Snetterton BSB: Camier wins first Snetterton race

Leon Camier has taken the first British Superbike Championship race at Snetterton today, coming home ahead of the Honda duo of Stuart Easton and Josh Brookes. The original race was stopped on the fourth lap after Tom Tunstall’s engine blew, depositing oil on the circuit at Sears, with the race subsequently decided over 18 laps. 

It was Stuart Easton who led the way in the first part from James Ellison and Josh Brookes but the red flag came out on the fourth lap, with positions taken at the end of two laps subsequently deciding grid positions for the new, 18-lap race.

It was the same three riders that led the way once more in the re-start with Chris Walker making a trademark good start to slot into fourth and there was little between the front six riders with Easton and Ellison swapping places on the fourth and fifth laps. Camier, meanwhile, was working his way through from a first lap sixth and he overtook both Brookes and Ellison on the 7th and 8th laps respectively.

Easton continued to hold on to the lead despite considerable pressure from Camier and it eventually told with the championship leader moving ahead on the 16th lap. As he was moving forward, Ellison was slipping back as Brookes occupied the final podium place, Ian Lowry also overhauling Chris Walker for fifth.

At the front though, Camier soon opened up a gap and he took his seventh win of the season with Easton similarly secure in second. Brookes took his second podium in successive races for a good third as Ellison took fourth from Lowry and Walker.

Michael Rutter, who had crashed towards the end of the first part, regrouped excellently to take seventh with Karl Harris storming through the pack from 17th to 8th after he was pushed wide at the first corner.

HM Plant Honda rider Glen Richards had a nightmare race after he took to the grass at the first corner in the original start and had to line up on the back row of the grid for the re-start. He’d worked his way up to 11th before retiring on the ninth lap.

1. L. Camier – Airwaves Yamaha
2. S. Easton – Hydrex Honda
3. J. Brookes – HM Plant Honda
4. J. Ellison – Airwaves Yamaha
5. I. Lowry – Relentless Suzuki by TAS
6. C. Walker – Motorpoint/Henderson Yamaha
7. M. Rutter – Worx Crescent Suzuki
8. K. Harris – Hydrex Honda
9. J. Da Costa – MSS Colchester Kawasaki
10. S. Andrews – MSS Colchester Kawasaki