Airwaves Yamaha rider Leon Camier leaves Oulton Park today leading the British Superbike Championship by 11 points after securing a career-first double victory. Team mate James Ellison continued his good start to the season with a 5th and 4th.
In a restarted first race, starting from pole position Leon lost a few places off the line. After quickly fighting his way through to 3rd by the end of the opening lap, Leon continued to chase down the leading two riders, eventually taking the lead on lap 6. Rain then started to fall 3 laps from the end, but a string of consistent fast laps saw Leon claim victory by over a second. James enjoyed a close battle for 5th for the majority of race one. He finally overtook the Honda of Glen Richards on the very last lap to secure 11 valuable championship points.
Both riders once again struggled off the grid in race two, with Leon going down to 4th and James 7th. As in race one, Leon quickly made his way through the field, going into the lead on lap 3 of 18. James meanwhile had successfully worked his way up to 3rd but was to lose out on his first podium for Airwaves Yamaha on the penultimate lap.
Securing Yamaha’s first double BSB win in 11 years, Leon reflected on the weekend saying, “We really didn’t expect a double win today, it feels awesome. We knew the Airwaves Yamaha would struggle being down on top speed, but it handled so well. The guys at GSE Racing have done such an amazing job this weekend. It hasn’t been easy for them so I must say a massive thank you and hope the result pays them back for all their hard work.”
After the second race, James commented, “I struggled in race one, it was really difficult to get the drive I needed to make some passes. In between races we changed our gearing to the same as Leon and it made a huge difference. I’m disappointed to have missed out on a podium but I feel positive about the races ahead and I can’t wait to get to Donington Park!”
Race One Results:
1. Leon Camier – Airwaves Yamaha
2. Karl Harris – Hydrex Honda
3. Sylvain Guintoli – Worx Crescent Suzuki
4. Stuart Easton – Hydrex Honda
5. James Ellison – Airwaves Yamaha
Race Two Results:
1. Leon Camier – Airwaves Yamaha
2. Karl Harris – Hydrex Honda
3. Sylvain Guintoli – Worx Crescent Suzuki
4. James Ellison – Airwaves Yamaha
Championship Positions:
1. Leon Camier – Airwaves Yamaha – 88 points
2. Sylvain Guintoli – Worx Crescent Suzuki – 77 points
3. Glen Richards – HM Plant Honda – 52 points
4. Karl Harris – Hydrex Honda – 50 points
5. James Ellison – Airwaves Yamaha – 44 points
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