It was a challenging weekend for the Gearlink Kawasaki team at round four of the MCE British Superbike Championship at Knockhill circuit. Ben Wilson had big issues trying to find the correct set up on his Gearlink Kawasaki for the short technical circuit struggled in race one to finish in 16th and was forced out of race two with a clutch problem.
During the practice and qualifying session the likeable rider from Lincolnshire really was having problems trying to find a set up that suit his hard riding style. He was only able to qualify in 22nd place for the opening 30-lap Superbike race. He was able to gain one of his fantastic starts and was up to 17th after the opening lap and soon he was able to make a number of passes and worked his way through to 11th at one point. He struggled in the second half of race one due to a clutch problem and dropped back out the points to 16th place.
He managed to put in a good time for the grid for race two and started from tenth but the same problem he suffered in race one reared its head in the second race despite the mechanics working hard between races to solve the problem, he was forced to retire after only three laps.
Ben Wilson - "There are pros and cons to this weekend, obviously I'm disappointed with the results and having to retire from race two. However, we made some changes for morning warm up and we made some big steps forward with the bike. I was feeling good for the first race and really pleased to get my way through to 11th but then I started suffering with a clutch problem, I thought I'd be able to finish in a points scoring position so I kept my head down. Everyone worked really hard to try and get the problem fixed but even on the line for race two I couldn't get it into gear. I'm upset but also I will take the positives from today."
Motorpoint British Supersport
In the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship Glenn Irwin who is still recovering from injuries had a solid weekend with a tenth place and strong sixth place in race two. The young Irishman worked hard all weekend but with qualifying starting to become wet Glenn pulled into the pits and he was unfortunate to drop back down the grid positions to eighth. He worked hard in both races and he is now in fifth place in the overall Championship standings.
Luke Hedger will be back riding at Brands after sustaining a broken radius and ulnar testing at Mallory.
Glenn Irwin - "I have taken the positives out of this weekend and we ended it on a high note. The Gearlink Kawasaki team worked really hard overnight to make some big changes on the gearing and it made a huge difference for the second race. I was pushing hard and when Seeley came passed me I didn't want to push too hard and crash so I was pleased to get sixth. Yesterday was the first day I have finished outside the top six so we have been consistent all year and know we can carry that on at Brands."
Team Manager Michael de Bidaph - "I'm a little disappointed as a team that Ben had the clutch problem he did as I feel that we have let him down. We really struggled to get a set up in practice and qualifying but in warm-up we made some big changes and it really boosted Ben's confidence and he was looking forward to the race. He got an amazing start and he got through to 11th and I'm sure he could have moved further forward but the clutch problem forced him to drop his time and positions on every lap.
We thought we had fixed the problem for race two but realised when he tried to leave the grid for the race there was a major problem, he tried but had to pull in. We did manage to prove in race one that we have made some progress on the settings it is just frustrating we've not backed it up with results.
Glenn worked hard again all weekend and it was difficult in race one with his qualifying position as it left him with a lot of work to do. He made some mistakes but was still able to secure 10th place. Everything is right and he is working really well with the team, Glenn has been consistent and rides very well.
It will be really good to get Luke and his family back at Brands, we have missed them all and it will be really good to get Luke back out on the track."
2014 GEARLINK TEAM SPONSORS
AKRAPOVIC - B & C EXPRESS - CN TRADING (GLENN) - DAYTONA (BEN) - DAMEN LEATHERS - DBR - FORCEFIELD - GALFER - GB RACING - GEARLINK LTD - GOODRIDGE - JAMES JAMIESON CONSTRUCTION (GLENN) - JOHNY WILLS PHOTOGRAPHY - K-TECH - MARK TALBOT (GLENN) - MEGASTORE247 (GLENN) - MET HEALTHCARE (GLENN) - MWR AIR FILTERS - NGK SPARK PLUGS - OCTANORM - PERFORMANCE PARTS - PERFORMANCE FRICTION BRAKES - PRO CLEAN - PRO-BOLT - R & G RACING - RENTHAL - ROCK OIL - SAMCO SPORT - SHARK HELMETS - SHOEI HELMETS (LUKE) - SIDI (LUKE) - SIGMA PERFORMANCE - SINNIS - SKIDMARX - SOLO SIGNS - TIM TODD SURFACING - TSUBAKI - VALE LIVESTOCK - WWW.1STCHOICE-FLOORING.CO.UK (LUKE)
