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2007 British Superbike Motorcycle Racing

2007 British Superbike - Oulton Park

Oulton Park Race Circuit

Oulton Park Race Circuit

British Superbike Round 4 - Oulton Park

Text and Photos Courtesy Kawasaki  Racing, Suzuki Racing, Yamaha Racing and British Superbike.  Edited by webBikeWorld.

Race Results
Gregoria Lavilla took Race 1 and Riyuichi Kiyonari took Race 2 in the fourth round of the Bennetts British Championship at Oulton Park on May 6, 2007.

Lavilla's fourth place in Race 2 keeps him well in the lead for the Championship, with 169 points to second-place Kiyonari's 140 points.

Rizla Suzuki's Cal Crutchlow enjoyed the best ride of his Superbike career to date at the  today taking a competitive seventh place in the opening race.

Crutchlow, starting on the second row of the grid, was in contention with the leaders for much of the 17-lap race.

He eventually matched his season's best result of seventh but was crucially under 10 seconds behind the winner, demonstrating a marked improvement in his pace.  In the second race he was in eighth when he was forced to retire on lap 12.

Chris Walker, starting from 13th on the grid, crashed unhurt out of the opening race at the chicane. In the second race, at the 2.69-mile long Cheshire track, he finished ninth well ahead of his qualifying position.

Rizla Suzuki will test at Mallory Park in Leicestershire this Friday, May 11th, before returning to race action at the fifth round of the Championship at Snetterton in Norfolk on May 20th.

Cal Crutchlow:  "I am absolutely delighted with my first race result of seventh. I was in touch with the leaders for most of the race and that shows a significant step forward in performance.  I now know I can compete with the front runners, something which I hadn't been able to do prior to this weekend.

"In the second race we made a few changes to the bike that didn't help and then I was forced to retire while comfortable in eighth place.  Overall I feel as though I have moved up a level and will be taking that confidence with me into the rest of the season."

Chris Walker:  "It has been a hard weekend. Right from the first session we were battling to find a competitive setting on my Rizla Suzuki that would allow me to compete.  In the opening race I lost the front at the chicane and that was game over.  In race two I ran on at the chicane and when I rejoined it was a lonely race to ninth.

"The positives are that the GSX-R1000 is good and has all the ingredients to challenge for the podium - Cal and I have proved that.  The test at Mallory Park later this week will help us and I think we can go to the next round confident we can improve on our results."

Race One Result: 1: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 27:29.245, 2: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +0.219, 3: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +0.504, 4: Jonathan Rea (Honda) +1.843, 5: Tom Sykes (Honda) +2.113, 6: Shane Byrne (Honda) +2.505, 7: Cal Crutchlow (Rizla Suzuki) +9.310, 8: Leon Camier (Honda) +11.524, 9: Karl Harris (Honda) +19.092, 10: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +26.176, DNF: Chris Walker (Rizla Suzuki).

Race Two Result: 1: Kiyonari 27:33.097, 2: Haslam +2.177, 3: Byrne +3.563, 4: Lavilla +4.041, 5: Rea +7.403, 6: Sykes +7.664, 7: Hill +7.786, 8: Camier +13.860, 9: Chris Walker (Rizla Suzuki) +31.363, 10: Dean Thomas (Suzuki) +32.393. DNF Cal Crutchlow (Rizla Suzuki).

Championship Positions (after four of 13 rounds): 1: Lavilla 169, 2: Kiyonari 140, 3: Rea 109, 4: Haslam 104, 5: Camier 96, 6: Sykes 80, 7: Byrne 71, 8: Chris Walker (Rizla Suzuki) 62, 9: Hill 52, 10: Michael Rutter (Kawasaki) 45. 12: Cal Crutchlow (Rizla Suzuki) 35.

 

Race Preview
After scoring its first podium of the season at Silverstone last weekend, Rizla Suzuki travels to Oulton Park for this Bank Holiday Monday's fourth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park in Cheshire, wanting more of the same.

Chris Walker won the hearts of the fans at Silverstone with his gutsy performance in the opening race to finish third and taste his first champagne of the year.

He followed it up with a strong fourth in the next race, demonstrating how competitive the GSX-R1000 really is and lifting the entire Rizla Suzuki team's spirits in the process.

"Standing on the podium was just brilliant," smiled 'Stalker'. 

"We have shown what we are capable of and have been getting more competitive every time we have taken to the track.  I'm looking for another step forward at Oulton Park and approach the meeting happy that we have my Rizla Suzuki performing better than ever before."

Team mate Cal Crutchlow matched his best-ever British Superbike finish with a seventh place at Silverstone in the second race.  He was unlucky that the race was stopped early as his lap times suggest he could have challenged the riders in front for a top-six finish if it had gone full distance.

Crutchlow said "I'm buzzing with excitement about Oulton Park; it is one of my favourite circuits and I have won several times there in the junior classes in the past.  My Rizla Suzuki is well set-up for me and I really want to show what I am capable of - I'll be doing my best to get into the top six on Bank Holiday Monday."

Superbike racing starts at 1300 on Bank Holiday Monday, May 7th, at the picturesque, flowing, 2.69mile Oulton Park circuit in Cheshire.

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