Motourage

Swan Yamaha will defend their MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship title in 2012 as team principal Shaun Muir has confirmed the team’s lineup of reigning British champion Tommy Hill (@tommyhill33) and TT record-breaker Ian Hutchinson.

Reigning champion Hill will make his much-anticipated BSB return after claiming a maiden crown in sensational style in the final race of 2011 at Brands Hatch last October, in which the Lingfield, England native defeated rival John Hopkins (@jhopper21) by just 0.006 seconds following a last-lap battle. Hill’s return makes him the first British BSB champion to defend the number one plate since John Reynolds in 2005, and he is now determined to become the third rider in history to win consecutive BSB titles.

Hutchinson completes the team’s lineup as the record-breaking five-time Isle of Man TT winner embarks on his first full season of BSB after a dramatic comeback from a broken tibia and fibula which required several operations to save his leg. Hutchinson had been sidelined since the crash at the penultimate round of the 2010 season before making his comeback at the Macau Grand Prix last month where he celebrated a podium finish.

Tommy Hill: “At the end of last season after winning the title I was speaking to different teams and looking at the different championships, but I knew I needed to have the complete package. I have a lot of fans in BSB, and I think having a British champion trying to hold on to the number one plate is something to get excited about; I certainly am. I really wanted to stay with Yamaha and build on the results and our relationship. The Swan Yamaha team have won one BSB title but now we are looking at how we can improve so we can do it again. The consistency with the team is very important and they have already started looking at what we can do to move forward again. The rule changes don’t worry me as through most of my career I haven’t used traction control. I think it will now come down more to rider input and also working as a team to get the chassis set up right. I know there has already been hard work behind the scenes at the workshop and as a rider that really gives me confidence before we even begin testing.

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Swan Yamaha’s Tommy Hill snatched his maiden MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship title following a sensational performance in yesterday’s final race of the year at Brands Hatch to beat title rival John Hopkins to the line by just 0.006 seconds and be crowned champion with a two-point advantage at the end of the season. Hill also claimed the 2011 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship Speedy Fastest lap award at the season showdown.

In Saturday’s opening race of the weekend at the final round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch, Michael Laverty celebrated his third victory of the season as Tommy Hill just missed out on a podium finish. Laverty took the lead on the opening lap which he held until the checkered flag. Hill had dropped to sixth at the end of the opening lap, but a determined performance saw him fight his way through to fourth before he challenged the championship leader, Samsung Crescent Suzuki’s John Hopkins, for the final podium position. Hill had edged ahead on the final lap, but Hopkins took the advantage to the line.

Hill missed out on a podium again in yesterday’s second race of the weekend which he completed in fourth place and just two points separating him from title rival Hopkins ahead of the last race of the year. In the final race the pair swapped places five times on the final lap, which would decide the outcome of the title. Hill narrowly crossed the line ahead to secure second and with it a maiden championship title for the team.

Michael Laverty was caught out by the drying conditions in the second race, but in the season finale he was embroiled in the fight for the final podium positions before ending the race in fifth place. Laverty ended the season fourth in the standings for the Swan Yamaha team.

Thanks to Swan Yamaha rider’s impressive display of racing yet again this weekend, Yamaha have claimed the 2011 MCE Insurance British Superbike Manufacturer’s title award holding a 13 point lead.

Tommy Hill, Swan Yamaha – 2011 BSB Champion
“I am gobsmacked to have won the title for Swan Yamaha; this has been my goal and I was trying to stay as relaxed as possible in that final race. The season has put a lot of pressure on everyone and that reflects on everyone. We have been regularly finishing in the top three and that has therefore been the benchmark and the whole of the Swan Yamaha team have been working so hard all year to make this possible. It has just been a complete shock for me and I feel like we should be having another race next weekend now. It wasn’t until the other riders started congratulating me that I even realized I had won as it was so close between myself and Hopper. It has been a long hard season and it came down to that one race. Everyone wanted a Showdown and that is what we have given them; it really was make or break time and I knew I had to do everything possible to beat Hopper. I knew Michael (Laverty) was behind me, but then when I knew it was Josh (Brookes) I had to just go for it. Coming across the line we didn’t know who had finished second and with it the title. At the moment I feel like I need someone to punch me or something to bring me back to reality. I just want to go out and race again now. I just want to celebrate now with my family, friends and the whole of the Swan Yamaha team and I need to thank everyone for their support this season.”

Michael Laverty, Swan Yamaha
“Today has been a great result for the Swan Yamaha team and congratulations have to go to Tommy for winning the title. I rode my hardest to try and protect him and the rest of the hard work he did himself. There is a lot of satisfaction for the team tonight but at the same time I am disappointed that we were not able to come away as the champion. We have been fast all season long and we showed again yesterday with the win that we have the pace. It has been a great year and I need to thank the Swan Yamaha team for all their support.”

Shaun Muir, Swan Yamaha Team Owner
“We delivered everything we set out to achieve at the start of the season although we have made life difficult along the way. It didn’t start the best for Tommy this weekend but he couldn’t have done more in that race. Big thanks also have to go to Michael for his support in the final race as he did a great job of acting as Tommy’s wingman. We want to take this opportunity to thank all of our sponsors, partners and supporters who have made this possible.”

Swan Yamaha’s Tommy Hill won the only race at the seventh round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship race at Oulton Park yesterday after the second race was postponed due to the treacherous weather conditions

In the race, Hill got off to a flying start from second on the grid as he settled into third place and was instantly putting the pressure on title rivals Shane Byrne and John Hopkins ahead of him. On the fifth lap, Hill stole third place, but as Hopkins crashed out of the lead that elevated Hill to second place. He was then able to put a move on Byrne to take the lead, and then following a short Safety Car intervention, he edged out an advantage to take his first win at the Cheshire track. Michael Laverty meanwhile was running down the order on the opening lap after a problem with his launch control at the start, but he worked his way up to finish some solid points in sixth place on the second Swan Yamaha.

The second race of the day has been rescheduled to the Cadwell Park August Bank Holiday round.

Tommy Hill, Swan Yamaha, 1st:
“I just pushed on in the race; it was never going to be easy but it feels great to have the Swan Yamaha back on the top step of the podium. The conditions weren’t the best with the rain but I just had to keep my concentration and just make sure I didn’t crash. I think the team probably wanted me to slow down but I just didn’t want to lose that win. I knew I could get into a good rhythm and I was taking a few risks to stay ahead of the others, especially after the safety car but it was enough to break them.”

Michael Laverty, Swan Yamaha, 6th:
“The race was disappointing for me, especially to finish sixth when we knew we had potential to be on the podium. I had a bad start as I had a problem with my launch control off the line and it meant I dropped outside the top ten and I had to work my way back up. When the safety car came out I lost temperature in my rear tire and then it took a few laps to regain it which meant I lost ground on the others and had to settle for sixth. We have been fast all weekend but sixth means we scored points for the championship and we remained inside the top six in the standings which was the priority.”

Swan Yamaha’s Tommy Hill returned to the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Croft today, and despite still suffering from his shoulder injury sustained two weeks ago at Oulton Park, he defied the odds to set the fastest time after the opening two free practice sessions.

Hill has been battling fitness to return this weekend at the Guisborough-based team’s home round and after ending the morning session in mixed conditions eighth, he was able to set the fastest time on his final lap this afternoon. Michael Laverty had been fastest in the opening session of the day for Swan Yamaha and in the second session he was also able to improve his pace, ending third fastest after leading until the final ten minutes.

Tommy Hill:
“It has been a fantastic start to the weekend but I have to keep reminding myself that I am riding injured. I have been riding at maybe something like 85% as I don’t want to push it too hard and crash which could undo all my hard work between Oulton Park and here and jeopardize the next round. I am currently struggling in the Complex but the Swan Yamaha team have worked hard to get me as comfortable as possible out there. People might ask why I am riding here, but I don’t want to miss out – I have a fantastic package with the team and the Swan Yamaha and I need to do everything I can to be out there scoring points. We are happy though at the end of day one and to be fastest was definitely more than I expected from today.”

Michael Laverty:|
“Today has been good for me and the Swan Yamaha team, especially here at our home round. We have been consistently quick in both sessions so I know we have the pace to be up there in the races on Sunday. We have been working well and know we need to make some more adjustments to the suspension tomorrow in the final free practice ready for qualifying. Once we have made those changes we will feel more comfortable over the bumps and ready for the race.”

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.”

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.”

The Swan Yamaha pairing of Tommy Hill and Michael Laverty will make their track debut with the Guisborough-based team next week when both riders begin their 2011 pre-season British Superbike Championship testing campaign, riding the new Yamahas for the first time in Spain. The team will kick off their preparations for the forthcoming season with a shakedown test at Calafat before travelling to Cartagena for a further two days on track as Hill and Laverty aim to utilise the time to work on base settings ahead of the forthcoming season that gets underway at Brands Hatch on Easter weekend.

Tommy Hill and Michael Laverty

Tommy Hill:
“It is finally time to get back out on track after a long winter and I definitely can’t wait to get started now. This is our first chance to ride the new Yamaha and this opening test is really going to be about gelling as a team and working out where we need to make changes or for me to adapt my riding style slightly to suit the new bike. The first days at Calafat are going to be getting dialled back in and getting in as much mileage as possible. The team have been sending me updates of all the latest developments at the workshop so now I just want to get out to Spain and get cracking. These pre-season tests are always important so we need to utilise the track time and come away ready to hit the ground running at Brands Hatch.”

Michael Laverty:
“I am really looking forward to getting testing underway; a new bike and a new team is always an exciting prospect. Our first test is at Calafat which is a new track for me but I have been doing my homework and have been watching some onboard laps and it has very similar characteristics to some of the UK tracks, which is going to be beneficial without a doubt. It will be the first time on the bike for me so it is going to be a case of getting the positioning right and having a shakedown initially before heading to Cartagena to then make further improvements and get things really rolling. It will then be a good indication of where we are against the competition and how we can then continue to move forward ahead of the first round.”

Swan Yamaha team manager Shaun Muir:
“We have new bikes and new riders this year and so this is going to be new territory for us, but we are ready for the challenge. The team have been working hard behind the scenes over the past months and the test schedule we have planned will give everyone time to work on base settings and adapt to the Yamahas. We will see what emerges from this initial test before deciding if we need to return to Spain for a further track time. If all goes well, we will conclude our test programme at a selected number of UK circuits before the season opener at Brands Hatch.The Swan Yamaha pairing of Tommy Hill and Michael Laverty will make their track debut with the Guisborough-based team next week when both riders begin their 2011 pre-season testing campaign, riding the new Yamahas for the first time in Spain.

With a win and a second place at Cadwell Park, Worx Crescent Suzuki’s Tommy Hill finished the first nine-round stage of the British Superbikes Championship tied with Ryuichi Kiyonari for the points lead. Hill’s team-mate Yukio Kagayama took two seventh places finishes to lift his standing in the Championship to 12th.

In an exciting day’s racing, Hill was on top form, and after dominating the first race, was challenging for the lead again in the second race when it was red flagged on the 14th lap. In the race one, Josh Brookes took the early lead but succumbed to an attack from Hill on the eighth lap. Hill then maintained a constant 1:27-minute lap pace while his rivals withered, and took the win by 5.116 seconds. In the race two, Hill led for 11 laps and was trailing Brookes by just 0.230-seconds after 13 laps when the race was stopped.

Hill’s point tally from the nine rounds amounts to 287 points, three more than Brookes and six more than Ryuichi Kiyonari. However, with the Showdown phase now beginning, the championship points tally taken so far is cast aside. The championship will now be decided over the final three rounds (seven races) between the six highest points scorers so far, known as the Title Fighters. All the title fighters have their championship point tally put on an initial parity of 500, to which is added only the podium points they’ve scored thus far (podium points have been awarded as three for a win, two for second and one for third). On this basis Hill steps forward into the Showdown as joint leader with Kiyonari on 525 points apiece.

Tommy Hill:
“What a fantastic weekend! To see Yuki coming good as well – it’s been all good. In that first race I just felt really-really good, I could have made the jump earlier but I was interested to sit behind Josh to see what he was doing. In the second race the pace was so fast, something like two-seconds faster than it was last year, and maybe it was that or maybe there was small issue with the rear tire but I had a little bit of chatter to deal with. I still felt comfortable and while Josh had passed me when I made a small mistake on the Mountain I felt comfortable and was setting up to repass him when the red flags came out.

“All in all I feel overjoyed. We get to leave here having effectively won the first part of the season and having beaten the HM Plant team in their own back yard – that’s kind of a bonus. But now its crunch time and to be going into this vital part of the season with a joint points lead is a great position to be in.”

Yukio Kagayama:
“Today was very good for me although for sure 7-7 doesn’t sound like a score I’d want to be happy with. But this was my first racing visit to Cadwell Park since 2004 as I missed the first round earlier this year, so I had no base settings to work from – and I set-up my bike quite different to Tommy. So no top-three for me, but I am happy that my lap times got better all weekend, and my second race today was much faster although the result was the same. And I enjoy riding the bike, my feeling for racing, for set-up, is getting better so I hope in the races to come I can challenge again for the podium.”

Jack Valentine – Team Manager:
“The team are buzzing. There’s been so much work gone into this weekend and everyone can see we’ve made a major breakthrough with our set-up and this has really boosted Tommy’s confidence. He could have had two wins today but we’ll never know. The important thing is we’re in the strongest possible position as we head into the Showdown. The GSX-R is the strongest it’s been all season and Tommy’s got all the confidence in the world.

“For Yuki, it’s been a good weekend for him as well. Having that big crash in practice couldn’t have helped him, but in the races he simply got quicker and quicker. He had to fight his way past Alastair Seeley in both races and he was mindful he needed to make a clean pass as it’s so tight here, but once past his lap time was on a par with those ahead, so he’s shown he’s getting his pace back. There’s every probability he’ll be able to fulfill the support role that’s needed as Tommy fights for the Championship.

“So it’s the best feeling for us. We’ve made the breakthrough we’ve been looking for and we even know that wet or dry we’ve a setup that works. We won’t be resting though; we’re going to be pushing for more – as we’re sure all the other teams will be doing.”

MCE Insurance 2010 British Superbike Championship
Round Nine, Cadwell Park:

Race one result:
1. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki)
2. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +5.116s
3. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +7.092s
4. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +12.522s
5. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +14.623s
6. James Ellison (Swan Honda) +20.822s
7. Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +28.158s
8. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +28.533s
9. Dan Linfoot (Motorpoint Yamaha) +34.523s
10. Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) +34.945s

Race two results:
1. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda)
2. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +0.230s
3. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +0.888s
4. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +5.071s
5. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +11.719s
6. James Ellison (Swan Honda) +13.178s
7. Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +15.712s
8. Tommy Bridewell (Quay Garage Honda) +21.347s
9. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +24.287s
10. Gary Mason (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +27.446s

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings after Cadwell Park:

Showdown Title Fighters:
=1. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 525
=1. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 525
3. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 524
4. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) 510
5. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 509
6. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 505
12. Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 74

The Ace Cafe in London, England will welcome two Worx Suzuki British Superbike riders on August 22, as GSX-R Day takes place as part of the motorcycle model’s 25th anniversary celebrations.

With support from Suzuki Great Britain, GSX-R Day is a not-to-be-missed event for any fan, with a host of attractions including Tommy Hill and Yukio Kagayama in attendance to meet fans and sign autographs.

With test rides on the latest GSX-R models, prizes and a £5.00 breakfast voucher for the first 100 people to register at the Suzuki exhibition unit, the Ace Cafe’s usual electric atmosphere is set for a real boost on GSX-R Day.

For more information on the Ace Cafe visit ace-cafe-london.com and for more information on GSX-R 25th anniversary celebrations log on to imgsx-r.com.