The Bennetts British Superbike Championship descends on Kent this weekend with the prestigious King of Brands title up for grabs coupled with the first round of the new Integro Triple Crown on the Grand Prix circuit, raising the stakes higher than ever.
Josh Brookes was last year’s winner of the King of Brands Trophy, awarded to the rider with the best cumulative results from the two races, and the Be Wiser Ducati rider returns to Brands Hatch after securing a double victory at the Kent circuit last summer.
Josh Brookes at Brands Hatch last year – Image Dave Yeomans
However, it is the 2015 champion’s teammate Scott Redding who leads the standings by just six points following his triple win at Donington Park last time out, becoming the fourth different winner of the season.
Tommy Bridewell sits second in the standings and has come tantalisingly close to a win on several occasions this season, scoring four podiums from the opening three rounds. The Devizes-based contender is determined to get back on the top step at round four this weekend as he bids to secure the Oxford Racing Ducati team’s first race victory.
It was a three-way battle at Donington between Bridewell, Redding and Mackenzie
McAMS Yamaha were a force to be reckoned with last summer when Brookes claimed them a double victory, and Silverstone race winner Tarran Mackenzie has high hopes for a strong performance with the team this weekend. He heads into the Brands Hatch weekend just a single point adrift of Bridewell in the standings ahead of Sunday’s two races.
Josh Brookes – Donington Park Round 3 – BSB 2019 – Brands Hatch has been a happy hunting ground for Brookes in the past
Brookes occupies fourth in the overall standings after a bruising weekend last time out at Donington Park, but he holds a four-point advantage over Honda Racing’s Xavi Forés, who became the seventh different rider to claim a podium finish this season.
Josh Brookes – Donington Park BSB 2019
Danny Buchan completes the current top six for FS3-Racing Kawasaki following a successful run of three podiums from the opening four races which gives him the edge over Josh Elliott, the opening race winner of the season, and Andrew Irwin on the second of the Honda Racing Fireblades.
Andrew Irwin – Image Dave Yeomans
Christian Iddon leads the BMW charge for the Tyco team after his best finishes of the season at Donington Park with the second McAMS Yamaha of Jason O’Halloran completing the top ten as the pair bid for their first podium finishes of the season.
In addition to the Bennetts Rewards King of Brands Trophy, the round also marks the start of the Bennetts BSB Integro Summer Triple Crown, comprising two races at three rounds – Brands Hatch Grand Prix (June 14/15/16), Knockhill (June 28/29/30) and Snetterton 300 (July 19/20/21), totalling six races.
If a rider reigns supreme and scores victories in all six of the races, a £50,000 prize will be paid plus a £25,000 Triple Crown bonus for completing the circuit hat trick of wins.
If a rider narrowly misses out on completing the full six race wins, a prize a £40,000 plus the £25,000 Triple Crown three circuit win bonus will be awarded for scoring victory in five of the six Integro Summer Triple Crown races.
The final chance to scoop a summer bonus is if a rider wins four of the six races; they will net £30,000, plus if they win a race at all three circuits they will also celebrate with the £25,000 Triple Crown bonus.
Scott Redding – Be Wiser Ducati Championship leader
“Donington Park was a really good weekend for me getting the triple; I felt really good, gained a lot of confidence and feel very relaxed now. Of course I would like to carry that on to the next weekend at Brands Hatch and I would like to be minimum on the podium there – I don’t think that is asking too much from me or the team and if you are in a podium position you are always in with a chance of winning a race so we will just play it by ear and see.
Scott Redding atop the podium at Donington Park Round 3 – BSB 2019
“Brands Hatch is one of the cooler looking tracks and I am looking forward to it; the crowds look pretty amazing there. Everyone says it is one of the bigger rounds of the season and the fans have been great and all their support helps me a lot, so fingers crossed we can have a good weekend and do something special.
Scott Redding – Donington Round 3 – BSB 2019
“There is always expectation to win again, especially after doing the triple at Donington but it is a different track and we will have to see; it isn’t something that fazes me to be honest. If I can fight for a win then I will and I will do the best I can on the day and not put too much pressure on myself. I just want to try and win. I feel good, the team are working really great, so there are no real excuses, I will just do the best I can and give it my all like I always do.”
Scott Redding cemented his earlier race win by completing a hat trick at Donington Park on Sunday, taking victory from Xavi Forés and Tommy Bridewell to end the triple-header weekend on the top step of the podium, and with a six-point championship lead.
Scott Redding may have ruled the day, but Josh Brookes claimed a 4-5 result on Sunday, and expressed his disappointment at not being on the podium. Jason O’Halloran meanwhile had a rough weekend with a 7-0 result, while in the Superstock 1000 Levi Day claimed sixth, with fellow Aussie Brayden Elliott 19th.
Scott Redding – Donington Park Round 3 – BSB 2019
British Superbikes Race 2
In the second race of the weekend Redding narrowly claimed a second Bennetts BSB victory as the Be Wiser Ducati rider made a decisive move on Forés at Roberts to take the lead before the race was red flagged for rain.
At the start of race two, Forés led Christian Iddon and Bridewell, but again an aggressive Bridewell dived into second before moving into the lead with a pass into Redgate on the second lap. Forés had taken it back though by the end of the lap and Iddon had moved back into second for Tyco BMW.
Xavi Fores – Donington Park Round 3 – BSB 2019
Bridewell had been pushing for the lead again and on lap eight he forged ahead of the Honda until the sixteenth lap when Forés made a move on the brakes into Roberts to regain the position. As the pair diced at the front Redding had again had a slow launch off the line and he was having to carve his way through the order from tenth place on the opening laps.
Redding wasn’t inside the top five until lap 11 when he had Josh Brookes and Tarran Mackenzie ahead of him and the three scrapped it out before the race one winner made a move on the McAMS Yamaha rider and his own team-mate before pushing to bridge the gap to the leading pair.
Jason O’Halloran – Donington Round 3 – BSB 2019
Redding had closed in on the pair and on lap 17 he was able to move ahead of Bridewell and then Forés a lap later before the red flag to claim his second race win of the weekend for the Be Wiser Ducati team.
Brookes was able to hold off Mackenzie for fourth place ahead of Iddon and Jason O’Halloran who was embroiled in an intense battle with Hector Barbera on the leading Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki in the closing stages. Peter Hickman and Keith Farmer completed the top ten.
In the final race Be Wiser Ducati’s Redding had his best start of the weekend to hit the front of the pack into Redgate for the first time with pole-sitter Barbera, Forés and Brookes in close contention as the pack streamed down Craner Curves for the first time.
Josh Brookes – Donington Park Round 3 – BSB 2019
Forés grabbed the lead at Redgate on lap two as Brookes moved into second with Redding back in third and Iddon and Bridewell shuffling up the order. On the sixth lap Forés went wide at Coppice, giving Brookes the room he needed to move ahead.
Redding was into second place by lap eight with a move on Forés into Redgate and then two laps later the former MotoGP contender was in the lead and pushing for a breakaway. The battle was then on for second place and a big moment for Brookes on the 16th lap at Roberts on the brakes saw him run on to avoid contact and dropped him down the order, finishing the race in fifth place.
Tarran Mackenzie – Donington Park Round 3 – BSB 2019
Mackenzie was holding second place for the McAMS Yamaha team but he was demoted back to third when Forés launched ahead at the Old Hairpin with six laps to go. The battle for second continued with Mackenzie and Forés trading blows, but the Spanish contender had the edge with two laps to go and then Bridewell was pushing for the final podium position.
Bridewell made a lunge at Roberts on the final lap to narrowly cross the line ahead of Mackenzie on the final lap to claim third place.
Tommy Bridewell – Donington Round 3 – BSB 2019
Iddon was sixth on the Tyco BMW after teammate Keith Farmer crashed out with two laps to go at Roberts. Peter Hickman was seventh ahead of Andrew Irwin and the Buildbase Suzuki pairing of Bradley Ray and Luke Stapleford completed the top ten.
Scott Redding (1-1)
“I just showed to myself the confidence and belief that I’ve got, which is something that I’ve been working on over the past years. It just feels amazing to be back in a fighting position and winning races. It’s not easy out there, those guys are so strong the first few laps and I just need a bit of time to find my way, and they attack and that’s great racing so I was a bit more fortunate to kind-of get out of it. I led a bit then Xavi came past and I thought ‘he’s going again’. He was going so fast in the beginning and then I managed to close the gap a little bit to him and Brookes and go through I thought ‘right, just be consistent’, that’s my strongest point – I can be very consistent every lap of the race and I managed it perfectly. I was just understanding more the tyres because I’m still very new to the Pirellis and all the races I’ve done so far this year I’m always attacking I’m always trying to get the best I can. That’s the first race [race 3] where I could control and kind-of learn the tyres, so I learned over the three races and I’m very happy.”
Scott Redding – Donington Round 3 – BSB 2019
Xavi Fores (2-2)
“Honestly I didn’t expect this weekend to finish the way it has, yesterday I was happy to get my first BSB podium, but today we got two more! We’ve worked really hard with the Fireblade to be fast and consistent with the lap times. The second race today I felt a lot worse, I had a lot of spin and I was trying to manage the situation throughout the race. I lost some time battling with Tarran, which I did enjoy but losing the time wasn’t so good, as once I had passed him for the final time the gap to Scott was too much. But leaving here with a third and two second places is great and more than a win for me, especially after the first two rounds. Brands is next and the last time I was there was in 2006, it’s a lovely track and I hope to keep my level across the weekend and hope to see the podium again soon!”
Xavi Fores – Donington Park Round 3 – BSB 2019
Tarran Mackenzie (5-4)
“The first race was OK. I didn’t come through fast enough and towards the end of the race I started to chip away at a podium, but unfortunately the rain stopped play. In the last race I started seventh so had a bit of work to do from the start, but I came through. Someone made a mistake at the last chicane and I passed two or three of them and then chased down Josh and Scott. I got past Josh and felt like I was making good inroads on Scott but then Xavi came past me and we probably scrapped a little too much for two or three laps allowing Scott away. I thought I was OK for third, but made a mistake at McLeans and that enabled Tommy to get close enough to pass into the final chicane. I’m gutted to miss the podium, but I can’t complain with a fourth and good points for the championship.”
Tarran Mackenzie – Donington Park Round 3 – BSB 2019
Josh Brookes (4-5)
“Finishing in fourth and fifth isn’t what we go racing for and the results have been disappointing today. Everything felt like it was going to plan in the first race and I was catching the leaders but just after mid-race, I lost both grip and a bit of performance with the bike whilst I also eased off a bit more than some of the other riders when the rain began to fall. In the second race, I got sucked in a bit when I was in the draft of Scott and made a mistake going into the chicane which obviously lost me a lot of time. After that it was damage limitation so the results, for me personally, have been less than acceptable so we’ve got some work to do ahead of the next round.”
Josh Brookes – Donington Park Round 3 – BSB 2019
Andrew Irwin (12-8)
“The weekend has been difficult to be honest and 12th in Race 1 really isn’t good enough! We did start to find some rhythm and then it was red flagged, I think we could have moved forwards, perhaps not much but I think we could have chased down 10th at least. Race 2 was better; I got a really good start but made a few silly mistakes throughout. I do feel that we did make some steps forward and turned a bit of a corner in some areas, so it’s a positive and we have to continue in this manner. Now we’re heading to Brands where I have been fast in the past, so I know I can be fast there. Well done to Xavi and the team for the podiums this weekend, it’s great to see the Fireblade being competitive and show what it can do!”
Jason O’Halloran (7-0)
“It’s not been the easiest of weekends. We’ve been chasing something all weekend, made some changes for Saturday and improved the feeling but in the first two races I struggled at the start. For the third race we made some more changes but I was quite far back on the grid which made things difficult. The bike felt much better, I had a lot more confidence on the brakes and I felt like I could ride the bike how I wanted to again. I’m really happy with that and I’ll take that away from this race as obviously a crash isn’t ideal. It’s our third DNF of the year, which isn’t what we want. I want to go fast and be at the front, I don’t want to be messing around in seventh or eighth so we have to keep pushing and looking for the feeling we are after. Once we nail that on the head I’m confident we’ll be at the front.”
Jason O’Halloran – Donington Round 3 – BSB 2019
Bennetts British Superbike Race 3 result
Scott Redding (Be Wiser Ducati)
Xavi Forés (Honda Racing) +1.196s
Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing Ducati) +1.779s
Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) +1.857s
Josh Brookes (Be Wiser Ducati) +2.004s
Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) +9.220s
Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) +10.334s
Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing) +12.952s
Bradley Ray (Buildbase Suzuki) +18.966s
Luke Stapleford (Buildbase Suzuki) +21.979s
Scott Redding topps the podium – Donington Park Round 3 – BSB 2019
Bennetts British Superbike standings after Donington Park
Lewis Rollo took his maiden Pirelli National Superstock 1000 win at Donington Park, mastering the difficult wet conditions to cross the line three seconds ahead of the rest of the field.
Lewis Rollo – Donington Round 3 – BSB 2019
As he did on yesterday’s two races, Richard Cooper grabbed the holeshot however Rollo had soon moved through, extending his lead each lap.
Levi Day – Donington Round 3 – BSB 2019
Behind him, Alex Olsen held second for most of the race, but a fast final few laps from series leader Cooper saw him grab second place at the final chicane. Taylor Mackenzie finished fourth ahead of Luke Jones and Levi Day.
Levi Day – Donington Round 3 – BSB 2019
Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Race 2
Lewis Rollo 1:17.722
Richard Cooper +3.173
Alex Olsen +3.280
Taylor Mackenzie +5.883
Luke Jones +23.235
Levi Day +29.393
Lee Jackson +41.407
Eemeli Lathi +41.510
Tim Neave +44.269
Milo Ward +45.600
Tom Neave +52.130 …19. Brayden Elliot
Brayden Elliott – Donington Round 3 – BSB 2019
Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship Standings
Scott Redding became the 50th different Bennetts British Superbike Championship race winner at Donington Park on Saturday afternoon as he celebrated his first victory in the series following an incredible four-way battle in the opening race of the triple-header weekend.
BSB Superbike Race One
At the start of the race, Oulton Park double winner Josh Brookes launched from pole position to lead the pack into Redgate ahead of Jason O’Halloran, Tarran Mackenzie and Redding. However Tommy Bridewell was instantly on the attack and by lap two he was tucked in behind Mackenzie, and a lap later was into second with a big move on O’Halloran.
Brookes was trying to bridge a gap but Bridewell was in close contention, with the McAMS Yamaha duo of O’Halloran and Mackenzie locked in formation behind. The Oxford Racing Ducati hit the lead at Redgate on the start of the fifth lap as Mackenzie moved into second, the pair pushing Brookes into third.
Josh Brookes goes down at Donington
The 2015 champion was pushing to regain the position when he suffered a huge high-side on the exit of Roberts on lap six which threw him out of the seat of his Be Wiser Ducati. The Australian was able to walk away from the crash despite his heavy tumble.
At the front, the two joint championship leaders were trading blows with Bridewell and Mackenzie switching positions for the lead with nearly every lap, but the pair’s initial advantage was closing and Redding was determined to score an emotional victory in the opening race.
Three-way battle at Donington
Redding was bringing Xavi Forés with him too and the final six laps became a four-way tussle at the front of the field. On lap 22 the former MotoGP contender went for a move on the pair and by the start of the next lap the Be Wiser Ducati was at the front, holding on to the advantage until the chequered flag.
Scott Redding – P1
“It feels great first of all. I voiced it before the weekend that if I’m going to do it I need to do it here, so put a bit of pressure on myself really, but when you know you’ve got a good feeling with the bike and the team, you know a little bit of the track. I just messed up the start big time again. From second on the grid, the guys either side of me just went and I thought ‘come on Scott, get your head down’ and I got back, Fores came past. I didn’t really expect that, and I thought ‘woah what’s going on? How many people are behind, how many are going to go? I was making mistakes with the rear tyre and I couldn’t really settle into my pace for a long time. And then one moment kind-of clicked, I smoothened out, and I could just kind-of catch the guys, little bit, little bit. I saw them overtake and I was like ‘yeah keep going, keep going, you’re helping me, you’re helping me’. And I got stuck in there and we had a good little battle for a couple of laps, trying to overtake going three abreast into the last chicane, and I love that sort of race., Everything was very clean, everyone respected each other, that was really good. I thought ‘right I need to try and get out of this because it isn’t going to end well with three of us on the last lap’ and I didn’t know that Xavi was even just on the back of us so I managed to get a little gap and maintain it, and the win just felt phenomenal for me out there. It’s been coming and waiting for a long time and now I’ve got it, it feels a lot of weight off my shoulders and I feel much better and I think we can get many more.”
Bridewell was coming under pressure and, with four laps to go, Mackenzie had moved into second and then the Oxford Racing Ducati rider had Forés in close contention too. The Honda Racing rider struck on the penultimate lap to move into third and claim his first victory in the series to become the seventh different podium finisher of the season so far.
O’Halloran ended the race in fifth place following an intense scrap with Bennetts BSB debutant Hector Barbera in sixth, with Christian Iddon moving up eleven places from his starting grid position to finish in seventh for Tyco BMW, narrowly ahead of Keith Farmer who bounced back from his free practice three crash.
Glenn Irwin and Peter Hickman completed the top ten finishers ahead of races two and three tomorrow.
Richard Cooper doubled up on Pirelli National Superstock 1000 wins at Donington Park, extending his lead at the top of the standings. Cooper led the opening race from the off, grabbing the holeshot and pulling away at the front ahead of Taylor Mackenzie, Chrissy Rouse and Alex Olsen. Unchallenged throughout the 22 lap race, the Buildbase Suzuki rider was able to take his fourth victory of the season. Olsen secured second place ahead of Rouse. Eemeli Lahti had a fantastic ride through the field to fourth with Mackenzie eventually taking fifth.
Cooper had a tougher challenge in the second 22 lap race. Again grabbing the holeshot, Cooper was able to lead the opening lap however both Lahti and Mackenzie had sliced past the Suzuki by the time they crossed the line again. Keep his cool however, Cooper was soon back in the lead, eventually taking the win by 1.6s ahead of Rouse and Olsen whilst Lahti was again fourth with Lee Jackson fifth.
South Australian Levi Day carded a pair of top ten finishes while Brayden Elliott finished 22nd in race one before failing to finish the second bout.
The double win by Cooper has seen him pull clear atop the championship ladder with a 24-point buffer over Alex Olsen.
BSB Superstock Donington Race One
Richard Cooper 47 25:03.075 Suzuki
Alex Olsen 75 +2.489 BMW
Chrissy Rouse 69 +2.956 Kawasaki
Eemeli Lathi 22 +9.327 Kawasaki
Taylor Mackenzie 77 +9.625 BMW
Tom Neave 68 +9.894 Honda
Luke Hedger 12 +10.870 Kawasaki
Levi Day 26 +11.404 Aprilia
Ben Godfrey 16 +14.899 Suzuki
Lewis Rollo 8 +17.428 Aprilia
BSB Superstock Donington Race Two
Richard Cooper 47 25:07.681 Suzuki
Chrissy Rouse 69 +1.601 Kawasaki
Alex Olsen 75 +2.279 BMW
Eemeli Lathi 22 +7.448 Kawasaki
Lee Jackson 14 +7.737 Kawasaki
Tom Neave 68 +8.069 Honda
Taylor Mackenzie 77 +9.155 BMW
Luke Hedger 12 +9.998 Kawasaki
Lewis Rollo 8 +10.471 Aprilia
Levi Day 26 +12.342 Aprilia
Richard Cooper
British Supersport
Alastair Seeley has taken his first Dickies British Supersport win of the season as series leader Jack Kennedy crashed out of contention. It was Seeley who grabbed the holeshot ahead of the GP2 machine of Kyle Ryde, with Brad Jones and Jack Kennedy just behind. As they started their second lap, Jones was able to slice his way into the lead but the ‘Wee Wizard’ was back in front just two laps later.
Disaster struck reigning champ and series leader Kennedy as he crashed out of fourth place. As Seeley set about building a small lead of over second, Ryde had moved into second place and a string of fast laps to close up, taking the lead with four laps to go. Seeley was back in front as they started their final lap, fending off the GP2 machine to take his first victory of the season and the Championship lead. Brad Jones eventually finished the second Supersport machine with Tom Oliver completing the podium in third.
Harry Truelove finished fifth overall ahead of the second GP2 machine of Jamie Perrin whilst Rory Skinner, Ross Twyman, Richard Kerr and Ben Wilson completing the top ten.
British Supersport Championship Donington Park, Sprint Race
Alastair Seeley (EHA Racing Yamaha)
Kyle Ryde (Kovara By RS Racing Kalex GP2) +0.097s
Brad Jones (Colin Appleyard Macadam Yamaha) +6.298s
Tom Oliver (SGR Racing Yamaha) +11.048s
Harry Truelove (Truelove Construction Yamaha) +17.273s
Jamie Perrin (Nova Transmissions/Go Racing GP2) +18.085s
Dickies British Supersport Championship – British GP2 Cup Donington Park, Championship Standings
Tyco BMW’s Keith Farmer set the pace after the opening Bennetts British Superbike Championship free practice sessions at Donington Park on Friday afternoon, firing the new S1000 RR to the top of the times ahead of Saturday’s Datatag Qualifying and opening race of the triple-header weekend.
Keith Farmer topped Friday Practice- Tyco BMW
Tommy Bridewell had initially set the benchmark, but in the closing ten minutes the Tyco BMW contender forged ahead to set the pace for the first time since returning to the Superbike class after lifting the Superstock title last season. The session saw an incredibly close field with 0.893s covering the top 18 riders.
Scott Redding – Donington Park BSB
Farmer edged ahead of 2015 champion Josh Brookes by just 0.036s with Scott Redding in third after he led the pack in the opening session for the Be Wiser Ducati team with joint championship leader Bridewell holding fourth place at the chequered flag.
Josh Brookes – Donington Park BSB
Keith Farmer Fastest on Friday
“I am very happy with how the session went this afternoon; I am still learning the Superbike and we haven’t changed much today between the first and second free practice sessions. We started the day good and to finish the opening day fastest is mega. It is the first time for me on the BMW in BSB and I am looking forward to raceday tomorrow. Hopefully we can have a good qualifying and can get a good start so that we can get away with them at the front and see what we can do.”
Keith Farmer – Tyco BMWw
Hector Barbera had an impressive debut in Bennetts BSB, leading the Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki charge in fifth, moving ahead of Luke Mossey and Tarran Mackenzie who is tied on points with Bridewell at the top of the standings.
Peter Hickman was eighth fastest ahead of Christian Iddon and Luke Stapleford, who completed the top ten for the Buildbase Suzuki team.
Jason O’Halloran was 11th in FP2- Donington Park BSB
The battle for the Bennetts British Superbike Championship continues this weekend (May 24/25/26) as the Donington Park National circuit returns to the calendar for the first time since 2002 and hosts the first triple-header of 2019 with Tarran Mackenzie and Tommy Bridewell jointly at the top of the standings with 64-points apiece.
The Leicestershire circuit’s National layout makes a welcome return this weekend for the championship’s first visit of the season to Donington Park, and with three races the stakes are high – there have been three different winners from the opening four races.
Mackenzie and Bridewell arrive at Donington Park equal on points at this early stage of the season. Ashby-de-la-Zouch resident Mackenzie is gearing up for his home round this weekend, and after a debut victory at the opener he is gunning for a return to the podium.
“I am ready for the weekend! Silverstone was a near perfect weekend to start the season and then Oulton Park was more difficult, but we were getting better throughout the weekend, so to leave there and go to Donington still leading the standings was good. I definitely want to be back at the front and fighting for wins and podiums again. The last time I raced on the National circuit was in a club race on a 125 in 2010 so I have a feeling a lap on the Superbike will feel a lot different to that! I think this track should make some exciting races and it should suit the Yamaha and we can have a good weekend. I can’t wait for the three races; I always find the triple-headers more exciting as you have to be on it from the start of the weekend because the first race always seems to come around faster. Hopefully we can have a good round as we only live down the road!”
Tarran Mackenzie at Oulton Park – Image Dave Yeomans
Bridewell meanwhile scored his first podium finish of the season last time out at Oulton Park which launched him up the order, but the Oxford Racing Ducati rider admits he knows he needs to start winning races again.
Tommy Bridewell – Oxford Racing Ducati Joint championship leader
“I have to be honest, if I get asked if this is where I would expect to be ahead of Donington Park I would say I fully expected to be fast from the start, but that is probably more of a confidence thing as you never quite now what will happen. That’s the monkey off my back with the first podium of the season at Oulton Park. It has been a very good start to the season but we need to keep pushing. We have a good base setting that I am really happy with as we can go that if we need to and what we have been learning from the bike is actually really interesting. I think that the National circuit layout should help us; in the past I have always lost time out of the Esses and the Melbourne Loop and it usually took me most of the weekend to get it right! The knowledge we have now and the characteristics of the bike I am hoping will make this a good weekend for us. I need to start winning more races, there is no question about it. At Oulton Park we just didn’t hit the nail on the head with the set-up as quick as Josh, but at the end of race two we knew what we needed to do. The goal is simple; we are going to Donington Park to fight for the win. I believe Scott and Josh will be fast there but I am happy that there are three races this weekend and I feel ready for it.”
Tommy Bridewell – Oulton Park – Image Dave Yeomans
Danny Buchan has been the most consistent podium finisher so far, standing on the podium after three of the opening four races and the FS-3 Racing Kawasaki team is pushing for its first victory. If the Essex contender can pull off the feat this weekend, he could become the 50th different race winner in Bennetts BSB history.
Josh Brookes – Oulton Park – Image Dave Yeomans
Josh Elliott was a Silverstone race winner as both he and the OMG Racing Suzuki team scored their first win in the Superbike class and he holds a narrow two-point advantage over Josh Brookes, as the 2015 champion’s confidence rides high after his double win last time out in Cheshire.
Josh Brookes – Oulton Park – Image Dave Yeomans
Former MotoGP contender Scott Redding currently holds the final place in the top six and the Be Wiser Ducati rider is ready to battle for his first race win in the championship at a circuit where he previously won in Grand Prix racing, beating Mike Di Meglio and Marc Marquez in the 2008 125cc GP race.
Scott Redding – Be Wiser Ducati
“Donington Park is a circuit that should suit me a little bit better even though I enjoyed Oulton Park so much, going to Donington is a more Grand Prix style track so a little bit more like my habitat and what I am used to! Obviously there are three races there so I think it is a good chance for me to bag some more points to get up in the championship a bit more and close the gap to the leaders. I am really looking forward to it as I have great memories there; I won in 2008 and I got a podium in 2009 so I am looking forward to a good weekend. I rode the track on a street bike and just felt good to be there. The track looked quite a lot different as to 2009, which was the last time I had ever been to Donington Park until this week so it was like a newbie again to me. The track was a lot of fun and I can’t wait to get out there and see what we can do. I want to try and get my first win of the year at Donington Park – that is my goal and I think that is realistic so we will be working hard to achieve that.”
Scott Redding – Oulton Park – Image Dave Yeomans
This weekend also marks the debut of another former MotoGP rider as Hector Barbera, winner of the 125cc GP race at the 2003 British Grand Prix at Donington Park, joins Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki alongside Glenn Irwin, deputising for the injured Ben Currie.
Honda Racing’s Andrew Irwin, Luke Mossey for OMG Racing Suzuki and McAMS Yamaha’s Jason O’Halloran are just outside the all-important top six after the opening races and they will be pushing for their first podium of the season.
Jason O’Halloran – Oulton Park – Image Dave Yeomans
Meanwhile, Keith Farmer leads the BMW charge as the reigning Pirelli National Superstock 1000 champion bids for the first podium finish for the new S 1000 RR.
Bradley Ray will be aiming to kick-start his season this weekend after a challenging start. The Buildbase Suzuki rider took an incredible double win at Donington Park last year, claiming his first victory in Bennetts BSB, so will be looking for a repeat performance to launch himself back up the order.
Josh Brookes was on form at Oulton Park BSB, claiming both Superbike race wins on the Be Wiser Ducati, firing himself up into the top six, with 50 championship points to his name, after a tough season opener, just 14-points off the current leaders.
Josh Brookes
Brookes had been strong throughout the weekend as the 2015 champion arrived in Cheshire determined to make amends for a non-point score at the Silverstone season opener. The Be Wiser Ducati ace became the third different rider to claim a victory in 2019 as he held off Tommy Bridewell in the opening race. Ducati also became the third race-winning manufacturer so far this season, marking the first triumph for the new V4R.
Brookes and Bridewell made a breakaway at the front of the pack with the Oxford Racing Ducati rider shadowing the Australian throughout the 17 lap race but he couldn’t find the opportunity to make a pass and, despite piling on the pressure, the Be Wiser Ducati team emerged victorious.
Tommy Bridewell
Jason O’Halloran had initially been holding third place over the opening laps but the McAMS Yamaha rider was soon under threat as Danny Buchan carved his way up the order from sixth to close in on the Australian by the tenth lap.
O’Halloran was defending but the FS-3 Racing Kawasaki rider was determined, made his move and gradually edged out an advantage to the finish line. The battle for fifth went down to the wire between Scott Redding and Peter Hickman, with the Bennetts BSB rookie holding off the challenges of the Smiths Racing BMW rider despite his circuit knowledge to claim a hard-fought fifth place.
Jason O’Halloran
Keith Farmer was the leading Tyco BMW to cross the finish line at the chequered flag, claiming seventh place as teammate Christian Iddon was forced to retire despite battling in the top five during the opening stages of the race.
At the start of the second race Brookes again launched to the front of the pack on the Be Wiser Ducati ahead of O’Halloran and Bridewell, but the Oxford Racing Ducati rider was instantly on the attack and on the second lap and moved ahead of the McAMS Yamaha.
Danny Buchan
O’Halloran was fighting hard but he was soon under pressure from Iddon and Buchan. Iddon edged the Tyco BMW down the inside at Old Hall on lap four with Buchan then diving down the inside at Lodge to push O’Halloran back down the order.
Redding was also on the move and he was shadowing O’Halloran for fifth place; which he grabbed on the run into Old Hall at the start of the sixth lap as Mackenzie closed in on the pair. Mackenzie was pushing his teammate and he also made a move as the Australian continued to push on despite still suffering from a shoulder injury from last week’s test.
Scott Redding
As Brookes held off Bridewell for the win in the closing stages, Buchan celebrated his third consecutive podium finish for FS3-Racing Kawasaki, with Redding holding fourth after fending off the final push from Mackenzie over the closing laps.
Josh Brookes claimed top Superbike honours at Oulton Park BSB
Josh Brookes
“It has been a really great weekend and the result that the Be Wiser Ducati team deserved and we can move on from Silverstone. Race one was a really positive start and then before race two I knew Tommy was going to be a big threat. But I was also a bit worried about Danny because I knew he’d come through the pack quite strong in race one, and in that race he was starting a lot further up the grid so I was thinking it could be the three of us battling out at front. I just wanted to try and stay clear of any trouble, and I knew Tommy was right behind me in both races. I just put as many fast laps together as I could, the race pace was a lot quicker in race two than race one, so I just looked at my board and I kept seeing plus zero. I knew that one of us (Bridewell) was going to have to break but finally I was able to get a little buffer and then it kind-of crept out so it made the end of the race a bit easier for me but this was a perfect weekend.”
Josh Brookes
Iddon claimed his best result of the season in sixth place for Tyco BMW ahead of O’Halloran and Farmer who battled with his McAMS Yamaha rival until the finish. Andrew Irwin managed to get the better of rookie Ryan Vickers in the closing stages to finish ninth ahead of the Superbike rookie.
Jason O’Halloran
“It’s good to score some points! I was really happy with fourth in race one, but in race two I struggled a bit and ended up seventh. We had to salvage as many points as we could after not scoring at Silverstone, but it wasn’t easy as unfortunately last week at the test I had a small slip off at Hizzy’s and fractured my right humerus just near my shoulder… I haven’t said a lot about it as I wanted to keep my head down and everyone focused on what we were doing, but riding Oulton Park with a slightly broken bone is not ideal. We’ve got a few weeks now before Donington, so I’ll keep on with the therapy, get fit and healthy and hopefully be back to full fitness.”
Jason O’Halloran
Tarran Mackenzie
“It’s been a tricky weekend, race one was difficult as I out braked myself into Lodge on the first lap, making it hard work for myself as I re-joined 17th! I managed to finish eighth which wasn’t too bad and then had a better starting position in race two. I got stuck behind a rider for a bit too long, two or three laps, but once I got past I managed to chase after Jason, Christian and Scott and finally caught Scott, but I was a little bit too late to take fourth! Fifth place doesn’t sound great, but after the weekend I’ve had I’m happy with that. We’ve got a good feeling on the bike and I’m looking forward to my home round in a couple of weeks’ time.”
Tarran Mackenzie
BSB Superbikes Results
Pos
Name
Gap
1
Josh Brookes
27’07.841
2
Tommy Bridewell
0.204
3
Danny Buchan
3.543
4
Jason O’Halloran
7.307
5
Scott Redding
10.529
6
Peter Hickman
10.648
7
Keith Farmer
15.758
8
Tarran Mackenzie
16.147
9
Ryan Vickers
16.859
10
Josh Elliott
19.364
Pos
Name
Gap
1
Josh Brookes
28’38.183
2
Tommy Bridewell
2.686
3
Danny Buchan
7.035
4
Scott Redding
9.37
5
Tarran Mackenzie
9.614
6
Christian Iddon
12.572
7
Jason O’Halloran
16.142
8
Keith Farmer
16.171
9
Andrew Irwin
20.801
10
Ryan Vickers
21.027
Tarran MACKENZIE (Yamaha) 64
Tommy BRIDEWELL (Ducati) 64
Danny BUCHAN (Kawasaki) 55
Josh ELLIOTT (Suzuki) 52
Josh BROOKES (Ducati) 50
Scott REDDING (Ducati) 40
Andrew IRWIN (Honda) 31
Luke MOSSEY (Suzuki) 25
Jason O’HALLORAN (Yamaha) 22
Keith FARMER (BMW) 22
Luke STAPLEFORD (Suzuki) 20
Peter HICKMAN (BMW) 19
Ryan VICKERS (Kawasaki) 18
Dan LINFOOT (Yamaha) 16
Christian IDDON (BMW) 15
Pirelli Superstock 1000
Richard Cooper took his third Pirelli National Superstock 1000 victory of the season with a last lap, last corner move on Taylor Mackenzie. Mackenzie launched off the line to be the early race leader but the Buildbase Suzuki of Cooper had found a way past by lap three and set about building a small lead over the pursuing pack.
Billy McConnell had to settle for fifth
A string of fast laps from Mackenzie however saw the Bathams BMW rider close up, re-taking the lead on lap ten before Cooper took it back just two laps later. Coming down to the final lap, Mackenzie was back into the lead but a move into the final corner saw Cooper take the victory by just 0.148s. Alex Olsen was able to secure third place ahead of Lee Jackson and Billy McConnell.
Pirelli National Superstock 1000 podium – Oulton Park
Aussies Levi Day claimed 21st, with Brayden Elliott 27th.
Levi Day
“Wasn’t our race today! Damp but drying track with everyone on wets. A rider infront of me spun out on the grid and I had to take avoiding action, just clipping him but fortunately missing big impact. I lost a heap of positions and dropped down to 29th. Managed to fight back to 21st, not how we had hoped the race would go but did my best after the start drama! Big thanks to my team at IN Competition Aprilia and all my sponsors, AJN Steelstock and everyone in my corner! We will continue working hard for round 3 at Donington in three weeks time!”
Levi Day
Brayden Elliott
“Difficult weekend from start to finish. Letting myself down with poor qualifying making for such hard work to push forward during the race. With the help of my team I’m confident we can pin point a few areas to focus on and improve at Round 3!”
Brayden Elliott
Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Results
Richard COOPER GBR Suzuki 24:29.311
Taylor MACKENZIE GBR BMW +0.148
Alex OLSEN GBR BMW +0.683
Lee JACKSON GBR Kawasaki +4.309
Billy McCONNELL AUS Suzuki +15.042
Luke HEDGER GBR Kawasaki +24.909
Lewis ROLLO GBR Aprilia +25.420
Tom NEAVE GBR Honda +27.602
Andrew REID GBR BMW +31.173
Joe COLLIER GBR Kawasaki +31.395 …21. Levi DAY AUS Aprilia +1:03.053 …27. Brayden ELLIOTT AUS Suzuki +1:19.010
Richard COOPER 71
Taylor MACKENZIE 63
Alex OLSEN 58
Lee JACKSON 39
Eemeli LAHTI 26.5
Tom NEAVE 26
Lewis ROLLO 25
Luke HEDGER 24.5
Billy McCONNELL 21.5
Leon JEACOCK 12 …14. Levi DAY 8
British Supersport
Jack Kennedy cemented a perfect weekend at Oulton Park, completing the double in the Dickies British Supersport Championship; his fourth win from four races. In a carbon copy of yesterday’s Sprint race, the Appleyard Macadam Integro Yamaha rider controlled the race from the opening lap, steadily pulling away to take victory by 2.387s and extend his lead at the top of the standings to 20 points.
Jack Kennedy leads the Dickies Supersport
It was an action-packed battle for the final podium slots behind him though as Alastair Seeley and Brad Jones swapped paint every lap as they vied for second place whilst Kyle Ryde was in close contention in fourth. A red flag on lap 11 prevented a last lap showdown, leaving Seeley to take second, Jones third whilst Ryde was again the leading GP2 machine.
Alastair Seeley
Jamie Perrin was the second of the GP2 machines in fifth overall, ahead of Harry Truelove, Lee Johnston and the third GP2 bike of Sam Wilford.
2019 British Superbike Championship Round Two – Oulton Park
Josh Brookes claimed the first Bennetts British Superbike Championship pole position for the new Ducati V4R at Oulton Park for the Be Wiser Ducati team ahead of the Monday races.
Josh Brookes – Be Wiser Ducati Pole position
“I’ve just turned up to Oulton Park with a clear mind and put Silverstone behind me. Luckily we had a test here so we had great momentum, got a good setting of the bike and came here and refined it a little bit further.
“The team have done a fantastic job, we have been working through a lot of fine tuning – nothing big at the moment because the bike’s already in good range so it’s nice to be in that zone where you can do some fine tuning and just work through little areas to just refine the bike, as opposed to having to make big changes and hoping that works.
“I think we’re in a fantastic position, all I can say is that I’m pleased and looking forward to the races tomorrow. I just hope now that I can put this one-lap speed into race-long consistency.”
Josh Brookes
The 2015 champion set his personal best lap of the Cheshire circuit to lap under the existing record to hold off rivals Tommy Bridewell and Peter Hickman who complete the front row ahead of Monday’s Bank Holiday races.
Tommy Bridewell
Brookes had been the fastest rider on track yesterday, but he continued to make strides forward as the Australian upped the pace to give him the edge in the final stage of qualifying to head off Bridewell as Hickman claimed the first front row start for the new BMW S1000RR in third.
Peter Hickman
A hectic Q2 saw an intense fight to be in the final nine for the last stage of Datatag Qualifying and impressively in only his second round on a Superbike, rookie Ryan Vickers qualified for the first time in Q3. He will start ninth on the grid for the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki team for tomorrow’s opening race.
Jason O’Halloran bounced back from an earlier crash in free practice to finish fourth fastest to head the second row from Christian Iddon on the Tyco BMW and Danny Buchan for FS-3 Racing Kawasaki ahead of tomorrow’s race one.
Jason O’Halloran
Scott Redding continues to try and grasp the technically challenging Oulton Park on his race debut at the track, firing himself into the top nine and qualifying seventh on the grid ahead of Keith Farmer.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship Oulton Park, Datatag Qualifying
Josh Brookes (Be Wiser Ducati) 1m:34.084s
Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing Ducati) +0.625s
Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing BMW) +0.801s
Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +0.856s
Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW) +0.929s
Danny Buchan (FS-3 Racing Kawasaki) +0.938s
Scott Redding (Be Wiser Ducati) +1.082s
Keith Farmer (Tyco BMW) +1.143s
Ryan Vickers (RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki) +1.259s
British Superstock 1000
Buildbase Suzuki’s Richard Cooper took his first pole position of the season at Oulton Park, just 0.419 from Taylor Mackenzie and Billy McConnell.
Cooper set the fastest time early on in the session, and Mackenzie set about chasing it down to leapfrog in to pole position. Although setting his fastest time late on, it wasn’t enough for the BMW man to take pole.
Rounding out the front row is OMG Racing’s Billy McConnell, with Lee Jackson fourth, Olsen fifth and Jones sixth.
Billy McConnell
Levi day qualified 13th while Brayden Elliott with start from position 32 on the grid.
British Supersport
Jack Kennedy has made it three victories from three races in the Dickies British Supersport Championship, cruising to a dominant victory in the opening Sprint race. It was Kennedy’s Appleyard Integro Yamaha team mate Brad Jones who grabbed the holeshot but the reigning champ had soon made his way past to lead at the end of the opening lap.
Jones did his best to fend of the advances of Alastair Seeley, but the former Champion made his move on lap four. At the front, Kennedy was able to continue to stretch his lead to eventually secure the victory by 3.601s and setting a new lap record in the process. Trying his hardest, Jones just could not find a way past the EHA Racing Yamaha of Seeley, missing out on second place by just 0.081s.
Kyle Ryde was again the leading British GP2 Cup machine, also his third win of the season, in fourth overall ahead of a strong ride from rookie Harry Truelove in fifth with Jamie Perrin sixth on the GP2 machine and Josh Owens seventh.
British Supersport Championship and GP2 Cup Oulton Park, Sprint Race
Jack Kennedy (Yamaha)
Alastair Seeley (Yamaha) +3.601s
Brad Jones (Yamaha) +3.682s
Kyle Ryde (Kalex GP2) +18.658s
Harry Truelove (Yamaha) +24.965s
Jamie Perrin (GP2) +25.752s
Dickies British Supersport Championship and GP2 Cup Championship Standings
Josh Brookes topped free practice at Oulton Park, with the 2015 champion claiming the fastest times at each of the opening two Bennetts British Superbike Championship free practice sessions at the Cheshire circuit, upping his pace in the afternoon to end the day with the edge over Danny Buchan by 0.723.
Josh Brookes – Oulton Park BSB 2019
The opening session had been interrupted with red flags, but Brookes was unfazed and continued to improve his pace, despite Danny Buchan moving ahead several times during the opening free practice before the FS-3 Racing Kawasaki rider ended the session third fastest.
Danny Buchan – Oulton Park BSB 2019
The 45 minute afternoon session saw all the positions change in the closing minutes with Brookes heading back to the top, positing a time on his final one that would cement his position at the top as he became the only rider to lap in the 1m:34s barrier, 0.723s ahead of Buchan.
Josh Brookes – P1
“It has been a good day. I am not surprised with the lap time because I’ve been there before, or close to that. The fastest I’ve been here before was actually in a race and I did 34.4, which is a lap record, so to do 34.3 is a PB, which is great. But Jake Dixon did 33.7 last year so there’s still areas to gain and still room to improve. Without Jake being here on his bike from last year and showing what the gauge is, I don’t know if that’s even achievable. Maybe a 33.8 is possible, a 33.7 isn’t, I don’t know. At the moment I know that the bike’s not perfect, there’s definitely more edge grip to be found because I had it in this morning but we’ve gained a load of drive grip so I’ve got to decide which way is better – to go in search of more edge grip or ride with the bike as it is and work on other little details and see if that helps, so that’s where we’re at.”
Josh Brookes – Oulton Park BSB 2019
It has been a strong session for the FS-3 Racing Kawasaki team with Buchan building on his experience at the recent test to maintain his position inside the top five with Peter Hickman again repeating his impressive performance on the Smiths Racing BMW to hold third place, having also had a stint at the top of the times in the earlier stages of the session.
Luke Mossey was again the fastest of the OMG Racing Suzuki riders, holding off Tommy Bridewell and Christian Iddon in the closing stages as he improved his pace on the final run of the second free practice session.
Peter Hickman – Oulton Park BSB 2019
Earlier in the day Jason O’Halloran bounced back from his crash at last week’s test to finish fourth fastest in the opening session for McAMS Yamaha, holding off Tommy Bridewell who continued to move up the order for the Oxford Racing Ducati team.
Jason O’Halloran had to settle for seventh fastest in FP2 however, as the leading McAMS Yamaha as he bids to make amends this weekend after a double non-points score last time out at Silverstone, while Ryan Vickers continued to build momentum in his rookie campaign with the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki team in eighth place.
Jason O’Halloran – P7
“It was nice to get back on the bike after the test last week. I feel good and my body is good. We’re just working through chassis settings and trying different things with the bike as I’m still learning about the Yamaha and looking to find the sweet spot around here. We learned a lot today and I expect to make a step forward in the morning, so I’m not too stressed.”
Jason O’Halloran – Oulton Park BSB 2019
Tarran Mackenzie was back inside the top ten in this afternoon’s session holding off Keith Farmer who completed the top ten, edging out joint championship leader Josh Elliott, Bradley Ray on the leading Buildbase Suzuki and Scott Redding on the second Be Wiser Ducatis.
Ben Currie took P13 in FP1 , but while having a good session crashed at Shell and sustained a fracture to his left leg, and is currently undergoing checks on his leg and foot in Stoke Hospital.
Ben Currie fractured his leg, ending his weekend at Oulton Park
Fraser Rogers also crashed during the opening session at Water Tower, sustaining a fracture to his right arm.
Young guns Josh Elliott and Tarran Mackenzie lead the pack in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship title standings ahead of Britain’s biggest motorsport battle reaching Cheshire’s Oulton Park this May Bank Holiday weekend (May 4/5/6) after the pair both secured debut race wins at the Silverstone opener.
Josh Elliott
Josh Elliott – OMG Racing Suzuki
“It has been crazy since Silverstone; the phone hasn’t stopped! I am still on a high with the results we had but at the same time I have to stay level headed. The win was big; it was the first for me and the first for the team and it has been a real buzz in the garage. I wasn’t expecting the result at Silverstone; if someone had said before the weekend that would have been the result I would have said they were a bit crazy! I knew we had been working hard as a team and had a good pace but to win was an amazing feeling. I think the result hasn’t changed how we will look at the weekend; our aim still has to be the top six for the Showdown and to be up the front when it counts. We intend on taking the opportunities as they come and you can’t rest as it will only get tougher. Nobody expected us to be joint championship leaders after the first round so we want to come out fighting again next weekend and I think we can work hard and be there or thereabouts in the races again.”
Josh Elliott, Danny Buchan and Dan Linfoot
Elliott and OMG Racing Suzuki celebrated the first victory in the series after drama between the McAMS Yamaha teammates as Mackenzie and Jason O’Halloran clashed in their battle for victory, whilst Scott Redding was a podium finisher on his first appearance after the switch from MotoGP to the Be Wiser Ducati team.
Tarran Mackenzie got to celebrate being on the top step of the podium before officials sanctioned him for the crash with O’Halloran, demoting him to second place.
Jason O’Halloran
“We had a few electronic issues with the bike this morning but it was feeling good and the lap times were great straight away. Unfortunately At the end of the session I ran on at Hizzy’s and as the grass was wet I slipped off. It was the slowest crash ever but I landed on my shoulder a bit funny. When I went back out for the next session my shoulder hurt a lot so I decided to play it safe and called it a day. Silverstone was obviously a let-down for me in the end after so much promise; to lead pretty much all the first race and to end up with nothing wasn’t what I went there for, then we had the problem in race two, but I feel that we have a good pace and I’m chilled about it. I want a podium and I want to be winning; that’s not me being cocky but we have had good pace all pre-season and into the first round. We know that it won’t be easy, because it never is in BSB, but I love Oulton Park and had a podium there last year, so I am hoping it can be good for us. I feel ready to go and I am looking forward to the weekend.”
Jason O’Halloran walking back to the pits
In the second race, Mackenzie bounced back to score his first race win in the Superbike class and now jointly leads the standings with Elliott ahead of the next two races of the season in Cheshire.
Tarran Mackenzie – McAMS Yamaha
“I think Silverstone probably went better than expected to be honest; to fight for both wins and then take my first BSB win was more than I had expected from the weekend and it was a bit of a dream come true. I think because pre-season testing hadn’t been the best for me and even the official test at Silverstone I was eighth. I wanted to get the first BSB win that weekend, I wanted to get that monkey off my back and that was my goal so to do it felt really good. Now that I have done it though I want to do it again! I want to be in the Showdown for the first time this season. At the test I think we found a good base setting that just needs refining, because we didn’t quite get the chance with the conditions changing but we are not far away it just needs some fine tuning. I had a good round when we went to Oulton Park for the second time last year so hopefully we can keep this momentum going! I’m looking forward to it!”
2019 Bennetts British Superbike Championship Round One – Silverstone – Race Two Tarran MACKENZIE – McAMS Yamaha 30:43.837 Josh ELLIOTT – OMG Racing Suzuki +0.635 Danny BUCHAN – FS-3 Racing Kawasaki +1.004
Tommy Bridewell proved he was a force to be reckoned with on board the Oxford Racing Ducati. He arrives at Oulton Park third in the standings and confident following last week’s official test, just one point ahead of Luke Mossey on the second OMG Racing Suzuki.
Tommy Bridewell
Danny Buchan is joint fourth overall following his impressive opening round podium and Luke Stapleford and the Buildbase Suzuki team currently make it five teams inside the top six ahead of the second round.
Danny Buchan
Honda Racing’s Andrew Irwin and Xavi Forés had a strong start to the season but the former World Superbike contender has to rapidly get to grips with the undulations of the challenging Cheshire circuit, as will Redding after the pair had their initial taste of the track at the official test.
Andrew Irwin
Dan Linfoot had a promising start to his season at Silverstone with the Santander Salt TAG Yamaha team and he is looking for another strong performance at Oulton, whilst the title-winning Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki team will be eager to fight back at the front with Glenn Irwin and new recruit Ben Currie.
Ben Currie
However at last week’s official test 2015 champion Josh Brookes fired his Be Wiser Ducati to the top of the times as the Australian bids to make amends for a double non-point score at the opening round after being hampered with technical issues.
Josh Brookes
Bennetts British Superbike Championship Oulton Park BSB Official Test
Josh Brookes has put a disastrous opening round of the 2019 British Superbike Championship behind him and was back on the front foot this week with the 35-year-old topping the official BSB test at Oulton Park ahead of the Bank Holiday second round next weekend (May 4/5/6), edging ahead of Danny Buchan at the Cheshire circuit.
Josh Brookes
The 2015 champion topped the opening two sessions in the dry conditions after a tough start to his season at Silverstone last weekend; putting a massive gap of 1.067s between himself and FS-3 Racing Kawasaki’s Buchan on combined times.
Josh Brookes
Josh Brookes – Be Wiser Ducati
“I am obviously really pleased to have been fastest in the dry as that is everybody’s goal. I am actually really pleased with the progress we made today as there were a few things that we needed to address and explore some setup changes. Leaving Silverstone we were disappointed but I was then focused on here and working through some setting changes we didn’t get the chance to try at Silverstone and the bike performed really well – it has been a really positive day.”
Josh Brookes
Tommy Bridewell was back at the sharp end on the Oxford Racing Ducati, clocking the third fastest time ahead of next weekend’s next two races, pushing ahead of Tyco BMW’s Christian Iddon as the team continue their development work with the new S1000RR.
Christian Iddon
Peter Hickman also proved the pace of the BMWs by setting the fifth fastest time, maintaining his position ahead of Luke Stapleford on the leading Suzuki on his return to Oulton Park for the first time in three years.
Peter Hickman
Luke Mossey was seventh fastest for OMG Racing Suzuki ahead of Tarran Mackenzie who ended the day early due to the changing conditions later in the day, forging ahead of Glenn Irwin and Jason O’Halloran, who tipped off in the morning session.
Jason O’Halloran
The test marked the first appearance at the Cheshire circuit for Scott Redding and Xavi Forés with the pair utilising the track time to learn the challenging circuit, ending the sessions in 13th and 25th respectively.
Ben Currie
Ben Currie continues to adapt to the Superbike and was 19th quickest on the JG Speedfit Kawasaki.
Michael Dunlop
Road race star Michael Dunlop used the day to get some all-important track time on the Tyco BMW S 1000 RR, ending the session 27th on the time-sheets, 4.4-seconds behind pace-setter Josh Brookes.
Michael Dunlop
In the Superstock 1000 category Richard Cooper topped proceedings ahead of South Australia’s Billy McConnell.
Billy McConnell
Levi Day showed progress to rank inside the STK1000 top ten.
Levi Day
Brayden Elliott was the 16th quickest Superstock machine while Jack Kennedy topped the Supersport ranks ahead of Brad Jones.
Brayden Elliott and Levi Day
Bennetts British Superbike Championship Oulton Park BSB Official Test
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