By Dan Moakes
May 14 2012

There had been three different winners after three races in the 2012 British Superbike Championship, including only the second ever BSB victory for Jon Kirkham and the début success for Ian Lowry. That made two wins for Honda, and the other had gone to Suzuki rider Josh Brookes; and with a Yamaha on pole position at Thruxton. No clear title contenders would seem to have emerged.

The third round of the series was taking place at Oulton Park over the May Day Bank Holiday weekend, with a third BSB race inserted into the programme - the one that should have been run at Brands Hatch but had been postponed due to the dangerous track conditions. The ‘Brands’ race would take place on the Sunday, with a grid based on fastest lap times from the earlier meeting. Before that there was the matter of qualifying for the Oulton races proper, which were scheduled for the Monday.

Once again there would be three different makes of motorcycle starting from the front row of the grid, with a Yamaha on pole and this time with a Kawasaki second and a Suzuki third. Defending champion Tommy Hill was again fastest for Swan Yamaha, and his Japanese team-mate Noriyuki Haga was on the front row for the first time in fourth. ‘Nori’ had made a wildcard BSB appearance at Oulton once before, in 2004, but he admitted that he didn’t remember much about the track. Between these two, Shane Byrne was second for Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki and Josh Brookes was third for Tyco Suzuki.

There were three Honda riders on the second row, but fifth went to Tommy Bridewell for the Supersonic Racing Team, which marked the best ever grid position for BMW in the series. He was followed by Alex Lowes (Team WFR), Jon Kirkham and Michael Laverty (both Samsung Honda). The fourth Honda in a row was ridden into ninth position by Ian Lowry (Padgett’s Racing), ahead of Chris Walker (Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki), Dan Linfoot (Buildbase BMW) and Stuart Easton (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki).

The fourth row was headed by thirteenth man Michael Rutter (MSS Bathams Kawasaki), from Graeme Gowland (WFR Honda), Patric Muff (Supersonic BMW) and Luca Scassa (Padgett’s Honda). P17 went to James Westmoreland (WFR Honda), with Tyco Suzuki’s Alastair Seeley missing out on a leading position thanks to a crash in the second part of qualifying. He would start from P20, and meanwhile Gary Mason (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) would be four places further back.

Oulton Park
Form guide: BSB wins
Shane Byrne · 2003, 2003, 2008, 2008
Michael Rutter · 1998, 2002, 2005
Chris Walker · 1997, 2000
Stuart Easton · 2009, 2010
Michael Laverty · 2010
Tommy Hill · 2011

However, the grid for race one was of course based on lap times from the completed race in the wet at Brands, which saw Seeley on pole, from Kirkham, Brookes, Mason, Lowry, Rutter, Westmoreland and Bridewell. Scott Smart (Moto Rapido Ducati) would start ninth, from Alessandro Polita (Jentin Doodson Ducati), Byrne, Walker, Linfoot, Freddy Foray (Quattro Plant Kawasaki), Scassa and James Hillier (Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki). Haga and Hill would start from row five, in positions 17 and 19 respectively.

The start saw Brookes get away in the lead, from Mason, Kirkham, Seeley, Byrne and Lowry. The right-handed looping and banked Shell Oils Corner, which follows a flat out section, was scene of the first change at the front, as Kirkham passed Mason for second. Not far behind, riders further back in the field came to grief at Cascades, a downhill corner and the first left-hander. Lowes and Foray crashed together there, with the result being oil on the track. Moments later, Saudi rider Abdulaziz Binladin had a crash of his own on the Moto Rapido Ducati at Shell Oils hairpin. The two incidents led to a safety car period.

The restart involved some action at Old Hall Corner, the first right-hander, where Seeley went through on the inside of Kirkham for second; and a few instants later Lowry did much the same to take fourth from Mason. Between Cascades and Shell Oils is the Lakeside straight, leading into the fast left-handed Island Bend. Byrne also went past Mason, his move being on the inside going into Island. Immediately after that, Kirkham regained his place from Seeley on the inside at Shell. That left Brookes heading Kirkham, Seeley, Lowry, Byrne and Mason.

Hill had been making his way through the lower orders, and by the time Mason retired with mechanical problems the Yamaha rider was challenging Lowry for fifth. Having already moved up to fourth, Byrne would soon make his way past Seeley and Kirkham to run second to Brookes. Haga had also been making progress, and soon he was past Lowry and on the case behind Seeley. The right-left-right Hizzys chicane saw him make the pass, diving onto the inside for the final part.

Kirkham’s prospects started to drift as he firstly lost out to Hill, and then Jon was passed by Haga after his Honda gave him a ‘moment’ when exiting the left-right-left Foulstons chicane. More seriously, the fast bend to the left at Clay Hill saw the 27-year-old crash spectacularly when he lost the rear after the crest, being thrown to the outside. Kirkham was knocked out briefly, and the race was red flagged while the medics attended to him. Thankfully he was not seriously injured, but there was no question of him restarting, and he was ruled out of the next day’s races as well.

The eight-lap second part of race one saw the riders lining up on the grid in the same order as they had been at the stoppage, with Brookes heading Byrne, Hill, Haga, Seeley, Lowry, Bridewell, Rutter, Walker, Scassa, Westmoreland, Gowland, Luke Quigley (GBmoto Honda), Michael Laverty, Easton and Hillier. The getaway saw Haga gain a place from team-mate Hill, and soon he went into second position, passing Byrne at Lodge Corner. The braking zone for this final right-hander sees plenty of action, and Noriyuki’s efforts were helped by the way he fired across in a tight turn-in at the exit of the preceding right at Druids Corner.

Haga used the same approach to get past Brookes for the lead on the inside at Lodge, and Hill followed his example to move past Byrne just behind. Before much longer, Tommy had also gained a position from Josh, taking the inside for the first part of Hizzys. This now meant a Swan Yamaha one-two, with Haga the leader in only his fourth race as a full-time rider in the series. However, Hill was on the attack, and before long he had taken over at the front with a move on the inside through Island. From there he stretched the advantage for his first win of the season.

Haga and Brookes were together to the flag, with the order unchanged, and with a gap to the next pair. Byrne had dropped back, as had Rutter after running sixth, and Lowry’s top ten prospects had ended when he returned to the pits with a clutch problem. So that left Seeley in fourth, just heading Bridewell. This gave Swan Yamaha the one-two but also gave Tyco Suzuki the three-four, and with the BMW man in fifth for the German bike’s first top eight result in BSB racing.

Michael Laverty had come through from outside the top twelve to take sixth, with Easton doing a similar job to be ninth, behind Walker and Rutter. The top ten was completed by Westmoreland, who headed Byrne, Muff, Scassa, Quigley, Linfoot, Peter Hickman (MSS Bathams Kawasaki), Tristan Palmer (GBmoto Racing Honda), Barry Burrell (Buildbase BMW), Smart and John Laverty (Splitlath Redmond Aprilia).

The next day saw race two taking place in very different conditions, with rain and a wet track. The previous outing had been in the dry but with a grid based on times set in the wet, and this one would be the reverse situation, and could therefore lead to yet more reshuffling of the pack. Conditions were far from torrential, and although most riders chose the wet weather Pirelli tyres, there were a few who gambled on intermediates, hoping that the track surface would begin to dry out. These included Gowland and Scassa, and not that surprisingly Rutter also went the same route.

The front row got away in a slightly shuffled order, with Byrne leading Brookes, Hill and Haga, but the Japanese rider seemed to find the conditions a bit tricky from the outset, and would soon drop out of the top ten as others found more grip. The first man past was Walker at Island Bend, with Michael Laverty initially sixth, from Bridewell, Lowry, Muff, Easton, Seeley and Linfoot. The first four began to pull away from the rest, with gaps developing behind Byrne and behind Brookes, but with Walker on the case right behind Hill.

With team-mate Hillier about to pull off, Walker moved into a podium position as he passed Hill at the exit of Hizzys chicane. Byrne was powering into a clear lead, but Chris closed in on second man Brookes. He pulled a similar move on the Australian, but this time went wide enough in the last part of the right-hander for Josh to respond as they accelerated towards the next bend at Clay Hill. Walker tried again at Island, but got the move done with better drive out of Shell Oils hairpin.

Walker, of course, had been a serial Superbike race winner in the first part of his domestic career, but his crowning moment had been with a last-to-first victory in the wet at Assen in the 2006 World Superbike season. His mastery of those conditions was much in evidence once more at Oulton, and a new fastest lap time brought him up to the leader Byrne. With three laps left to run, ‘the Stalker’ found a way to get better drive into Island Bend and he overtook the former champion. From there he moved out of range for a famous victory, and only the third for a Kawasaki in BSB since 2004.

Byrne finished second, well enough clear of Brookes in third, and with Hill retaining fourth. Making it three Kawasakis in the top five was Easton, who made good progress from tenth in the early stages. Seeley and Bridewell had followed him to take the next two positions, and with Muff managing a best-yet BSB result of eighth. Lowry had dropped right out of contention, whilst Michael Laverty lost a few places to finish twelfth, behind Linfoot, Lowes and Hickman.

Haga could do no better than P13, ahead of Westmoreland, and with Gowland making the best progress of the intermediate runners to take the last point, from Quigley, Polita, Mason, Foray and Aaron Zanotti on the A-Plant Suzuki. Rutter and Scassa had not been able to make the intermediate tyre choice pay off, with the conditions not developing fully in their favour.

The track had dried out again when the time came for race three, although of course the new grid was again based on fastest lap times from the wet race earlier in the day. This time Gowland would line up on pole, ahead of Walker then Easton, Bridewell, Hill, Brookes, Seeley, Byrne, Lowes, Rutter, Linfoot, Hickman, Haga, Muff, Westmoreland and Michael Laverty.

Bridewell dropped from fourth to eighth off the line, with Easton leading away, from Walker, Gowland, Brookes, Seeley, Byrne and Hill, and with Lowes and fast starting Michael Laverty completing the top ten as they raced into lap one. Just behind, Haga soon moved up a place at the expense of Linfoot with a move on the outside at Lodge Corner.

With Easton beginning to extend his advantage at the front, three of the 2011 title contenders were busy in the pack behind him. Byrne was already ahead of Seeley when Hill overtook the Suzuki rider on the inside at Old Hall; and Brookes would soon move ahead of Gowland with a pass on the inside at Lodge. At this stage, Walker retained second, then it was Brookes and Gowland, and with Hill about to pass Byrne going into the first part of Hizzys. In seventh now was Bridewell, from Michael Laverty, Seeley, Haga, Lowes, Linfoot, Muff, Burrell and Lowry.

Walker’s level of performance was not quite as high in the dry as it had been in the wet, and now he lost out to Gowland at Lodge, with Hill soon to follow suit in a move at Old Hall. Byrne was next, and a few others would be lining up the Stalker before the end of the race. Hill was in pursuit of title rival Brookes as he took his Yamaha past Gowland’s Honda for third at Lodge, but meanwhile leader Easton set a new fastest lap at the head of the field. Team-mate Byrne soon took his turn to do the same, then he passed Gowland on the inside at Old Hall to move into fourth.

Hill overtook Brookes for second place on the inside through Island, and soon he was in place to launch his attack for the lead. He tried at Lodge, then got through on Easton on the inside at Old Hall. Byrne got his Kawasaki through into third at the expense of Brookes, and soon was on his team-mate’s tail. ‘Shakey’ got past when Stuart went wide at Shell Oils, and then he charged after the leading Yamaha. Byrne found space on the inside as they dropped down through The Avenue, but Hill came straight back at him at Cascades. However, Tommy went a bit wide and it was enough for Shane to go past again on the inside at the exit of the corner.

The last part of the race saw Byrne extend his lead enough to take a reasonably comfortable victory, which made him the sixth different winner in as many races. Hill was happy enough with second, considering he’d had some issues with moisture getting on to his visor. Easton stayed just clear of Brookes for his first rostrum result since his injury comeback, although he explained that his arm had given him some problems in the race. Bridewell scored another strong fifth, and meanwhile pole sitter Gowland had been pushed back further so that he just lost out to the advancing Haga and Michael Laverty.

Walker was back in ninth place at the chequered flag, heading Lowes, and with Seeley having been pushed back to P11. The shuffle behind had seen Burrell dropped from the leading positions, so that twelfth finisher Linfoot headed Lowry, Muff, Rutter, Westmoreland, Scassa, Quigley, Hillier and Zanotti. With team-mates Byrne and Easton both in the top three, the Kawasaki ZX-10R had already recorded six podium results in the course of six races, more than in the whole of 2011, and more than Kawasaki have managed in any season since 2004. In fact, all of the Japanese bikes have shown competitive form so far; but there was no question about the talking point from the Oulton weekend.

Chris Walker had graduated to full-time World Championship competition in 2001, following an impressive domestic career, and for the seasons 2002 to 2006 he was a regular in World Superbikes. 2003 was the year in which he reached the podium six times (always in third), and he had been a WSB race runner-up as a wildcard as far back as the Donington round in 2000, but it wasn’t until the dramatic race at Assen in 2006 that he finally secured a victory. However, as he had finished second in four consecutive years, but never been the champion, there was unfinished business for Chris back at home in British Superbikes. He returned to the championship in 2007, with another overseas diversion in 2008, and of course he has always remained a favourite with the UK fans.

The second phase of Walker’s British Superbike championship career had seen him on the podium at Silverstone and Oulton Park in 2007, with the Rizla Suzuki; and at Donington Park in 2009, with the Motorpoint-Henderson Yamaha - on each occasion in third place. But his amazing wet weather ride at Oulton Park in 2012 was his first win in the championship since 2000. The Assen win came in the middle of that period, of course, but in fact Chris also won a Superbike race at home in 2006. His return to domestic competition with the Rizla team had been marked with victory at the end of season non-championship Race of the Year at Mallory Park; but nevertheless his latest success at Oulton could not have been more popular.

It had also been a particularly strong meeting for Tommy Bridewell on his BMW S1000RR. His starting positions had been eighth, fifth and fourth, and his race results had been fifth, seventh and fifth. On this evidence, the latest BMW has overtaken the latest Ducati machinery in BSB terms, no doubt helped by an impressive performance from Tommy. In championship terms, Hill, Brookes and Byrne kept up their consistent high-scoring ways, and it looks like it could evolve into another classic confrontation.

Standings after six races: Hill 98; Brookes 92; Byrne 88; Easton 58; Lowry 52; Seeley 49; Bridewell and Walker 46; Kirkham 43; Haga 42; M.Laverty 36; Westmoreland 30.
podium credits: Hill 9; Brookes and Byrne 6; Kirkham, Lowry and Walker 3; Seeley and Haga 2; Rutter and Easton 1.

wins in 2012: Kirkham 1, Lowry 1, Brookes 1, Hill 1, Walker 1, Byrne 1
Honda 2, Kawasaki 2, Suzuki 1, Yamaha 1