Sponsorship
Ben recieves support from local press - 29 Febuary 2008
Bikelegal announce new sponsorship deal - 21 Febuary 2008
Bikel;egal have chosen to sponsor a local rising star. 14 year old Ben Gautrey of Southport Merseyside will this year participate in the Aprillia RS125 challenge series. He will be competing at the some of the UK's biggest circuits this year including in fornt of the Moto GP crowd at Donnington.
The series will be televised on MotorsTV and we will have upto date reports on how Ben is getting on right here or you can log on to http://www.bengautrey.com/ and follow his progress there. Season Over - However we will have news and info about the team during the off season so keep checking in for the latest Virgin Media Racing Info. McConnell on Podium at Race of the Year - 21 October 2007
McCONNELL DOMINATES AT BRANDS HATCH FINALE - 14 October 2007
Superbike
As the curtain came down upon one of the most fiercely contested British Superbike seasons on record, Tommy Hill consolidated tenth position in the Championship.
The Finale - Brands Hatch - 12/13/14 Oct
Virgin Media Optoma Loans Yamaha's Billy McConnell collected his second trophy inside of a week with a spirited performance at Mallory Park today (21 October).
After a strong season at British Supersport level that has seen Billy McConnell score four podiums in the last four races, he stepped up a class to the senior Superbike team to claim third place at The Race of the Year at Mallory Park.
The 20 year old Australian was riding high on the back of his second British Supersport win of the season at Brands Hatch in the final round of the Championship last weekend. Competing onboard a Superbike for the first time this year amongst a host of British Superbike regulars, Billy made an effortless transition to the 1000cc Virgin Media Optoma Loans Yamaha YZF-R1.
Rizla Suzuki's, Cal Crutchlow dominated the race from the start with Billy and Scott Smart close behind battling it out for second position. In the closing stages of the race Billy fell victim to a very slow speed crash at the hairpin. Some quick thinking and sheer determination saw Billy re-mount his Pirelli shod machine and ride a hard race to salvage the last spot on the podium, finishing just ahead of James Haydon.
British Superbike Cup champion, Tristan Palmer partnered Billy and managed a very respectable fifth position behind James Haydon on the Hawk Kawasaki. Although Tristan was running in Virgin Media Optoma Loans livery for the race, he will be running in his Yamaha Co-Ordit team's livery next year, as team boss Peter Bradshaw links up with Rob McElnea for the 2008 British Superbike Championship.
2007 Virgin Media Cup contender, David Paton had his first outing at Mallory Park onboard the Virgin Media Yamaha Supersport YZF-R6. Despite a big crash in morning practice he composed himself to qualify for the main event. However, a competitor's oil leak left the 18-year old Scot struggling with vision problems due to a continuous layer of oil covering his visor.
Billy McConnell: "It was a great race but full of drama. Scott and I were battling it out for second and third for the most part. I got caught up in some backmarkers and tucked the front and went down. I managed to get back on but Haydon was right on me, I pushed really hard on a beaten up bike in the closing laps but I was rewarded with a third.
What a fantastic way to end the season, and a great way to thank my hard working team. Another podium and more importantly a podium on my first outing on a Superbike this year, I hope to be doing more of the same next year."
Rob McElnea, Team Principal: "This is the first time that Billy has ridden our Superbike all season, he was in some good company with some very experienced, credible British Superbike riders. What a great performance from Billy, his second podium for the team in 7 days.
With an emphatic display of true grit and determination, Aussie style, Billy McConnell saved his most determined display of the season until the final round to claim his second race win of the season at Brands Hatch, today (14 October).
With the second double Virgin Media Yamaha front row start of the season at Brands Hatch, Billy and Tom slipped in behind the leading duo of Hobbs and McGuinness into Paddock Hill.
Joe Dickinson, looking like rejuvenated rider this weekend, crashed out at the culmination of the second circulation, allowing Billy the clear track he needed to close the gap on the front two.
Winning the battle of the late brakers, Billy slid his Pirelli-shod Yamaha YZF-R6 underneath McGuinness into Paddock Hill on lap 4. 1.1986-miles later, and the plucky Australian rider posted the same move on McGuinness' team-mate Dennis Hobbs for the lead.
From here on in it became a case of focus and concentration for the 20-year old Virgin Media Yamaha rider. Constant pressure from Hobbs throughout the remaining 18-laps did nothing to sway Billy from his ultimate goal of a second race win in 2007.
As the riders headed towards the final lap, Aaron Walker crashed out spectacularly from fifth at Clearways. The resulting red flag pulled the race back to the end of lap 22 but the result would still stand; Billy McConnell would claim the top step of the podium in the final race of the 2007 British Supersport season
Tom Grant rode yet another mature race that belied his young age. The 2006 Virgin Mobile Cup champion fended off pressure from both Steve Brogan and Aaron Walker, before closing down the gap to third placed Michael Laverty. Posting the fastest lap of the race (47.321sec), Tom propelled him Virgin Media Yamaha into a position to make a challenge for the final podium step. However, with the red flag halting proceedings with one lap remaining, Tom settled for gallant fourth and a solid seventh in the final Championship standings.
Billy McConnell: "It was a good race and probably the best start we've had all year really. I got behind Hobbs and McGuinness it's such a hard track to pass but our Yamaha seemed to have a little more power and I got them down the straight. I pulled a gap on the lead for a while but saw it coming down towards the end, I knew I could respond if he challenged me for a pass. I'm really happy and glad to finish the season with a win, we've all worked so hard for a finish like this all year."
Tom Grant: "I'm pretty happy with that and rode really hard for it, obviously I'd love to be on the podium with Billy but I'm pleased that we ended up in the top four all weekend. It's been a good rookie season for me and I have learnt a lot over the year. I'd like to thank my team for all their hard work, it's been a pleasure working with them."
Virgin Media Optoma Loans Yamaha's Tommy Hill battled back to finish 13th in the final race of the 2007 season. The 1.1986-mile Brands Hatch Indy circuit became host to a number of eventful races throughout the final day of the season, as Ryuichi Kiyonari claimed his second successive Championship title today (14 October).
Tommy's pace during the first 30-lap race had seen the Lingfield based rider knocking on the door of the top ten. However, tyre fade during the latter stages of the race forced the 22-year old to retire from proceedings on lap 26.
Team-mate for the final two rounds of the season, Marty Nutt, looked to have developed a good working relationship with the Virgin Media Optoma Loans Yamaha YZF-R1. The 29-year old from Castlerock started both Superbike races from his highest grid position of the season.
Lapping at a similar pace to Tommy, Marty capitalized on the misfortune of a number of rider errors ahead of him to post 13th in race one.
Race two looked to be a more positive outing for the Virgin Media Optoma Loans pairing. Spurred on by the success of team-mate Billy McConnell, Tommy made a more determined start. However, first the Safety Car deployment and subsequent red flag on laps six and seven, left both riders in the thick of the action for the 20-lap re-start.
Dicing with Smart, the two riders used local track knowledge to close the gap on the top ten but as the chequered flag signaled the end of a long 13 round season, Tommy had to settle for 13th. Marty, looking to post a second point scoring finish of the day, lost out on the penultimate lap, bringing his Yamaha home just outside of the points in 17th.
Marty Nutt: "I'm really pleased with that, I was hoping to be in the points so I can't say fairer than that. I had a big slide which lost me a few places at the beginning of race one, who knows perhaps it could have been nearer to a top ten. Race two ended up a bit frustrating for me as my tyre seemed to wear faster even though we did less laps. The whole experience has been great for me, I've learnt such a lot and it will definitely help us In our future plans. Thanks to the whole team but especially Roger for supporting me."
Tommy Hill: "It's been a tough season for us with some highs and lows. I don't feel our Championship position reflects our ability or effort. Brands Hatch seems to have turned into a bit of a nemesis for me but that's just the way it goes sometimes. I have to thank all my crew who work tirelessly to put the package together, they have been so supportive this year. It feels like a bit of the end of an era for me, with the Cup finishing; the series that put me where I am today"
Rob McElnea, Team Principal: "I need to say a big thanks to the whole team, our sponsors and everyone involved. Without Virgin Media, Optoma Loans and the rest of our valued partners we would not be here, it's a true team effort.
Today has been really tough for Tommy, we've had some set-up issues and struggled to get a comfortable setting that Tommy is confident with. He had a massive crash here this time last year and to be honest I think he just wanted to get through it.
The Supersport team have flown the Virgin Media flag for us today and kept the whole team smiling. It's great for Billy to see the season out on the top step of the podium, it gives the team a good send off for the season and puts us on a high as we go into winter testing. We have achieved a great deal with our Supersport bikes this year and worked really hard to produce a proven race-winning bike.
A big thanks to Pirelli, it's been a development year for us and Pirelli in the Superbike class, to be honest we'd liked to have been a little stronger there but it's been a great partnership."
The notorious 1.986-mile circuit provides a demanding and challenging undulating platform for the riders who will be contesting final championship positions over two 30-lap races on Sunday afternoon.
Podium for McConnel at Donnington - Updated 24/9
Tommy Hill will be high on confidence after yet another stirling performance on the World stage at Magny-Cours in France last weekend for the official Yamaha World Supersport Team. Battling for a podium finish throughout the entire race, the 22-year old from Lingfield in Surrey was unfortunate to have to settle for fifth at the chequered flag. However, Tommy displayed his depth of talent, earning the respect of his fellow competitors with his third top five finish in four races.
However, Brands Hatch Indy circuit may prove to be a little more demanding of Virgin Media Optoma Loans Yamaha's senior rider this weekend. Tommy has proved consistently fast on the Pirelli-shod Yamaha YZF-R1 this season, claiming his debut pole position in the class at Thruxton back in April, and hopes that his recent run of rich form on the world stage can be transferred to strong finishes in both races at the final round back on a Superbike.
Supersport
The Virgin Media Yamaha Supersport pairing of Billy McConnell and Tom Grant will look for strong performances to close their accounts as the 2007 British Supersport Championship draws to a close at Brands Hatch Indy circuit this weekend, 12 - 14 October.
Billy McConnell is in a strong position to claim third in the British Supersport Championship for the Virgin Media Yamaha team in his debut season. The young Australian rider has put in a number of strong performances over the past three rounds to claim three podiums including his maiden victory at Croft. As one of the initial favourites to challenge for the title, Billy will look to capitalize on posting the highest points total over the last three races to move ahead of Dennis Hobbs into third position.
Tom Grant will look for a continuation of his improving race form of late as he lines up on the grid for the final round of his debut British Supersport season. On his previous visit to the Indy circuit, Tom Grant came a close second at the opening round of the 2006 season, on his way to claim the Virgin Mobile Cup Championship. With a front row start and a dominating performance prior to a jump-start penalty at Brands Hatch GP circuit back in April, Tom is confident that he can challenge for his third podium finish and elevate himself up another place in the final Championship standings.
Virgin Media Yamaha Supersport rider Billy McConnell capitalised on a two-part race at Donington Park to steal the final step on the podium at the penultimate round of the 2007 Championship (23 September).
Donnington Park - Updated 20-9-07
Billy McConnell: "I had a bad start in the first part of the race and ended up about 9th, by mid race I'd got up to 5th then the safety car flag came out so I knew I was in with a chance. After the red flag I got another shocking start, I'm not sure what the go is with that, perhaps I'll have to get down the airfield! I worked my way back up, McGuinness is strong on the brakes so I chose my moment, as I was passing him Walker ran wide so I got two places for third and just held it to the flag."
Superbike
Tommy Hill had his work cut out starting from the middle of row 3 in the opening Bennetts British Superbike race. As he got away with the leading pack a determined move prematurely ended his race after he lost the front heading towards McLeans.
Race two saw a spirited effort for Tommy who started the race nursing a heavily strapped right thumb. Initial diagnosis revealed some ligament damage that would prevent him taking any further part from the forth lap.
Tommy Hill will be joined by a new team-mate at round twelve of the 2007 Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Donington Park this weekend, 21 - 23 September.
Marty Nutt will move from the Superbike Cup to contest the remainder of the season onboard the 2008 spec Yamaha YZF-R1. The Virgin Media Optoma Loans Yamaha team has been working hard on new engine development, and the 29yr old from Castlerock is looking forward to stepping up a level to compete in the main Championship over the closing rounds.
Supersport
As the 2007 term draws to a close, Virgin Media Yamaha Supersport riders Billy McConnell and Tom Grant have once again regained their explosive form from the early part of the season. Riding high off the back of a double podium at Cadwell Park, the Virgin Media Yamaha pair are looking for a repeat performance
Double Podium for Virgin Media Duo
Billy and Tom celebrate in Style.
The Virgin Media Yamaha Supersport pair of Billy McConnell and Tom Grant collectively posted their highest finishes of the season so far with a podium apiece in front of a capacity home crowd at Cadwell Park today, 27 August.
High on confidence after his maiden win in the class two weeks ago at Croft, Billy McConnell lined up for his fifth pole position of the season. Tom Grant took his fifth position at the head of row two just behind his team-mate as the lights went out for the 16-lap race.
Rob McElnea, Team Principal: "I'm really happy, the whole team has worked so hard for this week in week out and finally we get our just rewards. Billy and Tom have been amazing this weekend, both of them have proved what we knew about them all season and finally the whole package is coming together
BSB
Superbike Race 1 Result
Cadwell Park - Local track - Updated 24/8
1) Haslam (Ducati), 2) Kiyonari (Honda), 3) Sykes (Honda), 4) Byrne (Honda), 5) Crutchlow (Suzuki), 6) Tommy Hill (Virgin Media Optoma Loans Yamaha)
Superbike Race 2 Result
1) Rea (Honda), 2) Kiyonari (Honda), 3) Lavilla (Ducati), 4) Crutchlow (Suzuki), 5) Sykes (Honda), 7) Tommy Hill (Virgin Media Optoma Loans Yamaha)
The Scunthorpe based Virgin Media Optoma Loans Yamaha racing team makes the short journey south to Cadwell Park for Round 11 of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship this Bank Holiday weekend (25-27 Aug).
Previous Cadwell Park winner, Tommy Hill will be looking for a repeat performance of his 2005 debut Superbike win at the 2.173 mile picturesque Lincolnshire circuit. Tommy has recovered well from his high-speed crash after a blistering start in race two at Croft two weeks ago.
Billy celebrates his first win at Croft
Debut Victory for McConnell at Croft 12 August 2007 Virgin Media Yamaha's Billy McConnell finally realised his full potential in the Supersport class as he transformed pole position into a last gasp debut victory at Croft today, 12 August.
Lining up for his third pole position of the season, Billy tucked in behind Ian Lowry who stole the holeshot from the lights. A Steve Allan crash on the first lap brought the safety car out for two laps. Billy knuckled down as Lowry got the green light as the riders crossed the line for the start of the fourth circulation. Michael Laverty swooped through to claim third from the Yamaha rider on the fifth lap, as a six-wheel Pirelli freight train led the field. The pace began to hot up towards mid-race distance with first Billy then Lowry breaking the lap record. As lap 11 began to unfold, Laverty suffered a technical problem leaving Billy with clear track between himself and race leader Lowry.
The final few laps produced a nail-biting climax as Billy pushed his Yamaha and Pirelli tyres to the limit holding off the advances of Dennis Hobbs whilst closing the gap to Lowry. Lowry ran wide into the hairpin on the penultimate lap and Billy knew that his opportunity would soon arise as he was now close enough to smell the fumes from the Suzuki's exhaust. Braking for the run in to Tower, Billy took the inside line, making a clean pass and holding firm through to Jim Clark Esses and the final sector of the race. A jubilant McConnell took the chequered flag with a new lap record of 1:22.689s, and both his and Virgin Media Yamaha's maiden win in the fiercely contested British Supersport series. Team-mate, Tom Grant recorded another valuable nine points towards his Championship total, taking the chequered flag in a lonely seventh position. With 25 points secured for the win, Billy moves up the Championship table into fifth. Superbike
Race One saw Tommy lose a few places to a bad start. Although he posted consistent lap times he struggled to match the pace of the riders in front in what was to become a Honda dominated race. Despite his own frustrations Tommy managed to post yet another top ten finish and consolidate his ninth place in the championship. A fantastic start in Race Two saw Tommy break with the leaders but his early advantage was to be short lived when he high-sided out of Clerveaux on the first lap, bringing his weekend to an abrupt end. Although he was up on his feet and walked away he suffered a heavy fall that has resulted in some general bruising, at this stage notably to his right hand. The team will now focus on its home round at Cadwell Park over the August Bank Holiday weekend, 25 - 27 August.
Hat-Trick of Poles for McConnell - 11 August 2007
The British young guns are out there to prove a point; the top 5 riders are all under the age of 24. With less than half a second splitting the first two rows of the grid the competition will be as fierce as ever come race day. 
Round 10 of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Croft proved to be a tough and a stark contrast to the celebrations of Billy McConnell's win for Tommy Hill and the Virgin Media Optoma Loans Yamaha Superbike team.
Tommy had been consistently quick and in the top five on the time sheets throughout practice and qualifying, managing to qualify the Pirelli-shod Yamaha YZF-R1 in fifth position for the two 20-lap races.
Media Optoma Loans Yamaha's Tommy Hill consolidated his first second row start of the season ahead of Sunday's two 20-lap races during a record-breaking qualifying session for round 10 of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship today, 11 August. Tommy initially occupied the top slot during the opening fifteen minutes of qualifying, battling with Leon Haslam as the pair recorded times in the low 1:20s bracket. The final third of the 50-minute session saw the times tumble into the 1.19's and Tommy respond accordingly. In his fastest lap of 1:19.373 he had fellow ex-R6 Cup competitor Cal Crutchlow hot on his heels, crossing the line just behind him with the pole time of 1:19.108.
Supersport
Billy McConnell scored his third pole position of the season onboard his Virgin Media Yamaha Supersport YZF-R6 today, 11 August. The young Australian rider took to the technical 2.17mile Croft circuit for the second qualifying session in provisional pole and quickly set about chasing down his own lap time. Ian Hutchinson, lying in second after the morning session, looked to be the only rider who may upset Billy's hat-trick. However the Virgin Media Yamaha rider's time would not be bettered in the humid afternoon conditions.
Team-mate, Tom Grant improved on his morning qualifying time to elevate his Yamaha further up the second row of the grid to start tomorrow's 18-lap race from 6th position. Supersport
Oulton Park- wet, wet, wet - 15 July
Virgin Media Yamaha's Billy McConnell fought back to claim fourth position with a sterling performance over 28-laps at Mallory Park today, 22 July.
As the riders launched from Championship positions on the grid, Billy circulated in seventh for the opening three laps as Dennis Hobbs stole away with the holeshot. Dipping under the Honda of John McGuinness into Gerrard's at the start of lap 6, Billy moved into sixth and set about chasing down Robinson and Oulton Park race winner Ian Hutchinson.
Biding his time, Billy passed the Honda taking fourth position on the entry to Shaw's Hairpin on lap 18. Despite pulling a safe gap between himself and Hutchinson, Billy was unable to reel in Hobbs for the final podium slot.
Team-mate Tom Grant did not make the best of starts. Languishing down in 11th at the end of the first lap, Tom had everything to do over the remaining laps to claw his Virgin Media Yamaha YZF-R6 back inside the top ten.
The fast-paced Mallory Park circuit is notoriously difficult to pass on, and although Tom could smell the fumes from Robinson's Honda, he was unable to make the pass.
Coming out of the final corner proved Tom's sole opportunity as the pair faced a drag race to the line. As the two machines flashed past the chequered flag, Tom missed out on gaining another position by just one hundredth of a second. However, the six points for tenth position will keep Tom in eighth as he heads to Croft in North Yorkshire for round 10 in three weekend's time (10 - 12 August).
Supersport
Billy McConnell continued his recent run of form with another strong performance to finish fifth in round 8 of the British Supersport Championship at a wet Oulton Park today, 15 July.
Due to weather conditions, the Supersport race distance was reduced from 16 to 14 laps. As the Virgin Media Yamaha Supersport pairing lined up on the grid, the weather appeared to be clearing.
Tom Grant made an excellent start from seventh to third out of the first corner. Tom was forced to concede his position to first Laverty, then Robinson on lap five but sat in firmly behind Robinson to post a successive string of personal best lap times.
Tom Grant was to fall victim to the slippery exit surface at Hizzy's chicane, crashing out of the race and the points. Billy kept his nose clean over the final two laps to claim a strong fifth across the line and 11 valuable championship points.
Superbike
The wet conditions that blighted Oulton Park on Friday returned with a vengeance today, 15 July, as the lights went out on round 8 of the 2007 Bennetts British Superbike Championship.
A poor start and two first lap incidents left Tommy Hill languishing down in 20th position as the safety car was deployed at the end of the first lap. Tommy was lucky not to fall victim himself as he clipped the stricken Gregorio Lavilla as the Spaniard fell at Old Hall, forcing him onto the grass before rejoining further down the field.
Qualifying Oulton Park - 14 July Virgin Media Optoma Loans Yamaha rider Tommy Hill stole through to qualify in the top ten ahead of round 8 of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park in Cheshire today, 14 July.
However, the Virgin Media Optoma Loans Yamaha rider knuckled down to make inroads on the pack in front. Within 6 laps, Tommy had Ollie Bridewell firmly in his sights. Passing fellow Pirelli runner Bridewell on lap 13, Tommy set about closing the 6.5-seconds deficit to Scott Smart and seventh position.
Time and a lack of remaining laps prevented the Lingfield-based rider to progress any further but Tommy salvaged eight further points towards his championship total.
The weather had improved for the start of race 2. With track conditions still calling for wet tyres, Tommy made a far better start rounding the first corner in sixth. Unfortunately, Tommy's race would come to an abrupt end on the following corner as his Yamaha YZF-R1 crashed out of proceedings at Cascades. Tommy did remount and attempted to resume racing. However, crash damage to his fairing was deemed unsafe and he was forced to retire from the race.
Supersport
The Virgin Media Yamaha duo of Tom Grant and Billy McConnell will line up on the second and third rows respectively for Sunday's 16-lap Supersport race at Oulton Park. Dramatic weather changes made very different free practice and qualifying conditions, leaving the Supersport riders with a very wet free practice day and two dry qualifying sessions.
Debut Podium for Tom Grant - 1 July Tom Grant gambled on improving weather conditions to secure his first podium finish ahead of team-mate Billy McConnell at Knockhill today, 1 July.
The torrential rain had disappeared to leave a rapidly drying track as the Virgin Media Yamaha Supersport riders lined up next to each other on the third row of the grid. Both Tom and Billy had opted for a dry tyre combination, a decision that would prove to pay dividends during the second half of the reduced 20-lap race.
Michael Laverty took the holeshot and broke clear at the head of the field, while Tom and Billy tucked into a four-wheel Yamaha express in 10th and 11th. Dennis Hobbs left the track through Seat Curves depositing mud across the circuit resulting in deployment of the safety car for three laps. This played into the hands of the Virgin Media Yamaha riders.
As the chasing pack closed up, Tom instantly took advantage at the re-start moving underneath a few riders into sixth by the end of lap 11. The tyre gamble paid off as Tom elevated his Yamaha YZF-R6 into third on lap 16, Billy was on a charge himself, and claimed a few scalps moving into fifth the following lap.
Jamie Robinson passed Tom for third on the track in the closing stages but with a 20-second jump start penalty would be relegated to 14th, paving the way clear for Tom's debut podium in his rookie Supersport season.
Team-mate Billy McConnell firmly put the qualifying demons of Knockhill behind him as the young Australian took fourth at the chequered flag - just 1.2-seconds behind Tom Grant. However, the plaudits must go to Tom Grant whose continual promise has finally been rewarded with his first Supersport podium and moves up to fifth in the Championship.
Superbike
A monumental effort by the Knockhill circuit staff enabled a reduced racing programme to take place at a rain soaked round seven of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship today, 1 July.
Race one got underway later than scheduled as the rain appeared to be clearing. Drama unfolded as the riders gingerly took to the 1.27-mile circuit for the reduced race distance of 24-laps. At the end of the two warm-up laps, Tommy Hill's Yamaha YZF-R1 came to a sudden halt at the Real Radio Hairpin. Unable to re-start, Tommy was forced to run back to pit lane and start on his spare machine. Although 18-seconds back from the next rider at the end of the first circulation, Tommy put in a super-human performance with a string of fast laps to elevate himself into the points by lap 12.
Hudson Kennaugh got a good start and quickly passed Steve Plater for 13th. As the rain started to fall again by mid-race, Hudson was closing in on Sean Emmett and Karl Harris. However, with the conditions worsening, Hudson settled for 12th and four more valuable Championship points.
By the time Tommy had passed the mid-order riders and had clear track in front of him the gap to team-mate Kennaugh was an unassailable 20-seconds with laps quickly running out. Unfortunate circumstances prevented Tommy from another top ten finish even though his consistent lap times deserved better.
Knockhill - 30 June Virgin Media Optoma Loans Yamaha riders, Tommy Hill and Hudson Kennaugh fell victim to the circumstances after the weather rapidly closed in early on in the Superbike Qualifying session. With only a handful of laps between them in the dry conditions they qualified in 10th and 14th respectively for round seven of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Knockhill today, 30 June.
Supersport
Despite both Tom and Billy crashing during the morning's first qualifying session, the Virgin Media Yamaha Supersport pair both qualified on the third row ahead of Sunday's 28-lap race.
Hill moves up the Championship table at Mondello - Updated 19-6-07
Tommy Hill put in another pair of solid results onboard his Virgin Media Optoma Loans Yamaha at Mondello Park, Ireland, in round six of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship today (June 17). The 22 year old from Lingfield in Surrey, posted two top ten finishes scoring more valuable points to elevate him in to eighth place in the fiercely competitive championship. Tommy fought for a higher place in race one but could not match the pace of the others in the closing laps, finishing in tenth place. Race two saw Tommy in a similar position fighting for sixth mid way through the race. Caught by Leon Camier and Tom Sykes in the latter stages, Tommy had to settle for ninth, however his consistent points finishes rewarded him with a promotion in the Championship table.
Team-mate, Hudson Kennaugh's first permanent ride on the Pirelli shod YZF-R1 bought him mixed fortunes. The young South African rider maximised his 19th place starting position to finish a respectable 13th in race one. However the luck of the Irish was not on Hudson's side in race two when he fell victim to Aaron Zanotti crashing in front of him. Unable to avoid the unfortunate Zanotti, Hudson collided with him and his stricken machine bringing an abrupt end to his race. Despite the Safety Car being deployed, both riders walked away unscathed.
Tommy Hill: "It's been a frustrating weekend, all our practice and qualifying was in the wet so we'd had no dry track time until today. Obviously I'm glad to be moving up the championship table, I'd just like to have scored higher up in the races."
British Supersport - Red Flags dominate race proceedings
Pole sitter, Billy McConnell capitalised on his front row start to get away in third place with Dennis Hobbs leading, chased by championship leader Michael Laverty in what was to become a two-part British Supersport race. McConnell maintained his third place until an incident involving Robert Lanigan bought the Safety Car out on to the circuit, the incident was deemed to unsafe to continue and the race was red flagged. Team-mate, Tom Grant was running in eight place and had just been caught by a hard charging Ian Lowry who had started from 20th position before the stoppage.
The nine lap race re-start was Red Flagged on the opening lap after a crash involving three riders.
With the race finally underway for the third time in the day, Billy fought his way from fourth to third in the opening laps, battling hard with Michael Laverty for second position. With under a second between them, McConnell made a move on Laverty at Turn 7 leaving them both running off the circuit. Re-joining the race, Billy managed to salvage his way back to 20th position with the less fortunate Laverty out of the race shortly after he re-joined.
Tom Grant rode a hard race to secure sixth place and bag himself some more Championship points leaving him only one point behind his Virgin Media Yamaha ally in tenth place.
Tom Grant: "It's been a hard weekend for me here, I have never ridden at Mondello before as the Virgin Media Cup doesn't come here. I'd also never ridden on wets but our Pirelli's did us proud to put us first and second on the grid. Ideally I'd of liked to turn my grid position in to a podium but it was not meant to be today for me."
Rob McElnea, Team Principal: "What an eventful weekend it's been for everyone there's been a lot of incidents causing stoppages. As a team, we struggled to get a good dry set-up in the limited time available, this has reflected on our results. We look ahead to Knockhill to turn this weekend around, although we have picked up more championship points and places we really want to be getting consistent podiums."
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