Josh Brookes wins opening British Superbike bout at Oulton Park

2023 British Superbike Championship
Round Two – Oulton Park
Sunday

The Bennetts British Superbike Championship arrived in Cheshire for the second round of the 2023 season at Oulton Park.

Superbike Qualifying

Josh Brookes claimed his first pole position of the season for the FHO Racing BMW Motorrad Team in a hard-fought Bennetts British Superbike Championship eBay Qualifying session.

As the track continued to dry after this morning’s rain, the conditions improved and the final five minutes of the session became a constant change at the top as the times continued to tumble.

In the early stages of eBay Q2, Josh Owens had been one of the first riders to set a flying lap to put him fastest for the Crendon Honda by Hawk Racing team, but as times improved, he dropped down the order before a crash at Lodge ended his session in the closing moments.

Tim Neave then put the McAMS Yamaha at the top, the Bennetts BSB rookie hitting the top in the final seven minutes, but just a lap later it was Danny Kent and the Lovell Kent Racing Honda team who had moved ahead.

Kent continued to set a string of faster laps, but Leon Haslam had been back to the garage, made some changes after an initial sighting lap and was soon attacking for the Omologato pole position. The ROKiT BMW Motorrad rider went fastest with three minutes left on the clock ahead of Kent and Jack Kennedy, but there were plenty of changes still to come.

Storm Stacey proved to be strong in the changing conditions and he moved the Starline Racing Kawasaki to the top with three minutes remaining, but then Brookes was also on a flying lap and he nudged him down to second.

Stacey’s next lap put him back at the top, but Haslam then had one last dash for the Omologato pole position, moving ahead with less than a minute of the session remaining.

Brookes though was determined and he excelled in the drying conditions to move ahead with 30 seconds of the session remaining, with Haslam and Stacey completing the front row for this afternoon’s race at the chequered flag.

Glenn Irwin had been in the top three too in the final five minutes but the BeerMonster Ducati rider was nudged into fourth in the closing stages when Brookes surged up the order. Jason O’Halloran saved his best lap until the very last of the session to move fifth with Luke Mossey on the Tactix by Lloyd & Jones BMW completing row two.

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Andrew Irwin had progressed through eBay Q1 and will head the third row for Honda Racing UK this afternoon ahead of Peter Hickman and Kennedy. Tim Neave completed the top ten to ensure both McAMS Yamahas were inside the top ten.

Christian Iddon was just outside the top ten in eleventh place ahead of Kent and Charlie Nesbitt with Owens starting 14th just ahead of Tommy Bridewell.

Superbike Qualifying Results

Superbike Race One

Josh Brookes claimed his second Bennetts British Superbike Championship race win of the season for the FHO Racing BMW Motorrad Team, celebrating the opening victory at Oulton Park in the BikeSocial Sprint Race that was red flagged on the penultimate lap for rain.

Brookes got a flying start from the Omologato Pole Position to lead the pack into Old Hall for the first time ahead of Storm Stacey, Leon Haslam, Glenn Irwin and Jason O’Halloran. It was disappointment for the McAMS Yamaha team though when O’Halloran crashed out at Cascades on the second lap.

Haslam made a move on Stacey at Island to move second with Glenn Irwin moving into third at Hizzys on the opening lap and the trio then became the force at the front of the field.

Brookes was withstanding the pressure from his ROKiT BMW Motorrad and BeerMonster Ducati rivals as they continued to try to line up an attack for the lead.

As the race reached the penultimate lap, rain began to fall at the race was subsequently red flagged as Brookes became the first race winner in the Milwaukee Grand Slam. Haslam became the fifth different podium finisher of the season so far in second place, whilst Glenn Irwin completed the top three.

Peter Hickman delivered a determined ride to carve his way through the field to finish fourth on the second FHO Racing BMW Motorrad machine, closing in on the leading trio over the closing stages of the race.

Tommy Bridewell had an equally strong performance, finishing the race fifth on the second BeerMonster Ducati after starting 15th on the grid after a difficult eBay Qualifying session earlier in the afternoon.

Bridewell had got the better of Andrew Irwin who led the Honda Racing UK charge in sixth, just ahead of LAMI OMG Racing Yamaha’s Kyle Ryde. Christian Iddon meanwhile was able to stay ahead of Stacey in the closing stages to get his best result of the season so far in eighth, as Stacey ended his positive day in Cheshire with a top ten finish.

Cheshire Mouldings Kawasaki’s Lee Jackson completed the top ten ahead of Monday’s two races.

Josh Brookes – P1

“It was obviously great to take the win today, it’s good for all the team, sponsors and partners involved. To everyone else it probably looked like I was out at the front having an easy time and controlling the race, but it was actually quite difficult because I was that first rider on track.

“I could see my lap times on my dash and I wasn’t impressed by any means, so I tried to improve as I was expecting an attack from the riders behind me. I had a few moments where the rear would spin and I’d lose some time, so I just focussed on trying to be as methodical as possible and not make any mistakes, not improve the lap time but just maintain it.

“Towards the end with the rain I desperately didn’t want to put my hand up, I could see the rain on the lap before on the visor, then when I came through to Island Bend on the penultimate lap it was red flagged.

“I know it was the only option, but I would have liked to have taken the win over the finish line with the chequered flag. The BMW felt really sweet in the race, but we’re always trying to improve, but in the race we really did hit a sweet spot and it did feel really good to ride. So hopefully that accelerates us even further tomorrow.”

Superbike Race One Results

Bennetts British Superbike Championship standings

Supersport / GP2 Sprint Race

Tom Booth-Amos took the win by just 0.066secs over Richard Cooper in a dramatic and delayed Supersport sprint race.

After a massive downpour as the bikes prepared to head to the grid, the race was delayed for almost an hour to allow the worst to pass.

Booth-Amos emerged victorious after taking the lead from polesitter Ben Currie on lap two and after a mistake from Currie a few laps later, Cooper moved up to second, closing up on Booth-Amos’s Gearlink Kawasaki on the last lap but was unable to find a way past.

Luke Jones was third on the Highsparks Ducati, ahead of Eunan McGlinchy fourth and Rhys Irwin fifth.

Joe Collier was lead GP2 runner, finishing ninth overall with Harry Rowlings second and Cameron Fraser third.

Supersport / GP2 Sprint Race Results

Supersport Points

GP2 Points

Junior Superstock

Aaron Silvester converted pole to a win as he held off a charging Owen Jenner to take victory by 0.286secs.

Jenner fought his way back from 16th on the grid to pass Aussie Jacob Hatch to take second place two laps from the flag.

Cameron Dawson took fourth and Asher Durham fifth.

Junior Superstock Race One

Junior Superstock Championship Points

Superstock 1000 Qualifying

Alastair Seeley will head the grid for tomorrow’s 14-lap race, beating Billy McConnell to pole by 0.210secs with a qualifying lap of 1min 47.087secs.

Joe Talbot emerged a very close third, just 0.319secs off Seeley’s time, as Dan Linfoot ended the fourth, just ahead of Alex Olsen in fifth.

Superstock 1000 Qualifying Results