Tark
24-08-2005, 09:25 PM
RIOT RACING SUCCESSFULLY QUALIFIES FOR EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT
European Superstock 600 Championship
Rd 6 – Brands Hatch
3rd qualifying session, Saturday 6th August.
All the toil, effort and hard work of the past two days paid off for the Renegade Exhausts-backed RiOT Racing team this afternoon at Brands Hatch as riders Mark Talbot (20) and Chris Northover (19) successfully qualified for tomorrow’s sixth-round race of the European Superstock 600 championship. The team has a one-off wild-card entry to tomorrow’s event which supports the prestigious World Superbike series, with both riders being aboard R6 Yamahas.
It’s been an up and down weekend for the Kent-based team. Rider Talbot made a barnstorming start yesterday, running in 16th place before sliding off his machine after just 4 laps and injuring his hand. Chris Northover picked up his injury during a practice crash at Mallory Park on Wednesday bruising his knee, but got steadily faster as the weekend progressed. At the end of today’s second scheduled qualifying session both looked likely to qualify but were slightly off the pace of the rest of the field. However, the boys were granted a final roll of the dice when an additional session was added to the end of today’s events to make up for time lost on Friday.
Throwing caution to the wind, both riders circulated the track together slamming down fastest lap after fastest lap. Swapping the lead between them Talbot emerged from the 16-minute session with the upper hand on a best time of 1:38.587 in 32nd place. Northover was just behind in 33rd position with a time of 1:38.865. Both finished the day comfortably ahead of the qualifying cut-off time of 1:42.220. As had been expected, front-runner Yoann Tiberio (Honda) was unable to improve on the time he had set earlier in the day so both riders have closed the gap between themselves and the rest of the field very effectively. Sunday looks like being a battle of the RiOT boys mixing it with the lower-placed riders, many of who are now within striking distance.
“I just let the bike do the work and took it easy on my hand” said Talbot afterwards. “I felt like I was going slower, but I ended up two seconds faster which is a good feeling to end the day with.”
“I’m happy to have improved my times again but the message is the same – must go faster. That’s the plan for tomorrow” was the verdict of Chris Northover
Team Owner Jorge Vairinhos reflected what could happen in tomorrow’s race. “We’re a tiny team taking on international opposition,” he said. “Just to qualify is an achievement in itself, but now that the boys are up with the tail of the field I feel that we’re in with a chance of a decent result on Sunday”
RiOT Racing is just as well known for its performance off the track as on it. That reputation will continue this evening when the team hosts a paddock party in association with Yamaha Moto France with many of the top World Superbike riders scheduled to appear. Sadly though, Talbot and Northover are unlikely to sample the World Championship high life as Vairinhos has ordered them to bed with an early night.
European Superstock 600 Rd 6 (Brands Hatch)
Final Combined Qualifying Times
1. Yoann Tiberio – Honda (Fra) 1:32.926
2. Claudio Corti – Yamaha (Ita) 1:33.555
3. Niccolo Canepa – Kawasaki (Ita) 1:34.518
32. Mark Talbot – Yamaha (GBr) 1:38.587
33. Chris Northover – Yamaha (GBr) 1:38.865
European Superstock 600 Championship
Rd 6 – Brands Hatch
3rd qualifying session, Saturday 6th August.
All the toil, effort and hard work of the past two days paid off for the Renegade Exhausts-backed RiOT Racing team this afternoon at Brands Hatch as riders Mark Talbot (20) and Chris Northover (19) successfully qualified for tomorrow’s sixth-round race of the European Superstock 600 championship. The team has a one-off wild-card entry to tomorrow’s event which supports the prestigious World Superbike series, with both riders being aboard R6 Yamahas.
It’s been an up and down weekend for the Kent-based team. Rider Talbot made a barnstorming start yesterday, running in 16th place before sliding off his machine after just 4 laps and injuring his hand. Chris Northover picked up his injury during a practice crash at Mallory Park on Wednesday bruising his knee, but got steadily faster as the weekend progressed. At the end of today’s second scheduled qualifying session both looked likely to qualify but were slightly off the pace of the rest of the field. However, the boys were granted a final roll of the dice when an additional session was added to the end of today’s events to make up for time lost on Friday.
Throwing caution to the wind, both riders circulated the track together slamming down fastest lap after fastest lap. Swapping the lead between them Talbot emerged from the 16-minute session with the upper hand on a best time of 1:38.587 in 32nd place. Northover was just behind in 33rd position with a time of 1:38.865. Both finished the day comfortably ahead of the qualifying cut-off time of 1:42.220. As had been expected, front-runner Yoann Tiberio (Honda) was unable to improve on the time he had set earlier in the day so both riders have closed the gap between themselves and the rest of the field very effectively. Sunday looks like being a battle of the RiOT boys mixing it with the lower-placed riders, many of who are now within striking distance.
“I just let the bike do the work and took it easy on my hand” said Talbot afterwards. “I felt like I was going slower, but I ended up two seconds faster which is a good feeling to end the day with.”
“I’m happy to have improved my times again but the message is the same – must go faster. That’s the plan for tomorrow” was the verdict of Chris Northover
Team Owner Jorge Vairinhos reflected what could happen in tomorrow’s race. “We’re a tiny team taking on international opposition,” he said. “Just to qualify is an achievement in itself, but now that the boys are up with the tail of the field I feel that we’re in with a chance of a decent result on Sunday”
RiOT Racing is just as well known for its performance off the track as on it. That reputation will continue this evening when the team hosts a paddock party in association with Yamaha Moto France with many of the top World Superbike riders scheduled to appear. Sadly though, Talbot and Northover are unlikely to sample the World Championship high life as Vairinhos has ordered them to bed with an early night.
European Superstock 600 Rd 6 (Brands Hatch)
Final Combined Qualifying Times
1. Yoann Tiberio – Honda (Fra) 1:32.926
2. Claudio Corti – Yamaha (Ita) 1:33.555
3. Niccolo Canepa – Kawasaki (Ita) 1:34.518
32. Mark Talbot – Yamaha (GBr) 1:38.587
33. Chris Northover – Yamaha (GBr) 1:38.865