British Superbike Cup within sight for Jentin

James Ellison
By Jentin-Racing.com
September 2 2004

James Ellison and the Jentin Racing Superbike team now have the British Superbike Cup within sight after another two podiums at Cadwell Park, which leaves them just a few points away from the title with just two rounds remaining in the hotly contested 2004 championship.

It was the first time Ellison had been to the narrow and demanding circuit in Lincolnshire since 1998, and came on the back of his début ride in the Czech MotoGP with the Harris WCM team the previous weekend.

The first British Superbike race, in front of a typically huge bank holiday crowd, saw Ellison quickly move through the pack and he eventually finished second in the Superbike Cup, and fourteenth overall, after a difficult qualifying session where heavy rear tyre wear meant the team had to work even harder to find the best set up.

Race two proved to be a real challenge for all teams and riders following a sudden and torrential downpour, just prior to the start, which completely soaked the track. As the race had been initially declared dry the riders were given a brief test session to install a wet set-up before the now considerably delayed race got under way. With standing water on some parts of the circuit, but with other areas rapidly drying, Ellison made a late decision to change from full wets to intermediate tyres. This proved to be a clever call as team manager Bernie Toleman explained.

“We had been struggling with grip all weekend and we knew the downpour just prior to the start of the second race would be a good leveller. James made the call at the last possible moment to switch from full wets to intermediates and he was exactly right. It meant we were under pressure to change wheels quickly but the team worked superbly and it was done with just seconds to spare. He was then able to finish first in the Superbike Cup and take tenth place overall.”

Ellison said that once he had familiarised himself with the circuit he was able to concentrate on extending his Superbike Cup lead. “It’s been another good weekend. It took me a little while to get used to the circuit, and in the first race we struggled a little with grip. The second race was a case of making an educated guess as to the track conditions and I made a really late call which allowed us to sneak into the top ten and bank another Cup win. I just need to keep my nose clean at Oulton Park and we’ve got it in the bag.”

Stroud based Jentin Racing now need just eight points from the remaining four races at Oulton Park and Donington Park to take their first championship title.