After dipping his toe in about six inches of the British Championship water at Mondello Park last May, Alastair Seeley, the reigning Irish Superbike and 600 Supersport champion has signed to race for a British Superstock team in 2007.
The new outfit, called NCT racing is run by Neil Haslam, for those wondering, NCT represents the team principals – Neil, Cynthia and Tony.
It was a calm and focused Alastair Seeley who took time out to chat about the new season and reflect on the season just past.
“I’m very thankful of this chance because if it hadn’t of been for Neil Haslam of NCT asking me to ride for the team I would have still been stuck in Irish Championship racing for yet another year”.
Alastair continued “ I know people have said before that I needed to get away but what they didn’t understand was we never had the money to go across the water for a full season. I have to thank Eddie Mateer who mentioned my name to Neil when asked if he knew anyone who would be available for the 2007 season.”
Alastair will have one of the all new R1 Yamaha for the series and a new team mate in New Zealander Hayden Fitzgerald who last year finished runner-up in the ACU Academy Cup.
I wondered how he felt about not only a new championship to contend with but also for the first time in his career a team mate?
“I’m looking forward to the
challenge” he answered in his usual laid back style. “Superstock is a very
competitive class with Marshall Neil, John Laverty and Adrian Coates all in it.
Probably my biggest handicap is that I have not raced on most of the tracks
before so I will have to learn them quickly. I watched last years races on TV to
try and get some idea of the circuit layouts but obviously it will be a
different story when you are actually on them. I’ve rode Oulton, Cadwell and
Knockhill when I did some club racing a couple of years ago but basically
that’s it. Once the R1’s are race prepared we are going to do some testing and
track days. Apart from that I’ll just have to buy a play station I suppose” he laughed.
“I don’t see it as too big a problem though as I tend to pick up circuits
fairly quick. When I raced in
Any goals for the Superstock campaign?
The 27 year old confidently replied “top six! As I say I have watched it, seen where the guys are finishing and know what my riding is capable off. So it is basically learning the circuits. Once I catch on to them I shouldn’t be far away”.
In 2006 Alastair had what could
be described as a memorable season lifting two Irish titles , a brilliant NW 200 and an
excellent debut in
Was it as good the second time around winning the Irish titles ?.
“2005 was really special getting my first superbike title on the William Watt R1. For 2006 I had to learn to ride a full blown superbike spec. It didn’t take long to get used to the big horse power and with it the results, the lap records and the title. In the 600 class the William Watt Yamaha was brilliant I just gelled with it immediately and had the title wrapped up by July at Aghadowey. I think I proved that I could dominate the local scene. Even when our local BSB riders came home I was able to beat them”.
I wondered what in 2006 did he feel were the highlights ?
“2006 was really special for me and Helen as we had our first child , a baby boy named Lewis who you never know may follow in his dad’s footsteps.
My dad raced before me so it’s in the blood. Although he can’t walk yet he does have two bikes in the house, a PW50 and a mini bike.
On the racing front I would say that there were two main highlights. Going to America for the first time to ride for Team Celtic Yamaha at Daytona and pulling off a ninth in the AMA supersport race against all the factory riders and secondly the two supersport races at the NW 200. Both were good but I’d have to say the second one was the best piping John McGuiness on the HM Plant Honda for fourth.”
It does not look like we will be seeing much of Alastair on the home front in 2007 with his British Championship commitments.
“I won’t be doing any Irish Championship meetings apart from the Sunflower at the end of the season. It would be silly for Neil Haslam to put all that effort into the team and me go to an Irish championship meeting, fall off, injure myself and jeopardise the British Championship season.”
At last years Sunflower meeting a lot was expected of the Carrick rider but the meeting did not quite to plan.
He explains “ There was a good entry for the superbike races and I really wanted to put on a good show on the Mark Johns Honda but I had real problems getting the thing off the line meaning I was always playing catch up. In race one I stayed out of the first lap carnage and picked them off one by one but you can only go so far in so many laps. Sixth wasn’t bad but in race two the Sunflower I went to pass Guy Martin and he came across me running me wide onto the dirty stuff and down I went. Race over. After hasty repairs were carried out I went out in race three and at the chicane on lap one I came on lets say amateurs and was T boned out of the race.
“After my practice crash on Friday and the tumble in the Sunflower my body just cried enough and with concussion was forced to sit the last 600 race out. It was a pity as I had given Tom Sykes a good run for his money in the first race finishing second. Tom said after the race that he really had to work for it breaking the lap record to break me. That pleased me.”
The only other time Alastair will be on Irish soil apart from Mondello will be the NW 200 and if he repeats his performances of 2006 he will be worth watching.
“I will be riding the NCT Yamaha in the superstock race and the William Watt bike in the two supersport races and possibly a 250 Honda for Peter Berwick. We haven’t decided what 600 to run yet but what ever the choice is it will be a good one. The 250 will be the one which Ryan Farquhar will probably ride after the TT is over so it should be on the pace as well. As I said before last years NW 200 was good in the supersport races but disappointing in the superbike races. In practice the Irish Bike Suzuki was flying. On Thursday night I was fourth fastest at one point but with a chunk out of the rear tyre and a nasty noise coming from the engine I pulled in to the pits. The engine noise was terminal and I missed the super bike races. It was funny on race day as the brolly girl appeared on the grid with my name on a board in my allotted grid position. Obviously with no bike I wasn’t racing but I jumped into my place and pretended to ride an invisibly bike much to the amusement of the crowd. Hopefully I will not have any problems this time around”
Just before Alastair set off for more training on his motocrosser he added that he may be back again at Daytona in March. “I have spoken to an interested backer and I hope it comes together as it is somewhere I enjoyed racing and it is a great way to get the winter cobwebs blown away”.
A busy year in prospect for the reigning double Irish champion and one which should see Alastair Seeley make his name on the British Championship scene in a big way.
Alastair knows he couldn’t have made this stage without help and concluded:
“I would like to thank everyone of my sponsors, friends and family who have helped take me to this level especially my dad who has been the biggest influence of my career”.