The Silverstone BSB showdown, penultimate race of the 2015 season
From the season’s beginning, ‘Shakey’ Byrne looked a sure winner. The ‘most successful rider in the history of the series,’ suggested Paul Bird. On winning the championship he reflected ‘it’s not going to be easy.’ The season proved his final words. In the Silverstone BSB Shakey sits in second place. Almost 50 points divide him and Brookes, ahead of the final round at Brands Hatch on 16-18 October.
The weekend started with some unexpected race results
Hopkins led the first lap, until Brookes dashed ahead. Byrne began way back in the fourth row, a lifetime away from Brookes. He advanced two places. 
After Ellison overtook Hopkins, Byrne had pushed ahead again, joining the top five. Whilst this was happening, there was one less competitor. Danny Buchan crashed out, injury free, at Copse.
After more shuffling around and scraping past one another, Brookes and Byrne finished in first and second respectively. Unexpected in third place came Hickman. At tenth in the championship Hickman rode past Ellison for a podium place – surprise success! As Laverty and Linfoot, usual favourites, were down in sixth and seventh.
Brookes takes a second win
Shakey started strong in Silverstone BSB round two. Accelerating from pole position in the first round, Ellison fought to overtake him. The fighting didn’t pay off until lap three, when he snuck past and grabbed the lead. Brookes began way back at number 6, fighting through to fourth, then second – way to overtake Brookes.
Brookes continued riding on his fighting spirit to first place. At which point Ellison also powered up to second. Secure for a while, until a grip problem slowed him down. Slowed him down to 17th place – an anti-climax for James.
Brookes remained in first and finished 3.568 seconds ahead of his follower, Michael Laverty. Who finished ahead of Linfoot. With an unexpected, and disappointing finish for Paul Bird’s Byrne. From first back to fifth. With Iddon, placing fourth, his best achievement of the season.
Any thoughts from the top three?
Another set back for Shakey as Brookes pipped him to the first place post for the second time at Silverstone. With two other riders pipping him to the podium. Though, as is ever the line with BSB, it wasn’t easy. “I certainly found it difficult at the start of the second race as I got pushed wide at turn one and I felt that I was in a good place and I was right next to John Hopkins and he beat me to the first turn and through the first section in the first race so I thought if I stayed with him it would make for a good race.” Exiting the turn he moved wide and I got squeezed out and I lost momentum and a few positions. I knew right from the start it was then going to be difficult.” Hopkins was no match for Brookes, slipping back to a still respectable, fourth.
Linfoot took another podium position, a consistent third for the weekend. He reflected on his performance and riding generally, “I seem to take a bit of time to get going so that is something I need to work on myself but it was a great job by the team this weekend. We came here with a bit of a new plan and we have been turning the bike upside in the last few rounds and then that didn’t work at Assen, so we came here with big determination to be strong again and to fight for the podium.”
Laverty filled the final podium position, a three place advance on race one. Achieved with a unique finish, he was the only rider of the Silverstone BSB race fitted with a harder SC1 tyre. Proving sometimes it’s best not to follow the crowd. It threw out more of a challenge, “I had to work really hard in the early laps to stay with the leading guys as I was the only one out there who chose the hard rear tyre so I was lacking a bit of the corner speed they had so I had to really fight.” He admitted “It didn’t quite work out in race one but I was pegging them back. We made some clever changes for race two and they made a real difference even with the hard tyre.” This shows how challenging yourself is often the best way to work hard!
Congratulations to the team for some well earned results! And thank you to BSB for the photos on this page.
Until the next, and final, time
If you missed it, we published an Assen round-up on our site. We’ll be sealing off the season with a final report following Brands Hatch on 16 – 18 October.
