ALEX Lowes claimed his first double victory of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Cadwell Park yesterday.
Lowes and his Louth-based Samsung Honda team were delighted to notch up the double win on their 'home' track.
Thousands of race fans flocked to the exciting circuit for the Bank Holiday weekend event.
And those with Lincolnshire at heart had plenty to cheer.
As well as Lowes' double success – fellow Honda man Ryuichi Kiyonari had solid finishes of seventh and fifth, and Louth's very own Peter Hickman finished eighth and seventh.
After wrapping up victory in race one yesterday, Lowes came under intense pressure on the final lap of race two.
Tyco Suzuki's Josh Brookes snatched the lead as the finish line loomed – before crashing out of contention.
Brookes had hit the front of the field on the opening lap, but it wasn't long before race one winner Lowes made a move for the lead with a dive down the inside into Park Corner.
Lowes instantly came back under attack from Brookes, but he held the position, with Tommy Bridewell taking an impressive third place ahead of James Ellison and Shane 'Shakey' Byrne.
Bridewell was constantly looking for a way to get ahead of Brookes and, on the sixth lap, he was given the opportunity when the Tyco Suzuki rider made an uncharacteristic mistake on the landing at the Mountain. It unsettled him, and the Halsall Racing Kawasaki rider made a move into Hall Bends.
At the front, the battle was raging as Lowes held the advantage from Bridewell and Brookes, but in the closing stages, the Australian upped the ante to first pass Bridewell on the penultimate lap with a move down the inside at the hairpin.
Brookes then pushed to close in on Lowes and, on the final lap, he made a lunge down the inside into Park, hitting the front of the pack again.
Lowes was looking to get back ahead but, on the run into Mansfield, Brookes made an error and crashed out of the race unhurt.
Fellow Honda rider Ryuichi Kiyonari claimed a solid fifth place in race two, while Peter Hickman, of Louth, was seventh on the Lloyds British GBmoto Honda.
In race one, Kiyonari and Hickman were seventh and eighth respectively.
Results
Race Two: 1 Alex Lowes (Samsung Honda); 2 Tommy Bridewell (Halsall Racing Kawasaki) +0.892s; 3 James Ellison (Milwaukee Yamaha) +4.371s; 4 Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +6.375s; 5 Ryuichi Kiyonari (Samsung Honda) +9.787s; 6 Chris Walker (Quattro Plant Bournemouth Kawasaki) +16.095s; 7 Peter Hickman (Lloyds British GBmoto Honda) +16.197s; 8 Josh Waters (Milwaukee Yamaha) +17.379s; 9 James Westmoreland (Buildbase BMW) +29.029s; 10 Jon Kirkham (Buildbase BMW) +31.420s.
Race One: 1 Alex Lowes (Samsung Honda); 2 Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +1.056s; 3 Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) +1.969s; 4 Tommy Bridewell (Halsall Racing Kawasaki) +4.626s; 5 PJ Jacobsen (Tyco Suzuki) +14.827s; 6 Chris Walker (Quattro Plant Bournemouth Kawasaki) +16.040s; 7 Ryuichi Kiyonari (Samsung Honda) +16.213s; 8 Peter Hickman (Lloyds British GBmoto Honda) +19.183s; 9 Keith Farmer (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) +28.682s; 10 James Westmoreland (Buildbase BMW) +29.267s.
Championship Standings
1 Shane Byrne (Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki) 330; 2 Alex Lowes (Samsung Honda) 293; 3 Josh Brookes (Tyco Suzuki) 284; 4 James Ellison (Milwaukee Yamaha) 174; 5 Ryuichi Kiyonari (Samsung Honda) 162; 6 Jon Kirkham (Buildbase BMW) 135.
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