Brands GP - Round 6
It was another brilliant weekend for the Gearlink Kawasaki team in the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship at the superb Brands GP circuit. Alastair Seeley secured a second place in race one and a stunning race victory in race two. His team-mate Ben Wilson gained a third and fourth place in the two tough British Supersport races.
Alastair was on form on a track he has been particularly strong at in previous years and he was able to put the Gearlink Kawasaki on the front row in fourth position for the opening ten lap race. He got a strong start and was up to second by the end of lap three, he was then locked in a tight battle with Stuart Easton and Graeme Gowland for the remainder of the race, he made several dives for the lead and hit the front on the penultimate lap but was beaten by Easton by 0.1 of a second. In the second race the role was reversed and in one of the most thrilling Supersport races we have seen in years it was Alastair that took a fantastic race win 0.004 in front of Easton.
Alastair Seeley - "I'm really pleased with the results that we've gained today and I now have a Championship lead of 40 points as I leave Brands. We made a few changes after race one for race two, but in turn this caused me to have too much corner speed and on lap five I took to the grass, thankfully I have been out on my motocross bike the last few weeks and these skills came in handy. I was able to regroup, settle down and get myself back up with the front runners. I was really pushing hard and was really keen to try and get the win. Both races were really tough but I know I have to keep being consistent in all the races until the end of the season. The races were really good today and this is the form I want to carry on through the rest of the season."
Ben Wilson also had a solid weekend with a third and fourth in the two Supersport races and is in a good third position in the overall Championship standings at the half way point in the Championship. Ben got one of his fantastic starts in the second race and was happily leading until a grip problem saw his lap times slow and him drop to fourth place in the race.
Ben Wilson - "I'm a bit disappointed this weekend and I struggled to find a set up for qualifying which put me back in eighth in the opening race. We made some changes for race two but I had a major problem with grip from the early stages of the race and it made things really tough. I was losing a lot of time and dropping back position where I didn't want to be. I had to fight hard to get to fourth and it was a tough race I'm not sure what was wrong which was causing so many problems with the tyre. It was tough but hopefully I can turn things around again at Oulton and be back and fighting at the front of the pack."
Pirelli National Superstock 600s
In the Pirelli National Superstock 600 class, Luke Hedger finally got the win he so deserved and has been working so hard for. Luke who has been poised for a win at the previous races worked hard all weekend and despite a steady start he worked extremely hard to push his way through the tough pack. His team-mate Mark Wilkinson once again equalled his best race performance and finished in sixth place.
Luke Hedger - "I'm so pleased I've finally managed to take the win today and it was a very hard fought race one of the toughest this year. I got a pretty bad start and I could see everyone come past me into turn one and I knew then I had to get my head down and stay with the leading pack. I settled into a good rhythm and was able to set some good lap times which helped push me forward, the bike felt great and gave me the confidence to be able to keep pushing. I was soon making some passes and knew I could get to the front but didn't want to hang about so made the extra push and got up the front. I knew Cal Cooper was catching me in the closing laps but the Gearlink Kawasaki felt brilliant and I had to just keep focused. I'm so pleased to take the win and would like to thank everyone who has helped me especially 1st Choice, Shoei, Sidi, Damen, all my other sponsors and all the great people at Gearlink for all their help and support."
Mark Wilkinson - "It was another good result at the weekend for me, Andy and Michael worked really hard on my setup in practice and qualifying and the Gearlink Kawasaki was really good for the race. I made a very poor start and had to fight back from about 11th place. I was in a good dice with Tom Fisher and Grant Whitaker and I was waiting for the last few laps before making the move to get to sixth position. It was another solid points scoring position for the Gearlink Team. Hopefully we can move forwards and improve our good results at Oulton Park. I'd like to congratulate my team-mate Luke on his win. A big thanks to everyone back in Australia for their support and Plaza Auto Sales, GS Automotive, ROMP Design, The Oil Warehouse for all their help this season."
Team Manager Michael de Bidaph - "I'm really once again very pleased with the results we have had in both classes this weekend in Supersport and Superstock 600's. They all had bad practise and qualifying sessions and this thankfully was all turned around on race day and we gained some brilliant results.
Alastair once again had a great weekend and leads the Championship by 40 points, he is riding consistently well and keeps plugging away with podiums and wins. Despite his off track experience in the second race he was able to re-group and make the pass to take the win.
Ben was struggling all weekend with gearing set-up and in race two with grip issues, despite this he was still able to get two solid results for the team and holds third in the standings.
In the Superstock 600 we knew the win for Luke would be coming soon so we were really pleased that it came this weekend at Brands Hatch, he has been riding exceptionally well in every round and making very quick progress in his first season in that Championship. His win was great and also Mark is a brilliant rider and this is showing in the short time he has been with our team. They work very well together and I am very sure there is more to come from both of them.
We have a great team now and the results are showing that all the hard work, dedication and commitment by everyone in the team, the riders, mechanics and sponsors is all becoming very worthwhile."
