Gearlink Kawasaki News

12 October 2016

A win at Assen

It was another strong weekend for the team at round 11 of the Dickies British Supersport Championship at Assen. Mason Law continued his recent great form with a stunning win in the first race in his debut appearance at the track and in mixed conditions had to settle for ninth place in the second race. Andrew Irwin had a very strong weekend with a sixth and a fourth.

Mason has secured six podiums including one win at the previous four rounds and continued showing his strong form at the Dutch circuit. He was consistently fast throughout the practice and qualifying sessions and secured his first pole position of the season.

He got a brilliant start and soon took the lead totally dominating the race leading from start to finish. By lap eight he had managed to pull a huge 4.3 second lead to take another fantastic victory.

For race two Mason started from fifth place on the grid. All the riders were ready to go when heavy rain forced them back to the pits when the race was aborted as it was deemed unsafe. When conditions improved the race, albeit shortened, was re-started. It was always going to be a difficult race using wet tyres on a drying track.

Mason unfortunately struggled from the start and soon dropped back to 12th place, he tried to push forwards as much as he could eventually having to settle for ninth place. He still retains his fourth place in the Championship standings.

Andrew was also making his debut appearance at Assen and used the practice sessions to find his feet around this fast flowing GP track. He set some strong times dring the practice and qualifying sessions to qualify in a creditable fifth place on the grid for the first race.

He got a brilliant start and was lying in second place after the opening lap and was in a battle with six other riders for a podium finish. Unfortunately he was pushed wide by another rider and finished in sixth place when the chequered flag came out.

With the mixed weather conditions for race two Andrew felt confident in conditions he enjoys. He started from seventh on the grid and was soon leading the race where he stayed for the first four laps. The eventual winner passed him on lap five and he was then locked in a dice for third place just being pipped by 0.017 second as he crossed the line to finish in fourth place.

In the MCE British Superbike Championship Vittorio Iannuzzo had a super Q1 qualifying session and made it through for the first time this season to Q2 to place him in 14th position on the grid for race one.

Vittorio had two solid races with the team continuing to make progress and secured two 20th places.

Team Manager Michael de Bidaph - "I'm really pleased with how the weekend has gone. Mason was fantastic in race one and totally dominated the race in taking another win. He struggled in race two but finished strongly and is still fourth in the Championship.

Andrew has once again shown what a talented rider he is and more than capable of running at the front. I am pleased with his progress since joining us part way into the season and that he is now consistently scoring good Championship points.

Vittorio was brilliant this weekend, he really enjoys being at circuits like this and we are really happy with the qualifying position he got.  He made a huge amount of progress throughout the weekend in every session and it is great that we are moving forwards."

Category: Racing News
Bookmark and Share
posted by The Team at 17:30

11 October 2016

A Podium at Donington Park

The team had a diverse weekend at round ten of the Dickies British Supersport Championship at Donington Park. Mason Law continued his recent run of wins and podiums with a fantastic third place in race one but unfortunately had to retire in race two. Andrew Irwin fought hard for a strong sixth place in race one and was 12th in race two.

Mason struggled throughout the practice sessions to find a suitable set-up and despite many changes to the bike found himself in sixth place on the grid for race one. He got a great start in the race and soon moved up to fourth in the first lap. He was pushing for a podium when another rider crashed in front of him and rode hard to finish just 0.4 seconds behind the second place rider.

For race two he started from third place on the front row of the grid but it soon became apparent that he had a problem with the bike and was forced to retire from fifth place on lap six.

Andrew had another strong points scoring weekend despite crashing during the qualifying session. The team worked hard and fast to get him back out on track for him to secure 10th place on the grid for race one. He got a fantastic start and was soon up to fifth place in lap one eventually finishing in a great sixth place.

For race two he was placed in sixth place on the grid but the bike failed to start for the race so he was wheeled off the grid and the team managed to re-start it but unfortunately he had to start the race from pit lane resulting him starting the race in last in 27th place. He worked so hard to make up the time moving through the pack to finish in a creditable ponts scoring position of 12th place.

In the MCE British Superbike series Vittorio Iannuzzo had a really strong weekend securing his first Championship points of the season with two very solid 15th places.

Vittorio certainly felt more comfortable with a track he knows and one that also suits his riding style with the team extremely pleased with his progress over the weekend.

Team Manager Michael de Bidaph: - " In the Supersport class both Mason and Andrew continued to make good progress throughout the weekend securing solid qualifying positions on the grid. Mason gained another great podium in race one despite a small mechanical problem. Andrew rode a strong race considering his crash in qualifying and pleased he is continuing to score points.

I was totally gutted for Mason in race two, watching him retire is not what i want to see and frustrates me more than anyone. We had no issues with Andrew's bike all weekend so it was a surprise that it failed to start for race two. To finish in 12th place after starting from the back is a credit to him. 

I am so pleased for Vittorio as it was great to finally get some Championship points. He likes it at Donington and felt comfortable all weekend. Everything went well and he continued to improve in every session including a much better qualifying sesssion giving him a better opportunity in the race.

We should have picked a different tyre for race two which certainly hindered his progress and he did well to avoid two crashed riders. It was great to see him involved in some good battles and he was rewarded with two hard earnt 15th places."

Category: Racing News
Bookmark and Share
posted by The Team at 17:27

roadracer.net by E2E Solutions