Brendan Roberts suffered his first disappointment of the year this weekend at Silverstone Circuit. The 2006 National Superstock Champion crashed out of the 15-lap race after a coming together with Hudson Kennaugh on the last lap. Roberts had looked strong all weekend on the Astro Van Centre Kawasaki, setting the fastest time in first qualifying and ending up in third position on the grid for the race.
A number of adjustments were needed throughout the weekend to get the Kawasaki ZX10 set up to suit the flat, fast track. This was time consuming as the bike was set up for the bumpy and twisty Cadwell Park Circuit, which Roberts finished second at a few weeks prior.
A technical problem on the opening lap in morning warm up saw him miss the session, as the mechanics set out to fix the bike before the race. Roberts got a good start and was into third by the first corner and was in the lead at the end of the first lap. Holding the lead until the third lap when Kennaugh made a tidy manoeuvre on the young Australian, the South African, Kennaugh, began to extend his lead at the front. By the end of lap seven the gap was 1.3.
Roberts was eager to get his head down and challenge for the lead and at the start of the last lap he had narrowed the margin to 0.5 and was in with a chance of the win. Hunting down Kennaugh, Roberts saw a gap at Priory and went to pass on the inside. Sadly the front end tucked and he collided with Kennaugh and both riders ended the race in the gravel.
After taking six wins in the series it was a disappointment for the Grantham based rider not to hold his 100% point-scoring season. Commenting Roberts said "I had a run on Hudson all be it from a long way back but I had made it until the front tucked, I’m sorry for wrecking Hudson’s chances as he was riding awesome all weekend and deserved to take his second win. From here I'll be concentrating on the European Championship with a three day test at Imola to prepare for the meeting, then we move onto Magny Cours so it will be a busy few weeks."
Roberts will next be riding at Imola Circuit in the Penultimate round of the European Superstock Championships on the 1st October.
Related Links www.brendan-roberts.com
Related News
Related Articles
