Tark
24-08-2005, 09:24 PM
PROMISING PERFORMANCE FOR RIOT RACING IN INTERNATIONAL EVENT
European Superstock 600 Championship
Rd 6 – Brands Hatch
Open practice and 1st qualifying session, Friday 5th August.
It’s been a day of promising results for RiOT Racing as the team prepares for its wild card entry to the sixth round of the European Superstock 600 Championship at Brands Hatch this weekend. The race acts as a support event to the prestigious World Superbike series. Rider Mark Talbot (20) crashed out of this afternoon’s first official qualifying session, but still ended the day in 25th place overall whilst Chris Northover (19) shaved over seven seconds from his morning times to finish in 32nd position.
Talbot set the early running during this morning’s damp open practice session to finish in 18th place with a time of 1:43.124. Clearly at ease with the Yamaha R6, which he rode for the first time at the Scottish Knockhill circuit just a week ago, Mark joked that his new leathers felt more uncomfortable than his new bike, kindly loaned to him by R6 Cup competitor, Dan Hegarty.
Still suffering from a badly bruised knee following a collision whilst practicing at Mallory Park on Wednesday, Northover took things at an easier pace. The Tonbridge teenager simply checked out the opposition and made sure the knee would not give him any problems to finish in 33rd place with a time of 1:49.812.
Going into this afternoon’s first official qualifying session, Talbot was immediately on the pace going 3 seconds quicker before crashing out at Surtees bend on his fourth lap. Mark emerged from the incident with nothing worse with a sore wrist and bent handlebar. Regular Superstock 600 entrant Patrick McDonnell was the only Briton to better Talbot’s lap time of 1:40.731. Chris Northover made a similar improvement shaving over seven seconds from his morning times to record a best lap of 1:42.469 before the session was red flagged after 15 minutes when another competitor dumped oil along the main start/finish straight. The organisers will add the remaining time to tomorrow’s second qualifying session.
“Obviously I’m disappointed to have crashed out when I was bringing my lap times down so rapidly” said Mark Talbot afterwards. “But the machine’s not too badly damaged, I’m pretty much ok and we get the time back tomorrow, so I’m confident there’s more to come tomorrow.”
“That was more like it,” was the verdict of the ever-smiling Chris Northover. “I was getting faster with every lap so I’m just going to have to give it the full berries when we get back on the track on Saturday.”
RiOT Team Owner Jorge Vairinhos was in a similarly optimistic mood. “We’re a small team taking on international opposition,” he said. “The boys improvement today has been impressive but without the resources of the larger teams, we’ll be up against it tomorrow and on Sunday. Still, there’s no point in competing if there’s no challenge to overcome I suppose.”
With both riders in determined mood, expect to see RiOT Racing climb the leaderboard when qualifying resumes tomorrow.
European Superstock 600 Rd 6 (Brands Hatch)
Qualifying 1 Times
1. Yoann Tiberio – Honda (Fra) 1:34.789
2. Maxime Berger – Honda (Fra) 1:35.795
3. Niccolo Canepa – Kawasaki (Ita) 1:35.912
25. Mark Talbot – Yamaha (GBR) 1:40.731
32. Chris Northover – Yamaha (GBR) 1:42.469
European Superstock 600 Championship
Rd 6 – Brands Hatch
Open practice and 1st qualifying session, Friday 5th August.
It’s been a day of promising results for RiOT Racing as the team prepares for its wild card entry to the sixth round of the European Superstock 600 Championship at Brands Hatch this weekend. The race acts as a support event to the prestigious World Superbike series. Rider Mark Talbot (20) crashed out of this afternoon’s first official qualifying session, but still ended the day in 25th place overall whilst Chris Northover (19) shaved over seven seconds from his morning times to finish in 32nd position.
Talbot set the early running during this morning’s damp open practice session to finish in 18th place with a time of 1:43.124. Clearly at ease with the Yamaha R6, which he rode for the first time at the Scottish Knockhill circuit just a week ago, Mark joked that his new leathers felt more uncomfortable than his new bike, kindly loaned to him by R6 Cup competitor, Dan Hegarty.
Still suffering from a badly bruised knee following a collision whilst practicing at Mallory Park on Wednesday, Northover took things at an easier pace. The Tonbridge teenager simply checked out the opposition and made sure the knee would not give him any problems to finish in 33rd place with a time of 1:49.812.
Going into this afternoon’s first official qualifying session, Talbot was immediately on the pace going 3 seconds quicker before crashing out at Surtees bend on his fourth lap. Mark emerged from the incident with nothing worse with a sore wrist and bent handlebar. Regular Superstock 600 entrant Patrick McDonnell was the only Briton to better Talbot’s lap time of 1:40.731. Chris Northover made a similar improvement shaving over seven seconds from his morning times to record a best lap of 1:42.469 before the session was red flagged after 15 minutes when another competitor dumped oil along the main start/finish straight. The organisers will add the remaining time to tomorrow’s second qualifying session.
“Obviously I’m disappointed to have crashed out when I was bringing my lap times down so rapidly” said Mark Talbot afterwards. “But the machine’s not too badly damaged, I’m pretty much ok and we get the time back tomorrow, so I’m confident there’s more to come tomorrow.”
“That was more like it,” was the verdict of the ever-smiling Chris Northover. “I was getting faster with every lap so I’m just going to have to give it the full berries when we get back on the track on Saturday.”
RiOT Team Owner Jorge Vairinhos was in a similarly optimistic mood. “We’re a small team taking on international opposition,” he said. “The boys improvement today has been impressive but without the resources of the larger teams, we’ll be up against it tomorrow and on Sunday. Still, there’s no point in competing if there’s no challenge to overcome I suppose.”
With both riders in determined mood, expect to see RiOT Racing climb the leaderboard when qualifying resumes tomorrow.
European Superstock 600 Rd 6 (Brands Hatch)
Qualifying 1 Times
1. Yoann Tiberio – Honda (Fra) 1:34.789
2. Maxime Berger – Honda (Fra) 1:35.795
3. Niccolo Canepa – Kawasaki (Ita) 1:35.912
25. Mark Talbot – Yamaha (GBR) 1:40.731
32. Chris Northover – Yamaha (GBR) 1:42.469