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There aren’t many riders who have been around for a long time and still have the determination to become champion but Jakub Smrz shows no signs of slowing down. He talks to us about his BSB life so far, his Lloyds and Jones/PR Racing team and his plans for the future.

How have you found BSB so far?

It has been difficult. In the beginning, it was very tricky, especially the tracks. There is nothing in Great Britain that resembles anything in World Superbikes. The tracks are so, so different. In addition, I spent a lot of my time in World Superbikes riding the Ducati. I also sustained a few injuries, which have held me back a little bit but now, we are getting better.

British Superbikes in general is getting quicker and quicker, so it is definitely not easy to be successful. In FP2 at Brands Hatch, I was 18th in the session but only a second from the top. It was frustrating but I am enjoying it, especially this season. It is my 2nd season in the UK with the BMW and it is really nice. The atmosphere within the team is great and although the start was difficult, we as a team have grown and improved. The team in years gone by have not been very lucky and lacked experience with BMW.

In the last couple of rounds, we have understood a lot more. It would be nice to start next season where we are now. It is going in the right direction and the main thing is that we improve each time, both me on the bike and the team in the garage.

What are the main differences between a V-Twin and a 4-cylinder?

Obviously, as you say, one has four cylinders and the other has two cylinders. You use a lot more torque with a V-Twin and with the Ducati, the chassis is different. The characteristics of the bike in general are just very different.

The BMW is a difficult bike for me and it did take me a while to understand it and get used to the it, also with the BSB regulations. However, like I say earlier, it is going in the right direction, round by round and that is very important.

How would you sum up BSB 2017 so far from your perspective?

What we were aiming for was to get in the points in every race. We didn’t know this season would be so difficult but lets say, we score points quite regularly. Two races at Brands Hatch in July, I did not race because of an injury from a crash in FP3, with the bike being on the fence too.

Given your World Superbike experience, are you surprised that you haven’t gone straight to the top?

Of course, it is a little bit frustrating. In the past in World Superbikes, there are riders that are in front of me now that I would beat. I know this is different. Many riders race in the UK for a long time; they grow up here and ride the circuits so already, there is an advantage for them. I think I am  not far away now. Fingers crossed that we are better next season because I feel this season has gone quite well.

How are the Lloyds and Jones/PR Racing Team to work with?

I would say that they are probably the best team I have been with. It is a little family team with a little budget. I like to work with everyone in the team and hopefully, they like working with me! I feel really good and that is probably more important to me than having a big team with a bigger budget. What I like is that at the start of the season, we could see that things were going well and they have invested in the parts through the season. This has allowed us all to develop and work harder and for that, I am truly thankful of the team.

Is a return to WSBK likely?

Not at the moment, I think I still have things to do here and things to prove in the UK – not just to doubters but to myself too. I did World Superbikes for one round this season and it didn’t go very well. Things didn’t work out, especially with the bike. I am enjoying the racing a lot more in the UK. Even to be 18th, you have to be very fast! In WSBK, you can be 18th and one of the last riders and it just isn’t much fun.

What are your plans for 2018?

I can say that I am staying in the UK and hopefully with the Lloyds and Jones/PR Racing team.

Image by: Peter Backhurst

Michael Laverty has made a shock switch back to Tyco BMW for 2018, completing the team’s line-up, alongside Christian Iddon. Laverty will leave McAMS Yamaha, after a difficult season saw him take just one podium, at Silverstone.

“I’m delighted to be returning to the Tyco BMW squad for the 2018 season,” Laverty said. “We enjoyed success together taking race wins in 2015 and 2016. A dip in form lead to a year’s sabbatical, which didn’t prove fruitful, although the experience gained this season will make me a stronger rider”, began Laverty. The Ulsterman has failed to win a race in 2017 for the first time since returning to BSB from GP.

“I’m thankful that Philip and the guys within the team have belief in my ability and looked beyond my results this year. To get back on-board the Tyco BMW S1000RR and work with the TAS engineers once again, is the perfect scenario for me”, he continued.

The decision ends speculation about Dan Linfoot going to the Ulster team, after some reports suggested he would leave Honda. It also closes down speculation about Peter Hickman joining the team, although he is now expected to remain at Smith’s BMW. The signing also means there will be no room for Andy Reid, although some suggest he will be riding the teams Superstock 1000 bike.

Image by Peter Backhurst

Not one person in the British Superbike paddock, nor in the crowd, wanted to see a championship decided by an error. Leon Haslam’s spectacular crash on Sunday afternoon has touched hearts of everyone across the motorcycle world but his sportsmanship when being carried to congratulate Shane Byrne has won the hearts of the people in the sporting world. It was a scene that demonstrated the utmost respect that both Haslam and Byrne have for one and other, having been locked in combat from the very start.

“I’m not where I wanted to be on Sunday night after the race with a broken ankle and a broken wrist. It wasn’t my day. I had a few issues in race two which dropped me back and I had to jump off at the end of the straight in race three”, said a heartbroken Haslam, who led the championship by 32 points ahead of Brands Hatch.

“I’m absolutely gutted for the team and the effort that everyone’s put in. However, it’s been a good year and I’d like to thank everyone for all their hard work. The season has not ended how I wanted it to but I don’t think we could have done much more and it’s only made me more determined to come back stronger”, continued the ‘Pocket Rocket’, who slipped to third overall after Josh Brookes won race three.

“I’ve got an operation to get the ankle sorted and thankfully the wrist is a clean break so that shouldn’t take long to heal. We’ve got a plan for winter testing and few areas we want to work on to make sure we’re raring to go next year”, he concluded.

Haslam finished just six points from Byrne, taking third in the championship.

Image by: Peter Backhurst

After 26 races, over 1000 kilometres of racing, 10 winners, 16 podium finishers and over 300,000 trackside spectators, the BSB championship came to an end on Sunday afternoon, with Shane Byrne producing a magical comeback to take his 6th BSB title – the first time he has successfully defended his crown.

The 40-year-old Londoner took wins in both race one and race two, placing him just two points down on the-then leader Leon Haslam going into the final race of the championship. A poor start for Byrne and a great start for Haslam meant that he was behind the Kawasaki man. However, Haslam’s crash meant that Byrne had to finish in the top 11 to win the championship. The PBM Ducati rider finished 8th, enough for an unprecedented sixth title to cement his position as the most successful rider in BSB history.

Josh Brookes, who didn’t finish outside the top four all weekend, jumped up to 2nd in the series in the final race, finishing runner-up in his return to British Superbikes. The popular Australian was third in race one and fourth in race two, meaning he needed to win and hope that Byrne and Haslam were not in the top 11 and 12 respectively to take the title. Although half of the equation was complete with Haslam out, Byrne rode a tactical race to remain in the required positions. He took a third win of the season for the Anvil Hire Tag Racing Yamaha team, finishing a mere 3 points shy of Byrne. Brookes was the only rider to finish the final three races of the season in the top four.

Leon Haslam never looked like he was in the zone at Brands. The Kawasaki rider had a massive 32 point lead over Brookes coming into the final round but saw it all whittled down by the end of the weekend. A 4th place in race one followed by a disastrous 10th in race two meant Haslam went into the last round needing to beat Byrne, or hope that if Byrne was in the top 4, that it’d be behind him and not in front. A brake failure into Hawthorn’s saw Haslam jump off his bike at over 170mph, smashing into the air-fencing. This gave Byrne and Brookes the chance they needed and Haslam finished the championship 3rd – having led into the meeting.

Dixon and Hickman lost their chancre to fight for the championship in the opening race on Saturday. Dixon crashed on oil at Clearways whilst Hickman didn’t take enough points off Leon Haslam. Hicky took 4th in the championship and Jason O’Halloran rounded out the top five, after his great weekend which saw him on the podium in the final race. Dixon scored four points all weekend, meaning he finished 6th.

As mentioned, this is the first time that Byrne has ever retained his championship and it is the first time that a rider has successfully defended their crown since Ryuichi Kiyonari, in 2006 and 2007. It was the first time since 2002 and 2003 that Ducati had won back-to-back riders championships, with Hislop and Byrne being the riders in those years respectively.

Image by: Peter Backhurst