Motourage

Swan Yamaha's Tommy Hill

The Swan Yamaha team got their season off to a flying start at Brands Hatch for the opening round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship as Tommy Hill took a first and second place to lead the standings ahead of Oulton Park.

The opening race of the day ended in dramatic fashion for Michael Laverty as he suffered a highside while leading at Clark Curve, which caused Hill to take evasive action and drop down the order to eleventh. Hill then fought back and a determined performance saw him finish second.

In the second race of the day, Hill took a sensational victory at his home round after holding off the challenges of race one winner Shane Byrne and defending champion Ryuichi Kiyonari. Laverty meanwhile recovered from his race one crash to finish in a solid fourth place.

Tommy Hill:
“It has been a long four days as it has been the most I have ridden for a while! Last week I was concerned about my elbow and I had a lot of treatment throughout the week to be ready which has paid off. It is fantastic to be leading the championship but it is only round one and it is early days still. The bike has been working well and we couldn’t have asked for a better start today. We are now looking forward to Oulton Park and getting the bike to work around what is a completely different track. Hopefully we can get there and come away with a very similar result.”

Michael Laverty:
“Today has been a bit of a tough one for me. I am feeling a little bit sore, but I was able to walk away from a really big crash in the first race and that is the main thing but the team worked hard to get the bike back together for the second race. It was a shame to crash out as I felt quite good and I was feeling confident for the win. It was a big crash; the tyre just spun and I didn’t have time to save it. I did get clipped by Tommy but I was so lucky that both him and Shakey were able to miss me. In the second race I felt ok and set the fastest lap but then there were a few places where the front was folding and I didn’t want to crash again. We have a few days now before Oulton Park and I want to come out there and get back on the podium.”

Swan Yamaha team owner Shaun Muir:
“What a start to the season for the Swan Yamaha team. We had a long winter and the hard work has paid off and we are delighted to be leading the championship after Tommy’s performance today. Michael was unlucky in the first race but he showed his potential despite that to challenge for the podium in race two. We are now really looking forward to next weekend at Oulton Park and hopefully we can be back on the top step of the podium again.”

Samsung Crescent Racing scored two top-five finishes in the opening round of the British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch, despite suffering a crash and a DNS from Suzuki-mounted John Hopkins and Jon Kirkham.

In race one, Hopkins started well and very quickly was inside the top six, but on lap 11, while pushing to make a pass for fifth, Hopkins slid off at Druids. He remounted and was able to regain 17th place by the checkered flag.

John Hopkins followed his 17th place race 1 finish with a top five in race 2

Kirkham’s race didn’t start so positively, placing as low as 15th place, but as ever, employing consistency and a very decent turn of speed, he was able to fight his way to fifth position by the end of the race, 3.5-seconds behind the winner.

Both Hopkins and Kirkham had second-row start positions for race two, but unfortunately Kirkham’s bike suffered a component failure during the warm-up lap and he was unable to start. But Hopkins held position from the start and at half-distance was able to move up to fifth, but with the top-four a few too many seconds ahead, he was unable to improve on his position before the finish.

John Hopkins:
“Not my greatest day, not my worst. We started the day well; we’d made some changes overnight and that made a difference – third fastest, and my personal best of the weekend, in warm-up. I was pleased with my start in the first race; I got through some traffic but then got stuck behind Stuart Easton. When it comes down to tenths-of-a-second between you and then next guy, then passing isn’t easy, and so when I was pushing it into Druids it didn’t take much to run wide, and then go down. I picked it back up but couldn’t get back into the points.

“I didn’t get the best start in race two: In fact I got bumped as I went into turn one and this cost me a few places. Again I found myself coming back though and again finding Stuart Easton mid-race. I took my time second time around and made sure it was a safe pass – I wanted some points from this weekend. After that there was too-big-a-gap to the guys in front and it wasn’t worth risking another fall to try and catch them.”

Jon Kirkham:
“That was an amazing first race. I got a bad start and so had a busy time making back the places. Then just when I’d got up to a decent position, I got punted off the track and found I had to do the work all over again. It was mayhem in that race; bikes and riders going in all directions it seemed. I was so pleased to make fifth.

“To not even get to start the second race was really disappointing, I was looking to build on race one, but that’s racing. So I’m really looking forward to Oulton Park now as it’s one of my favorite tracks.”

Jack Valentine, Team Manager:
“The day started so promisingly, but it just didn’t go our way. It’s frustrating. I’m happy with the lads’ riding, though. Hopper was right to take a safe strategy to the second half of the second race; to take the points. And JK was brilliant in race one – a few more laps and maybe he could have been on the podium. To be denied a start in the second race because of the failure of a 25p component is tough, but by then JK had already done enough to show he’s a serious contender in this championship.

“Of course I’d be happier if we’d had four top-five results, not the two, but others suffered worse. It’s a long season, and yet round two of the Championship is in just a matter of a few days’ time. We’ll be carrying forward the positives from this weekend.”

Race one result:
1 Shane Byrne (HM Plant Honda)
2 Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) +1.154s
3 Tommy Bridewell (Tyco Honda) +2.667s
4 Stuart Easton (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +2.764s
5 Jon Kirkham (Samsung Crescent Racing) +3.408s
6 Michael Rutter (Rapid Solicitors-Bathams Ducati) +4.310s
7 Loris Baz (Motorpoint Yamaha) +4.496s
8 Dan Linfoot (Sorrymate.com Honda) +5.090s
9 Martin Jessopp (Rapid Solicitors-Bathams Ducati) +5.100s
10 Chris Walker (Pr1mo Racing Kawasaki) +7.728s
17. John Hopkins (Samsung Crescent Racing) +15.965s

Race two result:
1 Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha)
2 Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +0.142s
3 Shane Byrne (HM Plant Honda) +0.598s
4 Michael Laverty (Swan Yamaha) +4.463s
5 John Hopkins (Samsung Crescent Racing) +10.089s
6 Stuart Easton (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +11.984s
7 Michael Rutter (Rapid Solicitors-Bathams Ducati) +13.048s
8 Dan Linfoot (Sorrymate.com Honda) +13.897s
9 Peter Hickman (Tyco Honda) +18.431s
10 Gary Mason (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +18.473s

MSS Colchester Kawasaki Superstock rider Danny Buchan

Kawasaki British Superbike team MSS Colchester Kawasaki had a fantastic start to the 2011 British Superbike Championship with both of their Superbike riders securing valuable points and Superstock rider Danny Buchan taking an exciting win. Stuart Easton now also holds a creditable third in the red-hot BSB series.

Brands Hatch was always going to be a tough round for the team as it was the first time they had competed with the new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R. Having struggled in qualifying, both Superbike riders found their feet in the race with Stuart Easton briefly taking the lead and nearly securing a dream podium finish. In the second race Stuart built on his impressive first outing on the Ninja ZX-10R to take a hard fought sixth place while Gary Mason overcome his first race difficulties to finish tenth. These results see Stuart Easton leaving Brands placed third in the BSB Championship, a result the team was not expecting due to the newness of the bike, which is getting stronger every outing.

“To be honest, I’m pretty shocked at our results,” said Stuart Easton. “We had some problems over the weekend and to leave Brands in third place in the Championship is a fantastic result. The chassis on the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R isn’t quite there yet and we struggled towards the end of the race with side-grip and the front end. It’s still very early days for the team and I think this year will be about consistency, getting those points in the bag. I’m gutted to miss out on a podium in race one but I knew that whoever was behind was close and I tried to keep them off but nearly lost the front. With a fourth and a sixth I haven’t sprayed any champagne but I’m satisfied and looking forward to Oulton, which I think will suit the bike.”

“My second race was certainly better than the first, and I think we are getting there with the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R,” added Gary Mason. “Brands isn’t a great track for us, and with a new bike it’s hard to get on the pace; a few tenths here and there make a big difference around such a short track. But there is certainly potential, I went faster today than I ever have around Brands and as always the boys worked their guts out. I’m now really looking forward to Oulton which is a rider’s circuit and one I love.”
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Alastair Seeley demonstrated the pedigree of Suzuki’s all-new GSX-R600, taking it to its debut victory in the British Supersport Championship at Brands Hatch earlier today in front of a packed Easter Monday audience.

Alastair Seeley leads Jack Kennedy (#4), Christian Iddon (#21) and Dean Hipwell (#74) in Supersport race two at Brands Hatch on Monday

Supersport
The former British Superstock champion and current Superbike and Supersport lap record holder at the International North West 200, picked himself up after yesterday’s disappointment, to lead home a high-speed freight train over 26 pulsating laps. Less than a second covered the top five at the checkered flag, and despite yesterday’s DNF the Ulsterman sits well poised in fourth place, just 13 points behind the series leader.

British Superbikes
Josh Brookes will not forget his Relentless Suzuki British Superbike debut in a hurry, crashing out spectacularly in race one, which disappointingly forced a medical withdrawal from race two. Before the race one incident, the Australian had mesmerizingly scythed his way through the pack from 13th position through to second place on his GSX-R1000 Superbike. But just when he was planning out his attach on race leader Shane Byrne he suffered a wicked high-side at the top of Paddock Hill Bend prematurely ending his Easter Monday debut.

Alastair Seeley, Supersport
“I never looked behind me in that second Supersport race and it’s a good job as I think I might have scared myself! I just watched my board today, kept my head down and stuck to the game plan. Ben tried to make a break for it but I was ready for him and when I eventually got to the front I just defended my line on that last lap and brought it home for the win. Next week we’ll get a chance to stretch the legs on the wee GSX-R600 at Oulton Park, but before that I have a GSX-R owners’ day here at Brands Hatch with Suzuki.”

Josh Brookes, Superbike
“I suppose we did all right coming back from where we were in qualifying and I have to say, everything felt one-hundred percent better today on my bike. As I said after qualifying, I knew what caused the problem and once we’d that sorted we were fast in morning warm-up and in the race. While I was battling with people in the race I couldn’t get into a proper rhythm, but once I got to P2, which was quite easy, I was totally confident. I saw Shakey and thought, ‘I’m in a good position here,’ but it all ended at Paddock Hill. I’m upbeat because I really can’t believe how I didn’t injure myself in such a big crash. Now I’m just looking forward to Oulton Park.”

Philip Neill, Team Manager
“There are a number of positives to take away from this meeting starting with Alastair Seeley. He was pure class in that race today, and it’s not the first time he’s pulled this team out of a hole. He completely out-smarted his rivals and the new GSX-R600 package was nothing short of perfect. He rode the textbook race and we knew he had a better tire choice than many of his rivals. He controlled the race from the front and it was the race of the day for the fans with five of them in it at the end.

“Josh proved in the opening BSB race that we’d really cracked it with his set-up this morning in warm-up and I have to admit, watching him come through from 13th to second place – it’s been a long time since I’ve taken so much pleasure watching someone on a Superbike. He was so strong and made a pass on almost every lap; no one could hold him off at Clearways. He can certainly ride a motorbike and that’s why we signed him, for his never say die attitude. He just pushed that little too hard down Paddock Hill which caused the crash, but we’ll accept that and move on. Until then he made the whole GSX-R1000 Superbike package look absolutely superb.

“Guy [Martin] acquitted himself really well this weekend and we are really pleased how he got on running 46.5 lap times. There are not too many of the pure road racing men who could match those times here and it sets him up well for the Cookstown 100 next week, where he will ride our GSX-R Superstock and Supersport machines.”

Results

British Superbike Race 1
1st – Shane Byrne (Honda); 2nd – Tommy Hill (Yamaha); 3rd – Tommy Bridewell (Honda); 4th – Stuart Easton (Kawasaki); 5th – Jon Kirkham (Suzuki); 6th – Michael Rutter (Ducati); 7th – Loris Baz (Yamaha); 8th – Dan Linfoot (Honda); 9th – Martin Jessopp (Ducati); 10th – Chris Walker (Kawasaki)
Josh Brookes DNF

British Superbike Race 2
1st – Tommy Hill (Yamaha); 2nd – Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda); 3rd – Shane Byrne (Honda); 4th – Michael Laverty (Yamaha); 5th – John Hopkins (Suzuki); 6th – Stuart Easton (Kawasaki); 7th – Michael Rutter (Ducati); 8th – Dan Linfoot (Honda); 9th – Peter Hickman (Honda); 10th – Gary Mason (Kawasaki)
Josh Brookes was withdrawn from BSB Race 2 as a precautionary measure on medical grounds

British Supersport Race 2
1st – Alastair Seeley [Relentless by TAS Suzuki]; 2nd – Jack Kennedy [Yamaha]; 3rd – Steve Plater [Honda]; 4th – Ben Wilson [Kawasaki]; 5th – Dean Hipwell [Yamaha]; 6th – Lee Johnston [Honda]; 7th – Jimmy Hill [Triumph]; 8th – Luke Mossey [Triumph]; 9th – Sam Warren [Yamaha]; 10th – Daniel Cooper [Triumph]

The HM Plant Honda team began their title defense in the best possible way as Shane “Shakey” Byrne lapped faster than the Brands Hatch Indy lap record to secure pole position on his return to the British Superbike Championship, just ahead of his teammate Ryuichi Kiyonari who took the second spot alongside Shakey.

Shane Byrne

The two HM Plant Honda Fireblades diced for the pole position with Kiyo first running under the lap record before Shakey went out for a final lap dash for the top spot, when he narrowly edged out the position by 0.080 seconds.

In the National Superstock 1000 Championship it was another pole position for HM Plant Honda as Jason O’Halloran topped the time sheet ahead of his race debut in the class.

Byrne said: “That was a great lap. I started Q3 on a used tire and did a 45.5s lap but then I saw what Kiyo had done and I couldn’t believe it, he needs to slow down a bit! I wanted a front row start but then I saw what Kiyo did and just went for it with a new tire. I went out and did a 45.1s and then I tried to get into the 44s but just couldn’t quite get there. That was a great session though and all credit to the HM Plant Honda team.”

Kiyo said: “That was a hard session as everyone was faster than before, but I pushed as hard as I could and was hoping for the pole position. I knew Shakey was going to be fast as we have been pushing each other all weekend. I need to find some more time tomorrow in warm up as it is so close on the circuit but I am feeling happy and want to get on the podium tomorrow for HM Plant Honda.”

Jason O’Halloran qualified on pole position for the opening round of the National Superstock 1000 Championship at Brands Hatch, posting the fastest time in the combined qualifying sessions.

Jason said: “The weekend has gone well and we have been consistently fast throughout the sessions. We have a good race pace and we know there are a few different changes we still would like to test in warm up tomorrow. I am happy that we will be starting from pole position and the lap was under the record pace so everything is good and I am ready to race now.”

Team Manager Havier Beltran concluded: “Today’s qualifying session was a fantastic start to our season; you can’t ask for more than the top two places on the grid in Superbike and then the pole position in the Superstock class. I think today has shown that all three riders have the potential to challenge for the titles, and it is still early days, but we couldn’t have asked for a better day. It has also shown the strength of the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade as it has proved to be the fastest bike on track in two classes today. We know the Indy circuit will bring highs and lows as it always does, but so far it has all come together for the HM Plant Honda team and we are looking forward to race day.”

Splitlath Motorsport are determined to keep working hard after rider Hudson Kennaugh qualified in 29th spot in the team’s MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship debut at Brands Hatch today.

The Leicester-based South African is still getting to grips with his new Aprilia RSV4 machine after a delay in receiving all of the parts, but is learning more and more about the stunning machine each time he takes to the track.

The team is treating this weekend’s opening round of the leading domestic championship as a test, having only run the bike in its entirety for the first time on Saturday morning.

“It’s been a difficult day, we struggled with the bike’s set-up because we’re obviously several days and weeks behind other teams with regards to set-up so we’ve got to keep our heads down and keep working,” said team owner and manager John Dimbylow. “If it doesn’t come this weekend, it will come the next weekend and if not then it will come the weekend after. It’s a positive thing, we’ve learnt loads and loads and that information will be valuable to us later on in the season.”

Samsung Crescent Racing’s Jon Kirkham will start tomorrow’s opening round of the British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch from the second row, with teammate John Hopkins just behind.

Samsung Crescent Suzuki's Jon Kirkham

It was a day of mixed fortunes for the Suzuki GSX-R1000-mounted team. For Superbike Rookie Kirkham, that meant joy as he backed up strong free practice rides with a seventh-fastest time in the final qualifying session. But for former MotoGP star John Hopkins, there was despair when he missed the cut-off for the final of the three qualifying sessions and found he will have to start tomorrow from 11th place.

Jon Kirkham:
“I’m very pleased with that; qualifying’s not gone too bad at all. I was hoping for a front row and I’d taken the strategy of using two out-laps then pushing for a fast one – after which we could expect the tire to be done. And that strategy went well right up to Clearways on the fast-lap when it started spinning-up on the rear – and that’s all it takes around here to miss out on the time you need. One small difference.

“That aside, I have to be very happy; we’ve stuck with our strategy from preseason – ‘steady away…’ That’s almost our motto now. So for tomorrow I want to come away with two solid results. It’s a long season so there’s no need for big risks; I’ll look to make a clean start and stay out of trouble.”

John Hopkins:
“Today was good and bad. We did a good morning’s work setting consistently fast lap times – in the 45s – on used tires, so we know we can run a good race pace.

“In qualifying, Q1 went well and I got a good time, but in that second session I just started rushing the corners too much, I made a lot of mistakes and didn’t set the lap times I should have. I should have relaxed a bit and worked harder on the getting out of the turns. So I’ve given myself more work for tomorrow than I would like to have, but I’m a good starter so I’ll hopefully get away well and push hard for that busy first lap, make up as many places as I can; and not let anyone get away.”

Jack Valentine – Team Manager:
“Mixed fortunes today for us. Obviously I’m very, very pleased for JK. We’ve set realistic goals for him all along and he’s achieved all of these and more. If he can turn his qualifying into two top-six finishes tomorrow then we’ll be very happy.

“For Hopper, it’s been a tough afternoon and he’s certainly getting to experience just how competitive BSB can be. We know he has top-five speed though, so he’ll be looking to make a strong start tomorrow and hopefully will get onto the tail of the lead group and see where he can go from there.

“The team is working great, we’ve been working with a great set-up on the bikes; and have shown we’ve the speed to ride at the front. We’re still very much looking forward to the racing tomorrow.”

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship Qualifying:
1. Shane Byrne (HM Plant Honda) 45.112s
2. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +0.080s
3. Michael Laverty (Swan Yamaha) +0.168s
4. Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) +0.212s
5. Loris Baz (Motorpoint Yamaha) +0.408s
6. Michael Rutter (Rapid Solicitors-Bathams Ducati) +0.494s
7. Jon Kirkham (Samsung Crescent Racing) +0.515s
8. Tommy Bridewell (Tyco Honda) +0.703s
9. James Westmoreland (Motorpoint Yamaha) +0.780S
10. Stuart Easton (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +0.947s
11. John Hopkins (Samsung Crescent Racing) (45.730s)

Relentless Suzuki by TAS Racing had a tough opening day at the British Superbike Championship first round at Brands Hatch. Josh Brookes suffered several minor problems in BSB Qualifying, posting the 13th-best time and Alastair Seeley crashed out in the first of the Easter weekend’s two Supersport races challenging for the lead. Guy Martin, appearing at Brands as a BSB wildcard entry, qualified a respectable 27th in his first official time out on a Relentless GSX-R1000.

Relentless Suzuki's Josh Brookes

Josh Brookes:
“I’m disappointed with qualifying but I don’t want to make excuses. In my opinion we’re not just quite there yet and qualifying wasn’t a good showing. We made a few changes and I’ve a fair idea what the problem was, but as I say, I’m not going to make any excuses. I’m trying to stay upbeat as being annoyed is not going to help the situation. We will make a few changes for morning warm-up and see where we can improve.”

Alastair Seeley:
“I was catching Ben Wilson when I lost the front, so it’s good to be getting two bites at the cherry this weekend. The new GSX-R600 really felt great up to that point; it’s just a matter of sussing out what tires to be using for tomorrow in this heat. I suppose it’s all down to rider preference. I’m okay and the bike’s not too bad after the crash, so we’ll reload for tomorrow and go chasing a podium.”

Philip Neill – Team Manager:
“Today was a big disappointment, there’s no hiding that. We’re taking the positives as we’ve spent most of the weekend on the back foot after Josh had a small crash and an electronic problem also cost us a whole session. It’s been a baptism of fire but we’ve been here before at Brands so no one is panicking. We have the pace on a race tire and while it’s not an ideal grid position, if Josh can find a bit of consistency through the whole lap, we can come away with something from the weekend.

“In the Supersport race we felt Alastair had a good set-up and tire choice. The plan was to stay in the hunt early on and make his move towards the end, but unfortunately he made a small mistake. We’ll get back up and try again tomorrow. What I would say is he’s got to be able to run at this pace and not crash to be in the Championship race.

“Guy Martin has made steady progression and the objective was to come here so he could gain as much knowledge as possible with the GSX-R1000 Superbike, and he’s doing that. He has been going faster with every session and that’s what we expected he would do. He’s competitive and would like to be further up the grid but his lap time is respectable.”

The Swan Yamaha team set the pace in the penultimate practice session at Brands Hatch today as Tommy Hill and Michael Laverty ended first and second respectively ahead of Easter Monday’s opening round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship.

Hill waited until the final ten minutes of the afternoon session to run close to lap record pace on the Indy circuit with a time of 45.499 seconds as Laverty moved within 0.008 seconds of his team-mate to put the Swan Yamahas at the top of the timesheets ahead of qualifying.

“It has been a great day for us and we have been building up to it gradually over the three sessions so far this weekend,” said Tommy Hill. “It has mainly been due to changes with the electronics and we have learnt so much already and we are able to keep moving forward. We made a few minor changes to the chassis, but it has mainly remained the same as it was when we tested in Spain. Our race pace is good as we have done some longer runs and we know we can run the times consistently so we are feeling happy ahead of qualifying.”

“It has been a good day for us and we have made some further steps forward with the electronics,” added Laverty. “They were just minor changes but it has made quite a bit of difference and then we were able to make small tweaks to the chassis this morning. This afternoon we did some longer race runs and we were running consistent times despite some traffic, so I am happy with our race pace ahead of qualifying.”

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch, free practice one result:
1. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 45.687s
2. Michael Laverty (Swan Yamaha) +0.081s
3. Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) +0.088s
4. John Hopkins (Samsung Crescent Racing) +0.186s
5. Josh Brookes (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +0.259s

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch, free practice two result:
1. Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) 45.499s
2. Michael Laverty (Swan Yamaha) +0.008s
3. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +0.032s
4. Shane Byrne (HM Plant Honda) +0.037s
5. John Hopkins (Samsung Crescent Racing) +0.229s

The Swan Yamaha team begin their assault on the 2011 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch this weekend as Tommy Hill, who joins Swan Yamaha from Worx Crescent Suzuki, and Michael Laverty, who spent 2009 contesting AMA Superbike with Celtic Racing and 2010 with Relentless Suzuki by TAS in BSB, prepare to make their race debut with the Guisborough-based team at Brands Hatch

Tommy Hill tests at Snetterton

In preseason testing Hill set a new lap record at Cartagena while Laverty went on to top the times at the most recent test at Snetterton, and now both riders are feeling confident ahead of the four-day Easter opening round.

Tommy Hill
“I just want to get to Brands Hatch now after what has really been six weeks off. We set a new lap record at Cartagena and we felt confident after those tests. It was disappointing for me that I missed out at Snetterton with a crash, but it doesn’t take long to get back into it on the Indy circuit. Once we have the first day on Good Friday to blow the cobwebs away we just need to be consistent and score some good points. That was the approach I had last season and I came away with a first and second place plus the championship lead so who knows what can happen. I just need to push on at my home circuit, get the best results I can for the Swan Yamaha team and then prepare for Oulton Park the following weekend.”

Michael Laverty
“The first races at Brands Hatch are going to be strange as the Indy circuit can throw a curveball you don’t expect. I think though that after the pre-season testing we are in the position to challenge for the wins and get the job done. It has been a longer build up to this season and the anticipation really has been building for these first races and everyone just wants to get out and race now. We have been fast in testing so I hope that people are looking at us and thinking we are going to be up there at Brands Hatch. The pressure doesn’t matter to me; myself and Tommy have proved we have the pace – we just need to make sure we don’t get complacent and translate our testing performance into strong results.”

Team manager Shaun Muir
“The team have done a lot of hard work over the winter and we have been immensely impressed with the new Yamahas. Tommy and Michael have been consistently fast throughout pre-season testing and now we look forward to his weekend and translating that into results for everyone involved at Swan Yamaha.”