Round 4 of the 2011 British Superbike Championship took place at the super-fast Thruxton circuit in Hampshire. Conditions during the weekend deteriorated enough to replicate those at Croft, two weeks earlier, leaving teams with difficult tyre choice decisions shortly before racing got underway. (see more)
With Stuart Easton undergoing major surgeries after his crash at the NW200, a recently released-from-his-ride Alex Lowes deputised on the MSS Colchester Kawasaki. Who would have guessed that Alex would place the Kawasaki on Pole and then lead Race 1 for a while before dropping back in the wet conditions. A dream start to his BSB career.
Shane Byrne was another surprise as he failed to set a Qualifying time after falling early in Q1. This left him in last place on the race 1 grid. He then went on to show the field how it's done by finishing in third place, suggesting that visibility issues kept him from winning. Michael Laverty ended his streak of bad luck by winning Race 1. Race 2 was later won by Shakey with Peter Hickman taking second place on the Tyco Racing Honda. Again, John Hopkins finished on the podium.
The Supersport races were exciting with Billy McConnell taking the Sprint Race win on Sunday afternoon, while a wet race 2 on Monday was equally exciting as riders crashed out or suffered reliability issues leaving Paul Young with the win once the race was red-flagged. (see less)