The Halsall Biker Gear Kawasaki team head to mainland Europe this weekend for the 11th round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at the Netherlands’ iconic TT Circuit Assen.

After a tough weekend last time out at Donington Park, Jon Kirkham is hoping to return to form at the 2.542 mile ‘Cathedral of Speed’, where he took an impressive fourth place last season in his quest for the British Superbike Riders’ Cup.

Confident the Halsall Biker Gear ZX10-R will suit the fast, flowing nature of Assen, the focus for the team this weekend will be ironing out any issues in Friday’s free practice sessions to avoid any hindrances come qualifying and race days.

Jon Kirkham:

“Donington wasn’t the best of weekends, we struggled quite a bit under heavy braking but we were really fast through the first two sectors which are fast and flowing. Assen is pretty much all fast and flowing with the exception of one or two corners so hopefully we’ll go well there. It’s one of my favourite circuits and I’m really looking forward to getting out on the Halsall Biker Gear ZX10-R. Hopefully we’ll be able to get back to where we should be and fight for the top six.”

Jack Valentine, Team Manager:

“We’ve got a really good base set-up on the Halsall Biker Gear Kawasaki so the focus from FP1 will be on going for it with the fast lap times so we’re ready for qualifying on Saturday. It’s important for us to iron out any issues before qualifying so we can get on it straight away in the races. The bike is working well and Jon is settled with the bike, now we just need to speed things up and get down to race pace more quickly. If we can manage that we are more than capable of springing a few surprises and can end the season on a high.”

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