Ben Taylor - National Motorcycle Racer - Devitt Racing - BSB National Superstock Cup 2007

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Ben takes stunning win at Brands Hatch finale!



Ben rounded out the 2007 season in style by winning the last ever BSB National Superstock Cup race last weekend. At his local Brands Hatch Indy circuit, Ben was determind to end what has been a 'difficult' season for him and his Devitt Racing team on a high note and he did that in the best possible way!
To find out more about Ben's progress throughout the weekend and to read his reaction to the win, please click here.


Ben frustrated by mid-season problems.

A number of mechancial 'gremlins' have seen Ben's strong start to the 2007 championship halted over recent weeks. Having finished outside of the points in the past couple of races, Ben acknowledges that it is going to be an uphill struggle for him to mount a serious championship challenge over the remainder of the season. Ben commented:
 
"When you are racing at this level and challenging for a championship you can't affort to give away points at any time, let alone over the course of a few races. Its very frustrating because I know that I am better rider and that we are a better team than the results that we have been getting recently. One of the reasons that we decided to stick with this bike for this season was its reliability last year. The past three races have all been strong tracks for me, but we have had mechanical problems at each meeting. We knew that when the other teams started to get there new bikes sorted they would close the gap but we never imagined that we would struggle like this... I'm giving away almost 20bhp on most of the bikes out there now! Theres not too much that we can do now, apart from get our heads down and do the best we can with what we have. It looks as though I'm going to have to raise my game as a rider to try and bridge the gap in power to the other machines!"

Ben takes superb 2nd place finish at season opener!

Ben stormed to a fantastic 2nd place finish in the first race of 2007 at the Brands Hatch GP circuit last weekend. His first BSB Championships podium came at the end of an 'up and down' weekend for Ben and proved that all his hard work over the winter period has paid off. 
To find out more about how the weekend went please visit the 'Results'  page of this website. 

Pre-season testing complete... next stop Brands Hatch! 

Ben has now completed his final pre-season test session before the 2007 season kicks off at Brands Hatch on 9 April.

"Testing has gone pretty well to tell the truth. I think one of the major factors for this is not changing machinery this year. The first time that I got back on the bike it felt like mine... and that has allowed me to get up to speed a lot quicker than in previous years. We have made a couple of small changes here and there, and I have some new parts for this year, but its nothing like changing bike and trying to get it set-up before the first round... and I've done that a few times over the past couple of seasons. The weather has been pretty good to me too, I just hope it stays that way for the rest of the year! I can't wait to get out there and race now."

Ben is now focusing on final preperations for his first round at Brands Hatch in two weeks time.

Everything in place for Ben in 2007.

Ben has now finalised all of his plans and sponsorship deals for the 2007 season. He will again compete in the BSB National Superstock Cup and will again pilot his 2006 Yamaha YZF-R1 machine under the Devitt Racing team banner. Devitt Insurance Services Limited will again be his teams title sponsor this year, with Calanpoint continuing their support as a team partner. All of Ben's 2006 product sponsors have offered continued support (for more info please see the 'Sponsors' page) with the addition of 4Kam Sports Cameras providing Ben with an on-bike camera kit to record video material for this website. External support from Time 107.5FM Radio Station is also ongoing for this year.

"I'm really excited about this season. I have the strongest support package I've ever had and I hope that this will allow me to progress forward and challenge for the Superstock Cup title this year. I've got some great support from some very high profile companies and I hope that I can repay their faith in me with good results onboard the Devitt Racing Yamaha. I can't wait to kick things off at Brands Hatch in a couple of weeks!"

Devitt Insurance Services Ltd Press Release : February 2007

Ben Taylor & Devitt Racing 2007 Superstock Season

Devitt Insurance has extended its association with local motorcycle racer Ben Taylor by renewing their title sponsorship of his team for the 2007 season. Ben will again be competing in the BSB National Superstock Cup, a support race to the highly publicised BSB British Superbike Championship.

2007 will be Ben’s third year in the Superstock Cup and his second year in partnership with Devitt. Last year saw a change of machinery for Ben, switching from the Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade that he campaigned in 2005 to a new Yamaha YZF-R1 machine under the Devitt Racing banner. The team used the 2006 season as a ‘progression year’, gaining valuable set-up information and allowing Ben to adapt to his new machine, whilst making steady progress throughout the season. Ben is now happy with his machine set-up and confident of making a strong championship challenge in 2007.

“I learnt a lot last year. It’s true to say that we had a lot of initial set-up issues with the new machine, but we’ve overcome these and now the bike is superb. I‘ve got the chassis set-up just the way I want it and the engine is making good power so I can’t ask for anything more than that. I’ve been training really hard over the winter period and feel that I have everything I need to mount a serious assault on the championship this year. I’m really happy to be able to continue my partnership with Devitt and can’t wait to repay their faith in me with some good results.”

The 2007 calendar sees the first 3 races meetings held at Brands Hatch GP, Thruxton and Silverstone. These are Ben’s favourite and most local tracks so he is hoping for a strong start to his season. The bike is currently having its engine and suspension refreshed before Ben hits the track for his first test session of 2007 in late February. The team have some new parts for Ben to test in a bid to further improve the machine for this year.

Devitt will be bringing the ever popular ‘Devitt Girls’ to most rounds, as in 2006 they proved to be a welcome addition to both the Devitt Racing team and BSB paddock. With the combined support of his team and sponsors Ben is confident that 2007 will be his most successful season to date.

 

Ben sticks with '06 Yamaha for 2007.

Ben has decided to again campaign the 2006 Yamaha YZF-R1 machine that he piloted in last year's BSB National Superstock Cup.

"I've changed bike for each of the past four seasons and they always take a while to get set-up. We looked at getting one of the new 2007 Yamaha YZF-R1 machines, but availability of race parts and the time needed for set-up swayed my decision to stick with my 2006 bike. The bike took longer than I expected to set-up last year, but now I feel its spot-on and think it gives me what I need to seriously challenge for the championship this season. I feel that I have definitely made the right decision."

Ben is due to start testing some new parts for the machine in February.

BSB National Superstock Cup again for Ben in 2007. 

Ben has decided to re-enter the BSB National Superstock Cup this season. Ben has competed in the championship for the past two years, initially on a Honda CBR1000-RR Fireblade machine and then last year for the Devitt Racing team onboard a Yamaha YZF-R1 machine. In 2005 a number of mechanical problems forced him out of a number of rounds and put pay to any challenge for the championship. Switching machinery in 2006 meant a slow start to last season, but as the bike inmproved so did the results.

"The past couple of years have been slightly frustrating to say the least, but as a rider you have to put that behind you and concentrate on the future. My results towards the end of last season proved that I can run at the front of this championship... and thats exactly what I aim to do in 2007" Ben explained.

Ben is now looking forward to the start of the season and another chance to showcase his talent at the UK's premier motorcycle racing events. A strong package should see Ben at the sharp end of the series this year and hopefully well on his way to his goal of competing in the BSB Superbike Privateer Cup in 2008.

"Its a fresh start this year. I don't believe last season was a true reflection of my ability in this class. That said - I've learnt a lot over the past couple of seasons and I believe that I can use this to my advantage this year. I have been training really hard over the winter period and am in the right shape both physically and mentally to be at the front right from the first round!"