SWAN YAMAHA CONTINUE WINNING MOMENTUM AS HILL MAKES IT A TRIPLE

Swan Yamaha’s Tommy Hill claimed a sensational triple race win at the sixth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park to extend his advantage in the overall standings and secure a valuable nine podium credits.

Hill had taken the victory in the opening race yesterday (Saturday) and in the second race of the weekend he scored a commanding win before making it a hat trick in the third and final race to score the maximum amount of podium credits. Haga took a strong fifth position in the second race following an intense battle with Shane 'Shakey' Byrne and Michael Laverty, but just missed out on a podium finish in the final race when he was forced to settle for fourth after he was passed at the final corner.

Tommy Hill- couldn't have had a better weekend

 Hill said: "It was a tough second race no matter how much you are in front as you have to keep pushing. I tried to settle down but that is when you start making mistakes and you cannot underestimate anyone. I made a few errors towards the end of the second race but it set us up well for the final race. To have won three races was fantastic as it was my first hat-trick in the series. It is just great to come out on top but now I have a flight to catch to get out to Suzuka. I didn’t ease up in the last race as I definitely had a target on my back as they all wanted to beat me. They kept me honest out there and I had to ride as hard as I could across the whole weekend but I was determined and it is great to head to my home round at Brands Hatch carrying this momentum.”

 

Haga said: “We started off the weekend with a good setting from before and I have been working with my new crew chief Mark and we continued to find a good positive setting. We were consistent in all three races, for sure we need to do some work with the rear suspension setup but my feeling is getting better. In the last race I was happier and I no longer feel like I am sometimes riding a motocross bike and that we can go to one of my favourite tracks next at Brands Hatch and be fast.”

Team manager Gary Ekerold concluded: “We had three races here and to take three wins and a pole position is a fantastic result for the Swan Yamaha team. Noriyuki had one of his best weekends too and now he is inside the top six and that was what we wanted to achieve this weekend. His feeling with the bike has improved tremendously and now we can go to the next round at Brands Hatch with Tommy’s confidence high and an ever improving Noriyuki.” 

For more information visit www.swanyamaha.co.uk

We're pleased to support, sponsor and supply performance parts to Swan Yamaha racing. 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..

 

Samsung Honda Tough it Out at Oulton Park to Maintain Showdown Position

Samsung Honda’s Michael Laverty maintained his position inside the top six in the overall standings after the sixth round of the British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park this weekend with a fourth and fifth place finish.

In the opening Saturday race of the weekend Laverty had his aspiration of a podium finish ended on the fourth lap as he crashed out of contention whilst Kirkham was forced to retire with a technical problem. Sunday’s second race saw Laverty claim a fourth place finish as he continued to try and consolidate his position inside the top six, as Kirkham’s bad luck continued with a heavy crash at Shell.

Michael Laverty- in the Showdown

 Sunday’s races again saw Laverty score a fourth and fifth place to maintain fourth place in the overall standings whilst Kirkham suffered a high-speed crash but fortunately was uninjured before finishing fourteenth in the final race of the weekend.

In the National Superstock 1000 Championship Jason O'Halloran was denied the chance to challenge for a podium finish when the race was red flagged on the tenth lap, leaving him fourth and Gary Johnson in twelfth.

Michael Laverty: “To be honest I am glad the weekend is over now and I am looking forward to Brands Hatch. Oulton Park has never been a good circuit for me and it is always a fight but fourth and fifths today helped consolidate our position in the Showdown. The pace was close to the leaders but we just didn’t have that last bit, despite making improvements throughout the weekend. It is the way it goes sometimes but overall it has been a disappointing weekend although it could have been worse.”

John Kirkham- intends to come out fighting at Brands

 Jon Kirkham: “I started seventh in free practice and then qualifying went ok and I got through to Q3, but a technical problem at the end of Q2 meant I couldn’t push for a higher grid position. It was another weekend of bad luck for me as we had another technical problem in the first race, then a crash but fourteenth was the best we could do in the last one. It was a difficult weekend but we can regroup and come out fighting again at Brands Hatch.”

Jason O’Halloran: “It was a frustrating race today; it seems like I don’t have any luck at Oulton Park! I was caught up behind a few riders and then I was up to fourth when the race was red flagged. I was gutted that I couldn’t have the chance to fight for the win so we will have to move onto Brands Hatch now and see what we can do there.”

Gary Johnson: “I had a mega start in the race but it didn’t completely go according to plan. I was losing a bit of time on the straights and unfortunately a couple of times I got pushed a bit wide and that put me down the order. The Samsung Honda is working well but we just need to find something extra for Brands Hatch.”

Havier Beltran, Team Manager: “It has been an extremely hard weekend for the Samsung Honda team and the results we leave Oulton Park with are certainly not the ones we know we can achieve. However Michael has been able to maintain his top six position in the standings, but this shows how crucial those final rounds will be if the riders are inside the top six and fighting for the title. We still need to work with Jon as he has had a difficult weekend but we know what he is capable of from his performances earlier in the season. In the Superstock race I think it was disappointing for Jason as the red flag prevented him from scoring a podium but I understand that these things happen in racing. Gary was unhappy with his result too as he was duffed up but now we are looking forward to the next round at Brands Hatch.”


For further information about Honda, the Honda Racing team and its riders please visit
www.honda.co.uk or www.honda-racing.co.uk

We're pleased to support, sponsor and supply performance parts to Samsung Honda Racing. 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..

Double Victory For Smiths Triumph Racing Team

The Performance Parts equipped Gloucester-based Smiths Triumph Racing Team were back in action this weekend contesting the latest rounds of the Motorpoint British Supersport and Metzeler National Superstock Championships and success again came their way as the Australian duo of Billy McConnell and Glen Richards once again shared the race wins in the Supersport category whilst Luke Mossey also scored his first podium of the season.

With all three riders qualifying inside the top six for Saturday's ten-lap race, Glen started on pole once again and hopes were high of some great results as Richards immediately went into the lead. Battling with championship rivals Jack Kennedy and Christian Iddon, there was little to choose between the three riders but when Iddon crashed, it was a straight battle to the end between Glen and Kennedy. However, it all ended in disaster when the two tangled at the last corner of the last lap and the pair ended in the gravel trap.

Their misfortune was Billy and Luke's good fortune though and as Glen and Kennedy picked themselves up, McConnell swept by to take his third win of the season with Mossey just three seconds further back in third for his first podium of 2012.
Sunday went even better for the team with Richards and McConnell taking first and second for the second time this season. It was another tough race though with Kennedy involved once more and there was again little to choose between the trio. However, as the race entered its crucial final third, the two Smiths Triumph riders upped the ante and with Glen setting a new lap record two laps from the end, he was able to take his fourth win of the year.

McConnell was less than half a second adrift in second place and the 1-2 result has brought him right back into the title hunt as well as Richards closing in considerably on Kennedy meaning he is just 9.5 points adrift of the Irishman going into the next round at Brands Hatch in two weeks time. Cambridge rider Mossey, meanwhile, was running just off the back when a slight highside saw him drop back a couple of places. However, he regrouped well and battled back for a good fifth place and his most successful weekend of the year so far.

Fourth team member Johnny Blackshaw also had an excellent ride in the Metzeler National Superstock 600cc Championship, with the Stretton rider coming through the field strongly at his local track for seventh place. Back in 13th in qualifying, a change in clutch springs for the race paid dividends with the nine points moving him up to seventh overall in the championship table.

Glen Richards

Glen Richards: "I've really enjoyed myself this weekend and whilst Saturday obviously ended in a disappointing fashion, it was just a racing incident where neither of us wanted to give in to the other. It was important to bounce back strongly on Sunday and that's exactly what I did, showing I could win. I tried to ride as smoothly and as conservatively as possible to save the tyres for the last third and that's when I upped the pace, setting the lap record in the process. I didn't leave any doors open and rode cleanly for another win and things are getting interesting now as the gap between myself, Billy and Jack closes up."

Billy McConnell

 Billy McConnell: "First of all, I'm glad Glen wasn't injured in Saturday's spill but, from my own point of view, the first and second placed riders of the championship going out was just what I needed! I was a bit annoyed with myself to be a couple of seconds adrift as I had the same pace as them and I just need to be that bit more aggressive in the first few laps. I was gifted the win but you need a bit of luck on your side and this weekend it was my turn to get it. Sunday was another great race to be involved in and the bike's working so well at the moment, it's making my life so much easier. Getting a 1-2 has allowed me to claw back some major points on Glen and Jack so I'm right back in the title hunt now."

Luke Mossey: "Saturday's result was certainly a gift but I'll take it! I didn't get the best of starts and the left grip came loose before coming off completely so I had to do a few running repairs, which created a bit of concern but I didn't lose any time or places, which kept me in the hunt. It would have been nice to have taken a 'proper' third but I'm happy and after struggling a bit in Friday's wet sessions, it all came good in the dry. If it wasn't for a small bobble in Sunday's race, I'm sure I would have been closer to the front but fifth was still good and it's been a good weekend all round."

Johnny Blackshaw: "Qualifying couldn't have been much worse for me and it made it hard in the race for me but the changes we made to the bike helped no end. I got a good start and battled my way through and felt I had the pace to run with the front pack but I got held up slightly and I just couldn't quite close them down after that. It's a solid finish for me though and, after the disappointment of crashing here in May, it's nice to get a good result at my home circuit so a big thanks to the team, especially Pete and Tom, for doing a great job."

Rebecca Smith, Team Manager: "It's been another great weekend for us and although Saturday's race was a bit of a bitter-sweet affair, what happened between Glen and Jack was purely a racing incident and just one of those things. One of the advantages of having more than one rider in a team is that it gives you more opportunities and Billy was able to pick up the pieces, which from his own championship perspective, was brilliant. It also allowed Luke to get his first podium and it was just reward for his riding this weekend.
"Sunday's race saw Glen put in a flawless performance and with Billy right behind him, it's closed the title race up and it's really exciting going into the second half of the season. Luke had another strong ride and the weekend ended well for us with Johnny getting a solid result at his home circuit. Qualifying was tough for him but the changes to the bike worked and he set his fastest lap of the weekend in the race, which shows how well he was riding. We've had a great time again so hope for more of the same at Brands Hatch."

For more information on Smiths Triumph please visit www.smithsracing.co.uk

We're pleased to support, sponsor and supply performance parts to Smiths of Gloucester racing. 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..