BMW The Ultimate Riding Machine

Jentin Racing-BMW Motorrad riders Steve Brogan and Richard Cooper experienced a mixed weekend at Cadwell Park's first British Superbike round of the year. There was double podium joy for Brogan moderated by an unavoidable crash for Cooper.

Brogan started from twentieth on the British Superbike grid with his BMW S 1000 RR Evo. His final qualifying lap was cut short when a tilt switch was damaged by a dislodged battery which had come loose after a few heavy landings over the Mountain.

Cooper, meanwhile, suffered a big free practice crash on his Superstock S 1000 RR when it spat him over the highside at the bottom of the Mountain. Cooper himself was fine but the bike was badly damaged and he was unable to take part in the first qualifying session, missing out on vital setup time and  eventually finished on the fifth row.

Brogan said: "I had a great start in race one, I rode really aggressively on the first lap and made it up to thirteenth. I was mixing it with the full-spec Superbikes for a few laps, and was pulling away from Hudson Kennaugh, my closest championship rival.

"I was pushing hard but mid-race I had a few moments trying to keep up with the Superbikes. I was getting some good pit signals and knew that my lead in the Evo class was safe so rather than risk a crash I settled in for a safe first. It was great to be at the top of the podium again.

"I had the twelfth-fastest lap in race one so I was jumped up the grid for the second leg. I got a good start and the race settled down for me pretty quickly. The bike was feeling great and I knocked off the laps and continually pulled away from the Evos behind me. I was chasing down the Superbikes but didn't manage to catch them before the flag. It was a good win; I was fourteen seconds ahead of my closest rival.

"I'm really pleased as the double win means we are now only six points off Kennaugh and the championship lead."

Cooper added: "To be honest it's been a struggle all weekend. It didn't help that I crashed in practice and then missed the first qualifying session. But the team pulled out all the stops and got the bike ready for qualifying. I didn't have the best session as I was fighting to hold on to the bike, it's a real missile, but I wasn't too unhappy with my position given the lack of track time.

"I rode a solid first lap and started to pick off the guys in front getting up to eighth and then settled down in to the chasing pack. The pace was hot but I felt comfortable and the bike was working really well. On lap eight, the safety car came out for a lap and bunched us all back up. The racing was pretty tough, but good fun, and coming into the final lap I was ready to make a move on the guys in front when Whitman lost the front going into the chicane, which pushed me onto the grass and out of the race.

"It's a real shame not to reward the team with at least a top ten for all the work that's gone in this weekend, but that's racing."

Team manager Bernie Toleman summed up: "Overall it's been an excellent weekend that has been tainted with disappointment. It has been really enjoyable but so far this season it seems that we go well in one championship and have bad luck in the other!

"Steve has been magnificent this weekend. He dominated the Evo class with two first places and maximum points and closed the gap on the championship lead to just six points.

"Richard had an accident in practice one, which was a real shame, and that put him on the back foot for the rest of the weekend. We were unable to get the bike repaired in time for the second session and he lost valuable track time, which left him with a lot to do in the race. He fought hard and was looking to have secured a top ten finish but was unlucky to be involved in the accident on the final lap.

"Our Superbike performance was superb but due to some bad luck our Superstock performance was disappointing but there's still a long season ahead."

MCE British Superbikes & Mirror.co.uk BSB-EVO Championship

Race 1

1 Ryuichi KIYONARI Honda - HM Plant Honda
2 Michael LAVERTY Suzuki - Relentless Suzuki
3 Michael RUTTER Ducati - RidersMotorcycles.Com
4 Tommy BRIDEWELL Honda - Quay Garage Honda
5 Josh BROOKES Honda - HM Plant Honda
6 John LAVERTY Kawasaki - Buildbase Kawasaki
7 Chris WALKER Kawasaki - MSS Colchester Kawasaki
8 Martin JESSOPP Ducati - RidersMotorcycles.Com
9 Alastair SEELEY Suzuki - Relentless Suzuki by TAS
10 Dan LINFOOT Yamaha - Motorpoint Yamaha
14 E Steve BROGAN BMW - Jentin Racing - BMW Motorrad
Race 2

1 Josh BROOKES Honda - HM Plant Honda
2 Tommy HILL GBR Suzuki - Worx Crescent Suzuki
3 Michael LAVERTY GBR Suzuki - Relentless Suzuki by TAS
4 Michael RUTTER GBR Ducati - RidersMotorcycles.Com
5 John LAVERTY GBR Kawasaki - Buildbase Kawasaki
6 Tommy BRIDEWELL GBR Honda - Quay Garage Honda
7 Alastair SEELEY GBR Suzuki - Relentless Suzuki by TAS
8 Chris WALKER GBR Kawasaki - MSS Colchester Kawasaki
9 Martin JESSOPP GBR Ducati - RidersMotorcycles.Com
10 Stuart EASTON GBR Honda - Swan Honda
14 E Steve BROGAN GBR BMW - Jentin Racing - BMW Motorrad
 

Metzeler National Superstock 1000

1 Jon KIRKHAM BMW - Jon Kirkham Racing / Clarks BMW
2 Tristan PALMER BMW - TP Racing
3 Scott SMART Ducati - Moto Rapido
4 Luke QUIGLEY Suzuki - Formwise-Astro Racing
5 Glen RICHARDS Honda - Padgetts Motorcycles
6 Conor CUMMINS Kawasaki - Blackhorse Kawasaki
7 Howie MAINWARING Kawasaki - MSS Colchester Kawasaki
8 Barry BURRELL Kawasaki - Buildbase Kawasaki
9 Jimmy STORRAR Suzuki - Jimmy Storrar Racing
10 John McGUINNESS Honda - Padgetts Motorcycles
DNF Richard COOPER BMW - Jentin Racing - BMW Motorrad