Stapleford & Triumph are British Supersport Vice Champions
The Macadam Triumph Racing team secured second overall in the British Supersport championship with rider Luke Stapleford this past weekend (October 11-13) following a dramatic three-way battle for the title that came down to the final round at Brands Hatch, England.
Coming into the final two races, Stapleford on his #8 Street Triple 765-based race machine were 22 points down on championship leader, Jack Kennedy, and only a single point back from reigning champion, Ben Currie, in second place.
Free practice was a reflection of the season so far, with the top three in the championship as the fastest riders. Kennedy and Stapleford carried on the same positions through into qualifying, finishing first and second respectively. With Currie suffering a tough qualifying with a crash and injuring a finger, the scene was set for a straight fight between the two former champions of Stapleford and Kennedy.
The Sprint Race started in challenging conditions as rain fell at parts of the circuit on the opening lap. Stapleford was third into the first turn, Paddock Hill Bend, but was pushed back a further two places as he opted for caution. As the laps clocked up, Stapleford got into his rhythm to make up places and gain ground on race leader and he made a pass on Kennedy at Druids on lap six to take the lead. With little time to enjoy a clear track, the race was red flagged as conditions deteriorated.
The race was to be restarted for a five-lap thriller but with weather conditions so unpredictable, tyre choice was anyone’s guess. Stapleford make a gamble for slick tyres while Kennedy opted for wets. Unfortunately for the #8 rider, seconds after the restart, the heavens opened and he was forced to pull in after three laps for safety, along with other riders who’d banked on the rain staying away. For teammate Max Wadsworth, it was a similar situation and he opted to pull in after the warm-up lap. Kennedy went on to win the race with his wet tyres and, with it, his fifth Supersport championship.
Sunday’s Feature Race would be a battle for second overall in the championship and for Stapleford to end his incredible season on a high. Cold but fully dry conditions greeted the riders and the #8 Triumph rider would start on the third row in ninth, with vice-champion rival Currie last on the grid. A dramatic first lap would see a lot of riders crash out, pushing hard on cold tyres. Wadsworth on the #72 Triumph was taken out by another rider at Druids Hairpin, crashing unhurt. Meanwhile Stapleford was lucky to avoid an accident on the exit of Graham Hill Bend but would regain composure to be fourth over the line after lap one.
With the newly crowned champion, Kennedy, out front, Stapleford set about chasing him down for a possible eighth win of the season. Despite a valiant effort, a small error on lap nine at Druids Hairpin saw Stapleford relinquish second place to Eugene McManus. It would take until lap 13 for the Triumph rider to reclaim the place, but by then the race leader was too far ahead and so it would be a 16th visit to the podium for Stapleford with a valiant second place to round out a truly excellent season for him and the Macadam Triumph Racing team.
Luke Stapleford #8
“Coming into the last round of 2024 with the points gap we had, it was always going to be a tough challenge. We gave it our all and took a tyre gamble that unfortunately didn’t pay off. The Triumph has been a brilliant bike to ride all year with us consistently being in the mix for wins and the championship. A big thanks to the whole team for all their efforts this year, we will be back!”
Max Wadsworth #72
“A really difficult weekend for the last one of the season. Qualifying didn’t go to plan due to an early red flag, placing me 17th. In the Sprint Race we opted for slicks which wasn’t ideal, so I opted to pull in after the warm up lap. I wanted to redeem things in the final race of the year but got taken out at the hairpin on the first lap. A tough final round but overall a really positive first season on the 765 and I can’t thank the team or Triumph enough for their support this year.”
Steve Sargent, Chief Product Officer, Triumph Motorcycles
"Huge congratulations to Luke for a fantastic season, narrowly missing out on becoming British Supersport Champion nine years after he won his last title on a Triumph. Luke has shown what a talent he is and proved the strengths of the Street Triple 765. We're very proud of him and the team for a fantastic British Supersport season."
Race Results: Round 11 - Brands Hatch
Sprint Race
1st Jack Kennedy (Honda)
2nd Carter Brown (Yamaha)
3rd Zak Corderoy (Yamaha)
DNF Luke Stapleford (Triumph)
DNS Max Wadsworth (Triumph)
Feature Race
1st Jack Kennedy (Honda)
2nd Luke Stapleford (Triumph)
3rd Eugene McManus (Ducati)
DNF Max Wadsworth (Triumph)
British Supersport Championship after 11 of 11 rounds
Champion Jack Kennedy - 466
2nd Luke Stapleford - 404
3rd Benjamin Currie - 375
25th Max Wadsworth - 32
