Gearlink Kawasaki News

Assen did not have a round of the Pirelli National Superstock 600 Championship so for the Gearlink Kawasaki team it was round ten of the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship that was being contested.

It was a mixed weekend with Alastair Seeley still suffering with healing ribs and Ben Wilson having a clutch problem in race one.

Alastair qualified in tenth place for race one and despite his injuries gained a solid fifth place. He improved his grid position to sixth place for race two finishing in a strong fourth place.

Ben struggled to find a good set up all weekend qualifying for race one in ninth place but a clutch problem saw him drop back through the field. He was seventh on the grid for race two and locked in a tight battle for second place eventually securing a great third place on the podium.

Team Manager Michael de Bidaph - "We didn't get a good enough set up in the practice sessions so qualifying did not go as well as we hoped. I feel we achieved a big step forward in race one with Alastair doing well to finish in fifth place but disappointing for Ben to have a clutch problem. A few more changes were made for race two and both riders did a fantastic job to finish in third and fourth positions. Assen is an amazing circuit and the fans are passionate about their motor bike racing. We all had an enjoyable weekend and looking forward to Silverstone."

It was a difficult weekend for both Supersport riders. Ben Wilson gained a strong fourth place in race one but crashed out in race two. Alastair Seeley, riding injured, was able to salvage ninth place in race one and eighth place in race two.

With shocking weather conditions halting most practice sessions, followed by a crash by Ben during qualifying saw him eventually qualify in 14th place. Despite this he rode a fantastic race to finish in a strong fourth place. He qualified in sixth place for race two but crashed out fortunately uninjured.

Following his big crash at Cadwell Park, Alastair crashed heavily during practice aggravating his already sore injuries. He re-injured his infected arm and ribs additionally sustaining a back strain. Despite this he qualified in a brave ninth place for the opening race, finishing in ninth. For race two he qualified in tenth finishing in eighth place.

It was a different story for the two Pirelli National Superstock 600 riders with both Luke Hedger and Mark Wilkinson having a good weekend. Luke qualified in second position and finished on the podium in a great second place. Mark was locked in a tight battle finishing in fifth place, his best result of the season so far.

Team Manager Michael de Bidaph - "It was bad weekend as far as the Supersport class is concerned. Ben rode his heart out all weekend and was desperate to bring home a good result for us, it was just a shame about his qualifying crash. He rode well to get fourth in the first race and then missed a gear in race two and crashed out. Alastair's crash in practice set him back and sadly he was unable to ride to his full potential slipping back to second in the Championship despite a healthy lead before Cadwell.

The stock 600 riders really did ride well this weekend and fully desrved their results. Luke bounced back from his crash at Cadwell to gain another podium and Mark once again showed his form to gain fifth place. Both riders are working very hard and getting good results, they are both capable of podiums and hope to end this year on a high note."