The Lloyds British Jentin Racing secured some solid results this weekend at Mallory Park, rider Simon Andrews gained two strong seventh places finishes in the sixth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship. At one stage in race two Andrews was battling hard with the factory riders for a good podium position.
The 25-year-old qualified in 13th position on the grid, it was a dramatic qualifying session for Andrews as he was shown the black and orange flag mid way through qualifying and the youngster was forced to pull in, which lost him valuable track time. On the small 1.4-mile circuit it is difficult to get a clear track during qualifying and this set back lost Andrews vital time. After checking the bike thoroughly no problem was found and Andrews continued with his challenge for a good grid position.
Starting on the fourth row was always going to be difficult for him to carve his way through the field but two stunning starts saw him fighting hard which eventually turned into two very solid point scoring positions. Andrews gained two places at the end of the opening lap in race one and was locked in a fierce battle throughout the race with Billy McConnell and Tristan Palmer, finally finishing in seventh place.
Race two proved very exciting for Andrews and the Jentin Racing team, with rain showers prior to the second race, tyre choice proved vital, running an intermediate front and rear Andrews was pleased with his choice and ready to race. As the light turned green for the 30-lap race Andrews got a flying start and was up to 8th after the opening lap. By lap five Andrews had passed Championship leader Shane Byrne and was sitting in fourth place and looking eager for a podium, by lap nine Andrews had moved into a comfortably second position and was looking to gain a positive result at the end of the 30 laps. Sadly for him the tyres began to wear and the factory bikes took advantage, Andrews held a solid podium position up to lap 18 and was unfortunate not to have finished higher in the overall standings.
An extremely pleased Andrews said;"We're definitely getting there and I'm really pleased with the results that I got for myself and also the team today. I have equalled my best result to date and I know things are moving forward, it was a great feeling running up at the front but I just had a feeling that the factory boys would get the better of me in the closing stages of the race. I hope we can carry this form through the rest of the season and I'd like to thank the entire Jentin Racing team for working so hard throughout the weekend. We have a few weeks off now so hopefully things will continue this way at Oulton Park."
Race One Result:- Byrne Ducati
- Haslam Honda
- Crutchlow Honda
- Sykes Suzuki
- Ellison Honda
- McConnell Kawasaki
- Andrews Jentin Racing/Lloyds British Yamaha
- Palmer Honda
- Watanabe Suzuki
- J Laverty Ducati
Race Two Result:- Rutter Ducati
- Byrne Ducati
- Crutchlow Honda
- Sykes Suzuki
- Harris Yamaha
- Haslam Honda
- Andrews Jentin Racing/Lloyds British Yamaha
- Camier Ducati
- Palmer Honda
- Smart Kawasaki
Andrews is now lying in 9th position in the overall Championship.
2008 Races: Round 7 - 18th - 20th July - Oulton Park, Cheshire
Round 8 - 8th - 10th August - Knockhill, Fife
Round 9 - 23rd - 25th August - Cadwell Park, Lincs
Round 10 - 12th - 14th September - Croft, North Yorkshire
Round 11 - 26th - 28th September, Silverstone, Northants
Round 12 - 10th - 12th October, Brands Hatch, Kent
Related Links:www.jentinracing.comwww.si-andrews.co.uk Words by Carly Rathmell
