Top 5 For Samsung Crescent Suzuki

Samsung Crescent Racing scored two top-five finishes in the opening
round of the British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch,
despite suffering a crash and a DNS from Suzuki-mounted John
Hopkins and Jon Kirkham.
In race one, Hopkins started well and very quickly was inside the
top-six, but on lap 11, while pushing to make a pass for fifth,
Hopkins slid off at Druids. He remounted and was able to regain
17th place by the chequered flag.
Kirkham's race didn't start so positively, placing as low as 15th
place, but as ever, employing consistency and a very decent turn of
speed, he was able to fight his way to fifth position by the end of
the race, 3.5-seconds behind the winner.
Both Hopkins and Kirkham had second-row start positions for race
two, but unfortunately Kirkham's bike suffered a component failure
during the warm-up lap and he was unable to start. But Hopkins held
position from the start and at half-distance was able to move up to
fifth, but with the top-four a few too many seconds ahead, he was
unable to improve on his position before the finish.
John Hopkins:
"Not my greatest day, not my worst. We started the day well; we'd
made some changes overnight and that made a difference - third
fastest, and my personal best of the weekend, in warm-up. I was
pleased with my start in the first race; I got through some traffic
but then got stuck behind Stuart Easton. When it comes down to
tenths-of-a-second between you and then next guy, then passing
isn't easy, and so when I was pushing it into Druids it didn't take
much to run wide, and then go down. I picked it back up but
couldn't get back into the points.
"I didn't get the best start in race two: In fact I got bumped as I
went into turn one and this cost me a few places. Again I found
myself coming back though and again finding Stuart Easton mid-race.
I took my time second time around and made sure it was a safe pass
- I wanted some points from this weekend. After that there was
too-big-a-gap to the guys in front and it wasn't worth risking
another fall to try and catch them."
Jon Kirkham:
"That was an amazing first race. I got a bad start and so had a
busy time making back the places. Then just when I'd got up to a
decent position, I got punted off the track and found I had to do
the work all over again. It was mayhem in that race; bikes and
riders going in all directions it seemed. I was so pleased to make
fifth.
"To not even get to start the second race was really disappointing,
I was looking to build on race one, but that's racing. So I'm
really looking forward to Oulton Park now as it's one of my
favourite tracks."
Jack Valentine
Team Manager:
"The day started so promisingly, but it just didn't go our way.
It's frustrating. I'm happy with the lads' riding, though. Hopper
was right to take a safe strategy to the second half of the second
race; to take the points. And JK was brilliant in race one - a few
more laps and maybe he could have been on the podium. To be denied
a start in the second race because of the failure of a 25p
component is tough, but by then JK had already done enough to show
he's a serious contender in this Championship.
"Of course I'd be happier if we'd had four top-five results, not
the two, but others suffered worse. It's a long season, and yet
round two of the Championship is in just a matter of a few days
time. We'll be carrying forward the positives from this
weekend."
Race one result:
1. Shane Byrne
2. Tommy Hill +1.154s
3. Tommy Bridewell +2.667s
4. Stuart Easton +2.764s
5. Jon Kirkham +3.408s
6. Michael Rutter +4.310s
7. Loris Baz +4.496s
8. Dan Linfoot +5.090s
9. Martin Jessopp +5.100s
10. Chris Walker +7.728s
17. John Hopkins +15.965s
Race two result:
1. Tommy Hill
2. Ryuichi Kiyonari +0.142s
3. Shane Byrne +0.598s
4. Michael Laverty +4.463s
5. John Hopkins +10.089s
6. Stuart Easton +11.984s
7. Michael Rutter +13.048s
8. Dan Linfoot +13.897s
9. Peter Hickman +18.431s
10. Gary Mason +18.473s