Maxton Suspension used on "New" Triumphs

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Brands Hatch Report

The curtain came down on ILR Kawasaki's season with the final round of the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship at Brands Hatch on Sunday and it was a weekend of mixed fortunes as Filip Backlund finished a solid fifth, but for his team-mate Victor Cox there was bitter disappointment as he crashed out of the race on the second lap.
It was the first time Cox hasn't finished a race since his non-finish at the same circuit in August 2011.

It was a busy first day for the team, firstly the fuel pump problem that occurred in the previous round with Victor's Ninja ZX-10R surfaced again during free practice leaving him languishing down in 24th. Filip then had a small problem with the traction control cable getting caught. As always the team rolled their sleeves up and rectified both problems enabling Cox and Backlund to finish first qualifying well on the pace in 6th and 8th respectively and with the second session taking place in the wet in meant that both riders maintained these positions for the race with Cox on Row 2 and Backlund just behind on the third row.

Filip was third in the standings going into the weekend and had his sights set on taking second place from Adam Jenkinson who in turn had to win to have any chance of taking the title, whilst mathematically it was possible for Victor to overhaul Filip for third, so it was all to play for.

Race day dawned cloudy and wet and both riders knew a good start was crucial to avoid being baulked on the inside of the first bend. At the end of the first lap it was Backlund who was the highest placed of the two in 6th with Cox one place behind. But unfortunately that was as good as it got for the Wiltshire man as he crashed out, thankfully without injury, at Graham Hill Bend on the second circuit to bring his season to a disappointing conclusion.

So it was left to Backlund to take up the challenge for the team and by the end of the third lap he was at the tail end of a group of six riders who were starting to break clear. On the fourth lap he had moved into 4th just behind champion elect Hudson Kennaugh and two laps later he moved ahead of the South African to grab fourth, just over half a second off third place man Tristan Palmer and two seconds off the lead.

With the gap hovering around 1.5 seconds Filip just couldn't bridge the gap to the leaders, and with Kennaugh dropping back in the closing stages to settle for the championship, Backlund's fourth place was now coming under threat from Robbie Brown who got ahead with two laps to go as Filip brought the Ninja ZX-10R home in fifth.

So the conclusion of another successful campaign for the team who finish the championship in third place for the second consecutive year with a total of seven podium finishes including two race wins.

ILR Kawasaki would like to thank all the sponsors and everyone who has helped and supported the team in 2013, and now look forward to another successful 2014 season

SMT Racing end British Championship season with triple race victory

SMT Racing finished the 2013 season exactly as they started as Adam Jenkinson and Tim and Tristan Reeves swept to a triple race victory at Brands Hatch but whilst the Reeves brothers had already wrapped up the Eastern Airways British Sidecar Championship, 

The Reeves brothers also had their two races severely affected by the weather with the opening race of the weekend being particularly treacherous. A number of teams crashed out but Tim and Tristan kept their heads immaculately and with some precision sidecar driving, they came home over six seconds clear of Ben Holland/Lee Watson. The second race again saw a variety of tyre choices made by the crews and whilst Tim opted for full slicks in the damp weather, Andy Peach/Charlie Richardson chose intermediates and there was little to choose between the two pairings after a safety car period saw the pack bunch up.

With a dry line appearing, straying slightly off it spelt a distinct lack of grip for Tim and Tristan but they were determined not to let Peach and Richardson get the better of them and they edged them out by 0.669s for their 16th win out of 18 races contested. Indeed, their dominance of the series could be seen in the final standings as their tally of 490 points saw them end the season 168 points clear of Peach/Richardson with Holland/Watson a further sixty points back.

Looking back at the team’s highly successful season, SMT Racing’s owner Robin Croft added: "Tim and Tristan were again exemplary in what were also very difficult conditions and swept to another emphatic double. We started the season with three race victories and ended the season with three race victories so I couldn't ask for more. I'd like to thank Tim and Tristan and Adam for how they've ridden and conducted themselves all year and also thank Alec, Fred and Steve for all their hard work and for making the season what it was."

Reeves brothers claim British F1 Championship

There was both jubilation and despair for SMT Racing at Silverstone at the weekend with Tim and Tristan Reeves wrapping up the 2013 Eastern Airways British F1 Sidecar Championship

After taking a comfortable pole position, Tim and Tristan took the lead at the first corner of Saturday’s Sidecar race and promptly opened up a near two-second lead. Although they were reeled in by Ben and Tom Birchall going into the final third of the race, the Kent brothers drove the perfect race, controlling affairs from the front and preventing the Birchalls from attempting an overtaking manoeuvre. With a 14th victory of the season for the pair, Tim duly clinched his fifth British Championship but for Tristan, making his return to the sport after a lengthy absence, there was cause for more celebration as it was his first British crown.

Sunday’s race was another epic as the two sets of siblings went wheel to wheel for the entire race distance once more. Tim and Tristan again grabbed the holeshot and although they led the majority of the race, there was never more than inches between the two outfits – Tim and Tristan quicker through the corners with fortunes reversed along the straights. They managed to keep the Birchalls at bay until the sixth lap when they hit the front for the first time but on the final lap they re-took the lead through Becketts. Positions changed hands once more at Stowe and so at the chequered flag the Birchalls got the verdict from Tim and Tristan by half a second.

For Reeves though, it was jubilation and a delighted Tim said; “Having taken a year out from the World Championships this year, we decided to give the British Championship our full attention and it's great to win the title again, not just for myself, but for the team also. I'm chuffed to bits. The race was really hard, as I knew it would be, as Ben and Tom have won the last 7 World Championship races on the trot and I cooked my tyres a bit in the early laps, pushing too hard. I had to nurse them through the middle part of the race but we got through the difficult part and was able to push again in the last couple of laps. I'm driving better than ever and it's great to give Robin and SMT Racing some good coverage. They – like all my other sponsors – have been so supportive all year long and it's been a superb season."

Team owner Robin Croft added; "There's obviously delight in the team with Tim and Tristan being crowned British Champions. They've achieved exactly what they set out to achieve and everyone in the team is delighted to be associated with them and their Championship win.

Backlund wins BSB SSTK1000 at Silverstone

Reeves and SMT Racing edge ever closer to British Championship title

SMT Racing’s Tim and Tristan Reeves were in sparkling form at Assen at the weekend and another double victory for the Kent brothers – their sixth of the season – saw them edge ever closer to clinching the 2013 Eastern Airways British Sidecar Championship.

Qualifying around the Dutch venue saw Tim and Tristan claim pole position by a healthy 1.6s and they lined up for Saturday’s race confident of taking the spoils. However, a slight clutch problem on the warm-up lap meant caution had to be exercised in the early stages and they found themselves back in fifth at the completion of the first lap. With all mechanical concerns gone though, they were able to advance through the field and took the lead from Roger Lovelock/Aki Aalto on the seventh lap, which proved to be a blessing as the red flag soon came out. The result was declared at eight laps giving Tim and Tristan the victory over Lovelock by 1.52s.

Sunday’s 8-lap encounter was due to be shown live on British Eurosport but an oil spill meant a delay to proceedings and when the race eventually got underway, Tim and Tristan immediately showed their intentions, grabbing the lead on the first lap and instantly pulling away. With a series of fastest laps, less than half a second adrift of the lap record, they quite simply dominated the race and eventually took the chequered flag by a commanding 22.2s for their 13th win of the season. With another 50-point haul, they now lead the Championship from Andy Peach/Charlie Richardson by 122 points with 150 remaining.

Speaking afterwards a pleased Tim commented; “It’s great to take another double victory and regaining the British Championship is firmly within reach now. I had a bit of an issue with the clutch slipping on the warm-up lap of Saturday’s race, hence taking it easy to begin with, but once we got going, everything was 100% and I just concentrated on picking the guys off in front of me one by one. It was a good job I’d taken the lead from Roger when I did though as the red flag came out soon after and it was great to start the weekend off with a win.”

“It was a real shame we didn’t get to perform on live television on Sunday but I just got my head down from the start and despite there being oil down on about a third of the circuit I got to within 0.4s of the lap record. The bike was flying and I think we now need to beat Andy and Charlie by three points in the first race at Silverstone to clinch the title, which we’ll obviously be going all out to achieve. Once again, thanks to everyone who continues to help us and special thanks this weekend to Wayne Bullen of DFDS Seaways for their additional support.”

Mixed end to 2013 road racing season for KMR Kawasaki

Win Number 132 for Lougher at Oliver's Mount

ILR Kawasaki team owner/rider Ian Lougher raised the bar even further when he took part in his final Steve Henshaw Gold Cup meeting at Oliver's Mount, Scarborough at the weekend. 

The circuit's most successful ever competitor, who retires at the end of this season, won the second leg of the 250cc Phil Mellor Trophy races to take his tally to a remarkable 132 wins round the tight and twisty public roads circuit. 

Blue skies and sunshine but chilly temperatures greeted everyone on Saturday morning for practice and qualifying. 

On one of only four 600cc bikes in the 'big bike' session Ian qualified in tenth, he was fifth on the 250, seventh in the 600cc class, and only fractions of a second outside the lap record as he put the Team Repli-Cast UK Racing 125 bike on pole position for the 125cc race.

Ian's first race was the second race of the programme, the first leg of the 125cc Stu Reed Trophy. 

The race brought the Welshman and his regular sparring partner Chris Palmer together and the two were soon to the fore again.
The race was arguably the best one of the weekend and, with the appreciative crowd cheering both riders all around the circuit, Palmer led until the last lap with Ian biding his time as he made his move at the Mere Hairpin. 
Chris fought back to re-take the lead as the duo flew over the jumps towards the flag, and as they crossed the line it was Palmer by just 0.210 seconds with Lougher recording the fastest lap of the race on his second lap. 

Ian was out of luck in the first leg of the Darran Lindsay Trophy and then claimed second in the first heat of the 600cc David Jefferies Cup behind James Cowton. 

Next up was the first leg of the 250cc Phil Mellor Trophy and it proved to be a great race between Ian, on the Brian Scott ex-Lee Vernon bike and the Dunlop brothers, Michael and William.
At the end of the opening lap it was Michael from Ian and William with James Cowton in fourth. At half race distance positions were the same with absolutely nothing in it and on the fourth of the six laps William slipped into second and set about challenging for the lead. On the last lap Ian settled for third as the two Dunlop brothers fought it out down over the jumps and at the finish it was Michael from William with Ian coming home in third. 

Lougher's final race of the day was the first leg of the David Jefferies Cup but his race lasted a matter of a few hundred yards. As he peeled into Mere Hairpin a rider behind lost control near the back of the field and took another rider with him, in the resulting melee seven riders went down like dominoes including Ian who escaped with a sore leg and finger. The W.A. Corless/Jackson Racing 600 wasn't running right afterwards though as the team set about getting it ready for the following day. 

Bad weather was forecast for Sunday and unfortunately the forecasters got it right.

First race of the day was the second leg of the Darran Lindsay Trophy and there was a red flag on the second lap when a rider crashed. At the re-start the rain started to fall heavily resulting in a quick tyre change on the grid for some riders with Ian going on to finish a solid fourth just over two seconds behind third place man Michael Dunlop.

He then took to the grid for the 2nd Leg of the 250 Phil Mellor Trophy and produced one of his best rides of the weekend to hold off the challenge of Michael Dunlop for a brilliant win. Lougher took the race by the scruff of the neck and led at the halfway point by over 3.5 seconds from Dunlop with Cowton in third. With two laps to go though Dunlop had reduced the gap to Lougher considerably and was now just over a second adrift with the race now firmly between these two. 
Ian didn't panic though, with one lap to go he was keeping Dunlop at bay and with the fastest lap of the race he increased the margin at the flag to record his 132nd win at Oliver's Mount. 

It was a case of Déjà vu for Lougher in the next race, the feature Gold Cup event. 
As the pack exited Mere Hairpin on the first lap, Bruce Anstey fell in front of Ian who, with nowhere to go, virtually ran over the Kiwi as he himself also crashed out. Both riders were thankfully unhurt. 

Conditions around the circuit were tricky as the riders then took to the grid for the second leg of the 600cc David Jefferies Trophy.
Lougher of course had seen it all before and he led the pack into Mere Hairpin on the opening lap and was second behind Dean Harrison and just ahead of Guy Martin as they completed the third lap. On the fourth lap Martin moved into second with Lougher now third by just over half a second from James Cowton. On the penultimate lap Ian, still in third, now had Ivan Linton and Cowton for company with William Dunlop not out of it, but he managed to hold on for an excellent podium with Cowton taking fourth, Lintin fifth and Dunlop sixth with just over 1.7 seconds covering the four riders. 

What would have been Lougher's final race ended in disappointment when the ignition broke on the warm-up lap for the second leg of the 125cc Stu Reed Trophy, thus denying the spectators the possibility of another classic encounter between Ian and Chris Palmer who went on to complete a double race win.

Hammer and Tongs to Sell Maxton Products

We are pleased to announce that Warrington based tuning firm Hammer and Tongs will be selling Maxton products. Hammer and Tongs provide a friendly service for all your motorcycle needs whether it be service work on your motorcycle, MOT testing, engine diagnostic or repair, engine tuning with their dyno facility or suspension modifications.