Kiwi Bruce Anstey and his Suzuki GSX-R1000 have made history by becoming the World's fastest combination of rider and machine ever in the Ulster Grand Prix at Dundrod in Northern Ireland, averaging an astonishing 133.977mph in the final race of the day. And judging by the reaction of the 30,000 strong crowd at the County Antrim venue, the London-based Kiwi was also the event’s most popular winner around the 7.401-mile circuit. He was unfortunate not to have also taken the opening Superbike race win in a six-lap thriller that involved up to six riders; the 41-year-old suggested in a succinct manner afterwards during a radio interview, that backmarkers probably blighted his cause at the Lindsay Hairpin on the final circuit. Overall, Anstey was pleased with his day’s work;
“I said before today that our bikes were very competitive and while I missed out in the cat-and-mouse game for victory in the opening Superbike race, I wasn’t going to make the same mistake twice. Granted, there wasn’t much in it between the top four or five guys today, but ultimately we proved that the GSX-R1000 in Relentless Suzuki trim is not only the best, but the fastest road racing superbike on the planet. A big thank you to all the boys in the team today for a big effort – they work hard all year and it’s nice to give them something to boast about at the end of a tough season.”
Padgetts Honda rider Ian Hutchinson followed up his record-breaking Isle of Man TT haul with a successful day’s racing at the Ulster GP, winning the Superbike race one (finishing second to the flying Anstey in race two), Supersport race one and Superstock. Keith Amor too had a great meeting; victory was his in the second Supersport race and he was a podium fixture in all five of the other races he rode on the day.
What was – almost – a clean sweep of victories across all the classes at the Ulster GP rounds out an extremely successful year of racing for Arai’s road specialists, which everybody at Phoenix Distribution, Arai’s UK importer, is proud to have been a part of.
*PICTURE OF BRUCE ANSTEY COURTESY OF VICTOR HAZELTON*
For more information and news on Arai Helmets please visit www.whyarai.co.uk
“I WAS PUSHING AS HARD AS I COULD, BUT DIDN’T FEEL COMFORTABLE”
The opening race of the triple-header Brands Hatch BSB weekend, run on Saturday, was red flagged and restarted due to rain, but didn’t dampen Josh Brookes’s spirits as he bagged a sold fourth place in tricky conditions. In the second race of the weekend, Josh had taken the lead, but while pushing to increase the gap he crashed out at Druids before rejoining and retiring to the garage. The race was red flagged following a crash involving Alastair Seeley and Andrew Pitt but Josh was unable to make the restart. The third and final race saw Josh battling hard to secure sixth place.
“In race one I made a good start in the first few laps from fifth on the grid, but I got stuck behind Tom Sykes and he was so difficult to pass, but I could see that Michael Rutter was getting away at the front and that is frustrating. I then got passed, but as I was trying to close the gap I was making mistakes. I then felt it was misty, like it was going to rain and it was a good thing the red flag came out when it did as that next section at Stirling’s was really heavy rain and I had slowed by the time we reached that point. At the restart we only had time to make a small change and it was pretty nerve-wracking, but I pushed as hard as I could. The crash in the second race was down to lack of grip. I braked exactly the same as I had the lap before and was pushing to try and gap the other riders and went straight down. I rejoined and was circulating dead last so I thought I might as well come in and then as soon as I did that the race was red flagged and I wasn’t then able to make the restart. In the last race I was pushing as hard as I could, but I just didn’t feel comfortable. I got caught up in the pack and then when the race settled down I couldn’t catch the other riders. I am just going to put this weekend behind me and look ahead to the next round at Cadwell Park.”
ALASTAIR SEELEY, RELENTLESS SUZUKI BY TAS
Race 1: First Race 2: DNF Race 3: DNF
Championship Position: Sixth
“THIS IS WHAT I’VE ALWAYS WANTED”
Series rookie Alastair Seeley scored a great debut British Superbike victory at Brands Hatch on Saturday; the Relentless by TAS Suzuki rider qualified his GSX-R1000 strongly on row two in seventh position around the GP circuit. Then in the two-part opening race the diminutive Ulsterman held off seasoned professionals Michael Rutter and Ryuichi Kiyonari to take the team’s second British Superbike victory of the season in treacherous conditions. The opening race on Sunday saw Seeley take the holeshot into Paddock Hill from his pole position slot, and he was soon embroiled in a podium battle with his team-mate and former TAS Racing employee Tom Sykes. The race was red flagged after only a handful of laps when Seeley high-sided on the exit of Surtees. He walked away from the crash unhurt, but an unsighted Andrew Pitt collected Seeley’s machine forcing the stoppage, after the Australian took a heavy tumble. Unfortunately for Seeley, his bike was too badly damaged for him to make the re-start.
“I got good starts on Saturday and that made the difference. I had some front-end issues in the dry part of the race, and in the re-start in the wet I had loads of slides on white lines and the kerbs, but managed with it okay. We held on for the win and it’s all credit to my team and our superb that we made the top step. This is what I’ve always wanted in racing and now that I’ve sampled it I’d like more of the same. I went from hero to zero on Sunday, however. I got a bad start in race two but composed myself and pushed my way through and onto the back of Easton. We had caught John Laverty but the rear end came right round on me down into turn one and that was the day over. On the positive side – we are still 10 points in front of seventh place, so it’s all to play for at Cadwell Park. I can’t thank the team enough for their efforts in getting me back out on track.”
Tyco Racing rider Tommy Bridewell endured a weekend of mixed fortunes aboard the Quay Garage Honda; in the restarted race one, from row two of the grid, Bridewell didn’t make the best of starts in the wet conditions and eventually brought his Honda Fireblade home in 12th position. Sunday dawned a lot brighter and in the opening race of the day, he again didn’t get the best of starts but was closing in on the leading bunch when he crashed out at Stirling’s Corner on lap five causing substantial damage to the machine and injuring his hand. Bridewell overcame the pain of his hand injury and also suspension problems, to record another battling 12th place finish at the flag in race three. Tommy now holds 11th position in the Championship. As ever, he was pragmatic and upbeat; “Brands Hatch hasn’t been too kind to us once again and we’ve not got the sort of results we were hoping for this weekend. We’ve tried really hard and thanks to the team for their fantastic efforts, and also our sponsors Tyco, and hope we can enjoy some better luck at the next round at Cadwell. It was there that I had my two best results of the season earlier in the year so the omens are looking good and I’m really looking forward to the weekend.”
Saturday’s race ended on a low for Jentin Racing-BMW Motorrad BSB-EVO rider Steve Brogan, as he was knocked off his BMW S1000 RR coming into Graham Hill bend. The team worked long into the morning to fix his bike – finishing around 1:30am. Brogan rewarded their effort with a well-deserved and hard-earned victory in Sunday’s first BSB race; after a slight jump-start, Brogan was given a ride-through penalty. Moments after his pit penalty on lap four a crash caused the event to be red-flagged. A shorter, 14-lap race was restarted with Steve last on the grid – but having completed his ride-through. The Superbike rider fought his way through the EVO field, slowed a little by a battle with Hudson Kennaugh, working up to first in class and 14th overall – a position which he held to the chequered flag. The second race didn’t go quite so well – a puncture in the front tyre left Steve unable to keep up his impressive pace, slowing him and leading track officials to black flag him. Brogan was a little deflated; “The front went down pretty rapidly. It started to wobble, which felt weird, and I did wonder if a wheel weight had detached, but it soon became clear that the front was completely flat – there was no air in it at all. I tried to circulate and get some points but the marshals black-flagged me and I had to pull into the pits. The only consolation is that Kennaugh retired and didn’t get any points either, but I’d rather have raced him for it. We really should have left Brands with a good, solid championship lead, but we’re only two points behind, which we’ll take back at Cadwell.”
Glen Richards was flying on his Padgetts FireBlade in the Superstock 1000 class and just lost out on a win in the closing stages, while a chaotic and crash-strewn Supersport race saw Padgetts’ team-mates Ian Hutchinson and Richards secure fifth and seventh place finishes.
Fraser Rogers finished fourth in the British 125GP race to claim his first championship points in almost three months, with Dakota Mamola hot on his rear wheel. The strong finish ended an undeserved run of bad results and allowed the 13 year-old KRP rider to claim another ACU Academy Cup podium. “The last few races have been a bit disappointing in one way or another,” he said. “So to finish fourth today and get back on top in the Cup is a big relief. Third would have been better, obviously, but it was good to get fourth off Dakota at the end like that.”
The next round of the BSB returns to Cadwell Park, with racing on August 30th.
For more news and information on Arai Helmets please visit www.whyarai.co.uk
Race 1: Third Race 2: Fourth Championship Position: Second
“I WAS HAPPY TO FINISH AHEAD OF MAX BIAGGI”
Leon Haslam endured two tough 18-lap races at the British World Superbike 10th round at Silverstone – racing to third in race one and a fourth in race two – but all importantly closed the gap on series leader Max Biaggi. Wearing a specially painted one-off duck-egg blue Arai, in commemoration of the Battle of Britain’s 70th anniversary and in support of the Royal Air Force Association’s Wings Appeal, Haslam rode his socks off but finished the day a little frustrated, because he felt he could’ve challenged for the wins if things had gone his way a bit more and that would've narrowed the gap even more.
“Generally, I feel that the Silverstone round has been a bit frustrating because I think it could’ve, and should’ve been better. When our package is perfect, I know I can challenge for wins, but when it is not, it can be a bit of a struggle and that’s how it was. I made a bad start in the first race but managed to close the gap on the leaders and was getting ready to mount an attack on Jonathan Rea, but had gearbox problems for the last seven laps, so couldn’t push harder and get closer to him. A podium is not bad though, and it was good to be up there with two other Brits. We used a different engine in race two, but everything else was the same, including the tyres. However, this time the grip feeling was completely different and I really had to work hard to keep in the top four or so. On the last lap, I had a big fight with James Toseland. He passed me, but I was determined to get him back and that’s what I did. On the last turn, he tried to get round the outside of me at the beginning of the start-finish straight and hit me, breaking my tail fairing and exhaust bracket in the process. It was a bit of a hairy moment, but happily we both stayed on our bikes and crossed the line OK. It was a tough end to a hard race but, just like race one, I was happy to finish ahead of Max Biaggi. It would’ve better, if I could've got some more points, but that’s how it went.”
JONATHAN REA, TEN KATE HONDA
Race 1: Second Race 2: Second Championship Position: Third
“MY TEAM GAVE ME A GREAT BIKE”
Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider Jonathan Rea, finished second in both races at Silverstone. The encounters around the revised 5.902km Silverstone circuit were won by British rider Cal Crutchlow, with Leon Haslam and Leon Camier each taking a third place to make two all-British podiums. Starting from second place on the grid, Rea grabbed the holeshot in both outings, leading the first for the opening eleven laps as he and Crutchlow built up a lead over third placed Haslam. Race two was almost a carbon copy, with Rea leading until lap 15, when Crutchlow again hit the front and made a break for the flag. The results strengthened Rea’s hold on third place in the championship.
“In race one Cal had a little bit more pace than me, where I was missing maybe a couple of tenths a lap. The bike was working very well, but we got let down by the tyre a little bit, I think, because it definitely felt a lot different to the one I used in warm-up this morning. I thought I might have the pace in race two, but well done to Cal – he did a great job and rode absolutely superbly. My team gave me a great bike this weekend that allowed me to at least fight for the wins here. I’m really happy and really enjoyed riding at Silverstone this weekend and we’ve had a couple of good results to take into the summer break”
CAL CRUTCHLOW, STERILGARDA YAMAHA
Race 1: First Race 2: First Championship Position: Fifth
“IT’S BEEN A DREAM COME TRUE”
Yamaha rider Cal Crutchlow made it two in a row at Silverstone, delivering the double win at his home race, all while wearing his Arai World Champion design helmet, the one he won his World Supersport title in. The British rider ended a flawless weekend’s riding with a masterful display of race craft; a good start from pole position in race one saw him quickly into second behind Johnny Rea. Crutchlow then played the waiting game, comfortably following the Honda rider just 0.1 seconds behind until mid race before taking the lead. He surrendered briefly to Rea but then re-took quickly and pulled away to build a 1.6 second lead as he crossed the line to claim his maiden win of the championship. Race two saw a repeat of the first with Crutchlow quickly settling in behind Rea, again maintaining a gap of just 0.1 to 0.2 seconds until just three laps from the end when he again pulled out to take the lead. Crutchlow’s performance means he leaves Silverstone having jumped up from tenth to fifth in the rankings, now sitting on 188 points, 55 points behind Carlos Checa in third.
“We’ve been trying so hard all year to achieve a win, I’m ecstatic that it has happened at my home race. It’s been a tough weekend with all the Brits trying hard but we knew we had the pace. We were worried about tyre wear but it wasn’t too bad; it was a little bit cooler in the first race, which helped our bike as well. We now need to carry on and fight for the rest of the season. It’s been a dream come true, three Brits on the podium for both races is brilliant. The British fans have been fantastic, they came out and gave us tremendous support all round the circuit, a brilliant day for me, a brilliant day for Yamaha, Sterilgarda and all our other sponsors. All credit to Johnny Rea he rode really well in both races but I was able to pick him off with a couple of laps to go…”
Noriyuki Haga, starting from the fourth row, had problems from the start; the rear of his 1198 was sliding around to such an extent that it was difficult to open the throttle out of the corners. He was lapping in eleventh position for the best part of the race but the level of feeling worsened in the last laps, and the Japanese rider unfortunately lost three positions, eventually closing the race in fourteenth place. He made some small changes to the set-up of his bike before the second race in order to improve rear tyre wear but unfortunately, these modifications did not work to his advantage. Noriyuki benefited to a slight extent from the changes made but his feeling was not great and he was unable to do better than thirteenth position.
“In race one it was really difficult as the rear was moving around all over the place and so I couldn’t open the throttle when I needed to or make up positions as I’d hoped to. We made some changes for the second race but they didn’t improve my overall feeling with the bike. It seemed like I needed more traction and I could only push so much. It was a very difficult weekend.”
Jakub Smrz and his PATA Ducati finished thirteenth in the first race and ninth in the second. He remains 13th in the championship.
The WSB paddock now heads to the Nurburgring in Germany, with racing on 5th September 2010.
For more news and information on Arai helmets please visit www.whyarai.co.uk
Posts
