Category: Features

Seeing as I was based in the BSB paddock at Donington Park, I thought I’d go and find Pete Extance, the team owner of the Quattro Plant Bournemouth Kawasaki set up which fields showdown contender Luke Mossey and Super Swede Filip Backlund. He may be small, but he’s got a big personality and also some big plans. This is what Pete Extance had to say about his season so far, next years rider line up and also how it feels to be on the short circuits as well as between the hedges of the TT course too.

How would you say 2016 has gone?

Really, really well to be honest with you. The goal this year was to win the sidecar championship, was to win the Supersport championship and to be in the showdown with Luke Mossey. We have achieved one of those at the moment with Luke, we won’t be able to achieve the Supersport because Andy Reid has broken his scaphoid but we were pretty close at the time, and the sidecar guys look on course to retain their title. For us, things are going really well.

What’s the difference between GBMoto and yourself?

More factory support, definitely. We run on about 30% of their whole budget. This is a family run team, run by myself and my wife. We do get a small amount of help from Kawasaki but certainly nothing like JG Speedfit. What we have got however, is two phenomenal bikes. Ray Stringer, our chief technician, is a great guy. You could have all the money in the world but if you haven’t got the tools to do the job, it’s not going to happen. We have great guys and a phenomenal rider in Luke so, whilst I’d like more budget, I think we do a great job with the budget we have at the moment. We are in the showdown, whereas you look at Tyco BMW and Buildbase and they haven’t managed that, so all in all it is superb to be where we are at.

How much do sponsors play a part?

Without Quattro Plant, Cool Milk, Techcare, we wouldn’t be in this paddock. My own business, Bournemouth Kawasaki, couldn’t afford to run a BSB team, but then again not many shops can, so yes definitely sponsors are huge. We do more PR work than any other team in the paddock. On Saturday, we did Q&A sessions for kids with Luke and Filip, we do so, so much and I think that’s really important.

How have you found the transition from old Kawasaki to new Kawasaki?

Again, I think that comes down to technicians. We did a great job early on, using the positives of the 2015 bike and taking them to the new, 2016 bike. We worked methodically through testing, in Cartagena and Almeria and we came away from there with the new lap record (Almeria), which was great for a new bike! I think we have shown our competitiveness with the new machines where others have struggled, for example James Ellison has struggled with throttle position, but we haven’t suffered anything like that which comes down to our great staff.

In a World Superbike field, where do you think this bike could be?

I think that comes down to riders ability, but I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t be top 10 for sure. It is very difficult, because whilst our bike is incredible, the suspension and chassis set up is second-to-non. BSB is breaking lap records where ever we go, with the top five under the old lap record so things are improving all the time.

How much has BSB changed over time?

I think the introduction of the control spec ECU is a great addition because it’s got everyone on a level playing field. We would never be able to afford Magnetti Marelli ignition systems like Airwaves Yamaha had years ago at £150,000 a throw. It makes the smaller teams like myself really competitive which great for the sport and for fans. Our only loss is that we don’t stay in hotels and drive flash cars and wear flash clothes, we just make all our money work. BSB at the moment is on an absolute roll and it’s definitely the best domestic championship in the world. Next season, it will get even better!

Do the crowd figures at events like Cadwell Park embarrass WSBK?

I totally agree! I just don’t think there is the depth at World Superbike, it just seems like the edge has been taken away. I personally don’t like idea of racing on a Saturday. Would a family come out on a Sunday to watch one WSBK race, one World Supersport race and one European Stock 1000 race? I’m not so sure they would. Whilst it may help their television, it doesn’t help the spectators and I just wonder if they’ll look at that soon. They certainly need something, because something’s going wrong.

Will you be continuing with the Supersport next season?

There was a rumour of us dropping the Supersport team but we still haven’t made a decision on that yet. It really depends on what happens with the Superbikes, Mossey is keen to stay with us and we have some chats with riders over the weekend and beyond so we will see where it takes us. There’s a possibility of two BSB bikes and Andy in Supersport but there is also a possibility of bring Andy to Superbike with us but we need to consider sponsors, budget and Andy’s fitness. Once we are 100% then we will go to the press and announce our plans.

What is Andy like away from the track?

Andy knows what he wants and he’s quite a clever lad as far as set up goes. I think his race craft needs to come on more; last week under pressure at Oulton and he touched the grass twice at Cadwell Park. When things are going Andy’s way then he is unstoppable and he would have won the title this year. It’s just his age but he’s a real showman. The fans love him and that’s always a big, big positive!

Does having a road race team stretch resources?

It doe stretch resources but we run it a little bit differently. We run the team from Bournemouth Kawasaki, with a separate set of crews, whereas we run the BSB from Ray Stringer’s in Nuneaton so whilst it is very, very difficult, the roads only take up a little part of our time. Roughly 5 weeks, across the North West 200 and Isle of Man TT. James Hillier doesn’t do any other events so we are looking at getting him on a Superstock 1000 bike next season just to get his eye in a bit more. It is difficult. Do I want to give up the TT? No, not really because I want to win a TT race as much as I want to win a BSB race!

What are the 2017 plans? Anything solid?

We will be having the same sponsors on-board next season and just need to finalise budgets. If we offered Luke an offer last week he would have signed. We just need to get him on the right package and also with the right team and right staff around him.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

Shane Byrne took an emphatic double win at Donington Park to not only take back top spot in the standings, but to go more than 25 points clear than nearest rival Leon Haslam, However, this is more of an opinion article and not a race report. Is Shane Byrne the greatest BSB rider of all time?

His career started back in 1999, when the Londoner jumped on a very old, privateer Kawasaki. However, he rode the wheels off it, and the next season, he was given the all new SP1 Honda. A year littered with injuries meant that he didn’t utilise neither his nor the bike’s potential. We must remember that this was the same bike that Colin Edwards was winning on in WSBK and that Joey Dunlop had won his last TT on. For 2001, he joined the Performance House Suzuki, achieving five top-5 finishes.

But, the best was yet to come. In 2002, Shakey jumped aboard Mark Griffiths’ Highland Spring Renegade Ducati, alongside experienced BSB star, Michael Rutter. The year was also a big year for the team; Griffiths had decided to enter the world of road racing, with the first event being the North West 200. Rutter crashed out of both Superbike races, the second one of which he crashed out with more than a minute lead to his advantage.

Things would improve back in England though, as Byrne romped to his first win of his career in tricky Donington Park conditions in just his 5th race of the year. He crashed out dramatically at Snetterton when he wiped out teammate Michael Rutter, but was gifted a win at Knockhill, one of the most intense final laps in BSB history. The late, great Steve Hislop was leading by a narrow margin from Michael Rutter, with Byrne just two seconds back in 3rd. On the run out of the Clark’s, Rutter went wide, all but ending his chances of victory. Then, Michael did the unthinkable. In a desperate attempt to win the race, the Midlander went for the gap that Steve Hislop didn’t leave. Rutter the Nutter went into the back of Hislop at final corner of the final lap, wiping them both out. 40,000 Scots were stunned. Byrne inherited the win, his 2nd of what was to turn out to be an illustrious career.

In 2003, Byrne dominated the championship and wrapped it up with a few races to go at Cadwell Park in Lincolnshire. He left Superbike racing altogether for two seasons as he went to MotoGP. Uncompetitive machinery and injury plagued his first year in 2004, despite leading a race briefly at Mugello. In 2005, he joined the KTM team which was a disaster from the off.

Every British Superbike fan smiled when the news was announced Byrne would be back in the championship on a Rizla Suzuki for 2006. It wasn’t his best season, but a win at Knockhill proved that he still had what it takes to become a champion once more. In 2007, he moved back to the PBM team, winning races on the Stobart Honda, but that wasn’t enough for Shakey; he left the team once more and joined up with Ducati specialist Colin Wright, who won back to back titles in 1999 and 2000 with Troy Bayliss and Neil Hodgson.

2008 was a Shakey season. Dominating from start to finish, Byrne won title number two at Silverstone. However, like in 2003, Byrne would not stay around to defend his title and was snapped up by the Sterilgada Ducati team in World Superbikes. One podium meant that Byrne didn’t particularly shine, but he stayed in the championship to join Carlos Checa at Althea Unibat Ducati. However, the WSBK championship was a lost cause, and in 2011, it was announced that he would return to BSB for the 2nd time.

HM Plant Honda was the team of choice this time, but after a run of bad luck at the start of the year, Byrne wasn’t able to take it to Hill and Hopkins at Brands Hatch. He won the final race of the year and finished 3rd overall. He left the team to join Paul Bird Kawasaki, where he has stayed ever since, although now, it’s a Ducati.

Byrne has accumulated an incredible 77 wins in his career, which leads me to ask the question: has anyone ever been so successful and will anyone ever match him in the future? He has maintained the same level of enthusiasm year in, year out, something that is a skill in itself.

He always makes time for his fans too. I met him for the first time back in 2008 and he has remained one of my favourites ever since. I met him at Donington Park in 2016 and yet again, he was well up for the selfies and for signing the tops of his fans. Even after the years of being stopped in the paddock, he still finds the will to meet his fans. And it isn’t fake either. A lot of riders now do it because it’s “good PR stunts” or “because they have to” but Shakey is different; Byrne is genuinely happy to be stopped in the paddock and will often go out of his way for his fans. And that is a very rare gem.

It’s also Byrne’s on-track heroics that make him one of the most liked riders of the paddock. Named “Shakey” because of his style in his early days, I would call him “Smooth” but that’s not quite right either. He rides the wheels off everything he races, he’s even more determined now than he was before. Look at Silverstone this year; he almost chucked himself off the bike going for the inside line to win the 2nd race of the day, in the most incredible finish ever in BSB (that didn’t decide a title).

However, some say that Byrne hasn’t helped BSB because of his domination and four championships. However, because this is an opinion article, I don’t particularly share that view. If anything, I think that Shakey has made the sport even more popular. His incredible flamboyancy and his heart-warming personality makes him one of the biggest stars, not only in BSB but in World championships.

To conclude with, I’d like to say that Shakey has made us all realise just how hard it is to ride one of these beasts. He has re-invented himself every year with different bikes in different eras, on different tracks with different rules. He has won with and without the showdown, on Ducati and Kawasaki, against all kinds of opposition from all series worldwide. He has highlighted that to be the best, you have to better yourself, even if you were King of the Castle one year previous. He has made step changes, even at the age of 39, to be at the top of the standings and to be the best he can possibly be. One of the most versatile riders in motorcycle racing history, Byrne has contributed to make British Superbikes one of the most attended sports series, not just in the UK, but across Europe, and without doubt made it a ‘class to be in’ for all motorcycle racers coming through the ranks. Thank you Shane, for the memories you have provided us with, continue to provide us with and we all hope you keep providing us with in the future.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

Photo Credit to Gareth Davies

Rizla Suzuki Photo Credit to Suzuki Racing Archives

Seeing as I was stationed in the ePayMe Yamaha Racing camp over the Friday and Saturday, I decided I was going to do a Q&A with the former MotoGP podium finisher, so that’s exactly what I did. John Hopkins speaks to me about the BSB world in comparison to MotoGP, his 2017 plans and also how his former rivalry with Tommy Hill still drives him on today.

How does the Yamaha compare to a GP bike and other Superbikes?

Well to be honest, it’s hard to compare any Superbike with a MotoGP bike because the contrasts are so big, even though they were even bigger before! They are getting closer nowadays and I have to say, this Yamaha is definitely the closest Superbike I have ridden in comparison to a GP bike. GP bikes are extremely rigid and tend to have really stiff chassis, meaning you feel everything from the circuit. The Yamaha has a very rigid chassis but yeah, it’s definitely not a million miles off the characteristics of a GP bike.

On a whole, what’s the difference between MotoGP and BSB?

British Superbikes is definitely more family friendly and less commercial. It is way more corporate in MotoGP. The fan base over here in BSB is absolutely amazing and I would say it is by far the best and most competitive domestic Superbike championship anywhere in the world. The BSB crowd attendances embarrass the WSBK series; the World championship has a lot of catching up to do because a lot of the tracks they go to, they really struggle with pulling people into the stands. Rain or shine, BSB is thriving and we always seem to get a really good turn out and as a rider, I’m really grateful for that.

How do you keep fit, seeing as the bikes get more powerful and harder to handle?

I like to stay fit by riding and keeping active on two wheels. Motocross has always been my passion and it was my first love before I even got into racing so yeah, I am always motocrossing at every chance I get as well as mountain biking. When I was in MotoGP, the teams and factories always wanted me to be cautious in case I did myself an injury but I would never sign a contract if it meant I had to stay away from a motocross bike.

Do you see yourself returning to the world stage?

Right now, I still feel like a have a point to prove in British Superbikes and you know, where ever it goes from there we will see. I do kind of miss the world stage in terms of seeing the countries and going on the big, Grand Prix circuits but now I have a wife and two kids, it is nice being at my home away from home and being able to have a base in the UK. I mean, most of the WSBK circuits are in Europe anyway so yeah, we will see how it goes but right now, I’m still enjoying BSB and like I’ve said, I have a point to prove.

Where do you think you could have been without the injuries?

Well, I’d like to say we would be well within the top six and in the showdown at this stage of this season if I hadn’t injured myself at Knockhill. I think the following circuits after my injuries are by far my favourite circuits in BSB. Thruxton, Snetterton are all my favourite circuits and I am gutted not to have more of a say in the title. My plan now is to be in an imaginary showdown and try and sign off this year on a high!

What are your 2017 plans?

I would like to stay in BSB on a competitive package, I haven’t signed anything yet but we have had a couple of offers but my main focus at the moment is to finish off this season and try and do the best I can. I have the pace and I know I can be competitive on a good bike.

How does your previous rivalry with Tommy impact on your working relationship?

It’s just banter really. At the time it was obviously serious, and he could have been my worst enemy. We both had our race faces on and it wasn’t anything personal, it was just the fact that we both wanted the same thing. There are absolutely no regrets, it happened the way it was supposed to, as it was all clean and to just be a part in that championship season was absolutely amazing! That is one of the races that is still driving me today to try and succeed and win the BSB championship. If it came down to a last lap scrap this year and the rider I was battling with needed a win then I wouldn’t do something stupid but I am also riding for myself. I haven’t signed a deal just yet. I have respect for other riders but I am here for myself right now.

Kiko Giles @MotoGPKiko

Photo Credit to Gareth Davies, for yet another fabulous image.