Andrews steps in for Cummins at Silverstone

Blackhorse Kawasaki wish to announce that Simon Andrews will deputise for injured regular Conor Cummins in this weekend's National Superstock 1000 Championship support races at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Simon will return to racing for the first time in more than two months after fracturing his heel in a high-speed accident at the Valencia World Superbike round, the Briton having been drafted in as a replacement for Chris Vermeulen.

With an imminent British Superbike return also looming at Mallory Park the following weekend, Andrews has been placed on the Blackhorse Kawasaki as an opportunity to ease himself back into racing. "This is good timing as I now feel fit enough to ride, so with two races and all the practice it's ideal to get back up to speed before next weekend's BSB event at Mallory,” he said.

“No-one likes to take a ride at the expense of an injured rider but hopefully I can do a good job for the Blackhorse team and Kawasaki, whilst Conor is out of action. It goes without saying that I'm also excited to be riding at the new Silverstone layout and in front of the GP paddock.”

Blackhorse Kawasaki team boss Ian Lougher commented:
"All of us at Blackhorse Kawasaki were really looking forward to competing here at this fantastic venue at the British GP. None more so than Conor, but unfortunately due to his injuries sustained during the Senior TT, Conor is unable to make the race, but we very much look forward to his return when he is back to full fitness.

However, for this weekend we welcome Kawasaki Superbike rider Simon Andrews into the team for a one race only deal, and look forward to working with him and value any input he may bring. Simon has a vast amount of experience on Superstock, Supersport and more recently Superbike machinery so it will be interesting to see what he thinks of the latest ZX10 Blackhorse Superstock Kawasaki.

As for the next BSB round at Knockhill and beyond, the team is still on the lookout for a suitable replacement for the likeable and extremely talented Conor Cummins.

In the meantime, all the sponsors and team personnel at Blackhorse Kawasaki would like to take this opportunity to wish Conor a speedy recovery."

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Reeves gives Honda first World Sidecar victory

Using Maxton's GP10 rear shock, Tim Reeves got his World Sidecar Championship title challenge back on track at the weekend when he took first and second place finishes in the two races at Rijeka, Croatia. The results not only elevated Tim up to 2nd overall in the Championship but also gave passenger Gregory Cluze and Honda their first wins in the class, a fantastic achievement for the team.

Despite using a set of old tyres for qualifying, Tim placed second on the grid and was confident that, come the race, fresh rubber would allow him to close the gap to the pole position duo of Pekka Paivarinta and Adolf Hanni. Sure enough, in Saturday's 11-lap 'Sprint' race, Tim and Gregory sat right in the wheeltracks of the Finnish/Swiss pairing and, with the fastest lap of the race, were ready to make a challenge for the lead in the final third of the race when a stone got flicked up by Paivarinta's outfit and struck Tim in the neck. With a deep cut inflicted, he also found himself struggling for breath for half a lap and that was enough to allow Paivarinta to escape. So, Tim and Gregory had to settle for second place and 20 points, albeit only 4.3 seconds adrift.

The 20 lap 'Gold' race on Sunday was held in vastly different conditions with heavy rain hitting the Croatian circuit throughout the day. However, the circuit conditions played in to Tim's hands and he took full advantage, leading the race from the off. Paivarinta did get by in the first third of the race and led for a handful of laps but Tim was just biding his time and looking after his tyres. Once there was plenty of heat and grip in the slick tyres that he opted for, he reeled in Paivarinta, overtook him and promptly pulled away for his first Grand Prix win of the season. There was further celebration as it was Gregory's first ever World Championship win and also the first for the Honda CBR1000RR engine thus fully vindicating Tim's decision to opt for both Gregory and Honda power for the 2010 season.

Speaking afterwards, a delighted Tim said; "I'm absolutely over the moon to have taken our first win of the season this weekend and we've really got the Honda engine working well now. I decided to use old tyres for qualifying and save the new sets for the races so although I was a bit off pole, I was confident that I'd make the time up in the race and that's how it panned. I felt really comfortable behind Pekka in the first race and was just biding my time but there was one part of the track where dirt kept getting flicked up by his wheels and on one lap, it flicked a big stone up and it hit me right in the neck. It cut my neck quite badly and I was really struggling for breath for a bit and it was enough of a problem to see him pull away. Still, second was a good start to the weekend."

"I was really determined to make amends in the Gold race and got the lead from the start. I'd decided to go with slicks so when Pekka came by I wasn't unduly worried as I was just letting some heat get in to the tyres. Just after half distance I pushed really hard, caught Pekka and then once past, I pushed hard again to make sure I pulled away. It worked a treat and once I was in the lead I controlled the race and it's great to take my first GP win of the season and move up to 2nd in the World Championship. The Honda engine was totally new to me at the beginning of the season but it's working really well now and will only get better. There's a few things we can still improve on still but I'm well chuffed to give both Honda and Gregory their first World Championship win and I'm confident it won't be their last!"

There's no rest for Tim and Gregory as they now head to Oulton Park for Round 3 of the Battle of Britain F1 Sidecar Championship this weekend, where there'll be looking to extend their title lead.

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Excellent weekend of racing for Farquhar

Using Maxton's GP30 fork cartridges and GP10 rear shock, Ryan Farquhar enjoyed another excellent, if not busy, weekend of racing as he took six wins from the ten races he started over the course of the two days. The KMR Kawasaki rider took two wins at the Skerries 100 meeting on Saturday before making the overnight dash to Oliver's Mount, Scarborough where he added another four wins to his 2010 tally. At the Skerries meeting on the outskirts of Dublin, Ryan opened his account with a comfortable victory in the Super Twins race on his ER6 Kawasaki and he followed this up with another first place, this time in the 1000cc Open race where he also set a new outright lap record of 109.335mph as he got the better of Keith Amor by over three seconds. The Scotsman then got the better of Ryan in the 600cc race, albeit by just 0.349s, after another close run affair and it was also second place in the 125/400 race where Ryan was out once more on his 450cc Kawasaki. The Grand Final was then stopped after one lap due to an accident. Ryan then made the overnight trip to Scarborough for the Barry Sheene Classic Festival which had races for both classic and modern machinery and the day started with well with victory in both the 350cc Classic and the 400cc race where he was out on his Super Twin machine. First was also the order of the day in the Open race and then again in the Denis Parkinson 500cc Classic event on the 500cc Paton. The weekend then began to catch up with Ryan and after finishing 2nd in the second 400cc race and 3rd in the Geoff Barry Classic Superbike race, he decided to withdraw from the rest of the days racing as fatigue crept in. Speaking later Ryan said: "I was really pleased with my results at Skerries and after qualifying quickest on the Super Twin and 1000cc and second on the 600 and 450, the day went pretty much as expected. Keith got a good start in the Open race and I followed him for a few laps before sussing out where I was quickest and once I'd got through I was able to open up a slight gap. The 450 race went better than I thought as Skerries is a pretty fast circuit so to lead for as long as I did and finish so close to William Dunlop on his 125 Honda was very pleasing. The Grand Final was shaping up to be another close race before the unfortunate accident." "I then got the overnight ferry to the mainland before driving to Scarborough, which, maybe, wasn't such a good idea as we didn't get to the circuit until 6am! I got a wee bit of sleep and felt ok in the first few races but as the day wore on, the lack of sleep started to creep up on me and I was that shattered I couldn't really concentrate properly out on the circuit and it was getting close to becoming dangerous. I spoke to Roger Winfield, who's bikes I was riding at the meeting, and we decided to sit the rest of the day out. Overall, it's been a good two days of racing although a little bit more hectic than I would have liked but I'll look forward to a week off now before getting back out at Scarborough for the Cock o' the North." Ryan will be back at Oliver's Mount next weekend, July 10-11, for the annual Cock ' the North races.

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More glory for Reeves in British F1 Championship

Using Maxton's GP10 rear shock, Tim Reeves' rich vein of form continued at the weekend when he took another victory in the latest round of the 'Battle of Britain' F1 Sidecar Championship although he was cruelly denied a double when he was forced to retire from the second race. The Kent driver took a strong victory in the opening race at Oulton Park to extend his title lead and was dominating the second race until the bike started to misfire and he was forced to retire with just one lap to go.

Reeves, and passenger Gregory Cluze, had dominated qualifying at the 2.69-mile Cheshire circuit and, with a time of 1m44.228s, they comfortably took pole position for the two 8-lap races. Friday's opener saw the Anglo-French pairing lead the 28-strong field on the opening lap and, despite coming under pressure from Barry James/Carl Morgan, a series of consistent lap times saw them never seriously come under threat and they were able to cruise across the line to win by over five seconds. It was win number five of the campaign and extended their lead to 47 points.

The second race on Saturday looked like it would serve up a repeat performance as, having overhauled Allan Schofield/Steve Thomas on the second lap, they stretched their advantage on each and every lap. Aided by the fastest lap of the weekend, 1m43.772s, they looked unstoppable but, with a six-second lead, the outfit began to cough and splutter and, with the last lap flag in sight, they were forced to pull out of the race due to a problem with the fuel pump. Whilst they still lead the Championship, their lead has now been cut to 27 points.

"It was a good weekend for us but the heat played havoc with everyone I think! I felt really comfortable all weekend but in the first race, the bike was running way too hot and overheating a fair bit so I only pushed as hard as I needed to. I was glad the race was only 8 laps long so, for the second race, we changed the oil and water and cut a few holes in the fairing to try and get some more air through to the engine and it worked a treat as the bike was back down to 80-85 degrees. Everything was going to plan again but towards the end of the race, the bike started to misfire so I had to try and nurse it home but it eventually spluttered to a halt and that was that. We later found out that there was a problem with the fuel pump so it was a real shame we couldn't make it a double and really pull away from the rest of the guys. As it is, my lead's down to 27-points but I'm confident we'll be able to put that right next time out."

Tim now has a three-week before resuming his World Championship bid with the next round taking place at Sachsenring, Germany on July 17-18.

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Farquhar takes nine from nine at Oliver’s Mount!

Ryan Farquhar quite simply dominated proceedings at Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough over the weekend and the Dungannon ace took a stunning nine wins from nine starts around the 2.43-mile woodland venue. The KMR Kawasaki rider was in imperious form at the public road circuit and was also able to claim the Cock o’ the North trophy for the first time in his career.

Saturday saw extremely warm, humid conditions on the North Yorkshire coast, which meant it was going to be a tough day for Ryan but, after taking a Superbike heat win, he opened his ‘proper’ race account with a comfortable victory in the first leg of the Supersport 600cc. A quick drink was all he had time for before jumping on the KX450 single for the 125cc/400cc race and he was involved in a race long battle with the 400cc Kawasaki of Mick Goodings before coming out on top by just 0.684s.

It was then back on to the KMR Kawasaki Superstock bike for the 8-lap Superbike race where, aided by the fastest lap of the race – 1m45.728s – he ran out victor by over ten seconds. The races were coming thick and fast and next up was the Minitwins where he saw off the challenges of Ivan Lintin and David Bell to take the chequered flag by almost 4 seconds.

Sunday saw a lot cooler conditions with a strong wind blowing throughout the day and Ryan got off to a great start with a 8.8s victory in the second leg of the Superbikes as he set what proved to be the fastest lap of the weekend at 1m45.704s. The second leg of the 125cc/400cc was again his toughest race of the day but, after sitting in second for the first half of the race, he managed to pass Alistair Haworth to take yet another win, this time by just one second. The second leg of the 600cc was also a lot closer as Michael Pearson took the early initiative but, by half race distance, Ryan was in the lead and he duly took the victory from his fellow countryman by almost two seconds.

The second Minitwins race saw Ryan maintain his 100% win rate and that just left the feature 10-lap Cock o’ the North Open race to negotiate. With a brilliant start once more, Ryan grabbed the holeshot going into Mere Hairpin and, lapping consistently half a second a lap quicker than his rivals, he was able to ease off on the final lap to come home ahead of fellow Kawasaki men Pearson and Ian Lougher to claim another piece of silverware.

Speaking afterwards, a delighted Ryan said; “Well, it doesn’t get much better than that and to come away with 9 wins from 9 starts is absolutely brilliant! I always enjoy coming to race at Scarborough and this weekend has been no exception and it’s been a superb two days for me and the team. It was quite frantic with the races coming one after the other but the team did a great job in making sure everything was fully prepared and ready and that allowed me to concentrate on my riding.”

“None of the races were easy and the 125/400 races, in particular, were tough as the 400s had quite a speed advantage over my 450 but I was able to utilise the handling and cornering speed of the bike to come out on top. Oliver’s Mount is very physical too with a lot of braking so my hands feel quite sore now and I’m pretty tired but it’s all been worth the effort and I’m over the moon to finally get my hands on the Cock o’ the North Trophy. It’s a busy time of the year for me so let’s hope I can carry this form over to the next few meetings.”

There’s no let up for Ryan and he now heads to the Isle of Man where he’ll be taking part in this week’s Southern 100 road races with practice getting underway on Monday evening.



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Z1000 2010 MCN MAXTON SUSPENSION VIDEO

We have recently upgraded the suspension on MCN journalist Michael Neeves' Kawasaki Z1000 2010 model. We revalved and resprung the original fork internals to suit his weight and what he used the bike for and we custom built a Maxton RT-10 unit to suit him. The results he made into a video, which can be viewed by clicking on the following link :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kzzl0GbLWcU





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