Gearlink Kawasaki News

It was a varied weekend for the team at round six of the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship at Brands Hatch. Glenn Irwin crashed out in race one due to a bike problem and struggled to eighth in the second race. Ben Wilson was looking at two finishes and was seventh and ninth. Luke Hedger had the strongest weekend finishing in sixth and seventh places.

Glenn was out to defend his championship lead and looked strong throughout practice and qualifying managing to put the bike on the front row for race one. He got a strong start and was in second place after lap one when the bike suddenly locked up and he crashed out. He was ninth on the grid for race two and by lap two had moved up to fourth but started to have a problem with the front end of the bike forcing him to nurse the bike home to eighth place. He is now in third place in the championship.

Ben who had been struggling at previous meetings was determined to have a good weekend with some solid finishes. He rode a good race in race one to finish in seventh place and in race two finished in ninth to gain some solid points for the weekend.

Luke made good progress all weekend, qualifying in ninth place for race one finally finishing in a strong sixth position. He was in fourth place on the grid for race two and managed to recover from a poor start to finish in seventh place. Despite missing the first two round of the championship he has now moved up to ninth place overall and eager to continue to climb up further for the remainder of the year.

In the MCE British Superbike Championship Michael Rutter had a tough weekend. He qualified in 22nd place but unfortunately crashed out in race one and was forced to retire in race two.

Team Manager Michael de Bidaph - "It was a difficult weekend for the team. Glenn came here to try to defend his Championship lead and due to a bike problem crashed out for we must take the blame. In race two a problem with the front end meant the bike kept trying to tuck in on him but he managed to nurse the bike home securing some Championship points.

Ben's aim was to finish two races with some Championship points and that is what he did. The pace has certainly upped this year and he has had to adapt his riding style since he last raced in the Championship. He is working hard and is putting so much effort in that i hope the results will start to come.

Luke was our best and highest placed Gearlink Kawasaki rider all weekend setting consistent lap times and securing some strong results for the team. He has worked round any problems and raced two good races and deserved the positions he gained.

We maybe went round in circles with Michael this weekend on the Superbike and did not quite get the set-up he needed but we hope to make some improvements for the next meeting at Thruxton."

It was another successful weekend for the team at the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship at Knockhill. Glenn Irwin had a fantastic weekend taking a win in the Sprint race and a solid third place in the feature race. Luke Hedger on the satellite team gained good points with sixth and eighth places respectively. Ben Wilson was unfortunate to crash out of both races.

Glenn worked hard all weekend and was able to qualify for the sprint race in fourth place despite a long delay due to adverse weather conditions. For the race he got a fantastic start and by lap three he was in front and managed to hold off several challenges to take his second consecutive win. For race two he started from second place on the grid and was soon leading the race. The safety car was deployed on lap 10 as a result of his team mate, Ben Wilson, crashing out heavily. When the car returned to the pits he was then involved in a close fought battle finally finishing on the podium in third place.

Ben Wilson was having a good weekend with his practice and qualifying times saw him running near the front again. He qualified in sixth place for race one, had a great start but caught the rear wheel of another rider crashing out.

Luke Hedger on the satellite team had another consistent weekend with a solid sixth place in race one. For race two he had a problem on the out-lap having to pull in to pit lane. The team worked hard to get him back out where he started from pit lane, dug deep and finished in a creditable eighth place.

In the MCE British Superbike Championship Michael Rutter returned to the team and made some more improvements to the bike qualifying in 20th place. He had a great first race managing to get the team their first superbike points this year securing 13th place. In mixed conditions for race two he finished in 18th place.

Team Manager Michael de Bidaph - " It was another mixed weekend for the team but certainly a much better weekend in development of the Supersport bikes.

Glenn had a fantastic weekend with his win in race one and a podium in race two and we are now leading the championship albeit by one point. Glenn was on a high all weekend and we knew he would go well. He has the hunger and is also riding superbly in all the sessions. We have made some good progress with the bike and hope this will continue for the rest of the year allowing Glenn to keep fighting for the title.

It was another tough weekend for Ben crashing out of both races, he is trying so hard for a result and is maybe pushing a little too hard. He had a big off in the second race and will undergo further scans to assess any damage and we hope to see him back for the next meeting at Brands fighting for a podium.

Luke did not race at Knockhill last year as he was injured but once again gained a couple of very solid results and points. Gaining eighth place from pit lane was a great result and his times were fast, he is certainly making good progress.

Michael secured our first points this season on the superbike and his input has been invaluable in the continued development of the bike"