Maxxis team enjoys ‘best ever’ BSB finish

Last weekend’s BSB round at Oulton Park provided a “best ever” moment for Maxxis-sponsored team MSS Colchester Kawasaki. The tyre maker reports that team rider Stuart Easton, having secured the new Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R’s first podium in the 2011 MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship with a third place in race one, followed up with an even better performance in the second race and led for the majority of laps before finishing second overall. This was, Maxxis states, the team’s best ever Superbike finish.

Having gained the holeshot, Easton fought off a determined Josh Brookes for nine laps until the Australian came a cropper at Britten’s, firing his Suzuki in the air and narrowly avoiding taking out Easton.  After the resulting safety car, Easton continued to lead the race before eventually being overtaken by American John Hopkins, who took the flag just 0.221 seconds ahead of his rival.  Eaton’s performance puts him second in the BSB standings. Maxxis adds that teammate Gary Mason also made strong progress having discovered a base setting for his bike in morning practice that allowed him to progress through the race and recover from a poor qualifying.

MSS Colchester Kawasaki team owner Nick Morgan said: “What a fantastic weekend, to come away from Oulton Park second in the championship is mega.  For us as a team it is simply terrific, everyone is buzzing and got the results they deserved.  Gary made some huge in-roads in race two, Stuart rode so well in both races and Superstock could so easily have been a double podium.  And we have been lucky, that was so close with Stuart and Josh’s bike in race two, I was gutted that the pace car came out as he had built up a decent lead, but I’m happier seeing a pace car than an ambulance.”

MSS Colchester Kawasaki returns to action at Croft in North Yorkshire on May 13-15.