For this latest round of the series there were yet more changes on the rider line-up front, with the HM Plant Honda team running their seventh different rider in BSB this season. Regular team leader Josh Brookes was back after his two round suspension, and his latest partner in place of injured Glen Richards was very familiar to the team. 26-year-old Ryuichi Kiyonari is these days a World Superbike racer, and indeed a race winner, but from 2004-07 he raced for HM Plant in Britain with 34 wins and two titles. Four of his wins were at Croft.

Another change was at the Hydrex Honda team, where Karl Harris had been replaced. The 29-year-old had been on the podium twice at Oulton Park, and three times qualified on the front row, but otherwise had not matched third overall team-mate Stuart Easton. In his place here was Tommy Hill, who earlier had ridden the Worx Crescent Suzuki effectively in a couple of BSB rounds. Karl found an alternative ride for Node 4 Yamaha.

Qualifying at Croft, a circuit with plenty of fast sections and a couple of slower ones, saw Camier take his eighth pole position of the season. Team-mate Ellison was fifth, the two Yamaha riders separated by a pair of Hondas plus one Kawasaki. The green machine was in P2, with Simon Andrews therefore securing his best start position to date, one better than at Cadwell, with the MSS Colchester bike. Easton was third and Brookes fourth.

Next to Ellison was Gary Mason, clearly leading the privateer Cup runners on the Quay Garage Honda. Then came Hill, on his first Hydrex outing, with eighth going to Ian Lowry for Relentless TAS Suzuki. The Motorpoint/Henderson Yamahas were next, with Graeme Gowland ahead of Chris Walker; followed by Kiyonari. John Laverty was in P12, from Julien da Costa, Peter Hickman, Atsu Watanabe, Tommy Bridewell, Sylvain Guintoli, and with Harris back in P19.

Then man who made the best start to race one was Easton, with Camier dropping to sixth. When they’d filtered their way through the first right-left chicane at Clervaux and immediate right Hawthorn Bend, Easton led Brookes, Ellison, Andrews, Walker, Camier, Mason, Hill, Kiyonari, da Costa (MSS Kawasaki), Hickman (Ultimate Yamaha), Lowry, Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki), Gowland, Tommy Bridewell (NB Suzuki), Guintoli (Worx Suzuki) and Tristan Palmer (Buildbase).

Lap two saw both Walker and Camier going past Andrews, only for Leon to run wide in his attempt and let Simon back through. Already the first three were beginning to pull away, leaving Walker, Andrews and Camier to fight over fourth. Tower Bend is a heavy braking right-hander following the longish back straight, and this turn saw Leon going through on the inside of Simon, but in fact he ran on straight, over the grass and almost reaching the ditch. By the time he was back on track he was well outside the points positions.

Easton led with a slight margin over the battle between Brookes and Ellison. Andrews was now fourth, from Walker, with ‘Kiyo’ having moved up to sixth. Ellison took second place with a move into the right-hander at the left-then-right Complex, before the final left Hairpin. Meanwhile some fast laps from Andrews made him into the next threat to Brookes. He went in front on the inside for the ‘In’ part of the double-right Sunny Corner. By now Palmer was out with his bike on fire.

Ellison tagged on behind Easton as they both moved clear of Andrews and Brookes. Kiyo was now up to fifth, with Walker dropping back from him. Behind, Mason led Lowry, Hill, da Costa, Hickman, Laverty, Gowland, Guintoli, Bridewell, Harris, Martin Jessopp (Riders Honda), Howie Mainwaring (Maxxis Yamaha) and Tom Tunstall (Hardinge Honda). Only then did Camier appear, but he was soon scything his way through the field, before long up to P14.

But Camier was not going to be adding another race win, and now it was between Easton and Ellison. Stuart was managing to ease open his margin of advantage over James, with third man Andrews going strongly but not in touch. Before Easton could feel safe for his first BSB win, the last lap saw Ellison close up again, but in the event he didn’t quite get close enough to try a pass. After six fourths, five thirds and five seconds, Stuart finally made it as a Superbike race winner.

Andrews had looked on target for his second podium appearance, in third, but then he crashed out. So HM Plant riders Brookes and Kiyonari were third and fourth, quite close together by the finish. Lowry passed Mason at Tower, then dealt with Walker to be fifth at the flag. But all the while Camier had been making progress. Successful moves included forcing through inside Gowland at the Hairpin, and on da Costa at Tower. He ultimately got past Mason and Hill as well to secure sixth.

Hill was seventh, with Mason eighth and the Cup race winner yet again. Then it was da Costa, Gowland, Hickman, Bridewell, Laverty, Harris, Mainwaring, Tunstall, Jessopp and Watanabe (Relentless). Neither Walker nor Guintoli made it to the finish.

Race two saw Brookes take the lead from the start, from Easton, with Camier quick to take third from Andrews. Mason was well up in fifth, with Hill about to pass Ellison for sixth. Then it was Kiyonari, Walker, Lowry, Gowland, da Costa and Bridewell. Kiyo passed Ellison at Tower Bend, but this didn’t last long as he soon made a mistake that dropped him back to 19th.

Up front, both Easton and Camier were quick to make moves past Brookes, with Andrews in touch as the first four began to pull clear of the rest. But soon the first two were showing better pace than all the rest. Leon overtook Stuart on the inside at Tower, with the Scot trying to get back through on the way out but failing. Camier made no mistakes in this race, and sure enough he now pulled clear into the lead, heading for another comfortable win.

Easton had no further challenge for second, and Brookes looked similarly safe in third after shaking off Andrews. But there was battling for the non-podium placings, with Mason just ahead of Hill and Ellison. James made up a spot going on the outside of Tommy out of the fast left-right Jim Clark Esses. He then went by Gary on the inside for Tower, with Hill soon to follow suit in passing Mason.

Andrews was joined by Ellison and Hill, with a small gap opening to Mason. Lowry had dealt with Walker to tag on as the leading Suzuki runner in eighth. Ellison moved up to fourth when he went to the outside of Andrews approaching Tower, pulling ahead so that he was in front when hitting the brakes. Soon James showed enough pace to get clear and start closing on Brookes. He was getting there by the last lap, but ended up fourth.

Andrews continued in fifth, just ahead of Hill. Lowry passed Mason at Tower to get up behind Tommy, but these guys then finished in unchanged order. Seventh place for Mason made sure of the 2009 Superbike Cup title, this being his 17th privateer win of the season. Eighth went to da Costa, from Laverty, Walker, Gowland, Guintoli, Bridewell, Hickman, Harris, Mainwaring, Kiyonari, Tunstall and Jessopp.

Leon Camier was given a lesson in racing flag signals as ‘punishment’ for his race two victory, which was a comment on his exclusion at Cadwell Park. With five races left to go in the 2009 championship, the only man who can now score enough to overtake Leon is James Ellison, which means Airwaves Yamaha are now certain of the title. They also won the constructors’ title at Croft.

But in many ways the more notable occurrence at Croft was the popular race one victory for Stuart Easton, after ten previous podium appearances and several spells in the lead. It was Honda’s first win in the series this year, the first ever in BSB for the Hydrex team, and the first for a Scot since Steve Hislop’s last success in September 2002. ‘Hizzy’ was Stuart’s mentor, of course, with both men being from Hawick. After Croft, Stuart had twelve BSB podium results to his name, all in this his second full BSB season. His recent team-mate Karl Harris also has twelve, but they come from a five-year spell in BSB racing. Will Easton be the man again at Silverstone?

Standings after twenty-one races: Camier 434.5; Ellison 335; Easton 303; Lowry 134; Brookes 131; Andrews 130.5; da Costa 128; Harris 122.5; Walker 117; Mason 110; Laverty 104.5; Richards 103.

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