iForce BMW enjoy positive weekend at Silverstone.
iForce BMW overcame early adversity to finish strong during the opening round of the 2022 Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Silverstone.
The first qualifying session of the season saw solid performances from both riders, with Dan Linfoot having recorded a combined qualifying time of 53.240 placing him P9, while teammate Dan Jones qualifying just two tenths behind in P18.
The first race of the weekend got off to an eventful start as #4 Linfoot had a DNF on lap 11, as a result of an electrical fault. However, #44Jones was able to finish his maiden BSB race and cross the checkered flag in a very respectable P21.
In the early stages of second BSB race of the Easter weekend, Linfoot was caught up in an incident that saw him lose out several places to fall back to P21. However, he managed to recover brilliantly, climbing back up the pack during the 30-lap race that saw him eventually bring the bike home in P12 and record the 9th fastest time of the race with 53.516 on lap 15.
In Race 2, Dan Jones was not as lucky and was the victim of collateral damage on lap 1, as his BMW was sent crashing to the ground after a collision with another rider. Thankfully, Jones walked away unharmed.
The team continued to improve during the third and final race of the Easter weekend. Despite a slow start due to a lack of rear grip, Linfoot remained resilient and finished in the points for a second time this weekend.
Jones recuperated after his fall in Race 2 also finished the weekend strong, climbing from the back of the grid in P30 to finish P22.
infoot came away from the weekend with 6 points, placing him 14th in the championship standings. Speaking on the weekend activities, he said “The last race was tough. I started 9th which meant I had an opportunity to go with the front group, but I couldn’t get any grip for the first 4-5 laps. But then I settled into a race long battle against some midfield riders, which I managed to get the better of.” He added. “In the last race I finished 14th and only 14 seconds off the win. Sure, there is work to do but I’m content that I’m able to fight with those riders at the sharp end. I am also confident we can find some additional improvements before the next round at Oulton.”
Jones reflected on his first weekend in the BSB class and said “It was a positive weekend. We learnt a lot and showed some pace during qualifying. Race 1 was good, as I learnt a lot behind some more experienced riders. Unfortunately, during the second race I was caught up in the tail end of an incident that abruptly ended my rhythm before I could really get going, but it is what it is. Again, in Race 3, I learnt a lot and came home 22nd. Overall, I can’t complain with my first race weekend. He added “I’d like to thank all my team for the hard work, everybody behind the scenes and all the sponsors too.”
iForce BMW will next travel to Oulton Park for the BSB Test Day on April 21st.
