BSB ROUND 6, KNOCKHILL, SUNDAY 4th JULY

A Stormy Sunday for Arai riders, but job done…

JOSH BROOKES, HM PLANT HONDA
Race 1: Third                       Race 2: Cancelled  Championship Position: First

“I AM NEVER HAPPY WITH THIRD”
Josh Brookes moved into the BSB championship lead after a podium finish at a rain-struck Knockhill; he had started from pole position to lead the race before it was red flagged on the opening lap when there was a torrential downpour. The race restarted but a crash involving Dan Linfoot and Chris Walker bought out a second red flag. The race restarted for a third time and Josh got off to a flying start leading Kiyonari at the front of the field on the opening lap. Kiyo passed Josh for the lead, before Michael Rutter stole the front runner position to win the race. With his third place Josh is now elevated to first in the overall championship standings.

The second race of the day was cancelled due to the conditions and will now take place on the Saturday of the Snetterton round.

“I am never happy with third, but a podium means that I now have the championship lead and that is what I am here for. The conditions out there were very similar to what we had at Oulton Park and I was having a bit of a problem with the stability; as the conditions were improving when I had the bike upright the tyre was spinning up and I couldn’t move forward as fast as I needed to. I had two good starts in the first race when it was restarted; I didn’t get the holeshot but I could make the passes without too much problem. In the third restart I was up there and then Kiyo and Michael passed and I was watching them but there wasn’t anything I could do. I could change direction and be hard on the brakes but I was losing time getting forward drive. I just suffered it and came home in third, which is important for the championship, as I knew I had a gap to fourth. It is disappointing to not have had a chance to try and win the second race, but the right decision was made and now I just want to get to Snetterton.”

ALASTAIR SEELEY, RELENTLESS SUZUKI BY TAS
Race 1: Fifth                        Race 2: Cancelled              Championship Position: Seventh

“I PICKED THEM OFF…”
Series rookie Alastair Seeley got nudged out on the opening lap from his second row grid spot to 11th place but fought back, eventually following his team-mate home for a well-deserved fifth placed finish on his GSX-R1000.

“I dropped back down the pack on the opening lap in race one, but I picked them off and got right back onto Michael at the end. Unfortunately by that stage, my tyre had chewed up and I was sliding going in and out of the turns. We got some good points on the board today but it’s just a pity the second race was red flagged. I made a good start and had just passed Kiyo for third place and was lining up Rutter when the red flag went out. We are still in the hunt though, with the extra race at Snetterton and I have a good chance to get back into that sixth place in the championship standings.”

Quay Garage Racing rider Tommy Bridewell’s long trip north to Scotland proved fruitless as he added zero points to his haul after a problematic weekend. Race day dawned wet and windy and after a solid session in the wet, Tommy was hopeful of a good result but then, on the warm up laps, the ex-Lavilla CBR1000RR developed a gearbox issue meaning Bridewell was up against it, the problems being compounded with a grip issue in the wet conditions of race one which saw him eventually retire. Tommy was philosophical; “It’s been one of those weekends and it’s been a long drive for not a lot really. We were hit with a penalty in qualifying which was unfortunate and was something that wasn’t deliberate on my part but we accepted the decision and hoped for a good result today. That wasn’t to be as we suffered a few niggling problems and I was nearly crashing on every corner so the safe thing was to pull in. We made some big changes for race two but that didn’t happen and it was the right thing to do to postpone it.”

Jentin Racing-BMW Motorrad’s Steve Brogan, racing in the Superbike EVO class, also had a weekend to forget. In spite of a great qualifying performance, which saw him take pole, 22nd was the best he could do. He remains second in the EVO standings.

In the Supersport race, Ben Wilson and Dan Cooper finished second and third respectively, while Padgetts Honda rider Ian Hutchinson secured fourth, with his team-mate Glen Richards in seventh place. Riding a Honda CBR1000RR Richards took a very close win in the Superstock 1000 race, taking the chequered flag just over half a second ahead of GSX-R1000-mounted Luke Quigley

The next round of the BSB championship takes place on the 18th July, at Snetterton.

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