Leon Camier extended his lead in the British Superbike Championship to 55 points today winning both races in Round 5 at Snetterton. James Ellison consolidated his 2nd place in the standings with a 4th and 2nd. Airwaves Yamaha are now the only team to have both riders finish every race this season.
At the start of race one James maintained 2nd position off the grid whilst pole-man Leon went down to 4th. On lap 3 the race was stopped when oil went down on the circuit. For the re-start race distance was reduced to 18 laps with grid slots determined by the rider’s positions on lap 2. James once again maintained 2nd off the grid with Leon going to 9th. James took the lead on lap 5 but by lap 9 was being challenged by his teammate. After a number of attempts and some close racing, Leon overtook James on lap 14 for an eventual 7th win of the season. Although pushing hard, James was unable to keep the Honda’s of Stuart Easton and Josh Brookes behind him and crossed the line 4th.
Both James and Leon lost places at the start of race two but worked hard to battle their way through the field. Once again the Airwaves Yamaha pair pushed each other close. On lap 3 Leon overtook James for 3rd and by lap 5 was in the lead. James took 2nd a couple of laps later to secure a 4th one-two for Airwaves Yamaha.
Reflecting on the day James said, “The first race was a bit of a nightmare. I got away well but it was really tough. All weekend I’ve been quick in the complex but I couldn’t take advantage of it. Once the Honda’s were in front, they slowed me down, particularly in that section. I was pushing hard to get on the podium but made a few mistakes in the final couple of laps. There was nothing I could do. The second race was the best yet. I got a good start and felt that I could push Leon a lot more. In between races Colin sat me down and we analysed what went wrong in race one. It helped massively so thank you to him.”
After claiming win number 8 Leon said, “The first race was one of the hardest, but also one of the most fun races I can remember. My start wasn’t too bad for a change but I fell back at the first corner. It was so difficult to overtake because we really struggled on the straights. Thankfully the Airwaves Yamaha worked fantastic around the corners. In race two the bike felt awesome. It was fun racing so close to James and I’m pleased we achieved another one-two for the Airwaves Yamaha team. I want to say thank you to all the GSE Racing guys and girls for all their hard work.”
Race One Results:
1. Leon Camier Airwaves Yamaha
2. Stuart Easton Hydrex Honda
3. Josh Brookes HM Plant Honda
4. James Ellison Airwaves Yamaha
Race Two Results:
1. Leon Camier Airwaves Yamaha
2. James Ellison Airwaves Yamaha
3. Josh Brookes HM Plant Honda
4. Stuart Easton Hydrex Honda
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