Worx Crescent Suzuki's Tommy Hill had to recover from a race one crash today to secure a strong podium finish in the second race and so protect his lead in the 2010 British Superbikes Championship.
After qualifying in pole position then posting fastest time in morning warm-up, Hill looked set for podium finishes if not wins today. However, in the first race while tailing the leader, Ryuichi Kiyonari, Hill made a momentary mistake as he raced through Hall Bends and ground an engine case on one of the kerbs, causing him to crash.
The Worx Crescent Suzuki team worked flat out to clean-up the GSX-R1000 (which had been subjected to a dose of fire extinguisher foam to quell oil burning in the bellypan) in time for race two. Hill repaid their hard work with a strong runner-up finish in a race that was shortened after a competitor crashed heavily on The Mountain.
Tommy Hill: "I was behind Kiyo in that first race and was mindful that I wanted to stop him building a gap. And then, quite simply, (on the fourth lap) I clipped a kerb and went down. But for the hole in the generator cover, where it hit the kerb, there was no damage. Only then the little bit of oil that had dribbled out ran on to the exhausts and caught alight which meant the marshals poured on the fire extinguishers – and gave the team a whole lot more to clean up before the second race!
"In race two I started on the second row and it took some time to get past Micheal Rutter and Michael Laverty. With the race red flagged I ran out of time to catch Josh Brookes but I'm still really happy to get back on the podium, to keep my lead in the championship and to get more of those important podium points that we can carry forward into the Showdown at the end of the year."
Jack Valentine, team manager: "Obviously race one was a disappointment, particularly after the fantastic qualifying, but then Tommy more than redeemed himself with an excellent second race.
"The team also put in some excellent work to clean up a bike that was covered in fire extinguisher dust and have it 100% ready for race two. Tommy's progress in that race was excellent. He was maybe too aggressive early on, but as soon as he settled into a rhythm the race came to him and he made two inspired passes on Rutter and Laverty, he did a great job.
"We're looking forward to Mallory Park now, although there's a bit of a wait. Yukio (Kagayama) was here at Cadwell today as a very interested spectator and he should be a very interested racer come Mallory in five weeks time! We're still only one-third the way through the season so far, so there's plenty to play for yet, both for Tommy and Yukio."
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship, Cadwell Park
Race one result:
1. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda)
2. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +0.497s
3. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +1.877s
4. Tommy Bridewell (Quay Garage Honda) +2.528s
5. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +5.168s
6. John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +7.754s
7. Chris Walker (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +10.072s
8. Martin Jessopp (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +11.042s
9. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +11.953s
10. Dan Linfoot (Motorpoint Yamaha) +13.178s
Race two result:
1. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda)
2. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +4.398s
3. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +5.675s
4. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +5.921s
5. John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +10.465s
6. Tommy Bridewell (Quay Garage Honda) +10.731s
7. Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +13.663s
8. Chris Walker (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +19.568s
9. Martin Jessopp (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) 1 lap
10. Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) 1 lap
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings after four rounds:
1. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 146
2. Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 110
3. Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 101
4. Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) 88
5. Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) 81
15. Yukio Kagayama (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 25