The rapidly changing face of British Superbike racing of late has taken most of the top riders in recent years on to bigger things in World Championship competition. For 2009, that meant the absence of Shane Byrne, Leon Haslam, Cal Crutchlow and Tom Sykes. Between them, this quartet had won 20 of the 24 races in 2008, and no BSB race winners from 2006-07 were due to be on the grid for the new season. Leon Camier (with three wins last year) and Michael Rutter (one) were the only recent winners to stay on in the series, but they would be joined by former winners Chris Walker and Steve Plater.

This seemed to suggest a somewhat inexperienced line-up of riders for 2009, but other seasoned and/or front-running BSB riders to appear would include Karl Harris, Glen Richards, Gary Mason, James Ellison and Stuart Easton; and those joining the party for the first time included some home and overseas riders with proven high level experience - in Supersport, Superbike, Endurance and even Grands Prix. Significantly, French rider Sylvain Guintoli was a MotoGP rider just last year, and with a best result of fourth in Japan the year before that.

Despite the exit of top riders, perhaps the biggest change for the series was with the championship winning team. GSE Racing had been competing with Ducati machinery for a decade, taking four British titles, most recently backed by Airwaves, and a couple of WSB wins. But after a great 2008 with the 1098R, GSE/Airwaves opted to switch to Yamaha for this season. There have only been five BSB race wins for Yamaha since 1998, although the R1 has been on top 17 times in the last four years of WSB racing. The NW200 team have also switched to Yamaha, meaning that Ducati, with 46 race wins over the years 2005-08, are not represented in the current field.

Last year’s top teams were Airwaves Ducati, HM Plant Honda and Rizla Suzuki. This year, Airwaves Yamaha retain 22-year-old Leon Camier and bring in 28-year-old James Ellison, whose best result last year was second. HM Plant Honda had opted for an all-Australian rider line-up, which meant 35-year-old Glen Richards and 25-year-old Joshua Brookes. Richards has raced in the UK since 1998, and raced BSB in 2002-06. He was fourth in 2003, and his best qualifying and race results have been second places. The last two years have brought him British titles in Superstock and Supersport.

Brookes has WSB experience and won his national Superbike title in 2005, but is better known for his World Supersport performances, with a couple of race wins. However, after helping develop the Honda in off-season testing, Josh had to return to Australia when it turned out that his visa was not in order. Experienced BSB rider Steve Plater (36), who is racing in the British Supersport series this year, was brought in at short notice to fill-in until the Brookes situation can be resolved.

The Suzuki line-up has been reshuffled this year, with Atsushi Watanabe moving across to the secondary Relentless team after a disappointing first season in the UK. That team has expanded to run two men this time, with former R6 Cup and British Supersport race winner Ian Lowry their other rider. The long standing Crescent Suzuki team, with Rizla title sponsorship since 2002, therefore becomes a one man operation, with Sylvain Guintoli (26) the rider in question. His greatest successes to date have been in 250cc racing, running an Aprilia in GPs before his two years in the top class. That team becomes Worx Crescent Suzuki.

Rob McElnea’s long standing Yamaha BSB team, which ran bikes in the red of Virgin Mobile from 2000 to 2007, expands again for 2009 with new sponsors Motorpoint/Henderson. Chris Walker (37) is back from a WSS/WSB year, still looking for a BSB title after finishing second four times. He last raced for Rob Mac with the Cadbury’s Boost Yamaha in 1997. His team-mate is Graeme Gowland, a Supersport rider who won the Spanish title with a Honda in 2007. Also under the McElnea umbrella now is the North West 200 team, with ‘veteran’ 26-race winning rider Michael Rutter (37) still on the team.

Hydrex Honda have picked up Karl Harris (29) and Stuart Easton (24). Karl was serially unlucky on the unsponsored blue McElnea Yamaha last year, but managed third place once; and Stuart had a best of fifth on a Kawasaki. His former MSS Colchester team have brought in Simon Andrews (26), who also had a best of fifth last year. He is joined by French rider Julien da Costa (27), a double Endurance World Champion with Suzuki. Julien won his national Superbike title in 2004, moving over here at the end of that year and racing several times in BSB in 2005 - with a best of fifth for MSS Kawasaki.

Jon Kirkham (24) joins the (Jentin) Lloyds British Yamaha team in place of Andrews, having made a good impression with a Yamaha in the last meeting of 2008. The Buildbase team with which John Laverty (26) won the 2008 privateer Cup trophy, in partnership with NW200 Ducati, moves into the main championship this year to run Laverty and Tristan Palmer (26) on Kawasakis. Laverty’s best overall race result last year was eighth, and Palmer’s was sixth. Jason O’Halloran continues with SMT Honda; Aaron Zanotti continues with Red Viper Honda; David Johnson continues with Team MAXXIS Branson, now running a Yamaha.

Gary Mason (29) is likely to continue as the pace setter among the Cup ranks, after re-joining the series a few races into 2008 with Quay Garage Honda. Also continuing are Tom Tunstall (Hardinge Doodson Honda), Martin Jessopp (Riders Racing Honda), Peter Hickman (Ultimate Racing Yamaha), Brian McCormack (MAR Kawasaki), Kenny Gilbertson (JX Fuelcard Kawasaki) and Chris Burns (STP - JHS Racing MV Agusta), with the latter joined by rookie Victor Cox. Also new to the BSB Cup are Matt Bond (MIST Suzuki), Tim Bourne (Kent Holiday Cottages Honda) and Alastair Fagan (Red Viper Honda).

Which brings us on to round one, taking place on the short Brands Hatch Indy circuit. Qualifying showed that the Hondas were looking good, followed by the many Yamahas, but it was the lone Worx Suzuki that came out quickest. For his first race at the circuit, Guintoli secured pole position with the latest GSX-R1000 bike, which had benefited from some development work by Suzuki man and former champion John Reynolds. The HM Plant and Hydrex Hondas were also prominent, with Plater second, Richards sixth, Easton third and Harris fourth. Easton has been a multiple winner at Brands in Supersport.

Yamaha’s men were led by fifth placed Camier, and the R1 took places seven to ten with riders Ellison, Gowland, Walker and Kirkham, with bike numbers 7, 8, 9 and 10 in that order! Rutter’s Yamaha, with Coca-Cola Zero sponsorship, was in P13, and Honda riders Mason (P12) and O’Halloran (P14) were either side of him. Kawasaki got in on the act with Laverty (eleventh), Andrews (15th) and da Costa (16th).

Race one saw the Hydrex men get away well, even though both Easton and Harris had needed to swap to their number two bikes. Stuart led, and Karl quickly passed Plater for second, only for this situation to be reversed. Richards was fourth, from Camier, with Guintoli dropping to sixth, ahead of Mason, Ellison and Rutter. However, the safety car soon had to be put out, due to a crash involving Tunstall and Bond - the latter hurt his foot in the incident. Richards had also got by Harris before this.

After the restart, Easton led Plater and Richards, with the HM Plant machines swapping places as Glen passed Steve into Paddock Hill Bend, the first downhill right-hander. Harris and Guintoli followed, with Camier re-passing Mason behind them. Leon was the fastest man at this stage, but the man moving up was Richards, who took the lead from Easton, again on the inside at Paddock. Richards soon led Easton, Plater, Guintoli, Camier and Harris, with a gap opening to Mason and the rest.

Plater now put his experience to good use as he went quickest and then passed Easton at Paddock. His next move took him into the lead, with the inside line for the slow looping Druids right-hander getting him by Richards. Camier had just passed Guintoli at Paddock, but the Frenchman fought back and then got ahead of Easton - and when the HM Plant Hondas changed places, Sylvain was in place for the left at Surtees and went in front of Glen. Seconds later Camier got inside Easton for the right curve of McLaren-Clearways-Clark, moving ahead out of the second of those linked bends and into the third one.

Half race distance saw Camier passing Richards, again with the inside at McLaren bend. Unfortunately, last minute Superbike recruit Plater was about to have his spell in the lead end. Braking for Druids, Steve got the rear of his Honda sliding, and then managed to have the thing fold under him in the turn. His race ended in the gravel, and at the same time Camier also visited that location, having run wide in the corner avoiding other bikes in the group. He carried on but had lost places.

This all left a three-man leading group, with Guintoli from Richards and Easton, and a gap back to the next guys. Ellison had passed Mason and Andrews to be in what was now fourth, and Camier had resumed behind James and Gary and ahead of Simon. The later laps saw Guintoli and Richards pulling away from Easton, who secured a lonely third and his first Superbike podium, with Sylvain also easing ahead of the first Honda to take the win on his series début. Glen matched his best BSB finish on his first full factory outing, and it was his tenth podium visit in all.

Camier overtook Mason, and sure enough he got past team-mate Ellison with the trademark inside line at McLaren. Although Leon was fastest of the Yamaha men and started to pull away, he couldn’t do enough to catch the first three. Ellison, Mason and Andrews were followed home by O’Halloran, Gowland, Palmer, da Costa, Laverty (who’d dropped back from P9), Lowry, Walker and Kirkham, with Rutter having disappeared by this stage.

The Hydrex riders were back on their race bikes for race two, and again it was Easton who led, with Harris quickly past Plater into second. Walker made one of his typical good starts to go sixth, behind Richards and Guintoli, but Camier then went past Chris. Rutter, Mason and Ellison followed. Guintoli looked to attack Richards for fourth, but Camier used his favourite move at McLaren to overtake the French rider.

The first six were soon clear of Walker and the rest, and now Richards went ahead of Harris with a move on the inside at Paddock. This left Karl open to another pass, with Camier going through on the inside at Druids. Easton was starting to get away in the lead, but Camier passed Richards on the inside at McLaren and, fighting off Glen’s reply at Paddock, Leon then dealt with Plater and chased up to Stuart. Before he could do anything about the Scot, McCormack had crashed at Druids.

Easton and Camier led, with a gap back to the next group of Plater, Richards and Guintoli, with Harris losing touch now. The lead changed when Leon used his familiar inside line through McLaren-Clark and he was ahead at two-thirds distance. From here, his lead began to extend, whilst Easton’s second place became less secure as he was closed in from behind.

Guintoli went past Richards for fourth, then got into a battle with Plater for third. Sylvain overtook on the inside into Paddock Hill Bend, but Steve took it back on the outside on the way out. At Druids hairpin the Suzuki man passed on the inside, but again he went wide and the Honda was back to third. Another swap-swap at Paddock was followed by a decisive change - Plater was wide at Druids and Guintoli had got through by Graham Hill Bend.

Camier was now on his own in the lead. Guintoli passed Easton for second, with Plater and Richards still close behind. With the finish getting near, the last change at the front came when Plater passed Easton for third at Paddock, defending from the Hydrex rider at Druids. Camier was the clear winner, from Guintoli, Plater, Easton, Richards and Harris. For Steve Plater this was his first BSB podium since October 2005.

Ellison had come through on Rutter, Mason and Walker to finish seventh. Rutter was out of the reckoning at the end, so Walker and Mason headed da Costa, Andrews, O’Halloran, Laverty, Palmer and Gowland. Gary Mason made it two wins from two in the Cup class, again mixing it with the championship contenders on the same Honda he’d raced in 2008.

Sylvain Guintoli led the British Superbike series at his first attempt, with the Worx Crescent Suzuki clearly looking like a contender along with the Airwaves Yamahas and HM Plant Hondas, and with Hydrex Honda next in line. Perhaps it’s too early to decide on a definite title favourite, but there are a few men who will be in with a shout, based on this showing. Maybe Steve Plater will be one of them, if he’s scored well by the time Josh Brookes can join in. After all, the 2005 title was won by a substitute rider who just kept on racing. Time will tell.

Standings after two races: Guintoli 45; Camier 38; Richards 31; Easton 29; Ellison 20; Mason 17; Plater 16; Andrews 14; O’Halloran 12; da Costa 11.

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