Hamilton gives KMR Kawasaki success at Oliver's Mount KMR Kawasaki brought their 2012 road racing season to an end at the weekend with both team owner Ryan Farquhar and Jamie Hamilton taking to the track at Oliver's Mount, Scarborough, the latter taking three top five finishes on the ZX-10R Kawasaki. For recently retired Ryan, it was very much an emotional affair as he completed three parade laps with a number of his fellow racers to thank the crowd for their support during his illustrious 18-year career which saw him record no less than 98 race victories at Scarborough alone. Having brought over all 7 of his KMR machines, Ryan was joined on track by TT legend John McGuinness, Ian Hutchinson, Michael Dunlop and Guy Martin as well as by Jamie and Robbie Silvester with all six delighted to ride Ryan's bikes and pay tribute to him. It was business as usual for Jamie though as he took part in both day's racing although he was forced to miss both Supertwins races around the narrow, woodland circuit after a spill during Saturday morning's qualifying session - although uninjured, it wasn't possible to repair the bike in time. Instead, he focused on the three Superbike races and the weekend couldn't have started any better on the ZX-10R Superstock machine with a superb third place in the opening leg of the Darran Lindsay Superbike trophy, which was held in perfect, sunny conditions. Although he had to give best to Guy Martin and Dean Harrison he duly kept Michael Dunlop and Bruce Anstey behind him for an excellent podium finish.  Sunday saw cooler, cloudier conditions and a brilliant start to the second leg of the Superbike saw Jamie slot into second place behind Harrison. A lap later Martin was also through but Jamie was experiencing brake problems which was all too plain to see when he overshot Farm Bends and with the ongoing issue, John McGuinness pushed him back to fourth on the fifth lap. Nevertheless, aided by a fastest lap of 1m46.159s, the seventh fastest lap ever around the circuit, he was able to keep hold of fourth, comfortably ahead of Anstey and Ian Lougher. The feature International Gold Cup race was the final event for Jamie and he slotted into fifth at the end of the first lap, both him and Dunlop losing time when Michael Pearson highsided in front of them at the Memorial. This was how the positions remained and, despite having changed the brake pads in between the races, Jamie again had problems on the brakes and was forced to again take the slip road at Farm Bends. He kept going though and was rewarded with a solid fifth place for his third top five finish of another successful weekend. Speaking afterwards, team owner Ryan commented; "It's definitely been an emotional day, probably more so than I'd imagined, but I was really pleased to have been able to do the three parade laps so a big thank you to Peter Hillaby and the Auto 66 Club for allowing me to do it and for all their support over the years. I've always enjoyed coming to Scarborough so it was perhaps fitting I brought the curtain down on my career here. It was great to see such a big crowd and hear them applauding me so a big thank you to them too whilst it was also a pleasure to see all the boys out on my bikes. I've enjoyed some great battles with them, and other riders like Keith Amor, over the years and it was quite unique seeing rivals out on my bikes - I felt very privileged and humble for sure." "On the racing side of things, Jamie had another strong weekend and although it was shame he had to miss the two Supertwins races, where a podium and/or win would have been on the cards, he had three fine rides in the Superbike races. Despite the brake problems, he gave it his all and his lap times were excellent whilst beating Michael and Bruce is a fine achievement so it was a fine way to end his year." "Life's going to very different for me now but I really want to stay involved in the sport so will doing all I can to keep KMR Kawasaki going and at the forefront of the road racing results. That's my goal now so, fingers crossed, I'll be in the paddocks in 2013. Finally, I'd just like to say thank you to everyone that's supported me during my career, it's meant an awful lot and I'm incredibly grateful for everything." Back Dutch delight for Reeves and Hawes Tim Reeves and Ashley Hawes made a triumphant return to the Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship at the weekend with a brilliant double victory at the Assen Circuit in Holland. The recently crowned World Champions were in imperious form and left with the perfect set of pole position, two wins and a new lap record.
The weekend got off to the ideal start for Tim and Ashley when they set the best time in the first qualifying session but they shaved a further second off their time in the final session to go quicker still. Indeed, their best lap of 1m42.609s left them a whopping 1.566s clear of second placed team Jorg Steinhausen/Gregory Cluze and, with everything working perfectly, it left Tim feeling confident going into the weekend’s two races. Saturday’s opening 12-lap race saw Tim and Ashley grab the lead and soon open up a gap but the red flag came out on lap six due to an incident involving Mark Edwards and the race was re-started over just five laps. This time, it was a lot closer and having not made the best of starts, Tim had to fight his way to the front, which he duly did. Steinhausen/Cluze stuck with Tim and Ashley this time around but although there was never much in it, Tim kept his rival at bay and took his first win of the weekend albeit by just 0.108s. Sunday’s race went the full distance and with a lightning start, Tim and Ashley were in no mood to hang around. Instead, a series of fastest laps, including a new lap record of 1m41.827s, saw them disappear into the distance and, lapping over a second a lap quicker than their nearest rivals, who were again Steinhausen/Cluze, they were able to ease off in the closing stages and come home 7.847s clear and thus complete the double victory. Speaking afterwards, a delighted Tim said; “It’s been a superb weekend and, after winning the World Championship, I’m on a real high at the moment and everything’s going really well. I came to Assen keen to continue the run of good form but with no pressure on me the main aim was to have fun and ride the bike fast, which is exactly what happened. We had to change the engine after qualifying as we found a crack in one of the crankcases but other than that had no problems at all. The bike’s working really well and both Ash and I are performing at our best so we felt really good going into the races.” “I’d opened up a good-sized lead in the first when the red flag came out and having used up a fair amount of my rear tyre, it was harder in the 5-lap dash. You can’t afford to hang around though in such a short race and although I didn’t get the best of starts, I went for it. Jorg was close behind all race but I felt strong and had a bit in reserve if need be. He did take my lap record though so I was determined to get that back in Sunday’s race and just got my head down as soon as the lights went green. The lap times were really good, and consistent, and with a good lead I was able to back off a bit towards the end and make it two from two. Like I say, it’s been a great weekend so a big thank you to all my sponsors for making it all possible especially the Haith family, Gunther Reuschling, Monster Energy, H&S Contractors, DFDS Seaways, Padgetts, Dave Hudspeth Carpets, Derek Brindley (Arrow Engineering), Q8 Oils and John Lawson.” Back CAL COOPER IS APRILIA RRV450 CHAMPION 2012!
Reeves ends 2012 with superb double victory Tim Reeves concluded his 2012 season with a commanding double victory at the final round of the Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship. Competing at his local Brands Hatch circuit, the Kent driver, together with passenger Ashley Hawes, was in superb form around the 2.43-mile GP circuit and after taking pole position, he went on to take both race wins on Saturday to move up to second overall in the Championship despite missing a number of rounds due to World Championship commitments. Over a second quicker than anyone else in qualifying, the opening race saw Tim's arch rivals and second placed qualifiers Jorg Steinhausen/Gregory Cluze get the initial jump off the line but by the second corner, Druids, Tim and Ashley were in the lead and it was one they were never to relinquish. By the end of the first lap, their advantage was already 1.4s and it was a gap that increased with each and every one of the ten laps. Lapping half a second quicker than the rest of the field, by half race distance, Tim and Ashley's lead was 4.2s and they eventually crossed the line a commanding 7.5s clear of second placed crew, and new British Champions, Roger Lovelock/Rick Lawrence. Race two later in the afternoon was a lot closer with Tim and Ashley coming under pressure throughout from both Steinhausen/Cluze and Lovelock/Lawrence. After taking the lead again on the first lap, there was never more than a second between the trio, with Tim's lead hovering around half a second but he successfully kept Steinhausen at bay, never allowing him to get closer enough to make a pass. With three laps to go, Tim's lead stood at 0.8s and with the race ending early, due to a crash involving Ben Bygrave/Paul Knapton, he completed the double to take his 7th win in the Championship from 10 starts. Speaking later, a delighted Tim said; "It's been a faultless weekend and to end the year with pole position, a double win and the fastest lap is absolutely mint - I really couldn't have asked for any more. The bike was faultless throughout and the first race was pretty textbook to be honest, as soon as I got to the front I was able to extend my lead for a fairly comfortable win. The second was a lot harder though with Jorg and Roger both putting me under pressure but I felt that there was a bit more in the tank if needed." "With reclaiming the World Championship, wins at the British Championship rounds and a podium at the TT, it's been a really successful year so I'd like to thank everyone that's made it possible especially Gunther Reuschling, the Haith family, H&S Contractors, Padgetts, Monster Energy, Dave Hudspeth Carpets, SMP Racing, DFDS Seaways, Avon Tyres, Q8 Oils, Maxton, MJK Leathers, Arrow Engineering and my Dad and the whole team." Cox finishes third in Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship
Cox was third in the standings going into the weekend but nothing was guaranteed as both Jimmy Storrar and Lee Costello were within striking distance of the Trowbridge man and it was still mathematically possible for them to snatch the final place on the championship rostrum. First qualifying went well for Cox. Third quickest and one of only six riders in the 1m:29s bracket, he was also first and second through the Sector 1 and Sector 2 speed traps respectively. His young teammate Ash Beech meanwhile had been off the pace in Free Practice, it was later discovered that a bent frame in his Ninja ZX-10R was the cause. Ash sat out the first qualifying session while the team worked hard to prepare his bike for the second session. The second session saw Victor finish 7th quickest, good enough for 8th overall, but disappointingly Ash was again left to rue his bad luck when his bike's fuel pump gave up in the session to leave him among the list of non-qualifiers for the only time this season, leaving all the team's hard work in vain. Race day dawned dry and Victor lined up on the second row of the grid and knew a good start was crucial to avoid being baulked on the inside of the first bend. He did get a good start and at the end of the lap he had settled into 7th, just behind John McGuinness. On the next lap he got ahead of McGuinness as one of his third place rivals Jimmy Storrar crashed out at Druids without injury. Victor then alternated between 6th and 7th for the next few laps but there was no room for error as his other main contender for third in the championship Lee Costello was running consistently in the top four. With three laps to go, Costello moved into second which would be good enough for third in the series should a mishap befall Cox. However, constantly getting signals from his team, Victor was riding a calm, assured race and knew exactly what the situation was and he eased back into sixth as the battle for the race lead intensified in front. Then on the penultimate lap there was drama as Costello and Jonathan Railton crashed out at Druids, again without injury. The pressure was off and the team could finally relax as Victor brought the Ninja ZX-10R home for a great fifth place finish and his championship third place secured. Victor Cox: 'Its been a good season and I'm really happy to have finished in the top 3 of the championship. I really wanted to finish the season on the podium at Brands and theteam have done a mega job all year finishing every race. Ash Beech: 'I had bad luck at Brands but these things happen and it was no-one's fault. Andy and the team couldn't have worked any harder on the bike to get it ready. It's been a big learning year for me and I feel I have learned a lot on the big bikes and next year I can come out stronger. So the conclusion of a very successful season for ILR Kawasaki. Victor Cox has once again established himself as one of the key contenders in the Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship and a highly rated rider. Third in the standings was a great effort and equally pleasing was the fact that Victor and ILR Kawasaki were the only rider and team to score points at every round in one of the hardest fought championships on the domestic calendar. ILR Kawasaki would like to thank all the team's sponsors and everyone who has helped and supported the team in 2012, and now look forward to another successful 2013 season. Back Vauxhall become title sponsor of KMR Kawasaki; Hamilton and Behan first to sign for 2013
The new sponsorship deal, provided by the 12 Northern Ireland dealers of the giant car manufacturer, will provide the Dungannon-based squad with a major financial package in a unique local partnership. ‘The NI dealers are putting their money into this initiative as a group because Ryan is a “home boy”.’ Regional Operations manager Gordon Hannen explained. 'Road racing is huge in Ireland and Ryan has more experience in the sport than almost anyone else so younger riders in his team will be able to benefit from his expertise. He runs a super professional set-up and after we saw what he achieved with the support that we provided last season we simply wanted more of the same for 2013.’ 21 year old Hamilton, the fastest newcomer at last year’s Isle of Man TT, will continue with Farquhar's team for a second year and will again have a Superstock-spec ZX-10R Kawasaki and 650cc ER6 Kawasaki at his disposal for the Superbike and Supertwins classes. In addition, he will now also contest the Supersport races for the team on a ZX-6R Kawasaki, which has been supplied by John Duggan who assisted Farquhar on a number of occasions in recent seasons. 22-year old Hamilton will contest the main International road races - the Isle of Man TT, North West 200 and Ulster GP - along with a full season of Irish Nationals, the Southern 100 and three meetings at Oliver's Mount, Scarborough. Cheshire rider Connor Behan joins the team for his first full season of road racing and will contest both the Junior and Senior Irish Support race championships where he will ride a 650cc Kawasaki in the former and one of the new 636cc Kawasakis in the latter. Having previously competed at the Southern 100, he will also make his debut at the Manx Grand Prix later in the year. The 22-year old has a strong short circuit background with highlights including finishing third in the 2011 National Superstock Championship on a Team Green Kawasaki and fifth in the 2008 125cc British Championship. In what promises to be an exciting new era, the two youngsters are the first additions to the 2013 line-up with more rider announcements expected soon. Speaking about the launch of the new team, a delighted Farquhar commented; "I'm delighted to welcome Vauxhall on board as the team's title sponsor and they've given me everything I could possibly need to lay the foundations for a highly successful 2013. After their involvement in last year's Supertwins race at the North West 200, they came on board as a personal sponsor and it's tremendous news that they've increased their involvement for the year ahead and got their support right behind myself and KMR Kawasaki. I'm equally thrilled to retain all my previous loyal sponsors." "Retaining Jamie was always a main priority so I'm delighted to have done just that and thanks to the input of John (Duggan), we've been able to add a 600cc Supersport machine to the stable. He did a great job for the team in his debut year in 2012 and I have every confidence he'll progress even further up the results in 2013 and continue to make a huge impression on the road racing scene. Having previously excelled in the British Championship, Connor made it known to the team that he was keen to make the switch to the roads and we've been able to give him the platform to do just that. He has links with Kawasaki from his time in the Superstock 600cc Championship and with Kawasaki looking to give their 636cc machine good exposure, it's the perfect partnership for all concerned." "My personal involvement as a rider may have come to an end but I'm busier than ever and am really relishing my new role, eagerly looking forward to the first meetings in April. Today's announcement is just the first part of the jigsaw for KMR Kawasaki in 2013 and we've still got some big plans for the season to be announced so watch this space!" Back ILR Kawasaki 2013 Team Announcement
The 22 year old from Sweden is one of the most promising up-and-coming Scandinavian talents. He began his motorcycle racing career at the tender age of three in motocross and from the age of seven he competed for four years in races all over Sweden. In 2001, at the age of eleven he got a ride for Kawasaki and won the Junior Championship with sixteen wins out of a possible nineteen. In 2002 Filip competed in mini-moto races all around Scandinavia and a couple of races in Europe where he won most of the races he participated in. The following year he won the Swedish 125cc Aprilia Championship with five wins out of six and moved up to 250cc racing in 2004 where he again took the Swedish Championship, the youngest rider ever to do so on both occasions. At the end of 2004 he signed a contract with Suzuki to run in the Supersport 600cc class in Scandinavia and in his first season he took some wins and podium finishes. He stayed with the 600cc class for 2006 competing in Sweden with a couple of races in the European 600cc Championship and in the Superstock 600cc class that supports with WSBK and WSS, he had a 14th place finish at Brno. In 2007 he moved up to the 1000cc and the Superbike class, participating in thirteen races and finishing on the podium in eleven of them with some new lap records thrown in for good measure. The following year Filip rode for the Belgian MTM Racing Team in the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup, it was another good year with an 8th place finish at Donington. In 2009, Filip returned home to Sweden to compete in the Pro Superbike Championship and took the title with seven wins and a total of eleven podium finishes out of a possible fourteen. In 2010 he raced both in Sweden and Pro Superbike and also two races in the Endurance World Championship. At Le-Mans he crashed and was unable to take part in the race. He also did the final round in Qatar where he lined up second on the grid in the Superstock class. Since 2011 he has raced with his own team both in Sweden with the Pro Superbike Championship and also in the IDM Superbike Championship. In 2011 he took the title in Sweden with ten straight wins out of fourteen with his best result in the IDM Superbike Championship being an 8th place finish at the Sachsenring. Last year Filip made the switch from Suzuki to Kawasaki and the season started well with encouraging pre-season testing in Spain. On the final pre-season test at Lausitzring he unfortunately crashed and subsequently required an operation. As a result he missed the first five races in Sweden and also the first six races in the IDM. He returned to win seven races on the trot and finished a brilliant 4th in the final Swedish Championship standings. He also competed twice in the IDM Championship with two 14th places at Assen and at the final round at Hockenheim where he scored two 8th place finishes. Filip is a hard working, determined young rider with ambitions to ultimately compete and succeed at World Superbike level and he will have the full support of everyone within the team at ILR Kawasaki. Victor Cox of course needs no introduction. 2012 saw Victor in his second full season with the team. Replacing the injured Conor Cummins midway through the 2010 season, he fought his way to eighth in the Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship and he went one better the following year with seventh, despite a run of bad luck in the early part of the season. In 2012 the Trowbridge man was one of the strong contenders for the Championship and his third place in the final standings, including three podium finishes, was just rewards for the highly rated and extremely popular rider. Victor and ILR Kawasaki were the only rider and team to score points at every round in one of the hardest fought championships on the domestic calendar and they will be going all out for the top step in 2013. Ian Lougher: 'We are again delighted to retain the services of Victor Cox for 2013. Victor has shown time and time again that he is undoubtedly a very talented rider and is a highly valued member of the team. I am also pleased to welcome Filip Backlund to the team for the 2013 season. Filip is a young rider of enormous ability and potential and has a great future in the sport, his signing for the team reiterates our commitment and ethos of developing and supporting young up and coming riders and giving them every support as they strive to fulfill their full potential and realise their ambitions. He will benefit enormously from having Victor as a team-mate and I feel he will reap the rewards of the experience within the ILR Kawasaki set-up. As a team, we are again honoured to be entrusted with the tag of Official Kawasaki Motors UK Superstock Team, and look forward to a successful and enjoyable 2013 season.' Back Battison Laverda nearly wins Phillip Island Classic
A dream overall debut class victory would elude the team however, after a minor tumble while leading Race 3 resulted in a DNF and a subsequent loss of points that was too hard to claw back from a consistent Robert Wallace.
BreganZane ICR Season Report : In spite of a very tired motor, we entered the Phillip Island Classic so we could run the bike with the #1 on it at least once. At his very first visit to the Island, Drmsby qualified on pole and fought hard with Dave Johnson on Ron Angel's replica Paton for the outright win, only missing out due to a missed gear on turn 11 after taking the lead on the last lap. After that, the meeting slipped away from us a bit, with a 3rd outright and 2nd in class in the second race after an ailing Honda blew oil all over him on the first lap. Race 3 saw Drmsby take the lead on the opening lap, only to slip off at Honda corner after pushing a little bit too hard on fresh tyres - his first ever fall since riding for us. We recovered in the last race with an overall 2nd to Dave Johnson again, first in class and doing enough to claw back an overall 2nd place in Post-Classic Unlimited for the meeting. Still a very good result under the circumstances, we had the pace but it just didn't come together for us - the shortened races not helping given that we don't get off the line as strongly as others. Your suspension is still working very well, he won the Barry Sheene, Ken Wootton Memorial and the National Titles like that. :-) I'll now focus mainly on engine/gearbox development and we'll head back to the Island next year, hopefully with a few more hp and a few less neutrals. Cheers
SteveB |
 |
  |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Maxton and all our team would like to congratulate Cal Cooper and his team on winning the Aprilia RRV450 Championship this year. Good luck for next year in what ever championship you decide to race in.
Victor Cox brought the curtain down on the 2012 season for himself and ILR Kawasaki when he clinched third place in the Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship after a solid ride to 5th place in the final race of the season at Brands Hatch on Sunday.
After a winter of speculation about his future in road racing, recently retired Ryan Farquhar has today (Wednesday) announced that his KMR Kawasaki squad will be on the grid in 2013 with new sponsorship from Vauxhall Northern Ireland’s dealerships. Jamie Hamilton and Connor Behan will be the two riders who will campaign the KMR bikes in all-new red, black and white Vauxhall NI livery. Farquhar will also continue to enjoy the support of the loyal sponsors that helped him to so much success during his own career.
With preparations underway for the new season, ILR Kawasaki are pleased to announce that Filip Backlund will partner Victor Cox in the team's 2013 Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship line-up.
Drmsby Middleton made a big impression in his debut ride at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit. Riding Steve Battisson's stunning 917SLC Laverda for the Breganzane-ICR squad, Drmsby took pole position and fought hard for race wins, collecting two wins and a second in the Unlimited class and pushing international rider Dave Johnson on the exotic MAXTON suspended Paton 500 hard for the outright race win in Race 1.