The 2015 British Superbike Championship top six Showdown positions were confirmed after Sunday’s triple-header at Oulton Park. Tyco BMW will enter the final seven races of the year as the only BSB team with two riders in the Showdown, where Tommy Bridewell and Michael Laverty still have a mathematical possibility of becoming this year’s BSB champion.
Tommy Bridewell continued to demonstrate his single-mindedness and dogged determination over the weekend in Cheshire aboard the Tyco BMW S1000RR. In race one on Saturday, whilst holding a strong second place, the Wiltshire racer suffered an uncharacteristic mechanical problem.
Then in Sunday’s opening race he was wickedly thrown over the highside of his S1000RR whilst holding a podium position. Many other riders would have sat out race three, but Tommy bounced back to take a hugely impressive podium [3rd].
Michael Laverty demonstrated his own level of determination over the weekend at Oulton, despite openly admitting that he felt anything but comfortable in his pursuit of a top six Showdown spot. Ninth place in race one left the Presteigne based Ulsterman with an uphill task from row five on the grid in race two, but seventh and twelfth placed finishes followed, which was enough for Laverty to make that all important top six.
Tommy Bridewell: “This weekend is a massive credit to the whole Tyco BMW team. I’ve worked with a lot of teams in the paddock, but those boys did a superb job getting my bike ready for race three. It really was not in good shape at all after that crash. I just got on the gas too early and left the whole garage working to get the bike ready. That’s the sort of atmosphere we have in there, so I’m really happy to be working with those boys and that podium is for them. The bike might have had a few scratches here and there and a little dent in the tank, but the S1000RR worked perfectly. We have two riders in the Showdown, which no other team has done, so again that’s credit to the whole Tyco BMW team.”
Michael Laverty: “That’s the first objective of the season completed, getting both riders into the Showdown, which is a huge achievement for the Tyco BMW team. All the boys should be proud for the work they have put in. Personally it was a difficult weekend for me and I wasn’t comfortable, so I had to focus on scoring enough points to secure my place in the Showdown. It’s not how I like to go racing, but we got the job done and we will push hard now in the final three rounds and come out fighting at Assen in a fortnight.”
In the Superstock 1000 class, Alastair Seeley kept his title hopes alive after taking his fourth win of the season on the Tyco BMW. Seeley now has two races remaining to overturn a 17-point deficit.
Alastair Seeley: “I said after Cadwell Park that the only goal was to win the remaining three races and hope that things played into our hands. We have completed part one of that goal and all I can do is keep applying the pressure and see what happens. The Tyco BMW worked really well at Oulton, which is the team’s third win here this year on the S1000RR. Silverstone should suit us and it then comes down to the final day. I’m ready for it. I’ve been here a few times before so I know what to expect.”
Philip Neill – Team Manager: “It goes without saying, we are extremely happy to have secured a top six Showdown position for both our riders. This was clearly our goal from the beginning of the year, although it was never going to be easy as we familiarised ourselves with the new BMW S1000RR.
“Thankfully the bike is a great package and Tommy in particular was unlucky not to record a second race win at Oulton this weekend: he suffered an engine problem in race one and a crash in race two, when realistically he was in a strong position to challenge for the race wins.
“It was the performance in race three that really stood out however, as Tommy was stiff and sore from his big crash just a few hours’ earlier, although it was barely visible. He ran with the leaders for most of the race before settling for a very safe and sensible third place, earning him huge respect in the process.
“Michael didn’t quite find his best form this weekend but he did what he had to do to secure enough points. Hopefully he can find some confidence with his bike for the remaining rounds and challenge for the positions we know he is capable of.
“Alastair once again did exactly what he had to do and simply outsmarted the opposition today, to record another valuable victory on the Superstock specification Tyco BMW.
“Thanks as always to our partners who have supported us in becoming the only team with two riders in the Championship Showdown. I would also like to thank our team for their efforts. It was a stressful weekend at times and everyone pulled together as always to get the job done.”
British Superbike Championship standings ahead of the Showdown:
- Josh Brookes (Yamaha) 553
- Shane Byrne (Kawasaki) 551
- James Ellison (Kawasaki) 522
- Tommy Bridewell (Tyco BMW) 507
- Dan Linfoot (Honda) 507
- Michael Laverty (Tyco BMW) 500
For more information please contact – [email protected]
www.tycobmw.com