Well another couple of busy weekends with another double header as we head towards the halfway point in the Championship!

Round 3 was held at Oulton Park on May 7. Oulton is a really tricky track with a lot of undulations and blind, fast corners. Saturday seen Practice and Qualification 1, with not everything going according to plan as I was caught out on a bump and high-sided my bike on the blind exit of Lodge Corner. Leaving the Seton Tuning Yamaha team, and myself a lot of work to do! Sunday’s Qualification 2 seen me knocking big chunks off my lap times as I familiarised myself with the track. I was able to qualify in 28^th position. I was a bit disappointed with the result as I knew I had better pace than that but was unable to put it all together for Qualifying.

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Monday’s race brought tricky condition. Half damp half dry track had us out on a wet front, dry rear tyre combination. I made a great start moving to 16^th position on the opening lap, before being caught in a dice with Team mate Bjorn Estment        and a group of 4 other riders for 11^th – 16^th position. I was able to move to the lead of the group before I made a mistake and ran off at the Knickerbrook chicane putting me back to the tail of the group. I moved back to 13^th position before the race was red flagged 2 laps early after an incident involving Johnny Blackshaw and Josh Wainwright.

I was reasonably happy with the result after my poor qualification position and mistakes during the race, there was a lot of positives I took from that race that will help me in the future!

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Round 4 was a double header held alongside the WSBK round at Donington Park on May 12-13. It was amazing to see a true European World Championship round. It is mind blowing the setup the world teams have!

Qualification was difficult for me, learning the track and playing a lot with setup, I managed 26^th position for Saturdays race, with qualifying for Sundays race determined by the fastest lap in the Saturday race.

I made a competitive start to the race and moved inside the top 20 befor being caught out under brakes in the Chicane. I dropped outside the top 30 befor moving through to 21^st position. I was very disappointed with the result as I believe I could have got points in the race. But the race showed up where I needed to work on improving for race 2.

I started 27^th in race 2. Another excellent start seen me move into 17^th position by the end of the opening lap. It was a long tough race pushing as hard as I could to move into 15^th and taking another championship point by race end. I was more pleased with this result. We moved forward all weekend and improved the bike consistently, with my fastest lap for the weekend coming in the closing stages of the final race.

I would like the Thank the entire Seton Tuning Yamaha Team for their efforts over the past few weeks and I am looking forward to Snetterton in 2 weeks’ time!

Be sure to follow me on facebook and my website www.mwracing56.com and also follow the team at www.seton-tuning.co.uk

I would also like to say a huge happy birthday to Seton Tuning Team Owner Phil Seton! It was Phil’s big day on the Saturday of the Donington Round. 30+ VAT… and Postage…

Widely acknowledged as the most picturesque race circuit in the country, Oulton Park is recognised as much for its stunning surroundings as the spectacular racing that takes place on its hallowed tarmac. Voted the best UK circuit by BSB fans in 2007, Oulton Park features rapidly changing gradients and blind crests, and presents a supreme challenge to riders. Spectators can enjoy fantastic views of the action, with the outside of Knickerbrook in particular a favourite of the crowds

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The Seton Tuning Yamaha quartet of Sam Warren, Ben Burke, Bjorn Estment and Mark Wilkinson all scored points at the second round of the 2012 MCE British Superbike championship at the ultra-fast circuit of Thruxton in Hampshire (13-15 April).
At a circuit that has become dominated by the Triumphs in recent seasons, Sam Warren looked to extend his lead in the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship Protected by Datatag.
The 29 year old Derbyshire rider qualified in the middle of the second row for the opening 12 lap sprint on Saturday afternoon. A spirited and determined performance saw Sam lead the middle portion of the race, eventually taking the chequered flag in second spot behind Glen Richards to extend his lead to 19 points over Ben Wilson.
Scoring the fastest lap time of the race, 1:17.188s, Sam took the overall lead in the Speedy Fastest Laps League, and lined up on pole position for the main 18-lap Supersport event. A sluggish start saw the Yamaha rider forced back to 6th at the close of the opening lap but still in contention for his fourth podium finish in a row.
Thruxton is renowned for close, fast-paced action, and this was to be no exception. Wilson took the early lead with a brace of Triumphs and the Yamaha duo of Sam and Jack Kennedy hounding the Kawasaki over every inch of the 2.36 mile circuit.
Moving up to third on the brakes into Club on lap 6, Sam would then briefly enjoy the lead on lap 9 as the six-wheeler produced an exhilarating battle at the front of the field. With the order swapping with every lap, Sam looked to be in a strong position for a final draft pass into the Club chicane. However, after taking Wilson for fourth, Sam had reached the grip limit of his tyres on this highly abrasive tarmac and paid the ultimate price, crashing out of arguably the race of the season to date.
As a result, Sam has relinquished his championship lead by half a point to fellow Yamaha rider Jack Kennedy. However, Sam will look to regain the lead in the title race as the series heads to his home circuit of Oulton Park in three weeks time.
The Seton Tuning Yamaha trio of Ben Burke, Bjorn Estment and Mark Wilkinson all got their championship challenges off the mark with their first points of the season in an equally hotly contested Metzeler National Superstock race.
Relishing the chance to unleash the full potential of the Seton Tuning Yamaha in the dry for the first time this season, all three riders improved significantly upon their grid positions to all finish within the points as the chequered flag signalled the end of the 14-lapper.
Ben made a blistering start from the lights, elevating his Yamaha up to fourth at the Complex on the opening lap to be running at the sharp end. The young Australian rider locked horns at the head of the field throughout proceedings and looked to be assured of a podium finish. Tim Hastings was the runaway victor, but five riders vied for the final two podium slots. With the lap counter running down, Ben hit third and looked strong for at least 16 points. However, as the leaders headed into the final lap, back-markers would come into play, and Ben would be squeezed into fifth as they reached the breaking zone for Club on the final lap.
Bjorn and Mark, starting from the fifth and seventh rows respectively, worked impressively throughout the race, gaining confidence and position with each successive lap. Bjorn would bring his Yamaha home in 13th while Mark would complete the point-scoring positions with a strong 15th in just their second outings for the team.
      

Sam Warren: “Having diced at the front in the sprint race, getting 2nd and fastest lap, I was very confident going into the feature race. I made my usual slow start, but pushed to the front like in the sprint race and felt very comfortable. Then I ran into tyre issues and was unable to maintain my pace. Dropping back for 4th near the end of the race, I knew it was damage limitation, but there was nothing left of the tyre and it caused a slide that I was unable to get back at Segrave. Luckily nothing is broken in my hand and we’ll be fit for Oulton. Thanks for all the team for a cracking job, sorry I couldn’t bring home the bacon but we’re still in the hunt.”

Ben Burke: “What a weekend. The weather was touch and go but that seemed to add to the excitement. Practice and first qualifying went well with me putting myself 11th on the grid. I was confident I could go faster in Q2 with a fresh tyre but never got the chance as it was raining. We used this time as wet set-up practice as I wanted to improve in the wet and I did. The Seton Tuning Yamaha bikes finished that session 3rd, 4th and 5th, with me fastest of the three. All of us were very happy that we could do well in the race whether it was raining or dry. Sunday’s race was dry and I got away to a flyer right up in the leading bunch and we were all having a fierce battle. I was third on the last lap where I had planned to be, hoping that I would slipstream my way into second. I was riding defensive but Johnny Blackshaw pushed me wide on the first chicane and we dropped off second a touch. Just as we caught up again there was a bunch of back markers that the five of us all scrambled to get past coming into the super-fast Church corner. Luckily we all managed to pass safely and came out all side by side up the back straight. It was a lottery who was going to come second. I am happy with my fifth placing and have put some good points on the board. Congratulations to my fellow Superstock riders, with all of us scoring our first points of the season. Well done to Sam for his podium in the first race, I was sorry to see him fall in the second. I would like to thank all of my team and sponsors for their hard work and support. I especially would like to thank Keith and Karen for coming on board helping and getting involved signalling for me all weekend.”

Bjorn Estment:“It was a tough weekend with limited dry time to find a good setup, however we did manage to achieve a points scoring finish which finds us sitting in 17th overall! My ideal lap time was just .2 of a second off the podium and I topped the speed trap by over one and a half mph! Roll on Oulton where we can possibly put the NFB Financial Services by Seton-Tuning Yamaha in the form we showed at Brands Hatch.”

Mark Wilkinson: “It was a very positive weekend for me. My first BSB point after a difficult race. We improved all weekend and showed some really good form. I’m starting to get a handle on the bike and really looking forward round 3. Thanks to the entire Seton Tuning Yamaha Team for the amazing weekend!”

Phil Seton, Team Owner: “Overall a very positive weekend. I’m really pleased with Sam and the team’s performance and he is still second in the championship by just half a point. It is early days, so all in all a pretty good position to be in. Fortunately he just has a few bruises and some swelling from his crash, nothing broken, and will be fit for Oulton.
The Stock lads did well. It was great for Ben and a real coming of age for him to get third in Q2 in the wet. Bjorn and Mark also both scored points and we are now getting to grips with their bike set-up, so it is all going in the right direction.”
Round 3 of the 2012 MCE British Superbike Championship takes place at  Oulton Park, Cheshire over the May Bank Holiday weekend (5-7 May).

For more info visit www.seton-tuning.co.uk and www.mwracing56.com

Ben Burke, Bjorn Estment & Mark Wilkinson Images Steve Hutchings

Hi everyone, sorry for the late update on round 1 from Brands hatch but it has all been go! go! go!

Brands Hatch Indy was a really eye opening experience for me being the first real run in the paddock. It is amazing seeing thousands of people in the crowds supporting all the various teams!

The weekend started off well with the team making big improvements on the bike after testing. We knocked well over 1second off our testing lap times straight away. Unfortunately weather dampened things for us in Qualifying 2 and stopped me from moving any higher up the grid. We ended up in 23^rd position for the Monday race.

Monday morning came and again so did the weather. It was horrendous with the 2^nd BSB Superbike race being cancelled due to the conditions. Our race was red flagged early after a number of incidents. I made a reasonable start to the race, picking up a few places on the opening lap. From then on it was a matter of survival, with riders falling on almost every lap! I managed to keep my bike shiny and bring home 20^th position. I was aiming for points, but in the conditions I was really happy to just finish inside the top 20!

The following weekend saw round 2 at the ultra-fast Thruxton circuit.

We started to the weekend well again having never seen the track. Times were constantly improving. We still needed to develop the bike and at the end of qualifying 1, I was in 26^th position. I was positive that another dry session would see me move well into the top 20. But again like Brands a week earlier mother-nature played a trick on me for the vital 2^nd qualifying session. It was once again torrential rain! We used the session to gain valuable data for our wet setup, which we seemed to get fairly close to with ending the session in 4^th position, but unable to get near improving our dry times.

So the race I started from 26^th position! Opening lap had me off to a great start moving past a number of bikes inside the top 20. Unfortunately in 5^th gear on the incredibly fast ‘Church’ corner I made a basic mistake and ran off the circuit dropping to 27^th position. A huge blow after making such a good start to the race. From there I battled my way back through the field, passing 3 bikes on the last lap, to take 15^th position and score my first BSB Superstock 600 point! A result I am extremely happy with, but at the same time i am so disappointed with myself because of the mistake on the opening lap.

Thanks to the whole Seton Tuning Yamaha team for the efforts over the last few weeks, I feel I have really settled in nicely and you are all such a great bunch of guys and girls to work with! Also a huge thanks to all my family, friends and fans back home in Australia for your amazing support! I will be pushing 110% all year!

The next few weeks are Bumper for me with testing, round’s 3 and 4 all in the coming weeks! So keep an eye out on my Website (www.mwracing56.com), Facebook page, and the official Seton Tuning Yamaha website(www.seton-tuning.co.uk)  to keep up to date!

The excitement is builbing as Round 1 of the 2012 British Superbike Championship draws near.

Mark will take to the track on friday for his first practice session in the Superstock 600 Champoionship held at the famous Brands Hatch Indy Circuit. With lap times within the 50 second barrier and a bumper field of Superstock bikes, the pace is sure to be hot for the season opener.

The Superstock 600 race will be held on the Monday of the 4 day event.

Be sure to check the BSB website (www.britishsuperbike.com) for live timing of the event and to follow Mark’s first outing on the Seton Tuning Yamaha R6!

To help Support Mark’s endevours in the UK, Mark is offering his helmet space to be purchased. If you wish to purchase helmet space contact us. You can purchase as many rounds of the championship as you like with your company recieving a approx 10cm x 5cm logo on Marks Helmet to be used in the British Superstock 600 championship. Prices vary depending on how many rounds ou purchase, so shoot us an email at mark@mwracing56.com to obtain a quote!

So! First test with the Seton Tuning Inteceptor Yamaha Race Team done and dusted.

We hit the Spanish Circuit Alcarras up for 4 days solid! The first 3 days for me were focusing on adapting my riding style to the Yamaha R6 and getting my head around the KTech suspension and tyres! I tell you what! These bikes are amazing! So much grip and such amazing linea power delivery! I have never scrapped my elbows on nearly every corner of a track until i had ridden one of these bikes! A real credit to the quality of tune these bikes are at! Phil, Sam, Mark and the whole Seton Team really have these bikes dialed in and they are not even full spec yet!

All 3 of the Seton Bikes were on or under the existing Superstock 600 Lap record which puts us in a good position for the remainder of the season!

We head to Brands Hatch in a little over a weeks time were the first round will be held early April. Hopefully now we are comfortable on the bike we can concentraight on setup and knock up some competitive lap times that will hopefully put myself in a good position for the opening round of the 2012 BSB Superstock season!

Huge thanks to all of my supporters and the Seton Tuning Interceptor Yamaha Race Team. Hopefully you will be hearing from me in around 2 weeks with the news from Brands!

- Mark