Seeley steals the show at Brands
Added on Saturday, August 7th, 2010 by Carole Nash Editor
Seeley steals the show at Brands
Alastair Seeley stormed to his very first British Superbike victory at Brands Hatch this afternoon, as the first of three races kicked off the weekend.
After a rain soaked opening race of the weekend was red flagged due to weather conditions, the restart saw a three way fight for the lead, with the top three positions sharing the top spot. As the first race got underway for the second time Ryuichi Kiyonari got the early jump, to lead the field into Paddock Hill Bend. As they rounded Druids, Michael Rutter had worked his way through into the lead, giving the race it’s second leader by the second corner. As Graham Hill Bend (the third corner) approached, Alastair Seeley muscled passed for honours, from where he rarely looked back.
Before long it was a two way fight for the lead, with Rutter working hard to regain his advantage. As the gap between them fluctuated for the rest of the race, Seeley was able to hold onto top spot to grasp his maiden BSB win.
Behind, Kiyonari completed the podium, 1.470 seconds adrift, with his HM Plant Honda teammate Josh Brookes within sniffing distance in fourth. Tom Sykes rose to the challenge of Brands Hatch to cross the line in a strong fifth place, whilst Michael Laverty narrowly pipped James Ellison to sixth at the race ended. With the Worx Crescent Suzuki outfit struggling somewhat, Yukio Kagayama took the chequered flag in eighth, finishing as the first rider in the team. John Laverty and Ian Lowry completed the top ten in ninth and tenth, respectively.
Championship contender Tommy Hill endured a difficult outing, steering his Worx Crescent Suzuki to fifteenth place. The infamous Paddock Hill Bend gravel trap stole the show for some riders, with Stuart Easton crashing off there with two laps to go. Simon Andrews also succumbed to the Paddock Hill gravel, with his race ending in the same spot.
Now with win number one under his belt, Seeley told the official BSB website: “It is unbelievable to have won the race and I feel on top of the world right now. This is what I came to BSB to do and the team gave us a good package to be up the front. It was a bit touch and go at the beginning as I just needed to push my way through and get to the front. I lost count how many times I had slides, or felt like I was on the edge, but the top step of the podium is just the best feeling and I want to do the same tomorrow now.”
Brands Hatch plays host to two more BSB races tomorrow, with the action taking place all day.
