Lowes and Byrne win at Oulton Park in BSB 2013

With three wins from four starts in the 2013 British Superbike Championship, defending title holder Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne was looking like the man to beat once again. Round three of the series was being held at Oulton Park over the May Day Bank Holiday weekend, somewhere that Byrne has won several times before.

The event at Oulton was a notable one for 41-year-old Michael Rutter, as he would be taking part in his 400th British Superbike race - and on this occasion running the number 400. In fact, the BSB figures date back to the start of the 1995 season, when the current championship format began. Prior to that there were British championship races for the 750cc TT F1 and Superbike categories, with Rutter having his first Ducati outings back in 1992, and podium results in 1993-94. A couple of his current competitors were not even born in ’92. The first of Michael’s 28 race victories came in 1995, with his most recent pair in 2010.

Qualifying at Oulton saw Rutter’s Bathams Honda team-mate Tommy Bridewell secure a place on the second row of the grid, despite leg injuries, but with the man himself only on row five. The Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki machines of Byrne and team-mate Keith Farmer were among the pace setters, in second and fourth places respectively, with pole position going to a Honda rider. Samsung-backed Alex Lowes was fastest, but with his team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari, a multiple race winner at the circuit, only in P14. Between Byrne and Farmer was third placed Josh Brookes for Tyco Suzuki.

The second row was led by Jon Kirkham on the Buildbase BMW, from Chris Walker (Quattro Plant Kawasaki), Bridewell and Peter Hickman (GBmoto Racing Honda), and then it was Karl Harris (PR Racing Kawasaki). Brands Hatch race winner James Ellison missed out on the final qualifying session due to an oil pressure issue, and this left the Milwaukee Yamaha man in tenth place, ahead of James Westmoreland (Buildbase BMW) and PJ Jacobsen on the second Tyco Suzuki.

On row four, Jakub Smrž was in P13 for Padgett’s Honda, one place ahead of Kiyonari, who was only the fifth fastest of the Honda CBR riders. P15 went to Lloyds British GBmoto Racing Honda rider Tristan Palmer, the stand in for Dan Linfoot. Palmer had been with the team in 2012. In sixteenth was Howie Mainwaring for the MH Kawasaki team.

Oulton Park
Form guide: BSB wins
Ryuichi Kiyonari · 2005, 2005, 2006, 2006, 2007, 2007, 2010, 2010, 2010, 2011
Shane Byrne · 2003, 2003, 2008, 2008, 2012
Chris Walker · 1997, 2000, 2012
Michael Rutter · 1998, 2002, 2005

There were perfect sunny conditions on race day, and for the first outing it was Byrne who emerged from the start in the lead, with Brookes second. After the first right-hander at Old Hall Corner, the downhill section through The Avenue saw Lowes move ahead of the Australian, and not long after, before the right-hand banked loop at Shell Oils Corner, the Honda rider had taken the lead. That same corner saw Farmer crash from fourth place, leaving Bridewell ahead of Hickman, Kirkham, Ellison, Smrž, Jacobsen, Harris, Westmoreland, Walker, Palmer and Robbin Harms (Doodson Honda).

By the time of Harms’ lap six crash, Lowes, Byrne and Brookes were out on their own in front, with fourth man Bridewell coming under attack from Ellison, and with Kirkham losing ground. Brookes suffered a rear slide at Cascades, a left-hander where the downhill gradient flattens out, and from there the first pair would leave him trailing. Meanwhile, Ellison moved up another place with a pass on the inside at Old Hall, the Yamaha rider then chasing after Josh on the Suzuki. At this stage Rutter had to pull out of the race with a technical issue.

Byrne was chasing Lowes for the win, which might have been the fourth of the year for the 36-year-old, but it wasn’t to be. The Foulstons/Brittens chicane, a left-right-left combination, saw Shakey lose the front end when rounding the right-hander. This left Alex with a comfortable advantage, and converted the race between Brookes and Ellison into a battle for second. James duly got past, with Josh not getting the grip he needed, and the final podium positions were set.

Kirkham’s efforts on the BMW saw him get past Bridewell to take fourth, with Hickman sixth and Westmoreland having made up some places to be next man home. Jacobsen was eighth, from Walker, Palmer, Mainwaring, Smrž, Josh Waters (Milwaukee Yamaha), Kiyonari, Martin Jessopp (Riders Motorcycles BMW), Harris, Matteo Baiocco (Rapido Sport Racing Ducati), Lee Costello (Halsall Racing Kawasaki) and Jenny Tinmouth (Two Wheel Racing Honda), who was lapped.

The fastest race laps gave a similar top eight for the new grid, with Ellison joining the party in fourth. Lowes was on pole, from Byrne and Brookes, and row two saw Kirkham, Bridewell, Hickman and Walker. Then it was Westmoreland, Jacobsen, Palmer, Farmer, Smrž, Jessopp, Mainwaring and Harris.

The leaders got away successfully at the beginning of race two, but the start straight did see a crash in the pack involving Hickman and Westmoreland, who were both down and out. The aftermath was cleared up quickly enough to avoid use of the safety car, and meanwhile Byrne led from Brookes and Ellison, who almost immediately lost out to Lowes. Then it was Bridewell, Kirkham, Walker, Farmer, Mainwaring and Jacobsen. Mainwaring would gain another place on lap one.

Byrne seemed to be getting away as Lowes passed second man Brookes on the inside for Lodge Corner, the final right-hander. Ellison remained fourth, with Bridewell starting to lose ground, and Kirkham still heading the rest. Soon enough, Lowes was challenging for the lead. He went through on the inside at Old Hall but then ran wide so that Byrne was able to get by again down the hill through The Avenue and Dentons. However, Alex made it stick with a run through the left-handed Island Bend on the inside line.

However, this time Byrne was able to respond to the 22-year-old, and Brookes was also able to get ahead again with a move at Old Hall. Indeed, Lowes was right back to fourth when Ellison immediately went round the outside of the Honda at The Avenue. There was further give and take between these two at Old Hall and down the hill, with Lowes finally back ahead; but soon after Ellison had to tour back round to the pits with a machinery problem. Jacobsen and Rutter had already done the same.

Byrne seemed in control at the front, although he did have a slide at one point, with Brookes closing in and looking to attack at Shell hairpin. His own mistake at Hizzys, the right-left-right chicane, left the Suzuki more vulnerable to Lowes behind, and the same place saw him attack on the last lap. Alex went past out of the right-hander, but went a bit wide so that Josh took the line to get the place back. Therefore Byrne was the winner, just a snip ahead of Brookes and Lowes.

Kirkham was fourth once again, after getting the better of Bridewell, with Walker home sixth. A whole train of riders were together contesting seventh, and in the end it was Mainwaring who triumphed, thereby recording his best BSB result by far after at least sixty races on-and-off over the last decade. He was followed by Farmer, Palmer, Waters, Jessopp, Kiyonari and Smrž. The final points went to Baiocco and Aaron Zanotti (Zanotti Suzuki). For Palmer, 13 points from the one event was more than he’d scored throughout the whole season in 2012.

Shane Byrne made it four wins from six - and indeed was on the BSB podium for the 100th time - but his race one crash left him one point behind the consistent Alex Lowes, after his first win of the season. Byrne is still ahead in terms of podium credits for the title showdown. Josh Brookes and James Ellison remain the only other men to get on the podium so far, but two no-scores for race winner James leave him behind Josh at this stage. Interestingly, all the Japanese manufacturers appear in the top four. The best BSB result for BMW remains fourth place, which happened four times last year and has been matched already in 2013. They will no doubt be chasing a podium next time.

Standings after six races: Lowes 117; Byrne 116; Brookes 96; Ellison 71; Kirkham 68; Walker 43; Westmoreland 36; Farmer 34; Bridewell 33; Jacobsen 31.
podium credits: Byrne 13, Lowes 11, Ellison and Brookes 6.