Team Suzuki Press Office – October 18.
The Bennetts Suzuki team rounded off its debut British Superbike campaign with two top-five finishes at Brands Hatch, after Christian Iddon backed-up Saturday's fourth place with a fifth in the final race of the year.
After vying for the podium in the first of the weekend's three races, the team made a number of changes to Iddon's GSX-R1000 for Sunday's opening encounter in the quest for a top-three finish. A wet morning warm-up meant the first time the new set-up was tried was in the race, and despite a strong start which saw Iddon inside the top three, unfortunately it didn't give the team the break through it was looking for and he was classified in eighth place after the race was red flagged.
For the third and final race the team reverted to settings closer to those of race one, and Iddon was again able to battle for the podium. Holding fourth in the closing stages, Iddon lost out to Dan Linfoot as the race reached its climax, and crossed the line in fifth place.
Christian Iddon:
“It was a strong end to the season all in all. Fourth in race one was good and more importantly we were in the fight for the podium for the whole race. For race two we tried something a bit different; we changed the gearing and made some changes to the suspension, but we weren't able to try it in warm-up as it was wet, so it just took me a bit too long to get into my rhythm in the race unfortunately. So for the final race we went back to what had worked in race one and we were again fighting for the podium. I was fifth behind Dan [Linfoot] and we were starting to lose the tow to the guys in front, so I passed him and thought I could bridge the gap, but as the race went on we struggled a bit again with our tyre wear, so I couldn't cover the ground to get up to them and Dan got me back in the end. But it was a good race and an enjoyable battle, and while we missed the podium it's been a good weekend to end the season on.”
Josh Waters unfortunately rounded off his 2015 season in the gravel trap. On course for a point-scoring finish in the final race, he was knocked off at Druids by another rider. He finished 16th in race two and 19th in Saturday's race.
Josh Waters:
“It's a disappointing way to end the season. We were on to score some points in that race. I had the line into the corner and the next thing I know I'm in the gravel. The team has worked hard again this weekend so I'm disappointed for them that that's how we finished it.”
Martin Halsall - Team Owner:
“We missed out on the podium today but it's been a good weekend and a strong end to the season. When you look at our performances over the last three rounds we've consistently been there or thereabouts. It shows how much progress we've made this year but also how bad luck has really played its part. This weekend we've been able to run at the front and be in the battle for the podium; and enjoyed some good racing. It's been a tough year as a team, but we've learned a lot and in the final rounds we've been able to demonstrate our true potential. We'll go away over winter, keep working hard, and come back and fight again next year.”
Race One Result: 1. Josh Brookes, 2. Shane Byrne, 3. John Hopkins, 4. Christian Iddon (Bennetts Suzuki), 5. Lee Jackson. 19. Josh Waters (Bennetts Suzuki).
Race Two Result: 1. Josh Brookes, 2. Shane Byrne, 3. Michael Laverty, 4. John Hopkins, 5. James Ellison. 8. Christian Iddon (Bennetts Suzuki). 16. Josh Waters (Bennetts Suzuki).
Race Three Result: 1. Michael Laverty, 2. James Ellison, 3. Shane Byrne, 4. Dan Linfoot, 5. Christian Iddon (Bennetts Suzuki). DNF. Josh Waters (Bennetts Suzuki).
