Marshall dies at BSB test

A marshall died as the result of a collision with an ‘out-of-control’ Yamaha race bike during tests at Oulton Park on Friday.

The test day gave British Superbike championship teams to test at the track in advance of next Monday’s Bank Holiday round.

MCRCB-Events organised the test and, in a statement, said: “During the penultimate scheduled session of the day a rider of a Yamaha R1 1000cc motor cycle lost control under braking for Lodge corner and came off the motor cycle, which then bounced in the air, clearing a barrier and striking a flag marshal, who sustained fatal injuries.

“The rider of the motor cycle was very shaken but otherwise uninjured.
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“The Directors, staff and officials of MCRCB-Events, join the circuit owners, Motorsport Vision in sending our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased and we are all deeply saddened that someone should lose their life serving the sport they love.

“The circumstances of the incident are being investigated by the MCRCB and the relevant authorities.”
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Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne was fastest at the official British Superbike test at Oulton Park on Friday.

Missing the chicane may have helped.

A Suzuki spokesman said: “Despite finishing first and third on the official timesheets, both Rizla Suzuki racers (Byrne and James Haydon) admitted to missing the chicane on their fast laps.

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“Telemetry from the team shows that Shakey’s fastest lap was actually 1:36.500, still the quickest of the day. James’s quickest time on team telemetry was 1:38.400, relegating him from third to fifth overall.”

Haydon tested a new prototype Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000. He was impressed but the bike will have further modifications before it is tested and raced later in the season.
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All the teams return to Oulton Park on Bank Holiday May 1 for the fourth round of the championship.

Race Operations Manager Neil Mackenzie said:“James used a prototype bike with a new fuel cell and a much different centre of gravity than he is used to. He has given the team a lot of constructive feedback and we will develop this bike further before we debut it at a race meeting later in the season. He will revert to the Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000 he used at Thruxton for the next races.

“It’s a shame Ducati was not at the test but our target for the moment is to beat or at least compete with the Honda teams and we are achieving that. We want to return here next week and take the next step, which is to fight for the podium in the races.”

Official Test Times:

1: Shane Byrne (Suzuki) 1:35.977

2: Jonathan Rea (Honda) +1.278

3: James Haydon (Suzuki) +2.000

4: Michael Rutter (Honda) +2.206

5: Karl Harris (Honda) +2.460

6: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +2.720