Sensational race debut for new Triumph Daytona 675R

Paul Young and the Oxford Tag Triumph team made a scorching start to the 2011 Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship, qualifying the new-for-2011 Daytona 675R on the front row of the packed grid and finishing on the podium.

From the start of the race it became clear that it was going to be a five-way scrap for the lead and while Ben Wilson started to find some breathing space at the head of the pack, Youngy was involved in a high speed battle of wits towards the closing stages of the race when tyre degradation came into play.

Youngy's race craft and skill at managing his tyres paid off as he came in second, having fended off the hard charging duo of Kennedy and Johnston to claim his first podium for the Oxford Tag Triumph team.

While there was drama at the sharp end of the field, a rare starting issue caused by the series control engine management system meant that former World Supermoto starlet, Christian Iddon was forced to push his bike from the second row of the grid and had to start the race from pit lane.

Christian kept a cool head and used the race as an extra practice session, slicing through the field to finish 18th posting lap times that would have seen him well inside the top five had he been able to start from his sixth position on the grid.

Billy McConnell finished 13th in the first race and 15th in the second having struggled throughout qualifying with a faulty suspension component. With the faulty part causing irregularities in the data, getting a race-winning set-up proved impossible.

In the Supersport Cup Championship, aimed at young up-and-coming riders, Shaun Winfield pulled out all the stops after a difficult qualifying session saw him struggling down in 6th place. With a few key changes made to the machine overnight, Shaun found his pace in morning warm up and went on to comfortably take the win from John Simpson.

Race two on Easter Monday was plagued with bad luck for the team. Christian Iddon made a race mistake going into Clearways on the brakes that cost him a solid fourth place while Shaun Winfield was desperately unlucky to be black flagged while leading the Cup race by almost five seconds. Paul Young suffered the same fate a few laps later and after inspection it was revealed that both bikes had suffered with defective cam cover seals.

Neither bike would have expired or caused a problem to other riders but with signs of smoke as the oil wept onto hot parts of the engine, in the name of safety, the officials rightly decided to bring the bikes in.

Paul Young #96

"Obviously I'm a little disappointed with what happened in the second race, but it's racing and that kind of thing can happen. After the hard work that's gone into pre-season testing, to get on the front row first time out and to break my podium duck with the team is as much of a relief as anything. We know where we are with the bike now and it's only going to get better. I'm really looking forward to Oulton Park in a few days time - the Daytona 675R should be really good there."

Christian Iddon #21

"While the results haven't been great this weekend, I'm very happy with both the bike and the team. I've proved I can run the lap times I need to if I'm to run near the front - I'm just a little upset with myself for making what was really a bit of a basic error when I was on for a good fourth place."

Billy McConnell #75

"It's not been the easiest weekend but I'm glad we've found the source of our troubles in finding a set-up. I like Oulton Park so hopefully we can come back stronger and I can start riding at the front again. Youngy's proved the bike can do it and I know what I'm capable of so we're up for it and looking to start our championship challenge from round two."

Shaun Winfield #41

"I wasn't able to test as much as the others in pre-season as track day operators won't let under 18s ride. I struggled a little in practice and qualifying, but having worked out what I needed to do and where I needed to improve it all started to come together. We made some really positive changes to the bike so I'd just like to thank K-Tech and my team for giving me a race-winning machine. The second race was a disappointment and I'm still a little niggled knowing that I should be leading the Cup championship. I love Oulton Park though and with twice as many races this year, I know that I can win it."

Rob Winfield, Oxford Tag Triumph Team Principal

"What a fantastic start to the season. The team have worked so hard to make sure we've got a fighting chance and I really can't praise my riders enough. Youngy's commitment is as high as ever and his performances never fail to impress me. Christian has come in with relatively little experience and set lap times that prove he can run with the best. Billy has struggled with set-up problems but not once has he had his head down - he knows it will come together in the end. And, of course, Shaun. He's still only 17-years-old and I think people forget that. He's managed to knock a massive 1.1 seconds off his personal best at this circuit and is now running times very close to the top ten in the main championship. Sure, we've had a few setbacks with some annoying little problems but I'm a happy man - there have been plenty of positives to carry forward from this round, so now we're all looking forward to Oulton Park this weekend."