Weekly Motorsport Round-Up #23
Our FUCHS Silkolene riders enjoyed a sizzling Silverstone Showdown decider on the weekend.
It was the last round of the British Superbikes Championship before the Showdown starts this weekend at Oulton Park.
Only those in the top six places have a chance to clinch the title.
Five-times British Superbikes champion Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne confirmed his place in the Showdown after the first race at Silverstone – despite not finishing.
In terrible conditions with standing water on the track, Shakey hit the corner a fraction too fast in the first outing and ended up upside down in the gravel.
There was, however, still plenty to celebrate for the PBM BeWiser Ducati team, as Glenn Irwin took his maiden BSB victory, coming home a commanding 3.4 seconds ahead of Josh Brookes.
“I always believed I could win a BSB race this year and my injury came at the worst possible time, but to finally win one is a mega feeling,” said Irwin.
Kent racer Shakey hit back in race two with a hard-fought P3 to claim a valuable Podium Point despite using his unfavoured harder rear tyre.
Conditions was atrocious for race three and no fewer than 16 racers crashed out – including Shakey and Irwin.
The results mean Shakey has a slender lead over Leon Haslam going into the final five races. It really is all to play for.
Also in the Showdown mix is Peter Hickman of the Silkolene-sponsored Smiths Racing BMW team.
A P9 and a P8 were enough to seal Hickman’s place in the top six, despite not finishing the third race. Anything is now possible for the 30-year-old from Burton-upon-Trent.
Elsewhere, there was bitter disappointment for Revolution Speedway and Jack Parkinson-Blackburn as they travelled to the Czech Republic for the FIM 250cc World Championship Final.
A whole year of planning, preparation, investment and testing had gone into the build-up of what was arguably the race team’s most anticipated event to date.
The team felt full of confidence after the practice sessions and Parkinson-Blackburn made a good start in heat one of the semi, sitting a comfortable second behind title favourite, Sweden’s Philip Hellstrom Bangs.
But then disaster struck as going in the second lap he spun the bike on the greasy track surface, falling awkwardly and dislocating his shoulder.
Team director Rob Painter said: “We’re all hugely sad and disappointed to be going home but the whole experience has been fantastic. We are already looking forward to next year.”
For the second time this season, the Mintex MSA British Historic Rally Championship and the FUCHS Lubricants R.A.C. Historic Asphalt Championship come together on the same event, this time for the Rally Isle of Man from Thursday to Saturday.
The FUCHS Lubricants R.A.C. Historic Asphalt Rally Championship is organised by the Roger Albert Clark Rally Motor Club and is a dedicated asphalt championship for all categories of historic stage rally cars.
Rounds five and six of the asphalt championship will run to the same double-header format as the BHRC on the famous Isle of Man event and the overall title could be decided if island experts Dessie Nutt/Geraldine McBride (Porsche 911) take one more maximum score to add to the four they have taken across the opening four rounds. However, an event maximum on this event for Roger Moran (BMW M3) would also give him a perfect score, so it is possible that there will be joint champions at the end of the season.
Aiming for overall R.A.C. victory on the rally will be three crews in very rapid Ford Escort Mk2s. Neil Williams from West Wales in his Escort Mk2 is also registered for the BHRC, as is Rob Smith/Alun Cook and it was Smith who narrowly took top points last time out on Epynt. Meanwhile, Guy Woodcock is always rapid on the island and will want to make up for last year’s non-finish when major engine dramas sidelined him late in the rally.
More rapid Ford Escort Mk2 crews are Barry Stevenson-Wheeler/John Pickavance and brothers Simon and Alister Crook, while a second of the magnificent BMW M3s will be in hands of Paul Smith/Tudor Jenkins. This will be Smith’s first taste of closed road rallying after tackling two Epynt rallies earlier this summer.
Lyndon Barton and Simon Hunter are out in their Ford Escort while some wonderful variety is found in Category 1 as Nutt’s Porsche 911 is joined by the MG Midget of Bob Seager and the Saab 96 of Nick Pinkett/Hugh Myers. After this event, the Fuchs R.A.C. season concludes on the Jersey Rally in mid-October.
Rally Isle of Man will be based at the TT grandstands in Douglas. The first car will start at 3pm on Thursday (September 14) and arrive at the finish at around 2pm on Saturday after around 150 miles of competitive action.
Meanwhile, Robert Burkinshaw, of RBMotorsport, enjoyed a decent weekend at Anglesey in the CNC Heads Sports/Saloon Championship.
Burkinshaw’s Honda Integra finished second in race one – first in class with a new Class ‘E’ lap to boost – behind Oliver Thomas’ Subaru.
That was followed up with a P9 in the second race of the meeting.
This weekend, karting king Freddie Housley heads to Scotland for round six of the British Championships, while Adam Morgan is back in BTCC action at Silverstone.
