The Lloyds British Jentin Racing team secured a confidence building eighth place at Thruxton this weekend (18th - 20th April), rider Simon Andrews gained a strong top ten finish in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship but was forced to retire from the second race with a clutch problem.
Andrews started the season well at Brands Hatch a couple of weeks ago and was unable to turn his strong qualifying position into a race result after the race was cancelled due to snow. Andrews carried on his form this weekend at Thruxton and was consistently running within the top ten during free practice and qualifying. He dropped to 13th on the grid in the qualifying session after struggling slightly with grip in the wet conditions. He was eager to achieve two strong finishes in the two 20-lap races on his Yamaha R1.
He secured a fantastic start in race one and was sitting in eighth place after the first lap and had managed to gain five places. Andrews defended the position well and held off the attacks from Michael Laverty and Stuart Easton and gained a sturdy eighth place as he crossed the finish line. Race two and Andrews did not manage to complete the first lap and was forced to pull into the pits and sit the race out.
Andrews commented; "I'm a bit gutted not to have been able to get two good results as I was pleased with my first race finish. I was really happy at Brands with the way everything was going and was feeling confident when I came to Thruxton. I really struggled with the Pirelli's through the weekend at Thruxton with the changing weather conditions; I think they just take a bit of getting used to and knowing how to set the bike up accordingly to get the best out of them. I'd never ridden in the wet on them and I was really surprised at how much grip they gave me but I was a little wary on how much I could push them. Hopefully things will be better at Oulton in a couple of weeks time and we'll get some more good results."
Team owner Bernie Toleman said;
"It's been quite a difficult weekend for the team but we have definitely learnt a lot and we now have more information to take to Oulton Park. It was a shame about the clutch in the second race but it would be nice to be back near the top end at Oulton and get some good results under our belt. Thruxton is a very fast circuit and I believe the eighth in race one was a good result as the factory riders will always do well there, as they have that little bit of extra power. Simon likes Oulton so hopefully the team will be able to get two positive results there."
Race One Result: 1, Shane Byrne, (Ducati)
2, Cal Crutchlow (Honda)
3, Michael Rutter (Ducati)
4, Leon Haslam (Honda)
5, Leon Camier (Ducati)
6, Tom Sykes (Suzuki)
7, James Ellison (Honda)
8, Simon Andrews (Jentin Racing / Lloyds British Yamaha)9, Stuart Easton
10, Michael Laverty (Suzuki)
Championship Standings:
1, Shane Byrne (Ducati) 45 pts
2, Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 45 pts
3, Michael Rutter (Ducati) 32 pt
4, Leon Camier (Ducati) 24 pts
5, Tom Sykes (Suzuki) 18 pts
6, James Ellison (Honda) 18 pts
7, Stuart Easton (Kawasaki) 17 pts
8, Michael Laverty (Suzuki) 17 pts
9, Leon Haslam (Honda) 13 pts
10, John Laverty (Ducati) 9 pts
11, Simon Andrews (Jentin Racing / Lloyds British Yamaha)
Related Links:www.jentinracing.comwww.si-andrews.co.uk
Words by Carly Rathmell
