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RICHARDS CLIMBS PODIUM AT CADWELL PARK The likeable Australian made a tremendous return to the podium following his recovery from a broken collarbone and a strong performance at last week’s Silverstone outing. A superb start elevated Richards from his fifth position on the grid to third into the first corner, the sweeping uphill Charlie’s bend. Hanging on to the lead group Glen was able to maintain his pace before starting to lose grip as the race progressed. A tough battle with Honda mounted Karl Harris forced Glen to push his tyres harder, eventually succumbing to a pass from Harris at Park corner. Glen was able to retake his position when the Honda rider made a mistake, running off the circuit and leaving the Hawk rider in a safe fourth. As the race drew to a close further drama at the head of the field would elevate Richards to a higher finishing position. The leading Ducati team-mates forced each other off the circuit, rejoining in second and third but with Richards now within striking distance. With Glen sat ready to pounce on third placed Haslam, a further incident between the two Ducati riders saw Haslam leaving the circuit once again and Richards crossing the line for a fantastic third place finish. A delighted Richards hoped for more good luck in the second of the day’s races at the twisting 2.1 mile Lincolnshire circuit, but it wasn’t to be. Once again a strong start saw the Hawk rider break away with the lead pack, before gradually slipping back into the clutches of his team-mate Thomas. As the two Hawk Kawasaki ZX-10Rs entered the Mountain section an uncharacteristic mistake by Richards saw him clip the kerb and slide off. Richards was able to rejoin and cross the line in 15th, claiming a championship point. Team-mate Thomas also enjoyed a strong day at the undulating circuit, following a disappointing run of bad luck in the previous day’s qualifying session. A combination of traffic and incidents involving other riders left Dean unable to make the most of any of his four qualifying tyres and left in ninth position on the grid. Race one saw a good start from Deano, but with the pack unable to make it through the fist l without incident the riders bunched up as the safety car joined the circuit. Battling with lead privateer Buckingham undoubtedly cost Thomas time in the race, allowing the following machines of Michael Rutter and James Haydon to catch and overhaul the Hawk rider before the chequered flag came out. Race two saw minimal changes in Dean’s machine setup as he lined up on the grid. Determined to improve his finishing position Thomas recovered from an uncharacteristic poor start to challenge hard throughout the race. String riding was rewarded as Thomas closed down his team-mate, with Glen’s mistake at the Mountain moving Dean up into 7th position at the finish. “To be fair I’ve struggled here a little more than I thought I would”, commented Thomas, “But we’ve had a reasonable weekend. I’m disappointed in some ways, for sure I want to be higher up the results. But on the flip side, we pushed hard all race long, the bike is going well and I’m definitely getting to grips with it now. The boys have worked really hard and I’ve got to thank them for their efforts. I’m looking forward to Oulton now, as it’s one of my favourite circuits.” Glen Richards was delighted with his race one performance but understandably disappointed with the second race result. ”It was great to be back on the podium again, and I guess it was a reward for hanging in there and pushing hard all race long. I couldn’t believe it on the last lap. I was in a good fourth, after Harris has his moment. Then I came up to Park and there were Ducatis going everywhere! I followed Leon (Haslam) real close and he went off the track again at the back of the circuit, so I pushed through and took the third. The whole team deserves this, and it’s great to be back up there. The second race was OK, but on the way into the mountain I was a bit tighter and as I flicked the bike right it caught one of the kerbs and bottomed out. Instantly I was on the floor, but I got it going and managed to finish, although I should have scored a few more points in that one. Still, the bike is real strong now and we’ll see what we can do at Oulton Park.” Hawk Kawasaki team-owner Stuart Hicken was pleased with his team’s performance throughout the weekend. ”Well, we’re back on the podium which is where we want to be. It’s about time, as Glen has been riding real well and he hung in there to get the result. The second race, when I saw those yellow flags at the mountain I knew he was off. I’m just glad he wasn’t injured and he got the bike home. Deano has come on real well, and both of the riders raced hard all weekend. We’ve moved the bike on and that’s going well so I’m hoping we can get some more good results at Oulton in a couple of weeks time.” Hawk Kawasaki will contest the next round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park on Sunday 11th September. You can catch the latest behind-the-scenes update on Hawk Kawasaki by watching “Hawk Speed”, the fly-on-the-wall series following the team at 7pm, this Friday, on Men & Motors. Race One Results: 1: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) 28:41.871, 2: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +4.180, 3: GLEN RICHARDS (HAWK KAWASAKI) +4.607, 4: Karl Harris (Honda) +5.045, 5: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +5.311, 6: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +7.498, 7: James Haydon (Suzuki) +13.062, 8: Michael Rutter (Honda) +13.765, 9: DEAN THOMAS (HAWK KAWASAKI) +13.974, 10: James Buckingham (Suzuki) +14.625 Race Two Results: 1: Haslam 26:41.146, 2: Lavilla +0.444, 3: Kiyonari +9.839, 4: Hill +10.751, 5: Harris +15.894, 6: Haydon +16.284, 7: DEAN THOMAS (HAWK KAWASAKI) +16.460, 8: John Reynolds (Suzuki) +24.476, 9: Steve Plater (Honda) +28.365, 10: Gary Mason (Honda) +30.347, 15: GLEN RICHARDS (HAWK KAWASAKI) + 59.764 Championship positions after round 10: Manufacturers Championship after round 10:
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