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brands Hatch Round 7 British Superbikes
NEWS

Haslam plays second fiddle to Byrne at Brands boiler

Aug 082016

One of the fastest, most daunting and also historic circuits in Great Britain was the repeat stage for the seventh fixture of the 2016 British Superbike series this weekend. The Grand Prix layout at Brands Hatch threw a spotlight on Shane Byrne to snare a double win as JP Speedfit Kawasaki’s Leon Haslam posted a set of second positions for two champagne bottles at a meeting where the British race fans revelled in some summer sun.

images from Brands Hatch BSB Round 7 2016
BSB had already laid rubber around the shorter ‘Indy’ circuit earlier in the season but the barriers were taken away from the two-and-a-half mile full trajectory where legends from Surtees to Senna have lapped in anger. Pilgrim's Drop, Hawthorn Hill, Westfield and Sheene curve are just some of the unmistakeable and thrilling parts of the Brands make-up and a diverse test for motorcycles pushing the limits of G-forces and physics.
Brands Hatch 2016 Round 7 British Superbikes
Scores of keen spectators congregated three-deep behind the fences and created a ‘wall’ of noise and atmosphere from the banked Clearways corner all the way to Druids Hairpin. Monster Energy ‘rig riots’ filled the down time between races and gave the public the chance to win demo laps of the Brands asphalt while Luke Woodham shredded tyres with Drift demonstrations.
images from Brands Hatch BSB Round 7 2016
On the track it was Byrne, Haslam and Jason O’Halloran that kept interests firmly piqued in their slug for the lead and through a second race stoppage that saw the battle halted and then swiftly resumed. As is wont in BSB the dispute was unpredictable and hard to forecast but it the experience and pace of Byrne was the decisive factor. Haslam recovered from a small technical problem to keep margins with his rival both around the Brands dips (just 0.5 of a second split the duo in the first sprint) and in the title chase.
images from Sunday at BSB Brands Hatch Sunday 2016

“We’ll take this,” the former Grand Prix and WorldSBK racer said. “I expected more from the second race but the bike was cutting out in the beginning and I thought we might have to pull-in but luckily it cleared and the bike was handling much better. We’ll take second as Jason was riding really strong and I did not have an answer for Shakey; there was nothing I could do to get that little bit closer. We need to reassess a few issues we had this weekend but then onto Cadwell.”

 

Byrne leads the way by 25 points from Haslam with five rounds still on the calendar.

images from Sunday at BSB Brands Hatch Sunday 2016
In the Supersport class Team Traction Control saw the distinct black machines of Joe Francis and James Westmoreland on the pipe. The pair had owned both races around the previous Brands fixture. It was Westmoreland who triumphed in a gripping second race where seven riders circulated within inches of each other and the Yamaha pilot ruled by just seven tenths of second from Luke Jones. ‘JW’ is now just six points away from Tarran Mackenzie in the standings. TT hero Ian Hutchinson was second in the Superstock 1000 affair.

BSB assembles again in three weeks time at Cadwell Park.

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