BEST RESULT FOR RIZLA SUZUKI
 Torrential
rain at today's eighth round of the Bennetts British Superbike
Championship at Oulton Park failed to dampen the spirits of
Chris 'Stalker' Walker as he stormed to third place on the
podium, or of Cal Crutchlow as he recorded his career best
ever result of fifth.
Walker, starting from 11th on the grid at the 2.69-mile long
track, was always in contention for the podium in the opening
race, dicing for second right until the chequered flag - eventually
finishing third on the rostrum for just the second time in
2007. In the second race he was comfortable in third when
after nine-laps he ran on into a gravel trap and fell over.
He remounted and joined the race 11th, fighting his way back
to eighth by the end.
From seventh on the grid, Crutchlow went back as far as 14th
before getting the bit between his teeth and dragging himself
up to fifth in the opening race, his best ever result in a
British Superbike Championship event. In the second race his
rear wheel spun on the start-line and he was battling back
from 12th when forced to retire on lap three with an electrical
fault.
Honda's Ryuichi Kiyonari won the opening race and Jonathan
Rea the second.
Chris Walker:
"I am incredibly happy with my second podium result
of the season. My Rizla Suzuki was well prepared, I felt confident
with it and really enjoyed the race; it was great to be mixing
it at the front and just a shame I missed out on second place
by the smallest margin.
"I was in third in the second race when I pushed just
a little too hard into the final corner. I didn't crash but
ran into the gravel and then fell over. With a little help
from some friends I managed to get back on track and up to
eighth by the finish. It may have been wet but that was one
race I wish there had been another 10-laps so I could have
climbed even further back up the results sheet. Either way,
it's been a great weekend and a big thanks to Rizla Suzuki
and the fans for their support."
Cal Crutchlow:
"I have achieved my season's goal of a top six finish
and I am very happy about that. My pace was good, the Rizla
Suzuki performing well and it all just clicked. That's another
tick in the box for my career ambitions and now the podium
is my next target and I want it by the end of the season if
possible.
"In all honesty I think I could have made fifth in the
second race. My Rizla Suzuki was doing what I asked of it
and despite a poor start I was carving up through the field
when I lost power because of a minor electrical fault. That's
disappointing but overall I am delighted with my performance
today and can't wait to get racing again."
Simon Buckmaster - Team Manager:
"Well done to Chris for a very impressive podium in
the opening race and for showing immense determination and
courage in the second race to remount and fight back to eighth.
He showed his quality today and we liked what we saw.
"Congratulations to Cal on achieving his goal of the
top six just over half-way through the season. He was on course
for a second top six finish but a small electrical problem
robbed him of that. As he has done all season, he will continue
to improve and we are looking forward to seeing what he can
achieve.
"There's no rest for Rizla Suzuki as we are racing at
Mallory Park next weekend. We will go there on the back of
our best results of the year and with fire in our bellies
for a repeat performance or better. Well done to all of the
Rizla Suzuki team for their efforts.
"Finally, I'd like to thank former Team and Commercial
Manager Robert Wicks for all his work with the team for the
last two and half years. He is moving on to new challenges
but he will always be a member and friend of this team in
our eyes and we wish him all the best for his future career."
Race One Result:
1: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 31:03.104
2: Shane Byrne (Honda) +20.075
3: Chris Walker (Rizla Suzuki) +20.815
4: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +23.634
5: Cal Crutchlow (Rizla Suzuki) +29.967
6: Leon Camier (Honda) +42.345
7: Scott Smart (Kawasaki) +1:24.828
8: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +1:28.272
9: Ollie Bridewell (Suzuki) +1:32.318
10: Guy Martin (Honda) +1:43.863
Race Two Result:
1: Jonathan Rea (Honda) 24:33.750
2: Karl Harris (Honda) +12.103
3: Byrne +19.949
4: Haslam +26.780
5: Camier +29.256
6: Tom Sykes (Honda) +51.584
7: Michael Rutter (Kawasaki) +1:00.028
8: Chris Walker (Rizla Suzuki) +1:10.681
9: Ollie Bridewell (Suzuki) +1:13.025
10: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +1:14.807
DNF: Cal Crutchlow (Rizla Suzuki)
Championship Positions (after eight of 13 rounds):
1: Kiyonari 273
2: Rea 262
3: Haslam 231
4: Lavilla 226
5: Byrne 187
6: Camier 166
7: Sykes 148
8: Chris Walker (Rizla Suzuki) 128
9: Harris 99
10: Hill 94
11: Cal Crutchlow (Rizla Suzuki) 67
|
