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Category: Superbikes
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The seventh race of the 2018 MotoGP Championship season will have the teams and riders busy on the Catalunya Circuit, just a few kilometres from Barcelona. A modern and spectacular track, it has been resurfaced and modified in its final section.
The Aprilia Racing Team Gresini riders have already had a chance to try out the changes with a test session that was useful in preparation for the Spanish round.
Aleix Espargarò has plenty of motivation. Having just become a father to Max and Mia, Aleix will take on his home race even more determined to do well with his RS-GP. For Scott Redding, the Barcelona race could be the perfect opportunity to find the right confidence with the Italian bike and to take a further step forward.
ALEIX ESPARGARO'
"I really worked hard preparing for my home race in Barcelona. I am keen to do well. Unfortunately, the first part of the season did not go as we had hoped, but there are clear signs of our competitiveness. This will be my first weekend as a father. It is very emotional and extra motivation."
SCOTT REDDING
"Montmelò is a nice track. The new asphalt is excellent, as we were able to test a couple of weeks ago. My goals for the rest of the season have not changed. We need to work hard, just as we have been until now, and achieve the best possible results."
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The Red Bull Honda World Superbike Team concluded their Czech WorldSBK adventure with a double point-scoring finish as Leon Camier crossed the finish line in seventh place and a resurgent Jake Gagne took twelfth in hot conditions at Brno.
Camier started Race 2 in P6 on the grid but needed a couple of laps to find his feet, settling into P9 in the opening laps. As other riders struggled in the warm conditions, Camier adapted and was able to improve his pace to work his way ahead of his competitors and climbed to seventh place with five laps remaining, the position he held until the chequered flag.
Further back, Gagne got a good start from the seventh row of the grid and quickened his pace as the race went on, setting his quickest lap of the race on lap 9. A last lap push nearly brought the American his first top-ten finish in WorldSBK, but ultimately he just missed out although he still equalled his best result of the year with P12.
The Race 2 result sees Camier move up one place in the championship standings to tenth on 72 points, while Gagne stays in seventeenth overall but increases his points tally to 24.
The United States hosts the next WorldSBK round at Gagne’s home circuit of Laguna Seca from June 22-24.
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Ryan Kneen has been awarded the 2018 PokerStars Spirit of the TT Award following brother Dan’s accident during this year’s TT Races.
The Kneen family have close links with the road racing community and Ryan, who was also competing in this year’s TT Races meeting, went out at the back of Thursday’s qualifying session wearing his brother’s helmet, following Dan’s death in Wednesday’s Superbike practice.
The PokerStars Spirit of the TT Award is given annually to the person or persons who best represent the ethos and values of the TT Races including decency, honesty, generosity, courage, compassion, integrity, respect, teamwork and commitment to the development of the races.
The presentation of the award was made on Friday – Senior Race Day - on the Grandstand podium ahead of the PokerStars Senior TT Race.
Guy Templer, Chief Operating Officer, The Stars Group, who presented the award commented:
“The Kneen family has shown incredible resilience and spirit and this was typified by Ryan’s gesture in his tribute practice lap to his brother that received such an incredible reaction from the fans at the event and a remarkable surge of support on-line as well.”
Rob Callister, MHK, Isle of Man Government’s Tourism and Motorsport representative said:
"Everyone in the local community and the broader road racing scene, was affected by Dan’s death. He was a hugely popular figure on the Isle of Man and made a great impact on everybody that met him. He will be sorely missed.”
He continued:
“It is entirely appropriate that this year’s PokerStars Spirit of the TT award goes to Ryan whose spirit and dignity is a shining example of the values and ethos of the event. I personally attend the legacy lap on Sunday and it was incredibly moving to see Ryan and his father Richard leading around eight thousand bikers around the TT course.”
Representatives from the Isle of Man Government's Motorsport team including Rob Callister MHK, TT rider liaison officers Richard Quayle and John Barton, ACU Clerk of the Course Gary Thompson and the Stars Group Chief Operating Officer Guy Templer judged the award. Nominations were invited from members of the public and from officials associated with the TT.
Previous winners have included Paul Owen, Conor Cummins, the Birchall Brothers, TT Marshal Eric Alexander and TTRA secretary Frances Thorp. The then ninety-one year old Harold Leece who opened up his garden to visitors every year and 8 year old fundraiser Cici Reed received the award in 2015 and the 2016 winner was TT rider Paul Shoesmith. Last year’s award was shared between the three organisers of the TT facebook helpline page - Barbara Keene, Margaret Cain and Sandra Diamond - which was set up to help visitors to the Isle of Man with travel and accommodation emergency issues.
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The first qualifying session for the 2018 Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy, got underway in perfect conditions on Saturday evening. Dean Harrison and Michael Dunlop topped the Supersport and Lightweight leaderboards having lapped at 125.797mph and 120.875mph respectively, the latter inside the class lap record, albeit unofficial to lay down an early marker for the Bennetts Lightweight TT Race on Wednesday 6th June.
The session was slightly delayed due to oil being cleared between Cronk ny Mona and Signpost and it was 6.25pm when Rider Liaison Officer Richard Quayle set off with newcomers Adam Lyon, David Jackson and Davey Todd for their escorted lap although Jackson only got as far as Ballig Bridge before stopping with a machine that was reported to be smoking.
At 6.53pm, the session proper started and Martin Jessopp (Riders Motorcycles Triumph) and Peter Hickman (Trooper Beer by Smiths Triumph) were first away, swiftly followed down Glencrutchery Road by Harrison (Silicone Engineering Kawasaki) and Michael Rutter (Paton), the latter the first of the Lightweight machines away.
Michael Dunlop (MD Racing Honda) and Conor Cummins and Ian Hutchinson (both Padgetts Racing Honda) were also away early in the Supersport class with Lintin (Dafabet Devitt Racing Kawasaki), Danny Webb (IEG/KMR Kawasaki) and Ian Lougher (Paton) going out on their Lightweight mounts. Also out on a Lightweight David Johnson was also out on a lightweight bike, the Aussie a late-replacement for Ian Hutchinson on the RST/KMR Kawasaki.
Cummins was first to complete a lap and he was fastest with 123.207mph swiftly followed across the line by Dunlop (122.607mph), Harrison (121.793) and James Hillier (121.356). However, late starter Dan Kneen slotted into second as he lapped at 122.700mph on the Jackson Racing Honda. Hutchinson eased his way back in with a lap of 118.030 but Gary Johnson was out of luck though and stopped at Crosby Crossroads.
Ivan Lintin was comfortably fastest in the Lightweight class at 118.196mph on the first lap followed by David Johnson (115.253), Rutter (114.684), Lougher (114.394) and Derek McGee (113.919). Joey Thompson was an early retirement at Ballacraine.
Second time around and Cummins upped the pace to an impressive 125.152mph with Harrison moving up to second on the timesheets with 124.587. He was closely followed by Hickman (124.313) and Kneen (124.319) with Hutchinson upping his speed slightly to 119.734.
Meanwhile, in the Lightweight class David Johnson improved to 117.029mph no mean feat given this evening was the first time he’d sat on the bike with team-mate McGee going equally well at 117.571 and Italian Stefano Bonetti just behind on 117.119. Lougher and Webb had also lapped in excess of 116mph but Gary Johnson’s woes continued as, having made it back to the paddock, he stopped at Quarter Bridge on the WK Moto.
At the head of the field Hillier improved his speed to 122.769mph on his third lap but Michael Dunlop went quicker at 123.715mph whilst Lintin (121.918) and William Dunlop (121.249) were also quickening their pace.
However, it was Harrison who was making all the headlines on his fourth lap and he flashed across the line at 125.797mph to go to the top of the leaderboard although Michael Dunlop was only half a second slower at 125.741mph. Kneen was another rider to post an impressive fourth lap as he improved to 124.703mph to go fourth quickest with Hutchinson setting his first 120mph+ lap of TT2018 with 121.327mph.
Lintin was also flying having gone back out on his Lightweight machine and his lap of 119.908mph put him some 23 seconds clear of second-placed McGee. The Southern Irishman was eventually bumped back down to third though as Michael Dunlop lapped at 118.952mph on the Paton. But Lintin left it late to go even quicker still at 120.660mph only for Michael Dunlop to upstage that with his 120.875mph lap, which was just inside James Hillier’s lap record from 2015.
The newcomers also impressed during the course of the evening and although Lyon was initially the quickest at 114.793mph on his Honda Superbike, he was upstaged by Todd who posted a speed of 116.044mph on his Superstock mount. Not to be out done though, Lyon went quicker still, this time on his 600cc Yamaha at 116.45mph.
The sidecar newcomers also had their speed controlled lap at the head of the field with John Holden, Tony Baker and Dave Molyneux leading Francois Leblond/Marlene Couillard, John Saunders/James Saunders, Darryl Rayner/Wendy Campbell, Brian Alflatt/Aaron Gorman, Paul Leglise/Ben McBride, John Shipley/Andrew Haynes and Mike Roscher/Shaun Parker around.
Japan’s Masayuki Yamanaka was reported to be off in the Supersport session at Whitegates but after being assessed at Ramsey Cottage Hospital and transferred by airmed to Nobles, he was reported to have sustained a minor ankle injury.
Monday’s schedule with open up with the first appearance of the Superbikes and Superstock machines at 18.20 with Supersport and Newcomers except Lightweight also part of the session. At 19.25 it will be the turn of the Supersport, Lightweight and Newcomers all classes before the sidecars open their qualifying programme at 20.00.
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Steve Mercer will line up in the colours of Jackson Racing for the 2018 Isle of Man TT Races, fuelled by Monster Energy, having secured a late deal with the Preston-based team.
The Kent rider had been testing with the official Honda Racing team and was ready to deputise for Ian Hutchinson, but with the Bingley rider having declared his fitness last week, Mercer will now ride a Honda Fireblade SP2 for Jackson Racing in the RST Superbike, RL360 Superstock and PokerStars SeniorTT Races.
The move sees him reunited with the team he’s enjoyed great success with having ridden for them in 2011, 2012 and 2016, the latter seeing him have his best ever year around the 37.73-mile Mountain Course when also riding Honda machinery.
Mercer equalled his best ever result with eighth in the opening Monster Energy Supersport Race and backed this up with tenth in the RL360 Superstock Race, 11th in the second Monster Energy Supersport encounter and 12th in the RST Superbike Race.
In addition, the now 36-year-old posted personal best laps on all of the machines including a lap of 129.323mph in the Superbike class, which makes him the 22nd fastest rider of all time, and 124.392mph on the Honda CBR600RR.
Since making his debut in 2009, Mercer has racked up no less than 16 top twenty finishes, which includes nine in the top twelve, and has won 11 silver and 10 bronze replicas in that nine year period.
As well as Mercer, Jackson Racing will field Manxman Dan Kneen and Craig Neve on Honda CBR600RR’s in the two Monster Energy Supersport races at the TT with Lincolnshire’s Neve also riding a BMW S1000RR in the RST Superbike and PokerStars Senior TT races.
Steve Mercer:
“It’s certainly been a busy few weeks and I’m delighted to be back with the Jackson Racing team as I’ve really enjoyed riding for them in the past. My best results, whether on the roads, short circuits or in World Endurance have always been on Hondas and with all the work that’s gone on recently, I will be on one of the best SP2’s available. I was incredibly grateful to get the call from Honda Racing to fill in for Hutchy at the tests at Castle Combe and Cadwell Park and it really helped get my confidence back.”
“I was happy to be on stand-by and would have been ready to race if Ian wasn’t ready but, equally, having done a lot of work on the bike and got my hunger back for the TT, I didn’t want to be on the sidelines so I’m very thankful to all concerned for putting the deal together. Alan and Andy (Jackson) are like family to me and Alan’s always been on hand with advice over the years and they always put out great bikes. Like I say, my confidence is back and I’m itching to get going.”
Alan Jackson, Team Manager:
“Unfortunately, we parted company with Daley Mathison a few weeks ago but we were keen to maintain a strong presence in the 1000cc races at the Isle of Man and we’re delighted to welcome Steve back to the team. We’ve worked really well together in the past and enjoyed some great results, particularly in 2016 when he finished in the top twelve in four races at the TT and recorded a whole host of personal best laps.”
“We both know how each other work and he’s been getting plenty of mileage in testing Hutchy’s Honda’s as well as at the Le Mans 24-Hour World Endurance round so he’ll be ready and raring to go come the last week of May. Jackson Racing and all of the team’s sponsors have worked hard to put the deal together and with Steve joining Dan and Craig, we feel that we’ve got a really strong line-up with all three riders capable of making a major impression at TT2018.”
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