Eighth for Jentin at Thruxton
 The
Lloyds British Jentin Racing team secured a confidence building
eighth place at Thruxton this weekend (18th - 20th April),
rider Simon Andrews gained a strong top ten finish in the
Bennetts British Superbike Championship but was forced to
retire from the second race with a clutch problem.
Andrews started the season well at Brands Hatch a couple
of weeks ago and was unable to turn his strong qualifying
position into a race result after the race was cancelled due
to snow. Andrews carried on his form this weekend at Thruxton
and was consistently running within the top ten during free
practice and qualifying. He dropped to 13th on the grid in
the qualifying session after struggling slightly with grip
in the wet conditions. He was eager to achieve two strong
finishes in the two 20-lap races on his Yamaha R1.
He secured a fantastic start in race one and was sitting
in eighth place after the first lap and had managed to gain
five places. Andrews defended the position well and held off
the attacks from Michael Laverty and Stuart Easton and gained
a sturdy eighth place as he crossed the finish line. Race
two and Andrews did not manage to complete the first lap and
was forced to pull into the pits and sit the race out.
Andrews commented "I'm a bit gutted not to have been
able to get two good results as I was pleased with my first
race finish. I was really happy at Brands with the way everything
was going and was feeling confident when I came to Thruxton.
I really struggled with the Pirelli's through the weekend
at Thruxton with the changing weather conditions; I think
they just take a bit of getting used to and knowing how to
set the bike up accordingly to get the best out of them. I'd
never ridden in the wet on them and I was really surprised
at how much grip they gave me but I was a little wary on how
much I could push them. Hopefully things will be better at
Oulton in a couple of weeks time and we'll get some more good
results."
Team owner Bernie Toleman said "It's been quite a difficult
weekend for the team but we have definitely learnt a lot and
we now have more information to take to Oulton Park. It was
a shame about the clutch in the second race but it would be
nice to be back near the top end at Oulton and get some good
results under our belt. Thruxton is a very fast circuit and
I believe the eighth in race one was a good result as the
factory riders will always do well there, as they have that
little bit of extra power. Simon likes Oulton so hopefully
the team will be able to get two positive results there."
Race One Result
1, Shane Byrne, (Ducati)
2, Cal Crutchlow (Honda)
3, Michael Rutter (Ducati)
4, Leon Haslam (Honda)
5, Leon Camier (Ducati)
6, Tom Sykes (Suzuki)
7, James Ellison (Honda)
8, Simon Andrews (Jentin Racing / Lloyds British Yamaha)
9, Stuart Easton
10, Michael Laverty (Suzuki)
Championship Standings
1, Shane Byrne (Ducati) 45 pts
2, Cal Crutchlow (Honda) 45 pts
3, Michael Rutter (Ducati) 32 pt
4, Leon Camier (Ducati) 24 pts
5, Tom Sykes (Suzuki) 18 pts
6, James Ellison (Honda) 18 pts
7, Stuart Easton (Kawasaki) 17 pts
8, Michael Laverty (Suzuki) 17 pts
9, Leon Haslam (Honda) 13 pts
10, John Laverty (Ducati) 9 pts
11, Simon Andrews (Jentin Racing / Lloyds British Yamaha)
2008 Races
Round 2 - 18th - 20th April - Thruxton
Round 3 - 3rd - 5th May - Oulton Park
Round 1 - 10th - 11th May - Brands Hatch (Re-Run)
Round 4 - 24th - 26th May - Donington Park, Leics
Round 5 - 13th - 15th June - Snetterton, Norfolk
Round 6 - 27th - 29th June - Mallory Park
Round 7 - 18th - 20th July - Oulton Park, Cheshire
Round 8 - 8th - 10th August - Knockhill, Fife
Round 9 - 23rd - 25th August - Cadwell Park, Lincs
Round 10 - 12th - 14th September - Croft, North Yorkshire
Round 11 - 26th - 28th September, Silverstone, Northants
Round 12 - 10th - 12th October - Brands Hatch Indy, Kent
picture credit www.moto-photo.co.uk
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