By Carly Rathmell
August 31 2003

Dean Ellison and the D&B Firepower Ducati Team suffered a few set backs this weekend. Dean, still competing aboard the four-year old 996 Ducati, struggled with set-up all weekend and could only master himself to eleventh in the final grid positions. A mechanical failure in race one forced Dean to retire in the early stages, leaving him to sit out the race and watch the others battle it out between themselves. Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne took the win and was crowned 2003 British Superbike Champion two races prior to the final round.

By race two Dean was keen to get back out on track. Racing on his number two bike, Dean was locked in a tight battle with Hawk Kawasaki rider Lee Jackson and TDB Appleyard Yamaha rider Jon Kirkham. Pulling a slight edge from Jon, Dean and Lee were side by side for the full 18 lap race. Lee got the slight advantage on the last lap, crossing the line 0.2 quicker than Dean. Dean finished a creditable tenth place and gained some valuable championship points.

Commenting, Dean said “We’ve had a few problems with the bike this weekend. We are still running the same bikes that we were running before Firepower came on board. It’s been a tough season for me and the whole D&B Team, and we are looking forward to next year now. I’m gutted not to have scored points in the first race but I got stuck in come race two and had a decent battle with Lee. But he finally got the better of me as we crossed the line.”

With only two rounds remaining in the 2003 British Superbike season, Dean still remains focused on the job in hand and is confident as he heads to the final rounds. Dean will ensure he pushes himself forward and has high hopes for the future.