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The final round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship in association with Pirelli at Oulton Park ended the season with some of the best racing of the year. Here some of the team managers reflect on the weekend's events.
Airwaves Yamaha
Leon Camier - R1: 2nd, R2: 1st, R3: 1st
James Ellison - R1: 4th, R2: 3rd, R3: 12th
Colin Wright: "This season we have not only exceeded everyone's expectations, we have yet again broken records! Leon and James are the only two riders to have finished every race in the points (barring Leon's exclusion at Cadwell Park). We have enjoyed numerous double race wins and double one two's and I believe Leon's points tally (549.5) is the most any rider has gained in a race season. We have also, with the help of Pirelli, come close to breaking lap records. The Airwaves Yamaha YZF-R1 and the team have performed outstandingly and I'm so grateful to all those who have made this season one of our best ever. I said it would be!"
HM Plant Honda
Josh Brookes - R1: DNF, R2: 7th, R3: 3rd
Glen Richards - R1: 11th, R2: 10th, R3: 8th
Havier Beltran: "We've certainly had a season of highs and lows but we're delighted to come away from the final round with Steve securing the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship, Josh achieving another podium in Superbikes for HM Plant Honda and the Padgetts Honda squad securing second and third in the National Superstock 1000 championship with Steve and John. We're pleased Glen was able to be back with us for this final round to complete the team and he rode very well at the weekend although his leg caused him quite a bit of pain.
"Finishing fourth and 12th in the BSB Championship is not where we would want to be, but considering Glen and Josh have both had to miss races this year I think the riders and the team have done a superb job. I would like to thank everyone involved with the HM Plant Honda team, from our riders and mechanics, to sponsors, suppliers, hospitality crew, Honda (UK), championship organisers and the fans for their involvement with the team and support during this season."
Hydrex Honda
Stuart Easton - R1: 1st, R2: 2nd, R3: DNF
Tommy Hill - R1: 3rd, R2: 4th, R3: 2nd
Shaun Muir: "It's been the team's most successful year ever and for a moderately funded team, we can all be extremely proud of what we've achieved. It's been a tough championship once more but our results have been higher than expected and, like we did in 2008 with James Ellison, we've re-launched the career of Stuart Easton and he's moved on to a whole new level. He's done so much for the team and I think it's fair to say we've both complimented each other throughout the season and together we've reaped the rewards.
"Tommy deservedly won the 'Rider of the Day' award and for him to take two podiums at the final round and be in contention throughout, was very, very pleasing. I think the decision to bring him in for the final third of the season raised a few eyebrows but that decision has been fully vindicated and he's proved that in the right team and environment, he can be a serious challenger for the BSB title in 2010.
"I've got to say a massive thank you to all of our loyal sponsors and to the entire team, particularly to Mick Shanley and Pete Jennings for jointly managing and coordinating the team and collectively we've proved that with dedication and support, it is possible to achieve results of the highest order. The challenge now is to get the riders, mechanics and funds all in place for 2010 so we can maintain the level we've got to now and improve our standing even further; the number one plate is what we'll be firmly aiming for."
Worx Crescent Suzuki
Sylvain Guintoli - R1: 5th, R2: 5th, R3: 5th
Jack Valentine: "In that first race we saw a glimpse of the old Sylvain. He showed his true determination and if he hadn't got held up for a while there, he may well have been able to go with the lead pack. We had been hoping to build on that ride, so we were a little disappointed with the result in the second race. At the mid race point we were gifted fourth place when Stuart Easton crashed, so it was upsetting we couldn't defend the position.
"Now the job is to refocus on 2010, we've got a lot of work ahead of us even before we start testing. As ever we're looking forward to the challenge and we're keen to again prove just how competitive the Suzuki GSX-R1000 is."
Relentless Suzuki by TAS
Ian Lowry - R1: 8th, R2: DNF, R3: 4th
Alastair Seeley - R1: DNF, R2: 13th, R3: DNF
Phillip Neill: "It was not an ideal weekend, but the final race was the kind of performance we had been looking for from Ian. It was a real gutsy ride and if he can get his bike off the line at the start, he is more than capable of running with the front five. He just needs to learn to do that more consistently, but to take on a beat someone as experienced as Sylvain, on a final lap, demonstrates his talent and desire. For him to finish fifth in his rookie season, taking into account that it is only our second year in the Superbike class as a team is pleasing. It also shows the development and progress we have made with the GSX-R1000 Superbike and I have no doubt we can be challenging right at the front in 2010.
"Alastair had a baptism of fire in the Superbike class but overall his performance was satisfactory. With so much to learn in a short space of time he coped very well. It's just a pity we didn't get to see him in that last race, as I do believe with the set-up changes, he would have been well inside the top ten. His first race crash was down to a bit of over exuberance, but I can't fault him as he had worked his way onto the back of the bunch fighting for fifth and looked very strong on the 2009 GSX-R1000. In the final race he was brought down in Simon Andrews' crash but there was nothing he could have done about it and he missed the re-start. It's valuable experience for him and he'll come back stronger.
"I'd just like to thank everyone that has helped us, especially Suzuki, Relentless and Beacon. A big thanks also to all the guys in the team. It has been a testing year all round, but what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger and we'll be back fighting in 2010."
MSS Colchester Kawasaki
Simon Andrews - R1: 9th, R2: 7th
Julien Da Costa - R1: 10th, R2: 6th
Nick Morgan: "That what a proper roller coaster of a weekend. Firstly, can I say that I'm glad Simon is OK after his monumental crash in race two. Shame I can't say the same about the bike. The weekend promised so much and delivered so little and to be honest it feels like I'm wiping a bit of egg off my face. Julien rode hard all weekend and if it wasn't for his rubbish qualifying I think we'd have seen him overtake Simon in the championship. Simon? He got a stone through his radiator in race two and landed himself in hospital in the final race but in the race on Saturday his performance promised lots. Sadly it wasn't to be."
Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha, Node 4 Yamaha
Chris Walker - R1: 9th, R2: 14th, R3: 7th
Graeme Gowland - R1: DNF, R2: 15th, R3: 11th
Dan Linfoot - R1: 19th, R2: 17th, R3: 15th
Rob McElnea: "With three races at Oulton Park it was always going to be a little nerve wracking! Graeme survived a huge crash in the first race and I had my fingers crossed for them all on Sunday. Lots of riders were making mistakes; it was the end of the season and the big finale before it all drew to a close and thankfully all our guys made it home! It has been a frustrating season, one we expected much more from and the new bike has been tricky to work out, but I want to thank all the lads for digging in all year and all our partners for sticking with us. We will re-group and come back on fire for 2010!"
Sorrymate.com SMT Honda
Karl Harris - DNS
Robin Croft: "It was a classic weekend of ups and downs for the sorrymate.com/SMT Honda team and it's fair to say we went through a whole range of emotions at Oulton Park. We came expecting great things with Karl's previous form and he didn't disappoint being fast throughout. He gave us our first ever front row and was challenging for the lead, a huge boost for all of us, when it all started to get a bit heated. He simply found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time and in the blink of an eye, we went from being ecstatic to completely the opposite. Saturday night was certainly a major downer for the team.
"The boss is happy, the riders are happy, the mechanics are happy and the whole team's happy and whilst we're all a bit disappointed that we didn't get to show what we could do in the Superbike class, we've ended the season in a strong frame of mind. We are now going to start planning for 2010 and we'd like to run a rider in both the Superbike and Evo classes so that's exactly what we'll be aiming to do. I just want to finish by saying a big thank you to everyone involved with the team throughout this season. We've never stopped trying and hopefully, next year will see us back stronger than ever."
Buildbase Kawasaki
John Laverty - R1: 10th, R2: 6th, R3: DNF
James Hillier - R1: DNF, R2: 19th, R3: DNF
Stuart Hicken: '' Overall it was a promising weekend. Oulton Park hasn't been very kind to us over the past few seasons, so to be running in the top six consistently was very encouraging. John had a small off in race three which shame but he wanted to push for that fourth place and you can't knock that. We've have a good year with riders in the top ten of three different championships and we hope to build upon that for 2010."
