Samsung Honda celebrated wins and podium finishes in both the British Superbike Championship and Superstock 1000 Championship classes at Snetterton, as Michael Laverty became the seventh race winner of the season in the premier class.
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| Laverty leading: confidence is back |
In the opening race Laverty proved that his title campaign is back on track with a solid second place but in race two he made amends to lead from the start to the finish to give the team their second win of the season. Jon Kirkham returned following his high-speed Oulton Park crash, but cruelly was denied a points-scoring result in the first race when he crashed out on the opening lap which put him on the sixth row for the second race. Kirkham fought his way through to twelfth before a mistake dropped him to fourteenth, however the Brands Hatch race winner was happy to score points on his return.
In the Superstock 1000 Championship, Jason O'Halloran took a commanding win from the pole position to score his second victory of the season for the Samsung Honda team. The Australian got a flying start to lead the pack before edging out an advantage to cross the line by just over six seconds at the finish.
Michael Laverty: “We were due a result and after the first races of the season and not breaking into the top five I am relieved that we have finally achieved it today. It wasn’t without drama though as I knuckled down and had a good battle with Tommy (Hill) and Josh (Brookes). I had a collision on the final lap with a slower rider so it was a frantic last lap but I wanted to go better in race two! We made some slight tweaks to the Samsung Honda and it worked awesome; I just knew I needed to make a break and not make any mistakes. On the last lap I was looking at the crowd and really enjoying it, knowing I was the seventh race winner as that is my lucky number. I am really chuffed and to get 45 points out of a possible 50 is a brilliant result and we really are back on track. I have to thank the team for their hard work for us to achieve these podiums as the Samsung Honda Fireblade was working fantastically.”
Jon Kirkham: “For me this weekend was about scoring points and getting myself back up to speed after the big crash at Oulton Park. It was a steady start to free practice and I was making progress; I missed out on Q3 in qualifying but I was quite happy with 13th which sounds surprising but I just wanted to keep building the speed throughout the weekend and have two good points scoring races. In the first race another rider went underneath me and I went down and I was gutted as it was only the first lap. That left me right down the grid for race two and I was careful over the first few laps to avoid any trouble and then the times really picked up. I was up to twelfth but I ran so wide I was nearly in Norwich and that cost me dearly as it dropped me two places but I am happy to have finished the race and gain more confidence. Since the crash I have been unable to train to my normal level so now I am ready to come back kicking at 100% at Knockhill.”
Jason O’Halloran: “It is fantastic that we have been able to carry the momentum from Donington Park to here and from free practice we only needed to make minor changes. We were in a strong position in the race and my aim was to get a good start and then try and control it from the front. I got the start and then got my head down and managed to make a break; I kept seeing the gap go up and down but I just kept the concentration and it topped off a fantastic weekend for the team.”
Havier Beltran, Team Manager: “We always knew what Michael was capable of and we have worked hard to overcome the problems he had in the opening races. The small chassis changes we have made aren’t massive but he is happier and his confidence showed in the races today. The win for him has been a long time coming and to become the seventh winner in eight races shows just how close the competition is this season. The results today have put him back inside the top six and now we want to continue moving forward and continuing the progress we have made with the Honda Fireblade. JK was unlucky to have had a crash in the first race and in race two he wanted to have a solid finish and he achieved that and I think once he is fully fit at Knockhill we will see more of him again.
“In the Superstock class Jason had a fantastic race and was smooth, controlled and really showed how well the Samsung Honda is working. I am happy with the results he had produced and it is a brilliant result for the Fireblade in the Superstock trim.”
For more information on Samsung Honda Racing please visit: www.honda-racing.co.uk
In the Superstock 1000 Championship, Jason O'Halloran took a commanding win from the pole position to score his second victory of the season for the Samsung Honda team. The Australian got a flying start to lead the pack before edging out an advantage to cross the line by just over six seconds at the finish.
Michael Laverty: “We were due a result and after the first races of the season and not breaking into the top five I am relieved that we have finally achieved it today. It wasn’t without drama though as I knuckled down and had a good battle with Tommy (Hill) and Josh (Brookes). I had a collision on the final lap with a slower rider so it was a frantic last lap but I wanted to go better in race two! We made some slight tweaks to the Samsung Honda and it worked awesome; I just knew I needed to make a break and not make any mistakes. On the last lap I was looking at the crowd and really enjoying it, knowing I was the seventh race winner as that is my lucky number. I am really chuffed and to get 45 points out of a possible 50 is a brilliant result and we really are back on track. I have to thank the team for their hard work for us to achieve these podiums as the Samsung Honda Fireblade was working fantastically.”
Jon Kirkham: “For me this weekend was about scoring points and getting myself back up to speed after the big crash at Oulton Park. It was a steady start to free practice and I was making progress; I missed out on Q3 in qualifying but I was quite happy with 13th which sounds surprising but I just wanted to keep building the speed throughout the weekend and have two good points scoring races. In the first race another rider went underneath me and I went down and I was gutted as it was only the first lap. That left me right down the grid for race two and I was careful over the first few laps to avoid any trouble and then the times really picked up. I was up to twelfth but I ran so wide I was nearly in Norwich and that cost me dearly as it dropped me two places but I am happy to have finished the race and gain more confidence. Since the crash I have been unable to train to my normal level so now I am ready to come back kicking at 100% at Knockhill.”
Jason O’Halloran: “It is fantastic that we have been able to carry the momentum from Donington Park to here and from free practice we only needed to make minor changes. We were in a strong position in the race and my aim was to get a good start and then try and control it from the front. I got the start and then got my head down and managed to make a break; I kept seeing the gap go up and down but I just kept the concentration and it topped off a fantastic weekend for the team.”
Havier Beltran, Team Manager: “We always knew what Michael was capable of and we have worked hard to overcome the problems he had in the opening races. The small chassis changes we have made aren’t massive but he is happier and his confidence showed in the races today. The win for him has been a long time coming and to become the seventh winner in eight races shows just how close the competition is this season. The results today have put him back inside the top six and now we want to continue moving forward and continuing the progress we have made with the Honda Fireblade. JK was unlucky to have had a crash in the first race and in race two he wanted to have a solid finish and he achieved that and I think once he is fully fit at Knockhill we will see more of him again.
“In the Superstock class Jason had a fantastic race and was smooth, controlled and really showed how well the Samsung Honda is working. I am happy with the results he had produced and it is a brilliant result for the Fireblade in the Superstock trim.”
For more information on Samsung Honda Racing please visit: www.honda-racing.co.uk
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