The Gloucester-based Smiths Triumph Racing Team of Australians Glen Richards and Billy McConnell were back in action at round two of the Motorpoint British Supersport Championship at Thruxton this weekend where they endured a weekend of mixed fortunes around the high-speed Hampshire track.

Another strong performance in Saturday morning's dry qualifying session saw both riders qualify on the front row with Glen in second place and Billy third but with heavy rain causing the curtailment of activities as the afternoon progressed, the Sprint race was postponed until today and cut to 10 laps.

In typical Supersport fashion, the race saw a seven-rider battle for the race win until the beginning of the eighth lap when defending champion Richards highsided exiting the final chicane fortunately without injury although his Triumph Daytona 675R caught fire causing the race to be stopped. As a result, Billy was declared fourth but with Glen's non-finish and the machine badly damaged, the team had a tall order to get it ready for the second race later in the day.

However, they did just that and Glen was able to take his place on the grid for the second race later in the day over 15 laps. Again it followed a similar pattern at the head of the field as positions changed hands frequently once more with both Billy and Glen looking strong as the race wore on. Just as they'd moved up into second and fourth respectively, the race was stopped due to a crash and results taken from the previous lap which meant McConnell was awarded fourth and Richards fifth.

Billy McConnell:

"Both races were cut short so it was pretty frustrating from my point of view as the bike was really strong at the end of the race and I felt good but I obviously hope everyone's OK. The tyres were good but we were losing out a bit on top speed so we know where we need to work and now there's a three-week break, we can work a bit more on development of the bike and come back at the next round stronger. I got some good points and we're handily placed but there's a long way to go."


Glen Richards:

"There were lots of damp patches around the circuit and I simply made a mistake and got caught out. I was annoyed to make the mistake but thankful not to be hurt and the team did a great job in getting the bike ready for race two. I wasn't 100% and felt pretty sore whilst the races themselves were hectic so it was tough out there. I gave it a go and tried to pick up as many points as possible but I need to get a bit more out of my own performance. I feel like I'm riding well and the bike's working good so I just need to put all the pieces of the puzzle together."


Rebecca Smith, Team Manager:

"The weather made life difficult for us all and in practice and qualifying it was changing all the time so to have both bikes on the front row was pleasing given the conditions. In the first race Billy put in a solid ride whilst Glen's crash was obviously unfortunate. The fire didn't cause as much damage as it looked but John Trigger, Steve Dewick and the whole team did a great job in getting Glen back out on track for race two. The red flag was frustrating for both riders but Glen got the fastest lap and with both he and Billy in the top five, we're going in the right direction. It's a new bike and we know we can improve but we're already racking up some solid points and are looking to push on from here."

Motorpoint British Supersport Championship Race 1 - 10 laps
1 Stuart Easton (Yamaha)
2 Alastair Seeley (Kawasaki)
3 Ben Wilson (Kawasaki)
4 Billy McConnell (Smiths Racing Triumph)
5 Graeme Gowland (Yamaha)
6 Jason OHalloran (Honda)
DNF Glen Richards (Smiths Racing Triumph)

Motorpoint British Supersport Championship Race 2 - 15 laps
1 Stuart Easton (Yamaha)
2 Ben Wilson (Kawasaki)
3 Alastair Seeley (Kawasaki)
4 Billy McConnell (Smiths Racing Triumph)
5 Glen Richards (Smiths Racing Triumph)
6 Graeme Gowland (Yamaha)

Championship standings (after two rounds)
1 Seeley 77pts
2 Easton 75
3 McConnell 66
4 Wilson 65
5 Gowland 41
6 Jones 37
7 Richards 33

.