The Smiths Racing Triumph team were back in Motorpoint British Supersport Championship action this weekend but despite finding the going tough at Silverstone with just one podium to show for his efforts, Glen Richards managed to grab the advantage in the title race going into the final round at Brands Hatch next month.

Having set pole position by over half a second, Richards was in confident mood going into Saturday's 'Sprint' race and the Australian grabbed the holeshot from fellow Triumph rider Christian Iddon, the duo going on to dispute the win for the entire race distance. Iddon ultimately prevailed with a final lap overtaking manoeuvre meaning Glen had to settle for second but with main championship rival Jack Kennedy again crashing out, the 20 points saw him retake the title lead. Team-mate Billy McConnell spent most of the race as part of a five man group battling for third and he eventually crossed the line in a close fourth place.

The longer Feature race on Sunday proved to be a lot tougher despite both Glen and Billy opting for the harder compound tyre but Glen was never higher than sixth and when he was pushed wide by a crashing Glenn Irwin, all he could do was bring the bike home in that position, although the damage was limited with Kennedy only two places higher. Billy, meanwhile, dropped back to 13th at one point before fighting his way up to tenth at the chequered flag.

The third member of the Supersport team, Cambridge's Luke Mossey, crashed out during Friday afternoon's free practice session, unfortunately sustaining a broken ankle in three places which will keep him out for the remainder of the season.

Meanwhile, Johnny Blackshaw also found the going tough in the Metzeler National Superstock 600 Championship race and, having qualified down in 19th place, the Stretton rider's race ended on just the third lap when he crashed out at Vale.

Glen Richards:

"For the second meeting in succession we struggled but due to Jack having more problems than us, I managed to take advantage although I'm disappointed I couldn't capitalise further. It's still very much all to play for going into Brands Hatch in two weeks time as 12.5 points is nothing and we will have to be on top of our game to make sure we win the championship."

Billy McConnell:

"The last two rounds have left us baffled as we just haven't been able to get the grip we need. We've tried both the soft and hard compound tyres but neither of them have worked and we have tailed off in the second half of the race every time. We just need to get our heads down and come back fighting at the final round."

Johnny Blackshaw:

"It's been a tough weekend for sure and I just never found a set-up I was happy with. I couldn't quite get the feel from the front that I needed and ended up tucking the front during the race. I'll just have to put this race behind me and look at ending the season on a high at the final round."

Rebecca Smith:

"It's been a tough weekend at the office and all of the riders struggled throughout the three days. It got off to the worst possible start when Luke crashed after hitting a damp patch and I'm absolutely gutted for him as this was his track and, with the form he's been showing recently he would have been well to the fore. He's fought hard all year so to have his season end like this is a real shame but he's had his ankle pinned and will soon be on the mend.

"The other two Supersport boys struggled all weekend and as grip has not really been an issue previously, it's left us all scratching our heads somewhat. On the plus side though, Glen's leading the championship but we all know there's a lot of hard work to be done between now and the final round at Brands Hatch. To compound a difficult weekend, Johnny also struggled so we'll double our efforts and aim to give him the best end to the season as possible."

Motorpoint British Supersport Championship Race 1 - 9 laps
1 Christian Iddon (Triumph)
2 Glen Richards (Smiths Racing Triumph)
3 Richard Cooper (Triumph)
4 Billy McConnell (Smiths Racing Triumph)
5 Ben Wilson (Kawasaki)
6 Graeme Gowland (Yamaha)
DNS Luke Mossey (Smiths Racing Triumph)


Motorpoint British Supersport Championship Race 2 - 12 laps
1 Ben Wilson (Kawasaki)
2 Richard Cooper (Triumph)
3 Christian Iddon (Triumph)
4 Jack Kennedy (Yamaha)
5 Graeme Gowland (Yamaha)
6 Glen Richards (Smiths Racing Triumph)
10 Billy McConnell (Smiths Racing Triumph)
DNS Luke Mossey (Smiths Racing Triumph)


Championship standings (after 11 rounds)
1 Richards 356pts
2 Kennedy 343.5
3 McConnell 290
4 Iddon 272.5
5 Wilson 239
6 Cooper 190
7 Mossey 172


Metzeler National Superstock 600cc Championship (10 laps)
1 Jake Dixon (Yamaha)
2 Lee Jackson (Kawasaki)
3 Alex Olsen (Triumph)
4 James Rose (Yamaha)
5 Joe Collier (Triumph)
6 Josh Wainwright (Kawasaki)
DNF Johnny Blackshaw (Smiths Racing Triumph)


Championship standings (after 12 rounds)
1 Burke 174pts
= Jackson 174
3 Rose 169
4 Dixon 135
5 Olsen 105
6 Lodge 90
7 Blackshaw 83

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