Honda Racing UK - Brands Hatch race report - Supersport class
Five-time British Supersport Champion Kennedy continued his remarkable consistency aboard the Honda CBR600RR, qualifying fourth on the grid, just 0.052 seconds shy of pole position after another fiercely competitive qualifying session.
The Irishman converted that pace into two outstanding second-place finishes across the weekend's races. In Saturday's 12-lap Sprint race, Kennedy shadowed eventual winner Oli Bayliss throughout before taking the chequered flag just 0.390 seconds behind. Sunday's 18-lap Feature race produced another measured performance, with Kennedy again finishing runner-up, this time only 0.460 seconds adrift after an intense battle at the front.
Those results see Kennedy move onto 170 championship points, strengthening his hold on third place in the standings and reducing the deficit to second-placed Ben Currie to just 14 points, while remaining firmly in contention as the championship heads into the second half of the season.
Dean Harrison also continued to underline his growing competitiveness in his debut full British Supersport campaign. The Yorkshireman qualified sixth before delivering two composed rides to sixth position in both races.
Although narrowly missing out on the podium battle, Harrison consistently matched the pace of the leading group, setting competitive race laps throughout the weekend and adding valuable championship points.
His results move him to 154 points, maintaining fourth position in the standings and leaving him just 16 points behind teammate Kennedy, while extending Honda Racing UK's advantage of having two riders inside the championship's top four.
His results move him to 154 points, maintaining fourth position in the standings and leaving him just 16 points behind teammate Kennedy, while extending Honda Racing UK's advantage of having two riders inside the championship's top four.
The Brands Hatch weekend represents another positive step for Honda Racing UK, with the team leaving Kent having secured two podium finishes, two top-six finishes for Harrison and further evidence that despite the obvious capacity and torque deficit, in the right hands the CBR600RR package is capable of fighting consistently at the sharp end of the Quattro Group British Supersport Championship.
Jack Kennedy
The feature race was an excellent race to be in. I had no idea who was going to pop up alongside me when they came. At half distance when Luke Stapleford passed me I had no idea where he found the pace he had. I just got my head down and decided to let the two in front of me race their way back to me while they fought each other. I maintained great momentum and chose my moment to give it everything when I thought I could capitalise. When I was at the front, I made myself as wide as I possibly could and me and the CBR600RR gave everything we had. After a couple of rounds only scoring points in one race, I'm happy with my championship progress this weekend,
Big smiles from me leaving Brands, there was some great racing and I was either in the thick of it or I had a grandstand seat for it as it went on right in front of me. I rode hard all weekend and was happy with the speed the bike delivered for me. The team worked hard for me all weekend and I'm grateful to all of them for that, as well as for the fans turning out to show their support. I hope they all enjoyed the racing as much as I did.
