GNS Racing's Sam Lowes put in another excellent ride in round seven of the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship as he finished in second place at Snetterton today. The 19-year-old challenged for the lead of the race throughout but eventually settled for second place and 20 points to substantially extend his lead at the top of the Championship table.

Having qualified in a strong second place, Lowes made an excellent start and immediately slotted in to second place at the completion of the first lap behind Graeme Gowland. He stayed here for the next two laps until Championship rival James Westmoreland overhauled him but no sooner had he done so, then Westmoreland crashed out at the chicane thus handing the title initiative back to Sam.

Positions remained the same for the next few laps although there was very little to choose between Gowland and Sam, the former just managing to keep the latter at bay. On the 18th lap however, Gowland made a mistake at the final chicane and it allowed Sam to move into the lead and raise hopes of a third win of the season for the Lincoln rider.

Gowland wasn't to be denied his debut win of the year though and he soon drafted back past Sam and was able to hold on until the chequered flag, eventually taking the win and with Westmoreland out, the 20 points for second place saw Sam's Championship lead extend from 15 points to 35 and put him in an excellent position with five rounds of the series remaining.

For second team member Paul Jordan, there was disappointment as he was forced to retire on the 16th lap whilst comfortably leading the Cup competition. The young Ulsterman had been on fine form all weekend around the Norfolk circuit having qualified in 16th place, the second of the Cup riders and looked like he'd be on the podium, at least in the race. After Luke Mossey retired, he took over the lead in the Cup race and, in 15th place overall, he was five seconds clear of his nearest rival only to be forced out himself at three-quarter race distance.


Sam Lowes:

"It was a great race and second place is a really strong result for both myself and the team. Sure, I'd have loved to have taken the win but having seen James crash out, I used my head and stayed focused on the overall Championship and with six podiums from seven races, being at the top of the table is a healthy position to be in. Graeme rode a great race and although I got by him near the end, he was able to get by me along the back straight and it just wasn't worth taking a risk and trying to get by him on the last lap. Twenty more points for the Championship is mega and I'm so pleased for everyone involved with the team as they've all worked incredibly hard again to keep us right up there throughout. I've got a wild card ride to look forward to now at the World Supersport Championship race at Silverstone and we can go there with no pressure and move forward again."


Paul Jordan:

"I'm obviously really disappointed with how the race turned out as we'd been having a really strong weekend. I'd been chipping away at my times throughout the two days of practice and qualifying and was running a really good pace so felt confident coming into the race. I was running in the top 15 overall and thought I'd got the Cup race in the bag but the bike just stopped and that was that. I feel for the team as they gave me a great bike all weekend so a big thank you to them for all their work and I'm just sorry we couldn't get the result we deserved."

Gary Stubbington:

"We were so near to a double victory today and the race again showed how far we've come as a team. Sam rode a fantastic race and I'm glad he finished in second to extend his Championship lead. Obviously, it's always good to win but having seen his main Championship rival crash out, the most important thing was not to risk anything and come home in a safe position. Risking the extra five points for the win just wouldn't have been worth it as points make prizes at the end of the day. On the flip side, it was a real shame for Paul as he'd been riding excellently all weekend and deserved to take the Cup win. We're not sure what the problem was but we'll be looking to get him back on the podium next time out."


Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship result (20 laps)

1 Graeme Gowland (Honda) 22m44.806s
2 Sam Lowes (GNS Racing Honda) +0.426s
3 Daniel Cooper (Triumph) +3.532s
4 Glen Richards (Honda) +5.402s
5 Ben Wilson (Kawasaki) +5.727s
6 Jason O'Halloran (Yamaha) +7.100s
7 Marty Nutt (Yamaha) +8.491s
8 Billy McConnell (Yamaha) +9.495s
9 Jack Kennedy (Yamaha) +13.630s
10 Alex Lowes (Yamaha) +13.807s

DNF Paul Jordan (GNS Racing Honda) 6 laps


Cup result

1 Max Hunt (Yamaha)
2 Patrick McDougall (Yamaha)
3 Jenny Tinmouth (Honda)
4 Matthew Hoyle (Kawasaki)
5 Mark Cringle (Triumph)

Championship standings (after 7 rounds)

1 Lowes (GNS Racing Honda) 126
2 Westmoreland 91
= McConnell 91
4 Gowland 87
5 Wilson 74
6 Kennedy 67

Cup standings after (after 7 rounds)

1 McDougall 107
2 Tinmouth 98
3 Hunt 88
4 Jones 77
5 Kneen 68
6 Cringle 67
7 Jordan (GNS Racing Honda) 64