Scott Redding did the double at Assen on the weekend to push his way into the British Superbike Championship lead by 14-points over Josh Brookes.
Scott Redding – 2019 BSB Round 10 – Assen
A good start to the weekend by Tom Toparis in the Dickies British Supersport on Saturday unfortunately was followed up a DNF on Syunday.
Tom Toparis – 2019 BSB Round 10 – Assen
Max Stauffer took seventh in the first International Junior Supersport race of the weekend – maching his qualifying result – and with improved confidence in the second bout looked set to challenge for a podium, but unfortunately crashed out with two laps to run.
British Superbike Race 1
Scott Redding hit the front early in the first bout ahead of Luke Stapleford, Tommy Bridewell and Josh Brookes. Bridewell was determined to move into second and did so by the end of the opening lap.
Scott Redding – 2019 BSB Round 10 – Assen
A lap later Ryan Vickers crashed out heavily which saw the BMW Safety Car deployed at the start of the fourth lap. The pack formed up behind with Redding, Bridewell, Stapleford and Brookes first in line with the race resuming on lap six.
Bridewell was pushing hard to take on Redding but on the ninth lap he reached his limit, crashing out at turn nine, with Christian Iddon also falling at the same corner, both riders were unhurt.
Tommy Bridewell – 2019 BSB Round 10 – Assen
Redding broke from the pack at the front of the field, leaving Brookes embroiled in a huge battle for second with Showdown spoilers Stapleford and Jason O’Halloran who had hunted down the pair ahead of him.
By lap 14 the scrap had really intensified with Stapleford making a move on Brookes, only for the Australian to strike straight back to regain the position. As the laps counted down the trio in the battle for second were inseparable and on the penultimate lap Stapleford had the edge over Brookes and O’Halloran.
Josh Brookes – 2019 BSB Round 10 – Assen
Brookes still had more fight left though and on the final lap he dived back into second place and as Stapleford drifted slightly wide, O’Halloran saw his opportunity and he was into third for McAMS Yamaha.
Scott Redding topped the podium from Brookes and O’Halloran – 2019 BSB Round 10 – Assen
As Redding took the flag to claim his eighth win of the season ahead of Brookes, O’Halloran became the 12 different podium finisher of the season ahead of Stapleford, who scored his best result of the season for Buildbase Suzuki.
Jason O’Halloran – 2019 BSB Round 10 – Assen
Xavi Forés was fifth for Honda Racing ahead of Showdown contenders Danny Buchan, Tarran Mackenzie and Peter Hickman who completed the top eight ahead of Bradley Ray and Hector Barbera.
Australian Ben Currie finished Race 1 in 15th.
Ben Currie – 2019 BSB Round 10 – Assen
British Superbike Race 2
Luke Stapleford launched his Buildbase Suzuki off the line to lead the pack into turn one ahead of Redding, Tommy Bridewell and Brookes as the second race of the Assen BSB weekend got underway. Brookes, the 2015 champion, was instantly on the attack and he moved into third after pushing past the Oxford Racing Ducati of Tommy Bridewell.
The pack was inseparable but a mistake from Stapleford exiting the final chicane on the third lap scattered the pack and it gave Bridewell the opportunity he needed to move into second with Brookes and Redding then hunting him down.
A lap later and a determined Brookes captured the lead with Stapleford separating the Be Wiser Ducati teammates with Jason O’Halloran and Danny Buchan also in close contention.
Jason O’Halloran – 2019 BSB Round 10 – Assen
By lap seven Redding had made a decisive move into second and had Brookes in his sights before taking the lead a lap later with a dive down the inside. From there Redding tried to make a break, but he was hounded by Brookes.
Bridewell had his sights set on a podium to make amends for his crash in the opening race and by lap ten he had moved into third, to push Stapleford back down into fourth on the Buildbase Suzuki.
Tommy Bridewell – 2019 BSB Round 10 – Assen
Redding then edged out his advantage, but the battle for second was becoming increasingly fierce; Brookes was holding off Bridewell, Buchan and Stapleford but with two laps remaining the Australian was under attack.
On lap 17 Bridewell moved into second and that pushed Brookes slightly off line, which gave Buchan the chance he needed to force through into third for FS-3 Racing Kawasaki. Despite his best counterattack, Brookes couldn’t regain the positions and he missed out on the podium by 0.311s, leaving Assen 14 points adrift of Redding in the standings.
Josh Brookes – 2019 BSB Round 10 – Assen
Bridewell and Buchan scored their first podium finishes of the Showdown in the second race with Stapleford again just missing out after his best weekend of the season so far in fifth.
Honda Racing’s Xavi Forés led the next pack home to the chequered flag to hold off race one podium finisher O’Halloran and Showdown contender Peter Hickman in eighth. Dan Linfoot and Bradley Ray completed the top ten with Tarran Mackenzie ending a tough weekend in 13th.
Xavi Fores – 2019 BSB Round 10 – Assen
Ben Currie had to settle for 17th in Race 2, matching his qualifying result, after 15th in Race 1.
2019 British Superbike Championship Round Seven – Thruxton
Images by Dave Yeomans
Thruxton saw an exciting weekend of racing conclude on Sunday, with Andrew Irwin claiming the opening Bennetts British Superbike race win of the weekend – his first win in the series – ahead of Scott Redding and Josh Brookes.
In Race 2 however, it was Josh Brookes who maintained his momentum at the high-speed Hampshire circuit to claim the victory for Be Wiser Ducati, regulating Irwin to second-place, while Peter Hickman completed the podium, with Aussie Jason O’Halloran just tenths of a second behind in fourth.
Josh Brookes – 2019 British Superbike Championship Round 10, Thruxton
This marked O’Halloran’s second fourth place of the weekend in a solid result. Fellow Aussie Ben Currie was a DNF in Race 1, and came home in 20th in Race 2.
Taylor Mackenzie claimed the Superstock 1000 race win from Lee Jackson and Billy McConnell, with Richard Cooper launching into the lead from the start but finishing in fourth.
Kyle Ryde – 2019 British Superbike Championship Round 10, Thruxton
The Supersport class meanwhile saw Kyle Ryde take a narrow win in the second race of the weekend from Jack Kennedy with a tenth of a second between them, with Mason Law a distant third.
Bennetts British Superbike Race 1
At the start of Race 1 Peter Hickman launched off the front row to hit the front of the pack ahead of Andrew Irwin and Jason O’Halloran, but the Honda Racing rider hit the front of the field at the end of the opening lap.
Peter Hickman – 2019 British Superbike Championship Round 10, Thruxton
His rival instantly hit back to retake the position on the next lap, but Andrew Irwin was back on the attack and he was back in the lead as the pack streamed across the line to start the third lap. O’Halloran though was in fourth place, but he put a move on Christian Iddon and then as the freight train of riders headed into Club on lap four, the Australian had been able to claim the lead for McAMS Yamaha.
As O’Halloran led, the pack had shuffled again and Iddon was then into second place ahead of Andrew Irwin, Hickman, Tommy Bridewell, Scott Redding, Danny Buchan and Josh Brookes on lap six.
A lap later and Andrew Irwin and Hickman were inseparable, but Redding was also on the move and he was into fifth on the leading Be Wiser Ducati. Meanwhile O’Halloran was holding off the chasing pack, but the lead group of nine riders were all in contention.
Jason O’Halloran – 2019 British Superbike Championship Round 10, Thruxton
On lap ten Hickman moved back into the lead with Iddon then following him through on the brakes as the BMWs held first and second ahead of O’Halloran and Andrew Irwin. O’Halloran was ready to fight back, he made a move at Club a lap later and was back into second place.
The Smiths Racing BMW rider was trying to make a break from the pack, but his rivals could match his pace, while Iddon was dropping back and the Be Wiser Ducati pairing of Redding and Brookes were into fourth and fifth respectively with six laps remaining.
On lap 14 Andrew Irwin then went for a move to take the lead, pushing Hickman pack into second and into the clutches of Redding, O’Halloran and Brookes. Championship leader Redding made his move, lunging ahead of Hickman to move second with O’Halloran still pushing for his first podium of the season.
Andrew Irwin – 2019 British Superbike Championship Round 10, Thruxton
O’Halloran was back into second a lap later before hitting the front of the field on lap 16 as the final strategies were coming into play over the final five laps of the race. The McAMS Yamaha rider was then holding off the pack that had again changed with Andrew Irwin back in second ahead of Brookes and Redding.
With two laps remaining Andrew Irwin had scythed his way back to the front of the pack with O’Halloran then back in second with Brookes and Redding fighting for third, however the 2015 champion was hungry for a top three finish and he was up to second, but on the final lap Redding was ahead of his teammate again.
On the final run into Club Redding looked to try and make a move on Andrew Irwin for the lead as equally Brookes was looking to move ahead of his teammate, however the Honda rider had the edge to cross the line ahead of the Be Wiser Ducati pairing.
Andrew Irwin topped the Race 1 podium from Scott Redding and Josh Brookes – 2019 British Superbike Championship Round 10, Thruxton
O’Halloran just missed out on his first podium finish of the season ahead of Hickman and Buchan, who had worked his way through the pack into sixth. Xavi Forés had another strong performance to hold on to sixth place in the standings ahead of Tommy Bridewell and Luke Mossey. Ryan Vickers was back inside the top ten in his rookie season for the RAF Regular & Reserve Kawasaki team.
Bennetts British Superbike Race 2
The second race had started with a battle for the lead between O’Halloran and Brookes with Hickman and race one winner Andrew Irwin in the mix, but on lap nine the race was red flagged as light rain began to fall.
Jason O’Halloran – 2019 British Superbike Championship Round 10, Thruxton
When the race restarted, Hickman had the jump off the line to lead on the opening lap from Brookes, Andrew Irwin and Bridewell. On the second lap Brookes was coming under fire from a determined Honda Racing rider, but Dan Linfoot was also on the move and he was up into third ahead of Hickman.
However a crash for Glenn Irwin at the Club chicane caused another red flag when the stricken Tyco BMW was in the middle of the track and leaking fluid. The Racesafe marshals worked to clear the scene before the race was restarted again with an eight-lap sprint to the chequered flag.
On the final restart Brookes wasn’t taking any prisoners and he fired himself into the lead and then went to make a break, eventually crossing the line 4.276s ahead of the chasing pack to claim his fifth victory of the season for Be Wiser Ducati.
Josh Brookes – 2019 British Superbike Championship Round 10, Thruxton
The battle for second ensued behind with Andrew Irwin and Hickman banging fairings in their quest to break into the top six in the standings. The pair were trading blows with Bridewell, Hickman, Iddon, O’Halloran and Redding also all in the mix.
However, a mistake on lap three saw Redding run on at Club and having not completed the re-join into the race correctly, he was issued a long lap penalty. The Be Wiser Ducati rider had three laps to complete the long lap as the race laps counted down, however he failed to do so, and despite crossing the line in a podium position, he was given the ride through equivalent penalty of 15 seconds. That dropped him down to 22nd and outside of the points.
Andrew Irwin – 2019 British Superbike Championship Round 10, Thruxton
Andrew Irwin meanwhile had his strongest weekend of his career claiming a second place in race two, ahead of Hickman who was third to take the first podium finish for the new BMW S1000 RR.
O’Halloran had completed his best performance of the season to finish in fourth place for McAMS Yamaha, holding off Bridewell in the closing stages.
Josh Brookes topped the Race 2 podium from Irwin and Bridewell – 2019 British Superbike Championship Round 10, Thruxton
Iddon equalled his best race result of the season in sixth place ahead of Xavi Forés, who just dropped outside of the top six in the points ahead of Cadwell Park. Buchan maintained his position inside the top six with an eighth place ahead of Luke Mossey and Linfoot who completed the top ten.
Andrew Irwin – 1-2
“Thruxton has probably been the best weekend of my life, it’s one that you never think will happen! I’ve had so much fun riding this weekend. We did loads of homework on Friday and Saturday and the Fireblade has been so good in all sessions, the boys did an awesome job! It is such an amazing feeling to win! I think I passed Jason going into the last lap or something like that and I felt like I had some tyre left. The pace was funny it went up and down a lot with whoever went to the lead. I just wanted to put a strong lap together on the last lap. It is a dream come true, it’s been a tough road to get here, the best road and I’ve learnt a lot along the way. Whenever I won a Supersport race, I only won one but my team-mate helped me along the way so this feels like my first proper win that I’ve ever got so I’m delighted and I can’t thank Honda enough for all their hard work.”
Andrew Irwin – 2019 British Superbike Championship Round 10, Thruxton
Josh Brookes – 3-1
“Tyre conservation is on your mind all weekend here at Thruxton so with the second race going from 20 laps to 13 laps and then down to eight laps, I could ride exactly how I wanted to and just went full speed as the tyre was always going to last eight laps.I just got my head down and went for it and whilst it may not have been as close as the first race, I enjoyed it a lot more. The field is so level now, every race is tough but Pirelli have done a great job with the tyres and they’re a little bit easier to manage around here now and although I still wanted more from myself, I was happy with the first race podium.I got pushed around a bit too much on track and needed to find a little bit more confidence, so the second race win has given me exactly what I needed and it’s great to be back on the top step.”
Josh Brookes – 2019 British Superbike Championship Round 10, Thruxton
Jason O’Halloran – 4-4
“It was good to get some solid finishes. I am a little bit disappointed not to be on the podium as I felt we had really good pace in both races. We’ll take fourth today, the boys have done a good job. I’ve said it the last couple of rounds, if we get a full weekend without any issues in practice and qualifying and we’ll be back up the sharp end and that’s what we’ve done this weekend. Everybody has done a great job and it feels nice to have some momentum and build through the first two days of the weekend. I had a crash at Snetterton and to be honest I’ve had a bit of an issue with my left shoulder, so I have to thank my physio and the physio team at the track. We’ve got a couple of weeks off before Cadwell, so I’ll try and get a bit fitter and see if we can carry this momentum to Cadwell.”
Jason O’Halloran – 2019 British Superbike Championship Round 10, Thruxton
Xavi Forés – 7-7
“To be honest I feel frustrated this weekend, I had good pace to be on the podium, but starting towards the back of the grid was hard to manage. The first few laps here are crazy and I had to adapt quite a bit to be strong in the first part of the race. The second race I did the third fastest lap, which means I am always improving lap-by-lap. Coming home with two seventh place finishes is good for me, especially at this kind of track where I have not ridden before and it’s not easy for me to defend my position. I feel if we can improve our qualification for the next races we will be so much more competitive. Good job from all the team, we had a great weekend and especially with Andrew’s win and podium, I feel we now have a really good package with the Fireblade.”
Scott Redding has proven unstoppable across both BSB Superbike races at Snetterton, with Australian Josh Brookes hot on his heels. Redding claimed both wins and Brookes was regulated to runner-up in each race for a Ducati 1-2, with MacKenzie and Bridewell sharing the final podium positions. Redding leads the standings, with Josh Brookes now three-points off Bridewell in third.
Scott Redding and Josh Brookes – Snetterton BSB 2019
Jason O’Halloran took ninth in Race 1, however a crash in Race 2 delivered a DNF result, and made for his third crash of the weekend. Ben Currie returned from injury and laid claim to 19th in Race 1, however was directed not to take part in Race 2 due to pain from his injury, with recovery ongoing.
Jason O’Halloran – Snetterton BSB 2019
Jack Kennedy took the Supersport Sprint win ahead of Brad Jones and Alastair Seeley, while the feature race saw Rob Guiver claim the win from Sean Nearv and Josh Day. Jack Kennedy leads the Supersport standings to Thruxton.
Billy McConnell – Snetterton BSB 2019
Billy McConnell also made a strong return to the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 series claiming fourth despite his lengthy lay-off and surgeries, with fellow Aussie Levi Day happy coming home in seventh. Richard Cooper took the race win from Lee Jackson and Taylor Mackenzie. Richard Cooper leads the standings, with Day 10th and McConnell 14th.
Levi Day – Snetterton BSB 2019
Superbikes Race 1
At the start of the race one Tarran Mackenzie got an incredible launch off the line to lead the pack on the opening lap ahead of Brookes and Redding with Tommy Bridewell in fourth. The rider was not happy to settle where he was though and was instantly on the attack, moving ahead of Redding into Agostini for the first time.
Tarran Mackenzie took the Race 1 holeshot- Snetterton BSB 2019
On the fourth lap Bridewell had moved into second with a decisive dive down the inside at Riches, pushing Brookes back into third. At the front, Bridewell claimed the lead ahead of Mackenzie as Redding moved into third. Bridewell tried to make a break from the pack but he made a mistake into Agostini a lap later and crashed out unhurt.
Redding had cut through into second and with Bridewell out of the race he captured the race lead, but behind there was an intense battle between Brookes and Mackenzie with the pair trading blows for several laps. The fight between the pair gave Redding the opportunity to edge out a gap, but Brookes was then able to get the better of Mackenzie and keep him behind over the closing stages.
Scott Redding quickly reclaimed the lead – Snetterton BSB 2019
Danny Buchan maintained his position inside the top six in the standings with a fourth place, but the FS-3 Racing Kawasaki rider had a lonely end to the race. However behind him there was a scrap between the Honda Racing pairing; Xavi Forés and Andrew Irwin colliding on the final lap, but both formation flying to the finish line with the Spaniard having the edge at the chequered flag.
Peter Hickman was also in the group and he held off Luke Mossey for seventh place ahead of Jason O’Halloran who had a strong race to carve through the field from his seventh row start on the second McAMS Yamaha. Christian Iddon completed the top ten, passing his teammate Michael Laverty in the final moments of the race on his return after his Knockhill injury.
Jason O’Halloran took ninth in Race 1- Snetterton BSB 2019
Superbikes Race 2
In race two Brookes had the perfect start off the line to lead the pack into Riches for the first time ahead of Redding, Bridewell and Mackenzie. Jason O’Halloran meanwhile had also made a good start to move into fifth on the second of the McAMS Yamahas. The Australian though crashed out on the fourth lap at Brundle, ending his race prematurely.
Josh Brookes took the early lead in Race 2 from Scott Redding – Snetterton BSB 2019
At the front Brookes held the lead until there were just three laps remaining as Redding made a dive down the inside on the brakes at the end of the Bentley Straight to take the lead. The race one winner was able to hold off his Be Wiser Ducati teammate to the finish line.
However it was a double disaster for Mackenzie who crashed out at Wilson on lap eleven as he bid to close down Bridewell for the final podium position. The Oxford Racing Ducati rider bounced back from his race one crash to claim third place and maintain his second place position in the championship standings ahead of Brookes.
Tommy Bridewell – Snetterton BSB 2019
In the battle for fourth place Irwin scored his best result of the season so far for Honda Racing, holding off Peter Hickman and Iddon who had a strong performance despite still recovering from his Knockhill injuries.
Hector Barbera had an impressive performance on his first visit to Snetterton on the Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki, taking the chequered flag ahead of Forés who maintained his position inside the top six in the overall standings.
Christian Iddon and Peter Hickman – Snetterton BSB 2019
Michael Laverty and Luke Mossey completed the top ten, whilst Buchan and Josh Elliott failed to score points after both crashing in individual incidents on the sighting lap.
Scott Redding
“I felt better with the bike in race two, I felt more comfortable and more confident but I didn’t know whether I could be faster. Then when I passed Josh I went faster, so I learnt I need to believe in myself a bit more. I tried to see what the other guys were doing with the tyres in the race as I didn’t want to break away and then have an issue later on. Again, I’m still learning, I’m still a rookie in this class and I don’t know the tracks. I’m really happy and I had a wicked time this weekend the fans have been amazing, we’ve had great fun, the reception was amazing. To come back with a pole and two race wins – I can’t take much more. To be a Monster athlete and for them to have an event here and for me to win the Race of Aces Trophy just puts the icing on the cake really.”
Scott Redding – Snetterton BSB 2019
Josh Brookes 2-2
“I felt really strong at the end of the first race and whilst I was being a little bit conservative in the early stages, the battle I had with Tarran Mackenzie cost both of us time and it allowed Scott to make a bit of a break. By the time I got up to second, it was too big a gap to bridge but it was a good start to the day. We made a slight change in between races and it allowed me to push to the limit so with a good start, I felt comfortable out front. I felt like I was controlling the race well but when Scott came by, he seemed to have just a little bit in reserve and had enough of a gap so I couldn’t get back by. Given where I was on Friday, I’ve got to be happy with two second place finishes, so we’ll work hard to find that bit extra to try and get back on the top step at the next round.”
Josh Brookes – Snetterton BSB 2019
Andrew Irwin scored his best result so far this season, closing his gap to the top-six thanks to a 5-4 result, achieving his goal of dual top-six results.
Andrew Irwin 5-4
“I keep saying I want two-top sixes near enough every round we’ve been to, it’s what I wanted and we’re coming away from here with a fifth and fourth, which is a step in the right direction! At Knockhill we finished the last race in fifth and we are starting to be where we belong inside the top-six, and hopefully we can continue to close the gap to the Showdown. We took six points out of Xavi this weekend, so we go to Thruxton looking to take another set of points out of him to try and close that down. I’m really happy, the team are working so hard and the Fireblade is working well, so I’m pleased with the progress and the fourth place finish today!”
Andrew Irwin – Snetterton BSB 2019
Hickman remains in seventh place in the overall standings but has made up ground towards Xavi Fores who holds sixth position, with a crash during qualifying a rare mistake, which was then followed up with strong results in a seventh and fifth across the two races.
Peter Hickman 7-5
“Overall, it’s been a strong weekend and after being in the top three for most of practice, it was a real shame I made a small mistake in qualifying as it cost me a second row start at least. We’re still having an issue with getting the bike stopped and we’re still running a stock engine so it was hard going in both races and although seventh in race one was a good effort, I knew I could improve upon it in race two. I was further back on the grid, but I made a good start and am really pleased to have finished fifth and also close in a little bit on Fores in sixth. Snetterton has never been one of my best circuits but the next two rounds are Thruxton and Cadwell, places I really enjoy and go well at so I’m looking to take full advantage and claw back the deficit I currently have.”
Peter Hickman chases Dan Linfoot – Snetterton BSB 2019
Xavi Forés collected valuable points with sixth in Race 1 and eighth in Race 2, holding onto sixth in the standings.
Xavi Forés 6-8
“To be honest this weekend has been harder than I expected; I like the track and enjoyed my laps but honestly from the first day I had a small issue with the bike and was never able to solve it, and for the races it was not so easy to manage. Race 1 I was trying to defend my position and had a good battle with Andrew, but at the end I got some important points and finished in the top-six. I did expect a little more and especially in the second race, but the first part was really, really bad for me, I never felt a good grip on the apexes, especially in the first ten laps. After that I was able to manage a little more and able to almost have the same pace as the top-four, but unfortunately it was too late and sometimes it’s quite frustrating when you lose so much gap at the start. But anyway, sixth and eighth isn’t so bad for my first time here in Snetterton and I am looking forward to Thruxton in order to keep the Showdown still alive! I want to say thanks to all the team, we made a good job inside the box and see you at Thruxton!”
Xavi Fores – Snetterton BSB 2019
Mackenzie took a spot on the podium in Race 1 and got a good start in Race 2 before the Ducatis started to pull away in the early stages. Initially trying to save his tyre, the 23-year-old began to close the gap but lost the rear at Wilson on lap 11.
Tarran Mackenzie 3- DNF
“Race one was obviously really good. I ended up third and felt like I put together a good race in the first two thirds, but the last third was a bit difficult. When I saw Tommy went out it was hard to go with the two PBM bikes so I settled for third. In race two I didn’t get the best of starts, held my position in fourth and the Ducatis got away a bit. I was trying hard to catch them and setting quite a good pace. I was slowly catching them towards the end, but ended up losing the rear and then losing the front from that. I feel like I’m riding really well, it was another solid weekend and we were in the top two for a lot of it. I’m really happy, to be honest. Finishing fourth would be OK but I’d rather finish third for podium points. I’ll keep trying and come back at Thruxton even stronger.”
Tarran Mackenzie – Snetterton BSB 2019
Bad luck awaited Australian rider Jason O’Halloran when he endured three crashes at Snetterton, the first two in practice and open qualifying, while ninth in Race 1 from the seventh row was a good result. Unfortunately in Race 2 a third row start saw O’Halloran move up to fifth only to crash out.
Jason O’Halloran 9 – DNF
“I’m OK, I’ve got a little bit of an injury on my left hand where you can see the bone on my knuckle but other than that I’m alright. Thanks to the guys at the medical centre for cleaning it up and patching it up. I was happy with the first race, we haven’t been able to do a lot of laps this weekend so to get 16 laps under our belt was really beneficial. We came from 21st to ninth and kept fighting all the way to the end. We made some changes for race two and, starting from a better position, we got away well and I was feeling comfortable in fifth. All was looking good until I highsided out! We’ve a few things to work on for Thruxton and look for a clean smooth weekend. We’ve go the pace, the potential is there with both me and the bike, we’ve just got to have a clean smooth weekend and it’ll come together.”
Jason O’Halloran – Snetterton BSB 2019
Australian Ben Currie also made his return from injury, riding home to 19th in Race 1, but was advised by the team manager not to race in the second race due to the pain he was suffering in his foot.
Ben Currie – Snetterton BSB 2019
Ben Currie
“I didn’t opt not to race I was told not to. Sorry to my sponsors!”
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
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
Be Wiser Ducati’s Scott Redding claimed the fastest time at the official BSB Official Test at Portimao on Day 1 from Honda Racing’s Xavi Forés, with only 0.026s separating the two, despite a crash earlier in the day leaving Redding on the back foot.
Forés was fast straight out of the blocks, putting his track knowledge to good use to maintain a position at the top of the times throughout the day, before he was pipped in the closing stages by Redding.
Xavi Forés
Redding had been inside the top five before lunch, but a crash at turn five ended his morning session prematurely, whilst Josh Brookes climbed the order to third in the final ten minutes, nudging Tommy Bridewell down to fourth.
Andrew Irwin had a strong opening day on the second Honda Racing Fireblade, holding a position inside the top three before ending the day in fifth place as Brookes and Bridewell improved in the final 20 minutes.
Tarran Mackenzie didn’t attempt a time attack in the closing stages of the day, but his earlier time put him sixth fastest ahead of Team WD-40’s Claudio Corti and Luke Mossey, who had been running inside the top five earlier in the day.
Jason O’Halloran had been making strides forward in the afternoon with the McAMS Yamaha but a crash in the afternoon at turn 13 when he lost the front sidelined him from the remainder of the day despite being uninjured. Danny Buchan completed the top ten for FS3-Racing Kawasaki.
Ben Currie continued his Superbike learning curve to finish the opening day 13th quickest while Billy McConnell trailed Gary Johnson in the Superstock 1000 ranks.
BSB 2019 Portimao Test Day One Times
Scott Redding (Be Wiser Ducati) 1m:44.502s
Xavi Forés (Honda Racing) +0.026s
Josh Brookes (Be Wiser Ducati) +0.175s
Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing Ducati) +0.731s
Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing) +0.824s
Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) +0.923s
Claudio Corti (Team WD-40 Kawasaki) +1.010s
Luke Mossey (OMG Racing Suzuki) +1.021s
Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) +1.040s
Danny Buchan (FS3-Racing Kawasaki) +1.082s
Josh Elliott (OMG Racing Suzuki) +1.113s
Glenn Irwin (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +1.315s
Ben Currie (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +1.964s
Matt Truelove (McAMS Yamaha) +2.124s
Ryan Vickers (RAF Kawasaki) +2.440s
Jack Kennedy (Macadam Yamaha) +2.682s
Fraser Rogers (Gearlink Kawasaki) +2.871s
Alastair Seeley (Be Wiser Ducati) +3.017s
Sam Coventry (Team 64 Kawasaki) +3.593s
STK Gary Johnson (RAF Kawasaki) +3.855s
STK Billy McConnell (OMG Suzuki) +4.074s
STK Lee Jackson (FS-3 Kawasaki) +4.502s
STK Tom Neave (Honda Racing) +4.636s
SS Brad Jones (Macadam Yamaha) +4.786s
SS Harry Trulove (Yamaha) +5.002s
STK Eemeli Lahti (Staff Quick Connect Kawasaki) + 5.132s
Be Wiser Ducati rider Scott Redding pipped Aussie Jason O’Halloran by 0.193 to lead day three of testing and wrap up the final overall combined times at Circuito Monteblanco, where the final day of sessions ended up a Ducati vs Yamaha affair.
The pair had been holding the leading positions on the final day and both riders continued to make improvements towards the end of the day, with O’Halloran closing in on Redding before the Be Wiser Ducati rider made another gain in his time to keep the McAMS Yamaha rider at bay.
O’Halloran Yamaha YZF-R1
Tarran Mackenzie on the second of the McAMS Yamahas overcame his huge high-side crash from yesterday to hold third place; he returned to the track today and improved his pace on the final day as he worked on further improvements with the team.
Glenn Irwin and the Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki continued to work through various winter improvements and he held fourth place on the timesheets, whilst team-mate Ben Currie suffered a heavy crash in the morning so he sat out the remainder of the day.
Xavi Forés continued to impress with Honda Racing as he held fifth and admitted he was impressed with the pace despite missing the chance to have another attack at flying lap in the closing stages of the final day.
Bradley Ray and the Buildbase Suzuki team had worked on further improvements on the areas they struggled with last season, which put him ahead of Honda Racing’s Andrew Irwin who continued to build momentum on his second visit to Monteblanco.
Josh Brookes was eighth fastest on the timesheets, the former champion struggled in the afternoon with sickness which hampered his progress on the final day, but the Australian is confident of the Be Wiser Ducati’s potential.
Luke Mossey maintained his position inside the top ten on his official test debut for OMG Racing Suzuki, holding off hard-charging rookie Ryan Vickers who impressed with a top ten finish on his debut with the RAF Regular and Reserve Kawasaki team.
Victorian Ben Currie did not set any times on the remaining day with his Thursday afternoon session time of 1:38.197 positioning him overall 17th in BSB and some 1.906 off of the combined times leader Scott Redding.
South Australia Billy Mcconnell riding an OMG Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 was 21st overall and second in the Superstock class trailing leader Richard Cooper by 0.986 with a time of 1:39.527 achieved on the penultimate session on the final day of testing.
BSB will resume testing starting tomorrow in Portimao, Portugal.
Former Aprilia Gresini Racing and Pramac Ducati MotoGP rider Scott Redding made and impressive start as the 2019 Bennetts British Superbike Championship kicked off today (Wednesday) with the opening day of official testing at Monteblanco in Spain. The Be Wiser Ducati Panigale V4 rider set the benchmark pace, toppling fellow debutant Xavi Forés by 0.169s with Jason O’Halloran also cutting the advantage on his final run in third.
The opening day of BSB testing got underway on a glorious sunny spring day at the Spanish circuit with Forés setting an early pace and holding the position on his second visit to the track as he prepares for his debut season in Bennetts BSB.
Forés Honda CBR1000RR
Redding though had been chipping away and on his penultimate run of the day he moved ahead of his Spanish rival with a string of faster laps as the Ducati V4R debuted for the first time in Bennetts BSB.
Forés improved in the closing ten minutes of the last session of the day as he completed his final run of laps, but it wasn’t enough to relegate Redding from leading the time sheets on close.
Redding said:
“It has been a good first day here in Monteblanco and have had great fun on the bike, understanding a lot of things and the team have been amazing – we have gelled really well. I actually miss them from the last test so it has been a relief after a long wait and I am looking forward to tomorrow to actually test some things on the bike, working with the new engine and the electronics to find the best ways. Day one is done and I am really happy and can’t wait to get back out tomorrow.”
Australian O’Halloran demonstrated that he was adapting well to his McAMS Yamaha YZF-R1M, closing in on Redding and Forés in the final minutes and only ending up 0.321s the leader Redding.
Danny Buchan saved his best until his last run of the day onboard his FS-3 Racing Kawasaki ZX-10R as he claimed fourth, pushing back the OMG Racing Suzuki GSXR piloted Luke Mossey in the closing minutes of the day.
Tarran Mackenzie made it both McAMS Yamahas inside the top ten as he posted the sixth fastest time ahead of Claudio Corti who had been riding impressively until a unfortunate ended his charge crash, but he was unhurt and able to finish the day.
Glenn Irwin led the Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki assault as the title-winning team bid to retain their crown, he was marginally faster than his younger brother Andrew on the Honda Racing Fireblade with Josh Brookes completing the top ten.
Bennetts British Superbike Championship,
Monteblanco, Official Test, Day 1 result:
1
Scott Redding
(Be Wiser Ducati)
1m:38.385s
2
Xavi Forés
(Honda Racing)
+0.169
4
Jason O’Halloran
(McAMS Yamaha)
+0.321s
5
Danny Buchan
(FS-3 Racing Kawasaki)
+0.750s
6
Luke Mossey
(OMG Racing Suzuki)
+0.792s
7
Tarran Mackenzie
(McAMS Yamaha)
+0.853s
8
Claudio Corti
(Team WD-40 Kawasaki)
+0.872s
9
Glenn Irwin
(Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki)
+0.883s
10
Andrew Irwin
(Honda Racing)
+0.978s
11
Josh Brookes
(Be Wiser Ducati)
+1.100s
BSB moves to Portimao for the penultimate test on 17 – 18 March.
Yamaha resurgent as Vinales from Iannone, Dovi wins
Riders and Team managers talk the Phillip Island GP
Maverick Vinales – P1
“This is the best feeling ever, honestly! We‘ve been in the dark all year, and suddenly we came into the light! I couldn‘t show my potential in the previous races, but today I could. Being first in Australia is always amazing! It‘s the best track ever, and I like to be at the front there. To win here and break this long none winning period of Yamaha is unbelievable! I was riding on the bike like I was in FP4. I got a really good feeling from the bike, so I knew I could maintain 1‘29s. That‘s what I did for most of the middle of the race. I tried to escape as far as I could, because I knew my tyre wasn‘t going to last until the end. I knew opening that gap would be difficult, I had some moments with some riders, and some shaking on the bike – I was struggling, but I still made it through anyway. It was amazing! I have to say ‘thank you’ to the team, because this weekend they worked for the win. We will try to be the best and we‘ll try to work in a good way. We don‘t want to lose the concentration, because we don‘t know what will happen in Malaysia, but for sure the level of motivation will be high after this weekend.”
Maverick Vinales
Andrea Iannone – P2
“I’m really happy, especially as we were at the top almost all weekend long, and this gives us a lot of positivity. We worked together on improving my feeling with the bike and it meant I was able to finish really close to the top. I felt able to win but it was a hard fight with the others and I was losing ground with them. When I managed to overtake them and keep them behind I realised I couldn’t catch Viñales, so I just tried to defend and manage the tyres. At the end I pushed at 100% to make sure I could get 2nd place.”
Andrea Iannone
Andrea Dovizioso – P3
“I’m really satisfied with the way the race went. Even though we knew we had good speed, managing to get a podium here is another thing. I’m pleased I got myself immediately into an ideal position in the race, because if you start from the third row here at Phillip Island anything can happen, as we saw. Instead with a bit of luck I immediately managed to make up some positions and after a few laps I was first: I never expected that! Then I had a chance to manage the tyres and reach the end of the race in a good state, even though we were all in trouble a bit. I’m very pleased with the work we’ve done here: Phillip Island was a fundamental test to understand our level of competitiveness and now we know we have made a good step forward over last year.”
Andrea Dovizioso
Álvaro Bautista – P4
“At the end of a difficult weekend in which I crashed three times, this fourth place is a great reward for me. To come into a new team and step onto a new bike at a circuit like this was for sure not going to be easy, but I think we’ve worked well together, making steps forward in every session. I started the race really focussed and relaxed because I had no real targets to aim for, except for enjoying riding the Desmosedici GP18. After quite a complicated start, I was able to soon catch up with the leading group and fight for the front positions. In the last few laps I made a few small mistakes and lost contact with Dovizioso and Iannone, but in any case I’m very happy with my overall result, especially for the team and for Ducati, whom I would like to thank once again for the trust they have shown in me.”
Álvaro Bautista
Alex Rins – P5
“It was an interesting race and I was able to learn a lot. During the first part, when I was inside the group, I was feeling good but then when I got the contact from Maverick I lost a lot of ground and it cost me a lot because the group got away, but this is racing. I also lost further time trying to overtake Miller. But we want to focus on the positive points, and there were many, for instance the way I was able to battle with Rossi and defend my 5th place. We’re going to Malaysia with good feelings and we are prepared, so we hope for another nice result there.”
Alex Rins chases down Vinales and Rossi
Valentino Rossi – P6
“Unfortunately from the first lap I already started to slide a bit too much on acceleration. I lost some grip compared to yesterday and this morning. It’s a shame because for sure we wanted to try to do better. I tried to ride smoothly and manage the tyres, but unfortunately after 15 laps I was in trouble, because when exiting left corners I had too much spin. We need to understand why this happened and then try to improve, but having Maverick win a race is good news for the team and Yamaha, because it gives great motivation.”
Valentino Rossi
Jack Miller – P7
“If I have to be honest I was expecting a little more but I am still happy with this result and being the first Independent rider. I got off to a good start even though I honestly didn’t think I would be in the lead so early. In the middle of the race I tried to save my tyres but in the end I didn’t have any room to attack the podium group.”
Jack Miller
Franco Morbidelli – P8
“I am very happy with this result, my personal best result in MotoGP. We did a god job to exported the situation with riders going out of the race. Our tyre choice was the right one and I had good pace especially from half-race and I was able to get into the tope ten. I want to thank my crew for a great job this weekend to sort out the set-up of the bike for the race.”
Franco Morbidelli
Aleix Espargaro’ – P9
“On the straight, I was in the slipstream of a lot of riders and at a certain point, a piece of Marc’s bike struck my left hand. I began to feel pain, but fortunately in MotoGP we only use the clutch for the start, so I was able to finish the race. We’ll assess the situation in view of Malaysia. After a less-than-easy weekend, in warm up we made a big step forward and in the race I was able to ride very incisively. This is demonstrated by the fact that we lapped faster than in qualifying, but unfortunately on the final laps, the soft rear tyre began to suffer and I was unable to hold onto eighth place. In any case, the result is good, considering the hard work done this weekend with two different bikes.”
Aleix Espargaro – AJRN Image
Bradley Smith – P10
“We did a good job. We saw Phillip Island as an important weekend for KTM because we knew the bike would work quite well here. The team did a fantastically because the main aim of the weekend was to try and set up the bike as best as we could to look after the rear tyre. It meant we had to sacrifice qualification a little bit yesterday but it paid off today. I had a great first lap to come from sixteenth to eighth and then tried to hold the position for as long as possible. Unfortunately towards the end I just didn’t have anything left for Morbidelli or Aleix. Sepang now and it is a difficult track but I think we have some good confidence and the bike has a good setting and it working well for me. I’m optimistic we can keep the same level and take some good points.”
Bradley Smith
Karel Abraham – P11
“We have to be happy with this race, we have doubled our points score for the season in just round. I am happy to have had the chance to ride the Ducati GP17, I could see how much potential the bike has but you also have to consider that it is difficult for any rider or chief mechanic to find the perfect set-up for a new bike in just one weekend. In any case we have done a good job and you could see that at the start of the race, when I felt really good. After that the bike started to slide and pump, I changed the mapping and it helped for a couple of laps but then it started again. I didn’t want to use the last two maps because they are for emergency use and we still had a lot of laps to go. The riders behind me were closing in and I wanted to push harder but I couldn’t get any more out of the bike. In the end, luckily, I managed to stay ahead of them.”
Karel Abraham
Danilo Petrucci – P12
“It’s really a shame. I felt like I had a great feeling right from the warm-up. I went on track very focused and made my best start in my career. Unfortunately at turn two I had a problem with the clutch. I am really sorry but these are the races: once it is the rider who makes a mistake, another time it is the bike that betrays you. We’ll try again in Sepang.”
Danilo Petrucci
Scott Redding – P13
“I am happy with the way the race went. To be honest, I didn’t expect it. Even in warm up, I didn’t have any particularly good feeling. Apparently, staying in the slipstream of the other riders helped me warm up the front tyre better. Maybe in terms of pace I could have done a bit better too, but when I found myself leading the group, I began to have some difficulties. In any case, I battled, overtaking Nakagami on the final lap and bringing home important points. A few crashes helped, but we did a good job anyway turning a complicated situation around.”
Scott Redding
Takaaki Nakagami – P14
“It was a difficult weekend. The weather conditions were a little bit better than yesterday, they were less windy and the track temperature was getting higher and higher. We decided to go with a soft compound on the rear and I think that was the correct choice, but I really struggled in the last ten laps. The lap times were quite strong and I couldn’t find the race pace I wanted. In the end I got into the points which is very good, but I was expecting a better result here so now we have to think about the next one in Sepang and try to be more consistent over the weekend.”
Takaaki Nakagami
Xavier Simeon – P15
“I have a lot of problems with the clutch and once again, my start was horrible. I was last again, but this time at least I was able to recover some positions on the first lap. The bike was very good and I had the pace to fight between eleventh and fifteenth position. Ten laps from the end though, the left flank of the rear tyre was destroyed and I had to slow down. Therefore I’m a little bit disappointed. The weekend has been very good and I always felt strong, but we depend too much on tyre wear. Apart from this, I’m super happy about achieving my first MotoGP point and I want to thank my team because they helped me a lot since I got on this bike. In Malaysia we have to improve the start and work more with the tyres for the race. I hope to have fun again like here and score more points.”
Xavier Simeon
Tom Luthi – P16
“I had a good rhythm for the first ten laps and could stay with the group I was in so I’m little disappointed for this result. But then I lost a lot of edge grip and could not keep corner speed in the fast left-hand corners and I was struggling with understeer and that’s where I lost too much time. I’m disappointed to be 16th again and just miss some championship points.”
Tom Luthi
Jordi Torres – P17
“The race has left me with a bad taste in my mouth. This morning in the warm-up I felt pretty strong and we had a very promising pace. But it was more windy in the race and tyres maybe did not reach the right working temperature on the first laps because twice I was close to a crash when I tried to push. This affected my confidence and I wasn’t riding comfortably throughout the race. I know what I have to do to go fast, but I lacked the confidence to do it. At least I’m gaining experience in every race and I hope things will go better in Malaysia. Sepang is a very long circuit and I’ll have to learn many things in a short time, because the other riders have done lot of kilometres over there. The heat will also be a new challenge for me. I hope to my level of fitness is high enough.”
Jordi Torres
Mike Jones – P18
“I just wanted to give my best and finish the race, and we achieved our objective. I am very happy and grateful to the Ángel Nieto Team for the opportunity to race in MotoGP in front of the Australian fans. It has been an incredible experience, the power of the bike is crazy and the braking force is unreal. It has been a physically demanding weekend because this is such a different bike to anything I have ridden before.”
Mike Jones
Marc Marquez – DNF
“At first I didn’t understand exactly what had happened, but I was angry because I felt the contact from the rear. I couldn’t continue the race because my seat was broken and moving around. It was impossible to ride. When I arrived in the garage and saw the video, I understood. It was just a race incident because at that point of the track, we arrive really fast, over 300 km/h. I was behind Jack Miller when I braked even a bit later than usual, and then I felt the impact. Zarco had taken the slipstreams from the two of us. You may think he could have considered that, but for me it’s just a race incident and I already spoke with him. What I can say is that today I feel really lucky, and the most important thing for me is that both me and Johann are okay. Today I was really focused, and the race was going as expected. I led for a couple of laps, and then I decided to stay in the group and wait a bit. I had the pace and I felt I was able to fight for the win. It’s unlucky that we got a zero here at Phillip Island, but if next year I can win the title in Japan again and have another DNF here, I’ll sign up for that! Now let’s focus on the next race.”
Damage to Marc Marquez’s Honda
Dani Pedrosa – DNF
“It has been a difficult weekend. We never had a good feeling over the three days, and unfortunately I crashed out of the race. I wasn’t in a good position, and then I lost the front in the braking point after the straight—quite a big crash, as it’s a fast point. Anyway, we just have to move forward, hoping to have a better race next Sunday.”
Dani Pedrosa
Hafizh Syahrin – DNF
“Until lap 19 I had a good race. I just lost the front because I tried to close again on Miller. In the straight it is just impossible, as the Ducati just passes very easily. The guys and myself, we are already working very hard with our package, which is a bit different to the rest of the Yamahas. I was fighting with the faster group in the front, but it was just technically impossible to keep up with them, although I was pushing very hard. It’s a great pity to crash on the 19th lap. Anyway, we keep pushing, working hard and believing in ourselves because my team and me work very hard to be strong in the race. We tried to use our speed for a good result, but in the end we didn’t have a chance to fight with the rest of the riders in front.”
Hafizh Syahrin
Johann Zarco – DNF
“It was a bit cold today, but the sunshine made it a nice day. Starting from third position was a good advantage. I got a good start, but in the second corner I slide with the rear and a few guys had the same, I lost a few positions, but then I was really feeling quite ok to attack and try to overtake. I’m happy about the feeling that I was strong and did some good passes. After a few laps, I was still feeling pretty good, I got the slipstream of Jack Miller and Marc Marquez was also there. We were going so fast and when we were braking for corner one, I touched the rear wheel of Marc and totally flew away. I had a big crash, but I’m okay, which is the most important thing, as that crash was really fast It’s a shame about the race, because finish the race would have been important for the independent riders’ championship, but I didn’t. The crash was big and I am sorry that Marc could not finish the race. Thank you to my team, because the bike was competitive today! I did a mistake and I need to make up for it on the next two rounds.”
Johann Zarco
Pol Espargaro – DNF
“I was super-angry because I think we worked well this weekend and did a lot of laps with the tyres front and rear and we put the Soft options for the race thinking it would be OK. For some reason after six-seven laps it started to drop and I couldn’t open the throttle. After a few more laps it was dangerous to ride the bike so I had to stop. I don’t know what else to say. We made all the processes and procedures to know the tyre 100% but it looks like it can be a lottery. We’ll talk to Michelin and try to learn from this.”
Pol Espargaro
Davide Brivio – Suzuki ECSTAR Team Manager
“This has been another very good day for our team, we took another podium, the second in a row and the third in 4 races. Andrea had a great battle with many riders and was able to finish 2nd. Because of this big battle it was hard to catch the leader, but anyway, it was a good race and we scored our 7th podium of the season. Alex finishing 5th was also very positive, Top 5 is really important to us. I really hope we can continue like this for the last two rounds of the season and thanks again to everybody involved for always working hard, especially on difficult times.”
Andrea Iannone
Massimo Meregalli – Yamaha MotoGP Team Director
“What a thrilling and dramatic race! Maverick is always strong at the Phillip Island circuit, and he once again outdid himself in Australia today. He really deserved the victory, because he had been strong the entire weekend. It‘s a great feeling for the team to secure a win again – we have all been working so hard for this. It‘s not just us who have been waiting, but also our fans, so this is as much for them as it is for us. It was a pity that Vale wasn‘t able to join the podium, because he was showing great potential for the majority of the race. It would have been great to have him up there too. He and his crew have also been pushing to the maximum, but sixth place was really the best he could do today due to tyre wear at the end of the race. Overall this weekend has been a great moral boost, because both riders were competitive, so we‘re all looking forward to the next round, the Grand Prix of Malaysia, in just a week‘s time.”
Maverick Vinales with crew chief Roman Forcada
Hervé Poncharal – Monster Yamaha Tech3 Team Manager
“There are some days you wish what you see is a dream – or rather a nightmare. But unfortunately, what we saw today was reality. We had high hopes with a great Qualifying from both of our riders, Johann on the front row and Hafizh with his best ever Qualifying in 10th. The start was difficult as usual, it was a big pack as we saw in the other two classes and clearly, Johann was trying to find his way through the field after a bit hectic lap one. We could see that he was really fast and I think he wanted to use the advantage of the soft-soft choice he had made for front and rear and that was quite intense until that incident, which was unbelievable. When you see a rider going down at such a high speed – I think he touched the ground at 280 km/h – for the few seconds following the incident, you just hope nothing bad will happen. Johann had a really good reflex and although his bottom is quite sore, he was strong to walk back to the garage and be still fully fit and ready to race the next round. That was a big thing. Unfortunate for the fans and the racing overall, Marc and Johann were out of the race, which made it less exciting. So, our focus went on Hafizh, who was behind the leading group until he slowly los the contact. But he was still holding on a good eighth position and we were quite happy because although he was loosing ground he was still keeping a good pace and he crashed without any warning, without really understanding why. That was the end of our weekend. Both of our riders could have been really strong and both of them get no points, which is a big disappointment. I know you always have to keep up the ‘never-give-up-attitude’, but today it is hard, also with Remy in the Moto2 class. The only good thing is, our riders are fit, ok and we have a race next week.”
Remy Gardner
Mike Leitner – KTM Team Manager MotoGP
“Race conditions can be difficult here and so can tyre choice. It went quite well for Bradley and he ran where he we think we can be – between 8-10. We lost ninth position by four hundredths of a second: it was very close. A shame for Pol. He had a different tyre choice but then other riders also had that selection. In the middle of the race he had a very big drop which is not usual and he had to stop. So we need to analyse what happened. He should have also been able to fight for the top ten. We’ll go to Malaysia now and try to make it happen.”
“Phillip Island is always a big challenge and this year was certainly no different. The strong gusting winds and cold temperatures made it difficult for everyone, but the whole Michelin team worked in a very professional and methodical way with the riders to make sure the tyres which were best suited to the conditions and riding styles were used today. Despite the challenges, the race was very exciting and it is good for Michelin to have another winner, both rider and manufacturer, and it is also pleasing to see all six manufacturers in the top-ten and three different ones on the podium. We are constantly striving to give tyres to all that they can use to the best of their abilities, so having results such as this are very rewarding. The Michelin Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix is a very big occasion on the company’s calendar and this has been another great event. We have again learned a lot about the toughest track of the year and this will enable us to come back even stronger next year.”
Australian O’Halloran demonstrated that he was adapting well to his McAMS Yamaha YZF-R1M, closing in on Redding and Forés in the final minutes and only ending up 0.321s the leader Redding.
