Following a successful one day test at Oulton Park last week, the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team return to the Cheshire circuit this weekend for the second round of the MCE British Superbike Championship ready to pick up where they left off two weeks ago at Silverstone; fighting for victory.

A rollercoaster of a weekend at the opening round of the MCE British Superbike Championship saw the JG Speedfit Kawasaki trio of James Ellison, Leon Haslam and Peter Hickman experience a full spectrum of emotions. However, walking away with pole position and a race victory between them, coupled with a successful test at Oulton Park last Friday means the team come into the second round this weekend brimming with confidence.

Using the test to continue development on the 2016 Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R, the three riders worked through a number of chassis and engine settings throughout the day. Despite it being the first time he had ridden the circuit in eight years, Leon topped the timesheets, whilst James finished fifth and Silverstone race winner Peter ensured all three riders were in the top ten by securing seventh.

Enjoying a positive test here last week, James Ellison is ready to challenge this weekend, 

“Our test here last week was really good. It was a steady start but every session we were making leaps forward and although the racer in me isn’t happy to be finishing in fifth, the improvements we made were brilliant and have set us up well for this weekend. It’s a completely new bike for us this year, as well as new suspension so we’re still learning and adapting but I’m feeling like we’re ready.

I’ve had some great results at Oulton over the years and it’s a circuit I really enjoy – it’s also a very local one for me! We tried the settings from Silverstone during the test but the circuits are so different that it didn’t work, by the end of the day though I felt we had a good base to work on. We’ve got a few more things to try during practice this weekend but I’m feeling good and think we can be at the sharp end.”

After topping the timesheets last week, Leon Haslam is ready to make amends for Silverstone this weekend at Oulton, 

“Before the test here last week, I was a little nervous coming back to Oulton as it has been so long since I last rode it. It was a bit of a shock, but it didn’t take too long to get back into the swing of things and it was actually a really positive test. As a team we made some really big steps and we learnt quite a lot, we have a few new components coming this weekend – they’re already tried and tested, we just had to wait for them to be built, so that should help us even more.

It’s a very physical track and the bike wheelies a lot but it’s a lot of fun to ride and the Kawasaki felt great. We’ve got a few more things to try during practice and a bit of a plan for the new parts, but I’m confident we can continue our pace and be pushing at the front!”

Silverstone race winner Peter Hickman sits in fourth place in the Championship standings and is confident of a strong weekend, 

“I can’t wait for this weekend! The test here last week was really positive, Oulton is a very different circuit to Silverstone so we weren’t entirely sure how the bike would compare but it felt really good from the off  which was definitely a nice surprise! We worked through everything we wanted last week and have a good base setting, so hopefully it’s going to be a case of fine tuning the package during practice.

For me, Oulton is one of the best circuits to ride in the world. It’s certainly a tough track, but when it all comes together it’s a brilliant place. We were one of the only guys to do a full race distance in testing last week, so fingers crossed the weather’s kind to us this weekend and we can pick up where we left off at Silverstone!”

GBmoto Racing Team Principal Mark Smith-Halvorsen concluded, 

“Anyone who watched Silverstone witnessed the very different emotions the team went through during the weekend, I am not sure I can take another eleven rounds like that – even if they can! The real positive is that all three riders were able to show how quick they are and, when coupled with the pole position and the win, it’s clear to see what we can achieve!

The test here last week was a very positive day for the whole JG Speedfit Kawasaki team and we left with all of our riders comfortably in the top ten and feeling confident. We are starting to find the sweet spot for the chassis and have made even more progress with grip and feeling, so we are looking forward to putting that into good use this weekend, whilst learning yet more. Oulton Park is always a fantastic round and we look forward to the two races on Monday in front of a big crowd – hopefully we will see the Team Green Kawasaki’s on the top step.”