Motorcycle Blog

After sitting out the last round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Cadwell Park last weekend, due to a wrist injury sustained in training the week previously, Hydrex Bike Animal Honda rider James Ellison will be back in action to take his place as a wild card entry at this weekend’s Hannspree World Superbike Championship meeting at Donington Park.

Up until Cadwell, the 27 year old from Kendal, who has been one of the revelations of the season on his return to BSB after four years, had scored points in every round aboard the Shaun Muir Racing 1000cc Honda Fireblade, and despite attempting to ride at Cadwell, he had to admit defeat when a ligament injury prevented his participation on the grounds of safety.

However, with a week’s rest being prescribed, he is fit and raring to go and is looking forward to the opportunity of racing on the world stage once again, especially after two years in MotoGP and a year in the American Superbike Championship. Ellison is no stranger to the World Superbike paddock, having won the European Superstock Championship in 2000 and 2001, before embarking on a season in World Supersport in 2002. His best results in World Superbikes came in 2004, the same year he won the British Superbike Cup, when he took his Jentin Yamaha to a fifth and sixth place finish at Brands Hatch.

James Ellison:  “I’m so looking forward to racing at Donington, it’s unreal! I was so frustrated at Cadwell but my wrist is fine and I have no concerns about it at all now. All it needed was a little bit of rest and now I’m raring to go. We had a good run in the BSB races at Donington and I’m hopeful we can give a good account of ourselves once again. We know our bike is good, we have got the electronics working a lot better and I’m really up for this one. Top ten would be a great result, but I’m hoping for a top six if I’m being honest and despite it being probably the strongest field of the year what with all the British wild cards, I’m feeling very confident.”

Shaun Muir (Team Owner):  “After the disappointment of Cadwell, we are all looking forward to James racing once again and I’m confident he can do us proud. He showed well at Donington back in May and although it’s going to be a lot tougher this weekend, I’m hopeful that James can get a couple of good results. It will be good for us also to see exactly where we as a team are in terms of progress this year and I think if we can score a couple of top tens, that would be a great achievement for us.”

The team still has a limited number of VIP Hospitality places available so anyone interested should contact Shaun Muir at shaunmuir@smr.uk.com by Wednesday 3rd September 2008.

First qualifying takes place on Friday 5th September, with second qualifying and Superpole on Saturday 6th September. Race one takes place on Sunday 7th September at 12.00 with race two at 15.30. The racing will be shown live on British Eurosport from 1030 to 1630.

Rob Mac Racing arrived at their home circuit of Cadwell Park high on the success of a podium at the last time out at Knockhill, Scotland.A new qualifying format greeted the riders for Round 9 at the picturesque Lincolnshire circuit. Adopting an F1-style Qualifying, three timed sessions whittled the grid down to the 20 fastest riders, then the 10 fastest who finally battled it out for the best time and final starting positions. Karl Harris qualified his Rob Mac Racing Yamaha YZF-R1 through to the final session with an eventual seventh grid position, heading up the fourth row on the three abreast grid format.

As the flag dropped for Race 1, Karl had a tough task ahead of him to get away with the leaders. In the opening laps the ‘Bomber’ was pushing hard to move up the race order when he lost the front end at the bottom of the infamous ‘Mountain’, bringing an abrupt end to the race and an injury to Karl’s left hand that needed injections to ease the pain.

The brave Sheffield lad proved his true grit and determination as he lined up for the start of Race 2. With blood seeping through his left glove from the crushed left little finger, Harris joked to the television crew that it was only a minor injury.

A good start put Karl in contention as he got away in 10th place quickly picking up places over the next few laps. With the front five pulling away from the remainder of the field, it was all Karl could to do to progress up to sixth place with a huge 3.5 second gap ahead of him. As he got his head down Harris banked his fastest lap of the race as he crossed the line having completed Lap 5.

Although he maintained his fast pace and race position for the next 5 laps, Karl was struck yet again by the bad luck that has blighted his season to date. Struggling with a dramatic loss of rear end grip, Karl visibly slowed on the track and lost over 4 seconds a lap, dropping places as his progress slipped through his hands.

As the flag dropped Karl nursed his bike home to finish in a very frustrating tenth position, picking up a handful of points to salvage his weekend.

The team now move on to Round 10 of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Croft, North Yorkshire on 12-14th September.

Karl Harris: I’ve shattered a few bones and the nail has come off my little finger on my left hand when I hit the barrier. I’ve had a few injections in it so I thought it would be fine for race two. I got a good start and felt ok for the opening laps, I made some really good progress but then I just lost all my rear grip. I was really struggling to keep it going but I was determined to finish the race.”

Rob McElena, Team Principal: “From the high’s of Knockhill we are back down to the lows. Karl made a mistake in Race 1 that really cost us any chance of a good result this weekend. We had a problem with the tyre spinning on the rim in the latter half of Race 2, which just about summed up our weekend for us. Once again we will pick ourselves up and move on to the race at Croft.”

Race 1 Result
1. Haslam (Honda), 2. Sykes (Suzuki), 3.Byrne (Ducati), 4. Camier (Ducati), 5. Crutchlow (Honda), DNF - Karl Harris (Rob Mac Racing Yamaha)

Race 2 Results
1. Haslam (Honda), 2. Sykes (Suzuki), 3. Byrne (Ducati), 4. Camier (Ducati), 5. Rutter (Ducati), 10. Karl Harris (Rob Mac Racing Yamaha)

Championship Standings
1. Byrne - 364, 2. Sykes - 254, 3. Haslam - 249, 4. Crutchlow - 236, 5. Camier - 205, 11) Karl Harris - 75

2008 Bennetts British Superbike Championship
Rounds 17 & 18 - Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire
24th/25th August

Hydrex Bike Animal Honda riders James Ellison and Guy Martin qualified in sixteenth and seventeenth place respectively following on today’s historic new F1 style knock-out qualifying at round nine of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship held at Cadwell Park today.

Now segregated into three qualifying sessions, the pair made it into Q2 but couldn’t progress any further for various reasons.

Ellison, who has scored in every round of the Championship to date had been previously injured in a training accident and was suffering with torn ligaments in his right wrist meaning he spent a minimal amount of time on the Shaun Muir Racing Honda Fireblade and despite bravely battling on, had to settle for sixteenth at the end of the session.

Meanwhile Guy Martin showed a resurgence of short circuit form to qualify for Q2 and at one point was running on the verges of the final ten Q1 positions, but by the end of the session he had slipped to seventeenth and will line up on the sixth row of the grid.

However, Ellison will take no further part in the weekend’s proceedings as he has been declared unfit to race so will now concentrate on getting fit for the next round at Croft in three week’s time.

Ellison’s withdrawal now means that Martin is left to uphold honour whereby the rider from nearby Kirmington is hoping to impress at his local circuit.

In the Metzeler Superstock 1000cc category, Kieran Clarke qualified 21st for tomorrow’s race whereby he will be looking to add to his points tally from his last two outings.

James Ellison:  “I injured my hand when I was training in Spain last week and whereas I thought it would be OK, having ridden the bike around a demanding track as Cadwell, it’s proving to be a bit of a problem and it’s just getting worse and worse.  I wanted to get into the top ten and then I could have made a decision tomorrow.  But really the only way I can get ready for Croft is by resting it and hopefully it should be healed in around 7 to 10 days. I have to think about the rest of the season, and I’m chasing third in the Championship so I don’t really want to miss a round, it’s just really disappointing.  The guys in the team have worked so hard and I’m just disappointed for them too.”

Guy Martin:  “The weather hasn’t helped the job, I’ve still got loads of harvesting to do and my combine blew up last night!  I’m happy on the bike side of things though.  We’re at the point where we’re making just a little change each time and we’re getting faster each time so it’s building my confidence up with the team and with the bike.  We’re finding that the settings are more like a TT bike now.  I don’t think we’d be cheeky in asking for a couple of top ten places tomorrow, that would be mint.”

Shaun Muir (Team Owner):  “We have taken the decision to withdraw James so he won’t be riding tomorrow so I’m just disappointed really, especially for the team who have all worked so hard.  BSB is our priority so we need to consider the bigger picture and get James back up to full fitness in time for Croft. We need Guy to pull a rabbit out of the bag for us now so we’re looking for him to score a good result for us, like we are Kieran in the Superstock race.”

The first of the two 18-lap Bennetts British Superbike races gets underway at 1.45pm on Sunday with the second at 4.30pm.  The Metzeler Superstock 1000 race is scheduled for 5.20pm.  The British Eurosport 2 live broadcast window is 1.30pm to 6.30pm.

Superbike Qualifying
1, Tom Sykes (Suzuki) 1m27.495s, 2, Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 1m27.716s, 3, Shane Byrne (Ducati) 1m27.870s, 4, Leon Haslam (Honda) 1m27.917s, 5, Leon Camier (Ducati) 1m28.428s, 6, Michael Rutter (Ducati) 1m28.502s, 7, Karl Harris (Yamaha) 1m28.844s, 8, Atsushi Watanabe (Suzuki) 1m28.860s, 9, Simon Andrews (Yamaha) 1m29.000, 10, Michael Laverty (Suzuki) 1m29.228s. 16, James Ellison (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) 1m30.514s, 17, Guy Martin (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) 1m30.520s.

Round 2 - 18th/20th April - Thruxton, Hants
Round 3 - 3rd/5th May - Oulton Park, Cheshire
Round 1 - 10th/11th May - Brands Hatch GP, Kent
Round 4 - 24th/26th May - Donington Park, Leics
Round 5 - 13th/15th June - Snetterton, Norfolk
Round 6 - 27th/29th June - Mallory Park
Round 7 - 18th/20th July - Oulton Park, Cheshire
Round 8 - 8th/10th August - Knockhill, Fife
Round 9 - 23rd/25th August - Cadwell Park, Lincs
Round 10 - 12th/14th September - Croft, North Yorkshire
Round 11 - 26th/28th September, Silverstone, Northants
Round 12 - 10th/12th October - Brands Hatch Indy, Kent

Round nine of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship heads to the picturesque setting of Cadwell Park this August Bank Holiday weekend with Hydrex Bike Animal Honda riders James Ellison and Guy Martin looking forward to the event for various reasons.

Following on from successive podium finishes in the past two rounds, 27 year old Ellison from Kendal in Cumbria currently lies in sixth place in the title chase being the only rider to score in each of the sixteen races to date although he has yet to win a race.

However, with improvements to the Shaun Muir Racing Fireblade ongoing, Ellison is confident that a victory is just around the corner and he’ll be hoping to box that off in front of what traditionally is the championship’s biggest crowd of the season with over 35,000 fans packing the Lincolnshire track.
  
James Ellison:  “I like Cadwell Park, we went to test there a couple of months back but we had a problem with the bike so didn’t really get to grips with the place.  It looks like it’s a bit safer than when I was last there four years ago and the Mountain is just awesome so I’m looking forward to that one and just looking for that win which is just so close.”

Meanwhile team mate Guy Martin is in desperate need of some luck in which to turn his fortunes around this season.

After the Ulster Grand Prix washout last weekend, the genial 26 year old from nearby Kirmington is hoping that his local track will be the place he finally gets a result after a season of frustration, epitomised last time out at Knockhill when running inside the top ten only for the race to be stopped and for him to miss out in the restart.

The twisty and undulating nature of the historic track will suit Martin and he’s very much looking forward to the challenge as well as entering into the spirit by taking part in Sunday evening’s CJ Fund Charity Cycle Race.

Guy Martin: “I’m looking forward to Cadwell with it being my local track, but it’s got a chicane in it, and I don’t like chicanes.  I’ll just take it as it comes and I’ll just enjoy riding my bike and hopefully we can get a good result.”

Also in action will be Heanor’s Kieran Clarke who will be looking to add to his points tally that he scored at Oulton Park and Knockhill in the Metzeler 1000cc Superstock Championship since joining the team in mid season.

Kieran Clarke: “I’ve had some good finishes at Cadwell Park and was top seven on the Superbike there so hopefully we can go well.  It’s a real riders course and one of my favourite circuits so hopefully we can get knuckled down, get some nice weather and get a bit of success there.  I ought to be knocking on the podium door with the experience I have got and once I get a couple more races under my belt I should be up there.”

After Cadwell, the team will start making preparations for James’ wild card entry at round eleven of the World Superbike Championship at the Donington Park round over the weekend of September 5/6/7th.

Following on torrential rainfall, organisers were left with a difficult decision to cancel today’s Ulster Grand Prix at the Dundrod circuit in Northern Ireland.

Despite early hopes of the weather improving and the organisers delaying proceedings until just after lunch, Clerk of the Course Noel Johnstone confirmed that despite his best efforts to try and postpone racing until tomorrow, it wasn’t possible and announced the cancellation of this year’s races.

It meant disappointment for Hydrex Bike Animal Honda rider Guy Martin who has had a less than successful season this year and the Ulster GP was his last hope of the big win on the roads.

“I’ve never seen so much water in my life.  There’s nobody to blame apart from the good old British summer.  The organisers did as much as they could to get the races on but it was never going to happen.  I’m bitterly disappointed for myself as this would have been a good chance to have boxed off a big win this year, but I’m equally disappointed for the fans who turned out in their thousands and got absolutely drenched hoping to see some action.  It wasn’t very good weather for bikes, but it was most certainly good weather for ducks” said Guy, a point echoed by team owner Shaun Muir.

“It’s disappointing all round after all the hard work that has gone in by both the team and the organisers but there was absolutely nothing we could do because it was impossible to race in those conditions.  You have got to feel sorry for Guy who was really up for this race after winning here for the past couple of years and I feel he could have had a big result here.  It’s been a bad weekend but hopefully we can all bounce back from this and we now need to concentrate on the job in hand at Cadwell next weekend.”

Martin, along with team mate James Ellison will be in action at the ninth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Cadwell Park over the August bank holiday weekend with Guy threatening to put in a late entry in the CJ Fund cycle race on Sunday evening!

Having qualified his Yamaha YZF-R6 on the last spot of the third row of the grid in 12th position, Joe was confident of a strong top ten race finish.

Despite the mixed weather conditions the race was declared dry. With the black clouds looming over the hills it was doubtful that the race would it’s full distance before the rain set in again.

Joe looked to struggle with his start, dropping back to 20th place but the youngster from Clowne in Derbyshire immediately knew that he had problems with his brakes. With a handful of laps to confirm his worst fears, Joe did his best to regain the feeling in his front brake by pumping the lever. Although he made a little progress Joe felt the problem was getting worse and was forced to retire on Lap 9.

Round 9 of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship takes place in two weeks time at Cadwell Park on Bank Holiday weekend (Aug 23-25).

Joe Dickinson: “From the opening lap I knew I had a big problem with the front brake and pumping the lever didn’t appear to make any real difference. Myself and the team are devastated. If this problem had appeared earlier on in the weekend we could have fixed it but everything worked perfectly in warm-up this morning. The brakes have never missed a beat all season until today. I’m frustrated as we had made some progress and could have finished in the top ten today. Let’s hope the team’s home round at Cadwell will bring more luck.”

Rob McElnea, Team Principal: “Joe suffered with bad luck today, we were hoping for a strong result off the back of the progress that we made at Oulton. It’s our home round next so we will have to wait a few weeks to see if Joe is going to pick up that strong finish he’s on the verge of earning.”

Race Results
1. Lowry (Suzuki), 2. Westmoreland (Honda), 3. Richards (Triumph), 4. Webb (Honda), 5. Kennaugh (Yamaha), DNF - Joe Dickinson (Truck Links Yamaha)

Championship Standings
1) Richards - 157, 2) Kennaugh - 127, 3)Lowry - 120, 4) Westmoreland - 81, 5) Brogan - 75, 20) Dickinson 13

Karl ‘Bomber’ Harris took full advantage of the fast changing weather conditions to claim his first podium of the season at Round 8 of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Knockhill race circuit, Scotland today (10 August). Having qualified the Rob Mac Racing Yamaha in 9th position, Karl ‘Bomber’ Harris was reliant on a very strong start in both races for any hope of a podium finish. A dry Race One saw Karl make progress to push the Rob Mac Racing Yamaha into 7th position, bagging himself a further 9 points for his late Championship charge.

It was all change for Race Two that began in very wet conditions following a torrential downpour just prior to the grid forming. Karl got a good start to enter turn one in 7th position, by the end of the first lap melee Karl maintained his 8th position, but as he started to make progress on the field ahead the race was stopped after a three rider crash further down the order stopped the race for essential repairs to the air fence.

Drama ensued with the weather conditions rapidly improving, a fast drying track saw a number of riders make a very late change to their tyre choice for full slicks after the grid formation. This left a clear gap ahead for Karl on the second row of the grid, providing Karl the opportunity he needed to make a strong start.

As the lights went out Karl lived up to his nickname �bombing’ his way into forth place just behind Michael Rutter in. By lap 2 Karl had taken Rutter for third with Leon Haslam ahead of him. Championship leader Shane Byrne was on a mission at the front of the field but by lap 9 Haslam was posting the fastest laps. Karl was under pressure from Rutter who had found some late pace, passing the �Bomber’ in the next few laps, pushing him back to 4th. A battling Harris continued to chase Rutter to regain his podium position but it was a crash from race leader Shane Byrne that stopped the race, putting himself out of the points and Harris back on the podium.

The third place finish has been a long time coming for the Yorkshireman, after a well publicised string of bad luck, it was only a matter of time before the truly talented Karl Harris’s luck turned. Elevating himself up the Championship standings into 12th place, Karl will look to continue his podium finishes to salvage what he can from the second half of the season.

The team now move on to their �home round’ for Round 9 at Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire on a high. Based a stone’s throw from the team base, Karl is famous for his spectacular �jumps’ over the infamous mountain. All the action takes place on Bank Holiday weekend in two weeks time (23 - 25 August).

Karl Harris: ”At last! I’m really pleased to be up here again, it’s something that we have worked for all season, we all know the story so far this year with me so I’m well happy. Just before the race Rob’s girlfriend Susan got me to kiss her baby bump for luck, it worked, so I’ll thank her for that! The choice to run slicks for the restart was a gamble that paid off for us. It’s mega to repay Rob and the whole team at last, they’ve believed in me and worked so hard for me this year.”

Rob McElnea, Team Principal: “We’ll take that! We’d had a real tough weekend up until now as Knockhill’s not the easiest place to come to especially with the conditions that we’ve all faced. However, the luck was on our side for once. We’d had a lack of dry time and Karl struggled as a result in race one. We made a number of changes for the second and he responded well. We had a chat during the stoppage and put Karl back out on slicks. Karl’s confidence grew throughout the second part of the race. He knew he had to get past Rutter at the start and push pretty hard It was good to see him back to how we know he can ride the bike. The Airwaves guys had a taste of the bad luck we’ve suffered all year, but it’s great for Karl and the team to be on the podium and full of confidence ahead of our home round at Cadwell Park.”
Rob Mac Pro Ride
Rob Mac Pro Ride fielded young Dubliner, Jack Kennedy for the first time in the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship. The Kennedy family decided to give Jack the chance to use the Rob Mac Pro-Ride package and the 20 year old Irishman certainly showcased both his talent and the bikes capabilities amongst a vastly experienced field of riders.

Lining up in pole position, Jack successfully competed with a host of more experienced riders to take the chequered flag in sixth position. It is now hoped that Jack will continue to ride the Pro Ride R6 for the remainder of the season, though a decision will be made after Cadwell Park (23-25 August).

Rob McElnea, Team Principal: “Jack Kennedy was superb. He’s shown just what a young and enthusiastic rider can do with the Rob Mac Pro Ride package. He only saw the bike for the first time on thursday, rode a few dry laps on friday then stuck it on pole on Saturday! His family have given him great support and to finish sixth in such a classy field is a great achievement. Jack will be out again at Cadwell and should be able to produce another good result.”

Jack Kennedy: “I was delighted to get pole in the wet the first time out on the bike. I got a great start and was second at the first corner before a few riders came past me. I tagged on to the back of them for a while and found my pace was pretty strong. When Hudson came past tried to keep up with him but struggled a little. I got the sign from my pit board that I had a six second cushion so knocked it off a bit. I really enjoyed the race but just wish we’d had a little more dry track time in practice. I’ve got to say a massive thanks to Rob Mac and the team, especially Spider, they’ve been great this weekend. I’ll be on the bike again at Cadwell so really looking forward to that.”

BSB Race 1 Result
1. Sykes (Suzuki), 2. Byrne (Ducati), 3. J.Ellison (Honda), 4. Rutter (Ducati), 5. Camier (Ducati), 7) Karl Harris (Rob Mac Racing Yamaha)

BSB Race 2 Result
1. Haslam (Honda), 2. Rutter (Ducati), 3. Karl Harris (Rob Mac Racing Yamaha), 4 Sykes (Suzuki),5. J.Ellison (Honda)

BSB Championship Standings
Byrne - 332, 2. Crutchlow - 222, 3. Sykes - 214, 4. Haslam - 199, 5. Camier - 179,12. Karl Harris - 69

Supersport Race Result
1. Lowry (Suzuki), 2. Westmoreland (Honda), 3. Richards (Triumph), 4. Webb (Honda), 5. Kennaugh (Yamaha), 6. Kennedy (Rob Mac Pro Ride Yamaha)

2008 Bennetts British Superbike Championship
Rounds 15 & 16 - Knockhill, Fife
9th/10th August 2008

Following on from his second place finish at the last round at Oulton Park, Hydrex Bike Animal Honda rider James Ellison was once again on great form as he secured another podium finish in changeable conditions in round eight of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Knockhill in Scotland today.

With bright blue skies coupled with the odd heavy downpour, it was always a problem for the riders but in the opening race, held in dry conditions, the 27 year old from Kendal diced with the leading bunch through the race eventually passing Michael Rutter in the latter stages to claim third position and with it his third podium of the season.

James couldn’t quite repeat the feat in race two which was stopped on a couple of occasions due to inclement weather and latterly due to a crash involving championship leader Shane Byrne whereby he had to settle for fifth at the flag.

For team mate Guy Martin, again it was a weekend of mixed emotions whereby the 26 year old from Kirmington suffered a mechanical problem in the opening race but in the first part of the afternoon’s second race he stormed through the field to hold a top ten position before the race was halted and in the re-start he couldn’t quite manage a similar result but had to settle for 14th at the flag.

The net result is that Ellison lies in sixth position in the championship and Guy Martin in eighteenth going into the next round at Cadwell Park on August bank holiday weekend.  Meanwhile Martin will be in action at the Ulster GP this week whereby he hopes to score another victory on the Dundrod circuit.

Kieran Clarke rode well to claim a top ten position in the Metzeler Superstock 1000cc race to add to his points scoring ride on his debut in the Shaun Muir team at Oulton Park and he will be looking to improve at Cadwell Park in the next round aboard the team’s 1000cc Fireblade.

James Ellison:  “I’m well happy with the first race but again we maybe could have done better, but we had the pace and we showed that.  I did the third fastest lap so we finished where we finished but I feel we could have done a bit more but I tried my hardest and that was all I could do.  We ran with an intermediate front and a slick rear which was the right decision but it was a bit difficult off the line with it being wet but once we got into the race we were chipping away.  I could see the riders in front getting closer every lap so if we had more laps I could have maybe got higher up.  The team has done a mega job this weekend especially with me crashing on Friday, they turned the bike around and I enjoyed riding it and I’m happy to come away in one piece with more points and a trophy.”

Guy Martin:  “I was disappointed to break down in the first race again, but I am over the moon with a good finish in the second race where I had to start from the back of the grid because my hose clip went and it was a good job the race got red flagged so I could fix it and get out in the restart.  I’m looking forward to the Ulster GP in a few days time.”

Kieran Clarke:  “It went really well, although it was wet and we’ve not spent any time on the wet Superstock tyres and it’s nowhere near the level of grip as I’m used to.  I feel that had it been dry I should have had a mid top-ten and I think we just need to keep chipping away and now I’m looking forward to Cadwell Park.  The whole team was been fantastic again this weekend.”

Shaun Muir (Team Owner):  “Overall I’m obviously well happy with another podium for James and he now has a chance to get into the top three in the championship.  It was a pity he didn’t get on the podium in the second race when the race was cut short.  Guy rode well to score a good couple of points, and Kieran also had a good solid ride for some points.  Hopefully we can move forwards again at Cadwell Park.”

Superbike Race One Result
1, Tom Sykes (Suzuki) 25m09.296s, 2, Shane Byrne (Ducati) +3.093s, 3, James Ellison (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) +3.479s, 4, Michael Rutter (Ducati) +5.752s, 5, Leon Camier (Ducati) +9.345s, 6, Michael Laverty (Suzuki) +9.461s, 7, Karl Harris (Yamaha) +19.051s, 8, Simon Andrews (Yamaha) +36.055s, 9, Tristan Palmer (Honda) +39.097s, 10, Gary Mason (Honda) +40.021s.

Superbike Race Two Result
1, Leon Haslam (Honda) 11m58.300s, 2, Michael Rutter (Ducati) +3.214s, 3, Karl Harris (Yamaha) +3.541s, 4, Tom Sykes (Suzuki) 3.680s, 5, James Ellison (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) +6.591s, 6, Simon Andrews (Yamaha) +15.876s, 7, Cal Crutchlow (Honda) +16.539s, 8, Leon Camier (Ducati) +18.608s, 9, Billy McConnell (Kawasaki) +23.428s, 10, Chris Burns (MV Agusta) +26.439s. 14, Guy Martin (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) +1lap.

2008 Bennetts British Superbike Championship Standings after Round 8
1. Shane Byrne (Ducati) 332pts
2. Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 222pts
3. Tom Sykes (Suzuki) 214pts
4. Leon Haslam (Honda) 199pts
5. Leon Camier (Ducati) 179pts
6. James Ellison (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) 177pts
7. Michael Rutter (Ducati) 174pts
8. Michael Laverty (Suzuki) 110pts
9. Simon Andrews (Yamaha) 108pts
10. Tristan Palmer (Honda) 75pts
18. Guy Martin (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) 21pts

Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Result
1, Steve Brogan (Honda) 22m29.483s, 2, John Kirkham (Yamaha) +4.486s, 3, Daniel Hegarty (Yamaha) +6.322s, 4, Kenny Gilbertson (Kawasaki) +8.351s, 5, Jimmy Storrar (Suzuki) +8.737s, 6, Sam Warren (Yamaha) +9.751s, 7, Marshall Neill (Suzuki) +13.308s, 8, Cameron Donald (Suzuki) +13.831s, 9, Alastair Seeley (Yamaha) +36.080s, 10, Kieran Clarke (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) +38.133s.

Photograph attached courtesy of Turn One Photography.

Round 2 - 18th/20th April - Thruxton, Hants
Round 3 - 3rd/5th May - Oulton Park, Cheshire
Round 1 - 10th/11th May - Brands Hatch GP, Kent
Round 4 - 24th/26th May - Donington Park, Leics
Round 5 - 13th/15th June - Snetterton, Norfolk
Round 6 - 27th/29th June - Mallory Park
Round 7 - 18th/20th July - Oulton Park, Cheshire
Round 8 - 8th/10th August - Knockhill, Fife
Round 9 - 23rd/25th August - Cadwell Park, Lincs
Round 10 - 12th/14th September - Croft, North Yorkshire
Round 11 - 26th/28th September, Silverstone, Northants
Round 12 - 10th/12th October - Brands Hatch Indy, Kent

2008 Bennetts British Superbike Championship
Rounds 15 & 16 - Knockhill, Fife
9th/10th August

Hydrex Bike Animal Honda rider James Ellison will start round eight of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship from row two of the grid having posted eighth fastest time in today’s Swan Combi 50 Roll for Pole qualifying session at a decidedly damp Knockhill race circuit in Scotland.

After a big crash yesterday in practice, Ellison bounced back in the wet conditions with a time of 53.587 seconds on his first visit to Knockhill in four years and will be hoping to add to his points tally following on his podium finish at Oulton Park last time out.

Team mate Guy Martin will start tomorrow’s two 30-lap races from row four of the grid having qualified in 15th on the second of the Shaun Muir Racing Honda 1000cc Fireblades.

Also making a fourth row start will be the team’s Metzeler 1000cc Superstock rider Kieran Clarke who, on his second race for the team, qualified in 13th place.

James Ellison:  “I’m a bit frustrated with the weather conditions, I had a problem with my visor misting up.  Just towards the end of the session we were getting into the 53’s (seconds) and I just couldn’t see so I came in and changed the visor but it was just the same.  We’ve made so many changes on the bike and it’s much better and I’m really comfortable but I just couldn’t see!  I think I could have been on the front row if it wasn’t for that problem.  Also, I spent so little time on the track yesterday with me crashing.  Although we’re going well in the wet I’m hoping for it to be dry tomorrow so we can work on the number one bike with the traction control.”

Guy Martin:  “We’re getting there. I’m happy with the boys and they’ve done us proud.  I’ve got the Ulster GP on my mind but its given me confidence that the boys have done what I’ve asked and we’ve no problems at all and it puts us in a good frame of mind for tomorrow.  I’m hoping for a good couple of points scoring rides and I’ll be over the moon.”

Kieran Clarke:  “We’re just chipping away and we just want to do everything in stages and not take massive jumps forwards.  We have to build up and as long as we’re higher every weekend and improving then it’s a good build up for next year.  I need to get better every session and it’s never easy when everyone else is on the pace, but it’s not an excuse as I should be on the podium so we just have to keep chipping away.  The team has been working fantastically and I’m hoping for a mid to top ten place tomorrow at least.”

Shaun Muir (Team Owner):  “Guy has worked really hard and I’m happy he’s on the fourth row and there’s no reason why he can’t get a top twelve tomorrow.  He’s had no problems, the bike is running like a dream and he’s completely focused on the job this weekend.  James rode really well, obviously struggling after the big crash on Friday so I’m really happy with a second row start, although it could have been the front row if his visor hadn’t misted.  James should be up there in contention for podiums tomorrow.  Also, Kieran has a fourth row start so I’m happy with that and he’s certainly moved up quite a number of places and he could have a chance to score good points whether its wet or dry.  So, all in all I’m pretty happy with all three riders.”

The first of the two 30-lap Bennetts British Superbike races gets underway at 1.00pm on Sunday with the second at 3.30pm.  The Metzeler Superstock 1000 race is scheduled for 12.10pm.  The British Eurosport 2 live broadcast window is 12.30pm to 4.30pm.

Qualifying
1, Leon Haslam (Honda) 52.692s, 2, Michael Rutter (Ducati) 52.966s, 3, Shane Byrne (Ducati) 52.974s, 4, Michael Laverty (Suzuki) 53.003s, 5, Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 53.177s, 6, Leon Camier (Ducati) 53.268s, 7, Tom Sykes (Suzuki) 53.295s, 8, James Ellison (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) 53.587s, 9, Karl Harris (Yamaha) 53.768s, 10, Tristan Palmer (Honda) 53.876s. 15, Guy Martin (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) 54.734s.

Round 2 - 18th/20th April - Thruxton, Hants
Round 3 - 3rd/5th May - Oulton Park, Cheshire
Round 1 - 10th/11th May - Brands Hatch GP, Kent
Round 4 - 24th/26th May - Donington Park, Leics
Round 5 - 13th/15th June - Snetterton, Norfolk
Round 6 - 27th/29th June - Mallory Park
Round 7 - 18th/20th July - Oulton Park, Cheshire
Round 8 - 8th/10th August - Knockhill, Fife
Round 9 - 23rd/25th August - Cadwell Park, Lincs
Round 10 - 12th/14th September - Croft, North Yorkshire
Round 11 - 26th/28th September, Silverstone, Northants
Round 12 - 10th/12th October - Brands Hatch Indy, Kent

Looking to capitalise on a fantastic performance at the previous round at Oulton is Hydrex Bike Animal Honda ace James Ellison, who secured his second podium placing of the season last time out and is hoping to continue his good form in Scotland.

27 year old Ellison, from Kendal in Cumbria, has not visited the 1.3 mile hillside track which overlooks the Firth of Forth for four years but with recent developments aboard the Shaun Muir Racing Honda Fireblade, he is expected to again be running at the front from the word go.

“I’m looking forward to it like I am all the races now” said James. “I don’t think the track has changed much since the last time I was there and it shouldn’t be too hard to get a good base setting. The team is working hard and we are all moving forward, all we need now is that elusive win after a couple of second places. The bike is good and I’m feeling confident so I’m revved up for this weekend!”

Ellison’s feel-good factor was increased further with the news that he will take to the grid for round eleven of the World Superbike Championship as a wildcard entry at the Donington Park round over the weekend of September 5/6/7th.

The former MotoGP racer will renew his rivalry with the likes of ex GP aces Max Biaggi, Carlos Checa and Makoto Tamada and after watching the recent action at Brands Hatch, he is confident of a good result.

“When the news came through that I was going to be riding in WSB at Donington, I was ecstatic!” enthused Ellison. ”Everyone saw how competitive Tom Sykes was at Brands and he and I have had many good dices this year in BSB so hopefully that bodes well for us to get a good result.”

Meanwhile team mate Guy Martin is hoping to turn his poor short-circuit form around and also to gain some much needed luck on the roads this month also.

The affable 26 year old from Kirmington in Lincolnshire has not scored points in the last three BSB meetings due to various problems but is looking to get some more on the board at Knockhill before he departs immediately after for the Ulster Grand Prix meeting.

At the Ulster GP in 2006, he won an amazing five races out of six and last year, despite the inclement weather, he took a victory and a second place to make him ‘Man of the Meeting’ again so if there’s ever a meeting he needs to be going to, then it surely has to be the Dundrod track near Belfast.

“We’ll see what we can do at Knockhill and if the bike’s good, then there’s no reason we can’t get a good result. But the main focus for me over the next couple of weeks has got to be the Ulster GP as after the problems we had at the North West, TT and Southern 100, I need a result.  I love the Ulster Grand Prix course, it’s as good if not better than the Isle of Man TT and it’s far better than the North West 200 course. He who laughs last laughs longest and that’s what I’m hoping for now!”

Also racing will be the team’s Superstock rider Kieran Clarke who will be in action for a second time on the 1000cc Honda Fireblade whereby he will be looking to add to the points he scored on his debut at Oulton Park three weeks ago.

Meanwhile, the Hydrex Bike Animal Honda Team will be taking part in the Superbikes in the Square promotion which takes place in Glasgow on Wednesday evening (6th August), prior to the British Superbike Championship teams heading on to Knockhill.