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Buildbase Suzuki suffered more bad luck in an injury-hit 2022 campaign, with Christian Iddon part of a multi-rider crash in a chaotic race two at Oulton Park while vying for a podium finish. He was knocked unconscious and also suffered a broken hand.
At the ninth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship Iddon was looking to pick up on the positives from Snetterton that saw him take his best result of the season at the previous round. A tough qualifying left him 15th on the grid, but in the sprint race he was able to climb to seventh by the chequered flag.
A topsy-turvy race two was red-flagged while Iddon was making progress in the group battling for second place. In the restart he was again part of the group fighting over the runner-up spot, before being hit from behind by another rider into the Britten’s chicane, causing another red flag. He was unceremoniously dumped onto the floor, resulting in a bang to the head rendering him unconscious. He was transferred to hospital for scans and also diagnosed with a broken hand.
Christian Iddon, “I’m a bit bashed about and can’t remember a lot from today. Thankfully the scans have checked out fine but I took quite a hit and, being knocked out, I’ll be out for Donington. As well as the head my hand’s broken, too. I’m gutted for the team because I thought we could have had a result today.”
Buildbase Suzuki team manager, Steve Hicken, “Obviously it’s really unlucky and just seems to be the way it’s going for us this season in regards to injuries, with both Christian and Danny suffering at some point. Selfishly, the first red flag came out at a bad time for us, with Christian looking strong and making good progress. He was in the mix again in the re-run before the incident. After being transferred to hospital he has had scans. His memory of the events are hazy at best, but, thankfully, the scans show no lasting damage. He also suffered a broken hand and, unfortunately, he’ll be unavailable Donington Park next weekend.”
Danny Kent took three solid point-scoring finishes on the second Buildbase Suzuki GSX-R1000R, finishing 12th twice, and 10th, and while hoping for higher, he still set a new personal best lap of the Cheshire circuit, highlighting just how competitive the championship is this season.
Danny Kent, “I’m relatively happy. Oulton’s a tricky circuit to learn and go fast at. The results themselves aren’t what I want but I managed to set my best ever lap in the final race and I’m happy with the progress. While it ended badly last time we were at Donington, it started well, we’ve been chipping away recently, and I’m hoping we can have a good go. I also hope Christian and the other fallers today are on the mend.”
Race one result: 1. Bradley Ray, 2. Tommy Bridewell, 3. Leon Haslam, 7. Christian Iddon, 12. Danny Kent
Race two result: 1. Lee Jackson, 2. Tommy Bridewell, 3. Bradley Ray, 12. Danny Kent, DNF. Christian Iddon
Race three result: 1. Tommy Bridewell, 2. Glenn Irwin, 3. Lee Jackson, 10. Danny Kent, DNS. Christian Iddon
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