Motourage

The Swan Honda team were back on track at Brands Hatch today for the eighth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship as James Ellison and Stuart Easton finished the day seventh and fourteenth respectively following the opening two free practice sessions.

Ellison had been fastest towards the early part of the opening free practice session, but after ending seventh believes there is more to come from him in qualifying and the opening race tomorrow. Easton continued to improve his lap times in the afternoon, but knows that some further progress could put him back where he needs to be for tomorrow’s all-important opening race.

James Ellison:
“I am fairly happy with how practice has gone today; I started off good and I felt quick, but to break the next barrier and move that bit forward has been difficult. There were reasons for this, the light rain, and slower riders but all in all it has been a good day and the best is yet to come from us this weekend. Tomorrow if we make some steps forward with the front end of the Swan Honda then we should be able to turn into corners faster on the brakes and that should give us the extra tenths we need to move up the timesheets.”

Stuart Easton:
“We have just been working through a few things today, switching back to the settings we used before, and just going from there. We are still trying to work through some different combinations that could make a real difference, but that extra tenth will improve the positions dramatically. I am not that far off, so if I can shave a few tenths off in the final practice we should be up there for the qualifying session and the first race of the weekend. We just need to keep improving and get our heads down tomorrow.”

The Swan Honda team head to Fife, Scotland this weekend for the sixth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship north of the border at Knockhill Circuit. Stuart Easton will be targeting victory at his home round while teammate James Ellison is determined to build on his impressive point scoring finishes at Mallory Park.

Easton has his sights firmly set on becoming the first Scottish rider to win a BSB race at Knockhill since former BSB champion Steve Hislop in 2002 and get himself back inside the top six following a challenging weekend at Mallory Park.

Ellison marked his return to the championship at Mallory Park with two solid point-scoring results, and this weekend is determined to raise the bar again with expectations of scoring two top ten finishes.

Stuart Easton:
“I had a disappointing weekend at Mallory Park, but then it has never been my strongest circuit. However I love Knockhill and I want to turn things around this weekend for my home fans as it is the only chance they get to see me race in Scotland. My mind is already on the weekend and what we can do to put us back inside that all important top six again as that is where we need to be and it is critical to have a strong weekend and get back on the podium on Sunday. I have yet to win at my home round so that is definitely the aim for the weekend, especially as I missed out last year with a second place.”

James Ellison:
“I am looking forward to Knockhill as last weekend was a real test for me and now I know what to expect. I am going there with the same mentality I did for Mallory Park – to go out and give it everything to score as many points as I possibly can. I am desperate to just get back up there and put the Swan Honda where it deserves to be, especially for everyone that has supported me. I think I can improve on Sunday as in the second race at Mallory Park I could battle with Dan Linfoot and Gary Mason and my lap times at that point of the race were the third fastest on the circuit, so that was a boost for me. I am heading back to the hyperbaric chamber again before Knockhill and every day I am getting stronger so the top ten is my aim.”

The Swan Honda team return to full strength this weekend as Stuart Easton is joined by the returning James Ellison at round five of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Mallory Park.

James Ellison hopes he can pick up where he left off before his crash at Thruxton

Ellison has been out of action since sustaining a broken femur during practice at Thruxton and since then has been determined to return to fitness with extensive physiotherapy and sessions in a hyperbaric chamber. He is now able to be completely focused on the weekend ahead after being declared fit during last weekend’s British MotoGP round by BSB Chief Medical Officer Dr. Romer whilst she was officiating as the Chief Medical Officer at the event.
Easton meanwhile is looking to make amends for a disappointing round last time out at Cadwell Park and replicate his Oulton Park victory as he targets a points haul to close the gap to championship leader Tommy Hill in the title chase.

“I am happy that this weekend I will back in the Swan Honda garage and ready to race after what feels like eternity since Thruxton, and I need to thank everyone who has supported me over the past weeks,” said Ellison. “I was fortunate that I could take my fitness test at the MotoGP round so now I can go to Mallory Park with my mind fully on racing. I have completely put my injury behind me now and although I am not completely back to full fitness I am approaching this weekend as I have any other earlier this season. I am not going out on circuit just to try and salvage points, I need to go out there and be pushing for wins or at least the podium. I am going to be giving it one hundred percent this weekend and I still believe that the top six is completely achievable with five rounds and eleven races before the cut off point for the Showdown.”

“It has been a long break but I am ready to get back out there and am keen to make amends for a disappointing round at Cadwell Park,” said Stuart Easton. :We had been strong in practice and qualifying and I seemed to just not have any luck on race day. I think now though luck should be back on my side and its time to get myself back up the standings after not scoring that many points at the last round. Mallory Park has in the past always been a bit of a lottery and you really have to keep out of trouble, as we have seen before. The points are so important now, so I need to get back on the podium this weekend; I am yet to finish a BSB race at this track so I want this to be the turning point.”

Swan Honda team manager Shaun Muir concluded, “It seems such a long time ago since we were last out at Cadwell Park. We need to get both our riders back to the form they promised early in the season, and with everything to fight for we are looking forward to some hard racing at Mallory Park. We are hoping that both the boys come away with a big points haul to boost their championship hopes.”

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.”

Swan Honda’s James Ellison is already making good progress as he continues to recover from the broken femur he sustained at Thruxton two weeks ago.

Ellison had been setting the pace up until his crash in the final practice session, and now, following two operations, he is recovering in the Isle of Man as he strives to make positive progress so he can return to action as soon as possible.

Ellison said:
“I firstly just want to thank everyone for all their support since my crash; I really appreciate it and it really motivates me. It was tough after the accident as I was in hospital for six days and the morphine had made me feel really bad, just dizzy and sick which is one of the side affects. I had two operations, one to insert the rod and the other to stitch it back up.
I was so pleased to finally get out of hospital, my dad and wife Sarah had been staying in the motor home at the circuit, but I am lucky to have the best crew chief in the world and Mick (Shanley) came down from the team HQ and picked us up and drove us back to Kendal in the bus.
I am now over in the Isle of Man, as a few riders have said there are some really good people over here that can help me speed up my recovery. I have to thank Robin Croft from SMT, as he has played such a big part in organizing it, from getting the place to stay sorted here, to actually driving us over so he has been fantastic.
I am now in physio every day for about two hours, sometimes a little more. It is quite tiring but I can already feel the benefit of it and I am starting to get more movement back. I am due for some-ray in a few days which will hopefully show some progress. My goal at the moment is to get enough movement to start cycling again, even stationary so I can get the strength back. Once I have that then I know the riding won’t be that far away.
I will be watching the racing this weekend from Oulton Park, I am going to miss it but hopefully I can be back out there again soon.”

James Ellison & Stuart Easton

James Ellison and Stuart Easton had their first chance to get to grips with the Swan Honda at Cartagena on Thursday as the team’s testing schedule kicked off in Spain.

Both riders made the most of the first day as a shakedown test to work on basic set-up with Easton focusing on the electronic system while Ellison readjusted to the Honda on his return to the team.

Ellison said: “It was great to get the first day of testing underway and get back out on the Swan Honda. The team has worked really well today and it is like being back with the family again and it’s like I have never been away. We have been in and out of pit lane all day getting the bike to feel like mine again and I have been working on the gearing as it is so different from the Yamaha. We made a few slight changes to positioning but for me it was valuable time back on the Honda. It is definitely all smiles here tonight.”

Easton said: “We had a plan of what we needed to work on today and we have surpassed that so it bodes well for the next three days here at Cartagena. We have mainly focused on the new electronic kit and I have to say that it already feels better than I was expecting. We haven’t been clocking up the laps today but have solved a few teething problems that you always have at the first test. Tomorrow we plan to work further on the electronics as this is vital but after day one we are heading in the right direction.”

Swan Honda has confirmed their completed line-up for the 2010 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship with James Ellison joining Stuart Easton to form one of the strongest teams on the grid in a bid to secure a maiden BSB title. The completed line-up was unveiled in front of thousands of fans at the Carole Nash MCN London Motorcycle Show this past weekend.

James Ellison & Stuart Easton

Former Tech 3 MotoGP and 2007 AMA Superbike Corona Honda rider James Ellison returns to the team focused and determined after finishing runner-up in 2009 following weeks of uncertainty over his BSB return when he was left without a ride. However, Swan Honda seized the chance to re-sign the Kendal rider who last rode for the team during the 2008 season. Ellison was the most consistent title contender in 2009 and was the only rider to score points in each of the 26 races taking 14 podium finishes, with four of those race victories.

Ellison said: “I’m so grateful to Shaun Muir and SMR for giving me the opportunity to race in BSB this year. I know the whole Swan Honda team have pulled out all the stops to give me this chance to fight for the title. It’s been a very difficult winter not knowing if I would be racing, as I was left in a really difficult position at the end of 2009. I knew that if I had any chance of winning the championship it was with this team, so my first phone call was to Shaun when I was left without a ride.

“The team was strong when I was with them in 2008, but they have moved on so much since then. This is all down to their work ethic and solid team structure, which is exactly what I need to go one better in the championship this year. I class the team as family and I know the Honda like the back of my hand, so I’m confident we will be strong out of the gates and I am really looking forward to working with my old crew chief Mick Shanley again. I want to thank my fans, friends, family and my wife Sarah for standing by me and always believing in me; I promise I won’t let you down this year!”

Team Owner Shaun Muir concluded: “To say I am delighted to have James back on board is an understatement. We were disappointed to lose him at the end of 2008, but James is determined and passionate about his racing and took his best opportunity at that time. He left us on good terms and for that reason have held him in high regard. He brings a real hunger and desire to challenge for the title and I have no doubts that Stuart and James will bring the best out of each other. The whole team have worked together for a number of years now and this is the first year where there is a real competition in our own garage, something that is vital in challenging for a championship. I am sure that it is going to be a great first year for Swan Honda.