Team Suzuki Press Office – August 16.
Buildbase Suzuki will head to Cadwell Park this weekend for round eight of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship, looking to use the data gathered at a recent private test at the glorious and spectacular Lincolnshire circuit to get back on the podium.
After a weekend of mixed emotions during the last round at Thruxton, Bradley Ray will use what was learned at the team’s test to hit the ground running and target the championship points he needs to secure his spot in the Top Six Showdown. Richard Cooper, having also tested at Cadwell on his Buildbase Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike, hopes to put the Thruxton BSB round behind him and use the confidence and strong pace he has displayed at previous rounds to challenge at the front.
Pirelli National Superstock 1000 rider Billy McConnell, after missing out on a podium at Thruxton by just over two-tenths-of-a-second, aims to make his return to the rostrum and reassert himself as championship leader; he is currently 15 points behind the lead.
Bradley Ray:
“The test last week was good. Cadwell is somewhere where experience counts for quite a lot. It’s a daunting place on a Superbike, everything seems to close right in and the track’s obviously quite narrow, so it’s about working out the best lines and best ways to go fast. So we just spun a load of laps last week to get comfortable. The more laps you do the faster you go so it was just a case of getting the laps in. We worked on a base setting, made some notes, and the team have gone back to the workshop and done some work there, too, so we’re ready to try and improve again in FP1 and hopefully build towards two good results. We need to really focus and keep our position in that all-important top six. It’s tough and there are so many riders capable, so we need to make sure we get ahead and that we’re there when it counts.”
Richard Cooper:
“Thruxton was a bit of a nightmare for us. We had a good weekend overall, just a bad race day. We put a lot of hard work in during practice and qualifying so to come away with the results we have was really disappointing, and to have to retire is always frustrating for everyone. The negative results pull you together though, so we feel strong going into Cadwell. We had a test recently which gave us some valuable track time – it’s always good to be out at Cadwell as it’s such a tight, twisty and unique track. We have a base setup now too which we will look to improve from the off. I grew up racing at Cadwell and have always had decent results. I’ve won races and had my first ever BSB front-row start there. I feel like I can be inside the top 10 and I know the bike can do better than that, so I’d hope we can match our best finishes of the season this weekend. Top 10 is good, but we want more.”
Billy McConnell:
“I’m feeling good. Thruxton was okay; I was disappointed to miss the podium but felt like we had the pace to be on it, were it not for a lunge that pushed me back a few spots, but we’re out there racing so you’ve got to be prepared for that. But I’m looking forward to Cadwell, we had a good test last week. We took the bike and the settings from Thruxton and just put the laps in, changed a few clickers here-and-there, and ended up with something like we thought we would to be honest, then it was a case of putting more laps on the board and getting comfortable and ready for this weekend. We’re not far off the top spot in the championship, but we want to be back on top and back winning, and that’s the aim this weekend.”
