DIFFICULT DAY FOR SWAN YAMAHA AT ASSEN SHOWDOWN OPENER

The Swan Yamaha team endured a difficult opening round to the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship Showdown at Assen today as Tommy Hill was struck by bad luck and was forced to retire from the opening race.

Hill had qualified on the front row but as he came to form up on the grid following the sighting lap he was hit by a mechanic which knocked him off the Swan Yamaha. The team worked hard to repair the stricken machine in the garage and Hill started from pitlane, however he was later forced to retire. In race two Hill had pushed hard over the opening laps to run third but was forced back to fourth on the final lap. Hill now lies third in the overall standings and 22 points adrift of leader Josh Brookes.
Noriyuki Haga had two top six finishes after working hard with the team throughout the weekend on the setting of his Swan Yamaha. The Japanese rider now feels confident looking ahead to Silverstone in just a few days time.

Hill said:  "It has been a difficult weekend. I was coming through the back of the grid in race one and it was pretty busy and a mechanic from another team didn't realise I was there and ran into me and it jammed the brake lever on. I went over the bars there was nothing that I could do about it.  The bike went down, but the team did a great job to do a quick fix and get me out there. In the second race I knew I needed to score the points after the retirement in race one and I got up to speed and was pushing hard and got up to third but Shakey and Josh had got away a bit. I thought I could pull them in but then Alex (Lowes) put in a bit of a harsh move and that put me fourth.  We now need to go to Silverstone and get back on the top step of the podium to get those points back in the standings.”

Haga said: “I was feeling more comfortable today with the setting of the Swan Yamaha and it is a shame it has taken until this round to find this direction but it means I am happy for Silverstone. I am feeling positive as I could push harder today and we were nearer the front because I want to be on the podium again.”

Haga: looking for a podium at Silverstone

 
Team manager Gary Ekerold concluded: “It has been a difficult day at the office for Swan Yamaha. Tommy led by ten points coming into this round and leaves 22 behind however it is what happens by the time we reach the final round that counts. Now he just needs to get the Swan Yamaha back on the top step of the podium at Silverstone next weekend. Noriyuki had a better weekend and has found a good direction with the setting. The team now head back to England and hope we can return to winning ways at Silverstone in a few days time.”

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..

Challenging Showdown Starter for Laverty and Samsung Honda

The Samsung Honda team had a challenging start to the British Superbike Championship Showdown at the TT circuit Assen as Michael Laverty took a brace of seventh places.

Laverty dropped to fifth in the overall standings after struggling to find the best setting for the tyre longevity and despite hitting the front of the field in the early stages of both races, later dropped down the order in each outing.

Jon Kirkham meanwhile endured more disappointment after having shown good form in recent rounds. A bad start in the first race was difficult to recover from, scoring 13th at the line and in the second race he was forced to retire with a mechanical problem.

Michael Laverty: “That was a horrible day for me that had promised so much – coming at the start of the Showdown this is my worst day of the season. We had been working so hard and had a good pace but we were always worrying about tyre choice for the races. In the first race we used the softer compound which had good pace, but it wore and I dropped back down the field to seventh. For the second race we used the harder tyre but we couldn’t get the grip. That has put me on the back foot and I have to come back strongly at Silverstone – it has been so frustrating as I couldn’t get the result that I wanted.”

Jon Kirkham: “Disappointing time for me. We had some a mechanical issue that cost me. In the first race I had made a bad start, dropping back to 18th place, but fought back, picking up five places but there was nothing else that I could do about it. Then in the second race the clutch started slipping badly and I had to pull in late on in the race. I rode it really hard but there was not much I co do in the end.”

Havier Beltran, Team Manager: “It has been a disappointing day and the results were not what we needed or were capable of. It wasn’t the start to the Showdown that we needed but there is still all to play for and we need to come back stronger at Silverstone and 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..

Harley Sporster 48- kitted out with all our gear

Better, Stronger, Faster is what we're about- Bionics for your bike! We've taken a Harley Sportster 48 and given it the Performance Parts Ltd treatment:

Akrapovic full system with power commander and K&N intake. Result is much more power (and noise !!) and more torque – it ‘s a great combo of power now. We'll be swapping the Akrapovic system with a Remus system too- both kits look and sound amazing.

Our Sportster 48- modded with our bits

 REALLY COOL is the fact there is almost nowhere to put the Power Commander – just hardly any space under the seat…………..until…………… we fitted a UB600 Ultrbatt lithium battery (one of our products of course). Saved so much space-  the Commander just sits in the battery box now with loads of space to spare and a 4kg weight saving too – the Ultrabatt starts it off the button EVERY time too, no probs with power – and we run an alarm too.

Akrapovic for Harley! Remus pipes are stunning, too

Next big improvement was the brakes – we haven’t fitted lines yet – deliberately because we were SO impressed with the improvement of the brakes with Galfer pads and discs we want to demonstrate the improvement to dealers without fitting lines so that the performance increase isn’t attributed to the lines – it’s the pads and disc – makes a huge difference to the braking performance.

Galfer pads and discs. Look awesome, huge difference to the braking

Finally – suspension. We noticed the suspension was way too soft – comfy until it bottomed out with alarming regularity – either we all need to lose weight or the suspension simply isn’t good enough.

Enter a pair of Hyperpro shocks and front spring kit – bingo – suspension that actually works rather well – compliant but still firm enough to absorb the bumps and not bottom out.

Hyperpro suspension- big improvement

It’s also got span adjustable Gilles levers that allow the lever to positioned perfectly for every hand size. 

Gilles levers- adjustable for your leisure and pleasure

One of the gaffers, Colin Peabody, says:

"We really want  dealers and owners to back-to-back this bike with a standard 48 and see the difference – it’s remarkable – the improvement is very noticeable – this isn’t about racing, we know that, it’s not about going faster it’s about a better, safer, ride with smoother power and better brakes and after all who wouldn’t want that ??"

What have we got to add some 'Bionics' to YOUR bike? www.performanceparts-ltd.com

Performance Parts Ltd- 

Bionics for your Bike- 
Better, Stronger, Faster..

SWAN YAMAHA’S HILL SCORES DOUBLE PODIUM AND LEADS AHEAD OF THE SHOWDOWN

Swan Yamaha’s Tommy Hill scored a double podium finish for the fifth consecutive round by fighting for a second and third place finish at the ninth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Donington Park today.

You chuffed with our pipes we supply you Tommy? goodo.

 In both races Hill battled with his main title rivals to finish in second and third places as the defending champion continues to lead the standings by ten points ahead of the first round of the Showdown at Assen in two weeks’ time. Noriyuki Haga fought through the pain of his collarbone injury, but missed out on scoring points in race one by finishing in 21st position. In race two the team worked hard on making some setting changes which gave him a boost that saw him fighting inside the top ten until dropping to twelfth over the closing stages.

Hill said: “Two podiums were what we needed today and it is nice to have a bit of a lead in the standings going in to the Showdown at Assen. You can’t pay too much attention to it though as anything can happen. Cadwell Park was my weekend to do the double and this weekend it was Josh Brookes. It has been a bit frustrating for us as we wanted to try and come away with two double wins but we still have that ten points over Josh so hopefully we can keep pushing on and come out on top at Assen. We have been struggling all weekend but we made a big change this morning, then we managed to pull something out of the bag.”

Haga said: “I was very disappointed that my body was not 100% for this weekend and that I could not stay in a top six position. Up until race one I could not ride as well I would have liked as we couldn’t find the right setting and I had many moments when I almost high-sided then it made my shoulder painful again. My crew chief Mark found me a good setting for race two and then I felt better and really enjoyed the race. I will continue to try and heal some more for Assen and I really want get back on the podium there.”

Team Owner Shaun Muir concluded: “I am pleased for Tommy as he had two strong podium finishes, especially after what has been a difficult weekend for us to make him comfortable with the setting, so I consider this a good result. I feel sorry for Noriyuki as he tried so hard but it was a big mountain to climb to try and get back into the top six with his injury. He impressed me how he came back again in race two, but for us we want to bring on the Showdown now. Podiums are still achievable for Nori and he can still play a big part in the outcome of the championship.”

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..

Double Podium for Laverty at Donington Park

The Samsung Honda team scored a double podium finish at Donington Park, as Michael Laverty claimed a third and second place at the ninth round of the British Superbike Championship.

MLAV: Two podiums at Donington

Laverty finished third in the opening race after working his way up the order from tenth on the grid before challenging for the final podium positions and then following some changes for race two he stormed up the order to fight for the lead before finishing second. Jon Kirkham showed strong once again and took another pair of top ten finishes with a seventh and ninth place.

In the Superstock 1000 Championship, Jason O'Halloran scored a hard fought fifth place to close one point on title leader Keith Farmer with the pair now separated by only nine points. Gary Johnson continued to push hard to score a tenth place finish - after qualifying 20th - with impressive pace during the race.

Michael Laverty: “These have been solid results though I gave myself a lot of work with the tumble and third row start for the first race but after a poor start I was back in the hunt and scoring a podium credit point. In the second race I made a little mistake and that gave Josh Brookes half a second. He rode strongly all weekend but we worked hard and going into the Showdown and I am looking forward to going to Assen.”

Jon Kirkham: “It was good to qualify on the front row of the grid and I had good pace then but in the races, while I was good in the first two sectors, I lost time in the third and that was frustrating as this is my home circuit. I made a mess of the start in the first race and cooked my tyre in the second and I couldn’t stay with the leading pack.”

Jason O’Halloran: “It was a tough race today with a lot of passing going on and with aggressive moves I sometimes lose out a bit in those circumstances. But I got one point back on Keith so it’s not all bad and we will take it to Silverstone and see what we can do there to try and close the gap again.”

Gary Johnson: “It was good being back with the Samsung Honda team again this weekend and I think we can try and keep building now from here. It has been a weekend where we have kept trying to move forward and I think we should be aiming higher again at Silverstone.”

Havier Beltran, Team Manager: “It has been an interesting weekend and of course it was great for Michael to have had two podium finishes. He came back stronger in race two with some improvements between the races but we still have some work to do for Assen. We still need to find some more from JK too; we saw him make some steps forward again but he again had mixed fortunes. The championship is now building for the Showdown and there will be so much for everyone to lose or gain when it gets underway at Assen. We will be ready to take up the challenge.”

“In the Superstock class Jason pulled back a point on Keith Farmer in the standings which could prove crucial over the final two rounds. We have the pace and ability to be back on the podium at Silverstone so we will be ready for that later this month. Gary continued to build on his previous races and I think there is more to come from him at Silverstone.”


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..

 

Samsung Honda Set for Donington Park

The Samsung Honda team are gearing up for the ninth round of the British Superbike Championship at Donington Park this weekend as Michael Laverty and Jon Kirkham return to the Leicestershire circuit.

Laverty has his position secured as a Title Fighter in the Showdown but with six valuable podium credits available this weekend he is aiming to add to his winning tally to be in the best possible position for the final three-round title decider. Kirkham is aiming high at his home track and is determined to return to the podium again for the Samsung Honda team.
In the Superstock 1000 Championship, Jason O'Halloran is aiming for a repeat performance of his win earlier in the season at the Leicestershire circuit; he lies second in the standings, 10 points adrift of the standings leader. Gary Johnson returns with the team this weekend and is confident that he can build on his previous experience.

Michael Laverty: “It was definitely a boost being back on the podium again at Cadwell Park, I still wanted more but two third places were good for podium credit tally. The Samsung Honda works well at the fast, flowing circuits and that is what we have coming up now. We still want to be on the podium for those last credits before the Showdown but now we have our place confirmed that is slightly less pressure for me at this event; then of course it changes again for Assen. I think we can enjoy this weekend and have a good fight for the podium; I am sure there will be some scrapping for those trying to make the final places, but we just want to have a good weekend and try and get the Samsung Honda back on the podium.”

Jon Kirkham: “It’s great to be back at Donington Park as it is my home round, especially after qualifying third at Cadwell Park and being back up the sharp end. I will be out this weekend doing the best job I can and my confidence has grown again after the last round so we will be aiming to roll out on Friday, see if the improvements we made at Cadwell Park can translate to Donington and then ride as hard as we can for qualifying and the races. I would like to take some good points off the other riders this weekend; we can’t make the Showdown now but we still want to get the Samsung Honda back on the podium again before the end of the season.”

Jason O’Halloran: “We had a good race there back at the WSB event so we are quite confident that we can pick up with the setup we had there and try and get some points back this weekend. There are only three races left of the season and we don’t want to do anything silly to jeopardise our position so we are going to go out and enjoy it. We want to be back on the podium again for Samsung Honda.”

Gary Johnson: “We are looking to have a strong end to the season and we know we start on the back foot this weekend as we missed the test when we were testing with the World Endurance team in Germany. Donington should be a good track for the Fireblade and hopefully we can pull something out of the bag and end the season on a bit of a high.”

Havier Beltran, Team Manager: “As we move into the final round before the Showdown Michael will be aiming for those last podium credits and those will be paramount to being in the best position before the Showdown starts at Assen. JK obviously wants to have a strong final round to the season especially here at his home round, whilst in the Superstock class Jason is aiming to close the gap in the standings. It is also good to have Gary back this weekend and together we are looking for a strong finish to the season.” 

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..

SWAN YAMAHA SEEK SECOND SHOWDOWN SPOT AS HAGA TARGETS RETURN

Swan Yamaha return to Donington Park this weekend (7/8/9 September) for the final round of the Main Season ahead of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship Showdown. Defending champion Tommy Hill leads the standings with his position confirmed as a Title Fighter and team-mate Noriyuki Haga is targeting a return in his quest to elevate himself back into the top six in the overall standings. 

Hill: looking for podium credits despite showdown safety

Hill took a double win last time out at Cadwell Park and the defending champion is targeting another double win and the subsequent six podium credits in a bid to have the best possible advantage ahead of the Showdown which starts at the TT Circuit Assen on 21/22/23 September. Hill currently heads the Podium Credit table from his closest title rival with a nine credit advantage.
 
Haga targets his return after being sidelined for the previous two races at Cadwell Park after sustaining a collarbone injury; however the former World Superbike Championship contender is determined to make a return to the top six and close the current 12 points deficit to sixth place in the standings. The Leicestershire circuit has been a happy hunting ground for Haga in the past; having scored WSB race wins and a podium finish there.

Hill said: “We are going into this last round of the main season knowing that we are safe in the Showdown, but also that every podium credit counts and can make the difference between winning the title so we need to be aiming for those six credits. We can use this round to try and keep moving forward, test some new settings so that we have tried what we need to before the first Showdown round at Assen. We haven’t tested at Donington and most of the other riders have, but that doesn’t faze me it just makes me hungrier. Ideally we can have another good weekend and get the Swan Yamaha back on the podium so we can be ready for the Showdown.”  

Haga said: “The recovery is going well and I get better every day. Still I have some pain, but of course I come back for Donington to make a good fight to get back to six position. I'll give my 200% to Donington. The crash was a shame and I was very disappointment because I lost two races and lost my championship position and went sixth to eighth. I like the track and I have good memory that I have won WSB races there. I will put everything on my full experience and try very hard.”  

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..