Gearlink Kawasaki had a solid weekend for the final round of the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship at Brands Hatch. Glenn Irwin raced his final race for Gearlink Kawasaki as he moves up to the British Superbike series next season. Glenn was unfortunate to have a technical problem in race one and was forced out but secured a solid podium place of third in the second race. Ben Wilson was seventh and fifth and Luke Hedger gained two good top ten places with a ninth and eighth place respectively.
Glenn was looking strong all weekend and aiming to end his season on a high note, as he was also still in with a fight to secure second in the Championship standings. He was riding strong in the mixed conditions in practice and qualifying and started race one from fifth place. However Glenn suffered a technical problem on the opening lap which forced him out of the race. He dropped several places for the second race and started from 11th, the Northern Irish man got a fantastic start and was up to sixth after lap one. He worked hard to push his way through the pack and was up to second by lap seven. He then got pushed wide at Druids and dropped to fourth. He was then locked in a scrap for the remainder of the race with Jake Dixon for second place in the race the pair worked hard and made several passes and Glenn secured a great third place at the end of the 18-lap race.
Ben Wilson worked hard over the weekend and set some good pace in the wet conditions on Friday. He ended up qualifying in tenth place on Saturday morning for the opening Sprint race later that day. He got one of his famous starts and was up to sixth after the first lap and was in a battle with Kyle Ryde and Joe Francis for fifth place, despite his best efforts Ben just missed out on fifth and ended up seventh after the race was red-flagged on the penultimate lap due to rain. He started from seventh for race two and got an amazing start which saw Ben in third after lap one.
Luke Hedger had another solid weekend in the cold conditions at Brands; he had two really good practice sessions on Friday. During qualifying on Saturday he finished in ninth place for the Sprint race. He got a bad start and was boxed into turn one pushing him to 13th after lap one. He slowly worked his way back through the field to his original grid position of ninth when the red flag came out. He moved to eighth on the grid for race two but dropped to tenth after lap one, he tried to push forwards and managed to secure eighth place after the 18 laps.
Glenn Irwin - "I was gutted to not be able to fight for a podium in race one but due to a technical problem it just wasn't possible. This dropped me back for the second race on the grid but I really wanted to push to end the season on a high. The opening laps were a bit messy coming from 11th but I soon managed to pick my way through the pack and be fighting with Jake for a podium.
I'm really pleased to end my Supersport season with Gearlink Kawasaki and a podium. Michael and Norma have been brilliant to me over the last two years. They have taught me so much and turned me into a better rider. It has opened a door with one of the best teams on the Superbike grid but I owe all the Gearlink team that as they gave me this opportunity to be recognised and made me into a really good rider and I can't thank them enough for that.
I can't wait for my new challenge next year but I will miss the thrills and excitement of mixing it at the front of the Supersport class. Thank you to everyone at Gearlink Kawasaki and all my sponsors who have helped me this season with everything it really means a lot."
Ben Wilson - "It's been a very tough season this year to fight at the front where I wanted to be. I have worked hard and the results just haven't come my way. We tried many different options over the weekend but just didn't quite have the race pace I needed to fight for a podium. I want to thank Michael, Norma and my entire team for their continued help and support this season."
Luke Hedger - "It was a good last round to the Championship with two solid top ten finishes. I enjoyed my time this year racing for Gearlink Kawasaki again and they have all been a big help all season. I must thank all my sponsors that have helped me along the way to be able to be on the grid this year."
MCE British Superbike
James Westmoreland joined the Gearlink Kawasaki team this weekend for the final round at Brands Hatch riding their Superbike for the three days. In the wet on Friday morning James sat in first position for the team. They had little track time and chance to make the changes they required and despite having to retire in race one his secured two 18th places in the two races on Sunday.
James Westmoreland - "I was thrown in the deep end a little bit this weekend but it was a great opportunity to ride with the Gearlink Kawasaki team on their Superbike. We made some changes and we did make some progress over the weekend. I would like to thank Norma and Michael for this opportunity."
Team Manager Michael de Bidaph - "It has certainly been a mixed weekend for us, everything started off really well on Friday with Supersport and the Superbike but it all went a little downhill after that.
It was a real shame for Glenn in the first race having a technical problem as this could have cost him second place in the Championship. It has been great to work with Glenn over the last couple of years and I am really pleased he has been given such a great opportunity in the Superbike class next year and we wish him all the luck. Ben and Luke also rode really well this weekend and all of them ended up with top ten results over the weekend.
It was good to have James Westmoreland with us for the final round, we made a lot of progress despite the lack of testing and dry track time and the results did not justify the effort James put in.
Lastly I would like to thank all our sponsors who have backed and supported us all season, without them we would not be able to go racing and we really appreciate all the help they give us."
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