British SBK: Camier wins, Brookes takes maiden podium

Press Release

Leon Camier took a second win in the final ViSK British Superbike Championship race of the day at Thruxton ahead of team-mate James Ellison, with HM Plant Honda's Josh Brookes fighting through the pack to take his first BSB podium finish in third.

Ellison got another flying start off the line closely followed by Camier, Simon Andrews and Stuart Easton but as the pack came into Club for the first time Ellison went wide and Camier was able to take the advantage.

Brookes was eighth on the opening laps but started his mission to score a podium finish when he passed Ian Lowry on the brakes into Club on the fifth lap, on the next lap it was team-mate Glen Richards that also was dealt the same maneuver putting Brookes up to sixth.

Easton was on a charge on the Hydrex Honda, moving up to third after drafting past Andrews on the run up Woodham Hill to move third on lap seven, with the pair leaning on each other and dicing for third. In the meantime Brookes had moved to fifth when he passed Rutter on the brakes into Club on ninth lap and was closing in on the pair ahead. Andrews was then the man with the target on his back, as Brookes closed in and the pair were side-by-side at the approach to Club, with Andrews trying to defend but the HM Plant Honda rider was late on the brakes and made the move on the inside.

A lap later Andrews dropped another place when Michael Rutter tucked in behind and then passed at Woodham Hill with the MSS Colchester Kawasaki rider then demoted to sixth.

Easton was holding third but a determined Brookes was shadowing and again at the run to Club Brookes took the inside line to dive past the Hydrex Honda and move to third. He then edged out a slight advantage and was closing down Ellison in second but despite getting close he was unable to make a move and the pair crossed the line separated by just 0.135 seconds.

Richards and Harris were embroiled in a tussle for seventh, with the two Honda riders going head-to-head with 'Bomber' taking the place on lap 15 and then holding off the challenges from the HM Plant Honda rider.

Harris was then challenging Andrews for sixth, with 'Bomber' looking to have made a move on the brakes into Club but he couldn't make the corner and was forced to go straight on over the curbs. He managed to hold on but had to work all over again to force a move which he succeeded with on the penultimate lap. However on the final lap the whole effort had been in vain when a mistake put him back to ninth behind Ian Lowry on the Relentless Suzuki by TAS.

Chris Walker suffered another disappointment after he was forced to retire again on lap nine whilst the second Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha of Graeme Gowland was 13th. Atsushi Watanabe race came to an end when he crashed out at Club on lap 15.