MORE POINTS FOR GEARLINK KAWASAKI AT OULTON PARK

The return visit to Oulton Park saw the Gearlink Kawasaki Supersport team pick up another fine set of results with Chris Martin scoring a solid fourth place and Steven Neate picking up a further two championship points for 14^th place in round seven of the Fuchs/Silkolene British Supersport championship on Sunday.

Qualifying took place in mixed weather conditions with the first session being wet and the final period in the dry. Chris Martin was determined to secure a front row start to Sunday’s 16-lap encounter and he powered the Gearlink Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R through to second place, just a tenth of a second away from pole. Steven Neate had been very strong throughout the wet session but once the track dried out the pace hotted up and he fell back to 15^th place to start from row four.

Chris Martin got away to a good start and settled into fourth place during the opening laps before making a pass on Ian Lowry to move up into third. The top four riders pulled away from the pursuing pack and rode in close formation until, with three laps remaining, Chris Martin began to lose ground on the leaders to fall into the clutches of Lowry who re-took third place at Hizzy’s chicane leaving Martin to complete his race in fourth, the same result as his previous visit in May.

Meanwhile Steven Neate didn’t get the best of starts, falling back to 19^th in the opening laps. But he soon settled into the race and moved through to claim 14^th place at the chequered flag to pick up two championship points.

CHRIS MARTIN

I got a half decent start and got away well passing Lowry and catching the leaders. But three or four laps from the end the rear wheel started chattering away on me going round the corners. It was a good result all the same; we have come here today, got a front row start and were up with the leaders. We are knocking on the door so hopefully next time we should be back on top.

STEVEN NEATE

I am a little disappointed because once again I got a bad start. Its something I have really struggled with all year and it’s cost me dearly this weekend, as I had to spend valuable time catching the group ahead who were disputing 10^th place. I caught them up quick enough as I was two seconds faster but by the time I got on terms I had used up all my tyre and also had really bad arm pump. Those last few laps I was just trying to hang in there really. It’s a bit disappointing as I messed up in qualifying and then the bad start. But we got a couple of points, which is better than nothing I guess.

MICHAEL de BIDAPH – Team owner/manager

All in all it’s been a good end to the weekend although it’s a shame for Steven who had a bad start. But Chris did really well and was running third for a long time. We are a bit disappointed for Chris that he ended up in fourth place but shouldn’t really be as at least we had a good race this weekend after Mallory and we are back in the points and looking strong.

We had to strip Chris’s engine down to the bare crankshaft after the race, which is usually due to a complaint by one of the top running teams who probably can’t understand why Chris is so fast! We will take this as a compliment!

Championship points after seven of 12 rounds

1st – Glen Richards 141; 2nd – Hudson Kennaugh 116; 3rd – Ian Lowry 95; 4th – Steve Brogan 75; =5^th – James Westmoreland 61; =5th Chris Martin 61; 16^th Steven Neate 18.

After a good qualifying session whereby Chris Martin secured a front row and Steven Neate a second row start, the weather ensured that Mallory Park turned out to be a weekend to forget for Gearlink Kawasaki.

The team arrived at the Leicestershire circuit full of enthusiasm and anticipation and both Chris Martin and Steven Neate were confident they could pull off a good set of results for Gearlink Kawasaki.

Qualifying saw Chris circulating within the top four throughout the weekend and he recorded the fourth fastest time in the final session to secure a front row start to Sunday’s sixth round race in the Fuchs/Silkolene British Supersport championship.

Not to be outdone, Steven Neate put in a concerted effort to claim eighth place and a second row start right behind his teammate for the start of Sunday’s 28-lap encounter.

In the build up to the race there was an air of anticipation within the team as their thoughts turned to what the outcome might be. But just as the riders took their positions on the grid a heavy shower of rain halted the start procedure.

After a lengthy delay the teams were given just 10 minutes to change tyres and with little time to spare there was no choice but to run both riders on the intermediate tyres that were down at the start line in the race that was by now reduced to 24 laps.

After the warm-up lap Steven Neate opted to return to the pit garage for a swift change to full wets and set off from pit lane to try and play catch-up.

He chipped away at the riders some distance ahead and eventually caught and passed them until he reached 14^th place on the final lap. But as he went to negotiate Edwina’s chicane the blue flag was waved at him warning of approaching riders about to pass him.

Realising he would affect the outcome of the race he opted to run down the escape road and let the front runners safely through on their way to the chequered flag.

Unfortunately this allowed the rider behind to overtake and demote Steven to 15^th position where he remained until the finish line.

Meanwhile Chris Martin was on intermediate tyres and dropped like a stone through the field as he struggled to control the bike as it slid around in the wet conditions. After dropping back to 24^th place he opted to retire into the pits on lap 12 of 24.

Steven Neate

That was my best qualifying position of the season and a shame it ended up in nothing because of the situation with the tyres. My lap times showed that I was as quick as the rider who finished in sixth place so who knows where I would have ended up if this had not happened. It was unfortunate that I hit Edwina’s at the same time as the leaders and lost a place but that’s racing.

Michael de Bidaph - Team owner/manager

The weekend went well with qualifying and both riders did really well but today in the race, when it started to rain, we did not have soft wets on the grid and by the time we managed to get them there the officials would not give us the time to change them. Steven came in and started from pit lane on a wet rear and obviously did well while Chris stayed on an intermediate. That was our fault, not his and we all feel very gutted about it but there is nothing we can say about that except that we feel total disappointment.

Gearlink Kawasaki riders Chris Martin and Steven Neate suffered mixed results at Snetterton on Sunday in round five of the Fuchs/Silkolene British Supersport championship when both were forced wide to avoid a first lap tangle. But Chris Martin managed to get back on track and complete his race in a creditable eighth position while Steven Neate came back from 27^th place on the first lap to finish a fighting 17^th, just missing out on the points.

Qualifying didn’t go as well as the team hoped and both Steven and Chris began their campaign from a fifth row grid position.

As the race got underway both Gearlink Kawasaki riders were pushed wide. Chris Martin dropped to 15^th place but soon recovered his composure and began to work his way back through the midfielders to join in a five-way battle for fifth place.

The race came to an early end because of a fallen rider at Russells Chicane and Martin awarded eighth place to pick up a further eight championship points.

Meanwhile, Steven Neate was also pushed wide in the early stages. He got back on track but was down in 22^nd position and faced an uphill struggle to get back into contention for a points finish.

But Steven managed to make his way back through to 17^th place before the red flag put paid to any further progress.

Michael de Bidaph - Team Owner/Manager 

It’s been a bit of a mixed bag for us at Snetterton. We struggled a bit over the weekend, particularly on speed. We didn’t qualify that well with either rider and missed out on second qualifying because of the rain or we could have maybe made the time up. But we had a strong race and Chris would possibly have finished a little higher up if we hadn’t had the red flag situation but I am pleased with his eighth place finish.

Steven had a bit of bad luck and was pushed out losing a lot of ground. But on saying that he has been very strong all weekend so his position doesn’t reflect how well he has been riding.

Given the circumstances, both riders have done well here and we are all looking forward to Mallory, a circuit that will suit the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6Rs.

Chris Martin

It’s been a reasonable result in the end as we got an eighth place. We have struggled all weekend with speed at Snetterton but we have enjoyed it although it’s been hard work. We are looking forward to Mallory now and getting back to a nice tight and twisty circuit. Its just one of those things, we all have to go to circuits that suit some bikes better than others and Mallory should be much better for us. We have come away with eighth and some more points and I am still fifth so we will look to capitalise on that at Mallory.

Steven Neate

I was pushed off at the first corner so had to make my way back through the field. I was on the back of the group challenging for 12^th place when the red flag came out which is a shame. But for that I was maybe looking at a top 10 finish so I am a bit disappointed with 17^th.

I had been pretty strong all weekend and was sixth fastest in morning warm up, recording laps times faster than in qualifying so was happy with my performance – just not the end result.

Gearlink Kawasaki reconvenes at Mallory Park in Leicestershire for round six of the series on June 29.

Both Gearlink Kawasaki riders completed the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport round at Donington Park on Bank Holiday Monday with Chris Martin securing a strong fifth place and Steven Neate 22^nd at the end of the 18-lap affair.

Qualifying had not gone strictly to plan with the team encountering problems throughout the weekend but both riders shrugged off the setback and rode through to complete the race.

This week the Supersport series played host to three World Supersport riders who were using the track time to find a set up for the World Supersport round that takes place at Donington later in the year and of course the two Ten Kate Honda boys were making all the running which reflected in the race positions for the majority of the regular competitors.

Martin who was still suffering pain from the injuries sustained at Brands Hatch in the previous round started his campaign from a second row grid position in sixth place.

After winning a race-long battle with Craig Fitzpatrick and James Webb, Chris Martin actually crossed the finish line in seventh pace but the two Ten Kate Honda riders were then excluded from the results which elevated Martin to fifth position.

Meanwhile Steven Neate had been having all sorts of niggling problems with his machine and eventually opted to go out in the race on his spare bike.

Starting from 22^nd place on the grid it was always going to be a difficult task for Steven to make it through to a points-scoring finish but after dropping down as far as 28^th at one stage he mounted a determined comeback to complete the race in 24^th place, later amended to 22^nd.

MICHAEL DE BIDAPH – TEAM OWNER/ MANAGER

Chris finished the race in a strong position and is back in the points. He is still not fully fit and also had a problem with the brakes during the race; otherwise I feel that he could possibly have taken another place. Overall I am happy with Chris’s result.

Steven has been struggling all weekend and we just don’t know why. We know what Steven is capable of and where he should be and we have to spend time with him to find out what went wrong this weekend. We are all disappointed but I am not apportioning any blame, as we don’t know what went wrong. So we go away from here and work on it and come back stronger at Snetterton.

CHRIS MARTIN

I feel very sore; I am still a bit battered and bruised from Brands. I got a half decent start in the race, it was very windy out there and I got blown about a bit. But I lost my brakes five laps into it and ended up having to compensate. But I managed to get my head back down and ended up in fifth place so I was happy enough and I can now get ready for Snetterton.

STEVEN NEATE

It’s been a really tough weekend for us. Since we got here we seem to have encountered a few problems and I have been forced onto my second bike for most of the weekend. In the race it just didn’t quite come together and we have yet to discover what has caused the problem so we have to sit down and have a hard think about it and prepare for the next race.

Championship points after four rounds

1 Glen Richards 85; 2 Steve Brogan 65; 3 Hudson Kennaugh 58; 4 Ian Lowry 52; 5 Chris Martin 40; 13 Steven Neate 15.

The rescheduled round of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport championship at Brands Hatch on Sunday brought differing results to the Gearlink Kawasaki team with Steven Neate completing the race in 13^th place to secure three championship points while Chris Martin crashed out of fourth place in the incident packed event.

With qualifying set from the postponed event back in early April Chris began his race from row two while Steven was placed on row five.

As the race got underway Chris Martin rounded Paddock Hill in fifth place but his progress was halted when the pace car was deployed after a first corner crash involving three mid field riders.

Once the car left the circuit the race was back in full flow and Martin continued his battling for position with BJ Toal and Midge Smart and after taking fourth place he began to reel in Steve Brogan. 

But his race came to a premature end at Surtees when the bike highsided and flung him off into the gravel.

Chris has some torn ligaments in his hip plus a broken toe and some heavy bruising to contend with but with a breathing space of two weeks before the next round hopes to be fit enough to ride a competitive race.

Despite a non-finish Chris maintains his fourth place in the rider points’ table and he will be eager to get his championship challenge back on course with a good result at Donington.

Meanwhile Steve Neate was continuing to make his way up the field. He was unable to progress while the safety car was on the circuit but once given the all clear he powered the Gearlink Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R through to complete his race in 13^th place and after three rounds is placed at 11^th overall.

MICHAEL DE BIDAPH – TEAM OWNER/ MANAGER

All in all it’s not been a great weekend for us. We have struggled throughout with overheating problems and set up but we could have had a strong race today. Chris was running up there and had just gained 4th position. He was closing in on Brogan and it was just unfortunate that he crashed. I am happy with Steve who pulled back up to 13^th; he had a good race and recorded the fifth fastest lap so we are really pleased with his performance. We must now pick ourselves up, move on to Donington and look for a good set of results from there.

CHRIS MARTIN

I am a bit disappointed as I was just getting on terms with Steve Brogan who was running in third place. I would have caught him and was looking at a podium finish. I have no idea as to the cause of the crash; I had exited the corner ok when it suddenly let go. I have some torn ligaments in my hip and a broken toe plus some bruises but other than that I am fine. 

STEVEN NEATE

That was a pretty interesting race with the safety car out twice on the track, which made the race a little disjointed. We have been quick all weekend and during the race I got the fifth fastest lap but of course coming from that far back on the grid in 18^th it was always going to be a struggle. But we came away with 13^th place and three more championship points so am quite pleased really.

Following an amazing qualifying period in which Chris Martin claimed a pole position start for round two of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport championship at Oulton Park on Monday and Steve Neate a third row start just a fraction behind in ninth place, the two Gearlink Kawasaki riders went on to secure a brace of top 10 finishes to bring more championship points back for the team.

Chris Martin was eager to taste the victory champagne and led the field around the first three laps before the red flag halted his progress.

At the restart he was unable to repeat his lightening start and slotted into third place behind Hudson Kennaugh and Glen Richards. But Ian Lowry was moving in fast and eventually got the better of Martin at Lodge on the fifth of 12 laps.

Martin was seen to gradually slow with a bike problem but was able to maintain his fourth position to the chequered flag and claim a further 13 championship points which take him to fourth place in the rider points after just two rounds.

Meanwhile Steven Neate mounted his challenge from the head of row three and got away to a good start moving steadily forward to complete his race in the same position as his last outing at Thruxton – 10^th. With another top 10 finish to his name he moves into seventh place in the rider points and is growing in confidence every time he takes to the track.

Michael de Bidaph - Team Owner/Manager 

I am happy enough with the results here at Oulton Park and we did pick up more points, which is good. We would have liked another podium but maybe we are expecting a little too much too soon. On saying that both riders had a really good race although the red flag incident probably scuppered our chances. With unpredictable weather conditions we decided to put Steven Neate out on a dry rear while Chris opted for intermediates. That way we thought we had everything covered. But although Steven could have come good towards the end Chris may have faded, you can’t win sometimes! On the whole we have gone very well all weekend and it’s been another good set of results for the team. So we move on to Brands Hatch and look to do even better.

Chris Martin

I am a bit disappointed really because in the first part of the race I got a really good start and was leading when we got the red flag situation. At the restart they hung around a little bit too long and the bike boiled over so we lost a lot of engine speed in the second half of the race. It got hotter and hotter and at one time I thought we might not even make it to the finish. But I managed to plod on and finished in fourth place, although I was a bit disappointed with that as if we had not had the problem I could have ended up winning today.

Steven Neate

Another top 10 position and another good result for the team today. We have more points in the bag and its been a good start to the season The weekend has gone really well, practice and qualifying in both wet and dry has given us some good settings for our next visit here so there are a lot of positives to take forward so I am pretty chuffed.

The Gearlink Kawasaki British Supersport team head to Oulton Park in Cheshire to contest the second round of the Fuchs-Silkolene backed series on Bank Holiday Monday (May 5).

The team could not have asked for a better start to the season with Chris Martin scoring a podium finish in third place and Steven Neate a fighting 10^th position in the opening round at Thruxton last week.

Both riders are anticipating strong results from Oulton Park and both have scored well around the undulating 2.692-mile International circuit in the past.

Chris Martin

Oulton has been good for me in the past; it was the venue for my first podium in the 125cc class. I am looking forward to racing there again as it is one of my favourite circuits. It’s a bit tight and twisty with not too many long straights so hopefully we should be on the podium again.

Steve Neate

I like Oulton Park, the place has quite a lot of character to it and I have secured some good results there in the past so am looking forward to racing there again. Tenth was great first time out but I now need to build on that and move further up the order.

Michael De Bidaph – Team owner/manager

I was delighted with our results from Thruxton but we must now turn our attention to Oulton Park and focus on putting all our efforts into helping Chris Martin secure another podium position. Steven Neate is gaining in confidence with each outing and he too will be looking for a further strong result this weekend.

The Kawasaki Motors UK-supported Ninja ZX-6R machine is proving a force to be reckoned with and our aim is to be the team to beat as the season continues.

Free practice and qualifying take place over Saturday and Sunday with the 16-lap race due on track for a 2.40pm start on Monday.

Both Chris Martin and Steven Neate overcame the problematic weather conditions which affected qualifying to claim a fantastic set of results for Gearlink Kawasaki in their debut race at Thruxton where Chris secured a podium position of third and Steven 10^th in the opening round of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport championship on Sunday.

Starting from a fourth row grid position Martin was quick to move forward and soon made inroads towards the leading group. By lap six he was up to third place behind Glen Richards but his progress was thwarted with the arrival on circuit of the course car, brought out to slow the race and allow for the removal of debris following a crash.

Once the car left the circuit Martin continued his challenge and quickly broke away from the pursuing pack to chase the two leaders. He was soon on terms with both Richards and Brogan but although he showed them his front wheel he was unable to make a passing manoeuvre and crossed the finish line in third place, less than half a second behind Richards.

Meanwhile, further down the field Steven Neate was having a huge battle with Lincolnshire rider Rob Frost in which Neate ran out the eventual winner. He started from 17^th on the grid and made steady progress through the midfielders to settle into 13^th place mid-race. By this time he had got on terms with Rob Frost and the pair continued to exchange positions throughout the remainder of the race with neither rider prepared to give an inch, until Frost finally ran wide at the chicane giving Neate a slight advantage into the final corner. They were neck and neck as they approached the chequered flag but Neate held firm and crossed the finish line a tenth of a second ahead to claim 10^th place for Gearlink Kawasaki.

Michael de Bidaph - Team Owner/Manager 

What more could I have asked for today. This is more than I had hoped for, especially after yesterday’s difficult qualifying. But as I said to both riders, we still have a race to run and you don’t win a race in qualifying so just put it behind you.

To come here in the first race of the season and get Chris on the podium and Steven in the top 10 is absolutely awesome for us and also for Kawasaki Motors UK.

People have doubted us in the past but we aim to prove them wrong. The guys have all worked so hard all over the weekend. They have been up until past midnight the last few nights and this result is for them as well.

We have come a very long way in a short space of time but we must not become complacent as we have to try to do it all again at Oulton Park. We would like to dedicate our first podium to Guy Sanders, I am sure he would be so pleased for us.

Chris Martin

It’s been a good race for me, especially after qualifying. I didn’t get such a good start and went backwards for a while but then settled down and picked my way through to third. I did hold second place briefly towards the end but just didn’t have sufficient speed down the back straight to maintain it. All the team have done a good job and I would like to thank them for all their hard work.

Steven Neate

I am pretty satisfied with a top 10 finish first time out. We should perhaps have been quicker in qualifying and that maybe affected my result. But I was up there with the front-runners and was competitive. It was fantastic that Chris was able to get onto the box so it’s been a good weekend all round for us. It got a bit hairy at times but I enjoyed battling with Rob Frost and ended up beating him.

Alex Brawn Racing Co-ordinator Kawasaki Motors UK

Having witnessed all the hard work that Michael de Bidaph, the riders and the team have put towards this season's championship, I think it is only fitting that they mounted the podium in the first race of the year. Coming from 16th on the grid to a podium position, Gearlink Kawasaki have firmly stamped their authority on the championship and will be a force to be reckoned with in the season ahead

The next round is at Oulton Park on May 5 when everyone at Gearlink Kawasaki will be doing their best to produce a similar result.

Helen Pask

Press Officer

The Gearlink Kawasaki British Supersport team came away from Brands Hatch without turning a wheel on Sunday. The opening round of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport championship was due to be held on Sunday afternoon but although the riders completed their qualifying on Saturday, the weather took a turn for the worse and the paddock was greeted with five inches of lying snow on Sunday morning.

As the morning went on the conditions got worse leaving the organisers little choice but to abandon the racing. The meeting has been rescheduled for the weekend of May 10/11 at the same venue with grid position gained in qualifying from April 5 to stand. Spectators are advised to hang onto their admission tickets, as they will be valid for the full weekend in May.

Despite the problems, qualifying was able to go ahead on Saturday and both Gearlink Kawasaki riders, Chris Martin and Steven Neate posted respectable times with Martin securing a second row start in fifth place and Neate improving his early times to move into the top 20 in 19^th position.

CHRIS MARTIN

We had a few niggling problems but overall I think fifth is a good position for me. I had managed to get up to fourth and thought I could go a bit faster but then the bike developed a minor water leak, which prevented further action. Then with just a few minutes of the session remaining John McGuinness popped in a quick lap and knocked me back a place to fifth. But it’s the race that counts and I am sure I would have been there or thereabouts if we had been able to continue.

STEVEN NEATE

19^th is not really what I was looking for this weekend but its a lot better than the 25^th place I found myself in at the end of the first qualifying session. I managed to pull back up into the top 20 and, with less than a second covering eighth to 20^th position, the times were very close. Although I would have had a lot to do in the race I was feeling positive and anticipated a strong conclusion to the weekend. But it was not to be and we take that qualifying time through to the re-arranged race in May.

Michael de Bidaph - Team Owner/Manager 

It is disappointing that we were unable to go racing on Sunday but unfortunately we can’t control the weather and all teams in every class found themselves in the same situation.

However, on a positive note, we were able to get out on track and spend some quality time on the bikes. That will benefit the two riders when we return to Brands Hatch for the race in May.

 Chris Martin put in a good performance to finish in fifth place and I am sure we will see him challenging for race wins once we get on the track under race conditions.

Steven Neate still needs a bit of time to get to grips with the Kawasaki but the last two laps of practice saw him post his fastest times so I am sure he will improve further as the season progresses.

Gearlink Kawasaki will now begin their season at Thruxton, a circuit that is not too far away from the team’s Wiltshire base.

GEARLINK KAWASAKI TEST IN SPAIN

The Gearlink Kawasaki British Supersport team has just completed three days of rigorous testing at Almeria in Spain to prepare both the bikes and riders for the forthcoming challenge of the new season and after completing a successful first test has now moved on to Gaudix where the team will hope to continue in the same vein.

The newly formed crew, with riders Steven Neate and Chris Martin, soon got to grips with the new machinery and put the new bikes through their paces recording some very respectable lap times and the test went extremely smoothly.

Steven Neate 

“I am really pleased with the three days' testing in Almeria and am feeling very positive. I feel I have gelled well with both bike and team and I am really impressed with the bike. It's good to have other teams as a benchmark and I can safely say that the bike is competitive as I was chipping away at my times and put in some strong laps throughout the three days. Hopefully the weather will stay clear for the final days testing at the Guadix Circuit”

Chris Martin

“I am feeling really good with the way things are going. The first testing on the bike at Almeria went as well as we expected. My lap times were up to scratch and I was one of the fastest riders out there. I am feeling very comfortable with the bike and although it seems slow compared to the Superbike, I am really enjoying riding it.

The new team set up is working well and I am enjoying working with the mechanics. These final days at Guadix should go well. I am hoping that the weather holds up after the bout of hail that we had earlier today”

 Michael de Bidaph - Team owner/manager 

“I am very happy with the way things are going. Both riders are doing well. Chris was one of the fastest Supersport riders at Almeria, setting almost same lap times as the other teams out here. We are looking forward to these last couple of days at Guadix Circuit.”

Alex Brawn – Racing Coordinator Kawasaki Motors UK

“After all the hard work by Michael de Bidaph and the rest of the crew putting the team together over winter to become the official Supersport team for Kawasaki I am delighted they have had a very positive test.  The team work hard and have set themselves very high targets for 2008 and the test has demonstrated they are heading in the right direction, I for one will be looking forward to the first race for sure!”

On their return to the UK the team will prepare for the official British Superbike test that takes place at the Norfolk circuit of Snetterton over the Easter weekend prior to the opening round of the British Supersport championship that is scheduled for Brands Hatch on April 6.

The riders are testing at Brands Hatch today, Saturday 12th January.

I will let you know how they get on!

GEARLINK RACING - 2008 ANNOUNCEMENT

Gearlink Racing are pleased to announce they have joined forces with a major manufacturer and become the official Kawasaki Motors UK British Supersport team for the 2008 season.

The team, who will run under the banner of Gearlink Kawasaki, have secured the services of Chris Martin and Steven Neate to contest the 2008 British Supersport championship.

Chris Martin was the Superbike Cup champion in 2006. He went on to ride in the main British Superbike championship for 2007, scoring a string of points finishes.

The 26-year-old rider from North Newbald in Yorkshire proved to be more than a match for the factory riders and is looking forward to his new venture with Gearlink Kawasaki.

“It’s great to be riding for such a professional and friendly team. I am sure that we can be competitive and be challenging for race wins,” said Chris.

After being sidelined through injury mid season, Barton-Le-Clay rider Steven Neate completed 2007 with AIM Yamaha. Despite his youth, the 20-year-old rider proved he was more than comfortable running with the cream of the British Supersport riders and rounded off his season by scoring 12^th place in the final two rounds at Donington Park and Brands Hatch.

“I am delighted to have secured the deal and am really looking forward to riding with the Kawasaki Motors UK officially supported team. I would like to say a big thank you to Norma and Michael and am looking forward to a successful 2008.”

Team owner and manager, Michael de Bidaph said: “We are really looking forward to the 2008 British Supersport Championship.

“We have two highly professional and experienced riders in Chris Martin and Steven Neate, and with the backing of Kawasaki Motors UK will be striving for some top results next season.”

For their part, Kawasaki Motors UK are seeing this as the next phase of their racing strategy as Racing Coordinator, Alex Brawn explains.

“We took an interest in Gearlink quite some time ago and have been working alongside the team putting the pieces of the jigsaw together in order for them to become our official entry in such a competitive championship. We’re sure Michael and his close knit race crew will make a big impression at the sharp end of Supersport racing in the UK."

Gearlink Kawasaki will shortly be embarking on a series of pre-season testing in preparation for the opening round of the British Supersport championship, which is set for Brands Hatch on April 6.

The weekend got off to a bad start with both riders having virtually no first free practice time due to bike problems.

The team was rather disappointed with the qualifying sessions with Kieran in 21st and James 23rd on the grid but, in saying that, both riders put in good lap times.

Both James and Kieran made a good start in the race but they were nearly taken out on the first lap due to Paul Young falling at Graham Hill Bend. Both riders did well to avoid hitting Paul.

James rode well to finish in 16th position; his best lap time being 47.915. Kieran also did well to finish in 23rd after being in last position at one stage, due to the first lap incident. 

After a tragic year Michael de Bidaph is concentrating on plans for 2008 and is currently looking for riders to finish on the podium next year.

Kieran Murphy was once again riding for us this weekend, together with James.

The weather held up for us during all sessions. Some parts of the track were damp so both James and Kieran had to take it a bit easy in places.

James qualified 20th and Kieran 21st and the times were very close between all riders in the top 20.

Unfortunately Kieran suffered problems with the bike most of the weekend.

The race started well for James, getting up to 11th at one point, but the race was red flagged with 7 laps left to go. At the restart James was in 12th position but Kieran had gearbox problems and had to retire after the warm up lap. A new race was on and it was a mad dash for 8 laps!

James finished the race in 11th position but after two riders were disqualified he ended up in 9th!

Many thanks to all of our sponsors, supporters and helpers.

See you at Brands Hatch for the final round.

Once again we were blessed with beautiful weather throughout the weekend.

James had a reasonably good practice session but qualifying was not that brilliant -   finishing up with a provisional 24th on the grid. A few riders had incidents and the final grid position for James was 21st.

We had Kieran Murphy riding for us throughout the weekend   and   this was his first time out on the #36,   2007 bike. Kieran progressed very well throughout the sessions and   the team was   very pleased with 15th on the grid, after the two qualifying sessions.

Unfortunately Kieran had an off on the first warm up lap on Monday which may have been due to the front tyre not being up to the correct temperature. Kieran suffered mild concussion and an injured wrist and was therefore not passed fit to ride, such a shame after all the hard work that he put in.

James had a good start in the race and made his way up to 13th but   dropped back to finish 15th. The team was pleased to get a point.

Our luck must surely take a turn for the better and we hope to do well at Donington!

We were blessed with some good weather for a change.

James qualified 26th

Peter Ward Qualified 21st.

James is still struggling after the tragic recent loss of his two good friends and is trying to get his head back into racing.

Peter settled into the team with ease and went faster each session out but was still finding a few problems with bike set up.

James was told to go out and just enjoy himself, no pressure for results and he did just that! The race went well with both riders getting a good start.  James made steady progress and eventually passed Peter who was still having problems with rear end grip.

James finished 13th gaining valuable points.

Peter finished 16th, just outside the points, a very good result seeing as it was his first race on the Kawasaki ZX6R.

It was great to see both riders in the top 16 and the team was very proud of how they coped with the situation.

See you at Cadwell Park!

James raced at Knockhill, Oulton Park and Mallory Park and has done his best under the circumstances.

We will be running Peter Ward as a "wild card" at Croft this coming weekend.

We look forward to seeing all of our supporters and friends and let's hope for good weather for a change!

See you there!

This has to be the hardest thing ever to write about.

As most of you are probably aware our talented rising star, Guy Sanders, lost his fight for life on Sunday evening after a tragic accident at Mondello Park, Ireland.

We were privileged to have this exceedingly amicable young man ride for our team. He was a great asset and gave a lot of input from which we all learnt. He was totally dedicated and focused and was beginning to prove himself as an outstanding rider. He had a sense of humour second to none, always teasing and making wise cracks.

The team is finding it very difficult to come to terms with Guy's untimely tragic death at the age of 22.

All of us at Gearlink Racing offer our sincere condolences to Guy's parents, Derek and Carole, and to his brother Adam and all his family and friends.

We are all going to miss Guy's presence as a rider and as a friend.

As one posting in the guest book says "Some stars don't shine for long but they shine the brightest".

Rest in peace - dearest Guy - and keep on shining for us.

The weekend started well with James and Guy setting some good times in both practice sessions.

Guy qualified 12th on the grid and James qualified 17th.

The team felt that Snetterton would always be a struggle for the Kawasakis so was quite pleased with the riders positions on the grid.

At the start of the race Guy soon gained places and was battling for 6th position with Paul Young. Unfortunately he could not match the speed of Paul Young's Triumph and had to settle for 7th.

James made a good start in the race but suffered with front end grip finishing the race in 16th.

Overall the team was pleased with the results and feel that the riders will do a lot better at Mondello Park.

The weekend started well with Guy getting in some good times in the   free practice sessions. James's new bike was delivered to the track on Friday evening   so was not as quick as Guy as he was using the 2007 bike for the first time.  

Guy set a good time in qualifying and ended up 5th on the grid (excellent stuff!).

James unfortunately finished qualifying in 20th position as he was still trying to get to grips with the new bike.

Both riders made a good start, Guy holding position and James running in 9th at one point. Guy was pushed onto the grass by Billy McConnell but managed to stay up there with the factory boys.

Both riders went well in the race and set impressive lap times. James lost a couple of places and finished in 12th. Guy finished in an amazing 4th! Well done both of you!

The riders and team are very happy with the 2007 Kawasaki and feel that we can compete with the top runners. Work has to be done with the bikes to make them more competitive BUT WE NEED MORE SPONSORSHIP to enable us to do this!

Once again the team worked exceedingly hard and we thank you for your total commitment and enthusiasm.

Many thanks to all our supporters and sponsors for your loyalty and support.

Also a BIG "thank you" to those who took the time to e-mail us with words of encouragement and congratulations.

:-)

We arrived at the track at gone 14:00 hours on Thursday   after an horrendous journey. The M3 was closed due to an accident and it took us over five hours to do a journey that would normally take two!

We suffered reliability problems with James's bike as he was still using the 2006 model. Guy had an off during qualifying and James suffered from a misfire on his bike.

Neither rider qualified very well because of the problems encountered. In the race both made a good start and Guy finished 14th, James 15th giving the team their first finish with both riders and also gaining points!

Our most grateful thanks to all the team for their hard work and commitment.

We had two days to get the bikes prepared for the trip to our local circuit at Thruxton. Things did not go too well during free practice and qualifying. We struggled with set up on Guy's '07 bike and James had a couple of problems with his set up too.

At one point during the weekend we only had one bike operational out of the 5 bikes that we took with us! Gearbox and engine problems galore! These things are sent to try us!

James qualified in 24th on the grid and Guy 25th.

James made a blinding start and was up in 14th position after the first lap. Things looked like they were going well when engine problems caused James to retire after completing only four laps.

Guy managed to stay up there and rode a fine race, battling it out to try and gain places. Guy finished in 11th and earned the first points of the season. Well done!

We are now trying to get things ready for Silverstone which is 27/28/29 April.

Please come along and see us.

The two new race prepared bikes were delivered to us on Good Friday evening at approximately 18.15hrs. The promised race exhaust systems did not arrive in time so we had a mad dash to recover the standard exhaust systems and get them put back on the bikes.

The race was a hard fought one and James managed to get up to 9th position and was about to take Stuart Easton when he came off the bike for no apparent reason! The race was red flagged and we were hoping that James would be able to restart the race. Unfortunately he was half a lap off completing the 75% race required for a restart. That's racing for you!

Guy did well to finish the race in 20th position. He had not tested the new race bike, apart from the standard road bike, which was two days testing at Snetterton.

Things were rather hectic the whole weekend but we coped! We would like to thank all the team members for their hard work and also all the supporters and sponsors for their help and encouragement.

Testing went well at Snetterton. The weather was not ideal but both riders got some wet weather practice. James was on the 2006 bike and Guy was on the 2007 bike which has not yet been race prepared. The only things that we changed was the suspension and the exhaust system, other than that it was a standard road bike and his times were quite satisfactory.

We are looking forward to the first race at Brands Hatch on Easter Monday.

Please come and see us, we are quite a friendly bunch if we are not too busy getting the bikes ready ;-)