Josh Brookes crowned Champ but ends season with a crash
Josh Brookes celebrated his first MCE Insurance British Superbike crown with victory in the first of Sunday’s two races at Brands Hatch but as the Australian bid to complete a hat trick he crashed out of the race as he battled for the perfect end to his title-winning campaign.
The Milwaukee Yamaha rider had clinched the crown in yesterday’s opening race as he headed off the challenges of defending four-time title-winner Shane “Shakey” Byrne and then the pair repeated the battle for the race two win with Brookes again emerging victorious.
Michael Laverty took his second podium of the season on the Tyco BMW in race two as he held off American John Hopkins on the Lloyds British Moto Rapido Ducati and James Ellison riding the JG Speedfit Kawasaki.
In the final race of the season Byrne was determined to finish his campaign on a high and he made a strong start to hit the front of the pack from Hopkins and Ellison, whilst Brookes was back in sixth place but fighting back.
An epic tussle for the win saw Hopkins, Byrne, Ellison and Laverty all hit the front of the field during the 20 lap race. Byrne seized the initial advantage but his rivals were piling on the pressure with Ellison hitting the front on the fourth lap, but the PBM Kawasaki instantly retaliated to regain the position.
Laverty then made some decisive moves that put him at the front and he was holding off Brookes, Byrne and Ellison. However as Brookes challenged for the lead, the Australian crashed out at Graham Hill Bend unhurt, ending his chance of adding to his run of seven consecutive race wins.
Laverty was then left to fight off the attack from Ellison to sign off the season with his first victory for the Tyco BMW team, leaving Byrne having to settle for third ahead of Honda Racing’s Dan Linfoot and Christian Iddon on the Bennetts Suzuki.
Josh Brookes (Milwaukee Yamaha) – 2015 MCE BSB Champion – “I would have loved to have won all three races. There’s been times when I’ve made reference to myself and Randy Mamola, the guy that’s famous for coming second. There were so many times that I went home from the racetrack, just thinking about what I could do to combat Shakey Byrne and how I can stop coming second, and how I could improve something to make that step. Unfortunately for Shane, we’ve exchanges positions, and I’m able to enjoy the feeling that he’s had for so long.
“It kind of suited me to go out fighting in the last race; I had nothing to gain and was not prepared to run around in sixth place. I was going for the front, going as hard as I could and was just unlucky to clip the kerb and I went down – that was it. I couldn’t see through Michael Laverty; racing with Shakey all year, I can almost subconsciously judge where the apex of a corner is from his riding style. But at the end of the day, it is a case of job complete and I am the British Superbike Champion.”
Race one (Saturday)
1: Josh Brookes (Milwaukee Yamaha)
2: Shane Byrne (PBM Kawasaki) +2.583s
3: John Hopkins (Lloyds British Moto Rapido Ducati) +2.746s
4: Christian Iddon (Bennetts Suzuki) +4.033s
5: Lee Jackson (Buildbase BMW) +8.047s
6: James Ellison (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +8.993s
Race two (Sunday)
1: Josh Brookes (Milwaukee Yamaha)
2: Shane Byrne (PBM Kawasaki) +3.842s
3: Michael Laverty (Tyco BMW) +7.767s
4: John Hopkins (Lloyds British Moto Rapido Ducati) +7.882s
5: James Ellison (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +8.174s
6: Lee Jackson (Buildbase BMW) +8.237s
Race three (Sunday)
1: Michael Laverty (Tyco BMW)
2: James Ellison (JG Speedfit Kawasaki) +0.237s
3: Shane Byrne (PBM Kawasaki) +0.419s
4: Dan Linfoot (Honda Racing) +2.087s
5: Christian Iddon (Bennetts Suzuki) +2.547s
6: Luke Mossey (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) +2.710s
British Supersport
Luke Stapleford, en route to his fourteenth victory in his Motorpoint British Supersport title winning season, took charge early on, pulling half a second on the opening lap, with Dixon running second from Ben Wilson, Sam Hornsey, James Rispoli, Glenn Irwin and Kyle Ryde but soon the pack was being re-shuffled.
Hornsey was pushed back into eighth place with Irwin picking off Ryde then Rispoli found a way through to take Irwin though there was little between them as the Carrickfergus rider fought back running a couple of lengths down.
Stapleford was four seconds clear after five laps, bettering the lap record, but behind him it was close and fierce with Rispoli closing down on Dixon but next time around Irwin had upstaged both of them to go second.
Rispoli was having none of it, and into Druids he went inside them, Irwin was forced wide, but Dixon held onto second from the American, though Irwin bit back to go third at the expense of Rispoli. Wilson was fifth from Ryde just into the second half of the race.
Hornsey was out on the twelfth lap as his bike blew while Irwin and Dixon briefly traded places a couple of times while further back Ryde finally got the better of Wilson and Rispoli. Stapleford was clear of all of that, running over seven seconds clear.
Stapleford, majestic as ever, took the victory ahead of Dixon and Irwin who was making his final appearance in the series prior to his graduation into Superbikes next year. Ryde held fourth, sealing his runner-up spot, with Wilson ahead of Rispoli and his Team Traction Control Yamaha team-mate Joe Francis and Luke Hedger.
Motorpoint British Supersport Championship feature race result
1: Luke Stapleford (Profile Triumph)
2: Jake Dixon (Smiths Triumph) +7.787s
3: Glenn Irwin (Gearlink Kawasaki) +8.372s
4: Kyle Ryde (PacedayZ Trackdays Yamaha) +9.971s
5: Ben Wilson (Gearlink Kawasaki) +11.997s
Motorpoint British Supersport Championship standings
1: Luke Stapleford (Profile Triumph) 471
2: Kyle Ryde (PacedayZ Trackdays Yamaha) 344
3: Jake Dixon (Smiths Triumph) 337
4: Glenn Irwin (Gearlink Kawasaki) 320
5: James Rispoli (Team Traction Control Yamaha) 256
Elliott rounds off STK1000 championship campaign with fifth win
Josh Elliott enjoyed the perfect ending to his Pirelli National Superstock 1000 title winning campaign as he took his fifth victory, albeit amid a dramatic finale to hard fought race as he finished ahead of James East and Adam Jenkinson.
Hudson Kennaugh, who had led all of the way through was heading the pack into Druids for the final time, under increasing pressure from Morello Racing Kawasaki’s Elliott, was down and out.
Elliott, who had overcome a poor start, running sixth on the opening lap, was full of fight as he clawed back positions but there was nothing easy for the champion as ahead of him Kennaugh led from James East, Keith Farmer, Luke Quigley and Adam Jenkinson in a fast moving pack.
Elliott was equal to the challenge to be running second on the sixth lap, on which Alastair Seeley, losing the front brake on his Tyco BMW, went down at Graham Hill. East was squabbling with Quigley and Jenkinson for third place as Kennaugh began to feel the heat from Elliott.
Kennaugh had the edge, by less than half a second going into the closing stages, but then it all went wrong for the South African at Druids. Elliott took full advantage to win from East while Jenkinson snatched third place on the dash to the line from Quigley.
Brown seals Ducati crown with last round win
Robbie Brown regained the Ducati TriOptions Cup with a stylish last round victory while his only rival for the crown Leon Morris dropped back to fourth place after a grass-tracking excursion moments after he had taken the lead.
Brown, the title winner of 2012, had to ride hard in a race that began in the damp then dried, as he came through from eighth place on the opening lap as Aaron Brown made the early running ahead of Sean Neary and Saturday’s race winner Rob Guiver.
Morris, running sixth on the opening lap knew that he had to win to boost his hopes of overhauling the seven points deficit he had on Robbie Brown and he was making good ground, picking up places and taking the lead on the sixth lap.
But that was short-lived as his bike twitched out of line at Graham Hill Bend and he rode wide across the track losing ground while Robbie Brown was taking over at the head of the pack and then dictating terms to take his eighth victory by 4.550secs ahead of Guiver and with it the title. Aaron Brown took third ahead of the recovering Morris with Neary fifth from Phil Atkinson and Greg Gilfillan.
Deroue takes Motostar victory to celebrate title success
Scott Deroue ended his HEL Performance British Motostar title winning campaign with a hard earned victory over his season long rival Taz Taylor.
Deroue made the early break on the Redline KTM but was unable to shake off the determined Rendell with Dani Saez running third ahead of Jake Archer, Vasco Van Der Valk and Saturday’s race winner Taz Taylor was again taking the fight to the Moto3 riders aboard his RS Racing Honda 125GP bike.
Taylor was gaining places, moving third on the fourth lap while Deroue was coming under increasing pressure from Rendell who nosed infront a couple of laps later but the Banks Ten Kate Honda rider was not able to hold off the determined Dutch rider for long.
Deroue re-established himself at the front, but was unable to shake off the determined Rendell while Taylor was running consistently faster than both of them to chip away at their advantage but though he made inroads, with a scorching penultimate lap it was not enough.
That closed him to little more than half a second down on Rendell who crashed out of second place on the final lap at Clearways in his desperate efforts to snatch the lead. Deroue had the victory, ahead of Taylor, Saez, Jorel Boerboom, Charlie Nesbitt, Vasco van der Valk, Elliot Lodge and Bradley Ray, the latter the second of the 125GP riders with the champion of the category Josh Owens rounding off his season with a third place.
Stevens and Peach share the victories in Sidecar finale
Ricky Stevens/Ryan Charlwood underlined their Hyundai Heavy Industries British Sidecar title with a determined win in the first of the two races of the final round but next time out they ran fourth as the victory went to Andy Peach/Charlie Richardson. Tim Reeves/Greg Cruze finished second in each race.
Reeves made the most of his pole position with a lightening start in the first race, delayed by late rain, and then decided over six laps. He forged clear, opening up a lead of a little over a second on the opening lap over Stevens but the champion consolidated on the second lap and then began to attack.
Stevens took half a second out of Reeves on the third lap and the closed right in and next time around there was just 0.097secs between them – no surprise that just into the penultimate lap Stevens had nosed ahead and was able to pull clear. Reeves by then was coming under pressure from Sean Hegarty/James Neave who had got the better of John Holden/Stuart Ramsey.
Stevens took the race by a second but adrift of him there was a photo-finish for second place with Hegarty taking the verdict by 0.002secs from Reeves. Roger Lovelock/Aki Alto ran fourth ahead of Holden and Ben Bygraves/Justin Sharp.
Reeves again made the running next time out with Hegarty in hot pursuit but soon it was Peach pressurising them, keen to show what might have been but for the broken gear-lever in the opener, and they snatched the lead on the seventh lap.
Peach took the victory ahead of Reeves and Holden while Stevens carved through from the back of the pack to take fourth place.
