Sam Lowes secured Shark's first British Championship win of the year at Brands Hatch yesterday with a stunning victory in the Supersport 600 race with James Westmoreland finishing second, making it a great 1 - 2 for Shark on Easter Monday.

In the National Superstock race Matt Bilton took second place with Shark- protected John Simpson in third making it another two-out-of-three on the podium.

Howie Mainwaring finished second with Manxman Conor Cummins taking a strong fourth in the hotly-contested Superstock race.

Irishman Michael Laverty's Suzuki expired in the first superbike race while running up front but the Irishman bounced back in the second race to grab a very creditable fourth.

Next weekend sees MotoGP action from Qatar in the season opener and round three of the World Superbike Championships from Valencia Spain. The British Championships resumes at Thruxton in a fortnight. (April 16 17 18)

Michael Laverty:
“I’ll take the positives from the weekend with fourth place in race two, but I have to admit I was frustrated at times with the problems we encountered this weekend. The biggest problem was the lack of track time, but I must give big credit to the boys in the garage as they had absolutely no time to sit back and relax this weekend. There will be better days but it was nice to see Alastair getting his podium.”

Sam Lowes:
"I'm mega happy to get the result for me and for the team as it's been a lot of hard work for both sides. It was a good race and I tried to keep calm at the start as it's a long race and once I got to the front it felt strange as I've never led a Supersport race before! My pit board showed I was getting better and better and I just kept my head down. It upset me a little bit when I came upon the backmarkers but then the red flag came out and I came into pit lane and saw everyone celebrating and I was overwhelmed. We've now got something to build on for the rest of the year and it was nice just to prove that I can do it. A big thanks to all the team for their hard work, I was on it!"

Speaking afterwards, a highly satisfied Conor Cummins said:

"I always enjoy my racing but I definitely enjoyed that race today and it's so nice to get my season underway with a strong result and with some decent points on the board. I had a few skippy moments out there when the rear let go due to the colder temperatures but the bike was flying and the team have done a terrific job in preparing it for me. I thought 2nd could have been mine today but it was one of those races where the result could have gone either way and when I had a bit of a slide at one corner it was enough to let two of the boys through. I was a bit tentative for the next couple of laps after that as I was worried about the rear grip but 4th is a great result for all of us. We haven't been out of the top 5 all weekend, whether wet or dry, and it's great for my confidence to be so competitive so soon. The Championship is harder than it's ever been with ex-British Superbike riders, the reigning British Supersport Champion etc but I'm not in awe of anyone and I t! hink we're going to have a great year. I'm really, really chuffed with 4th place so a big thanks to all the team and sponsors as they've put together a great package that has allowed me to show what I can really do - roll on round 2!"

Superbike - Race 1:
1 / Tommy Hill
2 / Ryuichi Kiyonari
3 / James Ellison
4 / Alastair Seeley
5 / Josh Brookes
6 / Stuart Easton
7 / Michael Rutter
8 / Dan Linfoot
9 / Chris Walker
10 / John Laverty
20 / David Johnson (SHARK)
34 / Michael Laverty (SHARK)

Race 2:
1 / James Ellison
2 / Tommy Hill
3 / Alastair Seeley
4 / Michael Laverty (SHARK)
5 / Stuart Easton
6 / Michael Rutter
7 / John Laverty
8 / Simon Andrews
9 / Martin Jessopp
10 / Steve Brogan
19 / David Johnson (SHARK)

Riders Championship Standings:
1 / Tommy Hill 45
2/ James Ellison 41
3/ Alan Seeley 29
4 / Stuart Easton 21
5 / Ryuichi Kiyonari 20
6 / Michael Rutter 19
7 / John Laverty 15
8 / Michael Laverty (SHARK) 13
9 / Martin Jessopp 12
10 / Josh Brookes 11

Supersport:
1 / Sam Lowes (SHARK)
2 / James Westmoreland (SHARK)
3 / Billy Mcconnell
4 / Jason O'Halloran
5 / Graeme Gowland
6 / Daniel Cooper
7 / Paul Young
8 / Ian Hutchinson
9 / Tom Grant
10 / Allan Jon Venter

Riders Championship Standings:
1 / Sam Lowes (SHARK) 25
2 / James Westmoreland (SHARK) 20
3 / Billy Mcconnell 16
4 / Jason O'Halloran 13
5 / Graeme Gowland 11
6 / Daniel Cooper 10
7 / Paul Young 9
8 / Ian Hutchinson 8
9 / Tom Grant 7
10 / Allan Jon Venter 6

Superstock 1000:
1 / Steve Plater
2 / Howard Mainwaring (SHARK)
3 / Jon Kirkham
4 / Conor Cummins (SHARK)
5 / Luke Quigley
6 / John McGuinness
7 / Tristan Palmer
8 / Richard Cooper
9 / Barry Burrell
10 / Matthew Whitman

Riders Championship Standings:
1 / Steve Plater 25
2 / Howard Mainwaring (SHARK) 20
3 / Jon Kirkham 16
4 / Conor Cummins (SHARK) 13
5 / Luke Quigley 11
6 / John McGuinness 10
7 / Tristan Palmer 9
8 / Richard Cooper 8
9 / Barry Burrell 7
10 / Matthew Whitman 6

Superstock 600:
1 / Jimmy Hill
2 / Matt Bilton (SHARK)
3 / John Simpson (SHARK)
4 / Freddie Russo
5 / James East
6 / Josh Wainwright
7 / Anthony Rogers
8 / Nikki Coates (SHARK)
9 / Luke Stapleford
10 / Liam Lyon

Riders Championship Standings:
1 / Jimmy Hill 25
2 / Matt Bilton (SHARK) 20
3 / John Simpson (SHARK) 16
4 / Freddie Russo 13
5 / James East 11
6 / Josh Wainwright 10
7 / Anthony Rogers 9
8 / Nikki Coates 8 (SHARK)
9 / Luke Stapleford 7
10 / Liam Lyon 6

Moto Guzzi announces their most exciting ride-out to date. A journey that is as important as the destination.

This year the Moto Guzzi factory is launching a European tour ending at EICMA 2009, the 67th International Motorcycle show in Milan where a special celebration for Moto Guzzi owners will take place. UK Moto Guzzi owners will have the thrill of riding their own Guzzis in convoy across the heart of Europe.

Called “Where Eagles Fly”, this unique touring experience will be a great opportunity to meet fellow Guzzi owners and other club members from all over Europe on a trip to Italy with everything taken care of. Riders will receive a complete participation kit including Moto Guzzi road map showing the route, programme, hospitality voucher, badge, patch and customised Moto Guzzi diary for the trip. The best travel journals and photos capturing the most significant moments in the journey of each group will be published on the website http://uk.motoguzzi.it

From the moment riders turn on their engines at the departure point in London, Moto Guzzi will be on hand to provide support for the entire journey, with a lead rider and a back-up van with technical support. The organisers of the famous Mille Miglia race have been contracted to run the Where Eagles Fly tour, ensuring it will be a memorable and special experience for all participants.

Convoys of Moto Guzzi enthusiasts and their bikes will set off from six European cities to meet in Milan on November 10th for the opening of the EICMA 2009 motorcycle show.

On November 8th, the British Guzzisti participating in the first Where Eagles Fly tour will set off from London (other convoys will also be setting off from Madrid, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Vienna and Naples). The routes and instructions for participating in the event are available from the website www.whereaglesfly.com/EN

On Sunday 8th November, British riders will set off from London covering 920 miles in three legs stopping overnight at Paris, Grenoble and finally Milan. The route takes in a variety of stunning scenery including fantastic alpine passes en route to crossing the Italian border.

Different packages are available for British enthusiasts wishing to take part in the great Where Eagles Fly raid: from the comprehensive full board package, which includes accommodation and meals for both the outbound and return journeys, to bookings for the Where Eagles Fly party alone on Tuesday November 10th, during which all the news from Moto Guzzi for 2010 will be unveiled in an exclusive event, attended by key figures from the Guzzi world and with a unique exhibition of bikes from the past, present and near future. Participants will receive entry to the hospitality area on the Piaggio Group exhibition stand, a reserved garage area for parking, preview presentation of a new Moto Guzzi model, auction of vintage Guzzi motorcycles topped off by a performance from a contemporary band of Guzzi owning musicians!

For the first time ever, approximately 800 Moto Guzzi motorcycles and their owners will come together to form the Moto Guzzi logo mosaic at the EICMA venue, in a bid to create a new Guinness World Record.

Where Eagles Fly promises to be a once in a lifetime experience for Moto Guzzi owners, so reserve your place today at www.whereeaglesfly.com

Ryan Farquhar created history at Killalane on Sunday when he took three more road race wins to break the all-time Irish record, previously held by the legendary Joey Dunlop. Farquhar's hat-trick saw him move on to 121 Irish National road race wins, three more than the total set by Dunlop whilst it also moved him on to a staggering 60 for the season. It's been a truly remarkable year for the KMR Kawasaki rider and one that will go down in the record books as one of the best ever years, in any discipline, by a rider.

Speaking later, a delighted, and emotional, Ryan said: "It's been a really good weekend and to be standing here now with the all-time record of 121 wins is something special - if anyone had told me that when I started racing I would have laughed at them! My hand injuries were still causing me a few problems and I had to have an injection each day but once the adrenalin kicked in, the pain eased a bit and I was able to get my head down and to claim another hat-trick is simply superb - it really has been a brilliant year. I did have a reminder today though how fine a line it is when the rear hugger jammed into the rear wheel and locked it up, snapping it sideways, when in fourth gear. It would have been a major incident but fortunately I managed to bring the bike under control and thanks to the help of a couple of marshals, I was able to get going again."

"The BBC had a camera crew with me all weekend and the Killalane club presented me with a really nice piece of crystal when I broke the record whilst the number of well wishers dropping by to wish me good luck was pretty overwhelming. I haven't reached 121 wins on my own though and I've got to give special mention to my Grandad, who bought me first ever bike, Ernie Kee and Stephen Ewing. Winston McAdoo gave me my first opportunity on four-stroke machinery and then Kenny Harker and Nick Morgan came on board whilst Kawasaki UK, Shark Helmets, Beta Tools and the '77 Supporters Club' have been a huge help also. Everyone who has helped me in my career, whether personally, financially or professionally, all deserve credit as without them none of it would have happened and I'm extremely grateful for everyone who's been with me along the way."

Ryan has one more chance to add to his tally of wins in 2009 as he will be competing at the International Gold Cup races at Oliver's Mount, Scarborough next weekend, the races taking place at the North Yorkshire coastal circuit on September 19-20.

Sylvian Guintoli endured a torrid weekend at Croft following a tough qualifying session translating to a DNF in race one followed by 13th place in Race 2.

Shark-wearing Ian Lowry continued his solid performances this year by posting two top-seven places which keep him in fourth spot in the Championship and in-line for Rookie-of-the-year Award.

In the Supersport 600 class James Westmoreland finished 4th in the race and still holds third in the Championship and in the Stock 600 class Sam Lowes won the Cup category and is now 38 points clear leading the Cup Championship.

In the 125cc Relentless category Tim Hastings again leads the Cup Championship by a strong margin and finished the main race with a podium after having taken third place.

And finally in the Stock 600 class Jamie Hamilton took a best of the day with a second place (and leads the Cup Championship by a healthy 47 points.)

The British Championship resumes in two weeks at Silverstone for the penultimate meeting of the season.

Sylvian Guintoli: "This weekend's results are far from ideal. Crashing yesterday in qualifying and my not setting a decent time really didn't help. So we started today's races miles from the front. And in that first race I struggled to get my rhythm, to be honest I was really slow and then I crashed right at the end...

However, that result convinced us to revert to some of my old settings for the second race. These were quite different from where we've been these last two meetings so it took me a few laps to get a feel for it. But from there on it felt better and better. The result was still rubbish, but my rhythm had come back – I set my fastest lap on the penultimate lap."

Ian Lowry: “Race one went really well for me after a bad start. I had to force my way through the field and I was happy enough with the end result. In the second race my start was actually a lot better but Kiyonari hit me going into turn one, leaving me all the work to do over again. My GSX–R1000 Superbike came through them like a ‘wee train’, closing a 2.5 second gap to Tommy Hill and Simon Andrews in just five laps.

Unfortunately my efforts ended in vain as I just couldn’t get past them, but finishing the day fourth in the championship is positive enough. I’m now looking forward to Silverstone, as our bike will suit the track. Big thanks to all the boys in the team as they had a lot of hard work to do after I wrecked my bike in morning warm up.”

BSB Croft

Race 1
1. Stuart Easton
2. James Ellison
3. Josh Brookes
4. Ryuichi Kiyonari
5. Ian Lowry (Shark Helmets)
6. Leon Camier
7. Tommy Hill
8. Gary Mason
9. Julien Da Costa (Shark Helmets)
10. Graeme Gowland
11. Peter Hickman
12. Tommy Bridewell
13. John Laverty
14. Karl Harris
15. Howie Mainwaring

Race 2
1. Leon Camier
2. Stuart Easton
3. Josh Brookes
4. James Ellison
5. Simon Andrews
6. Tommy Hill
7. Ian Lowry (Shark Helmets)
8. Gary Mason
9. Julien Da Costa (Shark Helmets)
10. John Laverty
11. Chris Walker
12. Graeme Gowland
13. Sylvain Guintoli (Shark Helmets)
14. Tommy Bridewell
15. Peter Hickman

Ryan Farquhar overcame a nasty practice spill to take a double victory at last week's Manx GP and continue his amazing run of success in 2009. The Dungannon rider slipped off his 350cc Honda at Guthrie's Memorial in the final practice session, sustaining a broken bone in his hand, but he re-grouped to take both the Post Classic and 500cc Classic victories, smashing the lap record in the latter to become the first man to lap at over 110mph on a Classic machine.

While in Ireland, Shark are proud to announce two new Champions. The brothers Murphy are causing a stir. Andrew Murphy (17) was crowned the Irish Clubmans 600 Champion and his younger brother Darragh (14)
won the Irish Clubmans Production 125cc Championship

The Grand Prix men were racing in Misano, Italy yesterday with stand-out Shark performances from Mike DI MEGLIO, Jules CLUZEL and Alex DEBON who finished fifth, sixth and seventh respectively in the 250cc class.

At the Nurburgring, Germany the World Superbike and World Supersport men were racing. Troy Corser and Tom Sykes both scored well in both main SBK races and ex Supersport Champion, Fabien Foret finished in a strong fifth in the Supersport race.

MotoGP
1 / Valentino ROSSI
2 / Jorge LORENZO
3 / Dani PEDROSA
4 / Andrea DOVIZIOSO
5 / Loris CAPIROSSI
6 / Toni ELIAS
7 / Mika KALLIO
8 / Marco MELANDRI
9 / Chris VERMEULEN
10 / James TOSELAND
11 / Aleix ESPARGARO
12 / Randy DE PUNIET (Shark Helmets)
13 / Niccolo CANEPA
14 / Gabor TALMACSI (Shark Helmets)

World Championship Positions:
1 ROSSI Valentino 237
2 LORENZO Jorge 207
3 PEDROSA Dani 157
4 STONER Casey 150
5 DOVIZIOSO Andrea 133
6 EDWARDS Colin 123
7 CAPIROSSI Loris 97
8 DE ANGELIS Alex 88
9 DE PUNIET Randy 88 (Shark Helmets)
10 MELANDRI Marco 87
11 VERMEULEN Chris 84
12 ELIAS Toni 80
13 TOSELAND James 78
14 HAYDEN Nicky 73
15 KALLIO Mika 51.

250cc
1 / Hector BARBERA
2 / Mattia PASINI
3 / Alvaro BAUTISTA
4 / Hiroshi AOYAMA
5 / Mike DI MEGLIO (Shark Helmets)
6 / Jules CLUZEL (Shark Helmets)
7 / Alex DEBON (Shark Helmets)
8 / Raffaele DE ROSA
9 / Hector FAUBEL
10 / Thomas LUTHI

World Championship Positions:
1 AOYAMA Hiroshi 205
2 BAUTISTA Alvaro 192
3 SIMONCELLI Marco 165
4 BARBERA Hector 158
5 PASINI Mattia 120
6 DE ROSA Raffaele 90
7 FAUBEL Hector 86
DEBON Alex 82 (Shark Helmets)
9 LUTHI Thomas 80
10 LOCATELLI Roberto 78
11 DI MEGLIO Mike 74 (Shark Helmets)
12 CLUZEL Jules 58 (Shark Helmets)

125cc:
1 / Julian SIMON
2 / Nicolas TEROL
3 / Bradley SMITH
4 / Marc MARQUEZ
5 / Sandro CORTESE
6 / Stefan BRADL
7 / Simone CORSI
8 / Joan OLIVE
9 / Jonas FOLGER
10 / Danny WEBB

World Championship Positions:
1 SIMON Julian 210
2 TEROL Nicolas 152,5
3 SMITH Bradley 147,5
4 GADEA Sergio 112
5 IANNONE Andrea 109,5
6 ESPARGARO Pol 104,5 (Shark Helmets)
7 MARQUEZ Marc 87
8 CORTESE Sandro 76
9 BRADL Stefan 72
10 FOLGER Jonas 69
11 OLIVE Joan 63
12 CORSI Simone 57
13 AEGERTER Dominiqu 51,5
14 REDDING Scott 45,5, (Shark Helmets)
15 VAZQUEZ Efren 36. (Shark Helmets)

SBK / WSS Nurburgring, GERMANY

Results
SUPERSPORT
1 / C.CRUTCHLOW
2 / E. LAVERTY
3 / J. LASCORZ
4 / M.ROCCOLI
5 / F. FORET (Shark Helmets)
6 / M.AITCHISON
7 / A. PITT
8 / G.MCCOY
9 / R.HARMS
10 / D. DELL'OMO
11 / M.PRAIA
12 / B. VENEMAN
13 / G.VIZZIELLO
14 / K. WAHR
15 / A. WEST

Riders Championship Standings:
1 CRUTCHLOW 210
2 LAVERTY 188
3 LASCORZ 138
4 SOFUOGLU 128
5 FORET 99 (Shark Helmets)
6 WEST 96
7 PITT 94
8 AITCHISON 71
9 MCCOY 71
10 ROCCOLI 62
11 FUJIWARA 52
12 VENEMAN 49
13 PIRRO 49
14 LAGRIVE 38 (Shark Helmets)
15 NANNELLI 31

SUPERBIKE
Race 1
1 / B. SPIES
2 / N. HAGA
3 / C. CHECA
4 / J. REA
5 / M. BIAGGI
6 / L. HASLAM
7 / M. FABRIZIO
8 / T. CORSER (Shark Helmets)
9 / T. SYKES (Shark Helmets)
10 / S. BYRNE
11 / M. LAGRIVE (Shark Helmets)
12 / K. MUGGERIDGE (Shark Helmets)
13 / J. SMRZ
14 / R. KIYONARI
15 / Y. KAGAYAMA

Race 2:
1 / J. REA
2 / B. SPIES
3 / C. CHECA
4 / M.BIAGGI
5 / L. HASLAM
6 / T. CORSER (Shark Helmets)
7 / R. KIYONARI
8 / T. SYKES (Shark Helmets)
9 / M.FABRIZIO
10 / Y. KAGAYAMA
11 / J. SMRZ
12 / F. NIETO
13 / B. PARKES (Shark Helmets)
14 / L. SCASSA
15 / V. IANNUZZO

Riders Championship Standings:
1 SPIES 364
2 HAGA 346
3 FABRIZIO 289
4 REA 244
5 BIAGGI 224
6 HASLAM 201
7 CHECA 177
8 SYKES 165 (Shark Helmets)
9 BYRNE 140
10 SMRZ 140