The Gloucester-based Smiths Racing Triumph Team enjoyed the best weekend of their 2013 Motorpoint British Supersport Championship campaign at round nine at Donington Park this weekend with Billy McConnell taking a pair of podiums, including his second win of the season, and fellow Australian team-mate Glen Richards taking his first rostrum of the season.

With both riders flying in the solitary qualifying session, Glen lined up in second place just a fraction adrift of pole position man Stuart Easton whilst Billy held fifth despite only completing half the session after a spill at McLeans. Indeed, Saturday's 12-lap Sprint race saw the trio involved in the fight for the podium positions throughout with Billy and Easton constantly exchanging positions at the head of the field. The lead changed on numerous occasions with Billy constantly fighting back with some excellent overtaking manoeuvres and he sealed the win on the final lap to come home clear of Easton with Glen just a further second back in third.

The longer 18-lap race saw another hectic battle between the leading protagonists with Billy leading the way up until the seventh lap when Easton took over. That left Billy to battle with fellow Australian Jason O'Halloran but with the red flag coming out on lap15; the result saw Billy having to settle for third with Glen a further 1.6 seconds behind in fourth. The results this weekend have seen McConnell move back up to third overall in the title race.

Billy McConnell:

"It's good to move up to third in the championship and although you never like following up a win with a third, it's been my biggest points haul of the season and we're back at the sharp end which is where we want to be. Both races were tough but we just got caught out by the red flag in the second race and with everyone pushing so hard, it shows the importance of always being at the front. I'm really happy with how well the Smiths Triumph Daytona 675R is working and we're coming on in leaps and bounds so it's good to repay the team with two good results so a big thanks to them once more."

Glen Richards:

"It's been a long, hard slog this season so to get back onto the podium feels great. I felt strong at the beginning of the season when the bike was in its infancy and then when the development work started paying off I got injured, so it's very satisfying to have the two come together at last. My fitness is back and the bike's really good now and we're seeing that in both Billy's and my results so we'll be looking to end the season with more podiums."

Rebecca Smith, Team Manager:

"We've made another step forward this weekend and all the hard work that we've constantly been doing during the season is paying off now. Our technicians JT and Jason have been working with Arrow Exhausts since the last round and we've found a bit more power which we knew was there so it's great that we're reaping the rewards. I can't praise the team high enough for all their efforts and every single person has been doing their bit so it's been a good weekend.


"With four top four finishes, including three podiums, we've secured our best results and Billy's moved up to third so we're ending the season very strongly. The red flag jinx struck again but we can't complain and with both Billy and Glen riding at their best we'll regroup for the next round, continue to work hard and look to replicate, and hopefully better, this weekend's results at Assen in two weeks time."

Motorpoint British Supersport Championship Race 1 12 laps

1 Billy McConnell (Smiths Racing Triumph)
2 Stuart Easton (Yamaha)
3 Glen Richards (Smiths Racing Triumph)
4 Ben Wilson (Kawasaki)
5 Graeme Gowland (Yamaha)
6 Richard Cooper (Triumph)

Motorpoint British Supersport Championship Race 2 18 laps

1 Stuart Easton (Yamaha)
2 Jason O'Halloran (Honda)
3 Billy McConnell (Smiths Racing Triumph)
4 Glen Richards (Smiths Racing Triumph)
5 Taylor Mackenzie (Suzuki)
6 Graeme Gowland (Yamaha)

Championship standings (after nine rounds)

1 Easton 326pts
2 Seeley 318
3 McConnell 269
4 Wilson 263
5 Gowland 206
6 O'Halloran 164
7 Richards 140

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