Silverstone BSB review - Colin Appleyard Racing

Pic: moto-racer.com
By Carly Rathmell
May 5 2004

Silverstone saw the start of the 2004 British Superbike championship, over the last weekend in March. Colin Appleyard Racing fielded young débutant racer Kieran Clarke on their Yamaha R1.

Clarke comes down to earth with a bump.

Langley Mill based Kieran Clarke had a harsh opening reality to his first British Superbike races yesterday. With the whole aspect of British Superbikes being a whole new experience for the young 18-year-old, it was certainly an interesting opener for the rookie.

With wet and drizzling conditions for race one, it wasn’t the ideal situation to be a new rider out on track. Kieran coped with the conditions well and, although he was steady for the opening few laps, he soon realised the potential that he and the bike had. He settled into a rhythm and began to work his way up the timing sheets.

Gaining in confidence as the race progressed, he was soon putting in consistent lap times faster than the majority of the field. His fastest lap was a 1:39.987, which bettered that of the World Championship winning bike from last season. Sean Emmett, who this season is riding for double British Championship winning team MonsterMob, could only manage a best time of 1:40.121.

Kieran’s surge forward came too late. However, he gained himself a respectable sixteenth place in his opening race, and placed himself onto the points table with four championship points under his belt.

Track and weather conditions improved drastically for the second race, and Kieran was feeling confident as he challenged his next hurdle. A great start for him saw him settled in at a comfortable twelfth position, from seventeenth on the grid. He soon got his head down and was on a mission to gain himself a top ten finish.

A hard fought battle ensued and Kieran was determined to prove himself. Slowly but convincingly moving through the field, he was adamant of securing a strong finish. He became locked in a battle with privateer rider Sam Corke, and factory Virgin Yamaha rider Steve Plater. The three swapped places lap after lap, and it was Kieran that tucked himself into a comfortable ninth place.

On the last lap Steve Plater made a last attempt to pass both Corke and Clarke into the last chicane. Forcing Plater to brake late, which had a domino affect back to Kieran, Kieran didn’t manage to pull on the brakes fast enough and ended up shunting Sam Corke’s bike. This threw Kieran over the handlebars and the bike twenty feet into the air. Luckily, both riders were OK. However, Kieran’s Hydrex Yamaha was looking very second hand.

Kieran commented, “We were dicing all the way around the track, and I was struggling with my tyres in the second half of the race. It was extremely close between the three riders, and I didn’t have enough time to pull on the brakes and stop me crashing.

“Although I didn’t finish the race - which I wasn’t so happy about as a top ten placing was on the cards - it’s still been a very productive weekend for me, and I’ve learnt a lot from it. It’s the first time I’ve competed in a race on a Superbike, and the power difference to what I was riding last year is unbelievable. I’m looking forward to Brands Hatch in a few weeks time.”

Team Owner Colin Appleyard said, “I think Kieran has proved himself today that he can ride up there with the best. It’s a shame he came to blows as he was doing so well. He still gained some points in the first race, and I’m sure Kieran will rapidly progress as the season moves on.”