SMT Honda riders Jason O'Halloran and Adam Jenkinson scored points in all four of their races at Knockhill on Sunday where they were competing in the lastest rounds of the British Superbike and Superstock Championships. However, the team find themselves very much at the crossroads in the 2009 season with a lack of funds meaning they may not be on the grid for the second half of the year.
Riding at the short 1.3-mile circuit for the first time, Australian ace O'Halloran found the going tough in qualifying and, with the bike developing a fault, he found himself down in 20th on the grid. However, he again showed his racer's instinct with two excellent rides in the two races. In the first 30-lap affair he fought his way through the pack for a superb 10th place, no mean feat given how difficult it is to pass around the Knockhill venue, and he backed this up with 12th in the second race. Those 10 hard-earned points also saw him move back up a place to 13th overall in the Championship.
With two rounds being held for the Superstock Championship, Jenkinson was hoping to build upon his recent top six results but he struggled all weekend with the gearing on his Honda Fireblade. He fought hard in both races though and managed to claim 12th and 13th for seven more championship points and now lies in 7th place in the Championship table.
Speaking later, team owner Robin Croft said:
"I'm delighted with our race results in the Superbike class given our qualifying position and we've got to be happy going from 20th to 10th and 20th to 12th in the two races. Jason struggled to find a good set-up with the suspension whilst he'd never even seen the circuit before Friday so there was a lot to contend with. The bike then developed a misfire in qualifying so we were pretty disappointed on Saturday night but we got stuck in on race day and gave it a good go so 10th and 12th is pretty pleasing. In the Superstock class, Adam struggled with the gearing and it's fair to say both rider and team are disappointed with 12th and 13th place finishes - we all know he's a better rider than that."
"As I stand here now though, this could well be our last meeting of the year as we're desperate to find a main sponsor that will see us through the second half of the season. In my heart of hearts I want to be at the next round at Mallory but I don't want to get in to a position of debt to be there so if anyone can help us financially, in whatever shape or form please contact me on 07920 482233. As a team, we know what we're capable of achieving and we're desperate to keep our season going so, hopefully, we'll get the finance we need."
The next round will be held at Mallory Park, Leicestershire on the weekend of July 17-19 and everyone connected with SMT Honda will be hoping that they'll be able to take their place on the grid that weekend.
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