for HM Plant Honda
The HM Plant Honda and Padgetts Honda teams came away from this weekend's third round of the British Superbike Championship at Donington Park's famous 2.5-mile Grand Prix circuit, with a podium finish but also some disappointment.
In the British Superbike class, Josh collided with Guintoli at the Melbourne hairpin on the sighting lap of the opening race - the impact causing the Frenchman to break his right tibia and fibula.
Series organisers - MSVR - issued a statement citing a ‘failure in the operation of the braking system of Josh's machine' as the cause of the accident, but have since retracted this statement after correct investigations revealed there was no evidence of a mechanical failure with the CBR1000RR Fireblade. Instead, they concluded that Josh was travelling at a pace consistent with a lap at racing speed and that the difference between him and Guintoli was 'incompatible with the end of a sighting lap'. Josh has been given a ban of one race, but on a suspended basis for three British Superbike Championship meetings.
Team-mate Glen Richards had a steady weekend although missed out on a rostrum place in both races, finishing in fourth and fifth places respectively, having led race two for the first five laps after the re-start.
In the British Supersport class, Steve Plater rode an impressive fifteen lap race to take victory at the chequered flag having working his way through the field from ninth on the grid. Steve now leads the British Supersport Championship by 3 points.
BRITISH SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP Qualifying: Glen Richards 6th / Josh Brookes 12thRace 1 (20 laps): Glen Richards 4th / Josh Brookes DNF (crash on sighting lap)Race 2 (20 laps): Glen Richards 5th / Josh Brookes DNF (crash on lap 8)
Glen Richards (#45) "We've made some changes to the bike this weekend and I'm feeling more comfortable now with how I'm sat and positioned. I was also able to do some practice starts and that's really helped me to get off the line better which was great this weekend given that I was starting from the second row. In the first race I suffered with a lot of chatter and that was costing me time everywhere. Then in the second race I just wasn't able to run the pace and was losing time at the exit of the corners. I'm not sure if it's me, the bike or a combination of both, but my plan this week is to spend time with my crew chief ahead of Thruxton and look through the data so that I can get back on the pace as soon as possible. I'm frustrated to not be running up at the front where I know me and the bike are capable of being."
Josh Brookes (#25) "It's been a tough weekend. We're making progress with set-up but we've still got a little way to go until the bike is working right for me. We know which direction to take but the only time we have to work through things is during a race weekend so it's not ideal and we need to make the most of all the track time we have. Regarding my suspended one race penalty, I understand that the series organisers have to make judgments and take possible action if necessary with racing incidents. However we still need more clarity about what exactly happened as the data shows the correct initial braking power, but also a drop in brake power just prior to the crash, which the team is investigating further. It's unfortunate Guintoli was caught up in the incident and I really wish him a quick recovery."
BRITISH SUPERSPORT CHAMPIONSHIP Qualifying: 9thRace (18 laps): 1st
Steve Plater (#22) "Saturday's free practices went well and I was the fastest guy out there on race tyres, but qualifying didn't go quite to plan on Sunday as I just couldn't bring it all together for some reason and also had a small ‘off'. I had a good start off the line but was almost run into at Hollywood in a first lap tussle. It was no big deal but I lost a few places. I held my position for a while and then started to move away and push. McConnell came past me on the first lap which opened my eyes as I knew he was leading the championship so I got my head down and set about catching him up again. I knew my package of the bike and tyres was right for the race distance, so just kept consistent and chipped away as I knew I could catch the guys in front, which I did two laps from the end and took the lead."
BRITISH SUPERSTOCK 1000 CHAMPIONSHIP Qualifying: Steve Brogan 2nd / John McGuinness 8thRace (15 laps): Steve Brogan 5th / John McGuinness DNF (retired on lap 13)
Steve Brogan (#1) "Practice and qualifying went pretty much to plan, the CBR1000RR was working really well and I put it on the front row of the grid, just one tenth off pole and also under the existing lap record time, so it shows we're riding hard and I'm on the pace. But, I know the Fireblade inside out and knew from the start of the race that something wasn't quite right with the gear shifting. During the race I had two ‘moments' where I could have high-sided due to gear changes so chose to take it steady, bring the bike home safely and collect some points rather than risk pushing harder and maybe not finishing."
John McGuinness (#2) "It's been a steady weekend overall and I was able to lap faster in morning warm-up than I did in qualifying. I was running at a comfortable pace in the race but coming out of the Melbourne loop my gear lever came off. I tried to continue racing but it became impossible so I had to retire back to the pits just two laps from the end."
WEEKEND SUMMARY
Havier Beltran, HM Plant Honda Team Manager "It's been a mixed weekend for the team. Steve Plater rode exceptionally to come through the field, keep consistent and take the win. With Glen and Josh in the Superbike class, we know that we are not where the bikes or riders are capable of being, but we know what direction we need take to get the riders and machines working well together and get us back on pace with the front runners. With regard to Josh's collision with Guintoli, we send our sincerest best wishes to Guintoli for a very speedy recovery."
It's a quick turn around for the HM Plant Honda team as this weekend's racing at Thruxton begins on Friday, 29 May, for round four of the BSB Championship.
