Steve In The Points At Brands Hatch

Steve scored a fine 11th place on his debut for Italian team Triumph Italia BE1 Racing in the World Supersport race at Brands Hatch on Sunday.

Steve was deputising for an injured rider and was drafted into the team as a last minute replacement on Wednesday.

He met up with the team on Thursday prior to the first free practice session on Friday when he took the opportunity to acclimatise himself to the Triumph and make adjustments to suit his riding style.

Steve explained: “I was called up at the last minute due to an injury to one of their riders. Everything is going very well and I have gelled with the team members and also the machine. It’s the first time I have ever ridden a three cylinder 675 Triumph but I am quite comfy on the machine and have progressed all weekend in every session. In free practice on Saturday I didn’t actually go any faster but we learned an awful lot, changing different things on the bike, enough to go pretty much a second faster in qualifying. I am quite happy with 11th place on the grid as it will help me get a better position in the race.

“Result wise for the race, a top 10 would be nice. The Triumph is working really well and the chassis is also working well for me so we are just hoping for some good weather and a top 10 finish which would be a good result for the team and also for myself.”

But the weather didn’t behave as predicted and regular showers disrupted the action throughout race day.

Starting from a third row grid position Steve was running in 10th place on the opening lap but rain was never very far away and began to affect the pace, which saw him drop back to 14th place until officials eventually decided to stop the race on lap nine.

At the restart Steve began to edge his way forward and was sitting in a comfortable 11th position ready to pounce on the riders ahead when a crash involving the front runners brought out the red flag and a result was declared at 15 laps.

Steve was awarded 11th place to pick up five championship points and headed straight from the track to prepare for his eight-hour World Endurance race on Saturday at Oschersleben in Germany.

“It was an eventful race with the changeable weather and the red flag for rain, which should have come earlier. Everyone was riding around sticking their hands up in the air for two laps,” explained Steve.

“I am happy with the machine, we had one or two problems in the first half of the race so we made some changes for the re-start and went better. My lap times were very good, and I was faster than the four or five riders in front of me but didn’t have the time to pass them before the red flag came out once again. It was disappointing really because it could easily have been eighth or ninth instead of 11th.”

Steve is back in action on Thursday when he joins the Yamaha Austria World Endurance team for qualifying practice in preparation for Saturday’s eight-hour event at Oschersleben in Germany. The race is due to start at 3pm CET (2pm UK time) and set to end at 11pm CET (10pm UK)
 pic credit - action - Dean Owen
portrait - Helen Pask

Steve To Ride On World Stage

Steve is to race at Brands Hatch on Sunday to replace the injured Igor Clementi in the Italian World Supersport team BE1 Racing.

Clementi injured his hand while testing and will not be fit for Brands Hatch but team manager Guiliano Rovelli made no hesitation in naming Steve as his choice of replacement rider to take the controls of the Triumph 675 Supersport machine.

Her said: “I am very sorry for Ivan who injured his hand in training. We needed a high profile rider to take over at Brands Hatch and we think Steve is the right man for the job. He is brave and aggressive and is popular with the fans, especially the British supporters. I hope he and our other rider Mark Aitchison will be able to give us the results we need.”

In recent months Steve has achieved success with AIM Yamaha in the British Supersport class by taking a win and second place from the last few races. He rode to victory in both Supersport races at this year’s North West 200 and capped his road racing season off with a fine win at the Isle of Man TT races in June where he won the Junior TT at only his second attempt.

It is a few years since Steve last rode a Triumph but he is sure he will soon get to grips with the bike and is raring to go.

He said: “I am really looking forward to Brands Hatch. I don’t arrive back in the UK until Wednesday after my World Endurance race in Japan so I will go directly to Brands Hatch to meet the team and prepare for the weekend.

“It has been a while since I rode a Triumph, back in the early days of my racing career, but I am a quick learner and will soon get to grips with the bike and am eager to put it through its paces.

“Brands Hatch is one of my favorite circuits and, as we race there twice each year in the British series, I don’t have to worry about learning the circuit so can concentrate on becoming familiar with the bike.”

Free practice and first qualifying are set for Friday with a further free practice and final qualifying on Saturday prior to the 23-lap World Supersport race on Sunday at 1.20pm.

British Eurosport live coverage is from 11am to 5pm or alternatively live coverage can be enjoyed on line at www.worldsbk.com

Thanks to Dean Owen (Action) and Helen Pask (Portrait) for the images.