McAMS Racing and Danny Kent secure sixth in Race One at Oulton Park

The first race day of Round 2 of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park was a positive one for McAMS Racing and Danny Kent, who finished sixth in the opening race of the weekend.

Danny Kent secured more crucial championship points today, securing a strong top-six finish in the opening 18-lap encounter at Cheshire’s Oulton Park.

Having wrapped up the opening day of action in seventh, the McAMS Racing rider rolled out for Qualifying 2 and once again showed his speed in the 15-minute session. The 30-year-old from Tetbury clocked an impressive 1:33.758, securing him a second-row start for the weekend’s opening race.

Making a strong getaway from his second-row grid slot, the number 52 rider pushed on, as he gradually closed the gap to Ryan Vickers ahead.

Having caught Vickers with just a handful of laps remaining, Kent looked for a way through, and the opportunity soon arose. A late-race lunge into Shell Oils on the final lap rewarded him with the top five position, but despite his best efforts to stay ahead, he narrowly missed out on a top-five as the pair crossed the line with just 0.093s between them.

Kent’s strong top-six finish sees him hold third in the standings ahead of Monday’s two races, starting the 12-lap Sprint Race from third on the grid.

Danny Kent

Race 1: P6
“I have mixed emotions about today’s race. Obviously, I expect better results than 6th place, but honestly, the team and I have worked mega this weekend. As I’ve said before, Oulton Park is a difficult circuit for me, but with the work the team has done, they’ve made it a lot better for me. I learnt a lot during the race and I’ll try to make some improvements for tomorrow. We start from the front row for the sprint race, so we’ve put ourselves in a good position to have a positive race.”

Tim Martin – Team Owner

“Race 1 was a really good race for us. A top-six result was always the plan. It feels great to be competitive and to know that we have the pace to fight towards the front of the field. Hopefully tomorrow, we’ll be able to make some more improvements and aim to secure a better result. A big thanks to the team for the exceptional work throughout the day. We’re all feeling positive as we move into tomorrow.”

Nearly a podium for Danny Kent on Monday

McAMS Racing and Danny Kent narrowly missed out on a podium finish in a strong final day at Oulton Park, rounding the weekend out with two fourth-place finishes to leave the Cheshire circuit as the highest scoring Yamaha rider in the field.

The team had predicted Oulton Park would pose some challenges as history shows it’s not been the strongest venue for neither Kent nor the R1 in recent years, so to miss out on two rostrum finishes by a narrow margin, marks a successful weekend.

Kent took to the grid as the highest-placed Yamaha rider ahead of Monday’s Sprint Race, starting from the front row in third. A strong opening few laps saw the 2015 Moto3 World Champion settle into his rhythm in fourth, making many attempts to enter the top three as the race progressed.

Despite his best efforts, Kent was unable to find a way through and eventually crossed the line in fourth, earning himself a further 12 points for the championship.

With the goal of a podium finish in mind ahead of the final race of the weekend, Kent started from the middle of the second row, yet again, making a positive start from lights out.

The Yamaha R1 rider remained latched onto the leading duo in third for almost the entirety of the 18-lap race, asserting his presence and appearing as a true podium contender.

While a shuffle of positions unfolded amongst the leading pack, fellow R1 rider, Ryan Vickers edged closer to the front. Having managed to attach himself to the back of the group with just a couple of laps remaining, the OMG GRILLA Yamaha rider made a last-lap attack on third to push Danny out of the podium positions.

While disappointed to have missed out on a podium finish, both McAMS Racing and Kent can move towards the next round of the season at Donington Park with a positive feeling, carrying the momentum forward to a track more suited to both Kent and the R1 superbike.

Kent and the team sit fourth in the championship standings after two rounds, just three points away from third. With Round 3 of the championship just two weeks away at Donington Park, it’s all eyes forward onto what the team hope to be a strong weekend in Yamaha territory.

Danny Kent

Race 2 – P4 (+0.687)
Race 3 – P4 (+0.665)
“Coming into this weekend, if you’d have offered me two fourth-place finishes and a sixth then I would’ve bitten your hand off. Oulton Park has always been a track that I’ve struggled at, but the team worked so well to give me a package that I could improve on. I’m disappointed to miss out on a podium so close to the end of the race, but we approach the next round of the season with many positives to take with us. We gathered up three solid sets of results, so I’m excited to carry that momentum across to Donington Park. My mindset moving forward is to come to every round, aim to fight for podiums and to achieve my career-first BSB win. There’s no better place to do that than Donington Park. It’s a track that suits my style a lot and a track that also plays to the strengths of the R1. I can’t wait to get there.”

Tim Martin

“To come away from the weekend with a sixth and two fourth place finishes is a positive end result for us as a team. We came into Oulton Park looking to finish in the top six, so to have collected the three results that we did was a great outcome. We’re slightly disappointed to have missed out on a podium in that last race, but Ryan rode really well to pip us across the line. Oulton Park isn’t a track that suits the Yamaha as we have seen, but our form this weekend shows that the R1 can still do a good job. The package should be a lot stronger at the remaining tracks on the calendar, so we’re excited to give Danny something that he can fight with.”