Storm Stacey suffers three engine failures at Brands Hatch
Three engine failures ruined Storm Stacey's weekend in the latest round of the British Superbike Championship at the iconic Brands Hatch circuit.
Those engine issues curtailed both free practice sessions, and then prevented him taking any part in Saturday's 15-minute qualifying session - despite his Bathams Racing team working tirelessly through the night in a bid to fix things.
He was then also ruled out of Saturday's race, but Sunday's action brought renewed hope as Stacey - from Eccleshall - was finally able to confirm the issue had been resolved during the warm-up session.
From there, he stormed through from 25th on the grid to 13th at the end of the shorter 10-lap sprint race, before making up a further two places in the final race of the weekend.
Stacey: “That was a properly tough weekend. We were on the back foot from virtually first thing on Friday due to missing all the track time.
"By the time we got to the grid for the sprint race, we’d done 60 laps less than everyone else, so were miles behind on set-up.
"Anyway, the team are looking into why three engines failed, but I really must say a massive thanks to everyone in the garage who worked so hard to get the job sorted.
"It might sound mad, but after all the problems we had, the seven points I scored feel just as precious as the big points I’ve been getting for my top-five finishes."
After a tough few days, Stacey now sits 10th in the championship standings and turns his attention to round six at Thruxton in Hampshire from August 8-10.
