LAVERTY FOURTH AT OULTON BSB - Team Suzuki Press Office - May 12.
Michael Laverty continued his impressive Superbike form on the Relentless Suzuki GSX-R1000 at Brands Hatch at the weekend with a fourth-placed finish in race two.

In race one, after a superb start, he forced his way through to third before crashing out at Druids when hot on the heels of Tom Sykes in second place.

Ian Lowry had a tough weekend but battled bravely in today's Supersport race with a shoulder injury. Unfortunately he just lost out on a points-scoring finish after being forced to start his race from pit lane due to a front brake problem on the warm-up lap.
 
Michael Laverty:
"I made a great start in the opening race but I suppose I just pushed too hard and lost the front while shadowing Tom Sykes. In race two I proved I could run at the front with the likes of Shakey and Rutter, but again we suffered with the tyre spinning on the rim. Fourth place is a positive result for the team and the bike is working really well but I am a bit frustrated. As a team, we are probably surprising a few people but the Relentless Suzuki is proving to be a good package, and if we can iron out that small tyre problem I know I'm capable of getting on the podium. I have no doubt we will get more competitive as the season progresses."

Ian Lowry:
"That was not a good day at all. I had a problem with my brake adjuster on the out lap that left me with virtually no front brake, so I had to start the race from pit lane on my number two bike. I just couldn't get onto that middle group for some points and with my shoulder injury and riding my number two bike, I lost a bit of confidence. It's really a weekend to forget, but hopefully the bad luck will be shared about, and we can start again from the next round at Donington Park in two weeks time.
 
Philip Neill - Team Principal:
"It has been an indifferent weekend for the team, but again we can take a lot of positives from our races on the GSX-R1000 Relentless Suzuki. Progression is what we are looking for and we shouldn't forget it's our 'learning year' in BSB. Our target has been set for top-10 results, but again Michael has delivered a great performance in fourth place in race two. His lap times in both races were worthy of a top five placing, but I'm not going to criticise him for crashing in race one as he was giving 100%. He has beaten some top riders out there today and he's continuing to set his fastest ever lap times on the Relentless Suzuki Superbike - long may that continue.
 
"On the Supersport side it is clear that Ian had a few problems this weekend and his high-side in practice, where he suffered a shoulder injury, certainly hampered his progress in the race. He was also unfortunate to have a brake adjuster problem, which forced him to start the race from pit lane on his number two machine. From there the odds were stacked against him, but I'm sure it will only be a matter of time before he regains the form that made him a championship contender in 2007."

 ANOTHER WIN FOR AIRWAVES DUCATI
Shane Byrne extended his lead in the British Superbike championship today with a win and 2nd place at Brands Hatch. Leon Camier enjoyed his 3rd podium of the season, coming 3rd in race two following a 5th place in the first race.

From the start of race one Shane dropped to 6th before recovering to 3rd within 3 laps to pull away with the leading trio. Having held 4th position for 5 laps Leon slipped down to 5th, where he eventually finished. Shane remained in 3rd until the second half of the 20 lap race, when he overtook Sykes and Crutchlow in quick succession, to take the chequered flag and his 3rd successive win.

At the start of race two both Airwaves Ducati riders had to work hard for their positions. Shane and Leon had moved through the field to 3rd and 4th position respectively when the safety car entered the race on lap 14. The race distance was extended to 23 laps but a red flag shortly after meant the result was declared with Shane in 2nd position and Leon in 3rd.

Shane now leads the championship by 44 points but he had mixed feelings about his day saying;

“If I am honest I am slightly disappointed with the 2nd place; the Airwaves Ducati package is so good we definitely had the pace to do the double again today. The Airwaves Ducati was absolutely flying this weekend, we were by far the fastest people on track and that is testament to the GSE Racing team who have worked so hard all weekend. I really wanted to bring them another double but it wasn’t to be. We have secured some good championship points though and I will come back even stronger at Donington in a couple of weeks.”

Leon Camier, who is now 3rd in the championship, was pleased with his result commenting;

“It has been a good day although slightly frustrating at times. I feel as though I had the pace for at least a win or 2nd place in both races, although Shakey would have been hard to beat today. I felt good on the bike I was just struggling to get going on my first few laps, once I got into my rhythm I felt great and I was able to keep up with Shakey so I knew I was right on pace I just need to work on getting away better. I am pleased that I got another podium and more championship points; I am looking forward to getting to Donington and pushing for a win there.”

Race One
1. Shane Byrne – Airwaves Ducati
2. Tom Sykes – Rizla Suzuki
3. Cal Crutchlow – HM Plant Honda
4. Leon Haslam – HM Plant Honda
5. Leon Camier – Airwaves Ducati

Race Two
1. Cal Crutchlow – HM Plant
2. Shane Byrne – Airwaves Ducati
3. Leon Camier – Airwaves Ducati
4. Michael Laverty – Relentless Suzuki
5. Michael Rutter – North West 200 Ducati

Championship Points
1. Shane Byrne – 140 points
2. Cal Crutchlow – 96 points
3. Leon Camier – 83 points

 THE DUCATI XEROX JUNIOR TEAM AND BRENDAN ROBERTS TAKE A FOURTH PLACE
The Ducati Xerox Junior Team and Brendan Roberts take a fourth place finish at the first Italian appointment on the 2008 Superstock 1000 Cup calendar. Domenico Colucci, who was caught up in an incident at the first corner of the opening lap, was unable to rejoin the race.

Having avoided the collision of lap one, Brendan was in the leading group from the offset. In the fight for podium places, the young Australian battled hard against Smrz and Polita but then an error at the end of the straight from Polita meant that Roberts had to slow in taking the curve in order to avoid colliding with his rivals. Realising that he could not make up the lost time, Roberts preferred to ride the sensible race and take home precious points from his fourth place finish.

Brendan Roberts
“The first curve is incredibly slow and there are too many riders that push too hard, as happened today, resulting in falls that could have serious consequences for all of us. I managed to avoid getting caught up in what happened at the start and ended up in a battle with Smrz and Polita. I pushed hard on the first laps but the further into the race we got, the worse the rear tyre grip became. A couple of small mistakes and the fact I couldn’t open the gas as much as I hoped to, meant that I had to make a decision and so chose to stay safe and take a solid fourth place. I could be happier but I hope to pick it up again in Germany, a new track for everyone where I am sure we can do well.”

Domenico Colucci was unfortunately a victim of the accident at the first curve, along with a dozen other riders. A mistake by French rider Barrier forced many riders to take evasive action by riding around him off both sides of the track. Colucci, having made a strong start, came off on the grass and when he returned to the track he collided with Michele Pirro, the leader in that moment, damaging his bike to such an extent as to conclude his race prematurely.

Domenico Colucci
“I got a great start and was in the top five but then we immediately had a pile-up with bikes and riders falling all over the place. I chose to take to the grass verge to pass by and then rejoin the race but unfortunately when I put the front tyre back on the asphalt I hit Pirro’s bike which seriously damaged my machine. I’m really disappointed. In Germany we’re all seeing a track for the first time so the challenge will be new and I hope to do better.”

Race:
1.X.Simeon (Suzuki) in 20’14’’707 alla media di 188,854 km/h;
2.M.Smrz (Honda) a 2’’109;
3.A.Polita (Ducati) a 2’’147;
4.Brendan Roberts (Ducati 1098R Xerox Junior Team) a 6’’656;
5.M.Magnoni (Yamaha) a 10’’849

Championship standings:
1.Xavier Simeon 57 punti;
2.A.Polita 42;
3.Brendan Roberts 38;
4.M.Berger 34;
5.M.Pirro 30

 WORCS Series - 5th round Hollister, CA 
Red Bull KTM rider Justin Soule scored another top ten finish at the fifth round of the WORCS Series while his teammate, the current points leader, Kurt Caselli was unable to finish the event after falling ill. 

Once the race began, both Red Bull KTM riders got out to a great start. Soule started third and held that position all the way until lap three where a crash that sent him sailing into a tree knocked him back into fifth by the time he remounted. Meanwhile, Caselli, who was running inside the top five, began a fast descent backwards through the pack as he became increasingly more ill through the race. He eventually pulled off and was taken to the hospital for further evaluation. Caselli had a stint of bronchitis earlier this year and it looks like this may be what is affecting him again. 

After, Soule’s crash, he continued to hold fifth position battling with Damon Huffman and Arik Swan for that top five spot. “The three of us battled, but they were faster than me through the tough dusty sections. They were able to make the pass through the dust and I wasn’t able to catch back up,” commented Soule. He eventually went on to finish seventh overall. RPM KTM support rider Kyle Summers finished inside the top ten with a 9th place finish for the day. 

Now, five rounds into the series, Caselli sits 4th in points while Soule is currently holding on to 8th. 

Next Event: Sacramento, CA – June 13-15, 2008 

Results 
POS. RIDER MANUFACT. NAT. 

1 7 Ricky Dietrich Kawasaki 
2 129 Bobby Bonds Kawasaki 
3 351 Joshua Morros Kawasaki 
4 274 Arik Swan Yamaha 
5 32 Damon Huffman Kawasaki 
7 6 Justin Soule' KTM 
27 1 Kurt Caselli KTM 

Standings 
POS. RIDER MANUFACT. NAT. POINTS 

1 7 Ricky Dietrich Kawasaki 117 
2 129 Bobby Bonds Kawasaki 107 
3 5 Bobby Garrison Yamaha 105 
4 1 Kurt Caselli KTM 93 
5 9 Kyle Summers KTM 74 
8 6 Justin Soule' KTM 51 

 GNCC Bike Series - Round 6 Millfield, OH 
Knight Makes the Best of the Worst. 

Red Bull KTM rider David Knight made the best out of the worst as he battled his way into 4th place during the worst race conditions seen so far this season at the John Penton event that marked the 6th round of the GNCC Series. 

Rain plagued the riders all day as the track slowly deteriorated from the rush of water that turned an already muddy track into an even worse wreck as the riders lined up for the start of the event. Despite the horrible track conditions, Knight and his Red Bull KTM teammate, Nathan Kanney, had great starts as they both came around the first corner inside the top three. 

Both riders swapped 2nd and 3rd position through the first two laps of the race. Unfortunately, Kanney’s day ended on the end of the third lap when his bike seized after too much water found its way into the airbox from the many creek crossings and hard rain fall the riders were dealing with throughout the day. Kanney’s early departure from the race still earned him 14th overall. Meanwhile, his teammate Knight, who was also slowed up by the mud, managed to finish 5 laps finishing 4th overall on a day whe