Samsung Honda’s Alex Lowes claimed his first MCE British Superbike race win of the season at Oulton Park, and the young rider did it in style. As he crossed the finishing line he was three seconds clear of second place man Milwaukee Yamaha’s James Ellison.
The first race at a very sunny Oulton circuit was full of drama, and the biggest shock was when reigning champion Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki’s Shane Byrne crashed at Britten's on lap 12 while chasing Lowes down. With Byrne out of the picture Lowes was able to capitalise on the Kent rider’s misfortunes and with a clear track ahead of him was able to storm his way to the top of the podium.
Ellison had a spectacular ride and was another rider who benefitted from Byrne’s crash. The Cumbrian started the race from the third row of the grid, but managed to make his way through the pack and by lap seven he was approaching Bathams Honda Tommy Bridewell. By lap eight, Ellison managed to get the better of Bridewell, who is still carrying a leg injury after a massive crash at Thruxton two weeks ago. The Devizes lad was definitely riding through the pain, and during the latter stages of the race was unable to hold on to fourth, as he was overtaking by Buildbase BMWs Jon Kirkham. But it was a brave ride for the injured rider and he ended the day rounding off the top five.
Tyco Suzuki’s Josh Brookes had a solid start, and during the first six laps was in contention for a race win, as he battled it out with Lowes and Byrne. Even after the Rapid Solicitors bike hit the gravel, Brookes tried to catch up with super fast Lowes, but the Aussie found himself falling behind the race winner, and at one point during the race was five seconds behind the Lincolnshire twin. But it wasn’t just Lowes that Brookes had to contend with, as on lap sixteen Ellison made his presence known and overtook Brookes to secure second spot on the podium, demoting Brookes to third. The Aussie looked to have tyre trouble, his rear Pirelli SC1 looked almost unused compared to the competition, so more suspension tweaks to get more load might be required.
Byrne was not the only rider to fall foul of the Oulton Circuit, his team-mate Keith Farmer crashed at Shell on the very first lap, ending very prematurely his race hopes, after he started the race from the front row. Circuit debutant Doodson Motorsports Robbin Harms fell at Cascades, and now his team are in a race against time to get his bike ready for race two. Quattro Plant Kawasaki’s Danny Buchan never made it out of the pits after his warm up lap and MH Kawasaki’s Michael Howarth entered the pit on lap five.
It was meant to have been a day of celebrations for Bathams Honda rider Michael Rutter, who made his 400th race appearance today. He was riding with the number 400 on his bike, and also had a helmet made especially for the occasion, but a technical issue put a dampener on his celebrations, and he retired after seven laps.