The Hydrex Honda team raced in three different classes at Oulton Park, Karl Harris was in Superbike as usual, Guy Martin took on the Supersport class in preparation for the North West 200 and Allan Jon Venter ran in Superstock on the PSM back machine.
Harris loves racing at Oulton Park and was hoping for strong top six results, he qualified in ninth place and finished race one in the same position. “Race one was going good but we had a real problem with chatter which we didn’t manage to solve all weekend. We did what we could but it didn’t solve the problem. It happened when we were mid corner and trying to get on the gas, it started to push the front and set off the chatter,” he said.
As for race two, well that ended in the gravel when Leon Camier and Harris had a coming together as Harris explains, “Race two was going better and then Leon Camier took me out. He hit me full on and just washed out the front end. So it was all a bit of a downer really as we had been running in about sixth place when that happened.” He is now looking ahead to Snetterton where he hopes he will have better luck.
Martin took his 600 Supersport machine out on track in anger for the first time this year and pulled in a superb eleventh place finish having qualified in eighteenth place. “I was twenty second at the start of the first lap but at the end of the race I was up to eleventh!” he grinned, “It was my first time on that bike so I’m pleased with how things went. I wasn’t sticking my neck out as I want to make sure everything is ok for the TT. It was lacking a bit out of the corners but it handles like a dream so I’m really looking forward to the North West on it now.”
The final member of the team, AJ, had to learn the challenging Oulton Park circuit. He qualified in twenty seventh and finished twenty second. “This is a crazy track and it is a rider’s track so everyone who has experience goes well here. Qualifying was wet and dry so it was hard work. If it had been full wet or full dry we would have been fine,” he explained.
Despite the lowly result he made big improvements in his lap times, “I went faster each session that I was out on track and improved by 1.5secs. In the race the first corner was just crazy; everyone was bumping into each other. I got boxed in but my lap times improved so that was good. I’m looking forward to Snetterton as I’ve tested there so I know the track and we had good settings. I’m now going to the North West 200 to support Guy.”
The fifth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship and the Metzeler National Superstock Championship will take place on the 18th – 20th May at Snetterton.
British Superbikes - Oulton Park Race One Result
1 - Gregorio Lavilla - Ducati - Airwaves Ducati - 27.29.245
2 - Leon Haslam - Ducati - Airwaves Ducati - 27.29.464
3 - Ryuichi Kiyonari - Honda - HM Plant Honda - 27.29.749
4 - Jonathan Rea - Honda - HM Plant Honda - 27.31.088
5 - Tom Sykes - Honda - Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport - 27.31.358
6 - Shane Byrne - Honda - Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport - 27.31.750
7 - Cal Crutchlow - Suzuki - Rizla Suzuki - 27.38.55
8 - Leon Camier - Honda - Honda - 27.40.769
9 - Karl Harris - Honda - Hydrex Honda -
27.48.337
10 - Tommy Hill - Yamaha - Virgin Media Optoma Loans - 27.55.421
British Superbikes - Oulton Park Race Two Result
1 - Ryuichi Kiyonari - Honda - HM Plant Honda - 27.33.097
2 - Leon Haslam - Ducati - Airwaves Ducati - 27.35.274
3 - Shane Byrne - Honda - Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport - 27.36.660
4 - Gregorio Lavilla - Ducati - Airwaves Ducati - 27.37.138
5 - Jonathan Rea - Honda - HM Plant Honda - 27.40.500
6 - Tom Sykes - Honda - Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport - 27.40.761
7 - Tommy Hill - Yamaha - Virgin Media Optoma Loans - 27.40.883
8 - Leon Camier - Honda - Honda - 27.46.957
9 - Chris Walker - Suzuki - Rizla Suzuki - 28.04.460
10 - Dean Thomas - Suzuki - Samsung Superbike Team - 28.05.490
DNF Karl Harris
British Supersport - Oulton Park Race Result
1 - Dennis Hobbs - Honda - Padgetts Motorcycles
2 - Ian Lowry - Suzuki - Relentless Suzuki by TAS
3 - Michael Laverty - Suzuki - Relentless Suzuki by TAS
4 - Guy Sanders - Kawasaki - Gearlink Racing
5 - John McGuinness - Honda - Padgetts Motorcycles
6 - Tom Grant - Yamaha - Virgin Media Yamaha
7 - Sam Owens - Honda - Premier Motorsport
8 - Paul Young - Triumph - Paul Young Racing
9 - Jamie Robinson - Honda - Margal
10 - Stuart Easton - Kawasaki - Isilon MSS Discovery Kawasaki
11 - Guy Martin - Honda - Hydrex Honda
National Superstock - Oulton Park Race Result
1 - Howie Mainwaring - MV Agusta - X-Bikes MV Agusta
2 - Glen Richards - Yamaha - Embassy Racing
3 - Lee Jackson - Yamaha - Krystal Racing/Space Air
4 - Ben Wilson - Suzuki - Windmill Suzuki
5 - Luke Quigley - Suzuki - PDM Racing
6 - Kieran Murphy - Suzuki - Goldstar Suzuki
7 - John Laverty - Ducati - Buildbase Ducati
8 - Adam Jenkinson - Suzuki - Rocket Centre Racing
9 - Matt Whitman - Yamaha - Team STP Racing
10 - Gareth Glynn - Yamaha - Raceways Yamaha
11 - Kieran Clarke - Ducati - Buildbase Ducati
12 - Martin Buckles - MV Agusta - X-Bikes MV Agusta
13 - Steve Mercer - Yamaha - The Bikeshop Faversham
14 - Gary Johnson - Yamaha - Speedfreak Racing
15 - Kenny Gilberston - Kawasaki - Astro - KS Kawasaki
16 - Jon Kirkham - Ducati - Samsung Superstock Team
17 - John Ingram - Suzuki - SMT/Ingram Racing
18 - Alastair Seeley - Yamaha - NCT/Vanfit Yamaha
19 - Hudson Kennaugh - Yamaha - Raceways Yamaha
20 - Dan Stewart - Yamaha - Wilcock Consulting
21 - Daniel Hegarty - Yamaha - Ace Yamaha
22 - Allan Jon Venter -
Honda - Hydrex Honda
Regards
Louise Cain
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This page was last updated on 06-06-2008.