Motourage

The 10th round of this year’s Superbike World Championship is a home race for both Team Suzuki Alstare riders Leon Haslam and Sylvain Guintoli, and one they are both looking forward to this weekend.

The Silverstone Circuit is a home track for Haslam because he is a Briton and lives in Derbyshire, but it is also a home race for Guintoli as the Frenchman has lived in the UK for some time and is married to an English girl. He will be making the short trip from his home near Melton Mowbray, while Haslam will have a slightly further journey.

Both have raced in the British Superbike Championship and have been to Silverstone before, but this will be their first time on the new circuit. The historic Silverstone circuit has undergone major reconstruction this year and the new layout is very different to that which was used when World Superbikes were last there in 2007.

Leon Haslam:
“I was at the launch of the new track at Silverstone earlier this year and it’s very different to what it was before. It seems to be a fast and flowing high-speed track and I’m sure the racing is going to be very close. I am looking forward to the weekend and although some might say that there is extra pressure on me to do well in front of my home fans, I do not see it that way.  I want to do well at all tracks, and although I’d obviously like to do well at Silverstone, my main concern will be to finish in front of Max Biaggi in both races. The ideal situation would be for me to win both races and the other six Brits to finish ahead of Max”

Sylvain Guintoli:
“It’s always good to race at home and because I have been in England so long, I feel like it is my home, which in fact it is because I live here. I have raced at Silverstone before, but now the track is very different and all of us will have to learn the track before we can really charge. Normally, I am quite good at learning tracks, so hopefully things will go well for me in practice and qualifying, so that I can do a good Superpole and end up with a good grid position. If I do that, I have a very good chance of giving my ‘home’ fans and friends something to shout about.”

The Atlantic Roadracing League is gearing up for the busiest two weeks of its five-month race calendar. The next two weeks will see Atlantic Motorsports Park in Shubenacadie, NS and surrounding areas explode with racers from all over the country as ARL holds Round 4 of its Atlantic Championship and then plays host to the final rounds of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship the following weekend.

July 30 – August 1 will see ARL holding Round 4 of the Atlantic Championship at the 1.6 mile (2.5 km) Atlantic Motorsport Park. This will be the second year ARL has organized Round 4 of its regional series to be held the weekend prior to its national event. This is to allow away riders to come down a week early and get as much track time in as they can, plus it gives spectators a great chance to get into the swing of things before the big national the following week. So, far away riders have taken full advantage of this opportunity, also relishing the chance to soak up some of that famed East Coast hospitality.

The following weekend, August 5 – 8, will see the country’s best riders make their annual pilgrimage east for the Atlantic stop on the Parts Canada Superbike tour. This time, things are slightly different. Traditionally, the east coast stop on the tour was the penultimate stop on the calendar; though this time it will be the final stop. All season a championship battle has been brewing and is set to come to a boil at AMP in August. All five national titles are still up for grabs, and if the past is any indication, AMP will provide some great races to decide the final title standings.

Adding to the excitement is a strong mix of fast local riders looking to show well in their home event. The east coast is home to some of Canada’s fastest riders with multi-time Canadian Champion Don Munroe hailing from Bedford, NS – just 40 minutes from AMP. One of the main reasons ARL keeps organizing the Atlantic stop of the Parts Canada Superbike Championship is to provide its riders with a chance to showcase their talent on the national level without having to travel halfway across the countr – something that is not feasible for most local riders. This is a great opportunity for all local riders to show well against the country’s best and leave their mark on the National series – one we sincerely hope everyone takes advantage of.

With established national stars Jordan Szoke, Jodi Christie, Francis Martin, Alex Welsh, Steven Nickerson, Raphael Archambault and co. all ready and rearing to go, the stage is set for some great racing. Throw in local fast men Todd Scott, Andrew Dunlap, Ron Munroe, Charlie Legere, Austin Shaw-O’Leary and Mark Goodwin and things get even more exciting.

Toseland and Crutchlow prepare for their home race at Silverstone

Yamaha Sterilgarda riders James Toseland and Cal Crutchlow are geared up and determined to give it their all this weekend for their home race in front of the British fans at Silverstone for round 10 of the World Superbike Championship. The Silverstone circuit, which has gone undergone major restructuring this year, was last visited by the World Superbike paddock in 2007. With the changes this year, the circuit will be new to all riders who will be riding on its 5.9km (3.7 Mile) track for the first time on Friday.

Seven British riders - including Toseland and his teammate, Cal Crutchlow - will be on the Superbike grid to help baptize the new Silverstone Circuit this weekend

“The home race is no different to any other race,” said Cal Crutchlow. “I always want to do well and give it my best shot. Last year in World Supersport at Donington I did the same. I especially hope that we put on a good show for all the fans that turn out to see the seven Brits in action. We had some tire issues at Brno; hopefully these won’t be repeated this round and we can focus on being fastest all weekend and delivering two race wins.”

“We had a decent second race coming from last to finish fourth at Brno which wasn’t a bad result although fourth isn’t where I want to be,” commented James Toseland. “All the little problems we’ve had this year has meant the championship has gone away a little bit. I’m going to Silverstone with nothing to lose; the icing on the cake would be to win at home. The track looks really good; I did a PR event to launch it last week and had a look round. With seven British riders there’s every chance the podium will be all British which would be great. It should be a great event for the UK.”

Marcus Eschenbacher, Cal Crutchlow’s Crew Chief:
“Silverstone is a completely new track for us so we have to evaluate a new gearbox, chassis and electronic setup. The track has all kinds of character, a fast part and also a very tight infield. The challenge will be to find the best compromise in a very short timeframe. We will start the weekend with our base setup that we’ve developed bit by bit. We also have some new chassis setups to try; this will be introduced in the spare bike. So we hope to find the best gearbox and base setup on Friday and start fine tuning on Saturday.”

Frankie Carchedi, James Toseland’s Crew Chief:
“Silverstone could be one of the most exiting races of the year with James eager to carry on from Brno where he battled through from last to fourth in extreme track temperatures. We had good race pace in Brno but our problem area was both race starts. We have some new parts and strategies to improve this and we will be testing before the race weekend. The factory MotoGP team have provided us with some valuable information so we can get a head start on a good gearing, as this is a new track for all teams. The track looks a little bumpy in places, but with plenty of overtaking opportunities. During the weekend we will work hard on the set-up to suit the new Pirelli tires which will be used for the first time at Silverstone.”

Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Sterilgarda World Superbike Team Manager:
“It’s the only ‘new’ track we visit on the 2010 World Superbike calendar so we don’t have any data at all to prepare ourselves. With the exception of the information from the GP team everything has to be discovered by us on Friday in the first session. We are going to Cal and James’s home country so we are really motivated because it’s like a home race for us. We are looking forward to Sunday and believe we can give a good performance for the British fans.”

Suzuka 8 Hour Pole-setter Yoshimura Suzuki finished sixth at the third round of the FIM World Endurance Championship in Japan after two crashes robbed the favorites and defending champions of victory.

Team riders Daisaku Sakai, Nobuatsu Aoki and Yukio Kagayama finished with 211 laps, four down on eventual winners MuSASHI RT HARC-PRO Honda after an incident-packed and hot, sun-blessed race that saw the Suzuka 300km winners heroically charge back against the odds.

MotoGP test rider Sakai – a member of the SERT Albacete World Endurance-winning team in May – was unlucky and fell twice: He crashed early on battling with FCC TSR Honda’s Kosuke Akiyoshi, rejoined the race in fourth; and then continued without pitting until he handed the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 over to Yukio Kagayama at 12.27.

An hour into the race, the team held third position behind MuSashi HARC Pro Honda and Keihin Kohara RT Honda after FCC TSR Honda rider Akiyoshi was penalized for ignoring a yellow flag.

Kagayama – who currently races for the Worx Crescent British Superbike Team in the UK – improved the team’s position to second place on the leader board after overtaking Keihin Kohara RT Honda’s Makoto Tamada after one-and-a-half hours of intense racing. And, after two hours, Nobuatsu Aoki – who took over from Kagayama, and is also a Team Suzuki MotoGP test rider – took the lead of the race, pitting at 14:27 and handing over to Sakai, who kept the Yoshimura Suzuki ahead for almost 30 minutes before Kiyonari got past again.

Sakai then suffered from a second crash at the infamous ‘S Curve’ and had to pit again; the team rejoining the race in ninth position, but they continued to fight back to a sixth overall.

Top Suzuki finisher was the PLOT FARO PANTHRA GSX-R1000-mounted team of Deguchi, Yasuda and youngest rider Kodoma; who got the final stint in the race – and brought the team home in fourth position overall.

Suzuka Results:
1 MuSASHI RT HARC-PRO (Honda – R Kiyonari/ T Nakagami/ T Takahashi) – 215 laps.
2 Keihin Kohara Racing Team (Honda – S Ito/ M Tamada) – 214 laps.
3 FCC TSR Honda (Honda – K Akiyoshi/ J Rea/T Takahashi) – 213 laps.
4 PLOT FARO PANTHERA (Suzuki – O Deguchi/ T Yasuda/ Y Kodama) – 212 laps.
5 TEAM PLUS ONE (Honda – S Iwata/ Y Teshima) – 211 laps.
6 Yoshimura Suzuki with ENEOS (Suzuki – D Sakai/N Aoki/ Y Kagayama) – 211 laps.

Yoshimura Suzuki is set to defend its Suzuka 8 Hour title at this weekend’s third round of the Qtel FIM Endurance World Championship third round in Japan.

Fresh from their win at last month’s Suzuka 300km race, Daisaku Sakai and Nobuatsu Aoki are joined by Yukio Kagayama aboard the Yoshimura Suzuki GSX-R1000 as the Japanese factories take on the best permanent teams in the series.

In what looks to be a thrilling close-competition event, with a packed-to-capacity crowd, Yoshimura Suzuki’s main rivals will be current series leaders Bolliger Switzerland riders Horst Saiger, Patric Muff and Roman Stamm aboard their Kawasaki, reigning world champions Yamaha Austria Racing Team and Yamaha France.

Free practice starts today (Friday) with the main Suzuka 8 Hour race scheduled to start at 11:30am local time on Sunday (2:30am GMT, 10:30pm Friday EDT)

AMA Pro Road Racing Weekend Preview – Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca

Quick Links
Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix Event Page
SPEED Schedule

Series:
AMA Pro Road Racing

Event:
Red Bull U.S. Grand Prix Event Page

Track:
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca – 2.238 Mile – 11 Turn Natural Road Course

Classes:

• AMA Pro National Guard SuperBike (Entry List)
• AMA Pro Daytona SportBike by AMSOIL (Entry List)
• AMA Pro SuperSport (Entry List)

Schedule (PDF Schedule):
Friday, July 23rd Practice:

• SuperSport 12:30 – 1:20 PM
• Daytona SportBike 3:10 – 4:00 PM
• National Guard SuperBike 4:10 – 5:00 PM

Saturday, July 24th Qualifying:

• Daytona SportBike by AMSOIL 8:00 – 8:40 AM Qualifying 1
• SuperSport 8:45 – 9:20 AM Final Qualifying
• National Guard SuperBike 11:05 – 11:50 AM Qualifying 1
• Daytona SportBik by AMSOIL 12:00 Noon – 12:45 PM Final Qualifying
• National Guard SuperBike 3:50 – 4:40 PM Final Qualifying

Saturday July 24th Race:

• SuperSport Race 18 Laps/40 Miles – 5:30 PM

Sunday, June 6th Races:

• Daytona SportBike by AMSOIL Race 23 Laps/50 Miles – 10:25 AM
• National Guard SuperBike race 23 Laps/50 Miles – 3:45 PM

TV Schedule (SPEEDTV.com):

• Late Sunday/Early Monday, July 26, 2010 at 12:00 a.m. midnight ET – Daytona SportBike Race
• Late Sunday/Early Monday, July 26, 2010 at 1:00 a.m. ET – American SuperBike Race and SuperSport Highlights
• Wednesday, July 28, 2010 at 3:00AM ET – Daytona SportBike Race (RERUN)
• Wednesday, July 28, 2010 at 4:00AM ET – American SuperBike Race and SuperSport Highlights (RERUN)

2009 Race Records & Results:

Fastest Qualifiers:

• National Guard SuperBike Pole Position – Mat Mladin – Rockstar Makita Suzuki -1:24.592/95.243 MPH
• Daytona SportBike by AMSOIL Pole Position – Martin Cardenas – M4 Suzuki – 1:27.585/91.988 MPH
• SuperSport Pole Position – Ricky Parker – Graves Yamaha – 1:30.213/89.308 MPH

Race Winners:

• National Guard SuperBike Race Winner – Mat Mladin – Rockstar Makita Suzuki
• Daytona SportBike by AMSOIL Race Winner – Ben Bostrom – Team Graves Yamaha
• SuperSport Race Winner – Ricky Parker – Team Graves Yamaha

California challenge calls for Fiat Yamaha Team

The Fiat Yamaha Team flies west today for the first North American stop of the season, at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in California. With Jorge Lorenzo leading the championship and Valentino Rossi back in action after six weeks out through injury, the team is in high spirits and looking forward to what is always a favorite race for all involved.

Jorge Lorenzo hopes to increase his lead over Dani Pedrosa and the rest of the GP field at this weekend's Red Bull GP

Barcelona-based Lorenzo has won five races this season and come second in the remaining three so he arrives in the States as the man everyone wants to beat, with a 47-point lead over Dani Pedrosa in the championship. His first visit to Laguna Seca in 2008 saw him fail to finish but last year he put in a brilliant performance while struggling with a shoulder injury to storm home in third behind his teammate, and he is hoping for another visit to the podium, at the very least, this time around. On route to Monterey, Lorenzo and Tech 3 Yamaha colleague Ben Spies will make a stop at the home of American talk-show host Jay Leno, where they will be shown round the star’s world-famous garage, which houses a incredible collection of over 200 cars and motorcycles.

When he broke his leg just a little over six weeks ago it was not expected that nine-time World Champion Rossi would be seen on track before Brno at the earliest, but the irrepressible superstar has surprised everyone yet again with a return to racing last weekend and a competitive one at that, missing out on a podium by just two tenths of a second. While not yet back to his best the Italian hopes to be stronger again this weekend and feels ready to face the demands of the spectacular circuit. He finished second last year but the memory of his incredible win there in 2008, which he still cites as one of his best ever races, is never far from the minds of his fans.

Laguna Seca sits on the side of a hill just outside the coastal town of Monterey, a couple of hours south of San Francisco. The sometimes intense dry heat, unpredictable asphalt and anti-clockwise layout provide a break from the norm and the riders are forced to adapt their style somewhat after a summer on the fast and wide European tracks. The track boasts some of the most spectacular elevation changes and dramatic corners on the world championship circuit, the most notorious of which is the famous Corkscrew.

Jorge Lorenzo – “Always aiming for the podium”
“This is the first time this season that we’ve left Europe and I’m excited to be going to Laguna Seca again, one of the most famous tracks in the world. I like riding there and one of my aims is to win there, some day! I have had some crashes there but last year I also took the pole and made it onto the podium. We come from a second place in Sachsenring and our target remains the same, to be consistent and to always aim for the podium. Before the race we will go to see Jay Leno and also I will hopefully visit the headquarters of Twitter in LA.”

Valentino Rossi – “Try to improve a little bit more”
“I was so happy to be back in Sachsenring and to be fighting for the podium, even though I just missed out, was more than we could have hoped for. I still have some pain in my leg but I am growing stronger every day and I hope this week that I will be in better shape once again and I can try to improve a little bit more. Laguna is different to anywhere else we go but it’s always great fun to ride there and the last two years I’ve had great races.”

Wilco Zeelenberg – “Feeling confident”
“This is the ninth race of the season and we have won or been second in every one so far so we come to America feeling confident. Laguna is a different track to anywhere else we go with different demands on both bike and rider, but Jorge seems to be able to cope with everything he comes to this season so we have no reason not to hope for another good weekend. We have a comfortable cushion in the championship and we will try to keep it that way by continuing to get on the podium each week.”

Davide Brivio – “You never know what will happen”
“We are arriving in the US after an incredibly exciting weekend in Sachsenring, when we not only enjoyed having Valentino back but also got to see him ride an amazing race so soon after his injury. You never know what will happen with him. Our target this time is the podium, so we will work with this in mind. We also need to try to improve some areas of our bike because our plan is to have a really good end of the season when he’s back to full fitness.”

Valentino Rossi : Information
Age: 31
Lives: Tavullia, Italy
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 104 (78 x MotoGP/500cc, 14 x 250cc, 12 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Czech Republic, 1996 (125cc)
First GP: Malaysia, 1996 (125cc)
GP starts: 231 (170 x MotoGP/500cc, 30 x 250cc, 30 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 59 (49 x MotoGP/500cc, 5 x 250cc, 5 x 125cc)
World Championships: 9 Grand Prix (1 x 125cc, 1 x 250cc, 1 x 500cc, 6 x MotoGP)

Jorge Lorenzo: Information
Age: 23
Lives: Barcelona, Spain
Bike: Yamaha
GP victories: 30 (9 x MotoGP, 17 x 250cc, 4 x 125cc)
First GP victory: Brazil, 2003 (125cc)
First GP: Jerez, Spain, 2002 (125cc)
GP starts: 135 (40 x MotoGP, 48 x 250cc, 46 x 125cc)
Pole positions: 38 (12 x MotoGP, 23 x 250cc, 3 x 125cc)
World Championships: 2 (250cc, 2006/7)

Laguna Seca: Record Lap
C. Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1’21.488

Laguna Seca: Best Lap
C. Stoner (Ducati) 2008, 1’20.700

Grand Prix Results: Laguna Seca 2009
1. D.Pedrosa (Honda) 44’01.580
2. V. Rossi (Yamaha) +0.344
3. J. Lorenzo (Yamaha) +1.926

Brammo, Inc. has announced that 2004 AMA Superstock champion and current Australian Superbike competitor Aaron Gobert will be riding the Empulse RR race bike in this weekend’s FIM e-Power race. The Empulse RR is a purpose-built, race-ready version of the recently announced Brammo Empulse and will be revealed at the 2010 MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

Brammo continues to use its race program to develop forward-looking vehicles that ultimately make their way into commercial production. The 2009 Enertia TTR race bike evolved into the stunning Empulse street bike which is now available for pre-order.

No stranger to Brammo race bikes, Aaron Gobert said, “I had the opportunity to test with Brammo in 2009 and really enjoyed my time on the TTR race bike.  Motorcycle racing is my passion and here’s an opportunity to experience a new chapter in bike racing and participate at the ground level in a branch of the sport that is almost certainly going to have an increasing impact on motorcycle racing in the future.”

Green racing. As part of its commitment to sustainability Brammo has officially offset the entire carbon load that will be generated when it attends the Red Bull Grand Prix at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca later this month. This has been achieved by working with CarbonFund.Org. to calculate Brammo’s total CO2 emissions in all aspects of its race program; from vehicle and airplane mileage, to electricity generation for the race bike, even taking into account accommodation and meals. CarbonFund.Org was then able to translate this information into a dollar amount and appropriately funnel this money into a carbon offset project based around sustainable forestation in America.

As a leading electric vehicle technology company it is clearly very important to Brammo and all of its employees, customers, suppliers and investors that our sustainable values should not be left behind once we leave our facility in Ashland and this initiative ensures that those values aren’t compromised by our passion for racing.

About Brammo:
Brammo Inc. is a leading electric vehicle technology company headquartered in North America. Brammo designs and develops electric vehicles including the award winning Brammo Enertia motorcycle. Brammo is also an OEM supplier of innovative electric drivetrain systems including the Brammo Power™ battery pack and Brammo Power™ vehicle management system. Brammo has vehicle distribution and marketing operations in North America, Europe and Asia.

About CarbonFund.Org:
CarbonFund.Org is leading the fight against global warming, making it easy and affordable for any individual, business or organization to reduce & offset their climate impact and hasten the transition to a clean energy future. CarbonFund.Org achieves its goals through Climate change education, Carbon offsets and reductions and Public outreach.

About Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge Reforestation Project:
This project is restoring native hardwood forests to a region in Northeastern Louisiana that once was covered by dense forest. It is restoring the habitat for estimated 400 species of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish, including endangered/threatened species, such as the Louisiana Black Bear and the Florida Panther.

About The FIM e-power race:
The FIM e-Power race will take place at the Red Bull 2010 MotoGP. The race will see 15 electric motorcycle teams from around the world including Brammo compete on the demanding circuit at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca on July 25th 2010.

After winning earlier in the day on Sunday in AMA Pro Road Racing’s Daytona SportBike class, Danny Eslick repeated his wining form with his second consecutive AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Eslick took his RMR Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing Harley-Davidson XR1200 to another well-deserved victory, this time ahead of Shawn Higbee, riding another XR1200 supported by HOG Racing.  Third was Danny’s RMR Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing teammate, Jake Holden.   Holden and Eslick resumed their battle from the inaugural race at Road America but Holden fell back in the late stages today and finished third.

Kyle Wyman, one of three Wyman brothers racing at the Honda Super Cycle Weekend Presented by Dunlop Tire, took fourth on another RMR Bruce Rossmeyer Daytona Racing Harley-Davidson.  His brother Travis ended up eighth riding the Harv’s Harley-Davidson sponsored XR1200. Eric Stump was another rider taking part in multiple events this weekend and he took fifth ahead of John Ashmead.

Ashmead, a former Daytona 200 and SuperBike winner, was again riding his Brady Schwemmer Racing XR1200.  Ashmead and the team had raced at Road America and in fact, had suffered a mishap due to another rider’s oil leak, not their own as was reported in the last AMA Pro Racing report.  Paul James finished behind Ashmead on the James Gang Hoban Brother’s Racing XR1200 ahead of the aforementioned Eric Stump.

Eslick commented on how much he loves riding in the Vance & Hines XR1200 Series, “This class is a lot of fun, I just like riding the XR1200, and winning is going to make my drive to California that much more fun, looking at my two trophies all the way.”

Worx Crescent Suzuki’s Tommy Hill rode two hard fought races at the seventh round of the British Superbikes Championship at Snetterton to grab two second place finishes and take back the series lead.

In both races Hill was in lower leader board positions at mid-race but found the extra pace in the second half to pull himself up to the runner-up spot, recording his fastest lap in the last laps of each encounter. Rival Josh Brookes had secured wins in the first two races of the weekend but his machine expired at mid-distance in the last race, which passed the championship lead to Hill as he overcame Michael Laverty in the final laps of that race. Hill now leads the BSB championship by two points over Brookes and also leads the BSB podium points table by one point.

Yukio Kagayama suffered more ill luck in the first race – his first of the weekend – when his clutch developed a technical issue during the sighting lap, forcing him to start from the pit lane. He finished 21st. In the second race, starting from P24, Kagayama rode an impressively strong race gaining 14 positions to finish top-10.

Tommy Hill:
“We’ve had a very consistent run this weekend and I can’t deny it’s very satisfying to get back on the podium in all the races and to take back the championship lead.

“We were running less electronic aids on the bike this weekend and maybe this harmed my early race pace, but it seemed to work very much to my advantage in the second half of each race and I found I had a consistent feel to the bike that allowed me to confidently push hard at the end. A little bit of luck fell into our hands with Brookes going out in the third race, but it helps to be in the right place for when these things happen. No question I’m really looking forward to the Brands Hatch GP round now!”

Yukio Kagayama:
“For me, only wins can make for good times, but I am still very happy with progress this weekend. My first race was lost when the clutch felt to be slipping on my out lap, the team fixed this but starting from pit lane I was not able to make the progress I wanted.

“For the second race the team made some adjustments to the bike and I liked these very much and was able to pass many riders to finish tenth. I must thank the team for this, they really welcomed me back to racing this weekend and they worked hard to give me the best bike.”

Jack Valentine – Team Manager:
“A very good weekend for us. I think this weekend’s results have really boosted Tommy’s confidence and this will help him as we head to the Brands Hatch GP round. The team has worked hard on the set-up, the GSX-R’s always been good but it’s the very last little details that are making all the difference and certainly we’ve now got a very good basis on which to build for the coming races.

“Yuki has struggled manfully with his injured hand and it was typical of his luck that he suffered the setback with the clutch issue just before that first race. However his performance in the second race was inspiring, he put in a sterling ride.

“He’s off to the Suzuka 8-hour now and the whole team wish him well with that. But we’re looking forward to getting him to Brands Hatch fully fit. Not having two riders at full strength has cost us with bike development as the season has progressed, and we’ve seen the other teams make up ground, but hopefully come round eight we’ll be at full strength again for the first time almost all year!”

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship

Round seven, Snetterton:

Race 1 result:
1. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda)
2. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +1.472s
3. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +2.740s
4. James Ellison (Swan Honda) +3.757s
5. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +4.152s
6. Tommy Bridewell (Quay Garage Honda) +15.640s
7. Chris Walker (Sorrymate.com SMT Honda) +17.779s
8. Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) +18.417s
9. Simon Andrews (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +18.880s
10. John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +19.131s
21. Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki)

Race 2 result:
1. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda)
2. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +0.591s
3. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +0.954s
4. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +1.584s
5. John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +3.897s
6. Simon Andrews (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +4.899s
7. Chris Walker (Sorrymate.com SMT Honda) +6.127s
8. Andrew Pitt (Motorpoint Yamaha) +8.211s
9. Gary Mason (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +8.349s
10. Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +9.566s

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings:
1. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 218
2. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 216
3. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 193
4. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 183
5. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) 165
6. John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) 129
17. Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 31