Kawasaki Success in British Superbikes.!!

[MadKaw]

Success Across The Board In BSB Paddock For Kawasaki
Kawasaki teams and riders enjoyed considerable success and thrilled Kawasaki fans trackside at
Oulton Park in Cheshire over the May Bank Holiday British Superbike Championship race
weekend.
The third round of the British Superbike Championship was eagerly awaited with the anticipation of
exciting, close racing at the popular 2.7 mile undulating Cheshire venue boosted further by extra races
being added to the roster due to the need to run legs postponed from earlier in the season.
Lining up on the Superbike, Superstock and Supersport grids, Kawasaki riders displayed exceptional skill,
guile and determination recording what looks set to be recognised as the strongest overall finish across a
Superbike meeting for Kawasaki in recent memory.
Echoing the conditions of the past few years, the weather at Oulton Park over the three days of racing
was only consistent in its inconsistency with rain followed by sun then showers and, worst of all, damp,
patchy track conditions. None of this diminished the quality of the racing which favoured skilled and
experienced riders.
Highlight of the event was the crowd pleasing win by seasoned rider Chris “Stalker” Walker in Superbike
race two. Enjoying something of a renaissance in his long and successful career, the man behind the
newly launched Mallory Park Chris Walker Race school produced a copybook display of his own in
changeable conditions to best a hard charging Shane Byrne and head a remarkable Kawasaki 1-2 on the
podium and, at the same time, deliver the fledgling Pr1mo Bournemouth Kawasaki team their first ever
superbike win.
After the race Chris commented: "At the beginning of the season, I felt we'd perform strongly so to get a
win so early in the year is simply brilliant. We had a really good wet setting which meant I could ride hard
without overheating the tyres so fair play to all the boys in the team and it's thanks to them that I could
take the top step. I've genuinely surprised myself with my pace this year but the rules are playing into my
hands and with two more good top ten finishes. I couldn't have asked for any more from the weekend. It
was a long winter for me and a lot of people - friends, family, etc - have dug deep to get me back out onto
the grid so this win's for them. The team are brilliant and I'm enjoying my racing as much as ever so it's
been a dream weekend."
The seeds of success were actually sown in the first superbike race of the weekend. A good qualification
for Walker led to ninth on the starting grid and Kawasaki riders clustered together in the top ten at race
end securing a 7/8/9 finish for Walker, Byrne and Easton.
The race two win for Walker was on par with his outstanding World Superbike win in the wet at Assen
some years ago carving his way through the pack and holding former WSB race winner and British
Champion, Shane “Shakey” Byrne at bay on the final lap to cross the line with a 1.7 second margin.
For race three, the mood among Kawasaki riders was buoyant with Byrne relishing the conditions and
finally discovering a machine set up for his Rapid Solicitors PBM Racing Ninja ZX-10R that ideally suited
the changeable environment. Enjoying the sort of dominance displayed by Walker in the previous outing,
Byrne bested current British Superbike Champions, Tommy Hill, to take the top spot on the podium for the
first time this season. And, sharing the lime green spotlight on the podium, an increasingly fit Stuart
Easton posted his best result so far in 2012 with a confident third place.
The tidal wave of Kawasaki success at Oulton Park continued in the Superstock 1000 race. With series
leader Keith Farmer sidelined by a concussion that curtailed his weekend, the baton was with Ninja
returnee, Danny Buchan. Frustrated in the first two rounds of the season and struggling on another
manufacturer's machine, Essex born and bred Buchan declared himself “home once more” on the fast
and adaptable Ninja and in the company of his MSS Bathams Team Green pit crew.
Leading from a hectic start to finish of a red flagged finish, 19-year-old Buchan used experience gained as
a Team Green racing rookie to stunning effect, forcing his way to third in the Championship and promising
more to come now that he is once more at the handlebars of his favourite mount.

[yzr750]

looks like Brookes has put on a bit of weight