Category: British Superbikes

This is it. 23 races gone, 11 rounds down but here we are, at the final round of the 2017 British Superbike championship. The season has flown past, each chapter carved into the tarmac at each circuit we’ve graced, each dramatic twist and turn of the year has shaped the championship table but still, it is far from decided. Brands Hatch beckons for one last opportunity for the championship to take another surprising turn. Three races offer the chance to add extra spice to a series that has been far from mild in 2017.

Leon Haslam comes to Brands Hatch staring down the barrel of his first British Superbike title. Haslam has had a great season, taking six wins and six other podiums throughout the year, placing him as a favourite for the championship at Brands Hatch. Haslam has taken two wins at the Brands Hatch GP round before, both of which have been the last race of the year – on an Airwaves Ducati in 2005 and 2006. The ‘Pocket Rocket’ was 3^rd and 5^th in the July meeting this year but never scored a podium in the final round last season. All Leon needs to do is finish on the podium in every race, regardless of whether or not Byrne or Brookes romp away at the front. It could be Haslam’s title to lose if race one goes his way.

There are many candidates for ‘story of the year’ in BSB but for me, the achievements of the fully privateer Anvil Hire Tag Racing Yamaha team are astonishing. Josh Brookes comes into the final round of 2017 with a chance of championship success. The Australian, who was champion in 2015, has taken two wins and six other podiums in his comeback season and will finish top Yamaha regardless of his performance this weekend – an incredible achievement on its own. Whilst Haslam may look the favourite with the points gap, ‘Brookesy’ should be considered the favourite out of the two at Brands Hatch. Nine wins for Brookes, including four on the R1 Yamaha, make him one of the most successful riders at the Kent circuit. Add on to that the fact that he has five other podiums and is the current lap record holder, you’d be mad to discount him based on points. Could the phenomenal season for Tag Racing be capped off with a championship victory?

Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne has won 17 times at the Brands Hatch GP since he rocked up in 1999, with his winning starting in 2003. Byrne has had a difficult year in 2017, failing to score points in three of the first four races and a further four DNFs since then. Five wins have seen him come to Brands Hatch 3^rd in the championship, just 1 point shy of Josh Brookes and 33 points behind Leon Haslam. At 40-years-old, Byrne is one of the oldest, yet still one of the fastest on the grid and if he were to become champion, he would be the oldest champion since the series was reformed in 1996. One thing that ‘Shakey’ has never done is – despite winning five championships – defended one successfully. In other words, he has never won back-to-back championships. Ducati in turn haven’t won back-to-back championships since 2002 and 2003 with Hislop and Byrne respectively (both of which were riding for Paul Bird) – that achievement came after Ducati won every title from 1999 until 2003. Can Byrne break records and write history?

 

Jake Dixon is the next rider along in the championship. Whilst being 54 points back of fellow Kawasaki rider Leon Haslam in the championship, Dixon can still mathematically win the championship. He needs to score four points more than Haslam on Saturday to have a chance going into Sunday’s races. The 21-year-old has been a headline maker in 2017, storming to a double victory in Scotland at Knockhill, before taking three further podiums and two pole positions. Dixon was only 11^th and 10^th on the last visit to the Brands Hatch GP round in April and because he isn’t a main title contender, the pressure is somewhat off him. It has been an outstanding achievement from Lee Hardy’s RAF Regular and Reserve Kawasaki team to make The Showdown and that is something that he can be very proud of indeed. Jake’s future is secure for 2018, staying with the outfit. More success on the horizon?

The last championship contender is Peter Hickman on the Smith’s BMW. Louth’s finest has endured a stellar season, taking a win and a podium at Thruxton and another podium at home – Cadwell Park. The gap between Hickman and Haslam is 63 points, meaning that Hicky must take 14 points off Haslam in the first race to remain in the championship chase. Although it doesn’t look like Hickman will take a surprise championship, anything can happen in British Superbikes and he may well be an interference. He is flying the flag for BMW in 2017, after they failed to get into The Showdown with the Tyco outfit as well as enduring a terrible World Superbike campaign. The German marque will be watching on in hope of Hickman to secure a top four in the championship. It is also easy to forget that Hickman has never been inside the top-6 placings before, so already it is a successful season for him. The Isle of Man TT runner-up took two-4^th places at Brands in July, as well as a win and a 3^rd last season. Hickman only has six other top-10s at Brands Hatch GP however, so there really is no guarantee of anything regarding Hickman – results-wise. It will all come down to race day.

Although he is in The Showdown, Jason O’Halloran can’t mathematically win the championship in 2017. A sensational campaign has seen the popular Aussie make the brand new Honda SP2 Fireblade work well and for that, he’s been rewarded. Three third-places have seen O’Halloran give the Honda Team its first podium across the world. He is 54 points from Josh Brookes so 2^nd place is still on, although it looks unlikely to go to the other Australian in The Showdown. O’Halloran may well be in a race for 4^th place, with that looking a likely battle in the races. Teammate Dan Linfoot will also want to get involved and help Jason where possible. Neither of the Honda riders are confirmed as staying with the team for next year, with rumours circulating that Linfoot will leave and that Jason is unhappy. Time will tell on the outcome of next year’s rider line-up.

Outside of The Showdown, the Rider’s Cup is still up for grabs. 8 riders can still take 7^th place, from Christian Iddon to Glenn Irwin. However, it looks likely to go to either Iddon, James Ellison or Luke Mossey, who are all covered by just 7 points. They could all be winners themselves. There is a lot of room for upset in the races, with Dan Linfoot looking good, Bradley Ray coming stronger and Glenn Irwin slowly getting nearer to the front. Sylvain Guintoli may look to carry his momentum from Assen to Brands Hatch, to show everyone that the Suzuki is a regular race winner. Don’t discount John Hopkins either; the American has gone well at Brands Hatch before.

It may also be worth noting that Taylor Mackenzie and Billy McConnell are both absent this weekend. Mackenzie is expected to be replaced by Richard Cooper and it is confirmed that Kyle Ryde will make his BSB debut at FS-3 Kawasaki.

Whatever happens at Brands Hatch, we will leave the gates on Sunday evening (or Monday morning, depending on the extent of the hangover) knowing who the 2017 MCE Insurance British Superbike champion will be. Could we see Leon Haslam finally take the ultimate prize in British motorcycle racing? Will Josh Brookes give Tag Racing a historic and phenomenal title? Is it going to be the wily old fox, Shane Byrne, who takes a 6^th title, his 2^nd consecutive title victory. Maybe we will see an upset from Dixon or Hickman. Everything will become clearer come Sunday afternoon.

All images by: Peter Backhurst

There was a lot to draw out of the BSB round at Assen over the weekend. Although I could’ve spent all week analysing each result, that would be tedious and probably boring for you to read. Here are some of my top observations across the weekend. This is What We Learnt.

The Suzuki is coming good at a good point

Sylvain Guintoli took Suzuki’s first British Superbike race win in three years. The last time a Suzuki won was in the hands of Josh Waters in tricky conditions, at Brands Hatch. A new swing-arm for this weekend has proved to be beneficial and that, coinciding with Guintoli’s stunning history at Assen, has taken the new GSX-R Suzuki to its first win on Pirelli tyres. It is amazing how one part can make so much difference. Whether or not Guintoli can be as competitive at Brands Hatch is yet to be discovered but we finally know that the Suzuki can win races. Watch this space for 2018 – even if Guintoli may not be there.

Leon Haslam’s consistency is beginning to get worrying

A win and a third for Leon Haslam meant that he extended his lead in the championship, up to 32 points. Despite not finishing any races at Silverstone, the ‘Pocket Rocket’ has looked the most threatening rider in the field. In the last six races he has finished, Haslam has been on the podium in all of them. Had he finished races at Silverstone, then we could’ve been talking about Leon Haslam looking absolutely on the money for his first ever BSB title. Then again, he isn’t far off now. He could mathematically win the championship in race one at Brands Hatch – then again, he could also be closed right in. It is anyone’s title.

Bradley Ray really is the business

Lydd’s Bradley Ray took yet another double top-ten this weekend. In a sensational rookie year, Ray has already taken a podium and started from the front row, however, his results have been brilliant all season too. A 6^th in race one whilst running with the leaders and a 10^th in race two after suffering a duff tyre, are more-than good results. He extends his run of point-scoring rides to nine now, of which the last seven have been in the top ten. The sun is shining on young Ray.

Status Quo sees no Movin’ On

Many riders have already confirmed their intentions for the 2018 British Superbike season. The Paul Bird Motorsport Ducati team have confirmed Shane Byrne and Glenn Irwin for next season and just before Assen, Pete Extance’s JG Speedfit Bournemouth Kawasaki team announced they would retain the services of Leon Haslam and Luke Mossey. Jake Dixon was also confirmed to remain at RAF Regular and Reserve Kawasaki, run by Lee Hardy. During the Assen weekend, Christian Iddon was confirmed at Tyco BMW for another year. All this movement almost ends speculation about a complete change at Honda Racing UK, although Anvil Yamaha and McAMS Yamaha are still keeping quiet.

My own opinion suggests that the reason some riders are announcing their plans is because they are staying where they are. This means a simple re-signing causes less potential upset than signing a new rider for next season, especially with the season still live. The ones that we await news on suggests to me that at least one change will come in the remaining teams. Whether or not Andy Reid will stay at Tyco is unclear, due to his injury. Rumour has it that he has signed but the recovery period for his broken leg is vague.

A step up may not be so easy after all

We saw three National Superstock 1000 riders step up to BSB this weekend. Danny Buchan and Josh Elliott were replacement riders at FS-3 Kawasaki and Tyco BMW respectively, whereas Richard Cooper was a wildcard in the Hawk Racing Bennett’s Suzuki outfit.

Buchan crashed in race one and didn’t make it out for race two – the Basildon Bullet endured a tricky weekend with mechanical gremlins prior to race-day. This means that the FS-3 Kawasaki team haven’t scored a point since Snetterton, way back at the start of July.

Josh Elliott suffered on race day, after a stellar qualifying placed him 7^th. He finished 19 in race one, after being sat up early on. In race two, he finished last, just shy of 45 seconds off the pace. Elliott looks almost certain to re-join Steve Buckenham’s Morello Kawasaki team next season, in a bid to take his 2^nd National Superstock 1000 title.

Richard Cooper was more successful, finishing 13^th in race one and 11^th in race two. Cooper, racing in a splendid retro Suzuki livery, showed signs that he may have a lot of confidence – especially after his successful 2^nd half of the year, in which he has kept Danny Buchan honest. Maybe his results over the weekend have given him confidence and therefore, some psychological advantage going into the last round at Brands. It should be a great season finale in the National Superstock 1000 class.

Shaun Winfield is one tough b*****d

Finally, Shaun Winfield gets my effort of the day. A massive accident on Friday left Swadlincote’s finest in a lot of pain for the rest of the weekend. Despite being lapped in race one, Winfield set a fastest lap of 1.42.642, not shabby at all considering he was being taken for a precautionary x-ray to his chest and left middle finger on Friday. Without doubt a stellar job, even if he didn’t finish race two. Well done.

Image by: Suzuki GB

Sylvain Guintoli said that his first BSB win of the season “means a lot”, having narrowly missed out on tasting the champagne in race one. He took his first win and the Bennett’s Suzuki Team’s first win of the season – Suzuki’s first in British Superbikes since Josh Waters in 2014.

“It means a lot, this first victory. I felt good right away this weekend. We’ve improved the bike a lot in recent rounds and also in the wet too, which is somewhere we’ve struggled before”, began former World Superbike champ Guintoli, joining a list of a select few that have won both BSB and WSBK races.

‘Guinters’ at one stage in the 2nd race was lapping over a second quicker than leading duo Shane Byrne and James Ellison, who escaped early on. It is the new Suzuki’s first win in a Superbike class on Pirelli tyres too.

“In the dry, we’ve really improved. We worked step-by-step. We’re also running a different swingarm now and we were able to have two good races. I enjoyed them both a lot. There was lots of fighting and people diving underneath each other; I’d never seen some of the types of passing we saw today”, stated a remarkable Sylvain, who demonstrated throughout the weekend that he and his Suzuki are coming on leaps and bounds.

A frantic battle that at one point saw four of the five leading riders go side-by-side, working in the Frenchman’s favour. He was able to lead and break away from his pursuers, building up a gap of over a second entering the last lap.

Assen is a place that already held special memories for Sylvain. He took his first – and so far only – Grand Prix podium there in 2003 in a wet 250cc race, which was won by Anthony West. He also took his first ever World Superbike victory at the track too, in 2012, riding a privateer Ducati.

“It was all safe and a lot of fun. We were unlucky to miss the podium in race one but in race two I felt really strong. I took it easy at the start, just to try and save a bit of tyre but then we were able to attack and get the win. We knew we had to develop the bike this year but sometimes people want things right away. It wasn’t going to happen in a championship this competitive but we’re making steps and this shows that the bike is improving”, concluded Guintoli, who has silenced his critics with a masterclass of tactical racing in the 2nd outing today.

Guintoli is now 13th in the championship, equal on points with John Hopkins on 122 points and just four points back from top Suzuki rider, Bradley Ray. Sylvain is 25 points behind a top 10 place, currently occupied by Dan Linfoot, on a 147 points.

Image by: Suzuki Racing

Sylvain Guintoli became the 10th winner of the 2017 British Superbike championship, seeing off challenges from Brookes, Haslam, Ellison and Byrne to take the new Suzuki to it’s first race win in the United Kingdom in Superbike spec.

Despite a good start, Byrne was 2nd going into turn one, with James Ellison taking the lead momentarily. Byrne fought back into turn two and held the lead for several laps. In 3rd, Leon Haslam was ahead of Guintoli and Brookes, whilst Jake Dixon was up to 6th with Peter Hickman in behind.

Byrne and Ellison soon pulled away and at one stage, it looked like it was going to be a head-to-head dual between the two veterans of BSB. Both riders were in the 1 minute 36 second bracket, whilst the chasing trio of Haslam, Brookes and Guintoli were in 1 minute 37 second times.

Guintoli broke free from Haslam and Brookes and rapidly set off after the leading duo out front. In the process, he set a lap time that was fractionally outside of Byrne’s best lap, even though it was a over a second quicker than the leaders on that particular circulation. Guintoli looked like his old self as he ghosted up to the rear wheel of ‘Shakey’ and Ellison. The three passed each other several times, slowing the pace.

However, whilst the leading three battled, it allowed Haslam and Brookes to also close back in and soon, we had a 10-wheeler. Out of the leading five, it looked like Australian Brookes was struggling more than others, just a few bike lengths more off the back of the group. However, it was all set to change.

A bad chicane exit from the-now leader Guintoli gave Haslam, Byrne and Ellison a chance down into the first turn. Four abreast, Haslam and Byrne messed turn one up completely and ran well off track, gifting the lead back to Ellison and Guintoli – who both did well to avoid a sideways ‘Pocket Rocket’. Josh Brookes was now third.

Just two laps from the end, James Ellison had a moment whilst in 2nd place. His McAMS Yamaha sat up at the Struben hairpin, hindering those behind him and allowing Sylvain Guintoli to race away. Ellison held off a challenge from Haslam, making it more and more difficult to imagine anyone else but Guintoli taking a 25-point haulage for the first time this season.

Guintoli had broken clear and had over a second advantage onto the last lap. Into Ruskenhoek, Brookes put a show-stopping move on Haslam – a vital pass in the championship which meant Josh closes in on the ex WSBK race winner. Ellison and Byrne were out of the competition, just too far away from realistically launching any pass on those ahead.

Sylvain Guintoli kept a cool head and rode a faultless final lap, taking the new Suzuki to it’s first ever race win in the UK in a Superbike race. Brookes held off Haslam, both finishing 2nd and 3rd respectively. James Ellison finished 4th, whilst a disconsolate Shane Byrne could only manage 5th, despite starting from pole and setting the fastest lap of the race. Hickman, Dixon, Iddon, Linfoot and Ray completed the top 10.

Haslam maintains his lead in the title, with a 32-point advantage over Josh Brookes, with Shane Byrne a further point back of his rivals. Overall, Leon Haslam made up 10 points on both Josh Brookes and Shane Byrne, meaning he can now finish 3rd in every race at Brands Hatch to become champion. Jake Dixon is next up, 54 points behind Haslam – meaning he must beat Haslam by 4 points in race one at Brands Hatch to stand any mathematical chance of title success. Peter Hickman is 5th and 63 points back, meaning he needs 13 points more than Haslam to keep his title hopes alive. 6th is Jason O’Halloran, who can’t now mathematically win the championship, being 86 points adrift.

The race did not consist of Danny Buchan, who wasn’t entered into the race after a race one tumble.

Image by: Suzuki GB

Leon Haslam took a thrilling British Superbike race victory in the first outing at Assen. The ‘Pocket Rocket’ saw off a challenge from Shane Byrne, James Ellison, Sylvain Guintoli, Josh Brookes and youngster Bradley Ray to extend his lead at the top of the championship table to 28 points.

Off the line, it was initially pole-sitter James Ellison who got the jump. Ellison pushed hard early on, using the harder SC1 compound tyre to his advantage. The McAMS Yamaha rider was quickly caught by the chasing pack, which at the time consisted of Haslam, Dan Linfoot, Bradley Ray, Christian Iddon, Sylvain Guintoli and John Hopkins.

During the race however, the cream came to the top as Shane Byrne and Josh Brookes charged through the field from 16th and 11th respectively. Whilst ‘Shakey’ caught the leaders fairly swiftly, Brookes wasn’t able to make an immediate impression, as he sat around 1.5s off the pace. Bradley Ray drifted off the leaders and was being caught by Anvil Yamaha’s Josh Brookes.

The gap between Brookes and Ray and the leaders began to shrink however, as the battling quartet out front tripped over each other. Haslam and Ellison swapped positions for the lead, allowing Guintoli to take advantage, whilst Byrne sat in 4th. Guintoli tried a move at the final chicane, running in deep before blocking off the three riders behind him. As they went four abreast down the straight, Byrne was a big beneficiary and moved to 2nd.

However, it was Josh Brookes and Bradley Ray who took the most advantage of the squabbling and closed right up to the rear of the leaders. Soon, it went from an eight-wheeler to a twelve-wheeler, as Bradley Ray had also latched onto the rear of the five ahead of him.

With just a handful of laps to go, Haslam hit the front and stayed there until the end, taking his third consecutive win – both in 2017 and at Assen, having done the double at the circuit in 2016. Shane Byrne took advantage of a hectic final lap to pip James Ellison to 2nd. Ellison himself beat Sylvain Guintoli on a mad dash to the line, with Brookes and Ray coming home 5th and 6th. Jake Dixon was 7th ahead of Peter Hickman – who came from 19th on the grid on his Smith’s BMW. American John Hopkins was 9th ahead of Jason O’Halloran in 10th. O’Halloran remains sixth in the championship, a colossal 73 points back of Haslam, making it virtually impossible to take the championship title now.

Just one second covered 2nd to 6th, whilst under three seconds covered the whole top six. Haslam did however beat Byrne by nearly two seconds, although ‘Shakey’ starts race two on pole.

Out of the National Superstock 1000 wildcard riders, Richard Cooper was 13th, with Josh Elliott in 19th. FS3 Kawasaki’s replacement rider, National Superstock 1000 series leader Danny Buchan, crashed out at turn three, with 11 laps to go.

Image by: Peter Backhurst

Back at Oulton Park, I caught up with FS-3 Quattro Plant Kawasaki team owner, Nigel Snook. Snook, who has a previous career in business, understands what it takes to become successful and he hopes to translate that to BSB. In this exclusive interview, Snook talks about his BSB life so far, his 2018 plans and his thoughts on National Superstock 1000 rider, James Rispoli.

How have you found your British Superbike experience so far?

I think it’s been what you might call a ‘difficult second season’. We had a charmed start in 2016, as we bought the ex PBM/Shane Byrne Kawasaki that ‘Shakey’ had finished second on in 2015, so we had ready-to-go bikes. We had five guys who had a wealth of experience between them, a couple of vans and we basically got on with it from there. Our rider, Billy McConnell, had a few decent results, including a fourth place at Snetterton. Overall, we probably exceed ours and other peoples’ expectations.

Over the winter, we upgraded the bikes to the 2017/18 spec ZX-10RR with a lot of support from Kawasaki. We had engine work done by Frank Wrathall Developments, who used to work on the Paul Bird Kawasakis and we continued to use the special swinging arm and low, centre of gravity fuel tank that PBM had developed.

The engine in the bike is now a monster and our data engineer spends most of his time turning it down. That has been quite a challenge for Billy to master; he is a really good 600cc Supersport rider but unfortunately, he has had a few prangs. This culminated in him having a major off at Thruxton, which caused him and the bike a lot of damage. As a result, Luke Stapleford deputised for Billy at Silverstone and although he didn’t race he was able to confirm to the team that we have got a very good bike. A number of riders have been in touch with us about riding the bike for next season and Kawasaki are very willing to support us.

As much as it’s been difficult, you guys have made some progress though, haven’t you?

We have made progress. We have bought a transporter, the hospitality unit that we are standing in right now and of course, the new bikes so we have made a big investment – in staff, facilities, branding, image and so on. Now what we need to do is pop the cherry on the top and – without being disrespectful to Billy or James Rispoli, our Superstock 1000 rider, – we need to take it to the next level for next season. Watch this space in 2018!

Are you therefore looking at a Showdown position for next season?

That would be very nice, however, we need to remain realistic. We need to be regularly getting into Superpole, troubling the top six and showing consistency. There are riders who have been both race winners and crashers this season who were only confirmed in the Showdown at the previous meeting at Silverstone. What we really need is a positive, professional building season in 2018 where we can establish ourselves as serious contenders.

On the topic of rider selection, who is in the running for 2018?

Well, we can’t name names but there are plenty of people that have started saying hello to me! The rumour machine is well and truly flat out too. We have a close relationship with Kawasaki and they have riders who they have supported for many seasons too. So you won’t be surprised to hear that Kawasaki are suggesting names. Stuart Higgs also likes to suggest names. However, they are all spending my money so at the end of the day, I’ll decide who it is! Hopefully, on the other side of Assen, things will become clearer.

There is one rumour doing the rounds about Danny Buchan riding for you next season. Is there any truth to that?

You’re quite right – that is a rumour that has been floating around and quite honestly, I can see where that rumour would come from. Kawasaki have supported Danny for many years and he has been with them for a long time. In 2015, he had a go on the BeWiser Kawasaki and whilst he had a few crashes – which some people seem to remember more than his results, including podiums. Sadly, that team folded and he then had a ride on the MotoRapido Ducati which is night and day different from a Kawasaki and it didn’t quite work out.

For this season, he has come back to the National Superstock 1000 championship and whilst he is not quite storming it, he has been very successful. He and Richard Cooper are having a real dual. Obviously, Kawasaki are keen to see him win the championship and see him promoted to a Superbike. The Superstock series has been significantly upgraded this season as we know, with extra races and longer races. Therefore, with the investment in the championship, the organisers would clearly want the winner to graduate.

Have you enjoyed your British Superbike experience thus far?

Most days I do enjoy it! Some other days, I have to take myself for a long walk around the paddock – especially when I have to contemplate repair bills. However, having said that, there is as much regret at the missed opportunities as there is contemplation of the repair bill.

How would you sum up James Rispoli, your National Superstock 1000 rider?

James is another classic 600cc rider; he won both his titles in The States on a 600cc bike and had success at Team Traction Control too. Riding style has to be adapted for a big bike. James is very hard on the brakes into corners and comes out of the corners very hard on the power too. On a Supersport bike, you’re used to coming out of a corner and thinking, ‘well where is the power’ but on a 1000cc Superstock bike it will just chuck you off.

James is very talented, he’s very brave and just needs to refine his riding style so he can go to the next level on the big bikes. I think that, quite truthfully, we are a bit disappointed for James; we thought that maybe he would be able to make more of an impression towards the front but boy, that class is a tough one! James is a very good ambassador for the team but as you know, it is a results game and so far he’s only managed a couple of fifth places.

Explain your role within the CoolFab Minibike championship.

It was a coincidence really. My professional life has involved me in leading significant organisations in the area of vocational education and training, so I’ve always been involved with skills development. So I suppose I’ve got a built-in interest to see people get on.

Crispin Vittoria came up to me at the MCN Live show in London and introduced himself. He mentioned he was buying the old Bournemouth Kawasaki hospitality unit and then asked me if I would be interested in using it for BSB rounds. To cut a long story short, his sponsor dropped out and I stepped in to buy it, on the condition that Crispin would run it for me at BSB rounds. In return, that meant he could have it for free at Cool Fab rounds. It was more a marriage of convenience than a business deal – the team got to support Cool Fab and we had the benefit of having our own hospitality facility at BSB rounds.

I turned up to the first Cool Fab round at Llandow and was so taken by the talent on display. I met Alan and Adam Cook, the father of James and Max and could see there were some really talented lads there. Adam has been running the hospitality unit so I got to know him well and have followed Max’s progress in the Moto3 championship and was delighted when he won the championship ay Oulton Park. The Quattro Plant FS-3 team has been giving Max some support so we were delighted when he was also selected for the The British Talent Cup selection day at Silverstone has been one of the highlights of my year – a great day.

Max is just one example but what’s not to like about youngsters enjoying themselves and pursuing their dreams? Even if they don’t make it big, the skills and the disciplines are transferable to all walks of life. I will enjoy watching Cool Fab go from strength to strength.

Image by: Peter Backhurst

The penultimate round of the 2017 MCE British Superbike Championship beckons and this weekend, it comes from Assen, just outside of Groningen in the north of The Netherlands. The circuit – which was added to the championship back in 2012 – hosted two phenomenal races in 2016, both of which were won by former WSBK Superstar, Leon Haslam – who will be looking to do the same again this year, especially after a new deal was announced on Wednesday, to remain in his current team. Out to stop him in his tracks however are Josh Brookes and Shane Byrne. Both Brookes and Byrne have won around Assen and will use their own knowledge of racing at world level to combat Haslam in the races. You can’t discount the other showdown contenders either, with Jake Dixon having had podiums in the Supersport category in 2015. Peter Hickman and Jason O’Halloran need a strong showing here to be in with any realistic chance of championship glory at Brands Hatch.

Leon Haslam leads the championship coming into Assen. This is the first time he has led the championship since he last left Oulton Park, back in May. For the last three seasons, whoever has left the 11th round of the championship in the lead has gone on to win it at Brands Hatch. With Haslam boasting a 22-point advantage over Josh Brookes, that is a daunting statistic for the opposition. On top of that, Haslam won both races at Assen last season and has three World Superbike podiums to his name at the circuit. However, despite his success at the ‘Cathedral of Speed’, we shouldn’t write off anyone else from matching him or beating him, especially Josh Brookes.

Josh Brookes was a World Superbike race leader at Assen in 2016, showcasing his talents on an ill-handling Milwaukee BMW in wet weather. Brookes has three British Superbike wins at the circuit,  one other podium and has finished in the top four in every BSB race he has finished in at Assen. Brookes has however had three DNFs at the track but that won’t phase the Aussie, who is hunting for his 2nd British Superbike championship, looking to become the only Australian to be a double-BSB champion. Of all the riders on the grid, the 34-year-old has won the most races at the track (3), which sets the stage for a titanic head-to-head scrap with Haslam.

Shane Byrne currently sits in the bronze medallist position in the standings, with just one point separating him from arch-rival Josh Brookes. Byrne has had two wins at the circuit but has only had two podiums at Assen between his last win and 2017 – both of which were 2nd place finishes last season. A Ducati has never won at Assen in BSB, so that will be another record that ‘Shakey’ will want to set straight whilst in The Netherlands. Byrne has just five wins to his name – his lowest tally of wins prior to the 11th round of the championship since 2012 – which he eventually won. Could the 40-year-old turn statistics upside down?

Jake Dixon will be tackling the TT Circuit Assen for the first time on a Superbike. Having sustained hip injuries at Oulton Park last year, he missed this round, so he is effectively in the identical situation to Bradley Ray. Dixon has shone at Assen in the past, with two podiums in 2015. Dixon has already shown that this year, he can turn up to a circuit and re-invent himself as a rider and be competitive from the start. Kawasaki won both races as a manufacturer last season, so the bike is a proven winner. It all depends on how quickly young Dixon can adapt. Then again, that is not to say ‘discount him’. He is just 30 points off Leon Haslam’s series lead and that may well come down a few points if Jake can take on the established trio at the front of the field.

Peter Hickman hasn’t had a podium since race two at Cadwell Park but he has scored points in all but one race so far this season. The Smith’s BMW ace will be hoping that he extends his consistency on the other side of the North Sea, at Assen – a circuit where he has just two top-tens and a best finish of 7th, back in 2013. BMW have never won a race at Assen in BSB, although Hickman will be hoping to change that on Sunday. If results don’t go Hicky’s way, then it could be all over for him by the time we get to Brands Hatch, two weeks later.

Jason O’Halloran comes to Assen as the last rider in the Showdown, in sixth place. Back in 2013, O’Halloran scored two podiums for Honda in the British Supersport category and in 2016 – the next time he raced at Assen, he was 5th and 3rd, setting the fastest lap in race one and starting from pole in race two. Assen has to be treated as a turning point in the Showdown for O’Halloran, who trails series leader Haslam by 54 points. It could all be over by Brands if things don’t work out in Jason’s favour this weekend but to make it to the Showdown with a new bike is an achievement in itself – one that a lot of pundits did not expect.

Whatever happens this weekend at Assen, it is sure to set us up with a thrilling climax to the year at Brands Hatch two weeks later. Throw into the mix the likes of Christian Iddon, Luke Mossey, Bradley Ray and the McAMS Yamaha pairing of James Ellison and Michael Laverty and you have a big opportunity for potential upset – not to mention the in-form Dan Linfoot.

Thanks to Pete Backhurst for the image.

Josh Brookes has stated that he and his Anvil Hire Tag Racing Yamaha outfit “should be winning races” this weekend, ahead of Assen in the Netherlands. It is the penultimate round of the season, with Brands Hatch being the Grand Finale two weeks after.

The former BSB champion started by saying, “Every round of the Championship is equally as important, most people try to push you to say something different but it reality is, it’s the same environment that I’m going into”, seemingly not feeling pressure ahead of this weekend.

“How I felt about the Championship at round one is the same now. I want to win it, I want to do the best job I can and I hope the team can work perfectly together and make the results that we need, so we can at least feel satisfied that we gave it our best”.

The 34-year-old continued, saying, “At the last round, I felt I gave it all I could but the results didn’t reflect what we were all capable of. But looking forward, if we do everything the best we can, and I’m riding as good as I can, then we should be winning races”.

Josh is the most successful BSB rider at Assen, with three wins and a podium finish. He also led the World Superbike race in the wet last year.

“I like Assen, it’s special for the British Championship because we get to go overseas and although many British fans head over, you also get a lot of Dutch fans and they are passionate for their motorsport, and the people there create a good atmosphere for racing”.

“I can’t control the points gap to me and Leon, I can only control what I do. Of course, I want to make a great weekend and if I’m winning races that will make it special and memorable. The focus for me is to try and conduct myself the best way I can, ride every session as strong as I can to give the team the best feedback so we can improve the bike if it needs it.”

A double win for Brookes would take the gap down to a maximum of 12 points, depending where Haslam finishes in relation to that. Brookes, Haslam and Shane Byrne have the most wins at the track, meaning we could be in for a three-way scrap on Sunday.

Image by Peter Backhurst

The JG Speedfit Bournemouth Kawasaki outfit will remain the same for 2018, with current championship leader Leon Haslam and BSB race-winner Luke Mossey staying for another season. Despite rumours that Leon Haslam would go to WSBK with Pucetti Kawasaki and that Jason O’Halloran was to replace him, the team will remain unchanged. This means it will be the 2^nd consecutive season that ‘Pocket Rocket’ Leon Haslam will ride for the team and the fourth consecutive year that Luke Mossey rides for Pete Extance’s outfit.

Despite the initial goal being to have both Kawasaki riders in the Showdown in 2017, Pete Extance told ThePitCrewOnline that ‘Skywalker’ Mossey had “done enough” to retain a place in the team, saying that “he has demonstrated enough to show that he can get into the Showdown”. Haslam was speculated to return to World Superbikes with Pucetti Racing from May this season but that deal has reportedly already gone to Sylvain Guintoli.

Both riders have endured an injury hit 2017, with both suffering vertebrae injuries. Leon Haslam also picked up a fractured skull in his accident at Knockhill, Scotland.

Haslam and Mossey have just five wins between them in 2017 compared to the official team of GB Moto Kawasaki in 2016, who had achieved eight by the same point last year and had finished with a total of 10. However, the 2017 season is much closer and there has been a larger spread of winners – a total of nine prior to round 11.

The JG Speedfit Bournemouth Kawasaki will now head to Assen in The Netherlands, as Leon Haslam pursues a repeat performance of last season – as he achieved a double victory.

Images by Peter Backhurst