Gearlink Kawasaki Donington Park - Round 10

Dickies British Supersport

 

The Gearlink Kawasaki team had a diverse weekend at round ten of the Dickies British Supersport Championship at Donington Park. Mason Law was able to secure another fantastic podium with third place in race one but unfortunately was forced to retire from race two. His team-mate Andrew Irwin fought hard for a strong sixth place on Saturday and was 12^th place in the main race on Sunday.

 

Mason struggled throughout the practice sessions to find a set-up that was suitable for him on the Gearlink Kawasaki. Despite several changes to the bike over the weekend, Mason ended up on the second row in sixth place for the opening race of the weekend. He got a good start in the 10-lap race on Saturday and was fourth after lap one. He was eager to push for another podium and when Joe Francis crashed out in front of him, Mason was then in a podium position. He rode hard and despite this ended up only 0.4 off second place man, Tarran Mackenzie.

 

For race two, Mason started from the front row in third place and he wanted to continue his run of podiums, which he has secured at the last few meetings. He got another good start but lost some places on the opening lap. It soon became apparent that Mason had a problem and he was forced to retire from the race out of fifth place on lap six.

 

Andrew Irwin had another strong points scoring weekend despite a crash during the qualifying session. The Gearlink Kawasaki team worked extremely hard and fast to get him back out on track and he was able to start from 10^th place for the sprint race on Saturday. He got a fantastic start and was fifth after lap one, he got passed by James Westmoreland and dropped back to sixth where he finished at the end of the 10-lap race.

 

For race two he was placed in sixth place on the grid and for some unknown reason his bike would not start before the race. They wheeled him off the grid and managed to get him bump started in pit lane but then he was forced to join in dead last in 27^th place. He worked so hard to make up the time and at the end of the 18-lap race he had slotted into a creditable points scoring position of 12^th.

 

Mason Law - "I struggled with set-up at the start of the weekend but certainly felt more confident come the race on Saturday. The sprint race was crazy though! There were so many people slicing each other up, I honestly thought a few times that I was going to end up on the floor.

 

Once everyone calmed down it was time to find the grove but by that point, Brad (Ray) had cleared off. I started to catch Tarran (Mackenzie) but then unfortunately I had a couple of small mechanical problems that were hindering my progress. I managed to secure another podium, which I was happy with given the circumstances.

 

It was a different story in the main feature race on Sunday. I got a good jump off the line and was second exiting the first turn until two bikes flew past me, which I was slightly baffled by. I carried on thinking maybe it was me that messed up but then it soon became apparent that I had lost power.

 

The bike felt weak and it was only when braking into the Esses that the first sign of a serious issue evolved when the bike semi shut down on me. It was game over from there and I had to retire. I am sorry to my sponsors and hope to be back strong in Assen."

 

Andrew Irwin - "The weekend was certainly a challenging one. In qualifying I had a coming together with a slower rider, which caused me to crash out. The team did an amazing job of fixing my bike and getting me back out on track for the final 10 minutes. This allowed me to secure 10^th place on the grid for race one.

 

I got a really good start in race one but I lost my rhythm a bit; I managed to concentrate and get my head down to finish in sixth. I got a good lap time in race one which put me in sixth on the grid for the race on Sunday. Unfortunately the bike didn't start on the grid and I had to start from pit lane.

 

I managed to push my way up to 10^th and then I made a stupid mistake, which dropped me back to 13^th, I made up one place to 12^th at the flag.

 

A big thank you to the whole Gearlink Kawasaki team and I look forward to finishing the final two rounds strongly at Assen and Brands Hatch."

 

MCE British Superbike

 

In the MCE British Superbike series, the Gearlink Kawasaki rider, Italian Vittorio Iannuzzo, had a really strong weekend and was able to secure his first Championship points of the season with two very solid 15^th places.

 

Vittorio certainly felt more comfortable on a track he knows and one that also suits his riding style and the Gearlink Kawasaki team were extremely pleased with the progress he made throughout the weekend.

 

Vittorio Iannuzzo - "Finally a weekend that has been good for us! We were competitive in all the sessions and we made some great progress with the bike which produced some good lap times.

 

We choose the wrong tyre for the first race and in race two I lost a lot of positions when I had to avoid two crashed riders.

 

Without these two small problems I am sure we could have had a better result. I must say thank you to the Gearlink Kawasaki team, who believe in me even when the results weren't positive. I would also like to say a big thank you to the team sponsors and my sponsors for all their help and support this season. I am looking forward to Assen as this is another circuit I am more familiar with."

 

Team Manager Michael de Bidaph - "In the Supersport class both Mason and Andrew continued to make good progress throughout the weekend and secured solid qualifying positions on the grid. Mason was able to gain another podium despite a small mechanical problem that hindered his progress. Andrew rode a strong race considering he had a crash in qualifying, a sixth position is good and we are pleased he is continuing to score points.

 

I was totally gutted for Mason in race two, watching him retire is certainly not what I want and it frustrates me more than anyone. We have had no issues with Andrew's bike all weekend and then on the grid it would not start. To finish in 13^th place from a pit lane start is a credit to him and he rode well this weekend. I am not sure why but our track record in Supersport at Donington seems to have been plagued by bad luck and it continued this weekend.

 

I am so pleased for Vittorio this weekend and it was great to finally get some Championship points. He likes it at Donington and he felt comfortable here from the start of the weekend. Everything went well and he continued to improve in every session, he had a much better qualifying session and this gave him an opportunity in the race also.

 

We picked the wrong tyre for the first race which certainly hindered his progress and he did well in race two to avoid two crashed riders. It was good to see him involved in some battles this weekend and he was rewarded with two hard earnt 15^th places."