Gowland takes podium at Brands

Seton Tuning Yamaha’s Graeme ‘Gowla’ Gowland scooped a double first for the team with a debut pole position and podium, as Brands Hatch GP circuit, Kent played host to round six of the 2013 Motorpoint British Supersport Championship (19-21 July).

Seton Tuning Yamaha’s Graeme ‘Gowla’ Gowland scooped a double first for the team with a debut pole position and podium, as Brands Hatch GP circuit, Kent played host to round six of the 2013 Motorpoint British Supersport Championship (19-21 July).

Scorching temperatures matched the action on track throughout the weekend. Gowla blitzed the field on lap 13 of 15 to notch up his first pole position for the Colchester-based team by 0.2s from O’Halloran.

Due to planning restrictions on the use of the full length, 2.43 mile GP circuit, Friday was classed as a test day on the shorter Indy Circuit. As a result, the 10-lap Supersport Sprint was moved back to Sunday morning. Graeme made a solid start from the lights, tucking in behind O’Halloran as the field cascaded down through Paddock Hill and up to Druids for the first time.

Never out of the top three for the first half of the race, Gowla looked strong and set for his debut podium for the team. A double move by the Gearlink boys demoted the Yamaha pairing of Easton and Gowla to second and fourth respectively as the quartet entered the second half of the race. Looking strong on the tail of Wilson, 0.6s covered the top five as they battled for position over every inch of tarmac.

A quickshifter problem appeared to put paid to Gowla’s chances of a podium but he regrouped and dug deep, only narrowly missing out on that elusive third place to Wilson by less than one tenth of a second on the long drag to the chequered flag.

For the 16-lap Main Event, Gowla once again took his position on the outside of the grid, but this time at the head of row two for what would be one of the most exhilarating Supersport races in recent years at Brands. 

Buoyed by his strong running in the opening race, Gowla carried the momentum through as a new found determination looked to take over. This was epitomised by what was to become a trademark overtaking move from the 27-year old Northumbrian on the entry into Hawthorne - a move he successfully pulled off no fewer than three times as he vied for the lead.

As the trio of Easton, Seeley and Gowla crossed the stripe for the final lap the gap back to Wilson looked to be too far for the Kawasaki rider to bridge, assuring Gowla of at least third in just over two miles. However, Gowla looked determined to move higher, with the lead changing no fewer than five times over the closing lap and Gowla leading on the run from Surtees down Pilgrim onto the GP section. 

With the front tyre visibly losing grip, Gowla battled hard scoring a well-deserved debut podium  for the jubilant Seton Tuning Yamaha team, just three tenths of a second separating the top three.

Oulton Park in Cheshire will host Round 7, as the 2013 Championship enters the second half over the weekend of 9-11 August.

Phil Seton, Team Principal: “A great result and all round performance from everyone in the team this weekend. Graeme was immense, topping every session and taking his first pole position. The reception we received in pit lane from all the other teams was overwhelming! For the first time this season everything fell perfectly into place, the set-up, the motor, the horsepower, all helping Graeme to race for the win. I thought it may not be our day with the quickshifter issue on the penultimate lap in the Sprint, but anyone of the front four could have won that race it was so close.

Graeme had a great set-up for the Main Event, with the bike and rider working really well to run at the sharp end with Easton and Seeley for the first time this year. It was great to see him in the front window - a position both Graeme and the team deserve to be in. Third felt like a win, it was a great achievement for the whole team.

The team was awesome this weekend, they really grafted and the atmosphere was buzzing!

I must say a massive thanks to Ron Drury, Mikey Elliott and Swift Moto for helping us to field Graeme at Brands at the eleventh hour. We still need to find a new sponsor for the second half of the season or we will be in the same position as we were prior to Brands Hatch. I think that we’ve shown what an excellent proposition for investment we are; with great TV coverage, pole and a podium, Seton Tuning Yamaha is definitely a team at the sharp end of competition.”

Graeme Gowland #81: "That was a great couple of races. It was really hot here and with five laps to go in the Main race we started getting a lot of movement from the front, I had a moment out the back at Westfield and ran wide and had to stand it up, but it was an awesome race. The Seton Tuning Yamaha team has worked so hard and it's taken us til round six to get our reward. It feels like we have been on the edge of it for so long, so it is fantastic that finally we have something to show for all of the hard work." 

Images © Steve Hutchings