By Dan Moakes
June 16 2012

Six races into the 2012 British Superbike Championship there had been six different race winners, but three of the most likely title contenders were starting to string together consistent podium results: Tommy Hill, Josh Brookes and Shane Byrne. Would any of them start to break clear with their performances at Snetterton in round four?

The circuit in Norfolk had been a relatively short one with long straights and mostly fast corners, but for 2011 had been revamped as Snetterton 300, with an added infield section and therefore more corners. The BSB race winners at the track, John Hopkins and Ryuichi Kiyonari, have both moved on, but most of the current regular front runners had experienced the new configuration a year earlier.

The qualifying session was a close one, with Brookes fastest by just 0.01s on the Tyco Suzuki, for his second pole position of the season. Michael Laverty was second on the grid, which was his first front row start since joining the Samsung Honda team. Third went to reigning champion Hill on the Swan Yamaha, and there was a first ever BSB front row start for WFR Honda’s Graeme Gowland, a former winner at Snetterton in the Supersport class - he was fourth.

Row two was led by Alex Lowes on a second WFR machine, with fifth being his best starting position for the season to date. Then it was Noriyuki Haga for Swan Yamaha, followed by the fastest Kawasaki runners, the two Rapid Solicitors-backed ZX-10Rs of Byrne (seventh) and Stuart Easton, with eighth the Scot’s best qualifying result since returning from injury. In ninth was Italian rider Luca Scassa on the Padgett’s Racing Honda.

Japanese motorcycles filled the leading grid positions, but as usual for 2012 there were BMW runners hot on their heels. For Supersonic Racing, Tommy Bridewell was tenth and Patric Muff was in P12, these two split by James Westmoreland (WFR Honda). P13 went to Jon Kirkham (Samsung Honda), from Michael Rutter (MSS Bathams Kawasaki), Alastair Seeley (Tyco Suzuki) and Chris Walker (Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki). Seeley was fresh from scoring wins at the North West 200 road races. Thruxton winner Ian Lowry (Padgett’s) would start from P19.

Snetterton
Form guide: BSB wins
Chris Walker · 1997, 2000
Shane Byrne · 2003, 2008
Josh Brookes · 2010, 2010
Michael Rutter · 2003

The main action took place in hot and dry conditions, with race one seeing Brookes get away in the lead, only to be quickly passed by Laverty, with Hill third then Haga, Lowes, Byrne, Easton, Gowland, Bridewell and Westmoreland. One of the infield left-handers saw an early crash for Kirkham, with both Seeley and John Laverty (Splitlath Redmond Aprilia) delayed by the incident. Easton was not due to last too long, making a couple of pit visits with electrical problems, the second time to retire.

Byrne was soon past Lowes to run fifth, behind the Yamaha team-mates, with leaders Laverty and Brookes looking to try and break away. ‘Shakey’ Byrne’s next victim was Haga, but by then there was a bit of a gap for him to make up behind Laverty, Brookes and Hill. However, soon enough he would have other worries as he was forced to tour into the pits with engine problems, making it a no-scoring race for the team. A crash involving Gowland, Scassa and Scott Smart (Moto Rapido Ducati) had already put those three riders in a similar position.

But there remained a three-way contest for the victory, which involved plenty of action at the left-right Esses, following on from the back straight, this now named Bentley. The two corners are now known as Brundle and Nelson, and after the straight Brookes arrived for the left-hander having passed Laverty, only for Hill to out-brake both of the leaders. However, Tommy and Josh both ran in deep for Nelson, such that Michael got back through into the lead and the order was restored.

Hill tried another approach in his efforts to take his second win of 2012, as he firstly overtook Brookes on the inside for the Agostini left-hander, a new corner which follows a short infield straight. His next move on Laverty into the Esses worked out without a hitch, and from there he eased away to become the first two-time winner of the season. At one point Brookes had to run wide to avoid the rear of Laverty’s machine, but before long he was back in range to get past on the inside for Riches Corner, the first right-hander. The Esses saw them again swap second place, with Michael regaining the advantage through the next right at the Bomb Hole, this time retaining P2 to the flag.

Byrne’s exit had left Haga and Lowes to contest fourth position, with the Englishman getting ahead on a track that was new to Noriyuki. The Yamaha rider then began to drop away, but in the late stages he charged on again, and the final left-right chicane, where Russell Bend has been reprofiled and is now called Murrays, saw some dramatic late-race action. Haga got the better exit on the last lap, moved to the right and used his momentum to pull ahead before the finish line - despite the efforts of Alex to stick his right elbow in the way!

There had also been a close battle behind them, after Bridewell disappeared from sixth position. Lowry had headed the pursuit, and then he was caught by Muff and Walker. Chris moved up to P7 with a move on the inside at Riches, and soon after he also passed Lowry - these two close across the finishing line, with Walker retaining the advantage. Gary Mason (Quattro Plant Kawasaki) had dropped out of P11, so that eighth finisher Muff was followed home by Barry Burrell, Dan Linfoot (both Buildbase BMW), Westmoreland, Luke Quigley (GBmoto Honda), Rutter, Tristan Palmer (GBmoto), Seeley, Aaron Zanotti (A-Plant Suzuki), John Laverty, Jenny Tinmouth (Hardinge Sorrymate.com Honda) and Abdulaziz Binladin (Moto Rapido Ducati).

For race two, the new grid based on fastest lap times saw Michael Laverty on pole, from Hill, Brookes, Byrne, Haga, Lowes, Scassa, Gowland, Bridewell, Walker, Muff, Lowry, Burrell, Linfoot, Westmoreland and Mason. Byrne got away in second, behind Laverty; but at the second corner, the right-handed Montreal hairpin, Shakey ran wide and deep on the brakes and was passed by Hill, Brookes and Scassa, continuing in front of sixth man Haga. Scassa lasted only a few more corners, crashing at the right-handed Williams bend, that feeds into the Bentley Straight, when the rear of his Honda slid away from him.

Initially this meant there was a bit of a gap behind the first three, with smaller margins between Laverty, Hill and Brookes. Byrne headed the pursuit, from Haga, Lowes, Bridewell, Walker, Lowry, Gowland, Easton, Quigley, Burrell, Muff and Westmoreland. Before long Byrne and Haga had caught Brookes, while the first two moved clear. Noriyuki passed Shane at Murrays, only for the Kawasaki rider to get him back into Riches. However, Haga would soon be out, crashing as the result of a slide at Murrays.

Hill’s chance at the double disappeared as his hand went up when technical problems struck the Yamaha, and this left Laverty out on his own at the front. By now, Byrne had gone past Brookes and started to ease away in second and, with Bridewell flung out of fourth place with a highside crash, the next rider was Lowes, followed by Walker. That was before Lowry and Gowland got in on the act, the Padgett’s rider taking over in P4 through the right-handed Coram Curve.

Walker had dropped back behind Gowland and Easton, and was heading Burrell until the BMW rider slowed to touring speed with a problem. Gowland therefore headed the contest for sixth until he caught and passed team-mate Lowes for fifth. The later stages saw Walker regain seventh place from his Kawasaki rival Easton, getting on the inside for Murrays. Westmoreland had advanced to ninth by that stage.

Laverty was the convincing winner, and became the seventh man on the top step of the podium after only eight races. The last lap had seen Brookes pushing Byrne for second in the first sector, but Shakey did enough thereafter to retain the position. Lowry was fourth, and team-mates Gowland and Lowes were close as they crossed the line to complete the top six. Then it was Walker, Easton, Westmoreland, Muff and Linfoot. Luke Quigley, a former Snetterton winner in Superstock, was twelfth again, for his best BSB weekend so far, heading Rutter, Kirkham, Smart, Seeley, Zanotti, John Laverty, Tinmouth and Palmer.

Michael Laverty had been a championship contender with both the TAS Suzuki and Swan Yamaha teams, and the Snetterton event marked a return to that kind of form for him with the Samsung Honda CBR1000RR; and it saw the team’s second win after Jon Kirkham’s success at Brands. Tommy Hill was the other main pace-setter, but his bike’s failure in race two saw him drop one point behind Josh Brookes on the Tyco Suzuki, with the Australian continuing to bag podium results almost every time out. Alex Lowes also had his best BSB weekend to date, whilst the only female rider ever to race in the series, Jenny Tinmouth, made her mark on the leaderboard for the first time with 18th and 19th places. Will she close in on the points next time?

Standings after eight races: Brookes 124; Hill 123; Byrne 108; M.Laverty 81; Lowry 74; Easton 66; Walker 65; Haga 55; Seeley 50; Bridewell 46; Kirkham 45; Westmoreland 42.
podium credits: Hill 12; Brookes and Byrne 8; M.Laverty 5; Kirkham, Lowry and Walker 3; Seeley and Haga 2; Rutter and Easton 1.

wins in 2012: Hill 2, Kirkham 1, Lowry 1, Brookes 1, Walker 1, Byrne 1, M.Laverty 1
Honda 3, Kawasaki 2, Yamaha 2, Suzuki 1