|
Buildbase Suzuki’s Gino Rea twice challenged for a top five finish at Knockhill this weekend during the second round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, but while unable to remain consistent into the closing stages of the races and dropping down the order, his lap times prove the potential for better results is there.
Rea finished 13th in race one on Saturday but made drastic changes to the setup of his GSX-R1000R for Sunday’s double-header in a bid to improve the contact and feel from the rear tyre. The result saw him able to launch off the line and compete with the leading group, running inside the top five, but on both occasions he struggled in the closing stages and was unlucky to drop down the order. He finished 10th and 11th but set the fifth fastest lap of the final race, to showcase the pace he and the package has.
Gino Rea, “I’m actually really happy with the last race and Sunday in general. Although my one lap pace was good we struggled in the races. After warm up we took a big risk with the chassis – playing with linkages, the rear shock, swingarm pivot – and it paid off. We were able to run with the front group and I felt comfortable. In race two it was physical and I struggled to remain consistent, but we showed how fast we were with the seventh fastest lap time. In race three we set the fifth fastest lap which shows we have the pace, and we stuck in the leading group for longer but I made a small mistake which cost me time and positions. I then felt something with the bike and tried to pull off the racing line but unfortunately [Glenn] Irwin touched me and went down and that caused the red flag. But again, the final position in the races doesn’t show our potential and I’m really happy with my pace.”
Danny Kent suffered more bad luck that saw him leave Knockhill with two DNFs. A technical issue in race one and a crash in race two meant it was a trip to Scotland to forget. He finished in the points in 14th in race three.
Danny Kent, “It wasn’t the weekend I was hoping for, though not through a lack of trying. My pace for one or a few laps wasn’t so bad but my consistency wasn’t great and at a short track like Knockhill every tenth is important. I feel my biggest problem, currently, is trying to rush things which then slows you down, especially on a superbike. I can’t fault the team, they’re doing a great job to help me, and what is important is that we can be fast and do good lap times, we just need to do them consistently.”
There were two National Superstock 1000 races for Tim Neave. He continued his solid start to the season with another fifth in race one after making some tweaks to the bike between Saturday and Sunday. After being embroiled in the fight for the podium in race two he was unfortunate to crash out at the final turn on the final lap.
Tim Neave, “I’m not disheartened to be fair. The first race was good fun really after starting 15th. We had an issue in qualifying which gave us work to do but I enjoyed it and it was nearly fourth in the end. I got stuck in from the start of race two and we were in that podium group. On the final lap I’d kind of settled for fourth but Chrissy [Rouse] made a slight mistake and I was back on him and was planning a go into the hairpin. He went defensive and as I lined up the cutback I caught myself out and lost the front. But I’ve not lost any confidence and I actually feel more myself after today. We made some changes to the bike from Saturday to Sunday and it felt like mine again. So I feel good, we were back in the mix, and go again at Brands.”
|
