Battling Brits, led by Tom Sykes, bid for ‘wild-card’ World glory

DONINGTON PARK – Sunday 7 September
Hannspree World Superbike Championship Bennetts Round

Troy Bayliss is intent on a winning finale as he races Superbikes for the last time in this country at Donington Park on Sunday 7 September prior to hanging up his leathers at the end of the season, but five ‘wild-card’ British riders, among them Tom Sykes, are determined to spoil the party for the Aussie ace.

Sykes, riding Rizla Suzuki, made a big impression on his debut onto the world stage in the previous round at Brands Hatch, and now the 22 year old Yorkshireman is promising bigger and better things as the ‘home-pack’ aim for glory at the expense of Bayliss who is hoping to secure the crown for a third time in this his final season in the sport.

"I’m very excited about this opportunity and looking forward to mixing it with the regulars in the World championship again," said Sykes whose entry into the races at the Leicestershire circuit has to be rubber-stamped by the sport’s governing body the FIM.

"I will be carrying on from where I left off at Brands Hatch and hopefully taking it to the next level. I want to be racing closer to the sharp-end of pack with more of the big names of the world championship behind me again."

Sykes is the form man of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship having won three of the four races recently at Oulton Park and Knockhill and he reckons he can maintain that rich vein of form, although his rivals from the domestic series will have a big say in that.

Leon Haslam, the winner of the second race at Knockhill, returns to the world stage with the HM Plant Honda team – the 25 year old lives nearby to the circuit at Smalley and has enjoyed a successful pedigree at Donington Park, something that he will be working hard to continue in his efforts to secure a full time ride in the World Championship next term.

That is also the driving force for his team-mate Cal Crutchlow, another race winner in the British series, and currently placed second in the overall rankings – the Coventry rider will be riding on the world stage for the first time.

James Ellison, a former winner of the British Superbike Cup who has ridden MotoGP and seen American action, will be one to watch aboard the Hydrex Bike Animal Honda, while Lincoln’s Gary Johnson, riding the Robinsons Concrete Honda will be hoping to reproduce the form of this year’s Isle of Man TT Festival, in which he took four top six finishes.

Rob Frost, riding the Team Buff Triumph, and Chris Martin, aboard the Gearlink Kawasaki, have ‘wild-card’ promoters option tickets to ride in the World Supersport race while Peter Hickman and Derby’s Jon Kirkham have entries into the Superstock 1000 FIM Cup. Leon Hunt and Joe Burns have the opportunity to race in the European Superstock 600 Championship race.
Practice and qualifying for all classes are through Friday/Saturday 5/6 September.

Tickets are available now.

Biblical rain soaked Haggis - Raceways Yamaha

Fuchs Silkolene 2008 Super Sport

Once again the team ventured north to the Scottish Knockhill track to be greeted with heavy rain showers causing a fair few incidents throughout the weekend. This always seems to cause the team extra work prepping the bikes to compete in various conditions which on the back of an extremely hectic month for everyone involved with the Raceways.

Practice went reasonably well considering many riders slipped off during the weekend, both Hudson and Ronan stayed on board to qualify ninth and Ronan thirtieth through extremely tough conditions.
Both riders were comfortable with their positions and ensured better results to come on race day, the team have been working ever so hard with KTech the suspension specialists with the front forks and rear shock and it looks like the strenuous graft is about to pay off.

Sunday race day promised mixed weather conditions that were going to play a major part in proceeding, having been declared a dry race all teams sat on the grid with slick tyres fitted.
Hudson got a good start from the fourth row and battled with Lowry, Richards, Westmorland and Kennedy for the opening laps. Ronan also got the start he was after and seemingly enjoying every minute around Knockhill carving through the field from his thirtieth position. Hudson managed to fight back to move up to fifth position neck and neck with pole sitter Kennedy when the red flags came out on lap twenty two due to heavy rain finalising the result Hudson fifth. Ronan had an immensely rewarding result to finish eightieth from thirtieth on the grid; I managed to catch up with Ronan afterwards where he was delighted to have taken eightieth and thanked the team for the long hours recently, but couldn’t help feeling had the race run through he could have moved further up the rankings as he was fastest through many sectors.

National Superstock 1000 - Knockhill
Jon’s weekend looked set to be another repeat performance having scorched around Knockhill at record setting pace, to claim another pole position on Saturday during dry conditions with of course Steve Brogan sat behind him on the timing sheets.

From the start Steve Brogan set off at a blistering pace to secure the lead and managed to open a small gap from Martin Buckles and third place sitter Jon in the early laps. A small mistake from Buckles saw him crash his Kawasaki exiting Butcher on lap five moving Jon into second position.

It did seem the impossible for Jon to make ground up on Steve but Jon got his head down and strung some fantastic laps together to start to close the gap. Steve’s Pit board had obviously indicated Jon was in pursuit and closing rapid, because Brogan responded again to stretch the gap again.

Jon crossed the line in second position and seemed happy enough with the result as many riders fell due to the tough conditions. With Cadwell a few weeks away the team are already prepping the bikes for the amazing Lincolnshire circuit, look forward in seeing you there.

PODIUM DEBUT FOR HARRIS

Karl ‘Bomber' Harris took full advantage of the fast changing weather conditions to claim his first podium of the season at Round 8 of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship in Knockhill, Scotland today (10 August).

Having qualified the Rob Mac Racing Yamaha in 9th position, Karl ‘Bomber' Harris was reliant on a very strong start in both races for any hope of a podium finish. A dry Race One saw Karl make progress to push the Rob Mac Racing Yamaha into 7th position, bagging himself a further 9 points for his late Championship charge.

It was all change for Race Two that began in very wet conditions following a torrential downpour just prior to the grid forming. Karl got a good start to enter turn one in 7th position, by the end of the first lap melee Karl maintained his 8th position, but as he started to make progress on the field ahead the race was stopped after a three rider crash further down the order stopped the race for essential repairs to the air fence.

Drama ensued with the weather conditions rapidly improving, a fast drying track saw a number of riders make a very late change to their tyre choice for full slicks after the grid formation. This left a clear gap ahead for Karl on the second row of the grid, providing Karl the opportunity he needed to make a strong start.

As the lights went out Karl lived up to his nickname ‘bombing' his way into forth place just behind Michael Rutter in. By lap 2 Karl had taken Rutter for third with Leon Haslam ahead of him.

Championship leader Shane Byrne was on a mission at the front of the field but by lap 9 Haslam was posting the fastest laps. Karl was under pressure from Rutter who had found some late pace, passing the ‘Bomber' in the next few laps, pushing him back to 4th. A battling Harris continued to chase Rutter to regain his podium position but it was a crash from race leader Shane Byrne that stopped the race, putting himself out of the points and Harris back on the podium.

The third place finish has been a long time coming for the Yorkshireman, after a well publicised string of bad luck, it was only a matter of time before the truly talented Karl Harris's luck turned. Elevating himself up the Championship standings into 12th place, Karl will look to continue his podium finishes to salvage what he can from the second half of the season.

The team now move on to their ‘home round' for Round 9 at Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire on a high. Based a stone's throw from the team base, Karl is famous for his spectacular ‘jumps' over the infamous mountain. All the action takes place on Bank Holiday weekend in two weeks time (23 - 25 August).

Karl Harris: "At last! I'm really pleased to be up here again, it's something that we have worked for all season, we all know the story so far this year with me so I'm well happy. Just before the race Rob's girlfriend Susan got me to kiss her baby bump for luck, it worked, so I'll thank her for that! The choice to run slicks for the restart was a gamble that paid off for us. It's mega to repay Rob and the whole team at last, they've believed in me and worked so hard for me this year."

Rob McElnea, Team Principal: "We'll take that! We'd had a real tough weekend up until now as Knockhill's not the easiest place to come to especially with the conditions that we've all faced. However, the luck was on our side for once. We'd had a lack of dry time and Karl struggled as a result in race one. We made a number of changes for the second and he responded well. We had a chat during the stoppage and put Karl back out on slicks. Karl's confidence grew throughout the second part of the race. He knew he had to get past Rutter at the start and push pretty hard It was good to see him back to how we know he can ride the bike. The Airwaves guys had a taste of the bad luck we've suffered all year, but it's great for Karl and the team to be on the podium and full of confidence ahead of our home round at Cadwell Park."

Rob Mac Pro Ride
Rob Mac Pro Ride fielded young Dubliner, Jack Kennedy for the first time in the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship. The Kennedy family decided to give Jack the chance to use the Rob Mac Pro-Ride package and the 20 year old Irishman certainly showcased both his talent and the bikes capabilities amongst a vastly experienced field of riders.

Lining up in pole position, Jack successfully competed with a host of more experienced riders to take the chequered flag in sixth position. It is now hoped that Jack will continue to ride the Pro Ride R6 for the remainder of the season, though a decision will be made after Cadwell Park (23-25 August).
Rob McElnea, Team Principal: "Jack Kennedy was superb. He's shown just what a young and enthusiastic rider can do with the Rob Mac Pro Ride package. He only saw the bike for the first time on thursday, rode a few dry laps on friday then stuck it on pole on Saturday! His family have given him great support and to finish sixth in such a classy field is a great achievement. Jack will be out again at Cadwell and should be able to produce another good result."

Jack Kennedy: "I was delighted to get pole in the wet the first time out on the bike. I got a great start and was second at the first corner before a few riders came past me. I tagged on to the back of them for a while and found my pace was pretty strong. When Hudson came past tried to keep up with him but struggled a little. I got the sign from my pit board that I had a six second cushion so knocked it off a bit. I really enjoyed the race but just wish we'd had a little more dry track time in practice. I've got to say a massive thanks to Rob Mac and the team, especially Spider, they've been great this weekend. I'll be on the bike again at Cadwell so really looking forward to that."

BSB Race 1 Result
1. Sykes (Suzuki), 2. Byrne (Ducati), 3. J.Ellison (Honda), 4. Rutter (Ducati), 5. Camier (Ducati), 7) Karl Harris (Rob Mac Racing Yamaha)

BSB Race 2 Result
1. Haslam (Honda), 2. Rutter (Ducati), 3. Karl Harris (Rob Mac Racing Yamaha), 4 Sykes (Suzuki),5. J.Ellison (Honda)

BSB Championship Standings
Byrne - 332, 2. Crutchlow - 222, 3. Sykes - 214, 4. Haslam - 199, 5. Camier - 179,12. Karl Harris - 69

Supersport Race Result
1. Lowry (Suzuki), 2. Westmoreland (Honda), 3. Richards (Triumph), 4. Webb (Honda), 5. Kennaugh (Yamaha), 6. Kennedy (Rob Mac Pro Ride Yamaha)

Pirelli Tyres - BSB Knockhill

ROUND 8 - KNOCKHILLBENNETTS BRITISH SUPERBIKE
Race 1Tom Sykes secured his third win in succession with a dominating performance over the opening 30 lap Superbike race at Knockhill (10 August).
The Rizla Suzuki rider was high on confidence after a double at Oulton Park and two strong rides as a wild card rider in last weekend’s World Superbike meeting at Brands Hatch. Michael Rutter took the early lead, muscling his NW 200 Ducati in purposeful manner as he claimed the drying line just ahead of Sykes.
The Rizla Suzuki rider finally made his move stick at the second time of asking at Seat on lap 9, setting his sights on the chequered flag. Behind Sykes, the action hotted up with Byrne moving through the field to eventually maintain his record of podium finishes. Rutter, leading for the first third, was the man to lose out as James Ellison claimed the final podium spot.
Tom Sykes, Race 1 Winner: "Absolutely fantastic! I said I was happy with the dry setting and with the wet setting and a little bit iffy with the damp setting in qualifying but this morning Rizla Suzuki worked absolutely fantastic and fortunately it was slicks all round. The first couple of laps were sketchy with a couple of moments, then when Rutter put me onto the kerb and the dirty stuff it was really quite a near do but it's one of them things. Third one on the bounce and totally happy with theway things are going and just all credit to the Rizla Suzuki team and it's working perfect and hopefully you know if it stays like this we will have a another go at making it another race win. It's obvious what I'm going to say and I'd just like to dedicate this one to my man Jonesy, good man!"
Race 2The weather was back to haunt the second Superbike race, with heavy rain falling as the riders left on the first of two sighting laps. Race start was delayed as riders returned to pit, changing slicks for Pirelli rain tyres. As the race finally got underway, HM Plant’s Leon Haslam made the early running from pole, eking out a 1.5s gap to the chasing pack.

Haslam looked to be unstoppable, and it would only be a red flag incident on lap 9 that would momentarily halt his charge for his first win of the season. The track was starting to dry, and once again it was all hands on deck as teams scrabbled to select the correct tyre choice. For the so far luckless Karl Harris, the option of slicks would later prove right. The 20 lap restart saw ShaneByrne finally take the lead for the first time this weekend, fending off the challenge from Haslam and Harris. Michael Rutter was starting to close on the Rob Mac Racing Yamaha, and passed him on lap 13.
Cal Crutchlow, starting from the back of the grid, elevated himself up to 8th, but would be denied any more opportunity to gain on Simon Andrews just ahead as Shane Byrne’s Airwaves Ducati let go spectacularly at Seat, throwing the championship leader from the track. The race was instantly red-flagged and result declared as of lap 14, minus Byrne.
For two riders it may not be the way they wanted to claim podiums, but Haslam will be grateful for his debut win of the season, and for Karl Harris the bad luck that has blighted the team all season looks to have gone.

Round 9 takes place at Cadwell Park over the August Bank Holiday weekend (23-25 August).Tom Sykes, Winner Race 2: “We've come this weekend full of confidence and from the last few rounds and the team has made some big progress. We have had troubles, I've had troubles getting to grips with the Honda.
The last few rounds I've been feeling really confident with the bike and the team have been really behind me and I was so disappointed after that electrical problem in the first race and it could have been another win there but to do it in the second race on my spare bike I'm just over the moon. It was mega difficult to pass and back markers started to come into play and I managed to reel him back in but he (Shane Byrne) did go down pretty hard and I'm just glad really he's ok and we can have another battle next time with each other.”

BEN WILSON TAKES HIS DEBUT WIN

Ben Wilson took his debut Yamaha R1 Cup win in the mixed weather conditions at Knockhill, Scotland today (10 August).

Fully maximising his second row qualifying position, Wilson took the hole-shot to control the race from the very first turn.

Championship leader, Jon Kirkham made an uncharacteristic steady start crossing the line in 5th place on the first time of passing.

Road racing rookie, Sam Warren looked to get the best start off the line but was quickly shuffled back into third position from the determination of Wilson and Gary Mason to occupy the track ahead of him. Kirkham quickly passed Adrian Coates on lap 2 to make his charge on Warren ahead, catching and passing him on lap 3.

Meanwhile Mason had his sights set on leading the race, continually pressuring Wilson but Kirkham had the same idea and crossed the line in third place with less than 0.5 sec splitting the podium places on the next lap. Mason succumbed to the pace of Kirkham in the entry to the hairpin, momentarily shuffling Mason back to third, the pair continued to exchange places over the next half a lap. With Wilson pulling a slight lead ahead of the battle behind him it was imperative for Kirkham to continue his progress.

Wilson continued to ride a faultless race, responding to the pressure of second placed Kirkham as he showed him his front wheel into the hairpin on Lap 9. Showing his pace through the fist sector, Kirkham struggled to hang on to Wilson's shirt tails. The Championship leader came into his own on the second half of the lap, closing the gap with enough momentum to challenge Wilson in a risky move on the outside of the Hairpin. The wide line would prove a gamble too far, Kirkham lost the front crashing out but managed to rejoin in 12th position.

The remaining four laps saw Ben Wilson remain level headed to bring his Henderson Yamaha home for his spectacular first win of the year, closing the point gap to 18 points for the Championship. Gary Mason and Sam Warren joined him on the podium for second and third respectively.

Ben Wilson: "I knew that I had to be aggressive at the start, some of the lads were not as aggressive as me so it paid off. this win is long overdue and I'm made up. I've closed the gap for the Championship and it's truly in reach for me now."

Gary Mason: "I have always lost out on good results as I'm not aggressive enough at the start of a race, today I changed that! My tyre was moving around a bit at the end of the race but I had a really good race. V tune and Airmax allow me to be here so this ones for them."

Sam Warren: "It was a bit dodgy to start off with, they delayed the start a little as it started to rain again. Luckily the weather held as we had slicks on. The others were a little more committed at the beginning of the race but I managed to maintain the gap behind me and Jon falling off gifted me a podium. It was good to see him get up and rejoin, but I'll take the podium and the points."

Rob McElnea, Team Principal: "A fantastic result for Ben Wilson. We've been trying to help him adapt his riding style a little and it appears to have paid dividends. He's really focussed on the Autumn Cup and responded well with his first win. It just shows how your luck can change, Kirkham has been riding on the crest then suffered with the crash today, but that's racing and we could see a lot of things change over the next four races."

Race Result
1. Wilson, 2. Mason, 3. Warren, 4. Coates, 5. J Kennedy, 6. Storrar, 7. S Wilson, 8. Shoesmith, 9. Neeves, 10. Kirkham

Championship Standings
1. Kirkham - 150, 2. B.Wilson - 132, 3. Warren - 108, 4. Mason - 105, 5. J.Kennedy - 86

UP AND DOWN WEEKEND FOR AIRWAVES DUCATI

Despite failing to finish the second race of the day, Airwaves Ducati rider Shane Byrne extended his lead in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship today to 110 points after achieving a 2nd place finish in race one. Leon Camier finished 5th and 8th to secure valuable championship points.

Race one was declared wet although rain stopped falling as the riders took off for their sighting lap. Both Airwaves Ducati riders initially got away well from the line, but Shane was to lose a couple of places by the first corner, slotting into 5th with Leon behind him in 6th. Shane pushed hard to get himself up to 2nd however, any further progress was to be hampered by a number of back markers. Leon managed to successfully withstand pressure from Michael Laverty on the Suzuki to cross the line in 5th.

A wet second race saw Shane quickly take to the front of the field and start to build a gap. Lying in 6th, Leon was catching the rider in front of him when the race was red flagged and stopped. At the restart Shane once again took the lead. Leon, struggling for grip on a fast drying track, dropped back a couple of places to 8th. A combination of fast laps and quick, successive passes on back markers saw Shane pull away slightly from those behind him until lap 14 when he crashed heavily at turn one. Shane’s crash brought the race to an end and as two thirds race distance had been completed the race result was declared.

Following his fall, Shane was taken to the circuit medical centre for a full check.

On race two, Shane said, "I got a really good start and knew that I needed to get away as early as possible. I was feeling really comfortable on the Airwaves Ducati but saw from my pit board that the gap to the guys behind was up and down all the time. I came into turn one and as soon as I touched the brake I was down. It was a really strange crash because everything felt normal right up until that point. I’m feeling sore but I’ll be back training in a couple of days preparing for Cadwell Park."

After a difficult day, Leon commented, "At the start of race one the conditions were tricky so I started off pretty steady to avoid making any mistakes. Once I felt more comfortable on the Airwaves Ducati, the lap times started coming down and I was actually quicker than the leaders over the final ten laps of the race. Unfortunately after losing so much time at the start I couldn’t finish higher than 5th. I was feeling really confident going into the second race as I knew I had the pace to be fighting up the front but we made the wrong tyre choice for the re-started race and I just didn’t have enough grip. It’s been a tough weekend. A 5th and an 8th isn’t what I had hoped for but at the end of the day we’ve secured some decent championship points and made up some ground on those ahead of me."

Sykes and Haslam win, Byrne takes a tumble

BENNETTS BRITISH SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP
Round Eight – 10 August – Knockhill

Tom Sykes and Leon Haslam took the victories in a dramatic, incident packed eighth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Knockhill in which series leader Shane Byrne, despite a heavy tumble in the second race, still increased his lead in the title stakes.

Sykes had continued in the rich vein of form that had taken him to double victories in the previous round at Oulton Park as he reeled in the early first race leader Michael Rutter to move his Rizla Suzuki ahead on the ninth lap.

Rutter was taken by Byrne but the Airwaves Ducati rider was not able to make any impression on the confident Sykes who took the victory by some three seconds: "I’m a bit shell shocked to be honest – three on the bounce is something special," said the 22 year old Huddersfield rider."I’m absolutely over the moon – I was confident after the morning warm-up and knew that we had found the perfect set-up for this circuit.

"I had a good dice with Michael Rutter early on, getting ahead, but he came back aggressively, then I took him again. I got my head down and thought to myself, let’s see what you can do now. It went smoothly although there were a couple of nervous moments going through back-markers when I dropped a bit of time," added Sykes.

Byrne, having seen his nearest rival Cal Crutchlow tip off, was happy enough to take a strong second place, and solid points in his efforts to regain the title he won five years earlier. James Ellison took third place for Hydrex Bike Animal Honda with Rutter bringing his North West 200 Ducati home in fourth place ahead of Leon Camier and Michael Rutter.

A rain shower just as the riders were leaving on their sighting lap for the second race brought a delayed start, and Haslam, who had experienced double troubles in the opening race, first an electrical problem, and then a tumble, made the running from his first pole start of the season.

Haslam was ahead of Byrne when the race was red-flagged as they went into their tenth lap after three riders had tumbled and the safety barrier at Seat Curves had been damaged.

Byrne was away rapidly on the re-start but soon coming under increasing pressure from Haslam and then with five laps remaining, the leader’s Airwaves Ducati swerved off line going through the first turn and Byrne was heavily down.
The race was halted immediately, though fortunately Byrne had escaped serious injury. Haslam was credited with the victory, ending a 17 race run since his previous success: "It’s good to take the win at last – I’ve been confident all weekend and was so disappointed by the problems we had in the first race," said Haslam, adding "Shane went down pretty hard – I’m glad he’s OK." Rutter took second place ahead of Rob Mac Racing Yamaha rider Karl Harris, Sykes, Ellison and Simon Andrews.

Despite his second race demise, Byrne extended his lead 332-222 over Crutchlow who managed only seventh place in the second race.

Gary Mason, riding the Quay Garage Honda, and Chris Burns, aboard the STP MV Agusta, took the victories in the Daily Star Cup, though a pair of seconds for Martin Jessopp moved him closer to series leader John Laverty who missed these races after crashing in Friday free practice.

Results – round eight – Bennetts British Superbike Championship

Race one – 30 laps
1 Tom Sykes (Rizla Suzuki) 25m 09.296secs
2 Shane Byrne (Airwaves Ducati) +3.093
3 James Ellison (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) +3.479
4 Michael Rutter (North West 200 Ducati) +5.752
5 Leon Camier (Airwaves Ducati) + 9.345

Race two – 14 laps
1 Leon Haslam (HM Plant Honda) 11m 58.300secs
2. Michael Rutter (North West 200 Ducati) +3.214s
3. Karl Harris (Rob Mac Racing Yamaha) +3.541s
4. Tom Sykes (Rizla Suzuki) +3.680s
5. James Ellison (Hydrex Bike Animal Honda) +6.591s

Latest championship standings
1Shane Byrne (Airwaves Ducati) 332
2. Cal Crutchlow (HM Plant Honda) 222
3. Tom Sykes (Rizla Suzuki) 214
4. Leon Haslam (HM Plant Honda) 199
5. Leon Camier (Airwaves Ducati) 179

Sykes eager for more but Byrne determined

BENNETTS BRITISH SUPERBIKE CHAMPIONSHIP
Round eight – 8/9/10 August – Knockhill

Tom Sykes admits to having a few sleepless nights during the past couple of weeks, but that is all down to the excitement of enjoying a maiden Bennetts British Superbike winning double, and then making his debut onto the World stage.

The Rizla Suzuki rider has put all of that behind him and is now concentrating hard on racking up more points in this weekend’s eighth round at the short, but demanding Knockhill circuit.

"Winning at Oulton Park was fantastic, but now I have to keep that going and I look forward to more of those results, starting with these races," said the 22 year old Huddersfield rider. "The victories gave the team a big boost and after the excitement of riding at Brands Hatch and gaining experience in the World Superbikes, I have to take up where I left off in the British Championship.

"Those wins were so good for everyone – they really pumped me up and I was struggling to sleep as my mind was so active thinking about how I could get more.

"We had a bad start to the season and were very unlucky on several occasions but now is the time to begin pulling back serious points and making amends."

Sykes goes into these Scottish races in third place in the title stakes with the immediate goal of reeling in HM Plant Honda rider Cal Crutchlow, whom he trails by 37 points – the Coventry rider, who took sixth place in the recent Suzuka Eight Hours race, has scored points consistently but has not won since the Brands Hatch round back in May.

That is something that he is eager to put right at a circuit where Hondas dominated last term, but for him, and Sykes, the major problem is heading off the confident series leading Shane Byrne who has chalked up eight victories in a dominant campaign that has seen him open up a 99 points lead in the title stakes.

The Airwaves Ducati rider will be in action ahead of the meeting, along with his rivals, as he takes part in the "Superbikes in the Square" event in George Square, Glasgow on Wednesday evening.

"I’ve got some really good memories of that event from last year, the crowds in Glasgow were fantastic so I can’t wait to do it all again," reflected Byrne who is well on course to regain the crown he last held in 2003. "Taking the bikes into the city is a great way for us to open up our sport to new audiences and I hope everyone there will continue to follow the championship for the rest of the season."

Byrne’s team-mate Leon Camier will be in action in that event, and then make a racing return, having missed the previous round in Cheshire through injury, while local hero, former Supersport champion Stuart Easton, is back aboard the MSS Discovery Kawasaki, having recovered from the wrist injuries sustained at Snetterton.

Leon Haslam, riding the second HM Plant Honda, is keen to better his third and second places of last year, to maintain his outside hopes of taking the crown as he comes under pressure from Hydrex Bike Animal Honda rider James Ellison in the rankings.

Michael Rutter, a winner at Mallory Park for the North West 200 Ducati team, and Michael Laverty aboard the Relentless Suzuki should also be at the sharp end of the action while in the race for the Daily Star Cup John Laverty riding the Buildbase NW200 Ducati expects to extend his advantage though under fire from Quay Garage Honda rider Gary Mason and Martin Jessop on the Riders Honda.

Superbikes on track
Friday 8 August
1150-1240 and 1510-1600 Free practice
Saturday 9 August
1000-1050 Free practice
1430-1520 Swan Combi 50 Roll for Pole grid deciding session
Sunday 10 August
0920-0935 Warm-up practice
13.00 Race one – 30 laps
15.30 Race two – 30 laps

Rider’s view
"I had my first win there and it is a short but enjoyable circuit to ride, adding to which there is a different crowd watching us and they create a special atmosphere as it is the only time in the year we visit there," Leon Haslam, HM Plant Honda.

Superbikes on television
British Eurosport
Sun 10 August
1230-1630 LIVE raceday
1830-2000 Highlights
Mon 11 August
1900-2030 Highlights
Tue 12 August
0900-1000 Highlights
1430 –1600 Highlights
2045 -2215 Highlights
Thu 14 August
15.00-16.00 Highlights
1900-2000 Bennetts British Superbikes Extra
Mon 25 August
1100-1230 Highlights

Channel 4
Wednesday 13 August
0110-0205 Highlights