Shane Byrne heads the Bennetts British Superbike Championship going into the sixth round at Mallory Park this weekend but the Airwaves Ducati rider is expecting his rivals to begin their fight-back in the title stakes at the short, but demanding Leicestershire circuit.
The Spanish based rider has won seven of the ten races held so far, opening up a commanding 83 points advantage ahead of his team-mate Leon Camier, and he goes into these races in confident mood, having won one of the two races in the corresponding round of last year.
Byrne then was riding for Honda, and the winner of the other race last term, Ryuichi Kiyonari, was also aboard a Fireblade and it is those two results that give the pursuing pack the belief that they can start claw back the points.
Cal Crutchlow, the local favourite, is just a point down on Camier, and the HM Plant Honda rider is keen to make up lost ground – he tested, alongside Leon Haslam at Cadwell Park, and believes the results of that session will boost his chances of heading off the Ducatis.
“I’m not happy about dropped to third place but we’ve still got a way to go and I’m now looking forward to Mallory,” said the Coventry based rider who is keen to add to his two victories so far this season. Haslam meanwhile is bidding for a seasonal first success amid what has proved to be an inconsistent campaign so far.
That is something that the 25 year old Derbyshire rider is keen to rectify as he comes under pressure from the Hydrex Bike Animal Honda rider James Ellison who is racking the points up strongly to be fifth overall in the rankings.
The Cumbrian rider, back on the domestic scene, is using the experience gained in MotoGP and American Superbikes to be one of only four riders, alongside Byrne, Camier and Tristan Palmer, to have scored points in every race.
That record has put Ellison a point clear of Michael Rutter, the North West 200 Ducati rider, who is keen to re-kindle the early season form that earned him a brace of podium finishes at Thruxton.
Snapping at their heels is Tom Sykes, the Huddersfield rider aboard the Rizla Suzuki, who is long overdue a taste of the victor’s champagne while Karl Harris, amid a season littered with ill-luck is hoping for an upturn in fortune aboard his Rob Mac Racing Yamaha.
James Haydon makes a racing return, taking the place of the injured Stuart Easton, with the MSS Discovery Kawasaki team, riding alongside their Aussie Billy McConnell while Scott Smart is aboard the locally prepared Hawk Kawasaki.
Gary Mason, another rider who is based locally, will be bidding to maintain his strong run of form in the Daily Star Cup – a race within the main championship for independent teams and riders – having won three of the four races he has started, adding a second place in the other.
He has settled well on the Quay Garage Honda, since taking over from Privateers Cup winner James Buckingham after the Brands Hatch round, and with plenty of points still available is beginning to give John Laverty, the leader in the title stakes on the Buildbase NW200 Ducati, plenty to think about.
For the Record - Superbikes on Track Friday 27th June12.20 - 13.10 and 15.30 - 1610 (Free practice)
Saturday 28th June10.10 - 11.00: (Free practice)
14.40 - 15.30: Swan Combi 50 Roll for Pole grid deciding session
Sunday 29th June09.50 - 10.05: (warm-up practice)
13.15: Race One – 30 laps
16.20: Race Two - 30 laps
Superbikes on TelevisionBritish Eurosport 2Sunday 29th June13.15 - 17.15 LIVE raceday
20.30 - 22.00 Highlights
Monday 30th June 17.30 - 19.00 Highlights
Tuesday 01st July 21.00 - 22.00 Highlights
Thursday 03rd July 19.00 - 20.00 Bennetts British Superbikes Extra
Saturday 05th July 11.00 - 12.30 Highlights
Monday 07th July19.00 - 20.30 Highlights
Friday 18th July19.00 - 20.00 Highlights
Saturday 19th July 16.30 - 18.00 Highlights
Channel 4Wednesday 2nd July01.10 - 02.05 Highlights
Lap records – 1.41 mile circuitSuperbike: Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda, 55.845s, 90.89mph, 22/07/07
Supersport: Cal Crutchlow, Honda, 57.409s, 88.41mph, 04/06/06
125GP: Robbie Stewart, Honda, 59.886s, 84.76mph, 22/07/07
Yamaha R1: to be established
KTM 990: Dave Wood, KTM, 1m 02.581s, 81.11mph, 22/07/07
Flashback Rd 9- 22nd July 2007Bennetts British Superbike ChampionshipPole: grid decided on the basis of championship positions
(for reference – free practice, S Byrne, Honda, 1m 04.910s)
Race One – 30 laps1. S Byrne, Honda 28:21.458
2. J Rea, Honda, 28:24.237
3. L Haslam, Ducati, 28:24.396
4. C Walker, Suzuki, 28:27.516
5. G Lavilla, Ducati, 28:28.880
6. T Sykes, Honda 28:30.595
Fastest lap: R Kiyonari, Honda, 55.845s, 90.89mph/146.28kph
Race Two – 22 laps1. R Kiyonari, Honda, 21:24.315
2. L Haslam, Ducati, 21;26.095
3. S Byrne, Honda, 21:28.812
4. T Sykes, Honda, 21:29.772
5. C Crutchlow, Suzuki, 21:30.239
6. C Walker, Suzuki, 21:30.597
Fastest lap: R Kiyonari, Honda, 55.890s, 90.82mph /146.16kph
British Superbike CupRace One: 1st T Palmer, Honda 28:22.357
Race Two: 1st T Palmer, Honda 21:52.101
British Supersport – 28 laps1. M Laverty, Suzuki, 27:20.538
British 125GP – 20 laps1. A Beech, Honda, 20:23.312
KTM 990 Super Duke Battle – 20 laps1. D Woods, KTM, 21:10.071
Riders view:“Difficult, a tight and short lap which means it is always close, a tenth of second there is like a second anywhere else – it is a track you just have to keep plugging away on,” Leon Haslam, HM Plant Honda
