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Rutter Takes First Victory in Over Three Years
5 Days ago
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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Fantastic Fourths for Sykes
5 Days ago
Rizla Suzuki's Tom Sykes took two hard-earned fourth place finishes at the sixth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Mallory Park in Leicestershire today. Starting from pole position in the opening dry race, Sykes made a steady start, falling back to fifth on the opening lap before battling back up the field. He was always in contention for the victory and set the fastest lap of the race at the 1.41-mile Mallory Park circuit on his way to fourth place. In the second race with the track soaking wet but the sun shining, Tom opted for an intermediate front tyre and slick rear. He got the hole-shot but dropped back to ninth before the track dried enough to take advantage of his grippy Pirelli. He scythed through the field as the sun shone and was fourth again.
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Sykes Competing at the Sharp End
28 June 2008
Tom Sykes put his Rizla Suzuki into the number one spot during second free practice at a damp Mallory Park today, ahead of round six of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship. The first free practice session was in full dry conditions and Sykes completed that in a strong third place, while Honda’s Cal Crutchlow set the fastest time. The difficult conditions in the afternoon reduced the lap times but should it rain on race day, the wet weather preparation will stand by the Huddersfield rider.
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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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Sykes Fired Up for Mallory Park
26 June 2008
Tom Sykes and his Rizla Suzuki team are ready to take on the challenging Mallory Park circuit this weekend for round six of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship. Following on from his podium success at Snetterton, where he secured a hard fought third place, Sykes is determined to go for more podium glory and that as yet elusive win. The intricate Mallory Park circuit is one that he knows particularly well and he believes he can run at the front.
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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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Win a Rizla Suzuki Road Going Race Replica
21 June 2008
Rizla Suzuki's team partner, Express Insurance, is offering you the chance to win a Rizla Suzuki GSX-R600 race replica in this superb competition. The GSX-R600, worth £8200, is in full Rizla Suzuki blue with Tom Sykes’s distinctive Union Jacks on the front of the fairing to set it apart from the crowd. This is a one off replica, exclusive to Express Insurance, and not only will the winner pick up the machine but it will be awarded to them at the final round of the British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch on the 12th October where they and a guest will be treated to VIP hospitality.
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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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Rain Foils Sykes Challenge as Momentum Builds
15 June 2008
Rizla Suzuki’s Tom Sykes will head the second row of the grid from fifth place after his bid for pole position was foiled by heavy rain mid-way through the qualifying session for the fifth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Snetterton in Norfolk. The 23-year-old Lancashire ace had been consistently at the top of the time sheets throughout all three dry practices and was building up his pace during the 50-minute session when the rain fell and scuppered any chance of improving with 30-minutes remaining. His lap-times in the dry mark him out as a potential race winner tomorrow.
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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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Sykes Superb Second in Free Practice
14 June 2008
Rizla Suzuki's Tom Sykes set the second fastest lap time during free practice for round five of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, at the high-speed Snetterton circuit in Norfolk. Sykes ran at the front during both the 50-minute free practice sessions putting in consistent laps as he got dialled into the fast 1.952 mile circuit. His powerful Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000 is perfectly matched to the historic airfield track that boasts two long straights and top speeds of around 200mph. Combined with an agile chassis, Sykes feels he has a winning package. Rizla Suzuki’s Atsushi Watanabe, who has just returned from podium success at the Suzuka 300Km race in Japan, also had a productive day on track. This is the first time that he has ridden at Snetterton so he spent his first session familiarising himself with the track before setting about dropping his lap times. He completed second free practice in 15th place but intends to improve on that tomorrow. Honda’s Leon Haslam set the quickest time today.
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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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Rizla Suzuki Plays to its Strengths
11 June 2008
Tom Sykes is determined to score a race win aboard his Rizla Suzuki this coming weekend at Snetterton – a high-speed circuit that will suit his super-fast GSX-R1000 - at round five of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship. Following a two week break in the race calendar, Sykes is refreshed and ready to claim his maiden Superbike win. He has shown his winning potential and believes now is the time to make it happen at a circuit where outright power and top speed are required to make fast lap times and both of which are real strengths of the Crescent prepared Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000. Atsushi Watanabe has had no time to relax as he returned to Japan to take part in the Suzuka 300K race, where he and his team-mate finished in third place. He hasn’t had any track time on a bike at Snetterton, so he will spend free practice getting himself and his Rizla Suzuki dialled into the straight forward circuit.
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Well-Earned Third Place Finish for Sykes
27 May 2008
Tom Sykes pulled off a spectacular third place podium finish for Rizla Suzuki after starting from 13th on the grid at round four of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Donington Park. The Huddersfield rider got off the line well and immediately slotted into sixth place in the blustery conditions at the 2.5 miles GP circuit. He rode hard putting in consistently fast lap times and picking off other riders to achieve his second podium finish of the year. In race two he finished in a close sixth place after being baulked by slower riders early on.
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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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Difficult Wet Qualifying for Rizla Suzuki
26 May 2008
Tom Sykes and Atsushi Watanabe both finished in uncharacteristic positions today following a tough wet session on track at Donington Park, ahead of round four of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, with Sykes 13th and Watanabe 22nd. The wet weather arrived just in time for the singular 50-minute qualifying session following a dry free practice this morning, where Sykes was running in an encouraging second place.
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Sykes on the Pace at Donington Park
25 May 2008
Tom Sykes and Atsushi Watanabe along with their Rizla Suzuki technicians spent the two 50-minute free practice sessions today at Donington Park, dialling in both their GSX-R1000s ahead of round four of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship. Sykes, who favours the 2.5 mile GP circuit, worked on perfecting his already excellent handling Rizla Suzuki chassis, reducing his lap times to 1min 32.718secs just 0.566secs off Leon Haslam who put in the fastest time of 1min 32.152secs.
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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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Sykes Targets Maiden Win at Donington Park
23 May 2008
Rizla Suzuki’s Tom Sykes battled his way to a superb second place finish last time out at Brands Hatch but he is hoping to go one better at his favourite UK circuit, Donington Park, on Bank Holiday Monday 26th May. The 2.5 mile Grand Prix circuit in Derbyshire will be the location for round four of the hotly contested Bennetts British Superbike Championship. Sykes has been on fast form and running at the front and is now hoping to translate that into his first win of the year for his Rizla Suzuki team.
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Superb Second Place for Sykes & Rizla Suzuki
12 May 2008
Tom Sykes scored a well deserved podium second place today for Rizla Suzuki during the Brands Hatch GP round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship. In the opening race, starting from fourth place on the front row of the grid at the 2.3-mile long Kent circuit, Tom battled with Ducati’s Shane Byrne, eventually finishing a close runner-up. He was in second position again in race two with only a handful of laps to go, when he crashed out unscathed due to a mechanical issue. The race was won by Cal Crutchlow.
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