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Airwaves dominate Snetterton BSB as Camier wins

© Raceline Photography
By Dan Moakes June 20 2008
Having been beaten only twice in British Superbike races so far this year, Airwaves Ducati rider Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne was in command of the title race for 2008. Round five brought the teams and riders to Snetterton, where perhaps it would be the turn of Honda to set the pace, especially as the weight limit changes were finally set.

Snetterton is a fast and mostly flat circuit, and the HM Plant Honda team had won five of the last six Superbike races there, with rider Ryuichi Kiyonari and the CBR1000RR FireBlade on Michelin tyres. This year everyone uses Pirelli rubber, and there are now Ducati 1098R machines to replace the 999s. Following the interim period at Donington Park, the minimum weight limit for the twin-cylinder Italian bikes was to be 175kg across all timed session and races. The four-cylinders remain at 165kg.

Byrne had taken a Snetterton win in his BSB title year of 2003, and had won the Supersport race there in 1998. Michael Rutter, with the North West 200 Ducati, was the only other man in the field to have won on a Superbike race here; but Michael Laverty had two Supersport wins and Leon Camier also had one. Laverty’s best BSB result is second, which came at Snetterton in 2005. These riders all went well in qualifying, but only the Airwaves pair of Byrne and Camier made the front row of the grid. Shane took his fourth pole in five attempts and Leon was third - his best of the year to date.

The HM Plant pair were the men to challenge the red and blue bikes. Cal Crutchlow was second and could say that his ankle was now almost back to full fitness. Leon Haslam was fourth. Suzuki and Yamaha riders shared row two with Rutter, who was seventh, led by Tom Sykes. The Rizla Suzuki team leader was joined by Laverty on the Relentless TAS bike, in eighth, and Yamaha rider Karl Harris was sixth.

A mix of machinery on the third row of the grid saw MSS Kawasaki (Billy McConnell) lead Hydrex Honda (James Ellison), Jentin Yamaha (Simon Andrews) and Rizla Suzuki (Atsushi Watanabe). It was Billy’s best BSB qualification, as it was for P13 man Tristan Palmer, on the TENA Honda. He was followed by Scott Smart (Hawk Kawasaki) and Cup riders Gary Mason (Quay Honda) and John Laverty (NW200 Ducati).

The start of race one saw the front row men get away well, except for Crutchlow, who dropped to eighth. Haslam led, from Camier, with Sykes up to third, then Byrne, Harris, Michael Laverty and Rutter. Laverty attacked Harris’ position along the long Revett Straight, and Crutchlow gained a place from Rutter on lap one. Behind them came James Ellison, McConnell, Smart, Palmer, Mason, John Laverty, Andrews, David Johnson, Watanabe and latest SMT Honda rider Marshall Neill.

Haslam’s lead went to Camier at one of the most well-used passing places, The Esses. This is a heavy braking left then right at the end of the Revett back straight. There was an early gap developing behind the first seven riders, with Rutter and Ellison getting away from the rest. As the relative ‘calm’ of a BSB race developed, Crutchlow continued his recovery of places, getting past Harris and Laverty. Karl dropped into a race with Rutter and Ellison, with James taking the lead position.

Andrews had moved into a race with McConnell and Smart for tenth, but Scott had to pull out when flagged as his ZX-10R was trailing smoke and dropping oil. Guy Martin retired soon after on the second Hydrex Bike Animal Honda. Meanwhile, Michael Laverty was losing ground to the leaders, making it into a five man race.

Leon and Leon led, with Camier ahead of Haslam. The battle for third saw a bold move from Byrne, with the Ducati rider going for the inside of Sykes at Russell Bend. The right-hander follows a fast bend and then the chicane comes in as an immediate sharp left takes them into Paddock Bend and back onto the main Senna straight. Shane’s pass was made in the right, with no room for Tom to answer as the Ducati clipped into the left.

Haslam went back into the lead at the Esses, but this corner would see Camier make much the same move to resume in front. Then it was Ducati versus Ducati. Byrne used the move on the inside of the right at Russell chicane, and Haslam’s defence saw him run on and cross the run-off inside the left apex. His return to the track was behind Sykes, but with team-mate Crutchlow powering past Leon to put the other Honda back to fifth.

The Ducati pair motored on, Camier ahead of Byrne. Sykes, Crutchlow and Haslam followed. The last lap saw ‘Shakey’ slipstream his team-mate along Revett, but he couldn’t outbrake the other Duke. However, he made it onto the inside for the immediate right-hander after the first Esses apex - only for this line to put him a bit wide and let Camier through on the inside, between that right and the next at the Bomb Hole. Byrne was really pushing through Coram Curve, but Camier left no space into Russell and he duly took his first BSB win.

Airwaves Ducati were one and two, and had eased clear of their pursuers. Sykes was just ahead of Crutchlow, so that Honda missed the podium for the first time this year. It was only Suzuki’s third podium. Haslam was fifth, then came Michael Laverty, James Ellison, Harris, Rutter, Andrews, McConnell, Watanabe, Palmer, Cup winner Mason, Neill and John Laverty.

Before race two, there was oil that went down on the track in a support race, and there was a heavy rain shower. Under the circumstances, riders agreed on a delay to the start, and when it went ahead the rain had stopped and the track was wet-damp. This time Camier went straight into the lead, tailed by Harris and Byrne. Rutter was fourth, with McConnell, James Ellison, Crutchlow, Haslam and Watanabe next.

Riches is the right-handed first corner, and Smart came to grief first time through in the tricky conditions as he crashed. Then, round at the Esses, Harris crashed at the right-hander when the back end of the Yamaha got away from him. The closely following Byrne was held up in the incident, and leader Camier got away as the rest threaded their way through. Shane was down to 13th by the time he got on the move again.

Byrne set a good pace as he started to progress back up the leaderboard, but meantime the pursuit of Camier was led by Crutchlow, Rutter and Haslam, and Sykes headed the rest. Shane was able to get as far as seventh in a fairly short time, which put him in a group behind Rutter, Sykes and Andrews, and in front of McConnell. Byrne was really at his best as he flew through on the inside of Andrews through Coram, and took that inside run into Russell to pass Sykes. Then it was past Rutter on the inside at Riches - where Sykes had a moment coming out, allowing McConnell through on the inside at Sear.

Leader Camier was out on his own, as was Crutchlow in second. But fastest lap brought Byrne up towards Haslam. Shane’s tighter line through Sear put him right with the Honda along Revett, but Leon defended third at the Esses. Slithering a touch on the brakes on the still damp circuit, Byrne once again put the Ducati inside Haslam’s Honda for the right at the Russell chicane, and made the pass. More fast laps then meant Byrne was catching Crutchlow.

Byrne’s progress seemed inevitable. His drive out of Sear helped again as he slipstreamed Crutchlow on the Revett straight, making the pass on the inside into the Esses. He then caught up to team-mate Camier, and was right behind on the penultimate lap. This time Leon could not hold off Shane. They passed backmarker Martin Jessopp as he kept out of the way on the Revett straight, and the championship leader repeated the Crutchlow pass to get by Camier for the lead. He pulled away on the last lap for his seventh win of the year.

It was another Airwaves one-two, this time with Crutchlow’s Honda in a clear third. Michael Laverty had earlier passed Rutter on the Revett straight, and got clear. But tyre choices meant that some riders faded later on. Rutter came back at Laverty, the Ducati man also clearing Haslam to make it home fourth. Haslam and Laverty were next, and Sykes made up a place on Andrews in the drag to the finish line, with Palmer, James Ellison, McConnell, Mason, Neill, Johnson, Dean Ellison and John Laverty the next finishers. After a good start, Watanabe ended up lapped and out of the points, and Martin stopped again.

Leon Camier was the winner of two British 125cc races in his title winning 2001 season - when he beat Casey Stoner to the crown; and he won four British Supersport races in his title winning 2005 season. His Superbike career had started with second place on a Honda, but last season ended early for him thanks to injury at Cadwell Park. Airwaves saw his potential and put him on the Ducati, and now he has matched Cal Crutchlow as a race winner in his second BSB season. Tom Sykes might be able to do the same, and maybe also James Ellison.

GSE Racing had their first season of competition in 1997, when Sean Emmett took their first victory with their first Ducati motorcycle. After two wins and two BSB rider titles, the team had moved to World Championship racing in 2001, scoring two race wins in three seasons. After a year off, they returned to BSB as Airwaves Ducati in 2005, with their third title and a run of race wins that continues. The Snetterton 2008 meeting saw them move up to an impressive 60 British Superbike victories, and perhaps closer to their fourth rider title.

Standings after ten races: Byrne 235; Camier 152; Crutchlow 151; Haslam 118; J Ellison 103; Rutter 102; Sykes 100; M Laverty 79; Easton 62; Andrews 51; Palmer 45; McConnell 39.


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