BSB culture shock

I wonder when McWilliams last raced on the Brands Indy circuit? 20 years
ago?

2nd free practice.
1 - Ryuichi KIYONARI - Honda - HM Plant Honda - 45.974
2 - Leon HASLAM - Ducati - Airwaves Ducati - 46.288
3 - Karl HARRIS - Honda - www.honda-racing.co.uk - 46.309
4 - Michael RUTTER - Honda - HM Plant Honda - 46.354
5 - Jeremy McWILLIAMS - Honda - Stobart Honda - 46.374
6 - Sean EMMETT - Yamaha - Virgin Mobile Samsung - 46.459
7 - Glen RICHARDS - Kawasaki - Hawk Kawasaki - 46.629
8 - Scott SMART - Suzuki - Rizla Suzuki - 46.654
9 - Gregorio LAVILLA - Ducati - Airwaves Ducati - 46.677
10 - John McGUINNESS - Yamaha - AIM Racing - 46.858
11 - Danny BEAUMONT - Honda - Team JJL Racing - 46.877
12 - Gary MASON - Honda - Stobart Honda - 47.094
13 - Tommy HILL - Yamaha - Virgin Mobile Samsung - 47.176
14 - Dean THOMAS - Kawasaki - Hawk Kawasaki - 47.211
15 - Jonathan REA - Honda - Red Bull Honda - 47.276

21 - John REYNOLDS - Suzuki - Rizla Suzuki - 47.674

Reynolds has a special boot on his broken leg from all of 5 weeks ago.
Must. Not. Fall. Off.

And Lavilla on a Ducati subbing for James Haydon? That must be weird.

Yamaha are allegedly running a big bang motor by altering the cam and
ignition timing. 1-2, 3, 4, pause.

 

Combined qualifying.

1 - Leon HASLAM - Ducati - Airwaves Ducati - 46.003 - 45.784
2 - Ryuichi KIYONARI - Honda - HM Plant Honda - 45.827 - 45.924
3 - Scott SMART - Suzuki - Rizla Suzuki - 46.282 - 45.939
4 - Sean EMMETT - Yamaha - Virgin Mobile Samsung - 46.010 - 46.165
5 - Gregorio LAVILLA - Ducati - Airwaves Ducati - 46.271 - 46.055
6 - Michael RUTTER - Honda - HM Plant Honda - 46.125 - 46.061
7 - Glen RICHARDS - Kawasaki - Hawk Kawasaki - 46.064 - 46.087
8 - Karl HARRIS - Honda - www.honda-racing.co.uk - 46.115 - 46.232
9 - Jeremy McWILLIAMS - Honda - Stobart Honda - 46.814 - 46.286
10 - Gary MASON - Honda - Stobart Honda - 46.349 - 46.328
11 - Dean THOMAS - Kawasaki - Hawk Kawasaki - 46.708 - 46.386
12 - John REYNOLDS - Suzuki - Rizla Suzuki - 46.759 - 46.398
13 - Tommy HILL - Yamaha - Virgin Mobile Samsung - 46.534 - 46.751
14 - John LAVERTY - Honda - Vitrans Racing - 47.261 - 46.580
15 - John McGUINNESS - Yamaha - AIM Racing - 46.841 - 46.770

GSE-Airwaves-Ducati on pole. Sean Emmett on the front row. Top 15
covered by one second. 4 different manufacturers on the front row and
all 5 in the top 7.

Looks like being a fun day. Let's hope it doesn't rain. Forecast is for
15 deg C and sunshine.

 

I couldn't believe the sound of the virgin R1's, they sound just like a
ducati with the new firing order, I had to
check out what I was seeing/hearing, really strange listening to that, is
this the end of the four cylinder sound
as we know it???

Phil

 

The Brands Indy circuit is a club racing track. Unfortunately there's a
bunch of rich bastards who live within earshot of the back of the GP
circuit. And they moan a lot if it gets used too often. Sound familiar?
Since the circuit has been there for getting on for 100 years now, I've
never understood why you would buy a house that close a racing circuit
if you weren't into it.

Isn't there at least one US track with a very short lap time? One of
those coned off parking lots inside an oval?

 

The sun shone. 50,000 people turned up. The racing was good. Yeah, what
else is new.

 

Then you'll know that BSB has 2 dates at Brands. One on the Indy circuit
and one on the GP circuit.

OBendurance. I wish we could manage a 24 hour race in the UK to rival
the ones on the continent. Something like combining 24 hours of
Donington with the Monsters of Rock. Motorhead at 3am seems entirely the
right accompaniment. Unfortunately, I don't think we can stomach that
sort of mayhem any more.

 

- Mamola was there along with Shakey Byrne.
- Shakey said over the Tannoy that the KR-KTM deal still wasn't
finalised. But nearly. I'm sure they'll be at the first MotoGP.
- Jonathan Palmer said they thought 50-60,000 people over the three
days.
- Lavilla was seriously fast and also seriously out of shape. He was
spinning up and getting sideways out of Druids every lap.
- The big bang Yamaha-R1s sound seriously strange. Like a Ducati but
smooth without the pulses.
- Emmett shouldn't have been out there so a pair of 5th places is pretty
good. He fell in practice and had 15 stitches in an elbow.
- Rutter said he picked the wrong tyre for the first race. He was faster
in the second.
- Kiyonari still hasn't learnt any English at all. His interview was
something of a joke. Okada was there and received the team trophy for
Honda. But his riding was superb. He looked completely "on it".
- Reynolds salvaged 2 9ths. Could have been worse I guess.
- Scott Smart screwed up big time. He touched someone (McWilliams?) at
the bottom of Graham Hill and went straight on. In the second race he
was a bit subdued and only just beat Reynolds.
- Haslam had a near high side, again at the bottom of Graham Hill. He
claims he landed on the kill switch! That's a clever trick.
- McWilliams and the Stobart-Hondas need more speed. In the second race
he tried a move on Wren (last year's R6 cup winner now on Virgin-Yamaha)
that didn't come off and they fell right in front of us at the exit of
Cooper straight and beginning of Clearways. Lots of extreme violence but
both just picked themselves up and walked away.
- The Supersports guys are nuts. Some really aggressive moves from
Vincent and Easton as they tried to get past the back markers. That's a
real problem with a 45s lap.
- Rob Frost was out again and pretty quick but he's up to his old ways.
He got a little sideways trying to get past someone in mid Clearways. I
don't know who's fault it was but they were both off and immediately up
and pushing and shoving each other.
- If the Supersports guys are nuts, the R6 Cup was mental. There's
nothing like putting a load of 17-18 year olds on fast bikes and giving
them a big carrot. The winner (?) was really fast and smooth until he
got in the backmarkers. Then he started getting really ragged. There was
some scary overtaking back in mid pack.

So.
- The HRC Hondas and Karl Harris look to be ready.
- If Emmett can keep his head together, he's got the bike.
- Bad day for Suzuki. But Reynolds' body will mend and Scott Smart will
work it out.
- The Airwaves (GSE) Ducatis are fast enough. Haslam will do better this
year. Who knows about Haydon. His wrist will get better but I don't know
if he can do it.
- Richards is finally fit. And the Kawasaki is fast. Expect him to
continue what Scott Smart started last year.
- The private bikes like the Stobart Hondas have got work to do.
McWilliams should be the class of the field, but they've barely started
on the bikes.
- And the depth of the field is impressive. In the past top privateer in
the Supercup has been able to get 6th or so in the championship. I
figure they'll be lucky to get 10th this year.

On to Thruxton. The high speeds and open spaces there always produce
good racing.

 

He had a coming together with Karl Harris in the first race while in
about 5th. hurt his back in the process. I the 2nd race there wasn't
much between him and Reynolds and they finished 8th and 9th.

BSB races on the GP circuit near the end of the season.

 

What, like this: http://www.krcendurance.co.uk/24-hourrace.html ?

25/26 June, at Snetterton. The first ever 24 hour motorcycle race in
the UK (or so I'm lead to believe). And I'll be riding in it!