BUCHAN IN THE POINTS AT DONINGTON PARK

BUCHAN IN THE POINTS AT DONINGTON PARK
9 September 2013

Seton Tuning Yamaha’s Danny Buchan maintained his 100% point-scoring record for the Colchester-based team at round nine of the 2013 Motorpoint British Supersport Championship at Donington Park this weekend (6-8 September).

Battling against difficult weather conditions throughout free practice and qualifying, Danny bounced back from a spill early in the weekend to claim sixteenth on the grid before riding to the final point with fifteenth position at the flag in the opening 12 lap Sprint race on Saturday afternoon.

Danny’s lap time of 1:33.758s was good enough to elevate the tall Essex rider up to 14th on the grid for the 18 lap Main Event on Sunday. With a new three-riders-per-row grid layout due to the WSB now running that format at Donington Park, Danny would have his work cut out to secure another top ten finish from his fifth row start.

However, a powerful and determined start saw Danny power through to claim a few positions on the opening corners as he looked to take hold of the tail of the leading group. A race-long battle with fellow Yamaha rider, Glen Irwin soon unfolded with the pair regularly swapping positions as they vied for advantage on the Leicestershire circuit.

As the race approached the final third, Danny looked to have capitalised on other riders’ misfortunes, elevating his Seton Tuning Yamaha to ninth on lap 14. With Irwin and Stapleford bearing down on him, Danny headed down through the fast Craner Curves section of the 2.49m circuit for the fifteenth time, oblivious to Irwin crashing out behind him. As he reached the Old Hairpin at the foot of the hill, red flags for a separate incident would signal the end of the race ahead of schedule.

With the results taken back a lap, Easton was awarded the win to re-take the championship lead from Seeley. Danny would claim his third top ten finish for the Seton Tuning Yamaha squad to elevate himself up to 17th in the title race.

After great results this weekend we are delighted to announce that Wenbar Plastics will be supporting the team and seeing Danny through the remainder of the season.

Seton Tuning Yamaha’s James Mutton continued his steep learning curve in the hotly contested Pirelli National Superstock championship at Donington Park. The young Australian rider missed the earlier round at Donington back at the end of May, and was on the back foot from the first session.

James is benefiting from an educational learning season this year, and is showing a very mature approach to each round as he looks to master new tracks.

Faced with a tall task in a wet Free Practice and Q1 sessions, James fell victim to fast flowing circuit, tipping off his Yamaha on just his sixth lap, leaving him languishing second from last heading into Q2.

Despite feeling a little sore, James bounced back posting what would be his fastest lap of the weekend (1:37.552s) to qualify in 28th position for the race. With a steady start from the lights on the opening lap, James looked to main in roads on the riders ahead. However, an off-track excursion pushed him to the back of the field and a mountain to climb over the next 13 laps.

James used all of his ability, and a little luck, to close down the gap to the riders ahead to move from 37th on the opening lap to 25th at the chequered flag. This position was boosted by one place with the post-race disqualification of fifth placed finisher Michael Robertson.

For round 10, the MCE British Superbike paddock will move across the water to Assen in Holland over the weekend of 20-22 September. Danny will be the sole rider competing for Seton Tuning Yamaha as the Superstock riders miss out this round, instead returning to action for the penultimate round at Silverstone (4-6 October).

Phil Seton, Team Principal: “That was a pretty eventful weekend! Rain and the Donington tarmac don’t mix very well as it becomes very slippery, which we found to our detriment with both Danny (Old Hairpin) and James (McLeans), having spills on Friday. Danny was fine but James had a few minor injuries that he then had to cope with throughout the weekend. Fortunately, the crash damage was mainly cosmetic, so not too labour intensive to rectify ahead of Saturday.

I’m really pleased with Danny’s performances in both races. We’ve got to a good position with his set-up - something that has taken a little time to perfect due to his physical size and riding style, but we are very comfortable with what we have achieved ahead of the final three rounds of the season. Danny is really enjoying his racing at the moment and it shows in his application at every round.

Set-up wise, James’ bike is pretty much there, it is just a case of him riding a little harder and faster now. This will come with more experience. He can beat himself up a little, especially since he had such a great ride at Snetterton but he has to remember that this season is more about learning than battling for a championship. His progression so far has been excellent, and all of this will stand him in good stead for next season.

Both riders will be testing at Silverstone this Thursday, so that should help come round 12 in early October. We’re really looking forward to Assen, it’s a great circuit and we had a fantastic time there last year.

I would also like to say a big thank you to my dedicated, hardworking team, who all once again worked tirelessly this weekend and continue to make race weekends a pleasure to be at.”

Danny Buchan #83: "I'm happy with the weekend's results and the progress we made. We knew my size would hinder me at these last four rounds but the boys are working hard to get the extra out of the bike and I'm quite content with top 10. I  just need to break that top 7 and get with that front group. Thanks to the team, my family and sponsors for a mega weekend."

James Mutton #34: "It was a really difficult weekend for me at Donington Park. After a decent sized off in a wet Q1, I was feeling pretty sore for Q2 the following day. As I missed the first round at Donington earlier in the year, I was behind from the start and this was reflected with one of my poorest qualifying positions to date. I made a reasonable start then ran off track trying to make positions. I’m pleased to have fought back to finish ahead of my grid position. I’m looking forward to a few weeks off where I hope to regroup and find some of the speed I had a few rounds back."

Images © Steve Hutchings
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