After the disappointing cancellation of the Brands Hatch round of the Bennetts British Superbike championship on April 6, Gearlink Kawasaki are busy making final preparations for the Thruxton round of the series over the coming weekend. Riders Steven Neate and Chris Martin are ready to take on all challengers in what will now be the opening race of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport championship at the Hampshire circuit, which is a short distance from the team headquarters at Whaddon, near Salisbury.
Qualifying at Brands Hatch two weeks ago saw both riders quickly get to grips with the new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R with Chris Martin securing a second row start in fifth position and Steve Neate a top 20. The qualifying positions will be carried forward to the re-arranged meeting to take place at Brands Hatch on May 10/11.
Chris Martin
Obviously we are all gutted not to have raced at Brands Hatch but we did get to test the bikes under race conditions and carry the information gained with us to Thruxton. I can’t wait to get my season started and if I can match my qualifying results from Brands Hatch then I am confident I can produce a top result for Gearlink Kawasaki.
Steve Neate
I was disappointed about the Brands Hatch meeting but we can’t do anything about the weather so must move on. We can put the experience gained in qualifying there into action at Thruxton this weekend, capitalise on the extra track time and turn that into a strong qualifying position ready for racing.
Michael de Bidaph - Team Owner/Manager
Thruxton is our home track and we hope to put on a good show for the local fans. The 2.4-mile circuit is one of the fastest tracks on the calendar and we are confident our two riders will be up to the challenge.
Free practice takes place on Friday followed by qualifying on Saturday. The 18-lap Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport race is set for 2.35pm on Sunday and live action will be transmitted on British Eurosport 2 in their broadcast window of 12.30pm - 4.30pm.
