The Samsung Honda team head to the high-speed Hampshire circuit of Thruxton this weekend for the second round of the British Superbike Championship with Jon Kirkham leading the standings following his team debut victory at Brands Hatch.

The former airfield will bring new challenges to the team as set up and tyre longevity will prove crucial in the closing stages of the two 20 lap races. Kirkham was victorious in the opening race of the season just days ago at Brands Hatch and is keen to carry the form on. Michael Laverty meanwhile is looking to kick start his season after a crash left him scoring no points at Brands Hatch. However, after winning at the Thruxton circuit last season he is confident of further success.

In the Superstock 1000 Championship, Jason O'Halloran is aiming to build on his podium finish from last weekend after the Australian scored a solid third place in the opening race. Gary Johnson will miss this weekend’s event as he will be competing for the Honda TT Legends team at Bol d’or.

Jon Kirkham:

“It should be a good weekend for us at Thruxton and I want to keep the momentum going from Brands Hatch. Last year I had a big crash in practice there and had a lot of work to do in the race but I didn’t have a bad set of results. This year though we know that the Samsung Honda can run a strong pace but I know some of the usual suspects will be wanting to make amends for last weekend so I just need to keep ahead of them.”

Michael Laverty:

“I have put the Brands Hatch weekend behind me and the focus now is fully on Thruxton. I want to turn things around and show the form that we had in pre-season testing and over the opening days at the first round. It wasn’t just me to have bad luck, Tommy (Hill) and even Shakey did a bit too, so I will be starting from scratch this weekend. It will all be about throttle control and getting it right at Thruxton as it is a super fast track, but at the same time you need to try and conserve the tyres too.”

Jason O’Halloran:

“It was great being back, out on the Samsung Honda last weekend and to finish on the podium was the start to the season that we needed. Thruxton is pretty fast and I think it is important to be in the leading pack because the slipstreaming there is the difference between winning and coming fourth or fifth.”

Havier Beltran, Team Manager:

“We are looking forward to Thruxton and I think it will be a good gauge of where everyone is at, because the conditions at Brands Hatch didn’t make it easy to determine. The circuit is clearly unique and unforgiving and the riders will need to be thinking all the time, particularly now that there is no traction control, so they will need to find a good feeling from the beginning. Everyone loves a fast circuit and we have experienced good tyre life in testing, which will be key.”

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