasaki
+43.847
14
Eugene McMANUS
Kawasaki
+44.149
15
William LATHROPE
Triumph
+44.445
16
Adam HARTGROVE
Yamaha
+46.066
17
Matthew BOWER
Kawasaki
+47.262
18
Trystan FINOCCHIARO
Kawasaki
+53.398
19
Luke VERWEY
Kawasaki
+57.119
20
Taylor MORETON
Kawasaki
+1m08.093
21
Nathan DRURY
Kawasaki
+1:10.343
22
Bradley RICHMAN
Kawasaki
+1m22.971
23
Toby REYNOLDS
Yamaha
+1m26.466
24
Jake CAMPBELL
Kawasaki
+1m26.768
25
Kayla BARRINGTON
Kawasaki
+1m30.573
Not Classifieds
DNF
Aaron SILVESTER
Yamaha
4 Laps
DNF
Conor WHEELER
Yamaha
5 Laps
DNF
Connor THOMSON
Yamaha
7 Laps
DNF
Sam LAFFINS
Kawasaki
8 Laps
DNF
Adam McLEAN
Yamaha
8 Laps
DNF
Josh COWARD
Kawasaki
11 Laps
DNF
Michael LARGE-TAYLOR
Yamaha
/
Superstock 600 Standings
Pos
Rider
Points
1
Ben LUXTON (Kawasaki)
129
3
Rhys IRWIN (Yamaha)
96
2
Zak CORDEROY (Kawasaki)
96
4
Caolan IRWIN (Kawasaki)
63
5
Jack NIXON (Kawasaki)
52
6
Liam DELVES (Yamaha)
49
7
James ALDERSON (Triumph)
48
8
Daniel BROOKS (Kawasaki)
46
9
Joe TALBOT (Kawasaki)
45
10
Simon REID (Yamaha)
38
11
Adam McLEAN (Yamaha)
27
12
George STANLEY (Kawasaki)
23
13
Eugene McMANUS (Kawasaki)
22
14
Kade VERWEY (Kawasaki)
20
15
Sam LAFFINS (Kawasaki)
18
16
Aaron SILVESTER (Yamaha)
11
17
TJ TOMS (Kawasaki)
10
18
Connor THOMSON (Yamaha)
8
19
Adam HARTGROVE (Yamaha)
7
20
Conor WHEELER (Yamaha)
7
21
Asher DURHAM (Kawasaki)
7
22
Luke VERWEY (Kawasaki)
6
23
Trystan FINOCCHIARO (Kawasaki)
4
24
Taylor MORETON (Kawasaki)
4
25
Christopher SINANAN (Kawasaki)
2
26
William LATHROPE (Triumph)
1
27
Matthew BOWER (Kawasaki)
1
British Junior Supersport Championship
It was Taylor who led the way after the opening lap, with Jones and Davie closely behind as they looked to pull an early gap on the chasing pack. The leader then quickly began to post quick lap times as started to increase his gap over second and third.
By half-race distance Taylor had a three second lead over Davie who held second place, and the number six rider held the lead to take the flag.
After a crash on the first lap for Owen Jenner and Seth Crump, it means that Jenner takes the 2020 Hel Performance British Junior Supersport title.
Junior Supersport Race One
Pos
Rider
Bike
Time/Gap
1
Taz TAYLOR
Kawasaki
20m09.228
2
Adon DAVIE
Kawasaki
+4.990
3
Lewis JONES
KTM
+14.956
4
Zak SHELTON
Kawasaki
+21.263
5
Lynden LEATHERLAND
Kawasaki
+21.615
6
Kam DIXON
Kawasaki
+26.219
7
Cameron DAWSON
Kawasaki
+28.117
8
Finn SMART
Kawasaki
+35.244
9
Cameron HALL
Kawasaki
+36.524
10
Brody CROCKFORD
Yamaha
+49.451
11
Christopher JOHNSON
Kawasaki
+55.850
12
James McMANUS
Kawasaki
+1m04.985
13
Connor SELLORS
Kawasaki
+1m15.939
14
Jake HOPPER
Kawasaki
+1m21.150
15
Oscar PINSON
Kawasaki
+1:21.247
16
Joe ELLIS
Kawasaki
+1m26.901
17
Lewis JONES
Kawasaki
+1m42.103
18
Kai DICKINSON
Kawasaki
+1m45.000
19
Mcauley LONGMORE
Kawasaki
1m52.381
20
Kevin COYNE
Kawasaki
+1m57.175
21
Bradley WILSON
Kawasaki
+1m58.893
22
Scarlett ROBINSON
Kawasaki
+1 Lap
23
Rossi BANHAM
Yamaha
+1 Lap
24
Luke GILBY
Kawasaki
+1 Lap
Not Classifieds
DNF
Andrew SMYTH
Kawasaki
1 Lap
DNF
James ROSE
Kawasaki
1 Lap
DNF
Declan CONNELL
Kawasaki
4 Laps
DNF
Ben TAYLOR
Kawasaki
5 Laps
DNF
Alessandro VALENTE
KTM
5 Laps
DNF
Lucca ALLEN
Kawasaki
6 Laps
DNF
Chloe JONES
Yamaha
6 Laps
DNF
Samuel LAIDLOW
Kawasaki
6 Laps
DNF
Kier ARMSTRONG
KTM
8 Laps
DNF
Owen JENNER
Kawasaki
9 Laps
DNF
Seth CRUMP
Kawasaki
9 Laps
Junior Supersport Race Two
It was the newly crowned Champion Owen Jenner who grabbed the holeshot, slowly extending his lead over the pursuing pack. However, a fast-charging Crockford was able to take over front running on lap three whilst Adon Davie and Lyndon Leatherland were also in close contention.
Trading places for much of the race, in the closing stages Crockford was able to take back the lead and pull away from the pursuers to eventually take the win by 5.5s ahead of Jenner and Leatherland. Seth Crump also came back from a Race 1 crash to claim fifth in Race 2.
The Bennetts British Superbike Championship title fight will do down to the wire this weekend as protagonists Scott Redding, Josh Brookes and Tommy Bridewell battle it out for the final time in 2019 in their quest to be crowned champion at Brands Hatch.
We spoke to Josh Brookes overnight about the weekend ahead. The Australian trails Be Wiser Ducati team-mate Scott Redding by 28-points heading into this weekend triple-header.
Josh Brookes
“Under normal circumstances a second and a third at Donington in British Superbike would be a good achievement, but when the championship leader gets two wins then that makes that performance not so good after all, and that’s the reality that I am facing at the moment.
“The championship points are well favoured towards Scott, mathematically the championship is always a possibility until the end, or until the numbers rule it out, but I will go into this weekend with the most optimism I can and try as hard as I can to get the results, but it’s diffifcult to think that Scott is going to offer a poor performance.
“I am standing here in poor weather at the moment, it is drizzling rain, the last round is often affected by weather here so we never know what can happen.
“All I have to do is focus on the best results I can, rather than thinking I have to finish a certain place etc. so that almost probably takes the pressure off me a little. I have to just go out and win, that is all I can do. Then how Scott goes out and plays it will decide the final results.
“Every year I have been in BSB I have given 100 per cent and irrespective of the outcome I am proud of what I have achieved this year.”
BSB 2019 so far…
After 24 races there have been seven winners and 12 different podium finishers, but it comes down to three champion elects ahead of the final three races of the 2019 season on the Grand Prix circuit.
Scott Redding heads the standings coming into the crucial decider and the former MotoGP contender willl attempt to claim the title in his debut season to make Bennetts BSB history. The 26-year-old has delivered an incredible performance so far in the Showdown, to return to Kent with a 28-point advantage over his Be Wiser Ducati teammate.
Scott Redding
“This year has been really good; I have enjoyed the championship and the racing has been great and now we have just got Brands Hatch to try and finish the job! I feel like I have been the strongest rider in the Showdown so far but I have been building all season for this. The results at Brands Hatch earlier in the year doesn’t show how strong we really were there and the pace that we had; I took a gamble on the tyre choice in race one and then had a podium in race two and we had pole position. I think some people think that it might not be the best track for me and I might not be as strong there, but when people doubt me I want it even more. I am really calm now and with how I am and what we can do at Brands Hatch. I get even more motivation from the energy and the big support that I get from the fans and I think there is going to be a big atmosphere next weekend.
“I am definitely in a prime position; I didn’t start the season saying what I could do and I have just been working hard and building up so that we were strong for the Showdown. I am getting stronger and more confident. I wanted to build throughout the year and now it’s the time.”
On the opposite side of the garage, Josh Brookes is ready to take the title fight all the way to the line. The 2015 champion was unstoppable at the Grand Prix circuit earlier in the season, claiming a double win, making him the most successful rider at Brands Hatch currently on the grid.
However, the pair also have a determined Tommy Bridewell ready to spoil their title celebrations, and the Oxford Racing Ducati rider thrives on his underdog status as he aims for his first championship victory, having finished third in the series back in 2014.
The title contenders are firmly focused on claiming the maximum 75 points available. However, they will face tough competition for the final honours of the 2019 season with the closest opposition coming from Danny Buchan, Tarran Mackenzie and Peter Hickman who currently lock out the remaining positions in the top six.
Australian Jason O’Halloran heads south to Kent for the season finale sitting ninth in the standings, a single point ahead of Christian Iddon, and with Andrew Irwin and Xavi Fores within striking distance given a strong enough end of season result. After admitting to struggling for feel and grip which resulted in poor 11-10 results at the previous Donington Park round, O’Halloran will be keen to finish the season strong. He will have three bites of the cherry, as there is an extra race on the usual double header programme, with 75 points up for grabs; if he could record three strong results it could move him up the finishing order in this year’s championship standings.
Jason O’Halloran
“That was one of the more difficult weekends. We struggled all weekend. Friday was wet, Saturday was dry and both races today were dry. We generally struggled to find a feeling. I struggled for grip in the first race and in one of the biggest surprises; I really struggled on new tyres. I got stronger towards the end once the tyre went away and did my fastest lap on the last lap of the race which is a bit backwards. Race two was better but I struggled with wheelies on the stop start corners, I’m having to use the rear brake so much we’re just getting beat on the straights. We need to see what we can do to improve it to see if we can finish the year off good.”
The Bennetts British Superbike Championship Showdown continued with Scott Redding dominating the proceedings, claiming wins across both Superbike races at Donington ahead of Josh Brookes and Tommy Bridewell, and taking a 28-point lead into the Brands Hatch finale ahead of Aussie Brookes.
After three previous podiums finishes, Chrissy Rouse and the Morello Racing Kawasaki finally got to stand on the top step of the podium in the Pirelli Superstock 1000 class when they claimed a brilliant win, from Richard Cooper and Jordan Weaving. Aussie Levi Day finished in seventh, with Brayden Elliott 19th.
Jack Kennedy also doubled up on the Supersport wins, fighting off Brad Jones for the win, with Rory Skinner completing the podium. In the Superstock 600 class Ben Luxton claimed top honours, from Storm Stacey and Eunan McGlinchey.
British Superbikes Race 1
At the start of the opening race Brookes had launched off the line to lead the pack into Redgate for the first time ahead of Redding and Christian Iddon, with Bradley Ray and Tommy Bridewell in close contention.
Brookes was heading the pack for Be Wiser Ducati until the third lap when Iddon went for a decisive move with the pair touching at Starkeys Bridge. The move unsettled Brookes and dropped him back to fourth and into the clutches of Peter Hickman.
Redding then had the advantage from Bridewell and Iddon, and started edging out a gap to try and break the pack. The championship leader had been able to set a consistent pace to break Bridewell, but at mid-race distance the rain flags were shown and the Oxford Racing Ducati rider pushed to bridge the gap.
Redding though was able to keep his cool to give him the edge at the chequered flag, but behind him the battle for third had turned into a three-way fight between Iddon, Brookes and Hickman.
Iddon was holding the position for Tyco BMW, but as he exited Goddards he lost a footpeg and then had to try to deliver a damage limitation performance which saw him end the race in sixth place as Brookes took advantage of the situation.
Brookes held off Hickman for third with Andrew Irwin fighting his way through from 14th on the grid to claim fifth place for Honda Racing, pushing Iddon back with two laps to go as he continued to try and fight on.
Xavi Forés was seventh ahead of Ryan Vickers, who scored another top 10 finish for RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki following a fierce battle with Luke Mossey and Danny Buchan who grabbed tenth place ahead of Jason O’Halloran and Tarran Mackenzie.
Fellow Australians Billy McConnell and Ben Currie came home in 18th and 19th respectively in Race 1.
British Superbikes Race 2
In race two Brookes was determined to come out and try to take the fight to his teammate. At the start of the race, the Australian got a flying start off the line to lead into Redgate for the first time ahead of Iddon and Redding, with the second placed Tyco BMW rider trying to dive for the lead at Craner Curves before the 2015 champion instantly cut back into the lead.
As Redding moved into second a lap later to force ahead of Iddon, further down the field Billy McConnell crashed out unhurt at the Esses, leaving gravel across the circuit. The BMW Safety Car deployed and as the pack lined up Brookes had the advantage from Redding, Bridewell, Peter Hickman, Iddon and Buchan as the Showdown Title Fighters were locked together.
On the restart though Redding had initially dropped back from Brookes to try and force more heat into the tyres and it worked; Brookes ran wide into Redgate and Redding had the opportunity he needed to make a pass for the lead.
Redding then pushed to bridge a gap but the advantage kept changing, later the championship leader admitted he was suffering with a gearing issue that was causing him to be less consistent with his lap times. Brookes had been reeling him in over the closing stages but it wasn’t enough to make a move on his teammate and he was forced to settle for second place ahead of Bridewell.
Buchan had maintained his fourth place after a tough opening race at Donington Park to fire the FS-3 Racing Kawasaki ahead of Iddon on the Tyco BMW and Bradley Ray, who overcame the disappointment of a technical retirement in race one to hold off a hard-charging Irwin for sixth place.
Irwin had been also battling with his Honda Racing teammate Forés, who had to settle for eighth place with the McAMS Yamaha pairing of Tarran Mackenzie and O’Halloran completing the top 10.
It was a disastrous race for Hickman who had been battling for the fourth place when he lost the chain for the Smiths Racing BMW, ending his race prematurely.
Race 2 saw Aussie Ben Currie improve on his Race 1 efforts into 18th, while Billy McConnell recorded a DNF.
Scott Redding – 1-1
“I felt comfortable in race one, so I was able to manage everything quite well. I felt settled leading the race but when a few spots of rain began to fall, I eased off a bit as I didn’t want to get caught Scott Reddingout. When it became clear the rain had stopped, I was able to set the fastest lap of the race and pull away again, so it worked out well in the end. The second race was tricky too as I had a problem with the gear-shifter which meant the bike was pushing me wide into the corners. Josh upped his pace too, which I knew he would, and the gap came down, so I was pleased to bring the bike home and get the double.”
Josh Brookes – 3-2
“I made the ideal start to race one, but I knew immediately that something was wrong as I couldn’t find an apex and it was a bit confusing as to why the bike wasn’t working like it had done in qualifying. I lost a couple of places, but I managed to regroup and keep a good pace to come through to take a solid third. I improved to second in race two which I should be pleased with as many riders would Brookes & Reddinggive anything to be in that position but I’m smiling through gritted teeth as I don’t feel like I’m riding as well as I can. I don’t feel like I’m getting the best out of myself so I’m disappointed with the results but there are still 75 points available, so we’ll see what happens at the final round.”
Tommy Bridewell – 2-3
“Another positive weekend for myself and the Oxford Racing Ducati, Moto Rapido Racing team, with the ever changing weather we just struggled to find the sweet spot, but as always the team worked flawlessly and we’ll take the positives into the final round at Brands Hatch in a few weeks time. Thanks for all the support people show me trackside and on the socials, we’ll keep fighting, it’s not over yet.”
Tarran Mackenzie – 12-9
“As we didn’t get a dry warm-up, we couldn’t try something different so we went into race one a little blind. The bike didn’t feel the best and I struggled a lot on the front. We made a change for race two which definitely helped the bike, I had a lot stronger pace and was a lot closer to the guys in front which was good. I’m feeling better in myself and on the bike and gaining a lot more confidence. Brands was good for us earlier in the year until the crash so hopefully we can end the year on a high.”
Jason O’Halloran – 11-10
“That was one of the more difficult weekends. We struggled all weekend. Friday was wet, Saturday was dry and both races today were dry. We generally struggled to find a feeling. I struggled for grip in the first race and in one of the biggest surprises, I really struggled on new tyres. I got stronger towards the end once the tyre went away and did my fastest lap on the last lap of the race which is a bit backwards. Race two was better but I struggled with wheelie on the stop start corners, I’m having to use the rear brake so much we’re just getting beat on the straights. We need to see what we can do to improve it to see if we can finish the year off good.”
Peter Hickman – 4-DNF
“Results-wise, it’s been a bit of a mixed day but, overall, our pace has been strong throughout. We’ve made more improvements to the bike which has helped us get closer to the front group. In the first race, I made a slight mistake early on when the bike went into neutral at the Melbourne Loop, but I regained the lost places pretty quickly although I didn’t quite have the pace to get onto the podium. Race two was going equally as well and although I had a few slides after the safety car had gone in, the lap times were good, and I felt strong in fifth. I was hanging on a bit to the front group but then the chain snapped which was unusual to say the least but it’s just one of those things and nothing the team could have done so we’ll look to end the season strongly with three strong rides at Brands Hatch.”
Bradley Ray – DNF-6
“We wanted to prove Oulton wasn’t a fluke this weekend. Obviously we know we were quick at Cadwell but the results didn’t come, then we were on the podium at Oulton but struggled at Assen a little bit, going in the wrong direction over the weekend with the bike. Here we were strong again and I think we could have taken the fight to the front guys a bit more but we had the issue in race one and that meant not only did we miss that chance in that race it also ruined race two for us, having to come from so far back. It’s a shame, but I think the performance in race two was good, to come through from that far down. Hopefully we can get the luck at Brands and finish strongly.”
Scott Redding did the double at Assen on the weekend to push his way into the British Superbike Championship lead by 14-points over Josh Brookes.
A good start to the weekend by Tom Toparis in the Dickies British Supersport on Saturday unfortunately was followed up a DNF on Syunday.
Max Stauffer took seventh in the first International Junior Supersport race of the weekend – maching his qualifying result – and with improved confidence in the second bout looked set to challenge for a podium, but unfortunately crashed out with two laps to run.
British Superbike Race 1
Scott Redding hit the front early in the first bout ahead of Luke Stapleford, Tommy Bridewell and Josh Brookes. Bridewell was determined to move into second and did so by the end of the opening lap.
A lap later Ryan Vickers crashed out heavily which saw the BMW Safety Car deployed at the start of the fourth lap. The pack formed up behind with Redding, Bridewell, Stapleford and Brookes first in line with the race resuming on lap six.
Bridewell was pushing hard to take on Redding but on the ninth lap he reached his limit, crashing out at turn nine, with Christian Iddon also falling at the same corner, both riders were unhurt.
Redding broke from the pack at the front of the field, leaving Brookes embroiled in a huge battle for second with Showdown spoilers Stapleford and Jason O’Halloran who had hunted down the pair ahead of him.
By lap 14 the scrap had really intensified with Stapleford making a move on Brookes, only for the Australian to strike straight back to regain the position. As the laps counted down the trio in the battle for second were inseparable and on the penultimate lap Stapleford had the edge over Brookes and O’Halloran.
Brookes still had more fight left though and on the final lap he dived back into second place and as Stapleford drifted slightly wide, O’Halloran saw his opportunity and he was into third for McAMS Yamaha.
As Redding took the flag to claim his eighth win of the season ahead of Brookes, O’Halloran became the 12 different podium finisher of the season ahead of Stapleford, who scored his best result of the season for Buildbase Suzuki.
Xavi Forés was fifth for Honda Racing ahead of Showdown contenders Danny Buchan, Tarran Mackenzie and Peter Hickman who completed the top eight ahead of Bradley Ray and Hector Barbera.
Australian Ben Currie finished Race 1 in 15th.
British Superbike Race 2
Luke Stapleford launched his Buildbase Suzuki off the line to lead the pack into turn one ahead of Redding, Tommy Bridewell and Brookes as the second race of the Assen BSB weekend got underway. Brookes, the 2015 champion, was instantly on the attack and he moved into third after pushing past the Oxford Racing Ducati of Tommy Bridewell.
The pack was inseparable but a mistake from Stapleford exiting the final chicane on the third lap scattered the pack and it gave Bridewell the opportunity he needed to move into second with Brookes and Redding then hunting him down.
A lap later and a determined Brookes captured the lead with Stapleford separating the Be Wiser Ducati teammates with Jason O’Halloran and Danny Buchan also in close contention.
By lap seven Redding had made a decisive move into second and had Brookes in his sights before taking the lead a lap later with a dive down the inside. From there Redding tried to make a break, but he was hounded by Brookes.
Bridewell had his sights set on a podium to make amends for his crash in the opening race and by lap ten he had moved into third, to push Stapleford back down into fourth on the Buildbase Suzuki.
Redding then edged out his advantage, but the battle for second was becoming increasingly fierce; Brookes was holding off Bridewell, Buchan and Stapleford but with two laps remaining the Australian was under attack.
On lap 17 Bridewell moved into second and that pushed Brookes slightly off line, which gave Buchan the chance he needed to force through into third for FS-3 Racing Kawasaki. Despite his best counterattack, Brookes couldn’t regain the positions and he missed out on the podium by 0.311s, leaving Assen 14 points adrift of Redding in the standings.
Bridewell and Buchan scored their first podium finishes of the Showdown in the second race with Stapleford again just missing out after his best weekend of the season so far in fifth.
Honda Racing’s Xavi Forés led the next pack home to the chequered flag to hold off race one podium finisher O’Halloran and Showdown contender Peter Hickman in eighth. Dan Linfoot and Bradley Ray completed the top ten with Tarran Mackenzie ending a tough weekend in 13th.
Ben Currie had to settle for 17th in Race 2, matching his qualifying result, after 15th in Race 1.
Josh Brookes could barely have asked for a better weekend at the Cadwell Park BSB, with the two Superbike races seeing him record a 2-1 result to claim the 2019 King of the Mountain title, alongside a 12-point lead in the championship standings heading into Oulton Park.
Danny Buchan took the Race 1 win from Brookes and Tommy Bridewell, with Scott Redding a distant fourth. Race 2 saw the trio once again dominate, this time led by Brookes, with Bridewell runner up by 0.476s and Buchan a more distant third.
The results left Josh Brookes holding the Superbike championship lead on 271-points, with Scott Redding on 259, and Tommy Bridewell on 243, with the three riders confirmed as Title Fighters in the Showdown as a result.
Josh Brookes
“That’s the racing that I know I can do! In race one I didn’t have anything more for Danny, he deservingly won that race. Race two we went out with a new setting, a couple of little changes, I saw where Danny was stronger and realised where I wasn’t strong enough. Fortunately we were able to make a change to the bike to bridge that gap and then I had Tommy to battle with! It was a great race and Tommy was riding really, really well. I felt like I could see the way he was riding was every bit of the tyre it had, and then with a couple of laps to go I thought surely there’s got to be a little bit of a weakness in the grip area so I pounced to try and see if I could lead, and fortunately I was able to hold him at bay.”
British Superbike Race 1
In the opening race of the day Brookes launched off the pole position into the lead on the opening lap from Danny Buchan, Jason O’Halloran and Tommy Bridewell. However, Oxford Racing Ducati’s Bridewell was instantly trying to make a move and dived ahead of O’Halloran on lap three.
Buchan was all over Brookes, but it wasn’t until the eleventh lap that he could make a move, which he did at Mansfield to snatch the lead. The FS-3 Racing Kawasaki rider continued to try to break away from the chasing Ducatis of Brookes and Bridewell, and at the chequered flag he managed to edge a gap of 1.047s.
Brookes kept Bridewell at bay as Scott Redding missed out on a debut podium at Cadwell Park. The Be Wiser Ducati rider was able to carve his way up through the field in a hard-fought race, running tenth over the opening laps before scoring a strong fourth place.
Peter Hickman had been chasing down Redding; the pair able to take advantage of a mistake from Christian Iddon who had been running fourth, but ran off track on the final lap and managed to salvage sixth place.
O’Halloran was seventh as he held off the second Tyco BMW of Glenn Irwin, who led his brother Andrew to the chequered flag.
Ryan Vickers completed the top 10 for the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki team ahead of Luke Stapleford and Gino Rea, who impressed on his debut with Bike Devil Sweda MV Agusta.
British Superbike Race 2
In race two Bridewell got off to a flying start, firing the Oxford Racing Ducati to the front of the pack ahead of Brookes and Buchan, with the BMWs of Hickman and Iddon in close pursuit.
The drama started early in the race, with Andrew Irwin colliding with Redding on the second lap, sending them both crashing out of the race. The Honda Racing rider was penalised with two penalty points for contact causing a crash which means, having reached a cumulative five penalty points, he will start from the back of the grid for the next race at Oulton Park.
At the front Bridewell was holding the lead until Brookes made a decisive move at Park corner on lap 12 and then he kept his rival at bay until the chequered flag with Buchan claiming another podium finish. The results mean that Brookes, Bridewell and Redding are now confirmed Title Fighters in the Showdown.
Iddon moved to within 21 points of the Showdown with a fourth place for Tyco BMW, holding off Hickman in the closing stages of the race with Glenn Irwin taking his best result of the season on the second Tyco BMW in sixth.
Ryan Vickers was seventh for the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki team to claim his best result of his rookie season ahead of Luke Stapleford and Xavi Forés with Billy McConnell completing the top 10 on his stand-in appearance for OMG Racing Suzuki.
Jason O’Halloran finished 14th on the McAMS Yamaha in Race 2 and currently sits 10th in the overall standings.
2019 British Superbike Championship Round Seven – Thruxton
Images by Dave Yeomans
Thruxton saw an exciting weekend of racing conclude on Sunday, with Andrew Irwin claiming the opening Bennetts British Superbike race win of the weekend – his first win in the series – ahead of Scott Redding and Josh Brookes.
In Race 2 however, it was Josh Brookes who maintained his momentum at the high-speed Hampshire circuit to claim the victory for Be Wiser Ducati, regulating Irwin to second-place, while Peter Hickman completed the podium, with Aussie Jason O’Halloran just tenths of a second behind in fourth.
This marked O’Halloran’s second fourth place of the weekend in a solid result. Fellow Aussie Ben Currie was a DNF in Race 1, and came home in 20th in Race 2.
Taylor Mackenzie claimed the Superstock 1000 race win from Lee Jackson and Billy McConnell, with Richard Cooper launching into the lead from the start but finishing in fourth.
The Supersport class meanwhile saw Kyle Ryde take a narrow win in the second race of the weekend from Jack Kennedy with a tenth of a second between them, with Mason Law a distant third.
Bennetts British Superbike Race 1
At the start of Race 1 Peter Hickman launched off the front row to hit the front of the pack ahead of Andrew Irwin and Jason O’Halloran, but the Honda Racing rider hit the front of the field at the end of the opening lap.
His rival instantly hit back to retake the position on the next lap, but Andrew Irwin was back on the attack and he was back in the lead as the pack streamed across the line to start the third lap. O’Halloran though was in fourth place, but he put a move on Christian Iddon and then as the freight train of riders headed into Club on lap four, the Australian had been able to claim the lead for McAMS Yamaha.
As O’Halloran led, the pack had shuffled again and Iddon was then into second place ahead of Andrew Irwin, Hickman, Tommy Bridewell, Scott Redding, Danny Buchan and Josh Brookes on lap six.
A lap later and Andrew Irwin and Hickman were inseparable, but Redding was also on the move and he was into fifth on the leading Be Wiser Ducati. Meanwhile O’Halloran was holding off the chasing pack, but the lead group of nine riders were all in contention.
On lap ten Hickman moved back into the lead with Iddon then following him through on the brakes as the BMWs held first and second ahead of O’Halloran and Andrew Irwin. O’Halloran was ready to fight back, he made a move at Club a lap later and was back into second place.
The Smiths Racing BMW rider was trying to make a break from the pack, but his rivals could match his pace, while Iddon was dropping back and the Be Wiser Ducati pairing of Redding and Brookes were into fourth and fifth respectively with six laps remaining.
On lap 14 Andrew Irwin then went for a move to take the lead, pushing Hickman pack into second and into the clutches of Redding, O’Halloran and Brookes. Championship leader Redding made his move, lunging ahead of Hickman to move second with O’Halloran still pushing for his first podium of the season.
O’Halloran was back into second a lap later before hitting the front of the field on lap 16 as the final strategies were coming into play over the final five laps of the race. The McAMS Yamaha rider was then holding off the pack that had again changed with Andrew Irwin back in second ahead of Brookes and Redding.
With two laps remaining Andrew Irwin had scythed his way back to the front of the pack with O’Halloran then back in second with Brookes and Redding fighting for third, however the 2015 champion was hungry for a top three finish and he was up to second, but on the final lap Redding was ahead of his teammate again.
On the final run into Club Redding looked to try and make a move on Andrew Irwin for the lead as equally Brookes was looking to move ahead of his teammate, however the Honda rider had the edge to cross the line ahead of the Be Wiser Ducati pairing.
O’Halloran just missed out on his first podium finish of the season ahead of Hickman and Buchan, who had worked his way through the pack into sixth. Xavi Forés had another strong performance to hold on to sixth place in the standings ahead of Tommy Bridewell and Luke Mossey. Ryan Vickers was back inside the top ten in his rookie season for the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki team.
Bennetts British Superbike Race 2
The second race had started with a battle for the lead between O’Halloran and Brookes with Hickman and race one winner Andrew Irwin in the mix, but on lap nine the race was red flagged as light rain began to fall.
When the race restarted, Hickman had the jump off the line to lead on the opening lap from Brookes, Andrew Irwin and Bridewell. On the second lap Brookes was coming under fire from a determined Honda Racing rider, but Dan Linfoot was also on the move and he was up into third ahead of Hickman.
However a crash for Glenn Irwin at the Club chicane caused another red flag when the stricken Tyco BMW was in the middle of the track and leaking fluid. The Racesafe marshals worked to clear the scene before the race was restarted again with an eight-lap sprint to the chequered flag.
On the final restart Brookes wasn’t taking any prisoners and he fired himself into the lead and then went to make a break, eventually crossing the line 4.276s ahead of the chasing pack to claim his fifth victory of the season for Be Wiser Ducati.
The battle for second ensued behind with Andrew Irwin and Hickman banging fairings in their quest to break into the top six in the standings. The pair were trading blows with Bridewell, Hickman, Iddon, O’Halloran and Redding also all in the mix.
However, a mistake on lap three saw Redding run on at Club and having not completed the re-join into the race correctly, he was issued a long lap penalty. The Be Wiser Ducati rider had three laps to complete the long lap as the race laps counted down, however he failed to do so, and despite crossing the line in a podium position, he was given the ride through equivalent penalty of 15 seconds. That dropped him down to 22nd and outside of the points.
Andrew Irwin meanwhile had his strongest weekend of his career claiming a second place in race two, ahead of Hickman who was third to take the first podium finish for the new BMW S1000 RR.
O’Halloran had completed his best performance of the season to finish in fourth place for McAMS Yamaha, holding off Bridewell in the closing stages.
Iddon equalled his best race result of the season in sixth place ahead of Xavi Forés, who just dropped outside of the top six in the points ahead of Cadwell Park. Buchan maintained his position inside the top six with an eighth place ahead of Luke Mossey and Linfoot who completed the top ten.
Andrew Irwin – 1-2
“Thruxton has probably been the best weekend of my life, it’s one that you never think will happen! I’ve had so much fun riding this weekend. We did loads of homework on Friday and Saturday and the Fireblade has been so good in all sessions, the boys did an awesome job! It is such an amazing feeling to win! I think I passed Jason going into the last lap or something like that and I felt like I had some tyre left. The pace was funny it went up and down a lot with whoever went to the lead. I just wanted to put a strong lap together on the last lap. It is a dream come true, it’s been a tough road to get here, the best road and I’ve learnt a lot along the way. Whenever I won a Supersport race, I only won one but my team-mate helped me along the way so this feels like my first proper win that I’ve ever got so I’m delighted and I can’t thank Honda enough for all their hard work.”
Josh Brookes – 3-1
“Tyre conservation is on your mind all weekend here at Thruxton so with the second race going from 20 laps to 13 laps and then down to eight laps, I could ride exactly how I wanted to and just went full speed as the tyre was always going to last eight laps.I just got my head down and went for it and whilst it may not have been as close as the first race, I enjoyed it a lot more. The field is so level now, every race is tough but Pirelli have done a great job with the tyres and they’re a little bit easier to manage around here now and although I still wanted more from myself, I was happy with the first race podium.I got pushed around a bit too much on track and needed to find a little bit more confidence, so the second race win has given me exactly what I needed and it’s great to be back on the top step.”
Jason O’Halloran – 4-4
“It was good to get some solid finishes. I am a little bit disappointed not to be on the podium as I felt we had really good pace in both races. We’ll take fourth today, the boys have done a good job. I’ve said it the last couple of rounds, if we get a full weekend without any issues in practice and qualifying and we’ll be back up the sharp end and that’s what we’ve done this weekend. Everybody has done a great job and it feels nice to have some momentum and build through the first two days of the weekend. I had a crash at Snetterton and to be honest I’ve had a bit of an issue with my left shoulder, so I have to thank my physio and the physio team at the track. We’ve got a couple of weeks off before Cadwell, so I’ll try and get a bit fitter and see if we can carry this momentum to Cadwell.”
Xavi Forés – 7-7
“To be honest I feel frustrated this weekend, I had good pace to be on the podium, but starting towards the back of the grid was hard to manage. The first few laps here are crazy and I had to adapt quite a bit to be strong in the first part of the race. The second race I did the third fastest lap, which means I am always improving lap-by-lap. Coming home with two seventh place finishes is good for me, especially at this kind of track where I have not ridden before and it’s not easy for me to defend my position. I feel if we can improve our qualification for the next races we will be so much more competitive. Good job from all the team, we had a great weekend and especially with Andrew’s win and podium, I feel we now have a really good package with the Fireblade.”
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