Jon Kirkham will be hopeful of continuing his good form this weekend

Samsung Honda rider hoping for repeat of Brands Hatch triumph

Jon Kirkham was the top gun in the opening race of the British Superbikes Championship and the Samsung Honda rider will be hopeful of continuing his good form at the RAF airfield of Thruxton this weekend.

Current champion, Beckenham’s Tommy Hill, left the Brands Hatch circuit pointless last week after a crash and now need to turn their title defence around as riders have to contend with the unforgiving 2.35-mile circuit.

With speeds of up to 180mph, fans can expect astonishing drifts and riders wrestling to keep the bikes in line as they vie for the slipstream advantage.

Whilst the reigning champion struggled, three different manufacturers featured on the race one podium (Honda, Suzuki and Kawasaki) and the revolutionary regulation changes have given new teams the chance to rival for top positions and that is set to continue this weekend. At Brands Hatch there were top six finishes from Padgetts Honda’s Ian Lowry and Italian Supersonic BMW’s Tommy Bridewell, plus Liverpool-based Quattro Plant Kawasaki’s Gary Mason’s fifth place gave the team their best finish in their ten year Superbike history ahead of this weekend’s Thruxton round.