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.

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.

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