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Sykes & Haslam Gunning for Glory
18 August 2008
Fresh from their Scottish victories, Tom Sykes and Leon Haslam are eager for more of the same as the chase for the Bennetts British Superbike crown moves into the final third of the campaign at Cadwell Park over the Bank Holiday weekend. The man they have to beat is former champion Shane Byrne who has amassed a 110 points lead in the title stakes – the Airwaves Ducati rider has recovered from the bruising he took in a heavy tumble at Knockhill and is promising to show what might have been in that race. Byrne has won eight races so far, not finishing off the podium until that crash last time out, but he is taking nothing for granted as the young-guns of the series make determined challenges.
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Sykes Takes Maiden Victory & Then Daily Double
21 July 2008
Tom Sykes was long overdue a victory in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship having come close on several occasions and the Rizla Suzuki set the record straight with a dominant seventh round performance at Oulton Park where he completed the daily double. He had been on the pace throughout the weekend, missing out on pole by barely a quarter of a second, but with his team Sykes had worked hard to ensure that his bike was perfectly set for the two 18 laps races at the Cheshire circuit.
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Harris Sets Pace & Plans To Enjoy an Upset
19 July 2008
Karl Harris dominated free practice ahead of the seventh round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship as it returned to Oulton Park for a second visit of the season. The Rob Mac Racing Yamaha rider was fastest in each of the two sessions, running with a best time of 1m 36.716secs, an average speed of 100.20mph around the 2.692 mile Cheshire circuit, as he outpaced the leading duo in the title chase by a little over a tenth of a second.
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Honda Men Determined to Head Off Byrne
14 July 2008
Shane Byrne is the dominant force of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship as it enters the second half of the campaign with a return visit to Oulton Park. This seventh round provides the HM Plant Honda riders Cal Crutchlow and Leon Haslam the chance to show what might have been in their earlier visit to the Cheshire circuit. Back in May, they had a tough time, with Crutchlow taking a tumble and then Haslam being excluded from the results on the second race after a tangle with Tom Sykes – both riders are keen to set the record straight by heading off their Airwaves Ducati rival who took a winning double then.
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Rutter Takes First Victory in Over Three Years
01 July 2008
Michael Rutter powered in a popular victory in a dramatic sixth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship as he headed off the challenge of runaway series leading Shane Byrne in a rain affected second race at Mallory Park. Earlier in the afternoon the Airwaves Ducati rider had taken his eighth victory and he was not too concerned about having to settle for second best to his North West 200 Ducati rival who had gambled correctly on tyre choice. Rutter, regarded as something of a circuit expert, decided that the rains had passed and the Leicestershire track would dry – he opted to run on slick tyres and that decision was a winner as a dry line quickly developed.
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Crutchlow at Home & Fastest – Free Practice
28 June 2008
Cal Crutchlow aims to make home advantage count as the chase for the Bennetts British Superbike title continues at his local circuit of Mallory Park and the 22 year old Coventry rider topped the free practice leaderboard, though by only a split second from series leader Shane Byrne. The HM Plant Honda rider is one of only two men to beat the Airwaves Ducati rider so far, and Crutchlow is ready for more, and he underlined his determination with a 56.698secs, 89.52 mph lap of the short but demanding 1.41 mile Leicestershire circuit.
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Byrne Comfortably Ahead, But Does Fight-back Start Here?
24 June 2008
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.
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Camier & Byrne, in Spectacular Style, Take The Victories
15 June 2008
Leon Camier enjoyed maiden race winning glory in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship in the first race of the fifth round at Snetterton but his Airwaves Ducati team-mate Shane Byrne headed him off with a spectacular ride in the difficult wet conditions of the second race. Byrne, who had missed out on victory in the opener by a split second, had it all to do next time out after Rob Mac Racing Yamaha rider Karl Harris had high-sided off right in front of him on the opening lap, forcing the Ducati rider to stop and take avoiding action of the stricken rider.
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Byrne Beats Rivals & The Rain to Secure Pole
15 June 2008
Shane Byrne claimed pole start for the fifth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, heading off the challenge of Cal Crutchlow, seconds before a rain shower effectively ended the Swan Combi 50 Roll for Pole session at Snetterton. The Airwaves Ducati rider, who had made the early running in the session, had come under fire from HM Plant Honda rider Leon Haslam before Crutchlow, currently second into the title stakes, though 68 points down on Byrne, took over at the top of the qualifying leaderboard.
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Haslam Sets the Pace at Fast & Frantic Snetterton
14 June 2008
Leon Haslam goes into the fifth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Snetterton determined to put his title bid firmly back on track with a winning double. The HM Plant Honda rider underlined that by powering top of the free practice leaderboard with a lap of 1m 05.448secs, an average speed of 107.36mph, around the 1.952mile Norfolk circuit, but it was a close run thing as Tom Sykes aboard the Rizla Suzuki closed within 0.099secs of him.
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Haslam & Crutchlow to Peg Back Byrne in Title Stakes
11 June 2008
Leon Haslam and Cal Crutchlow reckon that they will have the top end speed to beat off the challenge of Bennetts British Superbike Championship leader Shane Byrne on the super-fast Snetterton circuit in this weekend’s fifth round. The HM Plant Honda duo have jetted back from riding in a 300kms race in Japan and are raring to go at the Norfolk circuit that in recent years has favoured the Fireblades.
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Byrne Completes Daily Double to Increase Points Lead
26 May 2008
Shane Byrne tightened his grip on the chase for the Bennetts British Superbike title with a second winning double of the season in the fourth round at Donington Park in which the local favourite Leon Haslam had to settle for a second best in each of the races. Riding the Airwaves Ducati, Byrne started from pole for the third time, but it was James Ellison who made the early running aboard the Hydrex Bike Animal Honda, though by the third lap, he had been taken by the determined Byrne.
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Surefooted Byrne Defies the Rain to Comfortably Claim Pole
25 May 2008
Shane Byrne proved to be the man for all conditions as he powered comfortably clear of the pack in the rain-lashed grid decider to take his third pole start of the season ahead of the fourth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Donington Park. The Airwaves Ducati rider had earlier run strongly in the dry free practice sessions but in a dramatic, incident packed Swan Combi 50 Roll for Pole session the series leader saved the best for last. Byrne had overcome the challenge of MSS Discover Kawasaki rider Billy McConnell with a time that was seemingly good enough to ensure top spot on the leaderboard but he had not reckoned on the determined ride from his long standing rival Michael Rutter aboard the North West 200 Ducati.
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Haslam Leaves it Late to Go Top
25 May 2008
Leon Haslam knows that he needs double top in the Spring Bank Holiday Monday fourth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at his local Donington Park circuit to put his title bid firmly back on track. The HM Plant Honda responded to the challenge with a hard working performance across free practice, putting in a late fast lap to head the leaderboard, though by only 0.073 secs from his team-mate Cal Crutchlow. Haslam has good memories of the Leicestershire grand prix circuit, having taken a winning double there last year, and he is aiming for an action replay to ease the disappointment of a difficult start to the current campaign which leaves him back in sixth place in the standings.
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Byrne to Continue Early Season Domination
20 May 2008
Shane Byrne is the rider in form in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship and he intends to continue his dominant run in the country’s premier series in the fourth round at the Donington Park grand prix circuit on Spring Bank Holiday Monday 26th May. The Airwaves Ducati rider has won four of the six races so far, finishing second in the other two, as he bids to regain the crown he won some five years ago, but he feels that his record should be better, having missed out on completing a second winning double of the season at Brands Hatch.
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Byrne & Crutchlow Take the Victories at Brands
12 May 2008
Cal Crutchlow powered through the pain barrier to take third place, adrift of Shane Byrne and Tom Sykes, and then took a victory in the re-scheduled round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch. The HM Plant Honda rider sustained a dislocated right ankle and ligament damage in a crash in the Holiday Monday round at Oulton Park and was passed fit to race after lengthy treatment by the Coventry City physio and series’ medics. He had started alongside Byrne at the front of the grid – the positions had been decided five weeks earlier at the snow aborted opening round, and in total contrast the races were fought out over a sun-drenched Kent grand prix circuit.
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Crutchlow Defies Injury to Race but Byrne Takes Pole
11 May 2008
Cal Crutchlow will defy the pain from his injured right ankle to keep his Bennetts British Superbike title bid on track at Brands Hatch but the HM Plant Honda rider faces a tough challenge from the series leading Shane Byrne. The Airwaves Ducati rider starts the races from pole postion, having topped the qualifying leaderboard ahead of the snow aborted opening round last month, and that position has been carried forward to this ‘round one – take two.’ Byrne had lapped then in a time of 1m 25.832secs and again he was the rider topping the free practice leaderboard at the sun-drenched Kent grand prix circuit, with a lap of 95.03mph, just 0.159secs up on HM Plant Honda rider Leon Haslam who starts from third place on the grid.
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Daily Double for Byrne Puts Him in Control in Title Stakes
05 May 2008
Shane Byrne took a winning double in an incident littered Oulton Park round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship to tighten his grip on the crown. The first race was stopped on the opening lap when five riders, including early leader Tom Sykes, tipped off in three incidents and with rain falling prior to the re-start the teams gambled on tyre choice.
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Confident Crutchlow Puts in Late Charge to Take Pole
05 May 2008
Cal Crutchlow, fresh from the maiden race victory last time out, powered his HM Plant Honda onto pole start for the Holiday Monday third round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park, running half a second clear of the Airwaves Ducati rider, Shane Byrne, with whom he shares the lead in the title stakes.
The HM Plant Honda proved to be the man for all conditions in the Swan Combi 50 - Roll for Pole grid deciding session which had begun on a wet Cheshire circuit. Crutchlow set the early pace, maintaining the form that he had shown throughout the earlier free practice sessions.
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Pacy Crutchlow Shows Consistency
04 May 2008
Cal Crutchlow, who enjoyed maiden race winning glory in the previous round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, carried that form and pace through free practice ahead of the Holiday Monday third round at Oulton Park. The HM Plant Honda rider put in a best lap of 1m 36.596secs, an average speed of 100.32mph, around the 2.692mile Cheshire circuit, heading off the determined challenge of his team-mate Leon Haslam by 0.151secs. Crutchlow, who jointly leads the early season title chase with Shane Byrne, was delighted with his continuing progress: “We’ve tried one or two things and have made a big positive step forward. There are still a few things to test but the bike is handling well.
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