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British Supersport Championship 2007 – Round 3, Silverstone
It was a record breaking day all round for Relentless Suzuki rider Ian Lowry
who not only made his debut front row start in British Supersport. The Moira
rider also recorded his first-ever second place on the rostrum, heading
home team mate and championship leader Michael Laverty, who extended his
gap over the title chaser to 26 points.
It was another race where the Safety
Car unfortunately played its part when Jamie Robinson crashed out early
in the race and Yamaha rider Billy McConnell was penalised for passing during
its involvement. McConnell waited as long as possible to execute his ride-through
penalty: a decision that may have cost Ian Lowry his debut victory in the
championship. Michael Laverty wasn't firing on all cylinders during the
weekend on the bumpy Silverstone circuit, but the class of the Toomebridge
rider shone through taking third place, while having to deal with front
end problems late in the race.
Ian Lowry
"The race went pretty good
for me and I got away in second place before the Safety Car came out. Dennis
Hobbs got a bit of a jump on me when the race re-started then Michael came
passed and it took me a while to find my rhythm. I just got my head down
and rode as smoothly as possible and with two laps to go I passed Michael
and put in a quick lap to secure second spot. It’s more points in
the bag and it's all to play for in the championship. My Relentless Suzuki
never missed a beat today and although the bumpy circuit caused us a few
problems, the team worked superbly for me all weekend. Oulton is my favourite
circuit and I’m looking forward to it next week."
Michael
Laverty
"I did struggle a bit this weekend, but I went into the race
with the confidence that I could run the lap times of Hobbs and McConnell.
I just wasn't so sure if we could run them for the entire race distance.
With five laps to go I realised that going for the win was just too risky
and settled for second but I didn't rank on Ian catching me. I'm disappointed
with third but if my bad days still get me on the podium then I suppose
it's not too bad a result. It was pretty tough here this weekend and I could
only ride at 80% but I'm 26 points to the good in the championship which
is basically a race in hand. I won't be riding protectively at this stage
of the season as I want more wins."
Philip Neill Team Principal
"It
was funny old day but very positive. Ian Lowry came of age and proved himself
a worthy title challenger. There are no team orders in the camp at this
stage of the season but I did tell the boys to be mindful of each other
and also to be aware that they could actually help each other depending
on the circumstances. We did find it difficult to get the perfect set-up
for an unusually bumpy circuit at Silverstone, but it was still very pleasing
to see both riders on the podium. I know that Michael is not totally satisfied
with his third place, but he remained positive and rode maturely around
a minor front-end problem at the end of the 18 laps. Pirelli were again
on top of their game and the GSX R600s keep showing great form, so I suppose
we are in good shape coming into round four at Oulton."