[BSB] La finale a Brands Hatch

3 courses ce week end pour la finale a Brands Hatch et 6 pretendants au titre.

1ere seance d'essais libres

The final round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship has got underway at Brands Hatch and it was a mixed opening session for the six Title Fighters after the opening free practice session.

'Shakey' fastest despite cautious opening session

Shane 'Shakey' Byrne topped the session, but had a calm approach to first free practice and waited in the garage for the opening ten minutes before venturing out. Byrne utilised the opening session to bed in some new brake pads and was able to climb the order at the end to move fastest as the drack dried out.

Byrne said: "We waited for a bit before going out as it was still drying out there. I did some laps in behind Josh and he was brave and quite keen over some of the damp patches! We went out and bedded in some brake pads as it was still quite sketchy. We pushed on a bit more at the end but we didn't want to be too brave and make a silly mistake in the first session. We are just getting set up for the rest of the weekend."

Lowes third in closing seconds

Alex Lowes was the second fastest of the Title Fighters in third on the WFR Honda; he was another rider to make big improvements in the final stages of the session and he moved ahead of team-mate James Westmoreland in the final minute.

Lowes said: "We didn't learn a lot out there to be honest in that session because it was damp in patches. The bike is good and really it was a case of getting out there and getting a bit of the action - you couldn't learn a lot because of the conditions but I am feeling good and am here to enjoy it and see what happens."

Brookes sixth but not worried

Josh Brookes currently lies second in the championship standings and this morning he was sixth fastest on the Tyco Suzuki as the team made the most of the changeable conditions to make some tweaks.

Brookes said: "It was mainly wet for most of the session and I was trying to see where we could feel the grip. We came back in and made some changes because it wasn't a crucial session and in that time the track had dried and the times had started improving as everyone started going quicker. It isn't an excuse but I didn't get a clear lap at the end so I don't know what the potential there could have been so we will see this afternoon."

Hill: conditions made it tough

Defending champion Tommy Hill admits the conditions made it tough this morning as the track continued to dry; the Swan Yamaha rider was seventh fastest and is eager to make further progress this afternoon.

Hill said: "It was a tough start really as the conditions were tough. We made some changes and put in a different tyre and we were feeling comfortable. It wasn't ideal, but it is a long weekend and we went out to feel our feet. We went up the order and then at the end of the session it dried and everything moved around, but this afternoon we know we just need to keep pushing on."

Bridewell doing his homework

The Supersonic BMW team were eighth fastest as Tommy Bridewell continued to work on changes to the bike that they wanted to test following the earlier round of the season. Bridewell has admitted he is ready to fight for podiums this weekend and is confident that the team can be in a position to achieve their goals.

Bridewell said: "The session was not too bad; the conditions were a bit iffy and I was not too comfortable to push on but we needed to check a few things out on the bike and that was ok really. We've got data from our races here in the middle of the year but we've changed a lot of things on the bike since then so we need to do more work there. It would have been good if we had done a full session but we have this afternoon."

Laverty struggles in 26th

Samsung Honda's Michael Laverty was 26th fastest as the team continued to work on getting the harder tyre to work in the colder conditions.

Laverty said: "The conditions were horrible, cold and wet until the last few minutes. We were using the hard compound tyre, trying to get a feeling with it. We'll continue working to try to make the softer tyre last longer as we can't make the hard one work. We've to work now to get the life span out of the soft that others like Shane Byrne have done. We got improvement at Silverstone till the last four or five laps, now we have to work to find more."

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch, free practice one:

Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki)
Karl Harris (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) +0.934s
Alex Lowes (WFR Honda) +0.936s
James Westmoreland (WFR Honda) +1.339s
Chris Walker (Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki) +1.438s
Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) +1.490s
Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) +1.680s
Tommy Bridewell (Supersonic BMW) +1.849s
Noriyuki Haga (Swan Yamaha) +2.565s
Peter Hickman (Buildbase BMW) +2.691s


2eme seance d'essais libres

WFR Honda's Alex Lowes stormed to the top of the times ahead of Shane Byrne in the closing minute of the second free practice session at Brands Hatch ahead of tomorrow's opening race of the triple-header event.

Lowes had been steadily climbing the order before firing himself to the top of the times with less than five minutes remaining. However a charging Shane 'Shakey' Byrne then put himself ahead just a minute later but Lowes retaliated with a faster lap to move back to the top on his final lap. Championship leader Byrne remained second ahead of Barry Burrell on the Buildbase BMW.

The next of the Title Fighters was Josh Brookes on the Tyco Suzuki; he had led in the early stages and ran second to Lowes before the session was red flagged with eight minutes on the clock when Tommy Bridewell crashed at Stirlings; he was taken to the medical centre for a check up after sustaining a left finger and hand injury. When the session resumed Brookes was bumped back to fourth, with Karl Harris in fifth fro Quattro Plant Kawasaki.

James Westmoreland edged out Michael Laverty for sixth place with Tommy Hill the leading Swan Yamaha in eighth. Bridewell remained ninth despite his crash and Chris Walker rounded out the top ten for Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki.

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch, free practice two:

Alex Lowes (WFR Honda) 1m:26.264s
Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +0.425s
Barry Burrell (Buildbase BMW) +0.467s
Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) +0.737s
Karl Harris (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) +0.826s
James Westmoreland (WFR Honda) +0.851s
Michael Laverty (Samsung Honda) +1.063s
Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) +1.098s
Tommy Bridewell (Supersonic BMW) +1.137s
Chris Walker (Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki) +1.203s

3eme seance d'essais libres

Shane 'Shakey' Byrne returned to the top of the times in the final MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship free practice session this morning as the Title Fighters prepare for qualifying later this afternoon at Brands Hatch.

Byrne took the upper hand on his rivals at the Kent circuit as WFR Honda's Alex Lowes continued to move up the order until he crashed out at Druids unhurt, but the damaged bike meant he was sidelined for the remainder of the session. He dropped to fourth behind the improving Karl Harris on the Quattro Plant Kawasaki and second placed Title Fighter Josh Brookes on the Tyco Suzuki.

Michael Laverty had a resurgent session on the Samsung Honda in fifth to remain ahead of the second WFR Honda of James Westmoreland and Chris Walker's Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki. Defending champion Tommy Hill was eighth ahead of the formation flying Buildbase BMW's of Peter Hickman and Barry Burrell.

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch, free practice three:

Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 1m:26.096s
Karl Harris (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) +0.559s
Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) +0.589s
Alex Lowes (WFR Honda) +0.714s
Michael Laverty (Samsung Honda) +0.715s
James Westmoreland (WFR Honda) +0.888s
Chris Walker (Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki) +1.092s
Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) +1.143s
Peter Hickman (Buildbase BMW) +1.148s
Barry Burrell (Buildbase BMW) +1.186s

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WFR Honda's Alex Lowes claimed his fourth pole position of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship season at Brands Hatch as the young gun held off the challenge from Shane 'Shakey' Byrne ahead of race one this afternoon.

In the opening session Lowes bounced back from his free practice three crash to top the session from Samsung Honda rival Michael Laverty and Byrne. Q1 had briefly been red flagged when Luca Scassa crashed at Stirlings with his Padgetts Honda in the track; he was unhurt and was able to impressively make the cut for Q2 displacing his team-mate Jason O'Halloran.

In Q2 Lowes again led from Laverty as the Title Fighters pushed the times as the momentum built for the fight for the final pole position of the season. The leading five championship contenders comfortably made the cut for Q3, whilst Tommy Bridewell who continues to ride despite the pain of his injured left finger just missed out in 13th.

In Q3 Lowes stormed to the top with a run of fast laps to fend off Byrne who closed in on his title rival whilst James Westmoreland and Barry Burrell claimed their first front row start of the season. The remaining Title Fighters will start from row two with Laverty heading the second row from Josh Brookes and Tommy Hill.

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch, qualifying result:

Alex Lowes (WFR Honda) 1m:26.020s
Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +0.209s
James Westmoreland (WFR Honda) +0.265s
Barry Burrell (Buildbase BMW) +0.356s
Michael Laverty (Samsung Honda) +0.448s
Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) +0.532s
Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) +0.638s
Karl Harris (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) +0.642s
Peter Hickman (Buildbase BMW) +0.714s
Stuart Easton (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +1.131s


Lowes laps up Brands Hatch pole

WFR Honda's Lowes claimed his fourth pole position from five rounds after bouncing back from a crash this morning to fend off Byrne by 0.209 seconds.

Lowes said: "I was a bit worried coming into qualifying to be honest as I have struggled at Brands Hatch before but we came out and felt good. We have been quite fast, the crash at Druids was my fault and I know what I did wrong so it feels nice to be on pole. I am enjoying it this weekend, pole position is nice and I am happy for the team. Shakey is the man around Brands Hatch so I am looking forward to this afternoon."

Byrne predicts long, hard race

Byrne starts second on the grid at his home round but is predicting that whilst his Title Fighter rivals are behind in qualifying, that the race will be a completely different matter.

Byrne said: "It was always going to be tough this weekend, we did a good job in practice and I rode around with Alex this morning and that was fun. I went faster then than I did in qualifying but he is proving to be the man at the moment, so hopefully we can be close again this afternoon. We both know what we need to do and it will be a long hard race. The team have done a good job and now it is down to me now to try and get a good start. Josh will be strong in the race for sure, I had watched the round from earlier in the season and I know he will push me as qualifying is one thing but racing is another. We need to win today; nine points is absolutely nothing; we concentrated hard on race pace earlier in the weekend and that was really important."

Westmoreland determined for maiden podium

James Westmoreland is fighting for the Riders Cup, the first of the riders outside of the top six, and currently lies in seventh place in the standings. Westmoreland's third place was his first front row start as WFR Honda had both their riders on the front row for the first time.

Westmoreland said: "We were pushing hard as it is important to be on the front row for the final round, not only for me but also for the WFR Honda team. I was within my limits and I am looking forward to the race at such an important time of the year. Everyone knows what Alex is capable of and I am going for the Riders Cup so I need to be seventh in the championship. If I could get a podium here this weekend I would be made up; I feel like I can challenge at the front of race this afternoon."

Burrell rewards Buildbase BMW with first front row start

Barry Burrell scored the Buildbase BMW's first front row start as he pushed ahead of Michael Laverty in the final minutes of the session.

Burrell: "It came pretty easy as I was relaxed in that session. Alex went passed me early on and I got a bit of a tow off him and we have been there or thereabouts all weekend. I am looking forward to the race although I am sure the nerves will start kicking in for the first front row."

Shane 'Shakey' Byrne won the opening MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship race of the weekend at Brands Hatch to extend his lead in the standings to 18 points as Alex Lowes crashed out unhurt on the WFR Honda. Title Fighters Tommy Hill and Josh Brookes claimed the final podium positions ahead of tomorrow's two final races.

Byrne has stormed into the lead on the opening lap with Lowes and Michael Laverty in pursuit, with the Samsung Honda rider making a move at Stirlings on the second lap to push the WFR Honda rider to third. Lowes instantly retaliated and claimed the position back a lap later as they fought for the opening race win of the day.

Tommy Hill and Josh Brookes were desperately trying to move up ahead of Stuart Easton on the second Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki as he held fourth position over the opening laps. There was drama for Laverty though on the eleventh lap as he dropped from third to twelfth, promoting Hill and Brookes to third and fourth respectively.

More to follow.

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch, race one result:

Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki)
Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) 1 lap
Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) 1 lap
James Westmoreland (WFR Honda) 1 lap
Stuart Easton (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 1 lap
Barry Burrell (Buildbase BMW) 1 lap
Tommy Bridewell (Supersonic BMW) 1 lap
Noriyuki Haga (Swan Yamaha) 1 lap
Jon Kirkham (Samsung Honda) 1 lap
Michael Laverty (Samsung Honda) 1 lap

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings after Brands Hatch race one:

Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 633
Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) 615
Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) 586
Alex Lowes (WFR Honda) 584
Michael Laverty (Samsung Honda) 565
Tommy Bridewell (Supersonic BMW) 553

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2eme course

Shane 'Shakey' Byrne edged closer to a third MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship title by beating rival Josh Brookes in the second race of the weekend at Brands Hatch as the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki rider kept his cool in an incident-packed race.

Byrne again had a flying start from the front row to lead the pack on the opening lap as Alex Lowes moved up to second ahead of Michael Laverty and Brookes. On the third lap the Nissan GT-R Safety Car was deployed as Tristan Palmer crashed heavily at Paddock Hill Bend; he was able to walk away from the crash. Byrne held the advantage when the race continued but Barry Burrell was hard charging and was moving up the order, first on Brookes and then on Laverty. The Buildbase BMW rider then moved ahead of Lowes to claim second place by the ninth lap.

Laverty was trying to pass Lowes and almost tapped the back of the WFR Honda at Graham Hill Bend, forcing him wide and allowing Brookes to take the advantage to move third. The Australian was then trying to get ahead of Lowes, which he managed with a decisive move at Druids. However a lap later the WFR Honda rider was forced to retire from the race with a technical problem.

Brookes was finally able to make a move on Burrell at Druids following a second Nissan GT-R safety car deployment as James Westmoreland crashed at Clearways. The second WFR Honda rider was able to walk away from the crash. Laverty was then also able to make a move at Hawthorns to take third. Byrne held the advantage from Brookes and Laverty until the chequered flag from Burrell and Tommy Bridewell on the Supersonic BMW.

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch, race two result:

Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki)
Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) +1.144s
Michael Laverty (Samsung Honda) +1.918s
Barry Burrell (Buildbase BMW) +2.029s
Tommy Bridewell (Supersonic BMW) +2.165s
Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) +4.839s
Stuart Easton (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +5.299s
Jon Kirkham (Samsung Honda) +5.371s
Noriyuki Haga (Swan Yamaha) +5.737s
Peter Hickman (Buildbase BMW) +8.633s

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings after Brands Hatch race two:

Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 658
Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) 635
Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) 596
Alex Lowes (WFR Honda) 584
Michael Laverty (Samsung Honda) 581
Tommy Bridewell (Supersonic BMW) 564

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3eme course

Shane 'Shakey' Byrne was crowned champion for the third time in front of tens of thousands of fans at Brands Hatch this afternoon as he celebrated the final win of the weekend after pushing ahead of Josh Brookes on the penultimate lap.

On the opening lap Josh Brookes hit the lead from fierce rival Shane 'Shakey' Byrne and Michael Laverty. The Samsung Honda rider was pushed back to fourth as Alex Lowes moved third at Druids on the second lap, but the leading pack were pushing hard for the final race win of the season. Laverty bided his time and moved back into podium contention with a move on the eighth lap.

At the front of the pack Brookes had started to edge out an advantage, but soon Byrne was closing him back in and then coming under fire from Laverty, the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki rider was looking to make a move, which he did on the penultimate lap with a move down the inside at Pilgrims Drop. Byrne held the lead to score his first triple win from Brookes and with it a third title.

Byrne said: "That was amazing and I am ecstatic. It would be cruel not to have tried for the win and it has been such an incredible season. I am really emotional right now."

There was drama for the final podium position as Tommy Hill was promoted to third as Michael Laverty and Alex Lowes both crashed out at on the final lap at Paddock Hill Bend. Tommy Bridewell equalled his best position of fourth for Supersonic BMW

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Brands Hatch, race three result:

Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki)
Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) +0.328s
Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) +4.445s
Tommy Bridewell (Supersonic BMW) +4.511s
Barry Burrell (Buildbase BMW) +17.899s
James Westmoreland (WFR Honda) +20.199s
Peter Hickman (Buildbase BMW) +20.265s
Jon Kirkham (Samsung Honda) +20.389s
Chris Walker (Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki) +20.974s
Noriyuki Haga (Swan Yamaha) +22.736s

MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship final standings:

Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 683
Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) 655
Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) 612
Alex Lowes (WFR Honda) 584
Michael Laverty (Samsung Honda) 581
Tommy Bridewell (Supersonic BMW) 577

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triple victoire pour Shane Byrne ce weekend et troisieme titre en superbike Anglais

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2eme au championnat Josh Brookes

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3eme au championnat Tommy Hill

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Un 3ème titre conquis avec panache : 3 victoires sur trois courses, malgré tous les efforts de Brookes, Lowes, Laverty, Hill, mais aussi Bridewell ou Burrell, il fallait un mental d'acier pour assurer à ce point !!!

Impressionnant !

Un très bon pilote au gros coeur!![Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir cette image]

Bléssé , il a quand même repris le titre aux djeuns [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir cette image]

On comprends mieux pourquoi les britons sont forts[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir cette image]

Si le trio de tête n'est pas une surprise, quelque soit l'ordre, on peut dire que Bridewell a confirmé ce qu'il avait montré quelques fois en 2011 au guidon de sa BMW privée.
Il a su être dans les 6 à avoir le droit de jouer le titre et en plus il s'est très bien comporté dans les dernières courses.

Bravo à lui.