2020 News

Round 2 of the BSB 2020 calendar took the team East, to the Norwich circuit of Snetterton. The weekend was set to be a windy one, with forecast wind speeds of up to 65mph.

Friday’s Free Practice sessions provided a positive start to the weekend. Though Storm Ellen did not disappoint as high speed winds hit the circuit on the flat-landscape of the Norfolk county. Kurt finished both Free Practice 1 and 2 in 11^th place. There was much progression made by Matt, who reduced his lap time by two seconds between the two sessions. An adjustment to the clutch and other further tweaks the MW6R left Matt feeling positive about more progress to be made on Saturday.

The following morning saw Qualifying for the team. They had worked late amending the front suspension for Kurt’s qualifying session, which enabled increased stability on entry to the corners that required demanding braking. This enabled his progression throughout the session, knocking a further second off his lap time. The improvements continued through to Matthew’s performance, thus proving that amendments to the clutch were a beneficial move.

Saturday afternoon came with a 12-lap sprint race. During the initial stages of the race, Kurt found himself battling his way through a group of GP2 bikes. Though Kurt’s strength lies closing in on the corners, the lightweight frames the GP2 machines have a substantial advantage on the straights, resulting in him being separated from the Supersport pack. He closed the race in 13^th position. Matt got off to a great start, finding fresh pace for the opening stages of the race. He knocked a further 2.2 seconds off his lap time and finished the race in 10^th place.

For the feature race on Sunday both Kurt and Matt had moved a up the grid, leaving them both enthusiastic going into the 15-lap race. Kurt was determined not to get caught up in the GP2 battle again, he pushed hard and broke from the pack, quickly gapping them by the following lap and closing the race in 10^th place. Matt had a good start to the race, though a mistake entering turn 1 put him out of the running for a 9^th place finish. Despite this, he chased the clock, putting consistent lap times down and his personal best of the weekend, finishing 10^th place in class.

Kurt is now 12^th in the Supersport championship and Matt is 11^th in the GP2 class. Both have taken positives from the weekend but are displeased with the overall finish and are aiming to achieve more at the National Silverstone track in two weeks’ time.

Round 1 of the shortened BSB 2020 calendar took the team to Donington Park for the National Circuit. With the weather forecast being 26 degrees all weekend, the team were in for a warm one!

Friday saw the boys endure the heat for both Free Practice sessions. Kurt finished FP1 in 10^th place and continued to improve on his lap times during the afternoon FP2 session. Matt, still getting a feel for his newly built MW6R, showed consistency in both practice sessions and improved on his lap times during the FP2 session. Despite technical issues closed out FP2 in 12^th Place.

Saturday brought qualifying and the sprint race. Kurt, still struggling with his collarbone from the 2019 season, pushed hard and qualified in 15^th place. Matt made continual improvements knocking a second off his lap time following FP2 making good progress.

For Race 1 we had an unlucky start for Kurt following an electrical issue on the start line. The team managed to get this resolved, but for Kurt it meant starting the race from pit lane. He pushed his way through the back of the grid, making some real pace. However, lap 4 saw the problem return and Kurt was forced into the gravel during turn 1. He was able to restart but retired from the race shortly after. The team had managed to resolve the MW6R’s technical issue that hindered progression at the start of the weekend. Matt found some great pace during the race, narrowly missing out on a P9 spot during a last lap dash to the flag. Still bringing it home in P10, was a positive result for the MW6R’s first race.

Sunday saw the main race of the weekend. The team had hoped for a cooler day with the weather, as it started of bleak, however, as the afternoon progressed it just got warmer! The grid line up saw the boys just a row apart and both were determined to make something of this opportunity. As the first few laps got underway, it seemed they would be battling with each other, but Kurt managed to make a break for it and caught the group in front. He spent the duration on the race in a three-way battle, finishing in 8^th place. Matt also found himself in a battle of his own, fending off three other riders. Matt finished the race in 10^th place and put in his fastest lap of the weekend.

A positive start for the twins and the Team. Next we head to the Norfolk circuit of Snetterton on 21^st-23^rd August.

MSV have today (31/7) confirmed that they will be unable to permit spectators at the following Bennetts British Superbike Championship events:

Bennetts BSB at Donington Park – 7-9 August
Bennetts BSB at Snetterton – 21-23 August

Whilst we are greatly disappointed by this update, we understand that it is paramount that people’s safety comes first, and hope that our sponsors, guests and the wider public will be able to join us back in the paddock as soon as possible.

Read more on the BSB website here.

We visited Donington Park this month where we had the opportunity to do some testing prior to the 2020 season which begins on the 5th of August. We were fortunate enough to enjoy decent weather conditions, with only a small shower of rain in the morning.

The day was positive, and gave Matt the opportunity to test out his new, custom-built MW6R GP2 machine. Whilst the day revealed a few issues which needed ironing out, Matt enjoyed the opportunity to get back into the swing of riding and achieved on average P9/10 in-class positions throughout the day.

Kurt felt that the test provided a much-needed confidence boost after his crash at the end of last season on the Melbourne Loop at Donington which resulted in a shattered collarbone. He achieved a best position of P5, running in P3 for the majority of the second session.

We are now looking forward to beginning the season, and appreciate the ongoing support of our truly loyal sponsors after such a difficult year.

Special thanks are due to Hawkins Logistics who transported our trailer to the track last-minute.

 

We have now been informed that the 2020 race season will be going ahead, but reduced to just 6 rounds. The dates will be as follows:

R1 Donington Park (National) 07-09 August

R2 Snetterton 300: 21-23 August

R3 Silverstone (National): 04-06 September

R4 Oulton Park: 18-20 September

R5 Donington Park GP: 02-04 October

R6 Brands Hatch GP: 16-18 October

 

We are looking forward to testing at Donington Park on 28th July.

Following the unprecedented measures introduced by the Government designed to suppress the spread of the Coronavirus, the MCRCB and the ACU have currently suspended all motorcycle circuit racing events until at least May 31, a decision which will be kept under review as the situation progresses.

The following rounds have been postponed:

• Silverstone (April 10/11/12),
• Oulton Park (May 1/2/3)
• Donington Park (May 22/23/24)

This is being continuously evaluated by MSVR who will provide further updates when possibly.