Motourage

Worx Crescent Suzuki came away from the British Superbike Championship fifth round at Mallory Park with just eight points in the bag after misfortune beset both Championship leader Tommy Hill and teammate Yukio Kagayama today.

The day started well with both riders setting good times in warm-up and Kagayama was particularly pleased with his revised bike set-up that took him to the fifth-fastest time.

Worx Crescent rider Tommy Hill could only manage a weekend-best eighth-place finish at Mallory Park

But problems came thick and fast in the opening race: Hill was immediately in trouble as his bike gave all the indications of clutch slip, while Kagayama struggled to push through the pack from his fourth-row start position. However, the race was red flagged after three laps following an incident and this allowed the team to replace the clutch in Hill’s bike before the restart. Unfortunately the problem wasn’t cured and Hill was forced to retire. Kagayama then crashed out on lap two at Charlie’s chicane and was bruised and quite shaken up so the decision was taken that he stand down from race two.

Hill, as a consequence of his race one woes, had to start race two from the fourth row and had a huge fight on to regain places; finally finishing in eighth.

Tommy Hill:
“Today’s been quite a disappointment after having enjoyed very productive tests here and going so well through practice and qualifying. After dropping out of race one with technical issues I was looking forward to getting my head down and chasing a top-six result in race two. But I got shut down in the first turn and after that it was a long race trying to make up places. Obviously I’m not happy with my results, but racing always has its ups and downs. So we’re off to Knockhill next weekend and I’ll be looking for a return to podium finishes and podium points – and looking to rebuild my championship lead.”

Yukio Kagayama:
“Not a good weekend for me. I was happy after warm-up – good lap times. Then in the race I lost grip leaving the corner – it all happens very fast – and I crashed. I am okay but the crash was quite hard and so I was not able to ride the second race. So again I need to rest injuries to be ready for the next round.”

Jack Valentine – Team Manager:
“Not a good day for us. We had every reason to feel optimistic at the start of the day and were pleased to see Yuki back on the pace in warm-up. Tommy’s problem in the first race turned out to be a rear wheel speed sensor issue which confused the ECU. Tommy then had to ride in damage limitation mode in the second race to bring home the points to maintain his championship lead. Yuki suffered more bad luck, and after two crashes, the second quite a hard one, we felt it was prudent he stood down from the second race and rested his body so that he’ll be able to come out fighting fit again for Knockhill.

Read more…

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.”

Michael Laverty continued his impressive run of form in the British Superbike Championship yesterday with the Relentless by TAS Suzuki team, posting his fourth and fifth BSB podiums of the season and taking third place in both races.

Laverty also maintained third place in the Championship standing and now sits on 133 points, just 21 behind series leader and fellow Suzuki rider Tommy Hill, with Australia’s Josh Brookes wedged in between them.

Alastair Seeley scored 11 points on his Mallory Park BSB debut with 10th and 11th placed finishes and the current National Superstock champion is just eight points outside the top six.

Michael Laverty:
“I’m reasonably happy with two third-placed finishes today as it’s good for the Championship. But if I’m being honest I had expected to get a win following the pace we had shown throughout practice on the Relentless Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike. The other boys found something extra today and I wasn’t able to respond, but we will move on to Knockhill next weekend in a confident frame of mind. We are in good shape in the championship following a run of five consecutive podiums, and although my consistency is paying off, I want to win some races. The team has done a good job again this weekend and gave me a very capable bike, so thanks to them for the effort.”

Alastair Seeley:
“My goal was to score solid points today and from fourth and third row grid positions I think we did okay, but it was a tough day at the office. I would have been happier to be well inside the top 10, but we battled hard and stay within fighting distance of the top six leaving Mallory. I was closing down on ninth in the first race and just ran out of laps and in race two I had a few small problems that I had to work around. All in all we’ve kept in on track and scored points, so I’m now looking forward to Knockhill where I’ve had some success in the past on the Superstock GSX-R1000.”

Philip Neill – Team Manager:
“I’m pleased enough with the weekend and it really is nice to be back in the BSB paddock. In saying that, it seems like we are stuck on third placed finishes, with two at the TT followed by two here at Mallory. I’m pretty satisfied though with another couple of podiums – Michael’s fourth and fifth in a row – and it’s also good for the Championship, but I know we can win races. We know as a team where we can improve and Michael knows where he can improve as a rider, but I was impressed with his fitness today. Alastair did what we expected and battled hard and he scored points when others didn’t, so that will set him up well for Knockhill next week.” Read more…

The MSS Colchester Kawasaki Team prepare for the Mallory Park round of the British Superbike Championship as Simon Andrews returns from a prolonged heel injury to join Gary Mason with track temperatures set to soar.

Last year’s event saw Simon lead the race, only to be taken out in the closing stages in a mass pile-up, leaving rider and squad wondering what might have been. The accident left Simon with a broken wrist and put him out of the running for the Brands Hatch triple-header a few weeks later.

Simon will be looking to continue his return to fitness and form after two strong rides in last week’s Superstock support race at the Silverstone MotoGP, where he stood in for an injured Conor Cummins in the Blackhorse Kawasaki squad.

Gary Mason is another rider with points to prove after a Cadwell Park BSB round to forget. Gary showed his strongest qualifying performance yet, running as high as second in the phased knockout system before disaster struck with a big crash, leaving him concussed and unable to race.

The tight and tricky Mallory Park circuit suits the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, as shown by last year’s front running pace of Simon, while the team will also be buoyed by early previews of next season’s race-focused Ninja machine. Howie Mainwaring gets a deserved week off as Superstock skip a round after the Superstock double header, where Howie led much of the first race action, chalking up a podium and the circuit’s first lap record.

“I feel like I’ve been away forever,” said Simon Andrews. “It was ideal to get out on the superstocker at Silverstone, and this showed me where I was fitness wise and got me up to speed with riding fast. I got a good look at Brookes riding whilst I was there and he’s very much the man to beat at BSB at this moment. I have bitter-sweet memories of Mallory as I know me and the bike worked well there last year before that horrendous incident.”

Mason added, “Cadwell was a shocker for me; one moment on top of it and qualifying great; the next sparko and having to miss the races. I saw how well Gary and the ZX-10R went last year at Mallory so I can see no reason why we shouldn’t have a good outing.”

MSS Colchester Kawasaki team boss Nick Morgan added, “It’s great to have both the lads back and fully fit, we’ve had good stand in rides by Howie and Chris Walker who’ve both played a part for us but Simon and Gary were our chosen riders at year start. With no Superstock we can focus on the BSB riders and we know from last year that we can run at the front here. As England expects on Sunday so does Kawasaki.”

Swan Honda’s James Ellison returned to the track at Mallory Park on Thursday, just seven weeks after sustaining a broken femur in a practice crash at Thruxton earlier this season.

Prior to this weekend, Swan Honda's James Ellison had not turned laps since his crash at Thruxton earlier this season

Ellison completed 50 laps of the circuit during the test and used the track time to personally test his fitness. He now feels confident that he will be in a position to return to the British Superbike Championship for the next round at the Leicestershire circuit in two weeks’ time.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect before I got back on the Swan Honda, so I arrived at Mallory Park with no expectations,” said Ellison.. I have been happy though that I have been able to complete around 50 or 60 laps of the circuit. I haven’t obviously been chasing lap times as the focus was just to get me back out on the track, but although I am not completely back to full fitness I feel good and really want to be back out on the grid at Mallory Park to try and get my championship back on track.”

Swan Honda team manager Shaun Muir concluded: “The focus of the test was to re acclimatize James with the feel of the bike and work the body in places where you cannot reach in the gym. Conditions were not ideal, but he worked his way into the test and he has come away with a huge boost of confidence ahead of the next round. We will discuss the situation with the BSB medical team and hopefully satisfy them that James’ is fit enough to race in two weeks time.”

After taking the double British Superbike Championship Evo Class win at Thruxton, the MIST Suzuki Racing team were looking forward to seeing the podium once more at Oulton Park. Having been stuck in the UK since the last round due to the Volcanic Ash situation, AMA Pro Superbike rider “Aussie” Dave Anthony spent his time rebuilding the race engine in the bike and relaxing ready for learning his way around another new track on the SuperBike.

Reluctant to make any changes on the bike for the first session, Dave spent the whole session out on track to get a feel for the place and came away 17th overall and fastest Evo bike by 1.27 seconds. Second practice had him in 20th place and second Evo after experimenting with tire pressures although normal service was resumed in the third session in 18th and over 0.6 seconds faster than any of the Evo runners.

Some minor changes for qualifying and Dave easily made it in to the second session, improving his best time once again, to line up first Evo rider in 19th on the grid. Things were looking good for race day although the weather forecast was not quite so optimistic. For an Australian who is now settled in California the opportunity to ride in the rain is fairly rare so plenty of fingers were crossed the weather would remain dry.

A poor start in race one saw Dave drop to 25th at the end of the first lap with plenty of work to do. He soon found his feet and fought his way through the pack. Despite a significant power deficit he was running some 1.2 seconds a lap faster than the BMW in second place and soon caught him. A momentary lapse of concentration causing him to briefly run off the track but he collected himself and made short work of the new five second gap. With his rhythm now broken it was a struggle to make a pass that would stick and he crossed the line as the 3rd Evo bike, and 16th place overall, just 0.1 seconds adrift having set the fastest Evo lap of the race.

Things looked good for the second race until the clouds opened 20 minutes before we were due on track. The rain stopped as abruptly as it started only to restart a short while later. We were given a seven minute practice to get used to the wet conditions only for the team to discover one of the front discs was causing braking problems. With no time to change it, and reduced time on the grid due to the delays, Dave was going to have to ride around the problems in the race.

With no experience on how hard to push off the start Dave struggled and was soon relegated to 26th place (out of 27 remaining runners) over the first couple of laps. Aware that he already had a 27 second deficit over the BMW that was running in 12th place at that point Dave gradually picked up the pace as he got the hang of the conditions and chased down some well established SuperBike riders as he moved forward.

As a number of riders struggled they were soon passed by the Suzuki that just got faster as the race went on. Dave was soon racing over four seconds a lap faster than Brogan on the BMW but just ran out of laps at the end finishing just three seconds behind at the flag and posting a faster lap time than overall race winner Michael Laverty’s final lap. Finishing 16th overall once again and 4th Evo was a testament to just how quickly Dave got to grips with the conditions, especially as he was getting faster as the race went on.

Team Manager Mike Edwards was still positive despite only making one visit to the podium, “We have to be pleased with our performance despite not being able to repeat the race winning form from Thruxton. We led for most of practice and qualifying only to be punished for a solitary mistake in race one when Dave ran off the track and then problems due to the weather in race two. Our tires lasted so well in the wet that had the race run for the full eighteen laps instead of fifteen I am confident we could have made up several more places which would have assured us a place on the podium.”

He added “We are still waiting for some parts for the bike that should help improve the handling and we have to find some sponsorship if we are to make Cadwell Park in three weeks time. We have shown what we are capable of and are even more convinced we can win this championship with the right backing.”

Michael Laverty scored his first BSB win of the season in race 2 at Oulton Park

Relentless by TAS Suzuki posted its debut victory in the British Superbike Championship Premier Class with Michael Laverty at the Oulton Park third round.

Laverty’s second-race demolition of the field in the British Superbike class demonstrated the progress Moneymore-based TAS Racing has been making with their GSX-R1000 Superbike already this season. And, after being virtually written off in the pre-season build up, both Laverty and Alastair Seeley now sit proudly in the top five in the current standings.

In race one it was Seeley who looked odds-on for his second BSB podium of the year, but a missed gear on the final lap allowed John Laverty to steal his thunder, which left the Carrickfergus man to narrowly pip his teammate to the line for fourth.

In race two, while Laverty was soloing to a superb victory, Seeley fought his way through from mid-pack to take 10 valuable points in sixth place.

Michael Laverty:
“That was a really nice feeling today. I just hope it goes a long way to being forgiven for my crash at Thruxton! It’s really strange because it’s probably the easiest I’ve had to ride to win a race, never mind so convincingly. It’s not often you get the perfect bike, but the boys gave me one today for that win. We still have a bit to go with the dry set-up on our GSX-R1000 Superbike, but we are getting closer every weekend and I’m confident we can be up at the front in the dry very soon – possibly as soon as Cadwell Park. The boys deserve this bit of success for all their hard work.”

Alastair Seeley:
“I am a bit frustrated about not getting on the podium in race one, but there’s no point in moaning about it. I missed a gear and fought back to fourth so we have to be pleased with that after a tough weekend at the previous round. In race two, I spun up going off the line and ended up bashing bars and fairings mid-pack. I got my head down and just tried to be smooth on the throttle and when I got onto the back of Josh Brookes he was all over the place. His tire was obviously in worse condition than mine at that stage, so to get past for sixth was a good result in difficult conditions. I’m learning all the time about this Superbike and I’ve stayed fit and healthy with the North West 200 just over a week away – so that’s a big positive.”

Philip Neill – BSB Team Principal:
“After all the hard work our team has put in, that was a pretty emotional day for me and I have to say, Michael’s win was probably one of the best rides I’ve ever seen – he really destroyed the field and was even comfortable putting in consistent quickest laps. It’s a great reward and a boost of confidence for the whole team and proves just how great a bike the current GSX-R1000 really is. I must obviously give credit to Michael, who I have always believed in, and this will be a real confidence booster for him.

“Alastair may be disappointed at missing out on a race-one podium, but the ‘Wee Man’ just continues to blow us away with his talent, enthusiasm and self-belief. Let’s not forget it’s only his second time out at Oulton on a Superbike and his comeback from mid-pack to sixth was phenomenal in race two: It also shows where he has come from when he’s disappointed not to be on the podium every weekend as a rookie.

“We really do have two genuine contenders this year, who are as good as anyone in the Championship, and we are delighted to have helped Suzuki retain top-spot in the Manufacturer Standings; it’s always good to do your bit.

“I must give a special mention to the boys in the garage who work a very tight schedule with our BSB and road racing commitments, so fair play to Leigh, Arnie and Davy Kertesz as they found an enviable wet weather set-up for our riders today. We’re not that far away in dry conditions either and this sets us up well for next week’s North West 200.”

BSB Race 1 Results:
1. Stuart Easton (Swan Honda)
2. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +0.058s
3. John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +10.399s
4. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +10.843s
5. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +10.849s
6. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +11.073s
7. Gary Mason (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +23.428s
8. Chris Walker (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +27.478s
9. Dan Linfoot (Motorpoint Yamaha) +35.997s
10. Tommy Bridewell (Quay Garage Honda) +36.709s

BSB Race 2 Results:
1. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS)
2. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +6.00s
3. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +11.333s
4. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +16.029s
5. John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +23.590s
6. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +27.258s
7. Tommy Bridewell (Quay Garage Honda) +30.287s
8. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +30.283s
9. Hudson Kennaugh (MAR Kawasaki) +32.463s
10. Adam Jenkinson (Buildbase Kawasaki) +54.950s

The Motourage Fantasy Riders Racing League spreadsheet is getting too big to fit comfortably in the space provided by WordPress, so it has been moved to Google Documents.

For the latest results and standings, check out the new Motourage Fantasy Riders Racing League results HERE.

Howie Mainwaring finished in 5th place, allowing him to hold the number-two spot in the Supersport class

A difficult weekend for MSS Colchester Kawasaki, hampered by tricky track conditions, generated a mixed bag of results at Oulton Park.

There was formation flying in Superbike Race 1 as Gary Mason and stand-in rider Chris Walker circulated in close proximity to chalk up a solid 7th and 8th positions.  Gary put a fair but firm overtake on Chris at the end of the start-finish straight and the pair then closed in on Kiyonari forcing him into a mistake.

Race 2 was delayed as all the Superbike riders were given some vital wet practice after a deluge as qualifying had been completely dry.  After logging a good first race time both Gary and Chris moved up the grid for Race 2.  However, this was to no avail for Gary after he had to take the final grid position due to a warm-up lap front end problem, which needed checking, putting him behind the pace car.  He battled through the ranks but persistent problems forced him to pull into the pit lane leaving the team with some serious investigation to be done.  Chris had a poor start but got into his groove later in the race to finish in 11th position.

In Superstock, Howie had a very eventful race which mirrored his Brands Hatch performance by battling up to 3rd and then running straight on, resulting in him having to work extra hard to come back through to a creditable 5th place.  Howie beat the lap record by half a second and remains second in the series.

Chris said, “Overall I’m pretty happy with the weekend.  I was expecting top tens and I’ve learnt a lot about the bike and the team.  It would have been so easy to have slipped up in Race 2 but I just wanted a decent finish.  If I get the call up for Cadwell I’d be proud to be part of the team and I know wed be on the pace.”

A massively disappointed Gary commented, “Everything that could’ve gone wrong in that second race did go wrong.  I was frustrated to start at the back of the grid but at the end of the day we’d still have had to pull in I think.  If we’re looking for positives, Race 1 lap times pushed us up the grid and I know that if I could just get away better I could run further up the front.”

Howie added, “Man, that was so annoying running straight on.  We were definitely on for a podium up until that point.  I’m pleased I managed to salvage fifth and we’re still second in the Championship but it could have been so much better.  Still, not a bad weekend and it was good to be back up North as I had some good support.”

MSS Colchester Kawasaki team boss Nick Morgan summed up, “That was a tough weekend.  I’m disappointed for Gary but he had a solid ride in Race 1.  Chris was very workmanlike and we’re happy with his results, given that it was his first time on the bike.  Howie again had the ride of the weekend and his never-say-die attitude means we’re still second in the Championship.  So there were some positives but ultimately we need to do better as a team.”

This weekend marks Rounds 6 and 7 of the Motourage Fantasy Riders Racing League season.
Due to the postponement of the Motegi MotoGP round, no points were scored in Round 4.  Round 5 was scored with the Assen Round of the World Superbike Championship, and teams will score this weekend based on the results of the MotoGP-Jerez and British Superbike-Oulton Park races.
The top scorer in Round 5 was Brad Boutilier’s East Coast racing team with a very impressive 70 points, but a big weekend by Luckyguess mixed up the standings at the top of the chart.

In MotoGP, Valentino Rossi’s health may have been in question at the beginning of the weekend due to an injury he sustained during a motocross crash, but he finished free practice at the #5 position.  Stoner, Lorenzo, Hayden and Pedrosa rounded out the top spots, but the Jerez race is anyone’s to win.  Will the Spanish Armada flex its collective hometown muscle or will it be an Aussie an Italian or even one of the field’s three Americans atop the podium on Sunday?

The British Superbike field is another story altogether, with a total of seven riders sitting this weekend out.  Hampus Johansson, James Edmeads, James Ellison, Pat McDougall, Scott Smart, and Simon Andrews are watching from the stands, and the big news is the sudden retirement of World Superbike Champion (and a familiar face in the AMA paddock for four seasons) Neil Hodgson, who was forced out due to his aggravating a two-year-old shoulder injury by crashing at Brands Hatch.

Team lineups have been locked in since Noon EST today, so sit back and get ready for some two wheeled action, both on the track and in the virtual world.

The current Motourage Fantasy Riders Racing League standings are below. Good luck to all the Motourage teams.