Tyco BMW’s Michael Laverty held off the charges from Be Wiser Ducati’s Shane Byrne to take his ninth career MCE British Superbike win, in the opening race at Silverstone. The Northern Irishman led from the opening lap and it was a faultless performance on the S1000RR.
But Laverty was not the only Tyco BMW to make it on to the rostrum, his new team-mate Christian Iddon pulled his way through the pack to bag third overall, in what is his first podium finish in BSB. Quattro Plant Kawasaki’s Luke Mossey just missed out on what would have been his second ever rostrum finish, and crossed the line in fourth.
Initially it was Honda Racing’s Jason O’Halloran who got the hole-shot only to get pushed down to second by JG Speedfit Kawasaki’s LeonHaslam getting in the front, only for Laverty, who had a solid start to go straight past the Smalley rider to go P1 on only the opening rotation.
O’Halloran was not the only Honda rider to have a good start - his team-mate Dan Linfoot managed to get past the Australian to go second on lap three of fourteen. But while pole-setter Haslam was in third he experienced a technical problem at the international pit straight, putting an end to his race-one ambitions.
On lap five Byrne was creeping up on O’Halloran and made a move at Maggotts to go third for the first time in the race. Anvil Hire TAG Yamaha’s James Rispoli crashed at Brooklands with six laps
remaining. The rookie American was inside the points before he fell unhurt. Peter Hickman was continuing to improve his pace and was up to fifth and challenging O’Halloran for fourth, but in a repeat of his team-mate, Haslam he had an issue with his ZX-10R and stopped at Becketts on lap nine.
ePayMe Yamaha’s Stuart Easton appeared to have a problem with his R1 and retired to the pits with only three laps left to race-one. Meanwhile further up the grid Mossey was encroaching on the leading group and at Stowe overtook O’Halloran to go in to third and a possible podium.
Meanwhile Iddon wanted to join the party and two laps from the end of the opening race was up to fifth and overtook Linfoot to go fourth. On the final lap Iddon went into third at Woodcote and started to edge closer to Byrne and team-mate Laverty. The Panigale of Byrne had the soft zero rear tyre compared to Laverty and Iddon who had the harder SC1 compound, but Byrne held on to take second.
The Honda pairing of Linfoot and O’Halloran who both had the zero soft rear tyre on their Fireblade’s crossed the line in fifth and sixth respectively. Buchan, Jackson, Hopkins and Bridewell completed the top ten. JG Speedfit Kawasaki’s James Ellison started the race from the back of the grid and but did manage to push his ZX-10R into the points to cross the line in thirteenth, with Irwin and Smrz the last of the point finishers.
