Honda’s HM Plant team had a challenging day at Oulton Park today for the third round of the British Superbike Championship, with Josh Brookes and Ryuichi Kiyonari each taking a top six finish.
In the opening race of the day Josh was running in the top four early in the race, but as the race progressed he continued to suffer with chatter which inevitably dropped him down the field to finish sixth. Kiyonari also suffered disappointment when he was challenging for the final podium position, but on the ninth lap he was forced wide by Alastair Seeley which dropped him down the order before he retired with a technical issue.
In the second race, Kiyo led the pack on the opening lap having started from pole, before he was passed by Michael Laverty. A battle then ensued between Kiyo and Michael Rutter for the advantage, before he was nudged back to fourth after John Laverty made his move although a determined effort saw him remain in the position to the chequered flag. Josh was struggling for rear grip during the second race as the conditions continued to change, leaving him eighth at the end of the shortened second race.
Steve Plater powered the HM Plant Honda Fireblade to a third consecutive podium finish in the National Superstock 1000 Championship with a hard-fought second place, to keep a 19 point advantage in the overall standings. Steve had dropped back to eighth on the opening laps but a determined performance saw him carve his way through the field as the race progressed. On the final lap he was able to close Kirkham’s advantage from just over two seconds to just 0.200 seconds at the chequered flag showing, the pace of the Honda CBR1000RR.
Josh said: “It has been a difficult and frustrating day for me. I think that somewhere along the line we made the wrong decision on the setting and I was desperate to go out and make amends for it in race two, but that didn’t happen. In the second race it was difficult as we were on a wet tyre on a drying track and by the end everyone’s tyres were destroyed as expected, but ours went off very quickly. I feel annoyed that I couldn’t get back up there in the second race, despite the whole team putting in a huge amount of effort and hard work. The reality is that these things happen sometimes though, so we just need to learn from today so it doesn’t happen again and get back up there at Cadwell Park.”
Kiyo said: “It has been a tough weekend for me and I am disappointed to have not finished on the podium today. In the first race Alastair Seeley passed me into Shell Oils corner really hard and it pushed me wide which lost me positions and my momentum. I then had a technical problem so I had to retire, but I was happy to be starting from the pole position in the second race. In race two I was really pushing hard as I wanted to make up for not finishing the first race but there was a big gap to close. I then got pushed wide again by John Laverty and he leant on me and it was impossible to hold the line. I now just want to go to Cadwell Park and fight again for the podium.”
Steve said: “For sure that was a tough race as I dropped back a bit in the opening laps but I came through. It was hard work and busy in the opening laps but I just kept my head and stayed out of trouble and that did the trick. I really wanted to catch Jon for the win and I thought if there were backmarkers then I might be able to just do it, but I really needed another lap as I wasn’t close enough to make the move. I am happy to be back on the podium though and still have the championship lead for HM Plant Honda.”
Team Manager, Havier Beltran concluded: “It has been a tough day for the team and it has been disappointing for Josh and Kiyo that we didn’t get the results we thought we could achieve. Both riders struggled; for Kiyo he got beaten up in both races whilst Josh really struggled with rear tyre deterioration in the second race. However for Steve he had another podium finish and put on another great show for the HM Plant Honda team and to show the pace of the Fireblade, to keep his championship advantage. The whole team is now looking forward to our home race at Cadwell Park in a few weeks.”
British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, race one:
- Stuart Easton (Honda)
- Tommy Hill +0.058s
- John Laverty +10.399s
- Alastair Seeley +10.843s
- Michael Laverty +10.849s
- Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +11.073s
DNF Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) – technical fault
British Superbike Championship, Oulton Park, race two:
- Michael Laverty
- Michael Rutter +6.00s
- Tommy Hill +11.333s
- Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +16.029s
- John Laverty +23.590s
- Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +30.283s
British Superbike Championship standings after Oulton Park:
- Tommy Hill 126
- Stuart Easton 75
- Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 74
- Michael Laverty 65
- Alastair Seeley 63
8. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 53
National Superstock 1000 Championship, Oulton Park, result:
- Jon Kirkham
- Steve Plater (HM Plant Honda) +0.200s
- Tristan Palmer +1.264s
- Ian Hutchinson (Padgetts Honda) +1.480s
- Howie Mainwaring +2.578s
National Superstock 1000 Championship standings after Oulton Park:
- Steve Plater (HM Plant Honda) 70
- Howie Mainwaring 51
- Jon Kirkham 50
- Tristan Palmer 35
- Ian Hutchinson (Padgetts Honda) 29
