POLE POSITION & PODIUM FOR GOWLAND AT BRANDS

POLE POSITION & PODIUM FOR GOWLAND AT BRANDS
22 July 2013

Seton Tuning Yamaha’s Graeme ‘Gowla’ Gowland scooped a double first for the team with a debut pole position and podium, as Brands Hatch GP circuit, Kent played host to round six of the 2013 Motorpoint British Supersport Championship (19-21 July).

Scorching temperatures matched the action on track throughout the weekend. Gowla blitzed the field on lap 13 of 15 to notch up his first pole position for the Colchester-based team by 0.2s from O’Halloran.

Due to planning restrictions on the use of the full length, 2.43 mile GP circuit, Friday was classed as a test day on the shorter Indy Circuit. As a result, the 10-lap Supersport Sprint was moved back to Sunday morning. Graeme made a solid start from the lights, tucking in behind O’Halloran as the field cascaded down through Paddock Hill and up to Druids for the first time.

Never out of the top three for the first half of the race, Gowla looked strong and set for his debut podium for the team. A double move by the Gearlink boys demoted the Yamaha pairing of Easton and Gowla to second and fourth respectively as the quartet entered the second half of the race. Looking strong on the tail of Wilson, 0.6s covered the top five as they battled for position over every inch of tarmac.

A quickshifter problem appeared to put paid to Gowla’s chances of a podium but he regrouped and dug deep, only narrowly missing out on that elusive third place to Wilson by less than one tenth of a second on the long drag to the chequered flag.

For the 16-lap Main Event, Gowla once again took his position on the outside of the grid, but this time at the head of row two for what would be one of the most exhilarating Supersport races in recent years at Brands.

Buoyed by his strong running in the opening race, Gowla carried the momentum through as a new found determination looked to take over. This was epitomised by what was to become a trademark overtaking move from the 27-year old Northumbrian on the entry into Hawthorne - a move he successfully pulled off no fewer than three times as he vied for the lead.

As the trio of Easton, Seeley and Gowla crossed the stripe for the final lap the gap back to Wilson looked to be too far for the Kawasaki rider to bridge, assuring Gowla of at least third in just over two miles. However, Gowla looked determined to move higher, with the lead changing no fewer than five times over the closing lap and Gowla leading on the run from Surtees down Pilgrim onto the GP section.

With the front tyre visibly losing grip, Gowla battled hard scoring a well-deserved debut podium  for the jubilant Seton Tuning Yamaha team, just three tenths of a second separating the top three.

Pirelli National Superstock 600 rider, James Mutton continued his steep learning curve at Brands Hatch. With a test day scheduled for Friday, James’ first taste of the full circuit came in Q1, offering little time for the young Australian rider to become acclimatised to the fast, flowing and very technical GP layout.

Rounding out Q1 in 32nd, James progressed admirably, shaving over six seconds from his lap time to qualify in 25th with a time of 1:33.964s.

Lining up at the head of row 7 for the 12-lapper, James would have his work cut out on the opening exchanges as the 40-strong field jostled for position through Paddock Hill and Druids. Nudged back to 33rd for the opening three laps, James showed a mature head as he elevated his Seton Tuning Yamaha YZF-R6 up to 27th at the flag.

Oulton Park in Cheshire will host Round 7, as the 2013 Championship enters the second half over the weekend of 9-11 August.

Phil Seton, Team Principal: “A great result and all round performance from everyone in the team this weekend. Graeme was immense, topping every session and taking his first pole position. The reception we received in pit lane from all the other teams was overwhelming! For the first time this season everything fell perfectly into place, the set-up, the motor, the horsepower, all helping Graeme to race for the win. I thought it may not be our day with the quickshifter issue on the penultimate lap in the Sprint, but anyone of the front four could have won that race it was so close.

Graeme had a great set-up for the Main Event, with the bike and rider working really well to run at the sharp end with Easton and Seeley for the first time this year. It was great to see him in the front window - a position both Graeme and the team deserve to be in. Third felt like a win, it was a great achievement for the whole team.

James rode well again. It is tough coming to such a difficult and technical circuit for the first time, and with no practice ahead of a damp first qualifying session he was on the back foot a little. However, he improved well throughout the weekend and was unlucky not to get away with the faster group in the race itself. This is a learning year for James and I’m pleased with the mature manner in which he is going about his business. James has started to learn the track, which will help him for the final round of the season. He is testing a few times at Oulton Park this week which should help for the next round.

The team was awesome this weekend, they really grafted and the atmosphere was buzzing!

I must say a massive thanks to Ron Drury, Mikey Elliott and Swift Moto for helping us to field Graeme at Brands at the eleventh hour. We still need to find a new sponsor for the second half of the season or we will be in the same position as we were prior to Brands Hatch. I think that we’ve shown what an excellent proposition for investment we are; with great TV coverage, pole and a podium, Seton Tuning Yamaha is definitely a team at the sharp end of competition.”

Graeme Gowland #81: "That was a great couple of races. It was really hot here and with five laps to go in the Main race we started getting a lot of movement from the front, I had a moment out the back at Westfield and ran wide and had to stand it up, but it was an awesome race. The Seton Tuning Yamaha team has worked so hard and it's taken us til round six to get our reward. It feels like we have been on the edge of it for so long, so it is fantastic that finally we have something to show for all of the hard work."

James Mutton #34: "It was a challenging round for me. With limited track time on the GP circuit I wasn't able to progress fast enough to qualify for the race in a good position. I improved in a couple of areas from Snetterton so I am looking forward to the next round that I can qualify well at. Massive thanks to the Seton Tuning Yamaha team for working hard and supporting me again."

Images © Steve Hutchings

2013 Race Calendar

Brands Hatch GP Results

Motorpoint British Supersport
Sprint - 10 Laps
1. Easton, 2. Seeley, 3. Wilson, 4. Gowland, 5. O'Halloran
Main Event - 16 Laps
1. Seeley, 2. Easton, 3. Gowland, 4. Wilson, 5. O'Halloran

Championship Points
1. Seeley - 250, 2. Easton - 210, 3. Wilson - 189, 4. McConnell - 170, 5. Gowland - 138

Pirelli National Superstock 600
Race - 12 Laps
1. Hedger, 2. Cooper, 3. Lodge, 4. Simpkin, 5. Robertson, 27. Mutton

Championship Points
1. Simpkin - 130, 2. Hedger - 114, 3. Lodge - 80, 4. Collier - 75, 5. Hastings - 72, 23. Mutton - 7

 
Release issued by Mark at Shippey PR on behalf of Seton Tuning Yamaha
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