Linfoot boosted by late breakthrough at Brands Hatch

Dan Linfoot endured a difficult weekend in the third round of the MCE British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch until a last minute breakthrough him able to fight towards the front in the second race.

The Honda Racing rider struggled throughout practice and qualifying and was left both frustrated and confused as he was unable pinpoint the problem.

Starting Sunday’s race 13^th on the grid, Linfoot was able to fight through to a top ten result despite a strange feeling from the front of his CBR1000RR Fireblade.

A few tweaks for race two, including a switch to the harder front tyre, led to a marked improvement for the Yorkshireman. With increased confidence in the front end, he was able to push on and make headway towards the end of the race as he carved through the pack to cross the line fifth.

“I wasn’t happy with race one as I finished tenth and that’s not where I want to be,” he said. “I didn’t have great feel with the bike, when I entered corners I felt like I was closing the front and couldn’t ride in a normal way. We made a few changes and tried something new for race two and I felt really happy. I finished fifth in the end, which isn’t a podium, but it’s progress and another step closer.

“I could ride in a much better way and felt a lot more aggressive. While the points aren’t massive it’s a lot more than Oulton and now we have a good direction to continue with. I could see I was catching the leading group which is motivating, so credit to the team for building a bike able to do that.”