RIZLA SUZUKI’S Tom Sykes took his third win in a row at the eighth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Knockhill this weekend.
After a good start in race one, Sykes battled with Ducati’s Michael Rutter on the damp but fast drying track, passing him on lap nine and never looking back. Sykes took a solid 4th in race two. Sykes said:
“Race one was fantastic, my Rizla Suzuki was doing just what I wanted it to and once I passed Michael Rutter for the lead I controlled the gap until the end. A couple of the back-markers upset my rhythm a little but I kept going and to score my third Superbike win is brilliant.
“Race two was more difficult with a wet first part and then damp but drying second. Fourth is OK and I’ll take the points but if it had been another couple of laps long I would have been able to take the two riders in front of me and a second was on the cards, if not another win. I am frustrated a little at the result but overall it’s been a good weekend – thank you to my Rizla Suzuki team for all the effort and support.”
Championship leader Shane Byrne pushed hard to get himself up to 2nd but, any further progress was to be hampered by a number of back markers. Team-mate Leon Camier managed to successfully withstand pressure from Michael Laverty on the Suzuki to cross the line in 5th.
Byrne took a heavy fall in race two but sustained minor injuries. Shane said:
“I got a really good start and knew that I needed to get away as early as possible. I was feeling really comfortable on the Airwaves Ducati but saw from my pit board that the gap to the guys behind was up and down all the time. I came into turn one and as soon as I touched the brake I was down. It was a really strange crash because everything felt normal right up until that point. I’m feeling sore but I’ll be back training in a couple of days preparing for Cadwell Park.”
Leon Haslam finally got his first Bennetts British Superbike win on the board for HM Plant Honda at Knockhill today. The victory in race two made up for his retirement in the first race, which was due to a misfire. He said:
“That’s such a relief! It feels like I’ve got a monkey off my back, as this win’s been a long time coming! The team have worked so hard so it’s great to finally give them the reward for it. Obviously it wasn’t the way I wanted to win it, with Shane Byrne falling off, but I was reeling him in after he’d pulled a bit of a gap through backmarkers so I felt the win was mine. It also made up for the disappointment of the first race. I was slowing down to come into the pits when Shakey caught me and knocked me down at very slow speed. This fires me up for the rest of the season and I’m looking forward to Cadwell Park.”
Having qualified the Rob Mac Racing Yamaha in 9th position, Karl ‘Bomber' Harris was reliant on a very strong start in both races for any hope of a podium finish. A dry Race One saw Karl make progress to push the Rob Mac Racing Yamaha into 7th position, bagging himself a further 9 points for his late Championship charge.
It was all change for Race Two that began in very wet conditions following a torrential downpour just prior to the grid forming. Karl got a good start to enter turn one in 7th position, by the end of the first lap melee Karl maintained his 8th position, but as he started to make progress on the field ahead the race was stopped after a three rider crash further down the order stopped the race for essential repairs to the air fence. Harris said:
"At last! I'm really pleased to be up here again, it's something that we have worked for all season, we all know the story so far this year with me so I'm well happy. Just before the race Rob's girlfriend Susan got me to kiss her baby bump for luck, it worked, so I'll thank her for that! The choice to run slicks for the restart was a gamble that paid off for us. It's mega to repay Rob and the whole team at last, they've believed in me and worked so hard for me this year."
Race One Results:
1: Tom Sykes (Suzuki) 25:09.296
2: Shane Byrne (Ducati) +3.093
3: James Ellison (Honda) +3.479
4: Michael Rutter (Ducati) +5.752
5: Leon Camier (Ducati) +9.345
6: Michael Laverty (Suzuki) +9.461
7: Karl Harris (Yamaha) +19.051
8: Simon Andrews (Yamaha) +36.055
9: Tristan Palmer (Honda) +39.097
10: Gary Mason (Honda) +40.021
Race Two Results:
1: Leon Haslam (Honda) 11:58.300
2: Michael Rutter (Ducati) +3.214
3: Karl Harris (Yamaha) +3.541
4: Tom Sykes (Suzuki) +3.680
5: James Ellison (Honda) +6.591
6: Simon Andrews (Yamaha) +15.876
7: Cal Crutchlow (Honda) +16.539
8: Leon Camier (Ducati) +18.608
9: Billy McConnell (Kawasaki) +23.428
10: Chris Burns (MV Agusta) +26.439
15: Atushi Watanabe (Suzuki) +1-lap
Championship positions (after 8 of 12 rounds)
1: Shane Byrne (Ducati) 332
2: Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 222
3: Tom Sykes (Suzuki) 214
4: Leon Haslam (Honda) 199
5: Leon Camier (Ducati) 179
6: James Ellison (Honda) 177
7: Michael Rutter (Ducati) 174
8: Michael Laverty (Suzuki) 110
9: Simon Andrews (Yamaha) 108
10: Tristan Palmer (Honda) 75
15: Atushi Watanabe(Suzuki) 34
