Following on from a successful first race of the year at Thruxton, the HM Plant Honda team heads to the challenging circuit of Oulton Park in Cheshire this Bank Holiday weekend. The 2.69-mile circuit is undulating, exciting and undeniably one of the riders’ favourites.
Both Cal and Leon in the Bennetts British Superbike class will be looking for good results at one of their favourite tracks of the year: Cal to back up his debut win and Leon to kick-start his championship challenge after a disappointing Thruxton. Steve Brogan will be hoping for a repeat of his double from the Hampshire track, where he won both the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport race and the Metzeler National Superstock 1000 event, making him the series leader in both classes.
Qualifying for this weekend’s racing is on Sunday 4th May, with racing taking place on Monday 5th May. British Eurosport will broadcast live on race-day from 12.30pm to 4.30pm, with a package show to be aired later that week.
Leon Haslam – HM Plant Honda
British Superbike – Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade
“Oulton Park has a fantastic layout and always promotes good racing. I’ve always done pretty well there. I know after the disappointment of Thruxton I need to get my championship going so I’m looking forward to winning. That’s what we’re here to do. It’s a long season and we’re making progress each time I’m out on the bike. The HM Plant team is a fantastic squad, packed with experience. They’ve got a link to the factory and HRC and we’ve got a great crew – all of which are now good mates. We’ve gelled really well and considering that we’ve got a new bike, a new team, new tyres and only a little testing under our belts, I know that there’s more to come from the bike, the team and myself, so I’m confident that we’ll be winning races very soon. I’m also hoping I’ve got my bad luck for the season out of the way early!”
Cal Crutchlow – HM Plant Honda
British Superbike – Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade
“After the win I never went out to celebrate – honest! I went to the gym the next morning, as that’s what champions do. I want to continue the success we had at Thruxton at Oulton Park this weekend and I think we can. It was an honour battling with the likes of Shakey and Michael and I learned a lot from the experience. I’m confident I can keep this up as I know the pressures of leading races and a championship from my time in the British Supersport series: I’ve done it before. I know that consistency is the key to winning a championship. I love racing at the moment and the HM Plant Honda team is doing a great job and making it easier for me as a rider to chase podiums and wins. I like Oulton Park a lot. I’ve had numerous Supersport wins there and didn’t do too bad on the Suzuki last year, as I was top five. Oulton is a real riders’ circuit, so we know that the likes of Shakey, Michael and Leon will go well there. I’m looking forward to carrying on the season in the style we’ve started it in, as I want to be leading the championship for the rest of the year!”
Steve Brogan – Honda (UK) Racing
British Supersport – Honda CBR600RR
British Superstock – Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade
“It’s been a dream start to the season with two wins. For me it was no surprise to win either one of the Thruxton races, as both the team and the bikes are so capable. The real challenge will be to do that week in week out: that’s going to be a tough job! But every weekend we need to go to a different track and aim for those two wins. I feel I’ve silenced a lot of critics who maybe didn’t think I had it in me to run at the front of both classes. I’ve worked hard to get here and I’m going to make the most of this opportunity. I want to repay the faith that Neil Tuxworth had in signing me and the Thruxton wins are the first instalment of that! It’s a long old season, so I just need to keep getting points on the board. Oulton Park is one of my favourite circuits. I hope to work hard in practice and qualifying and get a good set-up and be on the front-row of the grid for both races – that’s the aim. I’m not stupid, so if I can’t win then I want podiums and points: hopefully mo re points than my nearest competitor.”
Havier Beltran – HM Plant Honda team manager
“We had a good start to the year at Thruxton – apart from Leon’s bad luck – and this is despite us knowing that the Hampshire circuit wasn’t going to be the best track for us. Oulton should be a bit better suited to our machines, so we’re going there optimistic of securing more podiums in all classes. The track itself is wonderful and a favourite of the riders. You really need to have a bike with a front-end that you’re confident of around Oulton: and with the blind crests and corners, circuit knowledge is paramount. What I want to see is good weather all weekend. Last year the mixed conditions caught out both Johnny Rea and Ryuichi Kiyonari, so sunshine would be better. Also that means that the boys can really show the fans what these amazing machines can do!”
Check out www.honda-racing.co.uk for more on Honda’s racing activities.
