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Sam Bishop wins the championship! |
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19 August 2008 |
Sam Bishop, the local superbike rider KCJ has sponsored for the last three seasons, won the MRO Pirelli-Metzeler Superstock 1000 Series on Saturday (16th August). KCJ Partner, Bob Mc Geady, joined Sam's family at Oulton Park in Cheshire to watch him finish the last championship race of the season, an impressive 42 points ahead of his closest rival, Lee Hodge!
Sam began the weekend by qualify in 4th place on Friday on a dry track with a best lap time of 1.
Sam Bishop, the local superbike rider KCJ has sponsored for the last three seasons, won the MRO Pirelli-Metzeler Superstock 1000 Series on Saturday (16th August). KCJ Partner, Bob Mc Geady, joined Sam's family at Oulton Park in Cheshire to watch him finish the last championship race of the season, an impressive 42 points ahead of his closest rival, Lee Hodge!
Sam began the weekend by qualify in 4th place on Friday on a dry track with a best lap time of 1.44.308. Two riders (Kieran Blair and Gavin Hunt) from the British Superstock series took 1st and 2nd places on the grid.
RACE 1 - 13. 8 laps. Track Dry. New Tyres.
Long delays caused by communication problems at the circuit, and an incident in the previous race necessitating the air ambulance collecting an injured rider meant that the Superstock 1000 race was postponed by at least an hour, and with the ever increasing risk of rain, this could have been a crucial factor in the outcome of Sam's final championship placings. However, the rain held off and Race 1 took place in the dry.
Sam got the holeshot but his lead was quickly squashed by Blair, relegating him to 2nd place. Gavin Hunt and Mark Lister also passed Sam on this first lap and Sam settled into 4th place ahead of Hodge and Baker. Ferns fell early in the race, having never posed a threat despite qualifying in 3rd place.
Some very close racing ensued between Sam and Lee Hodge who had pulled a good lead on Baker and Nelson behind. Hodge made his move on lap 5 and Sam sensibly finished the race in a safe 5th place, crossing the line just under two tenths of a second behind Hodge, and 8 seconds ahead of Nelson.
Finished 5th. Best lap time 1.44.446.
Sam increased his championship lead to 277 points, with Baker on 237 and Hodge also on 237. With only 25 points left to be won from race 2, Sam has now safely secured the championship without needing to take part in race 2!
RACE 2 - Grid 4/12. Track dry. New Tyres.
Once again Sam got the holeshot and once again Blair soon took control, leaving Sam in 2nd place ahead of Hunt for the first lap. Hunt claimed second place on lap 2, and Sam remained in 3rd for almost all of the remainder of the race. He was under immense pressure from Lister and Hodge behind, and all three were separated by inches as the race unfolded.
Sam remained level-headed and kept control of the situation. Hunt made a mistake at the 2nd chicane on lap 4 and rode over the grass, allowing the Bishop/Lister/Hodge freight train to close in on him. The ever-predatory Lister seized his chance at the last corner of the last lap to take the last podium position, relegating Sam to 4th, and the pair crossed the finish line with just 0.183 seconds separating them. Hodge was 5th, exactly one second behind.
Finished 4th. Best lap time 1.44.406.
Final Points:
Sam Bishop 290
Lee Hodge 248
Peter Baker 247
Mark Lister 238
Carl Nelson 168
Well done Sam!!
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