TOP FIVES FOR GOWLA IN SCOTLAND

TOP FIVES FOR GOWLA IN SCOTLAND
17 June 2013

Seton Tuning Yamaha’s Graeme 'Gowla' Gowland posted a brace of top five finishes in two exhilarating races at the fourth round of the 2013 Motorpoint British Supersport Championship at Knockhill, Scotland (14-16 June).

Gowla posted his best qualifying of the season to place his Yamaha YZF-R6 second on the grid for Saturday afternoon’s 18 lap sprint race.

A rocket start saw the Northumbrian lead into the first corner as the 23-rider field flowed down the hill for the first time. Gowla looked strong onboard his Seton Tuning Yamaha, but the deployment of the safety car after Dixon crashed down at the chicane on the opening lap bunched the field together. With the action back on track for the fourth lap, a big slide out of the hairpin allowed Wilson and McConnell to pass on the run into the first corner.

Wilson instantly began to break clear of the field to claim what would be the first of two Supersport wins over the weekend. Gowla continued to push hard for the remainder of the race, locking horns with Seeley, Cooper and McConnell.

With rain starting to fall by mid-race, and the field sporting dry tyres, it became a battle of position in case of stoppage. Gowla would prove the victor in the battle with the two Triumph riders, pushing through to claim fourth - his best finish of the season to date - as the red flag finally halted proceedings on lap 14.

Posting a fastest lap time of 51.186s, Gowla was pushed back to the head of row three in seventh position. A strong run from the lights elevated him to fifth, then fourth as an almost identical race unfolded at the start of the 26 lap Main Event.

Once again, Gowla would lock horns with Seeley and McConnell, this time for the final step on the podium, as the riders were matched lap for lap. As McConnell made a lunge on Seeley at the hairpin on the penultimate lap it looked as if Gowla may take advantage as the pair forced themselves wide. However, it was not to be and Gowla would take the chequered flag in fifth, another strong result to solidify fifth in the title race.

James Mutton faced a baptism of fire at Knockhill, as the 22-year old Australian made his debut for Seton Tuning Yamaha in the hugely competitive Pirelli National Superstock 600 Championship. The 1.27-mile circuit is one of the most physically demanding on the calendar, requiring plenty of track knowledge and confidence in order to post fast lap times.

With the grid limited to just 36 riders, James’ fastest qualifying lap time of 53.967s was just short of automatic qualification, meaning he would have to do battle in the 12-lap Last Chance Qualifier on Saturday afternoon.

The weather turned and the race was declared wet. Starting ninth on the grid, James made a solid start to his debut race for the team. Pushed back to 14th on the opening lap, he made his way forward as his lap times tumbled to move into tenth on lap ten. Just as it looked like he would hold on to the final qualifying position, Stamper made a move on the final lap pushing Mutton out of contention for this round.

The Team will now move on to what is arguably their ‘home round’ at Snetterton in three weeks time, for round five of the 2013 series (5-7 July).

Phil Seton, Team Principal: "Graeme was awesome. He was trying so hard, riding at 100%. His riding style is incredibly smooth and we have the utmost confidence in his ability to post the results he and the team deserve. He worked tirelessly throughout the weekend and was rewarded with second in qualifying and only narrowly missed out on podium finishes in both races.

It was a tough start to James’ career with the team. Knockhill is not the easiest place to come to for the first time. The very changeable weather conditions didn’t help but he worked hard all weekend. I’m really pleased with his performance.

With just a skeleton team to run the two riders at Knockhill, I must say that everything worked amazingly well. The whole atmosphere in the team at the moment is superb. The communication from the riders is excellent and bodes well for future rounds.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Linxcel for their support of the team over the years. It is a shame that they have had to withdraw their sponsorship but we wish them well and hope that we may be able to work together in the future.

The door is now open for a new headline sponsor to come onboard with the team for the remainder of the season. At this level, in order to remain as competitive as we can and to maintain a challenge on the title, it is imperative that we find a new sponsor to work with. Without one it may be a case that we will have to reduce our presence within the BSB paddock. With the excellent results that we are posting at every round as a ‘privateer’ team, we are able to offer unrivaled TV coverage and an excellent return on investment."

Graeme Gowland #81: "We have had another strong and consistent weekend. We qualified 2nd and got the holeshot into turn 1 in first race and it felt great to be out front on the Seton Tuning R6 for a short while. After a big 8 rider battle for the last podium spot we came out 4th, which is our season best and to be honest it felt like a win! I was 7th on the grid for race 2 and got another great start and only just finished off the podium again! We are so close to the front and I think taking all things into consideration we are doing a really good job and I'm sure on the right day we will put it on the box."

James Mutton #34: "I can't thank the whole Seton Tuning Yamaha team enough for all their help and support throughout my first weekend on the Yamaha. I'm pretty disappointed within myself that I wasn't able to learn the Knockhill circuit fast enough to qualify straight into the main race and get the team a result that their hard work warrants. I'm looking forward to some testing in the upcoming weeks and am staying positive for the next round."

Images © Steve Hutchings

2013 Race Calendar

Knockhill Results

Motorpoint British Supersport
Sprint - 13 Laps
1. Wilson, 2. Seeley, 3. Easton, 4. Gowland, 5. Irwin
Main Event - 26 Laps
1. Wilson, 2. Easton, 3. McConnell, 4. Seeley, 5. Gowland

Championship Points
1. Easton - 156, 2. Seeley - 155, 3. Wilson - 124, 4. McConnell - 123, 5. Gowland - 86

Pirelli National Superstock 600
Last Chance Qualifier Race - 12 Laps
1. Harris, 2. Patterson, 3. Daley, 4. Currie, 5. Carr, 11. Mutton

Feature Race - 20 Laps
1. Robertson, 2. Hedger, 3. Simpkin, 4. Campbell, 5. Lodge

Championship Points
1. Simpkin - 92, 2. Collier - 70, 3. Hedger - 69, 4. Hastings - 64, 5. Lodge - 59

 
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