Round 8 - Cadwell Park - MCE Insurance British Superbikes
Riders and teams of MCE BSB headed to the beautiful Cadwell Park this bank holiday weekend for round 8 of the championship. Being the second from last round before the showdown it was an important chance for the riders close to the top six to gain more points in the hope they can make it in. Alex Lowes, Shane 'Shakey' Byrne and Josh Brookes have already secured their places and were aiming for more podium credits. Shakey already has a race wins worth of credits which puts him in really good stead for the showdown. James Ellison was not far off being safe and if he picked up two good results would have his spot secured. Ryuichi Kiyonari still had work to do but was in a pretty good position since his revival of form after the first few disastrous rounds. Jon Kirkham on the Buildbase BMW still held the 6th spot but his teammate James Westmoreland was right on his tail, if he beat Jon in both races he could gain some serious ground or even surpass him. Nipping at Westy's heels was PJ Jacobsen, the young American rider who has settled nicely onto the Superbike and is picking up good results week in week out, if he had a good weekend at Cadwell he could be in with a chance of a showdown spot. Tommy Bridewell has also been on the march with his new team Halsall Racing, if he went well at Cadwell he also could cause an upset and gain that final showdown spot. In other words it was all to play for.
Qualifying
Q1 got underway and in a matter of minutes Jon Kirkham sent his Buildbase BMW into the gravel. Cadwell with its lower paddock means that basically if you come off there's not much of a chance of getting the bike back to the garage so his qualifying was over, not good for the big man as he really needed to stay ahead of his teammate, James Westmoreland, who is after his showdown spot. Lowes led the times initially with Brookes, Kiyo, Jacobsen and local lad Peter Hickman going well. Female racer Jenny Tinmouth then crashed out damaging her bike beyond repair and ending her weekend. Italian Champion Matteo Baiocco also crashed out in Q1, he was ok but that was qualifying over for him. Howie Mainwairing with his new team Tsingtao WK wasn't going well and dropped out in Q1 along with Jessopp, Zanotti, Costello and Poole who all couldn't keep with the pace. Q2 saw Westy, Linfoot, Waters, Rutter, Smrz, Harris and Burrell drop out. Westmoreland was really close to getting a spot but just missed out by a faction of a second. Q3 was the usual sort of story, Lowes was dominating and took pole, Brookes after two laps had posted the 7th fastest time but then crashed out meaning he'd start from the third row on the grid. The top ten were as follows Lowes, Shakey, Ellison, PJ, Bridewell, Kiyo, Brookes, Farmer, Hickman and Chris Walker.
Race 1
Alex shot of the line at the beginning of race 1, Shakey did sneak past him into the first corner but the young title contender slipped right back past him in no time. Brookes got a reasonable start from the third row and settled in 5th position. Kiyo didn't and dropped back to 8th. Within a short space of time the front 4 had settled in, Lowes led Shakey, Ellison and Brookes. Bridewell and PJ had a bit of a battle but Tommy was too fast for the little American and sped past him and within a lap had caught the front 4. At this point in the race Michael Rutter began to drop places, something we've seen a lot of this season, that Bathams Honda was playing up again with fuel trouble and within a few laps he was forced to retire. Keith Farmer who wasn't feeling his best with an illness was doing alright gaining places in the mid table, he sat in tenth. At mid race point the front 5 had really moved off from PJ and the time between them was minimal, it was just a case of who was going to make the first move. Josh Brookes was the man as he swept up the inside of James Ellison taking 3rd. Ellison soon after perhaps out of frustration made a mistake and lost the front end at the bottom of the mountain. Such a shame for the Milwaukee Yamaha rider, he just can't seem to have a clean raceday. Chris Walker back in 6th was making a charge on PJ being followed by Kiyo and Hickman. In the latter stages of the race Lowes gapped the rest and took a clear victory.
Race 1 Results
- Alex LOWES - Samsung Honda
- Shane BYRNE - Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki
- Josh BROOKES - Tyco Suzuki
- Tommy BRIDEWELL - Halsall Racing
- PJ JACOBSEN - Tyco Suzuki
- Chris WALKER - Quattro Plant Kawasaki
- Ryuichi KIYONARI - Samsung Honda
- Peter HICKMAN - GBmoto Racing Honda
- Keith FARMER - Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki
- James WESTMORELAND - Buildbase BMW
Race 2
Alex started from pole again in race 2 being the fastest man out there. He was quick off the line once again but Brookes took him on the first corner as Shakey had done the race before and just like before Alex took the lead back. Bridewell who started from third on the grid held that spot followed by Ellison and Shakey. The second pack was led by Kiyo followed by Walker, PJ, Hickman and Aussie Josh Waters who seemed to be improving as the weekend progressed. Shakey was stuck in 5th and didn't seem to have the pace to make a pass on Ellison, though he was probably quite happy to let the others pick up some points as he had such a lead in the standings. Brookes kept having a look at passing Alex but was having real trouble finding a way through; Alex did not seem bothered, he just got on with the job in hand. Mid race Brookes had a massive moment on the mountain when he landed one of his huge jumps and nearly entered into a tank slapper; Bridewell took advantage and slipped past him on the outside. Westy and Kirkham were battling for 9th down the pack; the shorter man got the better of his teammate meaning he'd gain more points and close the gap on Jon in the standings. Jakub Smrz on the Padgetts Honda was not having the best weekend and pulled in with bike trouble, he was not a fan of the mountain. Ellison was taking advantage of Brookes' knocked confidence and was doing everything he could to try and get past him but to no avail. It was at this point that PJ Jacobsen on the Tyco Suzuki crashed out at Charlies meaning he'd get no points and probably scupper his chances of making the showdown. Bridewell's pace was immense, he kept plugging at Lowes, trying to find a way through but Alex was having none of it. Shakey started to drop off the front 4 in the later stages of the race, he couldn't find a way through and didn't need to. Josh Brookes then seemed to find a burst of speed and slipped past Tommy without the Halsall Racing rider even realising until it was too late. Josh Waters continued his good form in 9th catching Hickman and Walker. The final lap turned into a thriller when Brookes made a pass on Lowes but was just too hot into Mansfield, he lost the front end and his race was over. Lowes took the win followed by Bridewell and Ellison.
Race 2 Results
- Alex LOWES - Samsung Honda
- Tommy BRIDEWELL - Halsall Racing
- James ELLISON - Milwaukee Yamaha
- Shane BYRNE - Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki
- Ryuichi KIYONARI - Samsung Honda
- Chris WALKER - Quattro Plant Kawasaki
- Peter HICKMAN - GBmoto Racing Honda
- Josh WATERS - Milwaukee Yamaha
- James WESTMORELAND - Buildbase BMW
- Jon KIRKHAM - Buildbase BMW
Club MCE members had a great couple of days at Cadwell Park enjoying all sorts of benefits and experiences including, Official Pit Crew with Tsingtao WK Bikes, grid walks, VIP hospitality, Pillion Laps and Safety car laps to name a few. Some lucky Club members got to make use of the MCE Superview, watching the racing from the inside of the track right next to the mountain. 'Hang out with a rider' took place on the grid with Samsung Honda's Alex Lowes, giving club members the chance to ask him about his plans for the future, how he felt going into the weekend, Cal Crutchlow and Rossi all whilst sitting on the comfy Club MCE beanbags. A lucky few Club members also got VIP hospitality with Pirelli giving them a look at what goes on behind the scenes with the tyres as well as getting a slap up meal. A fantastic weekend had by all!
Next round we head for Donington Park for the showdown decider! Who's going to make the top six? It all kicks off on the 6th of September. Keep up to date with Big Ed's Facebook for all the live updates, news and gossip around the paddock.
Championship Standings
- 67 Shane BYRNE - Rapid Soliticitors Kawasaki - 330
- 22 Alex LOWES - Samsung Honda - 293
- 2 Josh BROOKES - Tyco Suzuki - 284
- 77 James ELLISON - Milwaukee Yamaha - 174
- 23 Ryuichi KIYONARI - Samsung Honda - 162
- 10 Jon Kirkham - Buildbase BMW - 135
For full race results visit the MCE BSB Website
27.08.13 - Big Ed
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