Current press releases from each round.
Silverstone
Simon Andrews on the Lloyds British Jentin backed Yamaha gained two positive results at the penultimate round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Silverstone. The 25-year-old from Evesham gained a fifth and eighth place respectively in the two 20-lap Superbike races. These results promoted him to the top of the Airwaves Kick-Up-A-Gear award, presented at the end of the season to the rider that has made up the most places during each race.
Andrews spent the majority of the weekend at the super fast 2.2-mile track finding a suitable race set up for the Yamaha and one that would allow him to complete the 20-lap race distances. Once again Andrews was knocked out of the final stage of the qualifying session in the closing minutes by James Ellison, Stuart Easton and Scott Smart and ended up with a starting position of 13th.
A number of crashes in the opening laps of race one saw Andrews through to seventh place by lap five and chasing Honda mounted Gary Mason. Making a confident pass on Mason, Andrews moved through to sixth, with Scott Smart crashing out on lap 17, promoting Andrews to a comfortable fifth position and some very good Championship points.
Starting from 12th position for race two after Tom Sykes was demoted down the grid, Andrews got a better start and the Evesham rider gained a place on the first lap. Once again Andrews worked his way past Gary Mason and with Cal Crutchlow and Michael Laverty failing to finish, Andrews secured eighth position at the chequered flag.
Commenting he said "I'm happy with the results that I got this weekend. A few riders and teams seemed to be struggling on what compound tyre to use around Silverstone and it took a couple of attempts to find something that would be good for race distance and also finding a good race set up on the bike to match that. The Jentin team once again managed to pull something out the bag and worked hard to make sure everything was right. I'm happy with where I finish but I'd like to get my best results of the season at the last round at Brands and that's what I'm aiming for."
Croft
In the dying stages, of session two of the new Formula 1 style qualifying routine Andrews was sitting in a strong ninth place on the grid. Pulling into the pits for the final minute he was pushed out of the top ten and the final qualifying session by Gary Mason, James Ellison and Atsushi Watanabe and ended the session in 12th place on the grid.
A good start in the first race saw the 25-year-old sitting in ninth place at the end of the opening lap. However, on lap 11 his foot slipped from the foot-peg, dislocating his previously damaged knee and forcing him to drop two places to James Ellison and Gary Mason. Battling through the pain barrier Andrews managed to re pass Mason on lap 13 for tenth place.
After some intensive physio and strapping on his knee between the two races Andrews was eager to carry on for the second race and better his position. Another good start saw Andrews in eighth place after the opening lap, Championship leader Shane Byrne got past on lap two and he was left battling for ninth place with James Ellison and Karl Harris.
Commenting he said "We'd never been to Croft with this bike before and therefore we hadn’t any data on the circuit which we could use through the weekend. We had to pretty much start from scratch with the base settings and work from there. It took a while to try and get things sorted and with the weather being bad on Friday it only left us with one session on Saturday morning before going into the qualifying stages. I'm fairly pleased with the results; I got two good starts and was eager to finish as high up as possible. After I damaged my knee I just had to concentrate on bringing the bike home. Once again the CJ Physios did a perfect job, which allowed me to race the second race. I'm looking forward to Silverstone and Brands Hatch also to finishing the season on a high note."
-END-
For photos please contact me on carlyrathmell@yahoo.co.uk
Carly Rathmell 15th September 2008
Cadwell Park
Despite rest and physio on his injuries Andrews knew that the tough, demanding 2.2-mile circuit of Cadwell Park would test his fitness and his injuries to the maximum. With no rest around the track the youngster once again achieved two more confidence boosting top ten results, which also promoted him to eighth place in the overall Championship standings.
In the new Formula 1 style qualifying sessions Andrews managed to place himself seventh on the grid, but with the new grid system of 3-3-3, this meant that Andrews would start from row three as opposed to the second row. Undeterred he was keen to gain two good starts and achieve two strong place finishes.
Andrews secured a good start in both races and was able to gain a place in the first race and move through to sixth position, by lap three the factory Ducati of Leon Camier who managed to pass Andrews and push him back to seventh. Despite his efforts the 25-year-old from Evesham rode a solid but lonely race to finish in seventh place. Race two was much the same and another strong start saw him away with the leading pack. Soon the factory riders were making a break and getting away from the eager Andrews. Setting extremely consistent lap times throughout the 15-lap race Andrews gained a solid sixth position in front of Rizla Suzuki rider Atsushi Watanabe and behind NW200 Ducati rider Michael Rutter.
Andrews commented "Today was hard work, Cadwell is so hard on the body and you are constantly moving around on the bike. You have to be 100% fit to tackle a circuit like that and come away with two good results as it's so tough, and when you have injuries like I have it really knocks the wind out of you. Once again the physios helped me out and once again I'm very grateful to them for all their help over the weekend. I'm going to try and rest now for a few weeks before Croft and hope to come back there 100% fit. I really enjoyed the races but glad they weren't any longer. The team worked really hard again all weekend but it's so difficult to stay and keep on the back of those factory boys, no matter how hard you try their bikes are quick, making things that little bit tougher. I'm hoping for some more good results in the closing stages of the Championship."
Despite carrying broken bones in his hand and a badly damaged knee
Andrews on the Lloyds British backed Jentin Racing Team struggled most of the weekend at Knockhill with the pain. With the track only being a short 1.3-mile circuit, it proved very testing, very physical and aggravated his injuries. Working hard with the on site physios and icing his hand on every possible occasion Simon was not able to get a good qualifying session on the very wet circuit and ended up in a low 19th place on the grid.
Debating whether to race or not Andrews decided he would give it a go and see how he performed in the first race. With the ever changing weather conditions the first race was declared wet but with a distinctive drying line the Jentin team opted to use full slick tyres. Making a good start Andrews was 16th at the end of the opening lap and each lap he was picking off riders one by one, by lap 18 he was 10th; Billy McConnell and Atsushi Watanabe had a coming together at the Hairpin and this allowed Andrews to take a strong eighth place.
The second race became very similar to race one and once again as the riders lined up on the grid the heavens opened and the temperature dropped. Initially heading out on full wets, Andrews gained a fantastic start and was 14th at the end of the opening lap. After ten laps a crash involving three riders caused the race to be red flagged and giving the riders the opportunity to change tyres for the 20-lap re-start. Opting for an intermediate front and rear tyre, he again gained a great start and was in eighth at the end of the first lap. Fighting hard Andrews was having on track battles with James Ellison and Leon Camier, eventually getting the better of Camier. On lap 14 the race was red flagged again, after Shakey Byrne crashed out at the first corner, allowing Andrews to secure a fantastic sixth place and he was also awarded the Airwaves 'Kick up a Gear' award.
Commenting Andrews said "I'm really pleased with the results I got this weekend as I really didn't know if I would be able to ride. I must say thanks to the CJ Physios (www.cjnine.com) in the medical centre for helping me out so much over the last couple of weekends, I really appreciated it. It was actually worse to ride the bike in the wet as it really made my hand swell up so I was hoping for dry races but we got a bit of both. The weather at Knockhill always seems to prove a bit of a problem and you never really know what it's going to do. I'm pleased I could get the results I did for the Jentin team as they all worked extremely hard over what was a difficult weekend. I'm feeling a little second hand now but hopefully I will be fighting fit for Cadwell Park in a couple of week's time”.
11 August, Carly Rathmell, end
Brands Hatch World Superbikes.
Unfortunately
Bitterly disappointed at not being fit to race Simon would like to thank both the Italian and British medical staff attending Brands Hatch this weekend for all their help.
1 August, end
Oulton Park Round 7
Round seven of the Bennetts British Superbike at Oulton Park produced the best results to date for
Qualifying in sixth place and on the second row of the grid on the Yamaha R1 expectations were running high for both of Sunday’s races. In the first race Simon found himself in a lonely seventh place with a six second gap between himself and Michael Rutter. During lap nine unfortunately Karl Harris took another tumble and Cal Crutchlow made an error which dropped the factory rider behind Rutter and eventually behind Simon who had enough surplus time to finish in fifth place, his best finish of the season.
The second race produced one of Simon’s most exciting rides of the year. On the start of lap two and heading towards the first bend it was a test on nerves between Andrews and Rutter with both running hot into the breaking points for the first bend! “I was along side Michael Rutter when he released his breaks I did the same and ran into the first bend about ten miles an hour faster than intended and slipped over the rumble strips and onto the grass dropping me back to eleventh place. I settled myself and soon found my rhythm and worked back through the other riders overtaking Harris on lap eleven and Laverty on lap twelve. Ellison was in fifth place and I had lost too much time at this point and had to settle for sixth place. As ever the Jentin team did a tremendous job again producing very competitive bikes for me to race.”
21 July, end.
Mallory Park Round 6
Round six of the Bennetts British Superbike at
Saturdays qualifying produced fast lap times and Simon was on a role running in the top six when a marshal thought he saw a problem with the bike and Simon was given his first black/orange flag for what appeared to be a loose rear cable. Simon pulled into the pits but nothing was adrift on the bike so with a quick tyre change he was back out, the rhythm was lost and there was not enough time to get back on the pace and he finally finished in 13th place for Sunday’s race.
In race one Simon moved through the field up to seventh place and battled with both Palmer and McConnell and following a moment when the front wheel lost grip in the chicane, almost taking the youngster out of the race, Simon lifted the Yamaha R1 upright with his knee and back in the race. Undeterred with tearing his leathers and dropping back to ninth position Simon worked his way back up to seventh place, his best result to date.
Race two and the weather played its part once again with both sunshine and rain at the start of the race.
30 June 2008, end.
Snetterton
The fifth round of the Bennetts British Superbike series at Snetterton circuit produced solid points for
In race one Simon got boxed in on the first bend, dropping him to 15th place at the end of the opening lap. He rode a strong race, making his way back up to finish in 10th place.
Race two was a totally different matter, light rain at the start of the Superbikes turned to heavy rain and Team Manager,
The race started almost an hour late with Simon taking his grid position and this time a good start moved him into the top six. Simon proceeded to have an excellent race with Michael Rutter and Tom Sykes who just got the better of Simon on the finish line by less than 200th of a second, pushing Simon into a creditable eighth place.
Simon commented after the race, “The team worked really well all weekend and the speed in which they changed to the wet settings was incredible. I know I made a small mistake at the start of race one, but in race two I got off the line really well and it was one of the most enjoyable races that I have had in the wet in a long time. I am looking forward to Mallory in two weeks time and my thanks go to the team, Jentin Lloyds British who are producing excellent machines for me to ride.”
16 June 2008, end.
Donington
Donington dishes out hard won points for a battered and bruised
A wet and windy Donington brought the full range of emotions for
Sunday’s qualifying did not improve matters, just when Simon was getting dialled into the circuit and producing quicker lap times, the heavy rain caused a problem when accelerating through Starkey’s Bridge, causing the back wheel to loose grip on surface water, spitting Simon off. Dazed and suffering with an injury to his left hand and right shoulder Simon was unable to compete in the remainder of the qualifying session, seeing his grid position eventually fall to 24th place and nearly last.
Facing major challenges the team produced a strategy which confidently supported the race plan and in the first race nine places were gained by the first bend. With a twenty lap race it became harder to overtake the quicker riders but Simon’s fitness played its part and by the end of the first race he had gained fourteen places and finished in tenth place overall.
Race two produced a similar strong start with six places gained into Redgate and determined to improve on his tenth place in race one Simon produced one of the best rides of the weekend, which was full of exciting overtaking moves, finally concluding in a well deserved ninth place on the last lap, lifting Simon and the Jentin team back into the top ten.
Simon and the Jentin Racing Lloyds British Team were further recognised by the series organisers, with the presentation of a bottle of
27 May, end.
Brands Hatch
This weekend was a two day meeting and the practice sessions were reduced to just two 30 minutes sessions. The pressure mounted with Simon only getting in six laps before losing the front end at Sheene Curve in the first session, the team worked hard in the second session trying to find those extra few tenths of a second, which never materialised. With little track time it was going to be a tough challenge for the youngster.
Having qualified in seventh position in April, he was upgraded to sixth with the absence of Karl Harris. He secured a brilliant start in race one and he shot straight into fourth place. Michael Laverty went down at Druids and Simon moved up a further place into third which he held for several laps. Unfortunately for Simon the factory machines and riders did their job, forcing Simon back, finally finishing in a creditable ninth place. In the second race Simon again drove off the line well and this time went to fifth place, but again his position was eroded, Simon continued to push hard but the front end let go at Druids forcing Simon out of the race on lap thirteen.
12 May 2008 end
Oulton Park May
A tough weekend at
In race two a clutch problem would not allow Simon the luxury of settling into a rhythm with the leading group. “From the start the bike needed nursing around the track because the power that the R1 produces requires a smooth delivery. I had just overtaken Karl Harris and my tyre choice was starting to work really well, however the problem continued and I was seriously considering pulling into the pits when the race was red flagged. I had no idea what had happened at the front but could see the medics out at lodge so I was lucky to complete race two” commented Simon.
Race two was full of thrills and spills with a rare disqualification being handed out to the factory rider Leon Haslam. This moved Simon up one place to seventh in the second race which brought him up to tenth place in the British Superbike Championship and once again top Yamaha.
6th May 2008 end.
Thruxton
The British Superbikes qualifying was variable and wet on Saturday with Simon placed thirteenth, Sundays warm up confirmed the changes made to the bike had been successful seeing Simon moving up to third place in practice.
Race day was extremely intense! Race one saw the Jentin Racing Lloyds British R1 power Simon to seventh place but while moving up to sixth place Adam Jenkinson’s bike shot hot metal shards out of its exhaust and down inside the front of Simons leathers. These stuck to Simon’s chest leaving several burn spots. James Ellison who had been battling with this group gained an advantage of a couple of seconds over the hot roasted Andrews as Simon dropped back to ninth before finally finishing in eighth position.
Race two incorporated the data collected from the first race and instigated numerous changes to the set up. A confident Andrews propelled the R1 straight up to seventh place but within half a lap his race was over. The slipper clutch had locked itself into top gear, ending the race for Simon. Further drama ensued with the second race being red flagged due to an incident between Sykes and Harris, this gave the team a slim chance of getting back out in the restart. Waiting for the return of the bike proved painful but the team worked hard to replace the broken clutch and with helmet, gloves and helmet at the ready Simon was prepared to start from pit lane. Unfortunately the start was missed by the shortest of times which was frustrating for everyone.
The weekend’s team’s performance was very positive and as data is gathered for the new Yamaha R1 the results will soon follow. Simon has settled quickly with the teams new Crew Chief who moved from Moto GP and this has added a further dimension to the team and further assists Jentin Racing/Lloyds British.
21 April 2008, end.
Brands Hatch
Extensive snowfalls at Brands Hatch caused the opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike championship to be abandoned. This meeting will now take place on the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit on 10/11 May. The grids for all of the races within the BSB programme will be as 5 April.
Simon Andrews the Jentin Racing/Lloyds British team rider was happy with his practice sessions moving from 8th up to 4th and qualifying in seventh place, second row of the grid. The riders were all pretty close with only tenths of a second splitting the top few riders, it was a pretty relaxed session with a confident Jentin Racing rider moving into the factory teams territory when rain put an end to the session. The team had to work hard through the first day to find a suitable chassis set up for the new race bike and having got closer to what Simon wanted the times became quicker.
“The team has produced a fast bike for 2008, we need to address a couple of minor issues and then I don’t see any reason why we can’t be on the front row. The weather was always going to be an issue this weekend and I feel sorry for the fans that travelled to Brands to watch the racing, but rider’s safety is paramount in everyone’s agenda” commented Simon.
7 April 2008, end.