The MWR Kawasaki team ended their respective 2013 Pirelli National Superstock Championship seasons in the best fashion possible at Brands Hatch today with Harry Hartley taking a brilliant second in the Pirelli National Superstock 600 race and team-mate James Egan putting in one of his best rides of the year in the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 equivalent.
Hartley, from Burnley, was looking to carry on from where he left off at Silverstone two weeks ago but a spill at Dingle Dell halted his charge in first qualifying and with wet weather for the second session, he had to start from a lowly 25th on the grid aboard the MWR Kawasaki ZX-6R. From there, he produced a stunning ride as he tore through the pack and, fifteenth by the end of the first lap; the 16 year old was up to fourth by lap five.
For the remainder of the race, a group of riders contested the podium positions and Harry took over third with a couple of laps remaining. Going into the final lap he battled his way up to second and duly crossed the line for a brilliant maiden podium in the class.
South African Egan enjoyed his best weekend of the year too as he ran lap times closer to the leading riders than he had done all season. The closeness of the class could be seen in qualifying where, despite only being 1.7 seconds off pole, James started from 26th on the grid but with some excellent riding in what were extremely damp conditions, he was able to constantly move forward during the 14 lap race. Indeed, after overhauling 20 times Isle of Man TT winner John McGuinness on the penultimate lap, he was able to cross the line in an excellent 17th place to equal his similar result from Donington Park in May.
Harry Hartley: "What can I say, other than that I'm very happy with the result! Conditions were so tricky but I made a great start and then just focused really hard on staying smooth and in a good rhythm. I could see people going down all the time but the bike was faultless and I can't recall any major moments so I just kept chipping away. To come from so far back on the grid to get a podium, and in these conditions, is the perfect way to end the season and it's great to reward the team at the last round and really show what we can do."
James Egan: "I'm really happy to finish the season on such a positive note and to be only a second off the points shows how far I've progressed. The top 15 was within our grasp all weekend and when I saw John McGuinness in front of me, a hero of mine, I was determined to get the better of him. The more the race went on the more confident I became and with some strong lap times I was able to continually move forward. Conditions were really treacherous in the early stages and I was surprised more riders didn't go down but I settled in nicely and it's great to end with my best ride of the year. I'm really looking forward to 2014 now and putting all what we've learned this season into practice."
Mark Webster: "It's exactly what we've been waiting for with Harry and it's such a good feeling to go into the off season with the team's best result of the season. I'm actually a bit lost for words and can't say enough about how well he rode. Coming from so far back on the grid to take second and also set the fastest lap of the race was absolutely brilliant and, in my view, the ride of the season by anyone. At 16 years of age, he's really shown what a talent he is and it's given the whole team something for their efforts and we can all go home with a smile on our faces.
"I couldn't have wished to finish the season with James any better either and whilst it only matched his best result of the season, it was certainly his best ride. He's been closer to the front this weekend than he has been all year and he can go back home for the winter with a spring in his step. The championship has got closer and more competitive with each and every round and it shouldn't be underestimated how tough it is. The depth of quality is unreal so it's been great to see James' hard work pay off and we can now look forward to some exciting prospects in 2014."
The team have one final meeting this year with James contesting the Sunflower Trophy races at Bishopscourt, Northern Ireland on Saturday October 26th.
Pirelli National Superstock 600cc Championship (12 laps)1 Callan Cooper (Yamaha)2 Harry Hartley (MWR Kawasaki)3 Joe Collier (Triumph)4 Alex Olsen (Triumph)5 Michael Robertson (Yamaha)6 Grant Whitaker (Yamaha)
Final Championship standings (after 12 rounds)1 Hedger 192pts2 Simpkin 1763 Cooper 1604 Lodge 1335 Collier 1336 Robertson 9914 Hartley 46
Pirelli National Superstock 1000cc Championship (14 laps)1 Adam Jenkinson (Kawasaki)2 Tristan Palmer (Ducati)3 Daniel Johnson (Kawasaki)4 Robbie Brown (Ducati)5 Filip Backlund (Kawasaki)6 Josh Day (Kawasaki)17 James Egan (MWR Kawasaki)
Final Championship standings (after 12 rounds)1 Kennaugh 177pts2 Jenkinson 1733 Backlund 1364 Jackson 1145 Palmer 1096 Cox 107
