ThePitcrewOnline

29th August 2017

Dovizioso: We did the perfect race

Andrea Dovizioso hailed his fourth victory of 2017 as “the perfect race”, as the Italian moves to the top of the standings ahead of Ducati’s home race at Misano.

Having been part of the leading group for 17 laps, Dovizioso passed fellow countryman Valentino Rossi into Stowe corner with three laps to go.

“I’m so happy about Sunday’s victory, my fourth this year, because every race we win is different from the others and this means that we are really strong and can fight for the championship”, began Dovizioso, who delivered Ducati’s 37th victory in Grand Prix racing.

“It was a really tough race because all of our rivals were on top form. Today Marquez was unlucky, but we did the perfect race because, even though we were probably not the quickest outright. We were able to interpret the race in the best possible way and go on to win”, he continued.

“This means that the work we did during the weekend was excellent, and so was my race strategy because I managed to get into the right position at the right time. This year, every race is a story in itself and the tyres are always a key factor. We are very focused on our working method which is producing results”, he concluded.

Dovizioso’s win made it the first time since Casey Stoner in 2009 that a Ducati rider has won four races in a single year.

28th August 201728th August 2017

British GP: Moto2 Review – Nakagami Rules the Roost

Japan had a Grand Prix winner once again as the intermediate class served up a thrilling race at Silverstone. With air and track temperatures considerably hotter than at any other point in the weekend, the riders had to balance racing on the limit and conserving enough precious life in their tyres.

It was a case of ‘what might have been’ for Alex Marquez. Having dominated the early stages of the weekend, the Spanish rider began the race from the middle of the front row and dictated much of the early laps in the lead. With teammate, Franco Morbidelli, in tow, the MarcVDS team once again found themselves with a sizeable lead to the rest of the field. However, as has been the case on more than one occasion this season, the pressure of leading got to him and unceremoniously dropped his machine on the entry to the Wellington loop. Morbidelli inherited the lead, but could not hold out for long as first Mattia Pasini (Italtrans Racing Team) then Takaaki Nakagami (Idemitsu Honda Team Asia) caught up and passed by, as his tyres slowly gave up the ghost. Third place was what the championship leader had to be content with this time.

That left the Italian and the Japanese rider to slog it out at the front for top honours, and what a show they put on for the fans. Despite initially building a healthy lead, Nakagami was slowly closed down by Pasini as tyre wear became critical. Once back together there would never be more than 1 second between the pair, the final seven laps consisted of some of the most thrilling racing as Pasini desperately tried to find a way past an inspired Nakagami. Having distanced the rest of the field, the gloves came off and neither gave any quarter as man and machine were tested to the limit. victory was not secured until the final lap when Pasini overcooked his braking down into Stowe corner, giving the Japanese rider a priceless half second lead, which was all he needed. Both looked shattered in parc ferme afterwards. Nakagami stated that “I had never pushed so hard”, whilst Pasini declared it “The hardest race of my life”.

There was action further down the field as Francesco Bagnaia (Sky VR|46) led home a ferocious battle over 5th to 9th places. The Italian has impressed in his debut season in the Moto2 category and this was a further achievement added to his CV, holding off the likes of Simone Corsi (Speed Up), VR|46 teammate Stefano Mazi, and the KTM duo of Miguel Oliveira and Brad Binder.

KTM had a mixed weekend. After a strong showing during Friday practice, the team found themselves going backwards through the field as the meeting progressed. Oliveira could only manage P8 in qualifying and had to ride out of his skin to finish in the same position. However, there was some cause for celebration as Brad Binder produced a very solid performance. The current Moto3 champion has endured a wretched season being plagued by injuries that simply refuse to heal up. Silverstone marked somewhat of a breakthrough for the South African who led his teammate for much of the race. A double points finish for KTM has been a rare occurrence this season, so this would have provided some consolation.

A final mention goes to the British riders. Jake Dixon road as a wildcard for the Dynavolt Intact team and finished in P25. The rising British Superbike star had never ridden a Moto2 machine prior to this weekend and met the team’s target of not finishing in the bottom three positions. Keifer Racing’s Tarran MacKenzie continued his baptism of fire in the class. Having lost the front end early in the race, all he could do was keep the engine running and complete his home round in 30th.

The race and the day belonged to Nakagami. He had faced much criticism in the build up to the British Grand Prix, following the announcement that he would be joining LCR Honda in MotoGP next year. This result was the perfect response.

Race Results

1: Takaaki Nakagami – 38:20.883

2: Mattia Pasini – + 0.724

3: Franco Morbidelli – + 2.678

4: Thomas Luthi – + 4.645

5: Francesco Bagnaia – + 9.515

28th August 2017

F2 Spa: Double disqualification and a debut win in Belgium

In true Spa-Francorchamps fashion, Friday’s qualifying for this round of the FIA Formula 2 championship was a washout. But that didn’t stop Charles Leclerc from collecting his seventh pole position of the season, proving that Prema have magnificent one lap pace no matter what the conditions are. It was a top ten starting position for all three championship contenders, ensuring that they would all be up there on Saturday. After adding Nyck de Vries to their line-up, Racing Engineering had one of their best qualifying performances all season, with both of their drivers making it into top ten as well.

Before the race even started it was disappointment for DAMS’ Nicholas Latifi, who, after securing his first front row start in Formula 2 and out qualifying his teammate, was forced to the pit lane, and ultimately failed to get his car going at all. DAMS team boss Francois Sicard would later cite a broken valve as the cause of his woes. It was bitterly frustrating for the Canadian who has been having an outstanding season so far.

With the DAMS driver missing, it was a frenetic opening lap in Saturday’s feature race. Leclerc only just managed to fend off his main championship rival, Oliver Rowland, after a poor start, and their fellow championship contender Artem Markelov made up four places almost immediately to begin lap 2 in fifth place. There were cars making contact up and down the field, most notably between the brand new Racing Engineering teammates, with debris littering the track, and damage for many of the drivers. It was ART’s Nobuharu Matsushita that brought out the Virtual Safety Car after he stalled on the grid.

After racing resumed on lap 2, Leclerc got to work with putting distance between himself and the second placed Rowland, his Prema machinery running almost a second a lap faster than the DAMS. Russian Time’s Luca Ghiotto was proving that he could be just as aggressive a driver as his teammate as he took third place from Antonio Fuoco, and it was the Russian team’s cars who were making up the most ground, steadily cutting through the field.

Rowland and DAMS attempted the undercut on lap 7, but few of the other front runners followed suit, and when Leclerc made his stop on lap 11 and came out ahead, it was clear that the French team had lost the strategy game.

But the British driver did not give up his chase easily. He put on a real display of attacking driving, particularly his fantastic overtake on Norman Nato. However, his pace was simply no match for Leclerc’s, who was speeding away in a league of his own. It was Russian Time who called their strategy perfectly, aided by Markelov’s uncanny ability to manage his tyres. When he pitted on lap 16 of the twenty-five lap race and came out in fifth place, his penchant for aggressive driving and fresher tyres made for a killer combination as he tore through the competition.

It was déjà vu when the Russian came up against Rowland in his pursuit of second place. In a move reminiscent of their clash in Hungary, Markelov had more success this time when he overtook Rowland around the outside at the Bus Stop, in one of the most thrilling moments of the race which saw him take second place by less than a tenth of a second. The second and third placed drivers in the championship had to be content with letting the dominant Leclerc stand upon the top step of the podium as he finished an eye watering twenty-six seconds ahead of the field.

But the drama didn’t stop at the chequered flag. Late on Saturday night, news came that both Leclerc and Rowland had been disqualified from the feature race for the same technical infringement – excessive wear to the underfloor plank of their cars.

The title rivals were therefore sent to the back of the grid for the sprint race on Sunday while Markelov inherited the race win and his teammate Ghiotto found himself in second. It also meant a second podium of the season for Prema’s Antonio Fuoco, and an even better result for new Racing Engineering teammates Gustav Malja and Nyck de Vries who took fourth and fifth place. Reverse grid pole was given to Norman Nato, just behind Robert Merhi and Sergio Sette Camara, a welcome promotion for two drivers who scored their first points of the season. Trident’s Santino Ferrucci and Campos Racing’s Robert Visoiu were promoted to the final points paying positions as well.

There was much anticipation surrounding Sunday’s sprint race with the grid shaken up and several of the frontrunners starting from the grid, and as ever, Formula 2 did not disappoint.

It was a blistering start from MP Motorsport’s Sergio Sette Camara, who immediately improved from third to first, putting the more experienced Merhi and Nato behind him. The Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps was proving to be something of a dream track for the young Brazilian who had not scored points prior to this weekend.

As expected, both Leclerc and Rowland were quickly making up ground, with the Yorkshireman gaining a one place advantage over his rival after Leclerc ran off the road early on lap 1. The DAMS driver was up to twelfth place by the end of the first lap, with Leclerc powering past Matsushita on the inside up Eau Rouge to take thirteenth place.

Despite fierce battling between Rowland and Leclerc, the Brit couldn’t keep him behind for long, and pretty soon the Ferrari junior driver was putting cars between his nearest title rival. In just a handful of laps he was back into the points, a brilliant recovery for the back row of the grid. But he wasn’t quite finished yet.

Leclerc ran into some trouble when trying to pass his teammate Fuoco and the promoted race winner from the previous day, Markelov. Ultimately, he found a way past both of them as Markelov began to fade, dropping back, and eventually retiring with a suspected engine issue on lap 13.

It was Matsushita’s nasty crash at Raidillon on lap 15 that sealed the result of the race. The Japanese driver thankfully walked away unharmed, but the damage from his crash meant that the race finished under safety car conditions and Sergio Sette Camara held on to score his first win in single seater racing. And it was a well deserved victory too after such an impressive start and withstanding pressure from de Vries for the duration of the eighteen lap race.

An improvement of fourteen places was the best Leclerc could do, though it easily could have been more had the safety car not been deployed. DAMS teammates Rowland and Latifi also recovered from their poor starting positions, coming home in eighth and ninth, the Canadian unlucky to finish just outside of the points. It could have been a very different weekend for all three drivers had they not found themselves on the wrong side of misfortune. The trio’s nearest competitors, teammates Ghiotto and Markelov tried their hardest to capitalise on their hard luck, and the former’s double podium promoting him to fourth in the drivers’ standings ahead of Latifi.

After such a disappointing season before the break, Racing Engineering seem to be recovering some of the form we expected from them at the start of the season, with solid points finishes from both their drivers. Whilst his teammate was grabbing the headlines once again – though not for all of the right reasons – Antonio Fuoco had his second best weekend of the season with a decent qualifying performance and two points finishes. It still isn’t quite the superhuman feats of Leclerc, but it does prove that his early season struggles may have been something of an adjustment period. And the Italian is beginning to look more like the title challenger we saw in GP3 last year.

Thanks in part to the double disqualification from the feature race, the points situation as we head to Monza in a week’s time is much the same as it was coming to Spa, with Leclerc leading by fifty-nine points. Though now Rowland is just nine points ahead of Markelov after the Russian’s stunning drive on Saturday.

Prema and Leclerc’s pace still reigns supreme, and around the team’s home track, the Autodromo Nazionale Monza is the last place anyone should underestimate them.

28th August 2017

British GP: Moto3 Review – Canet Wins Crazy Curtain Raiser

The Moto3 class has a reputation for intense, wheel-to-wheel, “do or die”, “win it or bin it” racing. The 2017 British Grand-Prix was no exception. From lights to flag it was frantic, pulsating, truly thrilling motor racing. Overtaking was to be had at every corner and on every straight. The layout of the Silverstone circuit is ready-made for lightweight motorcycle racing, with very few heavy braking areas enabling the field to stay closely compacted together.

Aaron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) emerged triumphant, but he had to put in the performance of his life. A disastrous showing in Saturday’s qualifying session meant the Spaniard began the race from P16. As the lights went out, he got a super start, making up places with ease. It was not a reckless charge – rather a calculated progression – with every manoeuvre and overtake clean and decisive. Not once was there a moment when Canet looked out of control, or was ever taking unnecessary risks with his opponents or machine. It is true that his bike is one of the best in the field but that cannot take away from the display of exceptional race-craft that the 17-year-old produced.

The lead of the race changing hands more times than there were laps raced. The usual championship suspects came to the fore. Romano Fenati (Marinelli Snipers) bullied his way to the front during the opening laps, whilst series leader Joan Mir (Leopard Racing) and wounded warrior Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini) were constantly snapping at the heels of any rider who was ahead of them. The latter continues to amaze all and sundry – both in the paddock and those spectating from afar – as he can still barely walk following serious injury sustained during practice for the German Grand Prix back in July.

The race also provided a welcome return to form for Canet’s teammate and class veteran, Enea Bastianini. The Italian threw caution to the wind and produced a vintage display, reminding us all of his race-craft and why he was once tipped as the ‘next big thing’ in MotoGP. His second place finish behind his team-mate (his first podium of the season) was celebrated by his team as much as Canet’s victory.

Unfortunately, fans were denied a grandstand finish as, on the penultimate lap, Juanfran Guevara (RBA Boe Racing) suffered a heavy crash which left him lying unconscious at the side of the track. The red flag had to be shown, as an ambulance was required at the scene. The Spaniard was taken to hospital with concussion but it is believed that the rider sustained no serious injuries.

The red flag was a double-blow for the RBA team, as it had potentially cost their other rider, Gabriel Rodrigo a maiden Moto3 victory (who was demoted from 1st to 4th due to the lap-count-back rule). The Argentine has been the most improved rider this season, shaking off the unwanted title of ‘crash kid’ from last year. A regular at the sharp end during both qualifying and the races in 2017, there is no doubt that Rodrigo will start to win GPs sooner rather than later.

However, it was a truly wretched day for British Talent Team’s John McPhee. Despite qualifying on the second row in P4, a bad start off the line saw him consigned to scrap for the minor points places. The Scotsman has endured some terrible luck this season and after such a strong showing in the build up to the race, finishing in P13 will be a bitter pill to swallow.

Honorary mentions go to the two British wildcard riders – Tom Booth-Amos and Jake Archer (CityLifting RS Racing). Both riders have been running away with the Motostar series, which supports the British Superbike Championship, this year. Before Friday, neither had any first-hand Grand Prix experience, or ridden on Dunlop tyres. Across the weekend, both riders turned heads with immaculate displays. Unfortunately for Archer, his race was cut short with a technical problem 3 laps from the end. Booth-Amos however secured P21, finishing ahead of series stalwarts such as Jakub Kornfeil, Jules Danilo and Maria Herrera. It is hard to imagine that the British Grand Prix will be their last appearance in the class.

Race Result:

1: Aron Canet 35:53.028

2: Enea Bastianini + 0.063

3: Jorge Martin + 0.111

4: Gabriel Rodrigo + 0.232

5: Joan Mir + 0.455

The 2017 Moto3 World Championship resumes at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, September 8th-10th.

Report by Ed Hocknull – @EdHocknull

27th August 201727th August 2017

Rossi: ‘Good weekend… We have to do better’

Valentino Rossi celebrated his 300th premier class start with his 190th premier class podium at Silverstone on Sunday and whilst saying it was a “good weekend”, the Italian said that he and his team “have to do better” if they stand a chance of victory.

“I‘m satisfied because it was a great race for me. I was able to ride really well after a great start and I stayed in front and rode on the limit without making mistakes, so I enjoyed it a lot for 17 laps”, began the Italian – who led the majority of the British Grand Prix.

“I think this is a good way to celebrate my 300th race in MotoGP‘s premier class. There remains a bit of frustration, because I knew on the last laps I would suffer a bit with the degradation of the rear tyre, but I think this weekend we improved a lot”, he continued.

Yamaha’s main problem has been rear tyre grip in the latter stages of races, which has so far plagued them at Jerez, Catalunya and again in Austria.

“We‘re still not at the top, we have to do better if we want to try to win, but it was a good weekend”.

Valentino closes in on the championship lead, from 33 points behind to just 26, as he heads to his home race of Misano in two weeks time. Yamaha recently completed a “successful” one-day test at the circuit.

27th August 2017

Fourth Win for Dovizioso as Marquez Retires

Andrea Dovizioso has taken his fourth win of the 2017 MotoGP season in a scintillating British Grand Prix at Silverstone, which saw Cal Crutchlow finish fourth, Valentino Rossi lead for the majority of the race and Marc Marquez retire with a suspected engine failure.

Into turn one on the first lap, Valentino Rossi led and instantly pulled away from the chasing pack. Marc Marquez and Cal Crutchlow were in behind, whilst Dovi and Maverick Vinales battled it out over fourth and fifth. Jorge Lorenzo was also a fast starter, occupying sixth.

By the end of the first two laps, Rossi had a lead of over a second. Whilst Vinales was able to get to second, he was only able to close Valentino down in the final sector, with the gap hovering at around 0.8 seconds.

An early retirement was Britain’s Sam Lowes, having crashed his Gresini Racing Aprilia. The former World Supersport champion leaves MotoGP at the end of the season to join the Interwetten Moto2 team, who currently field Tom Luthi. Teammate Aleix Espargaro also retired later on.

With seven laps to go, Valentino Rossi had been virtually caught by the chasing quartet which consisted of Dovizioso, Marquez, Vinales and home-hero, Cal Crutchlow. However, approaching Stowe corner, Marc Marquez suffered a suspected engine failure as a cloud of smoke billowed from the factory Honda. A rare occasion to see a HRC machine blow up, with one other notable incident being in 1998, in World Superbikes with Aaron Slight suffering similar fate in the closing stages at Monza.

Dovizioso moved through to take the lead at Stowe with three laps to go. Rossi initially trying to fight with his fellow countryman but having to settle for 2nd. Then, later in the lap, Maverick Vinales powered ahead his 38-year-old teammate going into Brooklands.

Despite the Yamaha duo’s best efforts, they were forced to stay as they were as Ducati’s Andrea Dovizioso took his second consecutive victory, his fourth of the year. Vinales and Rossi completed the podium with Crutchlow fourth. It was Valentino Rossi’s 300th premier class start and he celebrated it with his 190th premier class podium. Dovizioso gave Ducati their 37th victory in MotoGP.

The Italian now leads the series as MotoGP heads to Ducati’s backyard at Misano, some 85 miles away from the manufacturer’s home city of Bologna. Valentino Rossi also heads home, as the nine-time champion lives just 10 miles away from the Misano circuit.

Top 5: Championship Standings after 12 races

1.) Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati, 183

2.) Marc Marquez, Honda, 174 +9

3.) Maverick Vinales, Yamaha 170 +13

4.) Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, 157 +26

5.) Dani Pedrosa, Honda, 148 +35

26th August 2017

British GP: Moto2 Preview – Tightening at the Top

The championship battle in the intermediate class has properly begun to heat up as the Grand Prix circus heads to Silverstone in Northamptonshire this weekend.

Having looked almost like running away with the championship just a few rounds ago, championship leader Franco Morbidelli has seen his lead in the standings slowly diminish to his rivals. Admittedly, the MarcVDS rider has a 26 point buffer to his chief rival, Interwetten’s Thomas Luthi but the Swiss has once again shown himself to be one of the most consistent competitors – scoring points at ten of the eleven championship rounds so far – including victory at Brno three weeks ago. How far Luthi can push Morbidelli for the title will be fascinating both this season and beyond – the pair will be team-mates next season at MarcVDS-Honda in MotoGP.

Whilst it is still mathematically possible for Morbidelli’s current team-mate, Alex Marquez to take the Moto2 crown, it is looking practically ever more unlikely. With 153 points, the Spaniard will need a miracle to overhaul the deficit. Race wins are now the priority and after Friday’s practice sessions at Silverstone, he looks set to be targeting just that – finishing the day as the fastest man in the Moto2 field. With his team-mate departing for the premier class in 2018, the time has come for Marquez to lay down a marker for next season as the man to beat on a 600cc prototype machine.

Another rider who will be targeting podiums and victories during the latter part of this season is KTM’s Miguel Oliveira. The former Moto3 winner has had a superb maiden season with Aki Ajo’s factory supported team, notching up five podium finishes so far. The team entered the class at the start of this season with the ambition of emulating their successes from the junior category and so far, they’re not doing bad. Olivera’s reputation has grown considerably this season, leading to expectations from many onlookers that the Portuguese rider will – sooner rather than later – progress to the MotoGP paddock with the Austrian team. A victory here at Silverstone would further strengthen his claim to a place in the premier class and seek to be Portugal’s greatest motorcycle racer.

As it’s the British Grand Prix, the Moto2 class is the recipient of a wildcard entrant. None other than the flamboyant British Superbike race winner, Jake Dixon, who is swapping his RAF Regular and Reserves Kawasaki machine for a ride with the Dynavolt-Intact team, alongside Sandro Cortese. His appearance means British fans now have two native riders to cheer on Sunday, with fellow compatriot (and regular Moto2 entrant) Tarran MacKenzie riding for Kiefer Racing. There is much hope for a good result from the young Brit this weekend, as he gets the chance to race at a circuit he’s already familiar with. With both riders coming from the British series, it highlights just how competitive and strong our domestic championship is.

The Moto2 race gets underway on Sunday at 14:00 UK time.

Ed Hocknull – @EdHocknull

26th August 201726th August 2017

British GP: Moto3 Preview – Home Hero McPhee set to Chase Down Mir

The historic Silverstone circuit plays host to the 12th round of a Moto3 championship that seems all but over, with Leopard Racing’s Joan Mir leading the rest of the field by 64 points. This is the highest leading margin in the lightweight class since Alvaro Bautista lead Mika Kallio by 69 points at this stage in 2006.

Barring a catastrophic final seven rounds, Mir looks to be well in control of this championship. His comfortable victory at the Red Bull Ring last time out was his seventh win in 11 races. The last rider to do something similar I hear you ask? None other than Valentino Rossi, who was victorious in nine of the first 11 rounds back in 1997.

Those stats alone shows just how impressive the 19 year-old has been this year and you’ll be kidding yourself if you think his fine form won’t continue on British soil. Last year, Mir crossed the line in ninth place at Silverstone after starting fifth. If normal service resumes, we can expect a result that consolidates his mammoth title lead this time round.

Realistically, despite a sizeable chunk of the season to go, the likes of Romano Fenati (Marinelli Rivacold Snipers Honda), Aron Canet (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and the walking wounded Jorge Martin (Del Conca Gresini Moto3) will battle it out to be best of the rest.

Second in the championship Fenati failed to keep the pressure on Mir in Austria as he came home in a disappointing 13th place, his equal worst finishing result of the season so far (his other coming at his home round, Mugello).

The Italian has a Spaniard close for company as Canet continues to impress, he crossed the line in a solid fifth position at the red Bull Ring. Canet will go well this weekend, having finished eighth last year and has since gained plenty of experience at the ripe old age of just 17. One of the paddock’s best upcoming talents, be sure to watch out for him.

The spotlight will be on Scotland’s finest John McPhee, as he and the British Talent Cup Team will look to entertain their home crowd for the first time together. The ever popular Brit will have the backing from pretty much every spectator all weekend and after a positive season, he’ll be right up there battling for the podium come race day.

Replicating his victory at Brno last season will be his aim, his only win in Moto3 to date. The experienced lightweight class rider will thrive on the home support as he goes in search of his fourth podium of the season.

A big shout out to City Lifting/RS Racing duo Thomas Booth-Amos and Jake Archer too, as they make their grand prix debuts this weekend as wildcards. Be sure to back them all weekend from the grandstands. They’ve so far dominated the British Motostar championship on their Ryan Saxelby prepared KTMs.

As usual, the Moto3 class never disappoints on race day. A gaggle of riders will be battling it out for the lead right up to Luffield and Woodcote. Will Mir extend his championship lead, or can the chasing pack claw something back? Do not miss a moment of action.

Elliott York – @journoyork

25th August 201725th August 2017

Exclusive: Steve Buckenham Interview – Danny Will Not Be Riding For Us in 2018

The owner of Morello Kawasaki, Steve Buckenham, has confirmed that Danny Buchan will not feature in the team’s plans for 2018, whether it be in Superbike or Superstock. In this exclusive interview, Buckenham talks about a possible return to Superbikes, how he rates the new Superstock 1000 format, his personal opinion on Fraser Rogers’ season and just why Danny Buchan is not part of their team next season.

With Danny Buchan in your team, you must have known you’d be competitive from the start?

Everybody assumed that Danny would come in and as the 2014 champion, do very well. We had Josh Elliott and he gave us the 2015 championship but look at him this year. Until Danny got on the bike for pre-season testing, no one really knew how he would get on. I think even from Danny’s point of view, it’s been a bit harder than what he thought. This year, we have moved on a lot and that is because of Chris Sayle who builds the bikes, Sam Palmer and Ryan who work on the bikes and Danny who rides the bike very well. We are very happy with what Danny is doing.

However, with Fraser, it is a different story. I thought he’d be doing a lot better. He’s got nowhere near his times in places where he went well last year and I personally think that is down to a little bit of pressure coming from Danny. He may not admit it, but I believe it is.

I think it is a negative to bring in a rider of such stature in Danny Buchan, as I thought Fraser would have learnt from him instead. Fraser is used to being the star kid in the team; he was number one last year. Having said it’s a negative, I’d do it all again. Fraser went to Assen and competed in the IDM last week and I said to him, “you’ll do well over there”. It’s fast and it’s flowing and he we was doing well until he was taken out. Anything that is fast and flowing, Fraser will be fast. His downfall is that he is riding the bike like it is a 600cc Supersport bike. Danny’s bike has got hardly any scrape marks on the fairing but Fraser’s has got loads, because he carries so much more lean angle. Fraser could be on full throttle and Danny could be on three quarter throttle, yet Danny is still quicker.

Have you exceeded or under achieved in relation to pre-season expectations?

With Danny, he’s done exactly what I thought Danny would do. However, as I’ve said, in Danny’s eyes, it has been a bit harder than what he thought. With Fraser, I believe that he has really under achieved. Although he has gone quicker at some tracks, like Brands Hatch, that is all I can say. He has been disappointing this year. I compare Fraser now to how Danny was when he was 21. The lad has undoubted talent and bags of it but he just needs to sit and listen and take things on board. He is probably one of the fastest riders in the paddock on his day.

There is no favouritism at all. Not in any way, shape or form. Another reason why he may be struggling is because this National Superstock 1000 championship is one of the most competitive, if not the most competitive, in the paddock.

What did you expect from Fraser in 2017?

I expected Fraser to be on the podium and I expected him to be Danny’s wingman. It is his second year with us and I would’ve expected him to be doing more than what he’s done thus far. For example, on Friday at Cadwell Park he was doing 1.29s but on Saturday he was in the 1.30s. The team has stayed the same as last year so the bottom line is that Fraser is under pressure and struggling.

What have been the main challenges this season?

The competition! 100% competition, nothing else. Bike wise, Danny was a bit unlucky at Snetterton and also at Brands Hatch, as he was running 20HP down. They ran it on the dyno and the results showed that it had lost 20HP. I won’t go into why that happened but these things happen. Danny has challenged himself in some ways. When you’re riding well, winning comes easily – like in 2014 for Danny. But this year, he has been pushed and forced to hit every apex and not to make a mistake and suddenly, the lap times don’t come quite as easy and neither does the domination.

For me, Danny had to come back into this championship and win it. There’s no guarantee that he will win it just yet either. Danny and Richard Cooper – without taking anything away from anyone else – have a big point to prove. Even though there are young, up and coming riders chasing them down, none of them are ready to move to a Superbike. Danny and Richard are still the cream of the class and they’re both under such massive pressure. I think whoever loses this championship won’t get a ride in Superbikes next season. Someone who may be over-performing further down the points table however, may get an opportunity but that is the politics of this paddock.

What do you make of the new National Superstock 1000 championship format?

I think some teams have criticised it because they may not have the budget to do it competitively. We are fortunate in the sense that I own a business and I can throw more or less anything at it. For our team, there is no budget.

My own opinion on the 50 mile back-to-back races is that it is wrong to have them. I think it should just be a Sprint Race on Saturday, followed by the Feature Race on a Sunday. I’d say that 99% of the Superstock 1000 guys would agree with me on that. Some of the teams in the championship are not set up to do the 50 miles back-to-back races. When you’ve got to refuel and change tyres in 10 minutes, even for our team, that is hard going. Everything has to fall into place to do that with some degree of success. It takes one thing to go wrong and you’ve had it.

However, whilst some people may agree with my proposed format, some people would be scared to challenge Stuart Higgs on it, as they all asked for more track time. So, Stuart would say, “you’ve got what you asked”.

What are the main differences between a Superstock bike and a Superbike?

It’s quite funny actually. I hear all these different people saying this and that about how easy it is to come off a Superbike and ride a Superstock bike – it’s absolutely rubbish. Josh Elliott, as I’ve mentioned, is a former champion but for whatever reason, he can’t find the set-up for the Tyco BMW.

Superstocks are no different when it comes to setting the bike up. We use a ride height gauge which some teams don’t use and then, they wonder why their bikes won’t steer. These bikes are probably closer to Superbikes than they’ve ever been. Our bikes have Superbike linkages. Although the swinging arm may not be a Superbike one, they’re just as long as a Superbike one. They will only allow us to run SC2s on the bike because if we ran SC1s, the likes of Danny and Richard would be mixing it with Superbike times and that’s not what the organisers want.

Fuel tanks on a Superstock bike are standard whereas when we ran the Superbikes, they were factory tanks, where they are positioned under the seat. The difference is the money involved – £2500 for a factory tank and just £500 for what we use now. The chassis is exactly the same as a Kawasaki Superbike, it is just the set up for some circuits that will alter. There’s a lot of differences such as callipers, forks, yolks and brake disks. The electronics are different too; Superbikes run Motec and we run kit. We have more electronics on our kit package than what the Motec packages have on the Superbike.

Is being in a ‘factory’ supported team necessary to win races in the Superbike class?

One thing that I don’t think that matters in BSB is having the big lorries and huge hospitality. Reason being, the McAms Yamahas aren’t performing like they should, yet we are and we haven’t got all of the big lorries and awnings. It’s the same thing for Sylvain Guintoli – he is supposed to be in a factory Suzuki team yet he’s nowhere. I take my hat off to people like Josh Brookes who just get on the bike and ride it well. Anyone who says you need factory support to win is talking like a twat quite frankly! They could have all the money in the world and all the lorries in the world but that won’t buy you knowledge to build the bike or the skill to ride a bike well, even when it isn’t set up.

So, your 2018 plans: will you be back in the Superbike class?

We might be. We are not prepared to run the Superbike if we are not able to get a proper rider on it. In 2015, our bikes were identical to Bournemouth Kawasaki in every way. We put Keith Farmer on the bike at Donington Park for a test and also for the Sunflower meeting at Bishopscourt. He turned to us and said, ‘there’s nothing wrong with the bike, it’s your riders’. We wouldn’t go in and throw money at it if we couldn’t get a proper rider on the bike. We don’t want to be making up numbers.

We had Peter Baker in 2015, who achieved everything he possibly could at club level. Peter’s dream was to have a go at Superbikes and with all the best will in the world to him, we knew that he wasn’t going to shine through in BSB. It came to a point where I had to say, ‘listen mate, you’re not quick enough’. We then put John Ingram on the bike, who got us a 12th place at Brands Hatch – our best to date. We then had Danny Johnson and Victor Cox. Danny didn’t have a fair crack at the whip if I’m totally honest. My own opinion is that the people working on Danny Johnson’s bike weren’t good enough, as they couldn’t get the balance of the bike sorted. Danny himself had a lot of potential.

For 2018, I can tell you that we have Josh Elliott testing for us in September. We are unsure whether it will be in Superbike or Superstock. I think he has gone backwards since he left us, down to the team he rides for now. If Josh was on our bike for 2017, Danny Buchan would have had an ever tougher time of things at the front.

Kevin Manfredi would be more than happy to ride for us; he was extremely happy with our bikes when he tested them and wants us to step up to the European Superstock 1000 series. He actually said that our bike is better than what he rides right now in the European Superstock.

So where does Danny Buchan fit in?

I can confirm that Danny Buchan won’t be riding for us at all next year. Not in Superstock 1000 and not in Superbikes. It’s not that we aren’t interested in bringing Danny into Superbikes but he wants to go to a team that is already established. He doesn’t want to be what would technically be a ‘development’ rider if he was to come up with us. If Fraser wants to stay, then he’ll be with us. We will have another top rider alongside him, whether that be in Superbikes or Superstock.

Thank you to Steve Buckenham for his time at Cadwell Park, as well as Chris Sayle for his technical input. We wish the team all the very best moving forwards.

Image courtesy of Gareth Davies of Full Factory Photography

25th August 201725th August 2017

Brookes: At Silverstone, The Plan is to Win Races

I caught up with Josh Brookes once more at Cadwell Park. In this latest feature with the effervescent Australian, we talk about the Suzuka 8 Hour, the plan for the remainder of 2017 and what the plan for 2018 may be? Is WSBK still an option?

You took your first win of the season at Thruxton and you’re coming strong at the right point of the year.

It’s kind of how I anticipated things to happen. We were hoping for a little bit better at Brands Hatch but we still took a step in the right direction and we could’ve had a double win, so that showed that we were going in the right direction. I anticipated an easy start into the season to get the ball rolling and get some points on the board before really going for it.

Do you feel now that the bike is working well, that you can challenge week in, week out?

I feel the bike has been strong all year and that I’ve had the package all year. That is why I signed for the team. Having all the right pieces however doesn’t necessarily mean the bike goes well every time you step on it. You have to adapt it and the set it up at each circuit you go to. It’s not perfect and there is still work that needs doing. However, as a rider and as a team, you’ll never be perfectly satisfied and you’ll always think there’s room for improvement. I think we are starting to learn the bike more and more as the season goes on and we are refining the parts that are perhaps our weak areas. As you’ve seen this weekend, Cadwell Park has been a bit of curve ball.

Are you shocked that you’ve struggled this weekend, given your past results?

I wouldn’t say “shocked” because I’ve been in racing too long to be shocked or expect every weekend to go perfectly. However, I’m surprised that the bike isn’t working better. If I was half a second off or something then that’d be better but to arrive after FP3 still struggling with basic set-up, it seems a bit of a surprise.

If you look at the general build of the bike, it is different to the 2015 Milwaukee Yamaha. I can’t reference click for click or spring for spring what set-up we used two years ago, however, I can use it as a guide to what may work. So far in 2017, the exact set-up I used two years ago isn’t achievable on this bike. One reason being the bikes don’t have the same parts and then, when you try to match it, it clearly doesn’t always work out. In some ways, 2017 is a blank canvas. Yes, I have the knowledge of the bike as does Stewart Winton, so information from 2015 is there, but like I say, it’s a totally different bike.

In comparison, the series has really come on in the year I’ve been away. I reached a point in 2015 where I was able to win most races come the end of the year and now, that lap speed and the race times aren’t going to get you near a win, or by no means anywhere near a dominant win. I’m not at all surprised by that though; I always expect riders to improve, bikes to improve, new riders to come along and teams to refine their package.

You’ve had a couple of front end crashes lately. Is this a recurring issue that needs investigating?

The first one that I had was at Knockhill, which was a surprise and quite odd as the bike was almost perfectly upright. As the crash was the first of the year, I just put it behind me and didn’t think much of it. Then, we had another front-end crash at Brands but I was in a race chasing down ‘Shakey’, so again, I just put it to the side and thought nothing of it. However, the one at Thruxton was one of the most surprising crashes of my career. It was completely unexpected and out of character. That has put a question mark on the other two accidents now; I’m starting to think back and wonder if there is something more to it. I don’t want to create an issue that isn’t there but it is definitely worth us as a team looking at a particular area of the bike to then improve it, so that the front end issue goes away.

Is there anything that you could’ve done as a rider to avoid the crashes?

I’ve run over it a number of times in my head and the only one I think that could be explainable is Brands Hatch. I tried to stay on the back of ‘Shakey’s’ rear wheel and had I not done that, maybe it would’ve been more avoidable. But, it is a race! I’d never get any good positions if I just accepted safe results and rode on the side of caution. The one at Thruxton was a complete surprise. I had enough of a gap where I could just ride conservatively and not risk too much whilst I also had to keep pushing on and not become complacent because the gap wasn’t massive either.

What is the plan for the remainder of the year?

At Silverstone, the plans is to win races. That is the only way I’m going to win a championship. If the championship isn’t destined for me this year, then so be it. I’ve got to go out and ride the races and ride as hard as I can. Whatever the points are at the end of the year, if they signify that I’m the winner then we can go out and have a few beers but if not, then we’ll make a plan for next year and come back stronger.

You and Yoshimura Suzuki went to the Suzuka 8 Hour with the expectation of a podium but it wasn’t to be.

The thing with an endurance race is that you’ve got three riders so you kind of put trust into the other guys, likewise for them putting the trust in myself. Either way, everyone can make a mistake and that’s how you have to approach a race like that. You can’t race the race on your own and you can’t do it without them. You have to accept whatever happens as a team.

I’ve done it seven times now and the goal before I retire from racing is to go on and win that event, so I’ll keep going back every year for the next ten years if I have to, in order to try and win it. You could call it a career target.

Sylvain seemed down about the result?

I think that Sylvain doesn’t like the media side of things. I don’t think that was a reference of him as a person or how he felt on the day because of the result. I don’t think he enjoyed someone coming up to him and pushing an iPhone in his face at that time. I don’t think he was interested in the piece to camera or motivated to do it. He just said ‘yeh, what Josh said’, because he wanted to get away and chill out. He probably agreed with what I said but rather than saying the same thing all over again, he just cut it down.

What are your plans for 2018 so far?

All of the conversation in general is in BSB, as WSBK isn’t a strong option; there’s very few paid rides in the series and there’s only four competitive seats. World Superbike isn’t even an interest to me at the moment because I think last year was enough to put me off that series for life! I’m talking to Tag, as it’s been a good year so far and a second year would probably be stronger. All options presented in front of me will be considered; if I get a good bike in a good team with a good salary then I will have to consider it. BSB is my focus at the moment.

WSBK is still an option, just not a strong one. I just really like riding motorbikes! Any championship where I am getting paid will be considered. As long as the racing is interesting and exciting and the pay to do it is good, then it is ‘an option’.

Image courtesy of Gareth Davies of Full Factory Photography.