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andyk3
Site Founder
Joined: 15 Dec 2005
Posts: 21572
Location: Widower to a Nintendo DS
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 Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 2:35 pm Post subject: BSB Thruxton |
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Improving times for Rizla Suzuki
RIZLA SUZUKI’S Tom Sykes and Atsushi Watanabe got their team’s home round off to a good start today during free practice for the second round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Thruxton in Hampshire, finishing in fifth and 19th places respectively.
Sykes improved his lap times by 0.8secs between free practice one and two, while his team-mate Watanabe knocked an impressive 1.4secs off his time as he got to grips with the fastest track on the calendar
“We are just refining my Rizla Suzuki’s set-up now,” explained a confident Sykes. “We have a good direction to go in, however, there are two - three corners where I’m not so strong. Once we get to the bottom of that I will be able to push harder. I’m fast in the first sector so we need to concentrate on the second sector, we will find the cure and be up there for sure.”
The high speed 2.4 mile track is a new challenge for two times Japanese Superbike Champion Watanabe. He said: “I am still learning, circuit is very, very fast but lay-out is easy. It has different feeling to Brands Hatch and is very bumpy. My lap time improve but my result not improve, I’m not so happy with this. I get my fastest lap early in the session, then I try new tyre and think I should go faster but I didn’t improve. It is very wide and fast track, there are lots of lines, I need to find Atsushi line.”
Team Manager Jack Valentine was happy with how free practice went. He said: “We were working on tyre duration and we have further improvements to make so I know we can step up. I’m pleased with how Atsushi has dropped his times as he is in at the deep end again learning a new circuit. I’ve looked at our lap times we are definitely in contention with the front runners and our Rizla Suzukis are up there on top speed too. I’m looking forward to tomorrow; I just hope it stays dry for qualifying. We have had two good sessions today and I know we have a good race set-up I’m confident we will improve.”
The fastest time was set by Honda’s Cal Crutchlow with a time of 1min15.071secs. Third free practice takes place tomorrow at 1025 followed by one 50-minute qualifying session at 1415. The Superbike racing starts at 1300 on Sunday, 20th April, and will be shown live on Eurosport from 1230, with a highlights programme broadcast on Channel 4 at 0110 on Tuesday 22nd April.
Practice Times:
1: Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 1:15.071
2: Leon Haslam (Honda) +0.581
3: Karl Harris (Yamaha) +0.721
4: Shane Byrne (Ducati) +0.899
5: TOM SYKES RIZLA SUZUKI +1.040
6: Michael Rutter (Ducati) +1.081
7: Stuart Easton (Kawasaki) +1.619
8: Simon Andrews (Yamaha) +1.900
9: John Laverty C (Ducati) +2.112
10: Michael Laverty (Suzuki) +2.132
19: ATSUSHI WATANABE RIZLA SUZUKI +3.172 |
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Libs
trackday god
Joined: 18 Aug 2006
Posts: 1599
Location: NOT at work
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| Posted: Fri Apr 18, 2008 9:00 pm Post subject: |
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| bring it on were going up sunday!!! |
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andyk3
Site Founder
Joined: 15 Dec 2005
Posts: 21572
Location: Widower to a Nintendo DS
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| Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2008 5:13 pm Post subject: |
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Tough Thruxton qualifying for Rizla Suzuki
THE Rizla Suzuki team had a dramatic qualifying session today at Thruxton in Hampshire for round two of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, with Atsushi Watanabe finishing in 11th and Tom Sykes in 12th.
Wet and blustery weather made conditions difficult on the 2.4 mile high speed track, but the Rizla Suzuki racers worked steadily at reducing their lap times throughout free practice.
During the damp 50-minute qualifying session Sykes crashed at Noble corner without injury. “The session started out OK but I decided to try a harder rear tyre which didn’t feel great,” explained Sykes. “I got a clear run out to the back of the circuit and was in fourth gear when the rear let go. It took up a lot of the session trying to get back out again on my number two machine.
“The third row of the grid is not where I had expected to be but it is a long race and I’m going out there tomorrow to bag as many points as possible," he concluded.
Atsushi worked hard learning the high speed circuit and was aiming for a top 10 qualifying. He said: “This is my first time on Pirelli tyres in wet conditions and on UK circuit in rain. I wanted better position but on my last try for fast lap there were many slow riders. Lots of different conditions on track too, some drying lines and some wet lines. I’m still learning but I think I can go faster tomorrow.”
Jack Valentine, Team Manager commented: “I had a chat with Atsushi after free practice and we agreed he was aiming for a top 10 so I’m really pleased that he was moving up the order and qualified 11th. He is still adapting to the faster parts of the track but on the slower sections he is able to stick with the BSB regulars.
“As for Tom he was in contention for the front row of the grid until he tried a harder rear and that is when the bike came round on him, he high sided losing a lot of time. He went back out on his second bike but by the time he got up to speed he had a lot of traffic to contend with. A good start tomorrow and I’m confident he can still run at the front.”
Pole position was set by Ducati’s Shane Byrne with a time of 1min19.704secs. The race action kicks off tomorrow at 1300 followed by race two at 1530. This will be the first British Superbike race of 2008 since round one of the championship at Brands Hatch was cancelled due to heavy snow. The racing and will be shown live on Eurosport from 1230, with a highlights programme broadcast on Channel 4 at 0110 on Tuesday 22nd April.
Qualifying Results:
1: Shane Byrne (Ducati) 1:19.704
2: Leon Haslam (Honda) +0.168
3: Michael Rutter (Ducati) +0.245
4: Cal Crutchlow (Honda) +0.322
5: Karl Harris (Yamaha) +0.668
6: Leon Camier (Ducati) +0.787
7: Adam Jenkinson (Honda) +1.138
8: Michael Laverty (Suzuki) +1.154
9: John Laverty (Ducati) +1.501
10: Sean Emmett (Yamaha) +1.652
11: ATSUSHI WATANABE (RIZLA SUZUKI) +1.674
12: TOM SYKES (RIZLA SUZUKI) +1.694 |
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fletchos
wheelie God
Joined: 12 Jan 2008
Posts: 406
Location: Calne , Wiltshire
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| Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 3:12 pm Post subject: |
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Bloody hell i hope Karl Harris is ok.... that could of been so so bad  |
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Hants_Loz
Fire Jumpin Mo fcuker
Joined: 05 Apr 2006
Posts: 854
Location: basingstoke
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| Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 4:05 pm Post subject: |
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Just got home, haven't seen the Harris crash yet as I was in the gradstand by the chicane, we had a nasty little accident during the Superstock race. I have taped the racing to watch later so will check it out then but I believe noone was seriously hurt today. I saw the air ambulance arrive but it never left, can't be a bad sign surely.
Quite a nice day, sun came out but stuck in the shade in the Grandstand I was freezing towards the end. |
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jase147
Vip Member
Joined: 20 Dec 2005
Posts: 3779
Location: here browsing
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| Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 7:06 pm Post subject: |
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he's tough that harris bloke dam near destroyed a rizzla suzuki with his head
looked horrific on tele poor fella had no luck in either race
i dont know how dennis hobbs got away with just a dislocated shoulder in the superstocks race
good days racing nice to see rutter back to his best , and great to see so many new names in the top 10 can only be a good thing |
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andyk3
Site Founder
Joined: 15 Dec 2005
Posts: 21572
Location: Widower to a Nintendo DS
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| Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 8:19 pm Post subject: |
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Sykes battles through the pain barrier at Thruxton
RIZLA SUZUKI’S Tom Sykes, riding with a hand injury, got his Bennetts British Superbike Championship off to a solid start today at Thruxton in Hampshire scoring a sixth place in race one and an eighth in race two.
The gritty Huddersfield rider severely bruised his left thumb in a qualifying crash yesterday and had to ride through the pain barrier in race one, coming home in a strong sixth place after starting from 12th on grid. In the second race he clashed with Leon Haslam (Honda) while running in fourth place. This caused a red flag as bike debris was removed from the track. He made the restart and after leading early on he eventually finished eighth.
Rizla Suzuki’s two times Japanese Superbike Champion, Atsushi Watanabe finished race one in 17th and race two in 14th. This was his first ever race in the UK and proved a steep learning curve as he got to grips with the 2.4 mile Thruxton circuit and the riding styles of his fellow competitors.
Race one was won by Shane Byrne (Ducati) and race two by Cal Crutchlow (Honda). The third round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship takes place at Oulton Park on the 3rd – 5th May.
Tom Sykes:
“In race two I got a superb start from the third row of the grid and was up to fourth place. The bike felt really good as we had made some changes from race one. Unfortunately Leon Haslam changed his line in front of me and I had no where to go and ended up crashing heavily. I was a little battered and bruised but otherwise OK so I got out in the restarted race on my spare bike and started from the front row.
“I got the hole-shot and thought I could settle in but struggled for rear grip and the tyre started delaminating. The vibration got too bad so I dropped off the pace and just nursed it home for the points. I’m really gutted for my team as they worked hard this weekend and we didn’t get the result we had hoped for.”
Atsushi Watanabe:
“For me this is very bad result, my lap times improve but I’m not happy with 17th and 14th,” he said. “My team is working well and I’m very happy with that. It was good to race I now understand BSB race and riders.”
Jack Valentine Rizla Suzuki Team Manager:
“The changes we made to Tom’s number two bike following race one made a big difference. It’s a shame about the incident with Haslam as I think we would have been on for a strong result. On the restart we stayed with the same rear tyre, Tom got the hole-shot and was having a really good ride. Sadly his rear tyre went off and he dropped down the order. We were hoping for a fourth or fifth place finish but it was so bad he slipped to eighth. We will re-group and fight back at the next round.
“As for Atsushi I think he did fantastic,” Valentine continued. “He gets faster every time he goes out on track. It is not until you are racing that you really learn the tracks and conditions. He is doing as well as we had hoped and his best lap times would put him within the top ten easily.”
Race 1 Results
1: Shane Byrne (Ducati) 25:33.903
2: Cal Crutchlow (Honda) +2.306
3: Michael Rutter (Ducati) +3.573
4: Leon Haslam (Honda) +10.949
5: Leon Camier (Ducati) +18.745
6: TOM SYKES (RIZLA SUZUKI) +19.048
7: James Ellison (Honda) +19.406
8: Simon Andrews (Yamaha) +22.403
9: Stuart Easton (Kawasaki) +22.709
10: Michael Laverty (Suzuki) +23.902
17: ATSUSHI WATANABE (RIZLA SUZUKI) +45.964
Race 2 Results
1: Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 19:05.302
2: Shane Byrne (Ducati) +1.807
3: Michael Rutter (Ducati) +2.136
4: Leon Camier (Ducati) +7.942
5: Michael Laverty (Suzuki) +11.863
6: Stuart Easton (Kawasaki) +12.461
7: James Ellison (Honda) +13.632
8: TOM SYKES (RIZLA SUZUKI) +18.759
9: Guy Martin (Honda) +23.395
10: Billy McConnell (Kawasaki) 23.899
14:ATSUSHI WATANABE (RIZLA SUZUKI) +25.146
Championship Standings
1: Shane Byrne (Ducati ) 45
2: Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 45
3: Michael Rutter (Ducati) 32
4: Leon Camier (Ducati) 24
5: TOM SYKES (RIZLA SUZUKI) 18
6: James Ellison (Honda) 18
7: Stuart Easton (Kawasaki) 17
8: Michael Laverty (Suzuki) 17
9: Leon Haslam (Honda) 13
10: John Laverty (Ducati) 9
17: ATSUSHI WATANABE (RIZLA SUZUKI) 2 |
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Libs
trackday god
Joined: 18 Aug 2006
Posts: 1599
Location: NOT at work
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| Posted: Sun Apr 20, 2008 8:34 pm Post subject: |
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| had a brilliant day just got back, both riders walked away from the crash though i didnt see it happen,too busy yakking i expect......lol had 2 3rds an 4th from my fantasy league riders so thats not too bad. |
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andyk3
Site Founder
Joined: 15 Dec 2005
Posts: 21572
Location: Widower to a Nintendo DS
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| Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 5:57 am Post subject: |
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| you had better weather than we did watching blackflag |
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Fishy
Captain Nemo
Joined: 19 May 2007
Posts: 5352
Location: 20,000 leagues under the sea
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| Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 7:23 am Post subject: |
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Watched on the telly, great races and glad everyone was relatively OK, Karl Harris couldn't have had any more bad luck
The track comes across as so fast on the telly compared to others, whether that is the camera angles or not???
Gotta get down there next year |
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alanK7
moped
Joined: 24 Feb 2007
Posts: 96
Location: Andover, Hants
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| Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 11:59 am Post subject: |
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| After the horried weather on Saturday, I wasn't too sure about going, but glad we did. Great day, considering. The way Tom shot off the line in race 2 restart, thought it would turn out better. Karl is one lucky bloke, (having seen it on TV when we got home). After his disapointment in race 1, getting slapped in the face by a GSXR1000 has got to hurt. Been a Rizla Fan for years, but was good to se the Relentless/TAS tean up with the best of them in BSB and BSS. Roll on Oulton. |
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Libs
trackday god
Joined: 18 Aug 2006
Posts: 1599
Location: NOT at work
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| Posted: Mon Apr 21, 2008 3:57 pm Post subject: |
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| ..i got sunburnt yesterday!!!! hee hee |
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