Round five of the 2010 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship saw Quay Garage Racing rider Tommy Bridewell rack up more handy points at a sun-drenched Mallory Park this weekend.
Following on a successful test at the Leicestershire venue a couple of weeks ago, the 21-year-old from Etchilhampton near Devizes in Wiltshire was confident of a good result and after Friday's free practice sessions, he was placed seventh aboard the ex Gregorio Lavilla Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade.
However, during the Swan Combi Roll for Pole competition on Saturday afternoon, Bridewell struggled to match his pace of the previous day as the temperature soared and a problem with a rear tyre saw him only manage 16th in qualifying.
A positive morning warm up session saw the Devon-based team improve the machine and in race one, a mediocre start saw Tommy having to battle though the field to eventually claim an 11th place.
Race two saw conditions marginally cooler and once again, Bridewell didn't make the best of starts but once he'd disposed of the challenge from Dan Linfoot (Yamaha) and Alastair Seeley (Suzuki) he eventually homed in on championship leader Tommy Hill (Suzuki), and having preserved his tyre, he was able to pass Hill with a couple of laps to go but wasn't able to reel in the three riders in front so had to settle for 9th position after 30 hectic laps.
The nett result is that Bridewell moves into 10th position in the series standings and is still within touching distance of an all-important top six place overall which would elevate him into the Showdown over the final three rounds of the season to determine the destiny of the crown.
Tommy Bridewell: "I had high hopes of a podium this weekend so to come away with a ninth and eleventh place finish is a little disappointing if I'm honest, especially after we showed good pace on Friday. We had a problem with a tyre during qualifying which meant we were way down the grid but I gave it my best shot and came home in the points in race one and then in race two, again I got a terrible start and it was hard work. I had a good battle with Tommy Hill late in the race and he came over and congratulated me afterwards which was good, and I know I need to be battling with the likes of him every weekend, but for the wins and podiums instead of tenth place! I'm glad Mallory's out of the way and now I'm really looking forward to Knockhill next weekend as that's where I scored a pair of eighth place finishes and won both Cup races last year."
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MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship race 1 (25 laps)
1 Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 23m42.274s2 Josh Brookes (Honda) +1.820s3 Michael Laverty (Suzuki) +3.573s4 Michael Rutter (Ducati) +3.753s5 Stuart Easton (Honda) +13.883s6 Chris Walker (Suzuki) +14.155s7 Simon Andrews (Kawasaki) +16.175s8 John Laverty (Kawasaki) +16.343s9 Andrew Pitt (Yamaha) +19.469s10 Alastair Seeley (Suzuki) +19.913s11 Tommy Bridewell (Quay Garage Honda) +21.571s
MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship race 2 (30 laps)
1 Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 23m42.274s2 Josh Brookes (Honda) +3.601s3 Michael Laverty (Suzuki) +9.726s4 Michael Rutter (Ducati) +10.819s5 Chris Walker (Suzuki) +19.126s6 John Laverty (Kawasaki) +21.249s7 Simon Andrews (Kawasaki) +22.812s8 Tommy Hill (Suzuki) +23.085s9 Tommy Bridewell (Quay Garage Honda) +23.326s10 Andrew Pitt (Yamaha) +23.950s
Championship standings (after 5 rounds)
1 Hill 154pts2 Brookes 1503 Michael Laverty 1334 Kiyonari 1285 Rutter 1146 John Laverty 987 Easton 928 Seeley 909 Jessopp 5710 Bridewell 55
2010 MCE Insurance British Superbike Calendar
R1 Brands Hatch 3/4/5 April R2 Thruxton 16/17/18 April R3 Oulton Park 1/2/3 May R4 Cadwell Park 21/22/23 May R5 Mallory Park 25/26/27 June R6 Knockhill 2/3/4 July R7 Snetterton 16/17/18 July R8 Brands Hatch GP 6/7/8 August R9 Cadwell Park 28/29/30 August R10 Croft 10/11/12 September R11 Silverstone GP 24/25/26 September R12 Oulton Park 8/9/10 October
