Gearlink Kawasaki News

It was a weekend of highs and lows for the team at round six of the Dickies British Supersport Championship at the ultra fast Thruxton circuit.

Mason Law had another confident boosting round with a a fifth and what was thought a third place in race two. His new team-mate, Ulsterman Andrew Irwin, had a great start with a ninth and again what was thought ninth place in race two. Sadly due to a technical infringement both Mason and Andrew were excluded from race two following scrutineering.

Mason is starting to regain the form he showed earlier in the season and looked good all weekend. He was fifth in qualifying for race one and battled with the leading group to finish in a good fifth place. For race two he started from eighth place on the grid and got another great start managing to take the lead on lap 13. The four leading riders were all going for the win with Mason in a dead heat for a third place podium. Unfortunately he later learned that he had been excluded.

It was Andrew Irwin's first weekend with the team and he had a great debut. Due to a small issue he lost valuable track time during the practise sessions and therefore had a tough qualifying session and had to settle for 21st place on the grid for race one.

He pushed hard in the opening race and gradually picked his way through the field to achieve a brilliant top ten finish in ninth. For race two he moved up to seventh place on the grid and once again the racing was very close to finish in another ninth place. Like Mason he later learned that he had been excluded.

In the MCE British Superbike series Vittorio Iannuzzo had a solid finish in race one in 23rd. His times improved for race two and rode very well to finish again in 23rd place. He has now had more experience with the bike and is feeling much more confident going to tracks that he has a little more knowledge of.

Team Manager Michael de Bidaph - "I am truly devastated about the situation in the second Supersport race today. We have made a costly mistake and it has been a total oversight on our behalf in not spotting a rule change from last season which i believe would not have enhanced the performance of the riders this weekend. I offer my sincere apologies to both Mason and Andrew, particularly as they both rode so well, and to our sponsors for this mistake. We will move on from this and hope that we achieve good results at the next round at Brands Hatch and secure the good reputaion we have always had.

I must congratulate Vittorio on his weekend; he improved all the time and set his best lap times in the second race. He really is beginning to get a good feeling for the bike and i feel we have some good progress and look forward to continuing our progress for the remainder of the season."