Tom Tunstall

Doodson Motorsport racer Tom Tunstall bounced back from a mechanical issue in Sunday’s first British Superbike race. Producing another strong performance, Tunstall fought his way through the field only to be denied a points scoring finish by just a few tenths of a second off Superbike legend Chris Walker.

The second round of twelve in 2010 British Superbike Championship campaign was staged at the ultra fast Thruxton Circuit in Hampshire at the weekend. Tom Tunstall and his Doodson Motorsport team progressed well through the free practice sessions optimising bike set-up for the bumpy high speed track. The culmination was an impressive qualifying lap, with an average speed of 111mph, placing him 17^th on the grid of 34 riders.

Tunstall explained:

“I’m really pleased with the progress the team have made. We changed the bike set up overnight which gave me a lot more rear grip and also helped the bike to turn. I’m lapping nearly two seconds faster which says it all really. The times are close and I think everyone will have tyre issues towards the end of the 20-lap race, I’m confident we’re capable of turning it into results in the race”

The conditions were near perfect for Sunday’s races with unbroken blue skies and sun baking the 2.36mile track.

Honda

Josh Brookes secured his BSB maiden victory at Thruxton today with the HM Plant Honda team in race two by just 0.391 seconds, on the back of running a close second to the series leader Tommy Hill in the opening race.

Team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari, on the second HM Plant Honda Fireblade, had a more challenging time. The Japanese race ace started from 13^th on the grid following a red flag filled qualifying, but made his way up to ninth at the chequered flag of race one.

In race two, Josh and Kiyo were elevated to third and fifth on the grid following their healthy race one lap times. Kiyo was also able to better his position in race two to finish just outside a podium place in fourth.

Steve Plater took the top step of the podium for a second consecutive race in the National Superstock 1000 Championship to further extend his series lead.

Honda 2010

Swan Honda’s James Ellison underwent a successful operation last night to have his broken femur plated after his high-speed crash during the third free practice session at Thruxton yesterday morning.

Ellison had been the pace-setter until he crashed at Goodwood, one of the fastest points on the circuit, but he remains in high spirits following his operation this morning and is now fully focused on his recuperation over the forthcoming weeks.

Ellison said: “I had my operation at 3am this morning and I have had a metal bar inserted in from the top near my hip. I am now just hoping for a speedy recovery; I am hoping to start physio tomorrow and I am planning to get into one of the compression chambers as they help to speed up the healing progress. I can’t put any weight on the leg for the first week but I have movement in it so now my focus is on recuperation.

“I am probably going to miss a few rounds, at the moment I would think up to the first Cadwell Park, but then there is a summer break so I should be ready to come back after that. In terms of the championship and the rules the way they are now, I am confident that once I am back out there I can have some good finishes and still get in the top six for the Showdown. We will see how it goes and I will be keeping everyone updated with the progress I am making. I also just want to thank everyone for all their support and messages since the crash and I am looking forward to getting back out there on the Swan Honda.”