Oxford Tag Triumph star in fantastic finale

With the British Superbike Championship still up for grabs and the top six places in the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship still to be decided after no less than eleven rounds and 22 races, the atmosphere at Brands Hatch was nothing short of electric as a weekend of drama unfolded with pressure seemingly affecting both the riders and the weather.

With noise regulations restricting Friday's activities to the shorter ‘Indy' circuit, only one practice session on the full ‘GP' circuit was held on the Saturday giving the Supersport teams just one shot at achieving a good set-up for the all important qualifying session.

Billy McConnell and Paul Young still had unfinished business in the fight for the final championship podium spot with Youngy just twelve points behind his countryman after Silverstone. Christian Iddon's recent rise up the title table was unlikely to stop either, while Shaun Winfield was still recovering from injuries sustained last time out at Brands - and more recently at Donington Park - and simply looking forward to gaining more race experience and finishing the season on a high.

After a tough thirty minute session, McConnell qualified in third spot, hot on the heels of title contenders Ben Wilson and Alistair Seeley with team mates Christian Iddon and Youngy both making the second row in sixth and seventh respectively, with Youngy left to ponder what might have been as he crashed out, uninjured, with ten minutes to go.

As if the hectic three race schedule, mixed weather conditions and undecided final championship positions didn't present enough drama, with less than two hours until the first race of the weekend - the re-run of the cancelled Oulton Park race - Youngy's Triumph Daytona 675R needed a comprehensive rebuild and makeover before he could line up on the grid. With minutes to spare, the bike rolled out of the pit garage, pristine and race ready thanks to the efforts of Steve Randle and the support from a hardworking team that for this weekend included ex-Tag racer and runner-up in this year's Triumph Triple Challenge, Peter Ward.

In Saturday's race, the two title protagonists set the pace with Seeley pushing too hard and crashing out, leaving Wilson to take the win and get back on level terms with the diminutive Ulsterman. Close behind, the Oxford Tag Triumph trio of McConnell, Iddon and Young chased down a determined Sam Warren, eventually finishing in the same order, in third, fourth and fifth position. Three Oxford Tag Triumphs in the top five yet again, once more reinforcing Tag's standing as the number one Triumph team in the UK.

Race two saw difficult conditions and another great contest at the front of the field, with Iddon finding a feel for the damp track quickly and pressing the leaders all the way to the chequered flag, setting the fastest lap of the race on his way to third place, his fifth podium of the year and giving him pole for the third and final race of the weekend. Youngy's early charge for the win came to an end when the amiable Aussie lost the front on the way into Druids - finishing fifth was scant reward for Youngy after doing so well to save the crash and keep it on the track - but it did mean he'd pulled back a few valuable points on seventh-placed McConnell.

With the stage set for a grand finale and a showdown between Seeley and Wilson, the final Supersport race of the season was nothing short of epic. While Seeley took the spoils comfortably over Wilson, the race for third in both the race and the championship was still unfolding. Iddon's recent turn of form saw him once more match the lap times of the leaders but frustrated by the straight line speed of Jack Kennedy's Yamaha was unable to make a pass, narrowly missing out on a podium and a guaranteed fifth place in the championship, having to settle for sixth level on points with one-time race-winner, Warren.

The battle raged on for third in the championship but with Youngy's chance to secure enough points to usurp McConnell in the point standings fading away, he had to simply enjoy playing his part in a tantalising six-way Triumph battle, crossing the line ninth behind Pauli Pekkanen, McConnell and Matt Whitman as he fought off Dan Cooper and Luke Mossey to the line.

A great end to a fantastic season for the Oxford Tag Triumph team. The team is already planning ahead for 2012 and will be making an announcement in the next few weeks.

Billy McConnell #75 - 3rd 2011 British Supersport Championship

"It's been an emotional year, that's for sure with its ups and downs. Learning the Triumph was a really new thing for me after so many years on Yamahas. I'm happy enough with third in the championship though I'm less happy that I haven't had the consistency to challenge for the title. I knew what I needed to do this weekend to hold onto third and didn't want to make a mistake trying to be a hero. The last race was a bit of a shame for me as the handlebar spun on the fork leg so I was struggling to turn for the last few laps.
I'm just looking forward to 2012 - I'm not sure where I'll be racing yet but whatever class I end up in I hope I can be in a position to challenge for race wins again."

Paul Young #96 - 4th 2011 British Supersport Championship

"I'm a bit disappointed with the way this weekend has gone as I had a chance to get third in the championship. I came out fighting, had the speed in qualifying but pushed a bit too far and then crashed which really put us on the back foot.
I knew I had to win the races and pushed a bit too hard and that cost me. Fourth in the championship is okay but it's not even the wooden spoon, is it? Joking aside, third, fourth and sixth in the championship is great for the team and it's been my best season for a while so I should be happy.
I've proved that if I just concentrate on my riding rather than try to do everything myself I can run at the front and be as fast as anyone. I still feel that I'm improving and getting faster so I hope I get the opportunity to prove that next year."

Christian Iddon #21 - 6th 2011 British Supersport Championship

"I was pretty happy with the first race to take fourth having started eleventh on the grid. The second race we went one better and got on the podium and towards the end of the season that's where we've expected to be. We've been the strongest Triumph over the last few rounds and think those last two races have shown it. I have to say a massive thanks to the Oxford Tag Triumph team for this chance to show what I can do. They've been absolutely brilliant, they haven't heaped pressure on me and they've given me everything I've needed. Working with Carl Buckle and my dad (Paul) has been fantastic and they've been absolutely key in achieving what we have. Also thanks to all my sponsors, Pemberton Tyres and Silicone Engineering - without them I wouldn't even be on the grid. And finally my parents and my girlfriend, Gemma for all their support - I really can't thank them enough."

Shaun Winfield #41- 4th 2011 British Supersport Cup Championship

"It's been good to get back on the bike after breaking my foot at Donington and really struggling at Silverstone. We got close to my personal best lap time in qualifying and I maybe could have pushed harder in the race but didn't really want to risk damaging my foot any further - I was advised not to race but I wanted to, so I did!
It's been a good season really, I've gone faster than last year, stood on the podium a few times and won some races. Next year I'll know more about what to expect and can really use the winter to get back to full fitness, train hard and get ready for 2012."

Rob Winfield, Oxford Tag Triumph Team Principal

"It's been yet another great weekend with Christian proving again that he's got the speed with a fastest lap and a pole position. I feel for Youngy as I know how much he wanted to finish third and him and (Steve) Randle have worked so hard over the last couple of weeks. Billy did what he needed to do to finish as this year's top Triumph and Shaun came back from injury to try and rebuild his confidence and has done a good job and gained more experience so all in all I'm really pleased with how it's gone.
Hopefully next year we can go one better. Nothing has been confirmed yet - we still don't who we'll be running or what machinery we'll be using. But one thing I can confirm is that we'll be back in 2012 more determined than ever."

Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship

Round 12

Race 1
(Oulton Park re-run - 10 laps):

1 14:59.162
2 Sam Warren (Yamaha) +4.001
3 Billy McConnell (Oxford Tag Triumph) +4.614
4 Christian Iddon (Oxford Tag Triumph) +4.669
5 Paul Young (Oxford Tag Triumph) +5.376
6 Luke Mossey (Triumph) +7.157
7 Pauli Pekkanen (Triumph) +7.158
8 Matt Whitman (Triumph) +7.169
9 Jimmy Hill (Triumph) +7.250
10 AJ Venter (Triumph) +7.498

17 Shaun Winfield (Oxford Tag Triumph) +33.917

Race 2
(12 laps):

1 Jack Kennedy (Yamaha) 19:06.061
2 Alastair Seeley (Suzuki) +0.167
3 Christian Iddon (Oxford Tag Triumph) +2.556
4 Ben Wilson (Kawasaki) +6.786
5 Paul Young (Oxford Tag Triumph) +13.500
6 Dan Cooper (Triumph) +13.824
7 Billy McConnell (Oxford Tag Triumph) +22.333
8 Luke Stapleford (Kawasaki) +30.432
9 Josh Day (Triumph) + 33.256
10 Marty Nutt (Honda) + 37.868

RET Shaun Winfield (Oxford Tag Triumph)

Race 3
(12 laps):

1 Alastair Seeley (Suzuki) 17:52.951
2 Ben Wilson (Kawasaki) +2.384
3 Jack Kennedy (Yamaha) +5.585
4 Christian Iddon (Oxford Tag Triumph) +5.773
5 Luke Stapleford (Kawasaki) +13.041
6 Pauli Pekkanen (Triumph) +21.064
7 Billy McConnell (Oxford Tag Triumph) +22.435
8 Matt Whitman (Triumph) +22.464
9 Paul Young (Oxford Tag Triumph) +22.603
10 Dan Cooper (Triumph) +23.216

Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship
Final Standings:

1 Alastair Seeley (Suzuki) 450
2 Ben Wilson (Kawasaki) 449
3 Billy McConnell (Oxford Tag Triumph) 254
4 Paul Young (Oxford Tag Triumph) 237
5 Sam Warren (Yamaha) 191
6 Christian Iddon (Oxford Tag Triumph) 191
7 Jack Kennedy (Yamaha) 189
8 Luke Mossey (Triumph) 178
9 Dan Cooper (Triumph) 131
10 Luke Stapleford (Kawasaki) 129

Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Cup Championship
Final Standings:

1 John Simpson (Triumph) 364
2 David Paton (Yamaha) 303
3 Sam Hornsey (Triumph) 293
4 Shaun Winfield (Oxford Tag Triumph) 213
5 Ben Padgett (Honda) 167
6 Matthew Hoyle (Kawasaki) 161
7 Paul Curran (Triumph) 129
8 Anthony Rogers (Yamaha) 115
9 Adam Blacklock (Yamaha) 114
10 Jody Lees (Honda) 101

For more information or for hi-resolution images of the Oxford Tag Triumph team in action, contact tagtriumph@robhoyles.com or log on to www.tagtriumph.co.uk
Photo Credit: Steve Gough