Swan Honda set to fly at Thruxton
The Swan Honda team are aiming to maintain their race-winning form this weekend as the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship powers in to Thruxton for the second round at the high-speed Hampshire circuit.
James Ellison battled his way to victory in the opening round of the season at Brands Hatch last weekend to give Swan Honda their first win of the year in the second race. He is just four points adrift of championship leader Tommy Hill and is determined to erase the deficit this weekend.
Stuart Easton lies fourth in the standings after the opening round; he showed his determination to secure a maiden title with two gritty performances at Brands Hatch, despite still suffering from the leg injury sustained in testing. He has a strong history at the circuit, including a podium finish last season and whilst still not fully fit, he is determined not to let that slow his progress.
Ellison said: "We had a great start to the season at Brands Hatch with two podium finishes and it was a great feeling to stand on the top step of the podium on my return to the Swan Honda team. I wasn't expecting it after qualifying tenth, so a third and a first place was a fantastic result for us. I now can't wait to get to Thruxton this weekend; we have a good set-up and we know we have the pace. I was happy to leave the first round second in the standings, but I don't intend to sit back and relax. It is going to be a tough race as there are so many riders capable of running at the front, but consistency is so important and there is no room for error. I was on the podium twice at Thruxton last season, so hopefully we can repeat that and come away in an even stronger position."
Easton said: "I am looking forward to Thruxton this weekend, despite still not being one hundred percent fit. I did have an infection in my leg following the Brands Hatch round, but I have taken a course of antibiotics and it has cleared now. It was just unfortunate really, but I have been lucky that we have had this two week gap for it to clear. I am on the mend now and this weekend I want to do what I did at Brands Hatch and get the best results I can for the Swan Honda team. I don't think it is going to be any more difficult than it was at the first round as Thruxton is flowing unlike the Indy circuit, so in that respect I am looking for possibly even better finishes. I have always had good results at Thruxton in the past, especially in my Supersport days, so hopefully it will be the same this weekend. I want to have two strong point-scoring finishes on Sunday and then I will be a happy man."
Team Manager Shaun Muir said: "Leaving Brands Hatch in good shape with both riders was a big bonus for us. We now need to maintain that consistency as it will be vital for a sustained challenge for the top six come Cadwell Park. The competition for podium finishes will be as strong at Thruxton and the boys know they will be in for a real battle. The Suzukis seem to be stronger than the Hondas in different parts of the circuit as we saw at Brands Hatch, so it's going to be interesting to see how that materialises and we expect a few more riders to come to the front who weren't so fortunate at Brands Hatch. If Stuart can adapt and work around his injuries then we hope to see him in contention alongside James."
