Motourage

Simon Andrews bounced back to form yesterday with two seventh place finishes for the MSS Colchester Kawasaki at round five of the British Superbike Championship at Mallory Park. Gary Mason was less fortunate as he struggled with setup but came away with two solid point-scoring rides.

Simon Andrews holds off Swan Honda's Stuart Easton

As track temperatures hit 50°C (122°F) and fans’ attention was split between the Superbikes and the World Cup on a giant TV screen, it soon became apparent which discipline produces real heroes as a grid of battered riders ground out results.

At a super-physical track, Simon Andrews battled with pain and a massively swollen ankle to best many top-name riders and resurrect his campaign after missing two of the four events. The tight and tricky Mallory Park can throw up strange results as last year’s event saw Andrews lead the race, only to be taken out in the closing stages in a mass pile-up, but he kept out of trouble this time around.

Mason was left frustrated after starting practice strongly, immediately finding the pace but then hitting a wall on setup in the later stages. The team made a late gamble in qualifying throwing an ultra-soft tire on Andrew’s bike to hoist him several places up the leader board and giving him a useful third row start. Mason had continual setup woes leaving him with a mountain to climb from 18th on the grid.

Simon Andrews(7th and 7th):
“I’m really happy, I was hoping for two top ten’s and at one point I was down in twentieth in practice but it all came together well with the team. Rode in fifth for most of race one on a very demanding track. It’s my first go back on the Superbike so I feel really positive to be honest.”

Gary Mason (13th and 12th):
“Well that was pretty frustrating all round. We tried some changes but ultimately I didn’t have the confidence in the bike that I have had at other tracks. Saying that we only have a few days till Knockhill and so we can immediately put that result to bed I’m sure of it.”

MSS Colchester Kawasaki team boss Nick Morgan:
“Overall I’m pleased with the weekend, I’ve got both my lads back and their entourage, so team morale is good. We made fairly steady progress all weekend but Simon really pulled it out of the bag on race day. That was impressive considering he still has a foot like a balloon. Gary got down to the times quickly but then hit a bit of a wall and would have liked to have found another half a second for the race, he’s looking forward to Knockhill, and so am I except for the drive.”