Brands; Plater Looking For Podium Place
Added on Wednesday, September 10th, 2003 by Carole Nash Editor
Brands; Plater Looking For Podium Place
The word from Honda Racing;
Plater looking for top three place in championship.
The British Superbike Championship may have been won by Shane Byrne at Cadwell Park last month but the battle for the other coveted top two positions still rages on. Honda Racing’s Steve Plater is the man on a proverbial mission as he strives to close the gap on John Reynolds and Michael Rutter who lie second and third respectively in the ultra-competitive series.
With two race wins from four starts, Plater has been the form rider of the championship for the past two rounds at Oulton Park and Cadwell Park. In addition, he has put together an impressive string of mid-season results, which has seen him elevated to fourth position in the British Superbike Championship – only 16 points behind Rutter.
The 31-year-old Lincolnshire rider puts his success down to the work ethic at Honda Racing: “We may have got off to a slow start,” he said, “but everyone at Honda Racing has been fully committed to helping me get the best out of the VTR1000 SP-2. We took a major step forward with the suspension at Oulton Park, which gave me more rear grip.
“I was fired up for Cadwell because it’s my local circuit and winning the second race was like a dream come true,” Plater continued. “I like the Indy circuit at Brands Hatch too and I’m really happy with the way I’m riding. The times will be very close in qualifying, but I’m confident that we can carry our recent form through to the end of the season – we’ll have to wait and see.”
Plater’s team-mate Mark Heckles missed the last round at Cadwell Park through injury after a crash in free practice ruled him out of the Bank Holiday Monday race action. However, the 27-year-old Liverpudlian is determined to bounce back after being passed fit to ride the Honda Racing VTR1000 SP-2 at Brands Hatch.
“I was gutted at having to miss Cadwell,” explained Heckles, who also sat out the last round at Brands Hatch in June through injury. “The bike was going well, as Steve proved, which made it all the more frustrating for me. However, I was pleased for the team because they have worked so hard to achieve success this season.
“My shoulder feels OK now, but I’ll not really know what it’s like for sure until I get back on to the bike. I had a big crash at Paddock Hill Bend in free practice in June, so this time I’ll be treating it with a bit more respect. I’m really looking forward to getting back to one of my favourite circuits this weekend and I’ll be hoping that I can build up my pace through to race day.”
Champion returns to Supersport action.
The 2003 British Supersport Champion Karl Harris returns to one of his favourite circuits this weekend for the penultimate round of the British Supersport Championship. The 23-year-old Yorkshireman looked ready to dominate the last event at the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit in June but was slipstreamed over the line by fellow Honda rider Dean Thomas and missed another victory by a fraction of a second.
Harris may have lost that battle but has gone on to win the war by claiming wins in three of the last four rounds of the championship. Harris has certainly dominated the series – he has won six of the ten rounds overall and only finished out of the top two on one occasion – but that has not spoiled one of the most competitive classes in motorsport.
The 2003 British Supersport Championship has seen some close, exciting and thrilling track action. This has created essential viewing for live television audiences on Sky Sports and for the thousands of spectators that have supported the championship throughout. However, Karl Harris and the new Honda Racing CBR600RR have had a competitive advantage that has resulted in rider and team lifting the title with two rounds to spare. Like the preceding rounds this season it is unlikely that it will lead to a processional race at the Brands Hatch Indy circuit.
“This will undoubtedly be one of the best races in the championship,” said Harris. “It is an excellent test for the riders and the fans will get a really good view of the all the action around the track. There’s no doubt that the racing will be highly competitive, which will add to the atmosphere on Sunday.
“As far as I’m concerned, the championship has been won and I can go out there and have some fun. The pressure’s off now and I’m hoping to enjoy racing at two of the best circuits in the country. I’ve already committed myself to Honda Racing for next season, so my aim is to work as hard as I have been this season and get another win on the CBR600RR.”
