This weekend the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team make their annual overseas visit to Assen, Holland for the penultimate round of the 2017 MCE British Superbike Championship.

Fresh from his win at Oulton Park, Leon Haslam will be looking to increase his 22-point lead at the top of the championship table while teammate Luke Mossey is intent on getting his season back on track following his back injury.

The 24-year-old, who narrowly missed out on a place in the Showdown, had to retire on the fourth lap in race one at Oulton Park and opted out of the second race as he was struggling with change of direction on the bike and the pains in his back.

However, Mossey rates the 2.82-mile Circuit van Drenthe, or ‘Cathedral of motorcycling’, as it is also known, as one of his favourites and he’s determined to end his season on a high note.

Similarly, Haslam will be hoping to build on his performance in the last round which saw him come first and second in race one and two respectively.

With his liking for the historic Dutch circuit clear to see, the Derbyshire rider has a great chance of picking up more silverware.

There are also two races on the schedule for the Hyundai Heavy Industries British Sidecar Championship with team members Ricky Stevens/Ryan Charlwood also looking to end their season on a high.

The pair have been plagued by mechanical problems with the outfit this year, which have been exacerbated by Stevens’ foot injury, and are still searching for their first win of season.

Stevens/Charlwood also experienced their worst ever crash at the last round at Cadwell Park after getting involved in an incident with two other outfits, but luckily both escaped unhurt.

Sadly, all-female pairing Maria Costello and Kirsty Hauxwell will not be competing in the sidecar championship this weekend as Maria has been ruled unfit to race by her doctor. However, the duo hope to be able to take part in the final round at Brands Hatch in October.

Haslam said: “Assen was one of my favourite circuits when I was racing in the world championship and I got the double win there in the British superbike championship last year in front of Shane Byrne so I’m feeling quite good.

“Conditions at the round last year were quite cool but dry and looking ahead to this weekend the weather forecast is a bit mixed with the chance of rain but much warmer temperatures so the pace will change quite a lot.

“From my side of things, however, it’s business as usual. The team’s working well, the bike’s working well and we’ll be aiming for two wins to try to extend our championship lead.”

Mossey said: “We’ve enjoyed good results at the TT Circuit Assen in the past as the track really suits my riding style. It’s the only opportunity we get in the BSB championship to compete outside the UK and I always look forward to it.

“I can’t wait to get back on the bike; I only pulled out of racing at Oulton Park because the conditions were unfavourable and I’ve still got a broken back so I need to be careful. It’s not like a finger or an arm – it can potentially be a life-changing injury and I wasn’t willing to risk my health for the sake of one round.

“I’m determined to get back on the podium before the end of the season. I know what I can do on the bike and, although it’s been frustrating this season to have narrowly missed out on a place in the Showdown, these things happen in motorcycle racing and I’ve got to move on and put that behind me.

“I have no chance of winning the title this year so I have nothing to lose. My aim now is to be the Showdown spoiler everyone’s been talking about and win a trophy before the end of year so I can end 2017 on a high and start preparing for next season.”

Charlwood said: “It’s been a testing year in which we’ve experienced the worst crash in our career. To have a win at Assen would certainly put a positive spin on things for us.

“Assen is one of our favourite tracks – we love racing there. The Dutch have really embraced sidecar racing, producing two world champions, one of whom, Benny Streuer, will be racing with us on the TT Circuit. It’s all very exciting.”

“We’d really like to thank our friends, family and sponsors for their continued support and for believing in us. We know that doing well at Assen would be the best show of gratitude to all of them and we don’t want to let them and the Dutch fans down.”

To keep up to date with the latest news from JG Speedfit Kawasaki you can follow the team on Facebook @JGSpeedfitBournemouthKawasaki on Twitter @JGSpeedfitKawa or visit the website www.jgspeedfitkawasaki.com

Ends

Notes to Editors

• The line-up for JG Speedfit Kawasaki consists of British Superbike riders Leon Haslam and Luke Mossey, road racing specialist James Hillier, 2015 and 2016 sidecar champions Ricky Stevens and Ryan Charlwood and all female sidecar team Maria Costello and Kirsty Hauxwell.
• The team is owned by Bournemouth Kawasaki Racing. Title sponsor for 2017 is British plumbing and heating engineering firm JG Speedfit which is a world leader in push-in fittings, as well as plastic plumbing systems and underfloor heating.
• Derbyshire-based Leon Haslam finished runner-up in the 2016 British Superbike Championship while Cambridgeshire-based Luke Mossey secured his highest ever British Superbike Championship season finish last year in sixth place.
• The team’s 2017 International Road racing events at the North West 200 and Isle of Man TT will be contested by James Hillier. Last season, Hillier secured three podiums earning him fourth overall in the 2016 TT riders’ championship.
• 2016 British F1 Sidecar Champions Ricky Stevens and Ryan Charlwood are being retained by Bournemouth Kawasaki Racing for a second year and will be going for their third championship win in a row this year.
• Road racer Maria Costello MBE and passenger Kirsty Hauxwell are the first ever all-female sidecar team to compete in the Hyundai Heavy Industries British Sidecar Championship and are a new addition to the JG Speedfit Kawasaki team.

For further information about this news release please contact:

Kate Strawson

Director, Shooting Star

kate@weareshootingstar.co.uk

01522 528540

07733 230293

@KateStrawson