Suzuka 8 hour 2013

Haslam, Van Der Mark win Suzuka 8 Hours...

Leon Haslam has emulated his World Superbike Championship team-mate Jonathan Rea by winning the iconic Suzuka 8 Hours endurance event alongside rookie competitor Michael van der Mark.

Suzuki filled the remaining podium spots, with Yoshimura's Josh Brookes, Takuya Tsuda and Nobuatsu Aoki coming home in second position, while the 'legends' Kagayama Suzuki team (powered by Yoshimura) of Yukio Kagayama, Noriyuki Haga and Kevin Schwantz produced an excellent performance to get themselves onto the rostrum in third place.

Haslam is only the second British rider to win the prestigious event with Rea the first in 2012. Haslam's father, Ron, also finished second in 1979, so it continues a family tradition. His Mushashi Honda team decided not to pit when heavy rain appeared at the track with half an hour to go and battled on for the win. It was also a historic win for Haslam's team-mate Michael Van Der Mark. He became the only Dutch rider to win the race and did so at his first attempt.

Yoshimura Suzuki Racing team along with Josh Brookes finished the race in second.

The Tyco Suzuki rider was drafted in to the works team to partner Nobuatsu Aoki and Takuya Tsuda. They began the race in second on the grid and were never outside the top five over eight hours of racing in 35°C temperatures. 

Josh Brookes aboard the Yoshimura Suzuki

"It feels awesome to have done this, it's a great achievement for all the Yoshimura Suzuki team. It's a hard, tough race because the concentration levels have to remain high and the heat sometimes gets to you as it is pretty hot here in the afternoon," said Brookes.

"I had a bit of an off in the same place as Kiyonari (Degner Two) but I held on to the bike into the gravel to stop it flipping over. I hurt my arm a bit, but got back on and did the next 12 laps without a screen. We couldn't replace it, so we had a little less down-force on the front, but Takuya and I just modified the way we rode a little and brought it home in second. I did four stints and he did three, and I managed to keep the laps in the 2'09s which was the target." 

Schwantz


The 49 year old 500cc Grand Prix legend Kevin Schwantz, part of the Kagayama Suzuki team along with Noriyuki Haga and Kagayama made up the podium, getting third position.

Schwantz on the Kagayama Suzuki (Powered by Yoshimura)

“It’s been an honour to ride again here with these talented guys. I was lucky to be with an excellent team. The Suzuki was perfect and our Dunlops helped us to stay the distance. I did my best to be fast without making a mistake. By riding with this helmet (Rainey Replica), I wanted to show my respect for Wayne by wearing his helmet at this 8 Hours race,” said Schwantz 

"I know this race is not easy to win. But this time Yukio made a very good team. This was the only condition that I asked of him coming to Japan to enter this race again. He has changed his Japanese Superbike team to a World Endurance top contender. Yukio's effort was great! I tested so many tyres and set-ups for bike and we found a lot of potential. In the race, I only did one stint but I really enjoyed racing with the young Japanese riders. We got third place for the race and thank you to every one of our team staff. Yukio said to me 'You are my idol,' but I would like to say to Yukio, 'You are a Superstar.’"

McGuinness

Also Honda TT Legend lead rider John McGuinness says he is disappointed to finish this year's Suzuka Eight-Hours after a fried clutch and puncture conspired to put the all-British team down the order. 

McGuinness, who was joined by Simon Andrews and Michael Rutter, is still puzzled over what happened to the usually-bulletproof clutch but says he was pleased to take the final stint and bring the Fireblade over the line. 

John McGuinness on his Akrapovic equipped TT Legend Honda

"I’m really disappointed for everybody because so much time, so much effort, so much hard work goes into these races. We had a good fuel strategy and we were looking good for seven stops but we had a few issues – the clutch and the flat tyre – that meant we gave minutes away that it was impossible to get back," said McGuinness. 

"We went from 50-odd to 22nd so we clawed our way back but I feel like we deserve more as a team. The clutches on these Hondas are bullet-proof so I don’t know what happened. On the plus side, this is my third Suzuka but it’s the first time I’ve done the final stint and that was pretty special. The atmosphere here really is fantastic and the Japanese fans are great."

Kiyonari

MCE British Superbike title contender Ryuichi Kiyonari broke some ribs in a crash during the Suzuka Eight-Hours race and was prevented from returning to the track by doctors. 

The Samsung Honda man, who was partnering Jonathan Rea, fell at Degner Two after hitting a small wet patch left by another crashing bike. His FCC-TSR Fireblade was quite badly damaged but he got it back to the garage. 

“Kiyonari fell heavily when in a good lead. He managed to get back to the pit box, and we would have been able to fix the machine. But his ribs were broken and the doctor ordered him to stop the race. We had no option but to retire. We are full of regret – our riders did their best. We will come back and try again next year," said FCC TSR Honda 

Director Masao Takeda. It is not yet known how serious Kiyonari's injuries are and whether it will prevent him from taking part in the Oulton Park BSB round on August 11. 

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PODIUM FINISHES FOR SAMSUNG HONDA AT BRANDS HATCH

Samsung Honda became the first MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship team this season to finish a race with both riders on the podium, as Alex Lowes and Ryuichi Kiyonari claimed second and third respectively in the opening race of the day.

In race two, Lowes was again fighting for the win but in the closing stages was forced to settle for third. He scored his fifth double podium finish of the season, moving back up to second place in the championship standings in the process. Kiyonari put in another good performance and was battling hard to push Josh Brookes, finally ending the race fifth and retaining his position in the top six.

Lowes and Kiyonari

In the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship, Jason O’Halloran made improvements at Brands Hatch. His weekend started well when he qualified second on the grid, followed by a fantastic start off the line in the Sprint race. He battled hard throughout both races to achieve two top-five results.


Alex Lowes
I want to win every time we go out, we all do. Race one was the hardest race of the year for me so far, I haven’t had the pace I was hoping for this weekend and then I had a crash in warm up trying to improve the bike. I wanted to get a good start and get into a rhythm which I did and then Josh got passed me and I thought that was perfect I could follow him for a bit and then Shakey came by me and I just hung in there. I saw Shakey make a brave move from what looked like a long way back and I thought it was brave as you don’t realise how fast that part of the circuit is and I hope he is alright.
Overall I am happy, I tried as hard as I could, but I have got to be happy with second. Race two was quite a difficult race again as we made some changes between the races and I don’t know whether it was down to the temperature rising, but it didn't feel quite as good. I enjoyed the race though and I did my best to stay with Shakey and James; I had a go at the end and didn't give in. I don’t think I have been as fast this weekend but we tried hard and I am happy with two podium finishes and I am now looking forward to getting back to Oulton Park.

Lowes

Ryuichi Kiyonari
The first race was quite tough, we had made some changes after warm up and it didn't feel as good. It was hard to push as hard as I would have liked. It is good to be on the podium but I wasn't happy with my pace because I couldn't get closer to Josh and Alex at the end of the race. In race two we tried hard but I couldn't push as much as we would like. I now look forward to Suzuka and the Eight Hour race.

Kiyonari

Jason O’Halloran
I gave 100% in both races today, but I just couldn't quite hang onto the lead group. I was losing out in a few areas which made it difficult, but I pushed right to the end in both races and finished 1.2 seconds from the winner in race one and 1.8 seconds in race two. Two fifth places is not what I go racing for but that's the best I can do at the minute.

O'Halloran

Havier Beltran
From a team perspective this has been a great weekend; we are the first team to have two riders on the podium together and also remain the only team to have two riders in the top six so it is a credit to the team. Alex continues to show maturity that we haven’t seen from him in previous seasons but we need to find that missing link to be able to challenge Shakey for the wins at every round. However we are confident that we can do that and we look forward to the next round. Kiyo continues to be pushing forward and is revitalised from earlier in the season and he also has the Eight Hour to look ahead to. We have a direction to move forward now and that means we will see more of the old Kiyo. Jason made progress between the races but we still have more improvements to make and it is just a matter of time before it clicks. We moved forward this weekend but not enough unfortunately to be up on the podium.

Performance Parts Ltd are please to supply Samsung Honda. To see what we have for your bike please visit www.performanceparts-ltd.com/store

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MILWAUKEE YAMAHA BACK ON THE PODIUM AT BRANDS HATCH

Milwaukee Yamaha returned to the podium at the sixth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch today as James Ellison scored a second place in race two after bouncing back from a race one crash.

Ellison had narrowly missed out on a front row start and dropped down the order at the start of the race and was carving his way through the order when he crashed out unhurt at Graham Hill Bend. His fastest lap in the opening race put him on pole for race two and after a better start he was tucked in behind championship leader Shane Byrne. Ellison was pushing hard but took second position and some valuable podium credits. Josh Waters had a tough weekend claiming a fourteenth and twelfth place.

James Ellison

Ellison said: 
“I am happy that we were able to get back on the podium today for Milwaukee Yamaha. In the second race I was behind Shakey and I was hoping that he might make a mistake but he never did. Our bike is strong in some places going into the corners and Shakey was stronger out of the corners and then in other places we were identical so it was hard to make a move without taking us both out! I was riding hard and on the limit but it was comfortable and the Milwaukee Yamaha team have worked hard all weekend. I needed to make amends for the crash in race one so it felt good to be back up on the podium.”

Josh Waters

Waters said: 
“The positive we can take from this weekend is that we were in the points and I tried to change my style a bit to see if that made a difference. It hasn't come together this weekend so we need to find something as I feel like we should have been closer in the races.”

Team owner Shaun Muir concluded: 
“It has been a day of two halves for the Milwaukee Yamaha team. The first race was disappointing for James to crash because it then made it more difficult for him in race two with the lack of laps in the first one. He did have a push in the second race though and scored two podium credits which are important for the Showdown. He also showed the pace that the team are capable of in the race and that will be important here at the final round of the season.”

For more information on Milwaukee Yamaha please visit: www.milwaukeeyamaha.com

We're pleased to support, sponsor and supply performance parts to Milwaukee Yamaha. For more information on the parts we have to add some 'bionics to your bike' please visit www.performanceparts-ltd.com

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ANOTHER BRILLIANT WEEKEND FOR GEARLINK KAWASAKI AT BRANDS!

It was another brilliant weekend for the Gearlink Kawasaki team in the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship at the superb Brands GP circuit. Alastair Seeley secured a second place in race one and a stunning race victory in race two. His team-mate Ben Wilson gained a third and fourth place in the two tough British Supersport races.

Alastair was on form on a track he has been particularly strong at in previous years and he was able to put the Gearlink Kawasaki on the front row in fourth position for the opening ten lap race. He got a strong start and was up to second by the end of lap three, he was then locked in a tight battle with Stuart Easton and Graeme Gowland for the remainder of the race, he made several dives for the lead and hit the front on the penultimate lap but was beaten by Easton by 0.1 of a second. In the second race the role was reversed and in one of the most thrilling Supersport races we have seen in years it was Alastair that took a fantastic race win 0.004 in front of Easton.

Alastair Seeley

Alastair Seeley
"I'm really pleased with the results that we've gained today and I now have a Championship lead of 40 points as I leave Brands. We made a few changes after race one for race two, but in turn this caused me to have too much corner speed and on lap five I took to the grass, thankfully I have been out on my motocross bike the last few weeks and these skills came in handy. I was able to regroup, settle down and get myself back up with the front runners. I was really pushing hard and was really keen to try and get the win. Both races were really tough but I know I have to keep being consistent in all the races until the end of the season. The races were really good today and this is the form I want to carry on through the rest of the season."

Ben Wilson also had a solid weekend with a third and fourth in the two Supersport races and is in a good third position in the overall Championship standings at the half way point in the Championship. Ben got one of his fantastic starts in the second race and was happily leading until a grip problem saw his lap times slow and him drop to fourth place in the race.

Ben Wilson

Ben Wilson
"I'm a bit disappointed this weekend and I struggled to find a set up for qualifying which put me back in eighth in the opening race. We made some changes for race two but I had a major problem with grip from the early stages of the race and it made things really tough. I was losing a lot of time and dropping back position where I didn't want to be. I had to fight hard to get to fourth and it was a tough race I'm not sure what was wrong which was causing so many problems with the tyre. It was tough but hopefully I can turn things around again at Oulton and be back and fighting at the front of the pack."

Pirelli National Superstock 600s

In the Pirelli National Superstock 600 class, Luke Hedger finally got the win he so deserved and has been working so hard for. Luke who has been poised for a win at the previous races worked hard all weekend and despite a steady start he worked extremely hard to push his way through the tough pack. His team-mate Mark Wilkinson once again equalled his best race performance and finished in sixth place.

Luke

Luke Hedger
"I'm so pleased I've finally managed to take the win today and it was a very hard fought race one of the toughest this year. I got a pretty bad start and I could see everyone come past me into turn one and I knew then I had to get my head down and stay with the leading pack. I settled into a good rhythm and was able to set some good lap times which helped push me forward, the bike felt great and gave me the confidence to be able to keep pushing. I was soon making some passes and knew I could get to the front but didn't want to hang about so made the extra push and got up the front. I knew Cal Cooper was catching me in the closing laps but the Gearlink Kawasaki felt brilliant and I had to just keep focused. I'm so pleased to take the win and would like to thank everyone who has helped me especially 1st Choice, Shoei, Sidi, Damen, all my other sponsors and all the great people at Gearlink for all their help and support."

Mark Wilkinson
"It was another good result at the weekend for me, Andy and Michael worked really hard on my setup in practice and qualifying and the Gearlink Kawasaki was really good for the race. I made a very poor start and had to fight back from about 11th place. I was in a good dice with Tom Fisher and Grant Whitaker and I was waiting for the last few laps before making the move to get to sixth position. It was another solid points scoring position for the Gearlink Team. Hopefully we can move forwards and improve our good results at Oulton Park. I'd like to congratulate my team-mate Luke on his win. A big thanks to everyone back in Australia for their support and Plaza Auto Sales, GS Automotive, ROMP Design, The Oil Warehouse for all their help this season."

Team Manager Michael de Bidaph
"I'm really once again very pleased with the results we have had in both classes this weekend in Supersport and Superstock 600's. They all had bad practise and qualifying sessions and this thankfully was all turned around on race day and we gained some brilliant results.

Alastair once again had a great weekend and leads the Championship by 40 points, he is riding consistently well and keeps plugging away with podiums and wins. Despite his off track experience in the second race he was able to re-group and make the pass to take the win.

Ben was struggling all weekend with gearing set-up and in race two with grip issues, despite this he was still able to get two solid results for the team and holds third in the standings.

In the Superstock 600 we knew the win for Luke would be coming soon so we were really pleased that it came this weekend at Brands Hatch, he has been riding exceptionally well in every round and making very quick progress in his first season in that Championship. His win was great and also Mark is a brilliant rider and this is showing in the short time he has been with our team. They work very well together and I am very sure there is more to come from both of them.

We have a great team now and the results are showing that all the hard work, dedication and commitment by everyone in the team, the riders, mechanics and sponsors is all becoming very worthwhile."

For more information on Gearlink Kawasaki please visit: www.gearlinkracing.com
We're pleased to support, sponsor and supply performance parts to Gealink Kawasaki racing. For more information on the parts we have to add some 'bionics to your bike' please visit www.performanceparts-ltd.com

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SNETTERTON VICTORY FOR LOWES AND SAMSUNG HONDA

Samsung Honda celebrated victory at the fifth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Snetterton yesterday, with Alex Lowes claiming the win in the opening race.
Lowes put in a sensational performance in the first BSB outing, passing both Shane 'Shakey' Byrne and Josh Brookes on the same lap, then edging ahead of his rivals to take the win – his second of the season. Team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari continued his new-found improvement to take fifth place after a battle with James Westmoreland. 

Alex Lowes

In race two, Lowes dropped down the order from pole position, but the determined Lincolnshire lad battled back through the pack to second place behind Byrne. Despite several hard-fought attempts to catch the leader, Lowes was unable to pass and settled for second place. Kiyonari improved once again to finish fourth, which moves him up to fifth in the standings ahead of the next round at Brands Hatch.

In the opening race of the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship, Jason O'Halloran fought a hard battle with his rivals to claim fifth place. The Australian was looking strong for the second race and was challenging for the lead when the belly pan was ripped from his Samsung Honda machine and he was forced to retire from the race. 

Havier Beltran – Team Manager
We have seen a really impressive performance from Alex with his tally of points and pace. I’m pleased that he used his head and we have really seen him build his race-craft. With Kiyo I have mixed emotions; pleased with two solid results to put him fifth but he needs more pace to get the gap down in the podium credit table ready for the Showdown. We have to improve his machine set-up still in a few areas but two solid results were good overall for the championship. I feel really disappointed for Jason as he worked so hard. He had a few issues in the first race that he overcame and then the belly-pan ripped off the bottom of the bike in the second race. It was disappointing as he has not been able to fulfil his potential this weekend in front of such a fantastic crowd.

Ryuichi Kiyonari

Alex Lowes
It would have been nice to take a double win and I pushed as hard as I could, but in the second one I couldn't take my normal lines for some reason and nearly clipped Byrne twice. I worked so hard after a nightmare Friday putting in a lot of laps and the team gave me a fantastic bike. The first race was hard work but it was also good fun and I was comfortable so it felt good to win. I made a pretty terrible start to the second race but felt good sitting behind Byrne. I tried and wanted to take him but I never quite got there. I learned a lot from him over the final five laps, pushed as hard as I could and I’m not complaining taking two podiums here.

Ryuichi Kiyonari
This weekend we have had some improvements again. I was happy before qualifying with tyre life and lap times but then something was different for race day which meant we were not as close to the first group. I thought we had things good but it changed and I am not sure why, maybe it was cooler than in the races, but I am happier and ready for the next round at Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit which is good for me.

Jason O’Halloran

Jason O’Halloran
There are some positives to take from this weekend; we had two front row starts and I moved forward with how I want the bike to feel, which gave me a better feeling on the opening lap. I had a good battle in race one and I was in a comfortable second place when I had to stop so I did about all I could do, which was obviously disappointing. We now just have to think ‘roll on Brands Hatch’ and I’ll be there giving it 100% again. This year won't beat me as I'm stubborn and we will get there in the end.

Performance Parts Ltd are please to supply Samsung Honda. To see what we have for your bike please visit www.performanceparts-ltd.com/store

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WINNING WEEKEND FOR GEARLINK KAWASAKI - SNETTERTON

It was another fantastic weekend for the Gearlink Kawasaki team in the Motorsport British Supersport Championship at the long Snetterton 300 circuit. Alastair Seeley this time took the double race win in fine style with Ben Wilson gaining a third and second place in the two Supersport races.

Alastair was on form on a track he has been particularly strong at in previous years and all weekend he was showing fast form and ultra-quick lap times, convincingly setting a comfortable pole position. He was on fine form in both of the races on Saturday and Sunday and led from the start of the shorter ten lap race on Saturday taking the win by 5.3 seconds. He was keen to repeat this on Sunday and despite not leading from the front by lap two he had taken the lead again winning from his team-mate by 3.7 seconds.
 

Gearlink Kawasaki's Alastair Seeley

Alastair Seeley - "I'm really pleased to have taken the double race win here and also regain the lead in the Championship. It's been a hard weekend with the conditions and heat here and we all had to work really hard to get the results we got. It was a huge benefit for us to come and do the test here and get a good set up before we arrived for the race weekend. I'd like to thank all the Gearlink Kawasaki team for all their hard work this weekend and I'm glad I was able to repay them with a double race win.

The first lap of the race today was a little messy and we were all very bunched up, I just wanted to get my head down and try and make a break. I've always gone well here in the past and luckily I was able to do the same again, everything went right and I hope we can continue this form for the rest of the season."

Ben Wilson also had another good weekend and is now third in the Championship standings after having a good third and second place in the two races. Ben got away with Alastair in race one but in the closing laps his bike suffered a technical problem and he had to nurse it home to third. In race two Ben was eager to run up the front with Alastair and despite some low and fast lap times he was unable to reel his team-mate in.

Gearlink Kawasaki's Ben Wilson

Ben Wilson - "I'm pretty pleased with today, Snetterton has always been one of my bogus circuits and it's not somewhere that I have ridden really well at in the past. So to come away with two podiums is great. I had a few problems in qualifying and ended up on the second row, luckily I was able to get a good start and away with the front runners. I had a problem in the first race and I was adamant I was going to bring the bike home in one piece and get some good points but it took some nursing!

I felt much better for the race today and really happy with the set up I had on the Gearlink Kawasaki, my guys worked really hard to ensure everything felt good. I pushed too hard in the opening laps and with the heat it affected my tyres so knew I just had to ride for a solid second place. I'm back where I want to be now and need to keep getting the podiums, to come away with two podiums from a track I'm not particularly fond of I'm really pleased with and can't wait to get to Brands in a few weeks, it's a great track and Alastair and I have had some close battles there in the past."


Pirelli National Superstock 600s
In the Pirelli National Superstock 600 class, Luke Hedger had another awesome weekend and secured another podium and another second place, hoisting him to second in the overall Championship standings. Australian Mark Wilkinson also had a fantastic weekend and once again gained his best position in the National Superstock 600 class of sixth place.

Luke Hedger - "After setting my first pole position of the season I was really pleased with how the weekend was going and was eager to get into the race and try and secure my first race win. I got a really good start and was away at the front, however, I had a big out the seat moment on the opening lap and this lost me loads of time. I was battling with Cal (Cooper) for second and I knew Jordan (Simpkin) was getting away at the front. I just wasn't able to pull the time back and had to settle for second in the end. Once again the Gearlink Kawasaki worked really well all weekend and the team worked really hard to make sure everything was right for me. Once again a big thanks to friends, family and sponsors that allows me to be here and for all their support."

Mark Wilkinson - "I had my best qualifying position this weekend and was on the front row in fourth place. I knew the race would be tough because of the competition and also the heat played a factor in it all. It's the first time I've actually gone backwards in a race but that's because the competition at the front is so close and competitive. We made no changes to the bike this weekend just a few tweaks to allow me to ride well here at Snetterton, everything worked perfect again and the Gearlink Kawasaki team have been great to me providing me with such a well prepped bike. It was a tough race but really enjoyable to ride, it's great to be running up at the sharp end and I've really got on well with the Kawasaki. A big thank you to everyone back in Australia for their support and Plaza Auto Sales, GS Automotive, ROMP Design, The Oil Warehouse for all their help in 2013."

Team Manager Michael de Bidaph - "I'm really pleased again with the results that we have secured this weekend and Alastair is back leading the Championship and Ben is up to third so we are very happy.

Alastair was on form all weekend and he does love Snetterton and holds the lap record here, the test was really useful for both riders and from the offset they were both riding well. Alastair found a good set up early on, Ben took a little longer but was still able to qualify in fifth.

Ben was unfortunate in race one and a small bike problem caused him what should have been a second place but two wins and two podiums in such a difficult class is a great achievement for us. I'm really pleased for the entire team as they all work so hard and put so many hours in so to get results like this makes it all worthwhile.

Luke had another really good weekend, he's disappointed as he has been so strong all weekend and was really keen to push for the race win. He made a few mistakes in the opening laps but still rode a fantastic race to finish in second place and is now sitting in second place in the Championship standings. He is riding really well in his rookie year in this tough Championship and doing a great job for our team.

Mark has settled into the team really well and every race now he has improved his results every time he has gone out on the bike. He got his best qualifying position and this might have put some pressure on him. This is only his third race on the Gearlink Kawasaki and each time he is improving rapidly and we are really pleased with what he is managing to do in a very experienced and tough Championship."

For more information on Gearlink Kawasaki please visit: www.gearlinkracing.com

We're pleased to support, sponsor and supply performance parts to Gealink Kawasaki racing. For more information on the parts we have to add some 'bionics to your bike' please visit: www.performanceparts-ltd.com

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MILWAUKEE YAMAHA TAKE POSTIVES FROM SNETTERTON

The Milwaukee Yamaha team fought back at the fifth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Snetterton as James Ellison maintained his position in the top six with two top ten finishes and Josh Waters scored his best results of the season.

In the opening race Ellison was in a strong position as he aimed for the podium, but with some improvements still to be made he was determined to build on his fourth place before the second race. Ellison was running third over the opening laps when the safety car was deployed for an incident and once the race resumed a problem with the wheel speed sensor caused him to drop down the order. A gritty performance saw him then climb back up from fifteenth to ninth over the closing laps to maintain his fourth place in the overall standings.

Milwaukee Yamaha's James Ellison

Ellison said: “Today has obviously been disappointing for me and we seem to have carried the one good race then one bad race over to another weekend! We have been building up gradually and getting faster all weekend and after the fourth in the first race I genuinely thought we had the pace to fight for the podium or perhaps even the win in the second one. In race two I got up to third and then we had the safety car period as and I went for the gear and it wasn’t there. The sensor is a reference for everything and we made some real steps here with hard work and unfortunately that meant we couldn’t show our potential. I took a lap where I dropped down and tried to see if we could reset the problem somehow but then I had a bit of red mist and just went for whatever points I could get. I tried to make a move on Dan Linfoot on the final lap for eighth but I went wide; it was always worth a try! I am disappointed for the whole team as we showed we had the pace but couldn’t translate it to podiums. We took it on the chin and we will come back stronger. We still hold fourth in the standings and that is the most important thing.”

Australian contender Waters had his best round of the season to date with a ninth place in race one which he followed up with another resurgent performance to finish seventh as he proved that he is ready to close in on his rivals ahead of the next round at Brands Hatch in two weeks’ time.

Milwaukee Yamaha's Josh Waters

Waters said: “It has been a better weekend for me and that is good because we came here wanting to turn things around a bit. We had a good test and came here faster, the team worked overtime and I feel we are going in a better direction. I have changed too to try and make myself more comfortable. Unfortunately one of the riders crashed in front of me and I lost a few positions and then the same happened again in race two but at least I was able to stay on and get some good points. I think we can go to Brands Hatch now and continue the momentum and try and get closer to the front group.”

Team owner Shaun Muir concluded: “From the lows of Knockhill this has been a better weekend and both riders have taken steps forwards, especially Josh who had a better feeling for the bike and chassis and that showed in the results. He feels that he can move forwards now and he is genuinely looking ahead to the next round at Brands Hatch.  There was lots of promise for James and he had good race pace, but again we were left disappointed that a wheel speed sensor spoiled his performance. He was just unlucky.  I feel we can move forward now at Brands Hatch.”

For more information on Milwaukee Yamaha please visit: www.milwaukeeyamaha.com

We're pleased to support, sponsor and supply performance parts to Milwaukee Yamaha. For more information on the parts we have to add some 'bionics to your bike' please visit www.performanceparts-ltd.com

Performance Parts Ltd- 

Bionics for your Bike- 

Better, Stronger, Faster..