Gearlink Kawasaki News

It was a good weekend for the team in both the Motorpoint British Supersport and the MCE British Superbike Championships. Glenn Irwin followed up his fourth place in the first race with a win in the second of the two Supersport races and Luke Hedger featured strongly in both races. Ben Wilson also gained solid points finishing in 12th and ninth places respectively in the Superbike class. 

Glenn was having a solid weekend qualifying the Gearlink Kawasaki in ninth place despite only managing to complete six laps due to a technical problem. He dug deep in race one and battled his way through to finish in a strong fourth place. Again he was ninth on the grid for a wet race two but had an amazing start going to fourth place by the end of lap one. He took the lead in lap three and from there kept increasing it and by the penultimate lap he was 4.5 seconds in front taking a great win in very difficult conditions.

Luke continued his fine form running some good consistent race times. He had his best qualifying position so far achieving sixth place on the grid for race one eventually finishing in a strong seventh place. For the second race he struggled at the start but was making progress when he unfortunately crashed out in the very tricky conditions.

The team had made some major changes to the Superbike and this resulted in a significant improvement compared to the disappointment experienced at previous rounds. Ben finished in 13th place in the first qualifying session but unfortunately a small tyre issue prevented him from achieving better than 18th place on the grid for race one. He got a solid start moving to 16th place and was seeing his lap times improving each lap until the race was red flagged with Ben ifinishing in a good 12th place. For race two he was placed in 15th position on the grid for what was declared a wet race. He got a fantastic start and was in 10th place by the end of the opening lap finally finishing in a great ninth place.

Team Manager Michael de Bidaph - "We have made some big changes with the Superbike and they appear to be working which is a huge relief. Qualifying went well for Ben and we are pleased to be back on the grid with a bike that can now finish in the top 15. I am happy with the base setting we have now and with more work and continued improvement the results form Ben should start coming back. It has been a tough few months and a steep learning curve for us but with the results achieved here then hopefully it will give Ben more confidence for the remaining rounds.

I am delighted with the results in the Supersport class both riders have ridden really well and Glenn rewarded with a win in horrendous conditions. Luke and Glenn have worked hard all weekend and they continue to develop as riders as their lap time and results are proving. Luke was unfortunate to crash in race two on a fast lap but fortunately did not hurt himself. Genn's ride was fantastic and he thouroughly deserved the win, we are really pleased for him and i thank all the Gearlink Kawasaki team for their hard work this weekend"

The team was determined to achieve some strong results in the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship at Oulton Park and our riders did not disappoint. Glenn Irwin although unfortunately crashing out on the final lap while going for third place in the first race achieved a fantastic second place in the second race. Luke Hedger took another two solid results with a seventh and an eighth.

Glenn ran strong all weekend qualifying for the first race in sixth place. He got a great start and sat in second place for the first four laps droping back to fifth and then back to fourth. On the final corner of the last lap he saw an opportunity to achieve a podium and decided to go for it but unfortunately it did not work out. Luke had another solid weekend and qualified in eighth place and despite dropping a position fought his way back to achieve seventh.

Following heavy rain the second race was declared wet and again Glenn got a great start in tricky conditions but was soon into the lead and held it for 12 laps befor being passed. He continued his fight with the Championship leader just beating him to finish in a superb second place. Luke had another strong result finishing in eighth place and continues to make good progress in his first season in the class.

It was another difficult weekend for Ben Wilson and the team with the Superbike so it was decided to withdraw the bike from all three races and instead embark on a test and improvement programme before the next meeting at Cadwell Park. 

Team Manager Michael de Bidaph - "I am really pleased with the two Supersport riders they have really riden well this weekend especially Glenn. He rode a brilliant first race and made a move for third on the last lap that did not pay off but was riding well and trying hard. As race two was wet anything could have happened but he got a strong start to secure a well deserved second place for all the effort he has put in.

Luke continues to progress well and as the season is moving along he is learning, gaining experience and the results are starting to come and by the end of the season he will be up with the leading bunch. He got two very consistent and good results and his lap times continue to improve. I am very happy the way he is settling into a very difficult Championship.

With the Superbike and Ben, it is a very difficult situation for us all, we are not happy with how the bike is working and we will now leave here and ensure that we work hard with testing and improvements to try and get Ben to where he and the team deserves to be and get his confidence back."

In the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship Glenn Irwin had a solid weekend with a fifth and seventh places respectively and team mate Luke Hedger gained a good 12th and 11th place in the two races.

Free practice was dry but the weather changed dramatically for qualifying and the session was delayed for two hours because of very heavy rain. Glenn secured seventh on the grid with Luke 12th for the first race. The conditions improved and Glenn got a great start and was away with the leading bunch finishing in a good fifth place. Luke also got a good start and was in a close four bike scrap finishing in 12th place.

For race two Glenn was fifth on the grid with Luke moving up to 10th. The race was closely fought with Glenn up with the leading pack and putting in some fast lap times. Unfortunately he had an impact with Billy McConnell which pushed him back a couple of places finally finishing in seventh place. Luke was also locked in his own battle with three other riders finishing in 11th place.

For Ben Wilson it was another difficult weekend with Ben having to retire in race one with a technical issue which also meant he was unable to start race two. 

Team Manager Michael de Bidaph -" The weekend started quite well with Ben and we were looking into a good set up for him. We changed the yokes and then the bike became unstable and impossible for him to ride. He tried his hardest but did not want to risk damaging the bike or injuring himself so we decided it was better to withdraw from the second Superbike race.

Following further investigation we now feel the frame may be out of alignment which could have been caused by a previous crash, we will look into this before the next race. It is very annoying and frustrating for the team as we would have liked to have made more progress than this at this stage of the season.

The Supersport riders have again ridden well; both Glenn and Luke had two good races. It was disappointing for Glenn that he had the impact with Billy as he was in the leading pack, thankfully he stayed on and got the result he did. Luke had another strong weekend and he is now in a class where the riders are at another level and he is learning new information at every round. We hope that both riders can continue their progress for the next round at Oulton Park and that we can make progress with Ben."