By Carly Rathmell
May 5 2004

Kieran Clarke had an impressive Easter weekend at round two of the British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch, gaining a 10th and 13th place. Weather conditions were varied throughout, ranging from drizzle and rain on Saturday, to dry but cold in Sunday qualifying and warm come Monday’s races. After his second race crash at Silverstone, he was looking to put those bad memories behind him and looking forward to getting back on the bike and competing amongst the world’s best Superbike riders. Good qualifying times throughout the weekend put him consistently in the top fifteen. Track temperatures were much warmer in the first qualifying session on Sunday, and he managed to gain himself a very comfortable fourteenth place on the grid.

A misfortune in the second qualifying session saw Kieran and his Colin Appleyard supported Yamaha R1 take a tumble. Oil on the track forced four riders to crash out at the same place. An impressive highside for the youngster saw him slightly injure his ankle and put an end to his qualifying session.

Competing on last year’s R1 model, Kieran placed himself in-between the two current factory Virgin Yamaha riders, Steve Plater and Tommy Hill, on the grid. Conditions had improved come race day, and Kieran was enthusiastic to ensure a good start and settle himself into a comfortable position. As the lights went green Kieran forced his way through the pack, narrowly missing the huge crash between Sean Emmett and Glen Richards after the first corner. The safety car was sent out whilst the crash was cleared up. This bunched the riders together and it was crucial that he got on the power as soon as the car pulled in.

Four laps later and the race was back on. A good restart and Kieran was away with them, dicing with Sam Corke, Jon Kirkham, Tommy Hill, Steve Plater and Dennis Hobbs for ninth place. A lap by lap battle ensued and every lap positions between the six swapped. Kieran had a slight moment at Surtees. He was so close to the back end of Jon Kirkham that he was forced to sit up and head across the grass, losing time but rejoining the pack without losing too many places.

It was the two former R6 cup riders, Hill and Clarke, that gradually began to pull a slight lead over Plater and Hobbs. Closing in on every lap, Kieran was looking right up the exhaust pipes of Hill but was unable to make the move on him before the chequered flag. Still - his best result to date and an extremely encouraging one at that.

Another impressive start in race two and it was another tight battle that followed. Making up three places in the first lap, Kieran was keen to improve on his first race result. Fighting throughout with Kirkham and Plater, Kieran had the upper hand on the factory Virgin Yamaha rider Plater until the last lap, when Plater made a brave move over the young 19-year-old. Kieran was only 0.2 of a second behind Plater as they crossed the line.

Speaking with Clarke he commented, “It’s been another good weekend for me. I’m learning new things every time I go out on the bike. It’s a big step from the R6 but it’s still racing and it’s what I enjoy most. The bike’s working great and I’m realising that I can still get a lot out of it. It is just a time thing to realise the full potential of the Yamaha and running on slicks. All last year I was on standard road tyres so it is certainly very different. The more I’m on the bike the happier I feel with things. I feel I’m progressing at each meeting and very happy to have scored double points at Brands. The bikes should work well at Snetterton in a couple of weeks’ time, so I will be hoping for another good result there.”

Team Owner Colin Appleyard said, “It’s only Kieran’s second meeting on board the Superbike and he’s done very well. It’s very encouraging to get a top ten finish and points for the team this early into the season. As the year progresses I’m confident that things will only get much better.”

The next round of the Think! British Superbike Championships is at Snetterton on the 25th April.