British Superbike Round 2 - Thruxton

Race Results
Gregorio Lavilla took a double win in the second round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Thruxton in Hampshire.  This puts Lavilla way ahead in the Championship with 100 points to second-place Leon Camier with 67.

Rizla Suzuki's Cal Crutchlow, starting from ninth on the grid, got faster as the race developed and finished seventh.  In the second race, in front of Rizla Suzuki's home fans, he was battling for eighth place when he crashed unhurt at the final Club Chicane on the penultimate lap.

Team mate Chris Walker took ninth place in the first race, struggling for rear end grip on his GSX-R1000.  For the second race, his crew made changes to his set-up and he was battling within the top six when he was forced to retire on the fourth lap.

In glorious sunshine and in front of a bumper crowd, Ducati's Gregorio Lavilla won both races.

Cal Crutchlow:  "I felt as though I was able to compete in the first race, which was great.  I had a good tyre, strong set-up and if I had been able to force my way past Tommy Hill earlier, I think I might have been able to challenge for the top six.

"The plan was to get a better start for the second race and get up with the front runners.  An average start didn't help and I crashed out on the penultimate lap when my bike grounded out on the kerbing - but I'm ok.  I'm getting to know my GSX-R1000 and team better with every outing and feel I am making quick progress: top six results will not be long coming."

Chris Walker:  "Not my best day at the races but once again I gave it my all.  In the opening race I was on my spare bike and it wasn't handling exactly how I would have liked, so ninth was a fair result.  For the second race my Rizla Suzuki was much better and I was in the top six before retiring with a technical issue.

"My team and I are working our hearts out to get to the front of the pack and there is not a more determined crew in the Championship.  We are testing before Silverstone and that will help us for those races - it's also a track I know well from racing there in World Superbikes so I'm hoping for much improved results."

Race One Results: 1: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 27:52.872, 2: Leon Camier (Honda) +3.526, 3: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +6.833, 4: Shane Byrne (Honda) +7.136, 5: Tom Sykes (Honda) +12.799, 6: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +16.093, 7: Cal Crutchlow (Rizla Suzuki) +18.564, 8: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +19.559, 9: Chris Walker (Rizla Suzuki) +21.443, 10: Karl Harris (Honda) +26.764.

Race Two Results: 1: Lavilla 29:01.593, 2: Kiyonari +0.113, 3: Byrne +0.249, 4: Rea + 0.492, 5: Camier + 1.364, 6: Haslam +8.820, 7: Sykes +10.367, 8: Michael Rutter (Kawasaki) +11.078, 9: Harris +13.484, 10: Hill +15.609. DNF: Crutchlow and Walker.

Championship Positions (after two of 13 rounds): 1: Lavilla 100, 2: Camier 67, 3: Rea 49, 4: Kiyonari 49, 5: Byrne 45, 6: Haslam 43, 7: Sykes 40, 8: Rutter 28, 9: Chris Walker (Rizla Suzuki) 26, 10: Harris 25. 13: Cal Crutchlow (Rizla Suzuki) 12.

Qualifying
Rizla Suzuki racer Chris Walker will start from seventh on the second row and his team mate Cal Crutchlow from ninth on the third row in tomorrow's second round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Thruxton in Hampshire.

In a super-close qualifying session where the top 12 riders finished within a second of each other, "Stalker" was just over half a second away from Yamaha's Tommy Hill who took pole position.

Crutchlow will head up the third row and is in an optimistic mood as he thinks there is lot more to come when the race starts and he can follow the riders in front.

He is particularly pleased with the performance of his Rizla Suzuki after his on-board telemetry recorded 201mph on the straight.

Superbike racing starts at 1300 on Sunday at Rizla Suzuki's home 2.35-mile long Thruxton circuit in Hampshire.

Chris Walker:  "I am happy with our progress over the course of the weekend.  Each session we have taken around four-tenths-of-a-second off our lap times and if I can achieve that tomorrow morning in warm-up then I'll be pretty close in the races.

"We've done a good job in qualification and traditionally I have never practiced or qualified well here.  For the races I'll be looking to get with the guys in front and see what I can achieve.  With the fantastic warm sunny weather we should be in for a bumper crowd tomorrow and I'll be counting on the support of the fans."

Cal Crutchlow:  "My Rizla Suzuki is working ok this weekend.  The only area we are working on is stability over the high-speed bumps, but that is an issue that all bikes have around here.  I just hope the weather is a little cooler tomorrow as it will make race tire selection easier.

"Every lap I completed was on my own and I didn't get a chance to follow any of the other riders.  Following fast riders and sitting in the slipstream will settle my bike down and help reduce my lap times.  It's also encouraging that I have a bike that can top 200mph and is one of the fastest at the circuit - that'll help me to overtake tomorrow."

Qualifying Times
1: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) 1:14.433 2: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +0.055 3: Shane Byrne (Honda) +0.211 4: Jonathan Rea (Honda) +0.329 5: Tom Sykes (Honda) +0.363 6: Leon Camier (Honda) +0.505 7: Chris Walker (Rizla Suzuki) +0.539 8: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +0.664 9: Cal Crutchlow (Rizla Suzuki) +0.731 10: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +0.803

Race Preview
British Superbike racing is coming home for the Dorset based Rizla Suzuki team this weekend when the second round of the Championship takes place at the high-speed Thruxton circuit on Sunday.

Rizla Suzuki's Team headquarters are situated at the Crescent Performance Centre in nearby Verwood, Dorset. 

Traditionally there is a huge amount of home support for the squad when it visits the bumpy 2.35-mile long Thruxton track, which boasts the highest average lap speed of any venue the series visits.

The double-header races at Thruxton come less than a week after the opening round at Brands Hatch in Kent.

Last Bank Holiday Monday, Rizla Suzuki's Chris Walker finished with a fifth and eighth and his team mate Cal Crutchlow - on his Superbike debut - scored 13th and 18th. Both Rizla Suzuki riders suffered from a lack of rear grip and are targeting better results at Thruxton.

Superbike racing starts at 1300 on Sunday, April 15th at the Thruxton circuit in Hampshire.

Simon Buckmaster - Team Manager:

"It's been a quick turnaround for Rizla Suzuki, racing on Monday earlier this week and then preparing for first practice at Thruxton on Friday.  It has been incredibly busy as we have explored ways and means to give Chris and Cal more rear grip - and importantly - to allow that grip to last for full race distance.

"For Chris it has been a solid start to his Superbike campaign.  It's been seven years since he last rode at Thruxton so his learning curve is going to be steep, but we still expect him to use the undoubted horsepower and speed of the Rizla Suzuki to best effect and to be challenging for podiums this weekend.

"Cal is still learning his trade in Superbikes but knows Thruxton well.  He's eager to race after what for him was a disappointing start to the season. He will really want to make his mark in front of the team's home fans that are sure to give him and the whole squad a boost this weekend."