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Powerbronze
International Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales with
company number 4472584, VAT number 815 1332 63 GB.
Registered address : Brookside Industrial Estate, Brookside Avenue, Rustington, Littlehampton, West Sussex, ENGLAND. BN16 3LF. Tel: + 44 (0)1903 783222 | Email: sales@powerbronze.co.uk We are an associate member of the Motor Cycle Industry Association. www.mcia.co.uk, The Federation of Small Businesses and the Guild of Master Craftsmen. Consumer Credit Licence No: 618138/1 issued by the Office of Fair Trading. |
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Thursday 23 July 2015
PB Times July 2015!
Monday 6 July 2015
Sunshine and racing!
Your normal PB blogger took last week off to enjoy the sunshine, but is now back with a massive round up from the weekend's racing at Knockhill!
Milwaukee Yamaha:
Josh Brookes continued his run of podium finishes in the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship by claiming a pair of third places at Knockhill in Scotland at the fifth round of the season.
Brookes had started on the front row of the grid for the opening race and held a pace to battle for the podium positions. The Milwaukee Yamaha rider had been pushing hard for second place in his quest to move ahead of Stuart Easton, but as he approached the Hairpin the yellow flags were out following a crash. Michael Laverty made a pass to push Brookes back to fourth, but following a review by Race Direction he was later issued with a one second penalty, promoting the Milwaukee Yamaha rider back to third.
Broc Parkes was determined to move forward after qualifying in 23rd on the grid but he was left battered following a crash in warm up. In the race the Australian continued to climb the order to finish 14th and salvage two points.
In race two Brookes was eager for more and was again in the leading group, but he race was red flagged after a short rain shower. The race resumed in dry conditions and Brookes was back in the hunt for the podium. He again battled against the PBM Kawasaki's of Shane Byrne and Stuart Easton to finish third and maintain second place in the overall standings.
Parkes again endured a tough second race and improved his pace to finish in 14th position.
Brookes said: "We weren’t in a position to win this weekend and all we can do is try and improve things ready to try and come back stronger at he next rounds. I will watch the races at home and improve myself and look where I went wrong or even where I can improve to be better too. It is not the win that we were looking for today, but I am pleased to be on the podium for my sponsors and supporters."
Parkes said: “I am pretty happy to leave Knockhill to be honest and get to Brands Hatch as it wasn't the easiest of weekends. I found more pace in race two as I got more familiar with the bike and circuit but I am still not happy with the results and definitely want more at Brands Hatch which is one of the circuits I know well.”
JG Speedfit:
It was a mixed weekend for the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team at Knockhill as James Ellison crashed out of contention in the opening race before a technical fault halted his charge in race two. It was a much stronger weekend on the other side of the garage however as James Westmoreland enjoyed his first top ten finishes of the season, taking hard earned ninth and eighth places.
Using the good weather on the opening day, the JG Speedfit Kawasaki duo of James Ellison and James Westmoreland worked methodically through both practice sessions to fine tune their Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R Superbikes. Demonstrating his progress made on the machine, Westy finished the day with the tenth fastest time whilst Ellison battled through the discomfort of his broken ribs to finish with the twelfth.
With heavy overnight rain causing damage to the track and a thick fog laying over the picturesque circuit, Saturday’s action was delayed but both riders quickly got up to speed when the final practice session got underway, with Ellison finishing third and Westy 17th. With just over a second covering the top 20 in practice, qualifying was an equally close affair as Ellison secured sixth place on the grid whilst Westy took 13th on the grid just 0.585s behind the fastest time.
With the opening race starting under overcast skies, Ellison and Westy enjoyed strong starts to cross the line at the end of the first lap in sixth and 11th respectively before the pace car was immediately deployed. As the car came in on lap five, both riders were instantly back on the pace as James remained in the leading group and Westy entered a five rider battle for the top ten. Setting the fastest lap of the race on lap eight, Ellison had moved up to fifth and looked to be ready to challenge for his fourth win of the year however a rare crash saw him tumble of contention on lap ten. Holding off the advances of BMW riders Peter Hickman and Lee Jackson, Westy crossed the line in ninth place to take his first top ten finish of the year.
By virtue of their fastest lap times in the opening race, Ellison started from pole position with Westy again starting 13th. Launching off pole position, Ellison was second into the opening corner with Westy immediately moving into the top ten. An unfortunate error on lap five saw Ellison run wide and slip back to last position. Again embroiled in a battle with BMW’s, Westy was fighting for eighth when the red flag was deployed on lap 19, with Ellison having worked his way back up to 21st. Restarting for an 11 lap dash, both riders started in the position they finished the first part in. Taking an incredible start, Ellison moved up to 17th however a technical problem saw him forced to retire four laps in, whereas Westy enjoyed a hard earned eighth place to make it two top ten finishes.
Tyco BMW:
After the jubilation of posting his debut podium for Tyco BMW in this season’s British Superbike Championship with a hard-fought second place in race one – Michael Laverty was later demoted to fourth place after receiving a one second time penalty – for allegedly overtaking in a yellow flag zone.
Lady Luck also deserted Laverty in race two, when after leading for long periods from his pole position spot, he could not maintain the same pace in the re-start due to an electrical problem, after the race was red flagged for rain. Laverty eventually took sixth place in the 11-lap sprint race that determined the race two result.
It was a difficult weekend for Tommy Bridewell who crashed out of British Superbike race two following a seventh place finish in the opening 30-lap encounter. Alastair Seeley was also on the wrong side of good fortune this weekend: the National Superstock 1000cc rider crashed out of the lead on lap three of the Pirelli sponsored series.
Be Wiser:
The Be Wiser Kawasaki team was left flying solo at round five of the MCE British Superbike Championship when fans favourite Chris 'Stalker' Walker crashing heavily on Friday and was ruled out for the rest of the weekend. It was left to youngster Danny Buchan to represent the Be Wiser team. Danny was sixth in race one and seventh in race two.
Danny Buchan had a solid weekend at Knockhill and was improving during every session, he made some huge developments and the team made some big steps forward. It was a great confidence boost to see Danny make it to the final qualifying session and he was consistently putting in some respectable times. He eventually finished qualifying in eighth place for the opening British Superbike race.
In race one Danny got a good start and was seventh after the opening lap, the safety car was deployed for four laps to clear debris off the circuit and Danny got stuck back in when the race got underway. By lap ten he had moved up to sixth place and rode a great race to finish the 30-lap race in a solid position.
He started from his first front position of the year for race two in third position; the youngster was slightly fazed by this and he dropped back to seventh after lap two. He was pushing hard but was unable to catch the riders in front, the rain started on lap 18 and the race was red flagged. On the 11-lap re-start Danny got a much better start and fought hard for 11th laps to gain another good top ten position of 7th.
Chris Walker had some more bad luck this weekend and had a fast crash on Friday afternoon landing heavily against the Armco barriers. He visited the medical centre on Saturday morning and they sent him to hospital for further tests and scans. It was discovered he has damaged several ribs on his spine and sternum, a broken finger and some ligament damage on several limbs. He missed all proceedings on Saturday but had set a time to allow him to start from the back of the grid.
He rested on Saturday and after a medical inspection on Sunday morning he was declared unfit to race. He sustained some very painful injuries and between the medics and the team they decided it was best he did not take part in the races at Knockhill, his first missed race since Snetterton 1994.
Lastly a big hi five for local lad Thomas Strudwick, who at 13 years old has a 27 point lead in the KTM 390 Junior Cup! Go Thomas!!
Milwaukee Yamaha:
Josh Brookes continued his run of podium finishes in the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship by claiming a pair of third places at Knockhill in Scotland at the fifth round of the season.
Brookes had started on the front row of the grid for the opening race and held a pace to battle for the podium positions. The Milwaukee Yamaha rider had been pushing hard for second place in his quest to move ahead of Stuart Easton, but as he approached the Hairpin the yellow flags were out following a crash. Michael Laverty made a pass to push Brookes back to fourth, but following a review by Race Direction he was later issued with a one second penalty, promoting the Milwaukee Yamaha rider back to third.
Broc Parkes was determined to move forward after qualifying in 23rd on the grid but he was left battered following a crash in warm up. In the race the Australian continued to climb the order to finish 14th and salvage two points.
In race two Brookes was eager for more and was again in the leading group, but he race was red flagged after a short rain shower. The race resumed in dry conditions and Brookes was back in the hunt for the podium. He again battled against the PBM Kawasaki's of Shane Byrne and Stuart Easton to finish third and maintain second place in the overall standings.
Parkes again endured a tough second race and improved his pace to finish in 14th position.
Brookes said: "We weren’t in a position to win this weekend and all we can do is try and improve things ready to try and come back stronger at he next rounds. I will watch the races at home and improve myself and look where I went wrong or even where I can improve to be better too. It is not the win that we were looking for today, but I am pleased to be on the podium for my sponsors and supporters."
Parkes said: “I am pretty happy to leave Knockhill to be honest and get to Brands Hatch as it wasn't the easiest of weekends. I found more pace in race two as I got more familiar with the bike and circuit but I am still not happy with the results and definitely want more at Brands Hatch which is one of the circuits I know well.”
JG Speedfit:
It was a mixed weekend for the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team at Knockhill as James Ellison crashed out of contention in the opening race before a technical fault halted his charge in race two. It was a much stronger weekend on the other side of the garage however as James Westmoreland enjoyed his first top ten finishes of the season, taking hard earned ninth and eighth places.
Using the good weather on the opening day, the JG Speedfit Kawasaki duo of James Ellison and James Westmoreland worked methodically through both practice sessions to fine tune their Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R Superbikes. Demonstrating his progress made on the machine, Westy finished the day with the tenth fastest time whilst Ellison battled through the discomfort of his broken ribs to finish with the twelfth.
With heavy overnight rain causing damage to the track and a thick fog laying over the picturesque circuit, Saturday’s action was delayed but both riders quickly got up to speed when the final practice session got underway, with Ellison finishing third and Westy 17th. With just over a second covering the top 20 in practice, qualifying was an equally close affair as Ellison secured sixth place on the grid whilst Westy took 13th on the grid just 0.585s behind the fastest time.
With the opening race starting under overcast skies, Ellison and Westy enjoyed strong starts to cross the line at the end of the first lap in sixth and 11th respectively before the pace car was immediately deployed. As the car came in on lap five, both riders were instantly back on the pace as James remained in the leading group and Westy entered a five rider battle for the top ten. Setting the fastest lap of the race on lap eight, Ellison had moved up to fifth and looked to be ready to challenge for his fourth win of the year however a rare crash saw him tumble of contention on lap ten. Holding off the advances of BMW riders Peter Hickman and Lee Jackson, Westy crossed the line in ninth place to take his first top ten finish of the year.
By virtue of their fastest lap times in the opening race, Ellison started from pole position with Westy again starting 13th. Launching off pole position, Ellison was second into the opening corner with Westy immediately moving into the top ten. An unfortunate error on lap five saw Ellison run wide and slip back to last position. Again embroiled in a battle with BMW’s, Westy was fighting for eighth when the red flag was deployed on lap 19, with Ellison having worked his way back up to 21st. Restarting for an 11 lap dash, both riders started in the position they finished the first part in. Taking an incredible start, Ellison moved up to 17th however a technical problem saw him forced to retire four laps in, whereas Westy enjoyed a hard earned eighth place to make it two top ten finishes.
Tyco BMW:
After the jubilation of posting his debut podium for Tyco BMW in this season’s British Superbike Championship with a hard-fought second place in race one – Michael Laverty was later demoted to fourth place after receiving a one second time penalty – for allegedly overtaking in a yellow flag zone.
Lady Luck also deserted Laverty in race two, when after leading for long periods from his pole position spot, he could not maintain the same pace in the re-start due to an electrical problem, after the race was red flagged for rain. Laverty eventually took sixth place in the 11-lap sprint race that determined the race two result.
It was a difficult weekend for Tommy Bridewell who crashed out of British Superbike race two following a seventh place finish in the opening 30-lap encounter. Alastair Seeley was also on the wrong side of good fortune this weekend: the National Superstock 1000cc rider crashed out of the lead on lap three of the Pirelli sponsored series.
Be Wiser:
The Be Wiser Kawasaki team was left flying solo at round five of the MCE British Superbike Championship when fans favourite Chris 'Stalker' Walker crashing heavily on Friday and was ruled out for the rest of the weekend. It was left to youngster Danny Buchan to represent the Be Wiser team. Danny was sixth in race one and seventh in race two.
Danny Buchan had a solid weekend at Knockhill and was improving during every session, he made some huge developments and the team made some big steps forward. It was a great confidence boost to see Danny make it to the final qualifying session and he was consistently putting in some respectable times. He eventually finished qualifying in eighth place for the opening British Superbike race.
In race one Danny got a good start and was seventh after the opening lap, the safety car was deployed for four laps to clear debris off the circuit and Danny got stuck back in when the race got underway. By lap ten he had moved up to sixth place and rode a great race to finish the 30-lap race in a solid position.
He started from his first front position of the year for race two in third position; the youngster was slightly fazed by this and he dropped back to seventh after lap two. He was pushing hard but was unable to catch the riders in front, the rain started on lap 18 and the race was red flagged. On the 11-lap re-start Danny got a much better start and fought hard for 11th laps to gain another good top ten position of 7th.
Chris Walker had some more bad luck this weekend and had a fast crash on Friday afternoon landing heavily against the Armco barriers. He visited the medical centre on Saturday morning and they sent him to hospital for further tests and scans. It was discovered he has damaged several ribs on his spine and sternum, a broken finger and some ligament damage on several limbs. He missed all proceedings on Saturday but had set a time to allow him to start from the back of the grid.
He rested on Saturday and after a medical inspection on Sunday morning he was declared unfit to race. He sustained some very painful injuries and between the medics and the team they decided it was best he did not take part in the races at Knockhill, his first missed race since Snetterton 1994.
Lastly a big hi five for local lad Thomas Strudwick, who at 13 years old has a 27 point lead in the KTM 390 Junior Cup! Go Thomas!!
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