Positive Weekend For ILR Kawasaki at Donington It was another solid day's work for ILR Kawasaki's Victor Cox as he again rode well to finish 4th and 9th respectively in the latest round of the Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship at Donington Park on Sunday. Indeed, it was a good weekend for the team with Ash Beech scoring his first points of the season with a fine ride to 14th in the second race to follow on from a determined 20th place finish in his first outing of the day. The Donington double header was part of the support programme for the European round of the World Superbike Championship and with three sessions marked down for Friday, it promised to be a busy start to the weekend for the team. Strong winds greeted the riders for the free practice session in the morning and it was a good start for both Victor, 7th just under a second off the fastest time, and Ash, 16th at 1.83s. The first of the afternoon's two qualifying sessions was dogged by crashes and red flags, and this combined with a very low track temperature made for a challenging time for the teams and riders with the session eventually being cut short. Cox finished down in 13th at 1.50s with Beech also dropping down the order to 21st at 2.64s, the second session however would see a big improvement. With the team working hard on bike set-up Victor went over one second quicker to finish 7th, half a second off pole, meanwhile Ash was busy securing his best grid position of the season with a fine 16th and posting a lap of 1:34.62, again a full second quicker than his first qualifying time and almost within a second of Victor. However in Race One, Beech barely had time to get himself into the groove when he found himself in the gravel at the very first corner. Clipped on the approach, Ash found himself with a damaged brake lever and with no brakes he was faced with no choice but to take evasive action and head for the gravel. Re-joining the race down in 34th and last position, an undaunted Beech got the bit between his teeth and embarked on a damage limitation exercise which would see him climb 14 places to finish 20th and post the 14th quickest lap of the race, a great performance. Cox meanwhile was again at the cutting edge and challenging for top honours. Jason O'Halloran had taken an early lead into Redgate from Danny Buchan, Jimmy Storrar and Keith Farmer with Victor also in the hunt. Championship leader Farmer then ran wide at the Melbourne Hairpin, dropping him to 13th on the second lap and out of contention. O'Halloran then came under pressure from Steve Brogan who was pushing hard, but on the approach to Goddards, Brogan crashed out unhurt. Behind O'Halloran and second placed Storrar, a fierce battle for second place was raging between Buchan and Cox. Buchan then took over second from Storrar at the Melbourne Hairpin as Cox looked on from behind waiting to pounce should the opportunity present itself. Buchan then ran wide but recovered to just hold on for third with Victor fourth, just over a second away from a place on the podium. The grid positions for the second race were determined by the fastest laps in the first encounter which meant that Victor lined up on the front row of the grid in third, with Ash's fourth row start just rewards for his determined ride in Race One. However, struggling with grip and brake issues, Victor was soon locked in a three-way battle with Jonathan Railton and Patrick Medcalf for eighth place with Keith Farmer just over a second ahead of the trio, eleventh place man Freddie Russo was a further seven seconds back. At the flag it was Railton, Cox in 9th and Medcalf in that order with less than a second covering them. Further back, but no less significantly, Ash Beech was riding to a brilliant 14th place and his first points score of the season. The 23 year old was again highly impressive throughout and it was a well deserved and satisfying end to his weekend. Ash Beech: 'The weekend started well as always and my plan was to stay out and do as many laps as possible in every session. The first race started badly as I got clipped on the run down to the first corner and my front brake lever was folded round, with no brakes I ran into the back of another rider and ended up running into the gravel. I managed to pull the lever back straight and re-joined in last place but I just kept pushing and came through to finish 20th, my lap time was good and I moved up a row on the grid for Race 2. The second race went well although I just took a bit long to get past the other rider I was dicing with, and as a result I lost too much time. I came here with the intention to start scoring points and I have achieved this so now we can start pushing and aiming for Top 10 finishes. I would just like to thank the ILR Kawasaki team for providing me with a great bike in the Ninja ZX-10R.' Back Fantastic Farquhar and KMR Kawasaki take superb 1-2-3 at North West 200 Ryan Farquhar took a superb victory in the inaugural Supertwins race at the international North West 200 on Thursday evening and it proved to be a superb day for his KMR Kawasaki team with team-mates Jeremy McWilliams and Michael Rutter completing the podium in second and third. With Jamie Hamilton finishing in sixth place, it was a monumentous achievement by Ryan and his team, arguably one of the finest moments of his illustrious career. The 4-lap Supertwins race was the final race on Thursday evening and the rain that had plagued much of the day returned, making tyre choice a lottery and there were all manner of combinations as the field left the line. The early part of the opening lap saw Ryan exchange places with James Hillier (whose chassis had also been prepared by Ryan) but he hit the front for good at the Magic Roundabout and was never again headed. Pulling out enough of a gap to control the race, Ryan's lead was up to 5 seconds at one stage but he maintained a gap of 2-3 seconds for the majority of the race around the 8.9-mile circuit and eventually took the chequered flag 2.9s clear of former GP ace McWilliams for his third NW200 win.McWilliams was making his public roads debut but it never showed and the class of the GP winner could clearly be seen as he battled hard with Adrian Archibald. There was never more than inches between the two riders but on the final lap, it became a four-way battle for second with both Rutter and Hillier closing in. The quartet changed places with frequent regularity but McWilliams grabbed second at Metropole and when Hillier ran wide, Rutter was able to seize third place. Despite running with dry tyres, Rutter closed in on McWilliams along the coast road but had to settle for third although with three KMR Kawasaki's on the podium, there was joy all round. Hamilton was also in close contention for the first part of the race but dropped back to sixth by the end, which was a still a superb race on his full NW200 debut. Speaking later, a delighted, and emotional, Ryan commented; "This is without doubt one of the best moments of my career and to be sitting here with a 1-2-3 at the North West 200 is something special. People laughed at me when I first started riding in the class but here we are now with a clean sweep of the podium and with world class riders Jeremy and Michael riding KMR Kawasaki's - it's a very special feeling. I've obviously been heavily involved in the class and knew the potential of the bikes so to see them included at the NW200 and TT in itself was superb but for me to have won today and have Jeremy, Michael and Jamie in second, third and sixth is a dream come true - I'm absolutely over the moon." "I think we've really shown today how good the class is and I'd go as far as saying it's the best win I've ever had. It was a difficult race though with the weather conditions and tyre choice was very difficult but I was happy with what I went with and once I got to the front I was able to keep a decent gap and control the race as best I could. For Jeremy to finish 2nd on his debut is unbelievable whilst what Michael did on dry tyres was equally special. It just shows what a class rider he is and at the TT he's going to be the man to beat for sure. Jamie did another great job as well and is as much a part of today's success as everyone else so we'll savour the result and whatever happens on Saturday will be a bonus." In the earlier 6-lap Superstock race, Ryan ran in second place for much of the race but as the track dried in the final third of the race he found himself in a frantic four-rider dice for the runners-up spot. There was little to choose between Ryan, Lee Johnston, Cameron Donald and Stefano Bonetti and on the final lap the positions changed at almost every corner, the quartet sometimes approaching them four abreast! On the final run along the coast road, Ryan was back in fourth and although he tried to ride around the outside of Donald as they headed to the chequered flag, he had to settle for fourth just 0.1s behind his Australian rival. Hamilton, meanwhile, had been running on the edge of the top 20 for much of the race but was unluckily forced to retire on the final lap. Back North West Superbike success for John Burrows
John said: "The Superbike races are the big ones, they are the two events that the fans want to see and the riders want to do well in. I took fifteenth in Superbike race one after a race long battle with Ian Lougher. It was a feather in my cap to get the better of Ian who has won eight times at the North West during a glittering road racing career. Burrows had high hopes of a top six finish in the Supertwins race but it was not to be. He explained: "I got away in the top six and was very confident of staying there but before the end of the first lap my Cookstown/KBM Kawasaki 650 slowed dramatically. I had to pull out of the race and later we found a broken spark plug was the culprit. That's very frustrating." There were mixed fortunes for Burrows in the two Superstock 1000 races. He commented: "In Thursday's wet race the track conditions were treacherous and it was an achievement just to finish. I took the Cookstown/BE Kawasaki 1000 to nineteenth which may not sound tremendous but after the six laps I was only twelve seconds behind Adrian Archibald and John McGuinness. Burrows had a frustrating time in the two Supersport 600 events: "The Moira Club's 600 Honda was found badly wanting for top speed on the 'Triangle' and there's no getting away from that. In race one I tried different gearing which didn't solve the problem and I retired. In race two I took nineteenth which was as good as possible given the speed deficit." Everything may not have gone exactly according to plan but four top twenty finishes for a privateer team at an international event is not to be sneezed at. Burrows and all of the Cookstown/BE Racing team are now looking forward to the Isle of Man TT races which start next weekend. Cookstown/BE Racing would like to express their sincere condolences to the family and friends of Scotland's Mark Buckley who died after crashing in the second Superstock race at the North West. A great road racing competitor, Mark will be sadly missed.Back Top five finishes for Farquhar at North West 200 Ryan Farquhar's 2012 International North West 200 campaign finished on a positive note on Saturday when he took two top five finishes from his three races. The KMR Kawasaki rider was in contention for the podium places throughout and ended with 4th in the Superstock race and 5th in the opening Superbike race around the 8.9-mile circuit.The Superbike race was Ryan's opening race of the day and with a good start, he completed the opening lap in fourth place, riding the bike that he'd only finished building in his workshop the week before! A lap later, race leader Alastair Seeley overshot Church Corner and Ryan was up to third and just 0.4s behind fellow Kawasaki rider Michael Rutter. There was little to choose between the dicing duo and by the end of lap 4, Ryan was running in a superb 2nd although Seeley had regrouped and was now tearing his way through the field. The Suzuki rider seized second on lap 5 and the remainder of the race saw Ryan, Rutter and Cameron Donald dispute the final podium spot with the latter going on to take third as Ryan crossed the line in a solid fifth place. The following Superstock race was even more fraught with never more than a couple of seconds between Ryan, Seeley, James Hillier and John McGuinness at the head of the field. However, Rutter had started from the second wave and it would be he who eventually won the race on corrected time, the other four riders battling for second. Positions changed all the time between Ryan, Seeley and Hillier along both the straights and going into the corners and the result was in doubt right up until the end of the six laps. On the run in to the line along the coast road, Seeley and Hillier took second and third with Ryan in fourth place, just 1.8s separating 2nd to 5th. Ryan's final race was the feature NW200 Superbike event but after making some changes to the ZX-10R after the earlier race, the set-up wasn't quite as good and so Ryan retired from sixth place on the 4th lap. Meanwhile, team-mate Jamie Hamilton put in a strong showing on his circuit debut and was unlucky to only take one finish from his three races as brake fade and an oil leak led to retirements in the NW200 and Superstock races. He did finish in a fine 19th though in the first Superbike race. Speaking at the end of the day, a tired, but pleased, Ryan said; "It's been another good day for me and to be fighting it out for the rostrum positions in every race was very pleasing. To be honest, it was as big a shock to me as anyone else that I was so high up in the Superbike race as the bike hadn't even turned a wheel until Tuesday's practice session! Qualifying went well with it so I didn't take it out in the wet on Thursday and with a good start to the race I was up to 2nd and battling with Michael Rutter before I knew it. It's the best Superbike I've ever ridden and with a bit more time on it, I'll be able to get it dialled in more and really challenge. The only thing that let me down in the race was my personal fitness and that's essentially what allowed some of the boys to get me on the last lap. I've worked so hard getting all the bikes ready, especially for the Supertwins race, that I haven't had time to train but the Supertwins race was my priority this week so I've no regrets." "To be riding with people like Michael, who know their bikes inside out, was very pleasing indeed whilst the Superstock race went equally as well. Sure, it would have been nice to have finished on the podium but I gave it my all and couldn't have ridden any harder. I also think I proved that I could mix it with the short circuit riders like Alastair and James who certainly excel through the slower chicanes and I should be even stronger at the TT, a track that suits me better. All in all, I'm happy with how the day went and it bodes well for the TT. Jamie had a few niggling little issues but for his first North West 200, he gave a very good account of himself and was mixing it with a lot of vastly more experienced riders so the TT's looking good for him too. We're all hoping he gets plenty of mileage in, has some good finishes and enjoys himself." "On behalf of KMR Kawasaki and myself, I'd like to express my sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mark Buckley who sadly lost his life after a crash in Saturday's Superstock race. Mark was a great competitor and I owe my 2010 Southern 100 Championship win to him as he lent me a radiator for my bike which allowed me to take the victory. He'll be sadly missed." Back |
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DUNGANNON racer John Burrows completed the 2012 International North West 200 with a fine thirteenth place in the feature North West 200 Superbike race. Burrows took part in all seven races at this year's famous event but without doubt his two rides on the Cookstown/BE Racing Suzuki GSXR 1000 Superbike were his best.