PROGRESS ALL ROUND FOR BUILDBASE BMW AT OULTON PARK
PROGRESS ALL ROUND FOR BUILDBASE BMW AT OULTON PARK
The Buildbase BMW team enjoyed a strong final day at Oulton Park for the ninth round of the 2015 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship with Richard Cooper enjoying two top ten finishes, impressive pace for Lee Jackson and a step in the right direction for Ryuichi Kiyonari.After securing a third row start with his lap time from yesterday’s first race, Lee Jackson was all revved up for Race 2 this morning. The Lincolnshire teenager made good progress at the start to find himself in a battle for sixth position before a mistake saw him drop through the pack to 17th. Fighting back through, he eventually crossed the line 11th.Starting 15th in race two, Jackson lost a couple of places in the first two laps and found it more difficult to fight through the pack. A safety car at the mid-point helped bunch everyone together giving Jackson chance to catch the riders ahead. After a couple of strong passes, he took 13th at the chequered flag.Richard Cooper enjoyed another strong day in just his second round with the Buildbase BMW team. The Nottinghamshire rider took two solid seventh places to complete a hat-trick of top ten finishes in the weekend’s three races.Cooper’s results mean he moves up to eighth in the championship standings, placing him in a strong position fight for the 2015 British Superbike Riders’ Cup, which is awarded to the best-placed non-showdown finisher in the overall standings. Ryuichi Kiyonari took a positive step forward this weekend after what’s been a difficult season. Starting 22nd on the grid, Race 2 was always going to be difficult for the three-times former champion, but feeling much more comfortable with the Buildbase BMW S1000RR he fought on through to cross the like 12th and set a time that would see him move further up the grid for the final race of the day.A strong start from 11th saw Kiyonari maintain position for most of the race, before picking off the riders in front to battle for eighth place, eventually missing out by just 0.138 sec.The Buildbase BMW team will be back in action for the tenth round of the championship at TT Circuit Assen in two weeks’ time.Richard Cooper, 7th, 7th & 7th: “It’s been a good weekend, we took another three strong top ten finishes on the Buildbase BMW and more importantly learned lots about the bike, getting important data to take into the last three rounds. It would have been a bonus to make the showdown but it was always going to be tough, now we can turn our focus to the final three rounds and getting our hands on the Riders’ Cup!”Lee Jackson, 8th, 11th &13th: “It’s been a bit of a frustrating day as yesterday we had a really good result and I started eighth in race two and we were having a good run in the battle for sixth but I made a mistake and dropped back. 11th is still a good result but I’d have preferred a top ten! Race three was a little more difficult from 15th on the grid. We’ve shown that we have the pace this weekend, I just need to turn that into results. I’d have liked to have been in the top ten three times this weekend but there are positives to take away ahead of Assen next time out.”Ryuichi Kiyonari, 15th, 12th & 9th: “The results don’t show it but we have had a good weekend. On Saturday we were a bit behind as we lost track time on Friday, and this meant we were far back on the grid for Race 2. I did my best and finished 15th but more importantly we qualified a bit better for Race 3. The bike felt very good and I felt comfortable, especially towards the end of the race when I set my fastest lap. Hopefully we can take this progress to Assen and move closer to the front.”Steve Hicken, Team Manager: “It’s been a good weekend overall, we’ve made some really important steps forward with Kiyo. I’m not saying we’re there yet, but we’re getting there and it’s much better than it has been and it’s looking good for Assen.“Lee had another great weekend. He’s 19 years old and racing at the highest level in British racing, there is no other 19 year old as good as him and he’s shown he can fight for the top six this weekend. If it hadn’t been for a couple of mistakes, which are expected from a rookie of his age, he could have had three strong top tens here.“For the time Richard’s had on the bike, he continues to impress. We couldn’t ask for any more from him. We’ve learned a lot ahead of the final three rounds and we’re confident of cracking on in Assen and pushing further towards the front.”
