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Glen Richards worked methodically through the free practice and qualifying sessions to build on his pre-season testing, continually improve his lap times and achieve a second row start from the grid.

With Josh Brookes unable to take part in the first round due to his visa not being approved in time for him to enter the UK, HM Plant Honda British Supersport star, Steve Plater, stepped up to the mark to stand in for Josh and pleased the team and the crowds with some impressive lap times and a front row qualifying position.

In race one, both Glen and Steve made good starts off the line to hold places within the top four highly competitive front runners in the opening laps of the race. Steve found good stride but unfortunately lost the front of his CBR1000RR on lap 16 whilst in the lead, with team-mate Glen taking a podium finish in 2nd.

Race two saw both Glen and Steve secure top five finishes, but this time it was Steve who took a step on the rostrum.

Glen Richards (#45)

“The team had made a few changes to my ‘Blade since our last test, which we were able to evaluate during the 1.5 hour practice session on Friday, and worked really well, but any further progress with set-up was limited on Friday and Saturday due to the weather. This weekend was the first time I’ve done the ‘roll for pole’ qualifying format and I was on it in the first two sessions, but for the last 10 minutes I didn’t have my head in the right gear so couldn’t find the last 10th I needed to make it on the front row.”

“I managed to keep clear of race’s one mid race action with Steve falling and Camier running off the track and after that started to make inroads to catching Guintoli. But I had a few ‘moments’ on track and so decided to settle for second.”

“I got a good start in race two and was comfortably competing with the front runners for the opening of the race, but for reasons which we now need to look in to, the front tyre felt like it was just sliding and not under me, so I was struggling with front grip. I’m disappointed to not have been on the podium again but given the tyre problems am happy I was able to hold on to 5th and come away from this first round with 31 points and 3rd place in the championship.”

Steve Plater (#25)

“I started off this weekend on the Fireblade with settings where Josh had got to at our last pre-season test, as it would have taken up too much time to start from scratch. The first test session was 1.5 hours long, which gave me time to get in some mileage. I also found good pace, so that was a boost to my confidence and also testament to the great job that Josh and Adrian (crew chief) had done in getting a good base setting for the bike during testing. I had two minor crashes on Friday and Saturday which were both stupid mistakes on my part, and fortunately no injuries at all, but we spent the first few days trying different things and I’ve been on the pace in every session where it mattered and despite the iffy conditions I’ve felt very comfortable on the Fireblade. ”

“I’m so disappointed about race one as I’d got into a good pace and was feeling very comfortable and in control, so to lose the front when I was in the lead is gutting. I was actually trying not to push too hard as I wasn’t sure how long the rear tyre would last, but a bit too much brake and lean angle put me in the gravel. ”

“I had to switch my head into Superbike mode pretty quickly for race two as I’d just stepped off my Supersport bike. I had a good start and just made a charge for the first corner and tried to get into a rhythm as quickly as possible, which I did. I did have a few issues with front end chatter but I was still able to make up time and make the gains necessary to take 3rd place for a podium finish. It’s been hard work this weekend but I’ve enjoyed every minute of it and can’t thank the team enough, as, what we’ve achieved in both Superbikes and Supersport has been a total team effort.”

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The Honda CBR600RR and Steve Plater performed faultlessly in the Supersport class throughout the weekend as the experienced Brit worked through a variety of wet and dry bike settings to make good in-roads to his bike’s set-up and achieve a fantastic front row position on the grid.

Starting from fourth on the grid, Steve made a good start but found it took him a few laps to get into a Supersport stride and riding style having raced the Fireblade Superbike just a few hours earlier. Whilst gaining and losing a few places throughout the duration of the 25 lap race, Steve carved his way through the front runners towards the end of the race to contribute to some exciting race action, which saw him claim a well deserved 2nd place at the chequered flag.

Steve Plater (#22)

“From the outset of the weekend we set about trying some different settings in the different weather conditions, which were good enough for me to put the CBR600RR on the front row and also lap faster on the Honda than at this circuit at the first round than I did during the whole of last year – so I’m happy about that.”

“I had a good start in the race but it took me a few laps to get back into Supersport head mode and riding style so I gave myself a bit of a job to do to pull back a few places. With about 10 laps to go I got  my head down and tried keep it as smooth as possible and thought about trying to challenge for the lead, but decided to keep play it safe and take a solid second place, so I’ll just have to go one better at Oulton Park.”

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In the British Superstock 1000 Championship, Honda Racing riders Steve Brogan and John McGuinness rode their Padgetts Motorcycles CBR1000RRs to take the creditable 3rd and 5th places respectively at the chequered flag.

Reigning champion ‘Brogie’ enjoyed a strong four-way battle for the changing lead position, with John hot on their heels in a steady fifth place for the majority of the 22 lap race.

Steve Brogan (#1)

“Friday’s practice day was a good way to feel my way back into racing after our last test in Spain last month. In the dry sessions I was able to make improvements to my lap times and during qualifying I was set to take pole, but got pipped right at the end so unfortunately dropped back two places. I’ve changed my setting very slightly from last year after some advice from Clive (Padgett) and his knowledge and experience is incredible as his suggestions have worked really well.”

“I controlled the race from the start and was feeling totally comfortable and on the pace, but I made a bit of a mistake getting past a backmarker which dropped me to third and then I struggled to make back the places as the laps came around so fast that I couldn’t find the right opportunity to overtake. The backmarkers were a problem in the second half of the race but I know all the front runners had the same issue. It was a good solid race though and my race pace was faster than last year, so credit to the Padgetts team for their great work and the ‘Blade and we’ve definitely started as we mean to go on.”

John McGuinness (#2)

“Whenever I’ve got on the bike this weekend, in the dry or wet, I’ve felt confident and competitive. It’s been three years since I’ve raced in this championship and it’s great to come back knowing that I’m riding the championship winning bike and also in a team with Brogie, who has be best experience on this bike in this championship. During the practice day I rode round with him, shadowing everything he did as it clearly works, so that’s been a great help as even though I’ve ridden the ‘Blade on road circuits, it’s very different racing on short circuits. But the bike is so easy to ride and we’ve been straight on the pace so that, coupled with a great team atmosphere, has made this a really positive first race weekend.”

“With this circuit being so short it felt more like a sprint race as the 22 laps went so quickly. I felt strong throughout the whole race and it was certainly a confidence boosting ride as I was easily sticking with the four main frontrunners the whole way, so I’m on the pace and know there is more to come. I’m feeling very comfortable on the Fireblade and as today’s race has shown, this championship looks set to be very competitive this year. This round has definitely been a good start to the season, we’ve got some solid points and now I just want to get into the next round to build on the progress made this weekend.”