27-09-2010 |
James Westmoreland finishes 2nd at Silverstone.
CAME Yamaha´s James Westmoreland finishes secound behind newly crowned Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport champion Sam Lowes in an incident-packed penultimate round at Silverstone.
The race was initially red flagged on the opening lap when several riders crashed at Copse, with Chris Martin, Scot Kelly and Pat McDougall all uninjured whilst Padgetts Honda's Ian Hutchinson suffered a compound fracture to his left tibia and fibular. At the restart James Westmoreland had a flyer and took the lead from 4th into the first corner but was soon passed by eventual winner Sam Lowes. Having made a small mistake on Lap 5 at the chicane Westy found himself having to fend off the close attentions of Ben Wilson and Jason O´Halloran who both managed to pass him. Westy then rode a brilliant final lap passing both Jason O´Halloran and then around the outside of Ben Wilson to finish 2nd and secure 2nd position in the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship.
Westmoreland said: "We knew heading to Silverstone that we were up against it in the Championship, but we needed a strong performance on raceday. The race got underway and I settled into 3rd before a red flag was shown half way around the lap due to a bad crash at turn 1. Before the restart I knew my bike felt great and I was actually looking forward to racing in those conditions. I got the wholeshot into turn 1 from 4th which was great, before Sam Lowes passed me on the first lap. It was good to have someone infront to gauge the conditions! I gradually closed on him on the first 4 laps before I made a mistake on lap 5 at the chicane which lost me a bit of time. I felt really good but couldnt quite get back on terms with him. With two laps to go Ben Wilson passed me and on the last lap Jason O Halloran got me into turn 1. I rode a fantastic final lap, passing Jason out of turn 1 and riding around the outside of Ben Wilson. I had put too much into the race to not stand on the podium. I finished 2nd which I know might be becoming a bit boring, but for me it was a massive relief and weight lifted off my shoulders. It was my first podium in wet conditions and that meant a lot to me. "
"I was delighted to have had such a breakthrough and a big thank you must go to my team because my bike felt awesome and was a joy to ride. Sam won the race and Championship and congratulations to him and his team they have done a great job and deserve it. We now head to Oulton Park for the final round. It would be great to finish the year in style and as always my aim will be to win. For myself and Sam the pressure is off, and hopefully we can put on a great race for the crowd . A big thanks to all my team, sponsors, family and friends, I will keep pushing 100% as always."
For more images of the CAME Yamaha Team
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