Held Race News: Joe Burns, Thruxton, National Superstock 1000

Joe Burns - Race Report Thruxton, (Round seven)

Only one week ago Joe Burns came on board with IN Competiton Racing to compete on our new Aprilia RSV4RF in the Pirelli Superstock 1000 class in the British Superbike Bike series. We are absolutely delighted with Joe’s performance this weekend. 

Joe Burns, National Superstock 1000. Photo: Chris Brown, @visordownphoto

He came out strong from the beginning, leading FP1 most of the way only dropping to second on the last lap. Unfortunately qualifying didn't go so well meaning Joe had to start from 14th on the grid. 

During the race he was as far back as 15th but he battled hard and put in a great second half of the race to finish a very credible 7th position and was only 0.3 seconds off the fastest lap of the race, this is a fantastic achievement considering the small amount of time he has had on the bike. 

We would like to say a big thank you to everyone that has helped get us out this weekend, special mention to Edward Allingham, Ian Newton, Adrian Gorst, Dave Lewis, Ruairi Grimes and of course our sponsors that have come on board with this new project. Really looking forward to Cadwell Park to see what progress we can make!

To learn more about Held motorcycle gear in the UK, including a list of UK stockists and an online catalogue please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

Held wearing National Superstock 1000 racer Joe Burns at Silverstone

Following the good result at Donington and the character building BSB debut in Assen, Joe and his team were looking forward to an outing at Silverstone, the early October weather was its usual variable self, with dry and sunny conditions for Free Practice and Qualifying, rain on the Saturday followed by dry conditions for the race on Sunday.

Joe Burns at Silverstone- pic: Jon Jessop Photography

Free Practice ended with Joe in 5th place, 1.8 seconds of fastest man Danny Buchan, however the good news was that the team felt they could find more speed from the bike.
True enough Joe went out in qualifying and set his fastest ever time around the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit, and this with a setup that was not quite perfect, the end result was 7th on the grid, but with 0.5 seconds covering positions 3 to 7.

Sunday morning warm up and again Joe was 7th with a slightly larger margin, but generally things were looking positive for a good race, his 7th position on the grid being the outside of row 3, directly behind Buchan.

The race started well for Joe, he picked up 6th place by the end of lap 1 and then settled in to consistent lap times, by lap 6 he had secured 5th place and was in a tight group of three fighting over 3rd place, the result of this battle was a 5th place.

After the race Joe said’ “This was a tough race, the pace at the front of Superstock 1000 this year has been incredible, it seems like the top 6 riders are all making huge steps forward at every race meeting, it is great to be in amongst this group. 

The team is working hard to keep in the hunt, and once again I must thank all my sponsors, particularly JG Speedfit, Refresh Recovery and EACS, I am a little disappointed to have slipped to 8th in the Championship, but it is only by 2 points, roll on Brands Hatch.”

With this result Joe now lies 8th in the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship.
The next race takes place at Brands Hatch 19th October.

www.held-uk.co.uk for more information on the fantastic motorcycle leathers worn by Joe Burns

Held wearing Racer Joe Burns: his BSB Assen report

National Superstock 1000 racer and Held wearer Joe Burns  gave British Superbikes a go at Assen on a wildcard entry. He did rather well we think! Here's his report:

Assen in Holland was the scene of a 2014 debut ride for Joe Burns in the British Superbike Championship, the preceding week was spent working hard to prepare a bike that would comply fully to the BSB regulations, several late nights resulted in a departure to Holland with a bike that had been on the dyno, but not been track tested.

Free Practice 1 on a track that Joe had never ridden before ended with Joe 26th fastest and with a lot of time to find, the team worked through a number of set up adjustments and by the end of the session felt they knew more about the bike and its handling characteristics.

Joe Burns at Assen. Photo courtesy of John Jessop Photography

So to Free Practice 2, during this session Joe found almost half a second on his lap time, however everyone was moving forwards, consequently Joe was 27th quickest.
In Free Practice 3 Joe and the team clicked, Joe now understood the bike and the layout of the circuit, when the flag fell marking the end of the session he was 18th fastest and had made a 2 second per lap improvement in comparison to his earlier times.
Confidence was good for Qualifying, however Joe’s time did not improve over the one set in FP 3 with the result he complete Q1 in 24th place, missing out on participation in Q2 by 1 second.

The race day warm up saw Joe set a time that was 25th fastest, however the weather now began to play a part with Race 1 starting damp and then turning wet part way through, Joe started with a slick front and wet rear, he got a good start and by lap 2 was in 14th place, he then picked up a place per lap and by the eighth lap was in 9th position. However a combination of the weather and his rear tyre wear then intervened and unfortunately the bike slipped out from under him. No serious damage resulted, but the BSB rules stop you remounting and continuing in the race.

Race 2 took place in dry conditions and Joe started from 10th position on the grid a result of his lap time in race 1, placing him between Shakey Byrne and Stuart Easton, however this time the start was not so good and he fell back to 15th, however he worked his way forward to 13th place by lap 13, at which point disaster struck on the pit straight, a complete electrical failure stopping the bike. He coasted to the pit lane exit where sadly he parked the bike.

At the end of the weekend Joe said, “I knew this race weekend would be tough for me, arriving at a strange circuit with a bike that we had only completed the evening before our ferry booking was a big ask, however I am happy with the work we put in and I think that particularly my performance in race 1 proved beyond doubt that I can race with the top BSB riders. I really want to move up to a full season in BSB, but that is dependent upon my sponsors support.”

The next Superstock 1000 race takes place at Silverstone 5th October.

We're proud to support and supply Joe Burns- for more information on Held please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

NEWS: Burns Back On The Podium.

Latest BSB National Superstock 1000 news from Held wearing racer Joe Burns:
 

The team arrived in Donington Park highly motivated from the last result at Silverstone and with the determination to maintain the progress made with the performance of Joe and the bike. 

Free practice took place in dry and bright conditions and despite a traction control problem Joe ended the session 4th quickest with a gap to the top position of 1.274 seconds, the team used the time between free practice and Q1 to locate and fix the issues with the traction control. Qualifying 1 was completed with Joe in 5th position, but more importantly closer to provisional pole, the gap being just 0.865 seconds.
Qualifying 2 was run in cloudy but dry conditions and once again Joe was 5th quickest, the combined results of Q1 and Q2 left Joe in 5th with a gap to pole 1.226 seconds, but more importantly grid positions 2 to 5 were covered by just 0.392 seconds! A close race was in prospect.

Podium for Joe at Donington- photo courtesy of Jon Jessop Photography

In the race Joe achieved a great start and jumped straight into 4th place which he held through the first corner, at which point the race leader made a mistake and fell off, elevating Joe to 3rd. As the race developed it was clear that the leading trio of O’Halloran, Jenkinson and Burns were pulling away from the rest, however Lee Jackson made a big effort to catch the pack and on Lap 9 he managed to slip past Joe, however this swop of positions lasted only one lap, Joe retook 3rd place and showed his race craft by defending and maintaining the place for the last laps of the race. 

After the race Joe said’ “This is a great result for me, the team and all my sponsors, particularly JG Speedfit, Refresh Recovery and EACS, the season did not start as well for me as I had hoped but we have put in a lot of work, and today is the result of that effort. It was a good race for me and I enjoyed myself hugely, there was no way I was going to let Lee Jackson past me again, once in 3rd it was my place! I leave here really excited about the last races of the season.” 

With this result Joe now lies 7th in the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship.
The next race takes place at Silverstone 5th October.

To see more about Held motorcycle clothing and accessories in the UK please visit www.held-uk.co.uk, online catalogue too!

BURNS FINISHES IN TOP 6, AGAIN!

The Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship does not accompany the British Superbike Championship to Assen, consequently each year they have the opportunity to showcase the talents of the series riders at a major event in the UK, this year it was as a support race to the Hertz British Grand Prix MotoGP. 

Joe Burns at Silverstone in his Held leathers! Photo: Jon Jessop Photography

 Held wearer Joe arrived at Silverstone without his race engineer, who had broken his wrist at Cadwell Park the previous weekend, consequently the team was a man down. However Joe was confident that a good result could still be achieved. 

Free practice on Friday was encouraging, when the chequered flag came out Joe had set 4th quickest time, 1.8 seconds off pole, qualifying 1 took place later the same day and once again he was in 4th place, but the gap had closed to 1.254, so a step in the right direction had been made with the adjustments to the bike. 

Qualifying 2 ran on Saturday and Joe once again finished in 4th place with a significant closing of the gap to pole, 0.783 separated him from Danny Buchan, but more importantly he was only 0.042 behind Lee Jackson in 3rd place, it looked like a podium possibility for the race. 

The race took place late Sunday afternoon, and Joe had his best start of the season so far, by turn 1 he was in 3rd place and chasing the leaders hard, and maybe took a little too much out of his rear tyre, consequently he dropped to 5th place which he held until lap 8 when a safety car period was called, this allowed the pack to close up, and shortly after the restart Joe was passed by Hudson Kennagh, dropping him to 6th position, however it was a close finish with 4th, 5th and 6th crossing the line all within 0.29 seconds. 

After the race Joe said, “I am disappointed to have finished in 6th place, my qualifying pace was improving all through the weekend, my start was good and holding 3rd place for 4 laps boosted my confidence, but maybe the rear tyre was overworked and I lost a couple of places. Superstock 1000 is very close and at the front of the grid a tenth of a second is a huge amount of time, however I am taking away a lot of positives from this race meeting, and I am pleased to move into 8th place in the Championship table.” 
 
Joe Burns wears Held leathers. See more Held here

Held wearer Joe Burns: Superstock 1000 Cadwell report

The team arrived at Cadwell Park in a confident mood, testing during the previous week had gone well, and consequently a good result was a strong possibility. 

Joe Burns at Cadwell- photo courtesy of Jon Jessop Photography

In Free Practice Joe was 3rd quickest just 0.21 behind Jason O’Halloran, and 1.544 behind Danny Buchan, Qualifying 1 took place in bright sunshine later the same day, and initially all was well and Joe set 4th quickest time within 4 laps, however an unexpected rear shock absorber problem hampered the run, but he retained 4th quickest position despite only completing 6 laps, so a good result from the first day’s work. 

A brand new rear shock absorber was fitted prior to Qualifying 2 and once again Joe was ‘on the pace’ very quickly, he was just edged out of 4th quickest place by a late run from Hudson Kennaugh, just 0.014 seconds being the difference, so a 5th place start position was the result. During the qualifying run Joe was once again hampered by the rear shock absorber, which surprisingly showed the same problems he had experienced in Q1, a decision was made to switch to a K-Tech unit for the race. 

Overnight a new unit was built and installed in the bike, clearly this proved to be a good decision, during the Monday morning warm up on a damp track Joe simply rode away from everyone, setting the fastest time, 0.775 clear of the field. 

The weather forecast was for heavy rain, but this held off for the morning and the race was run in dry conditions, Joe started reasonably well, slipping one place to 6th a position he held right through the first 10 laps, but he was running very close to the riders fighting over 3rd place, however Cadwell is not an easy track for overtaking and Hudson Kennaugh seemed to be riding a ‘very wide’ bike! 

Sadly the race was stopped on lap 10, due to an accident. Clearly if this not happened Joe had the pace to move up at least one and maybe 2 positions, his lap times being better in comparison to the riders in front of him. So 6th place was the result. 

After the race Joe said, “This weekend has been very good, a lot of positives for me, my team worked through the issues with the rear shock absorber and we made the right decisions to go to a different manufactures unit, I was disappointed that the race finished early as I could see that the rear tyre on Hudson’s bike was badly worn, and I knew I could pass him, but it was not to be.” 

Joe is now 9th in the Championship standings. 

To see more about Held in the UK, including our online catalogue, please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

50p spring scuppers Held wearing racer Joe Burns

 A great start ends with first DNF of 2013. 

The team arrived in Silverstone in typical Autumn weather, cool and showers, the track remained damp in places so Joe decided to sit out free practice as there was nothing to learn, the forecast for qualifying was for dry conditions. 

Joe Burns

Qualifying 1 saw Joe achieve 6th fastest time, generally he was happy with the bike, but felt he could improve with a couple of set up adjustments. With set-up changes applied Joe took Qualifying 2 by storm and achieved a 1.7 second improvement compared to the first run, placing him second fastest. 

The combined qualifying times gave him a 3rd place start, front row of the grid, Joe said afterwards that ‘I am very pleased with the result and I'm feeling good about the race’.
Race day was dry and warm, ideal racing conditions, Joe lined up on the grid and made an excellent start to get into second place behind Filip Bacland before they entered Copse Corner. This pair then pulled a clear gap to third place and by the end of lap 2 Joe was lining up to take the lead. 

Towards the end of lap 3 Joe heard the bike engine note change dramatically and the bike lose power, he realised there was a problem and pulled into the pits fearing the worst, in the event it was a simple £0.50 spring that had failed, causing the exhaust to operate incorrectly. 

Joe and the team were extremely disappointed, Joe said ‘this is the first time we have had a failure of this spring, it is just incredible that a £0.50 component has let me down, I was ready to make my move on Filip and was feeling really comfortable, I feel I have lost a certain podium and probably a win today, it won’t happen again’.

For more about Held including a UK stockist list please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

Donington: Solid 4th Place for Held wearer Joe Burns

Solid 4th Place for Joe Burns 

Joe Burns at Donington- Jon Jessop Photography

Friday free practice and qualifying 1 turned out to be a complete washout, in free practice Joe used old wet tyres and achieved 24th fastest time, qualifying 1 was little better more rain, but with new wet tyres Joe cruised to 20th.  There being little point in taking risks, as the forecast for the weekend was for dry weather.

Saturday was indeed dry and sunny, and qualifying 2 was much more representative of Joe’s abilities, he was 3rd fastest in a very competitive 46 bike session, so the race would include a valuable front row start place. The top four riders were within 0.35 seconds of each other.

Warm up on race day and Joe put in the 2nd fastest time, showing once again that he is highly competitive in this race series.

In the race Hudson Kennaugh got the best start and into turn 1 Joe was dropped to 4th place but in a very tight group, for the next 8 laps he chased Victor Cox and at one point took third place, only to lose it at the next corner.

Joe’s front tyre began to lose grip and he came home in an excellent fourth place, just 4.6 seconds behind Coxa good intelligent ride that sees Joe rise to 8th in the championship.
Superstock now has a three week break until we race again at Silverstone.

 To see more about Joe Burns click here

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Held wearer Joe Burns: Disappointment turns to joy at Silverstone 200.

This weekend Silverstone was the scene for the Moto GP Hertz British Grand Prix and one of the support races, the Silverstone 200, this is run as two 100Km races and allows entries from BSB, Superstock 1000 and Superstock 600.

Held wearer Joe Burns

The team arrived with a bike that was rebuilt following the Cadwell Park race meeting and Joe set to work in free practice and then qualifying, the result being 13th fastest and 11th fastest respectively. 

Race one on Saturday afternoon ended very quickly for Joe, after just two laps the clutch failed, the first mechanical DNF of 2013, there seemed to be no obvious cause for the problem so a new clutch was fitted and the bike prepared for race 2.

Grid positions for race 2 are set by the fastest time set by each rider in race 1, this left Joe with a starting position of 16th on the grid. With 5 laps to go he was 4 seconds behind Hudson Kennaugh who was holding 7th place.

Joe set out to close the gap and at 1 second per lap he was right behind Hudson as they crossed the line, an excellent 8th place being the reward, plus a lap time that was 2 seconds faster than he has previously achieved at this circuit.

The team left Silverstone happy with the result, looking forward with enthusiasm to next weekend at Donington Park and of course the race meeting on 6th October at Silverstone. 




For more information on Held motorcycle leathers, motorcycle boots and motorcycle gloves please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

Tough Day for Held wearing Joe Burns at Cadwell

Following the Oulton Park round at which the team broke Park Ferme regulations, we were required to appear before the stewards to explain our reasons, the end result was a loss of 50 championship points and a suspended 6 month racing ban.

Joe Burns getting some air at Cadwell

 Not the best start to our weekend at Cadwell Park, however Joe put all the event behind him and was 3rd quickest in his free practice group, Saturday qualifying was neither wet nor dry, and as the forecast for Sunday was dry we elected not to run in qualifying 1. 

As forecast Qualifying 2 was run in bright dry conditions and if Pirelli had not supplied tyres that proved to be too hard Joe would have been in his usual top 5 position. Sadly this was not to be, he experienced handling problems that dropped him to 15th on the grid. 

The tyre problem affected several riders with the worst problem being a delamination of the tread on a rear tyre. 

Race day was sunny and dry, Joe rocketed off the grid gaining two places before the first corner, by the end of lap 2 he was up to 11th place, a position he held for most of the race. Cadwell Park is a difficult circuit on which to pass, and Joe found that where he was carrying a lot of speed into corners he was being blocked by riders in front of him who were on the racing line but slower. 

Sadly the red flag came out on lap 9 of the scheduled 15 laps, just as Joe had taken 10th place. 

Post-race we stripped our engine as requested by the scrutineers and as expected no irregularities were found, our bike has been fully compliant to the regulations for the whole of this season. 

Simon Andrews was subsequently disqualified for making an unfair manoeuvre that resulted in another rider crashing, this moves Joe into 10th place in the results, making him 9th overall in the championship standings.

For more information on Held, the motorcycle gear chosen by Joe Burns, please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

Testing race for Held wearing racer Joe Burns at Brands Hatch

 

Held wearing Joe Burns, currently 3rd in National Superstock 1000

Once again the English Summer delivered a hot race day, qualifying 1 and 2 took place on Saturday and Joe finished the day 2nd fastest behind Adam Jenkinson, a very satisfactory result. 

Joe did not get the best of starts and fell back into 4th place, however by lap 2 he had recovered to 2nd place and began to reel in the leader James East, on lap 5 Joe was in a great position to take first place, but East missed a gear causing Joe to touch his bike. The resulting damaged brake lever caused Joe to lose time, he could not brake as he would normally. 

This incident allowed Hudson Kennagh to take the lead and then Tommy Aquino passed Joe to take second place, with an ill handling bike Joe lost time to fourth place man Tristan Palmer with the net result that on Lap 14 Joe lost 3rd place, a great disappointment for him. 

Following the race Joe said; Brands looked to be one of my stronger circuits and I was pleased to qualify 2nd, the result is not what I expected, however I am glad that I finished in fourth and only dropped one place in the championship standings, it is very close with just 12 points between me and 1st place. 

Held wearer Joe Burns- not far off the lead!

The result drops Joe into third place in the championship, the gap is now 11 points to 2nd and 12 to 1st, at this stage of the season it is looking good. A satisfying result, the next race takes place at Oulton Park August 9/10/11.

To find out more information on the Held gear Joe Burns wears please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

7th Place for Held wearer Joe Burns at Snetterton

National Superstock 1000 racer Joe Burns and his Held leathers

 Soaring temperatures at Snetterton Circuit over the weekend helped encourage a huge crowd of spectators to come and watch for some excellent racing, with the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship continuing to maintain its strength with 54 entries.
Qualifying 1 took place on Friday afternoon, with Joe still learning the Snetterton 300 track layout, the resulting 8th fastest time was just 7 tenths off the table topping time set by Jimmy Storrar who was riding a BMW, a bike well suited to the long straights of this circuit. 

Saturday brought a continuation of the good weather, and Qualifying 2 was held just after midday, by the time the chequered flag came out Joe had posted the 6th fastest time giving him a combined qualifying grid position of 7th for the feature race on Sunday.
Joe did not get the best of starts and fell back into 11th place, however by lap 3 he had moved up to 10th and then the race was interrupted by a safety car for 3 laps whilst a fallen rider and bike where recovered, by lap 13 Joe had made it to 7th place where he would finish the race. 

After the race Joe said "I came here not expecting a great deal, it not a favourite circuit of mine, so to finish 7th is better than I expected, but this is a long season and I have held onto 2nd place in the Championship."
 
The result keeps Joe in second place, the gap has opened up to 25 points between 1st and 2nd place, but closed down to just 1 point between 2nd and 3rd . A satisfying result, the next race takes place at Brands Hatch on July 19/20/21

For more information on Held motorcycle clothing, Held motorcycle helmets and Held motorcycle accessories please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

Burns Takes 2nd at Knockhill

Held Wearer Joe Burns took his third podium of the season in the 2013 Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship, a great result that sees him consolidate his 2nd position in the Championship table and closing the gap to just 14 points behind Adam Jenkinson. 

Held wearer Joe Burns, left, on the podium at Knockhill. Image: Double Red

The Knockhill weather lived up to form and over the three days of the race weekend it varied from dry and bright to wet, free practice was cloudy but dry and Joe was second in his group by 3/10ths of a second, qualifying 1 was also dry but overcast and Joe took advantage of the conditions to put in a time that gave him 3rd place in his group and 5th overall. 

Qualifying 2 took place in damp conditions and Joe decided that the times were not going to be faster in comparison to qualifying 1, so he cruised to an easy 7th fastest on the day, his decision was correct and he was rewarded with 5th place on the grid for the feature race, middle of row 2. 

Race day was bright and sunny and Joe made an excellent start moving up to 4th place at the second corner, Tristan Palmer also got away well and took a lead which he proceeded to extend, whilst Joe, Adam Jenkinson and Hudson Kennaugh fought over second, third and fourth places. 

On lap 2 Joe moved up to 3rd and then took 2nd place on lap 8, he then proceeded to hunt down Tristan Palmer who was 1.8 seconds ahead, Joe was taking a tenth of a second a lap out of the lead, closing to within half a second by lap 17. The race looked to be shaping up for a thrilling finish, and a potential win for Joe, but sadly it was red flagged on lap 18. 

After the race Joe said: It was disappointing that the red flag came out, I felt really good and was closing down Tristan, I think he was struggling with tyre wear, but my JG Speedfit Kawasaki was just mega and I think I could have taken my first win of the season! 

Held wearer Joe Burns: 2nd in the championships

The result takes Joe to within 14 points of the Championship lead and also extends the gap to 17 points between 2nd and 3rd position. A good result, the next race takes place at Snetterton on July 5/6/7. 

For more information on Held Rider Equipment in the UK please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

2nd Podium of 2013 for Held wearing racer Joe Burns

Following the most horrendous rain and wind on Friday, the weekend weather changed completely and Donington Park enjoyed warm and sunny conditions for the Saturday and Sunday of the World Superbike meeting. 

Held wearer Joe Burns - National Superstock 1000 2nd place at the WSBK event

On Friday Joe sat out the free practice sessions as the weather was just crazy, there was a brief respite for about 6 laps of the qualifying 1, and Joe took advantage of the only 5 dry laps to set the second fastest time of the day. 

The 40 riders entered for the race took to the track on Saturday for the 2nd qualifying session, making the ‘traffic’ quite difficult, despite two stops at the pits during the session, Joe just could not get a clear lap, and he was a little disappointed to only qualify 3rd. But this secured a front row of the 3 by 3 grid, a good place to be. 

From the start of the race Joe took second place behind Steve Brogan, however with an excellent move Joe took the lead, and a lap later Adam Jenkinson moved up to second, the leading trio then lapped consistently with less than 1 second covering all three of them. 

A small mistake by Joe coming into the esses was pounced on by Jenkinson, and Joe was now second, a position he held to the end of the race, clearly the leading three were in a class of their own, the gap between first and second across the finish line being just 0.340 of second. 

After the race Joe said, ‘I did not get the start I wanted, but getting into second place on the entry to Redgate was good, I managed to take the lead on lap 3, but made a mistake and fell back to second, a good race and I am very happy with the result, especially as I am now second in the championship!’ 

For more information on Held Rider Equipment in the UK please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

Burns Races to 1st place 4 times at Knockhill

The opening bike race meeting of 2013 for Knockhill Motor Sports Club provided the spectators with some thrilling entertainment, with Joe Burns winning 4 of the 5 KMSC Superbike/Clubman Championship races.

Joe Burns - Superstock 1000 podium next?

Joe topped the qualifying time sheet in conditions that were dry and sunny but with strong gusts of wind, undeterred  he beat the other 28 riders to pole position by 1.317 seconds! 

Sunday dawned with a typical mixture of rain, sun and wind, however in the changeable conditions race one took place in the dry and Joe was able to race away from pole position and pull a lead of 3.85 seconds to come home in first place and with the added bonus of fastest lap of 50.892, set on lap 7.

Joe’s second race of the day took place in damp/windy conditions, which slowed the lap times a little, however the result was another win, and this time by an excellent 10.492 seconds, and fastest lap of 51.104 on lap 6. 

The third race of the day was in equally difficult damp and windy conditions,  however this did not stop Joe from taking a lights to flag victory, romping to the line by 10.392 seconds, and with another fastest lap of 51.497 to add to the collection from the day.

Race 4 for Joe, and after venturing out on track he found the conditions to be very mixed, dry in parts, with a very narrow dry line to the hairpin and then streaming wet further round, so the decision was made not to risk the bike, so he sat the race out. 
Race 5 of the day for Joe and with grid positions decided from your previous race result he found himself at the back of the grid, he quickly worked his way through the back markers and hit the front by lap 5, but this time the result was much closer with just 0.225 separating Joe in first place from Bruce Birnie the reigning Scottish Superbike Champion in second place. 

At the end of the very busy days racing Joe said that ‘Once again the bike felt really good and strong we have the setup right for Knockhill, and this has been useful preparation for Oulton Park next weekend. I am very happy with the JG Speedfit Kawasaki bike, and today was very enjoyable with 4 great results, I cannot wait for Oulton Park. 

Joe and the JG Speedfit Kawasaki Racing team left Knockhill very satisfied with the weekends work, the Knockhill Motor Sports Club website described the KMSC Superbike/Clubman Races as follows: ‘In the Superbike class, it was that man Burns who would prove the class of the field, aboard is JG Speedfit Kawasaki Racing machine, securing four wins in an impressive display’. 

For more information on the gear Joe wears, Held Bike gear, please visit www.held-uk.co.uk  

Burns races to 4th, sets fastest lap

The solid start to Held wearing racer Joe Burns Championship campaign in the 2013 Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship continued at Thruxton over the weekend of 12, 13, 14 April, and once again the weather played its part in proceedings with the Friday morning warm up being wet, however undeterred Joe topped the group B timesheet by 4 10 tenths of a second. 

Held wearer Joe Burns - National Superstock 1000 frontrunner

Once again with close to 60 entries Qualifying was spilt into two groups and Group B took to the track  in the late afternoon in dry and bright conditions.  By the end of the session Joe was 3rd quickest just 0.185 off the fastest time. 

The weather came into play again on Saturday with qualifying 2 halted due to rain, which just poured down flooding the track. The consequence being that Joe started 6th on the grid based on the aggregate times of the two groups. 

Sunday dawned with a mix of cloud and sunshine, and the race took place in dry conditions with Joe using his tried and trusted race strategy, keep clear of any first corner mayhem and put in good consistent lap times, and once again it went to plan. 

Joe dropped to ninth place on the first lap, but then began to work his way forward, there were some damp patches on track that were catching the unwary riders, even Joe had a ‘moment’ when he went sideways at Cobb, however he recovered quickly and by lap 7 was in 4th place and catching the leading trio by 1 second a lap. 

By lap 10 he had closed to within 0.3 seconds of the third place man Steve Brogan and the John Guest Speedfit bike and rider looked supreme, everything was set of a thrilling finish until three riders fell off just before Allard, causing a red flag.

Consequently Joe finished the race in 4th, but once again with fastest lap to his credit, and with a huge confidence boost of knowing that he was catching the leaders and with 5 laps left would have been on the podium. This would have been a nice early birthday present for him as on the 15th he celebrates his 21st birthday. 

After the race Joe said that ‘The bike had felt really good, and I am very disappointed not to have had the opportunity to challenge for the podium, just 3 more laps and I would have been past them! But I must take the positives, I am happy with the JG Speedfit Kawasaki bike and today was a good result with more points on the board, I cannot wait for Oulton Park.'

Joe and the JG Speedfit Kawasaki Racing team left Thruxton with 21 Championship points and 4th position in the leader board. There is now a short break until round 3 which takes place at  Oulton Park on the Bank Holiday weekend of 04/05/06 May. 

Joe Burns wears Held leathers and gloves. For more information on the Held range please visit www.held-uk.co.uk

Solid Start to 2013 Season by Joe Burns

April 5th, 6th and 7th saw the opening round of the Pirelli National Superstock 1000 Championship, and who would have predicted that the race would be run in bright sunshine and a balmy 10°C? Particularly as when the team set up on Thursday it was snowing!

Held wearing racer Joe Burns- pic from Jon Jessop photography

With 60 entries two qualifying periods are used to establish a grid for the Sunday feature race and a Saturday race for the slower competitors. The John Guest Speedfit Kawasaki ran faultlessly, with Joe qualifying 6th on Friday and 6th on Saturday, aggregate times from these two qualifying periods put Joe 12th on the grid for the Sunday feature race, and clearly in the top 20% of the field. 

The race strategy was clear, keep clear of any first corner mayhem and put in good consistent lap times, and it went to plan, despite a slightly hesitant start caused by the sideways gradient of the Brands Hatch grid, Joe worked his way forward to finish a thrilling race in 8th place and with the credit for the fastest lap at 47.342 seconds. This was achieved on the 19th lap, proof that the 2013 Pirelli tyres on the John Guest Speedfit Kawasaki last well.

Joe left Brands Hatch with 8 points on the championship score sheet and now heads to the fastest circuit in the UK, Thruxton in Hampshire for the 14th April race day.

For more information on the gear Joe wears please visit www.held-uk.co.uk