After the snow-hit round at Brands Hatch, the 2008 Bennetts British Superbike series finally kicks off this weekend with the HM Plant Honda trio of Leon Haslam, Cal Crutchlow and Steve Brogan ready to race at Thruxton in Hampshire. The 2.34-mile circuit was originally built as an airfield in 1940 and was used by both the Royal Air Force and the United States Air Force during World War II. Soon after the war ended motorcycling began at the former airbase and the circuit has been in constant use ever since.
The track is wide, bumpy and fast, featuring some of the quickest corners on the BSB calendar. The 2008 Bennetts British Superbike series takes in 12 events between April and October and Eurosport will feature a regular four-hour race-day show, which will come from the track live, featuring both Superbike races and the Supersport race. The Thruxton races will be live from 12.30pm to 4.30pm on Sunday. Following the aborted Brands Hatch first round, that race has been resch eduled for May 10th-11th.
Leon Haslam – HM Plant Honda
British Superbike – Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade“The positives we take from what little track time we got at Brands Hatch is that we were there or thereabouts in qualifying and we had made some improvements in set-up to the 2008 Fireblade, which have been a real step forward. At Thruxton the season really begins and for me I know I need to work hard, get a good grid position for Sunday’s races and translate that into some good points. I’ll be looking for podiums or better this weekend to really start my championship challenge off in the right way.”
Cal Crutchlow – HM Plant Honda
British Superbike – Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade
“I’ve always enjoyed racing at Thruxton and had some great fights there. It really is a battling circuit, where the slipstream can count for a lot. From Church to the last chicane the rider leading the group is doing most of the work, so sometimes it’s best just to sit back and watch what’s happening and use the draft to pass into the final chicane. On the last lap, if you’re five lengths back you can still win. The track itself is very abrasive on tyres, but our CBR1000RR Fireblade has got a good set-up and if our tyres last for the full distance we will be up there fighting for the win. I’m just happy to finally be going racing!”
Steve Brogan – Honda (UK) Racing
British Supersport – Honda CBR600RR
British Superstock – Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade“First thing I’m doing is keeping my fingers crossed with the weather this time! Thruxton is one of my favourite circuits, it suits my riding style and I look forward to it every year. In recent years I’ve been on the podium. Last year on the 2007 Superstock Fireblade I was on pole and came second in the race, very close behind the winner Glen Richards. Thruxton has been pretty kind to me and I’m confident that the new Fireblade will work well around there. On the HM Plant Supersport CBR600RR I’m also confident that we can get the bike working well around the circuit. I’m hoping to get both bikes dialled-in on set-up quickly so I can do some fast times in practice and qualifying – rain or shine! I’m going to Thruxton aiming for a win in both classes – there’s no reason why I can’t achieve that this weekend.”
Havier Beltran – HM Plant Honda team manager“The long-range weather forecast is not too bad for the weekend, so let’s hope we’ve seen the last of the snow for the year! Thruxton is an interesting and a very wide-open circuit, with a lot of varied lines around it. Being the first of the few high-speed circuits on the calendar it’s going to be very interesting for us to see where everybody stacks up on top speed. Speed and stability are all-important at Thruxton, as it’s quite bumpy for the riders so it’s always a challenge to set-up the bike and choose the right tyres. In all classes we simply need to get the best out of our technical package. This is effectively the first round, so while we’re always aiming for wins, podiums in all classes would be great for us at the season opener.”
Check out
www.honda-racing.co.uk for more on Honda’s racing activities and
www.honda.co.uk/motorcycles for more on Honda’s extensive range of two-wheelers, including the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade and CBR600RR sports machines.
