Points At Oulton For Smrz As Hobbs Closes In On Morris In Trioptions Cup

It was a flat-out triple-header of British Superbike races for Millsport Ducati rider Jakub ‘Kuba’ Smrz at Oulton Park. The 1199 Panigale pilot battled almost every conceivable condition to take a trio of points-scoring finishes around the challenging Cheshire venue.
Running top ten pace throughout free practice and qualifying, it was only a small mistake in the final part of Q3 that cost Kuba a possible top six grid slot, and he had to start Saturday’s race from ninth.
The former World Superbike ace is still battling gremlins off the line, and struggled when the lights went out dropping back to 15th place after the opening lap.
This once again gave Smrz a tough task to come through and salvage a strong points finish, and as the laps ticked by he slowly picked up places to be fighting on the fringes of the top ten by two thirds race distance. Despite Kuba setting his fastest lap on the final circulation and closing the gap to within 0.130s of tenth place at the line he didn’t quite have enough to make further progress.
Lining up eighth for race two, all previous preparations went out of the window as heavy rain in the morning gave way to leave a drying track as the BSB field formed up on the grid. With no-one sure what the weather would do from one moment to the next, the Millsport team opted for a split strategy with an intermediate tyre at the front and a full slick at the rear.
While this allowed Kuba to run with the fiercely competitive mid-field pack at the start of the race, the drying track caused his pace to fade as the laps ticked by and despite a valiant effort to keep the slick-shod Patrick Muff behind him he ultimately had to give best and cross the line in 12th.
For the final showdown Smrz started in 11th, and with more heavy showers around the track set-up choice was once again something of a gamble. Mercifully it stayed dry, and making his best getaway for some time Smrz held station off the line. He did, however, lose a couple of spots in the first lap shuffle, and he found himself battling with race two adversaries Muff and Richards for much of the contest.
After holding station in 14th for the first part of the race, the Czech ace started to move forward and on lap 13 jumped up to 12th. A sensational late surge saw him blast into the top ten, finishing the weekend with a positive charge through the field.
Jakub Smrz
“After Thruxton I had mixed feelings because the bike was not bad but there was something missing. Friday and Saturday morning here we struggled a bit again, especially because this is a track where you have to be smooth and relaxed on the bike to go fast. We found some improvements yesterday and the race was quite good considering the start was not! It gave us some more ideas and we changed the ride-by-wire settings and the front fork which was a really good decision. Unfortunately we couldn’t really make the most of it in the first race today because it was wet.

“I didn’t expect the track to dry so quickly so we had quite a soft setting. It worked OK for the first few laps but when it got drier I was struggling and was on the limit everywhere. For race three we the start was good but I got into a big mix up in turn one so I lost many positions. After that the pace was good, I could fight forward and in the end was P10. Honestly the result is not as important as the feeling with the bike which is so much better than last time and I’m really looking forward to the next race now.
“We did our best and a really big thanks to all the Millsport Team because they really tried hard. We had big discussions and made really good changes all weekend.”
The Trioptions Cup

Ducati was also represented in two superb TriOptions Cup races this weekend. With an epic battle unfolding between P&H/Carl Cox Motorsport team-mates Leon Morris and Denis Hobbs at the top of the points table the pressure was on both riders to out-perform the other this weekend.
In perfect conditions on Saturday it was a fierce battle between the top five riders that captivated the Oulton Park crowds. Morris and Hobbs were hounded down by Sean Neary, Marty Nutt and Rob Guiver for the entire contest and picking a winner looked like an impossible task.
Unfortunately a late engine failure for Guiver dropped fluid on the track and brought out the red flags which paid to a photo finish. The result was declared with Morris winning from Hobbs and Neary.
The second TriOptions Cup race kicked off proceedings on Sunday in difficult drying conditions. Reigning champion Marty Nutt secured pole position by setting the fastest lap in the first contest, and the #1 JHP/Ducati Coventry machine led from lights to flag to secure a maiden victory in 2014.
Behind Nutt the battle between Hobbs and Morris came to a head, as Hobbs made a bid for second place into Hislops Chicane and Morris was forced to run straight on and lose places. Hobbs went on to take his second second of the weekend, while a fourth for Morris means that the gap has closed to just 21 points in the standings despite his win on Saturday.
The P&H/Carl Cox Motorsport squad scooped the dealer award with three podiums across the weekend.
Denis Hobbs
“Towards the end of the second race I was getting into a rhythm and probably had a bit more pace than Leon. I got a good drive out of Britten’s and was out-braking him – I left room but he kept coming across and I felt a slight touch. I just concentrated on my race and nearly managed to make a move on Marty. To get two second places is mega this weekend.”
Marty Nutt
“It feels good to get my first win of the year – I think we could’ve had a bit of a result yesterday too but I’m still happy. I’m not worried about the championship – I just want to try and get on the top step of the podium as often as possible and as long as I do the best I can then the championship will take care of itself. If it’s to be it’s to be, but it’s great to be able to thank our sponsors as I’ve not been on the top step yet this year!”



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