Croft; Dunlop preview
Added on Thursday, August 9th, 2007 by Carole Nash Editor
Croft; Dunlop preview
In search of success
Following a welcome three-week break in the racing calendar, Dunlop’s Motorsport team heads north to Croft for the tenth round of the British Superbike Championship. The British tyre manufacturer scored victory and three other podium finishes at the ninth round of the series at Mallory Park, and is confident of similar success at the Yorkshire venue.
The Dunlop-supported Airwaves Ducati duo of Leon Haslam and Gregorio Lavilla are currently riding high in third and fourth positions in the premier class standings respectively. Haslam is just 31 points adrift of current championship leader Ryuichi Kiyonari overall and, with a maximum 50 points for two race wins up for grabs at Croft, is more than capable of taking the lead. The 24-year-old Derbyshire rider scored victory at the 2.12-mile Yorkshire circuit last year and is fired up and ready to take on this weekend’s challenge.
Other riders to impress at Mallory Park included Shane Byrne, who demonstrated his championship-winning potential with a superb victory and a third place finish. The 2003 British Champion’s Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade and Dunlop’s Triple Tread Compound (TTC) tyres have proved to be the perfect combination during the series so far. Byrne has already stepped up on to the winners’ podium eight times this season, and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down just yet.
The one to watch
The British Supersport Championship is an integral support class to the British Superbike series and a breeding ground for some of the world’s most talented motorcycle racers. Dunlop has always played a proactive role in the middleweight category and has provided valuable support to many of this year’s championship contenders.
Dennis Hobbs became the Dunlop rider to watch after the third round of the Supersport series at Silverstone. The Padgetts Honda contender scored victory by an impressive 3.5 seconds over his nearest rival, proving the capabilities of the British tyre manufacturer’s Triple Tread Compound (TTC) rubber.
Since then, Scotsman Hobbs has been a regular series frontrunner and is third in the championship standings overall. He is 42 points adrift of current leader Michael Laverty and just ten points behind second placed Ian Lowry – well in reach of the championship title.
Undisputed champions
Dunlop’s domination of the British 125GP Championship is undisputed. The tyre manufacturer has achieved a clean sweep of 1-2-3 results over the first nine rounds of the series and fills the top ten positions in the overall standings.
Although Dunlop-supported Luke Jones extended his championship lead to 24 points at the ninth round of the series at Mallory Park, the British 125GP title victor is still very much undecided. With three rounds left to play out and a maximum of 75 points available for three race victories, the 125cc crown could belong to any one of the top three riders: Jones, Kev Coghlan or Ashley Beech.
2007 Championship standings (after round nine)
British Superbike Championship
1. Ryuichi KIYONARI 298; 2. Jonathan REA 282; 3. Leon HASLAM 267; 4. Gregorio LAVILLA 246; 5. Shane BYRNE 228; 6. Leon CAMIER 179; 7. Tom SYKES 171; 8. Chris WALKER 151; 9. Tommy HILL 110; 10. Karl HARRIS 102.
British Supersport Championship
1. Michael LAVERTY 165; 2. Ian LOWRY 133; 3. Dennis HOBBS 123; 4. Jamie ROBINSON 103; 5. Ian HUTCHINSON 83; 6. John McGUINNESS 81; 7. Billy McCONNELL 75; 8. Tom GRANT 59; 9. Stuart EASTON 55; James WESTMORELAND 51.
British 125GP Championship
1. Luke JONES 172; 2. Kev COGHLAN 148; 3. Ashley BEECH 105; 4. Nikki COATES 96; 5. Michael WILCOX 93; 6. Robbie STEWART 84; 7. Tom HAYWARD 69; 8. Lee COSTELLO 60; 9. Rob GUIVER 58; 10. Luke MOSSEY 52.
