LATEST NEWS | 1.8.2010 | English update
BEST RESULT OF THE SEASON, UNTIL NOW

Silverstone with its new layout that almost reach six km. was a new challenge for Team Harms Benjan Racing. To find the right setup on the bikes was not easy because the track was not similar to any other in calendar.

After Fridays sessions Bastien and Robbin got to know the track and the team got some feedback from the riders and the data.

On Saturday it was a wet practice in the free session but the track dried up to the final qualifying. Bastien made it to 22nd on the starting grid. Robbin had improved his setup and made it to 5th. Place starting on the second row.

Sunday – Race day.
In Warm up Robbins engine suffered a technical failure and the team was forced to start the race with a spare engine. Unfortunately that engine also had a technical failure on the Sight Seeing lap to the race. Robbin then had to rush back to his box and start the race on his spare bike from the last starting position on the 7th row.

Because of a crash on the first lap the race was red flagged. That gave the team the chance to repair Robbins no. 1 bike and make it ready for restart. Still the bike was a kind of new for him since he never had ridden it with the new spare engine.

After restart both riders got a good start. Robbin hold 3rd place on the first lap and Bastien was 18th. Robbin then latter settled to 4th place for a long time racing lap times faster than the Pole position time. At the end the race he was joined by Chaz Davies fighting for 4th position. Robbin passed him on the last lap but ran to wide and finished as 5th but Robbin had closed the gap to the riders in front of him on the last laps and finished less that 2 seconds from 3rd place. Best result of the season until now.

Bastien made a good progress in the race overtaking several riders and finished as 16th after Fujiwara. Bastien felt that it was his best race this season and that he improved his riding style on his Honda.

Robbin:
Yes I am happy with my fifth place but at the same time also a little disappointed that I had to start the race with a new engine. The first part of the race felt like I was racing on somebody else bike, it was a complete stranger to me, but after a few laps I found my rhythm and the engine was not so bad. Unfortunately it was too late because I lost the contact to the front group. I had a good pace in the race making consistent lap times. At the end of the race I battled with Davies and passed him on the last lap but I ran a little wide and finished 5th.

The World Superbike/Supersport takes a vacation now in one month and will be back at Nürburgring in Germany the 5th of September.

More news at robbinharms.dk

LATEST NEWS | 12.7.2010 | English update
FAMILIAR TRACK FOR ROBBIN AT THE BRNO, CZECH

This weekend the Harms Benjan racing team was at the Brno circuit in Czech Republic. Friday Robbin shoved that he was familiar with the track and had a lot of knowledge on how to ride fast, when he finished 2nd fastest in the first free practice.

In the qualifications Robbin managed to ride a time that qualified him to a 9th position on the Sunday’s race. He wanted to push the bike to second starting grid but an electrical problem stopped Robbin from riding the last 20 minutes of the qualification where he dropped from 7th To 9th position.

Bastien who likes the track and have been here a couple of times before kept advancing his times the whole weekend and was after the second qualification 16th on the starting grid that this time was as big as 24 riders.

Sunday Race

Bastien did a very good start in the race and was quickly up as number 13th. He had a lot of good fights and really pushed hard still suffering from a troubled knee after a crash earlier this weekend. Sadly he didn’t get to finish the race crashing on the last lap. This weekend Bastien really proved he is starting too evolved as a 4- stroke rider.

Robbin pushed his bike to a 6th position and quickly he pooled away from the riders behind him. He managed to keep contact with the front group in the first laps but was struggling with lack of rear grip in the exits which made it impossible to keep the contact. The rest of the race Robbin rode a lonesome 6th place home with 6 seconds to 7th place. This is third time Robbins finish sixth this season which also leaves him 6th in the Championship as best private rider and 1 point from 5th position.

Next race is at Silverstone Great Britain the 1st of August.

More news at robbinharms.dk

LATEST NEWS | 26.4.2010 | English update
A GREAT DAY FOR THE HARMS BENJAN RACING TEAM

After a troubled weekend the team managed to turn their luck and scored the best race finish yet this season. Both riders managed to get points. Robbin 10 with an amazing 6th position and Bastien collected points again in his first season of the World SuperSport Champion.

Robbin made a great start from his 10 place on the starting grid and was in the first corner up as 7th. He was battling for 5th place pushing the bike 100% every lap and fighting with factory team riders. After a half race with good speed and consistent lap times he finished the race as 6th. He is now ranking as high as 5th in the champion standing and is the best private team rider.

The other rider Bastien also made a good start and was close to the two riders in front of him. Most of the race he was fighting for 12th place, but Assen is a difficult track to overtake and the ended on at 14th position.

Robbin Harms:
“Today was good fun archiving the best result of the season. My bike was well to handle and I could push it to the limit. I missed the last 5% in the bike to take the 5th place. But overall I’m very happy with the team and my performance this weekend and I’m looking forward to the next race in Monza”

Bastien Chesaux:
“My setup was much better today and I had a good feeling. I still feel like I am learning and getting stronger on the 4 stroke bike. The team worked hard and well for me this weekend but I am disappointed with the race result. My goal for the next race is to keep improving my lap times trough out the weekend. ”

Jan Breedveld, chief mechanic:
“It was a great race for the team and the riders. We improved both riders setup of the bikes which paid off well in the race. We hope to continue the positive progress at Monza and so on. I’m happy for the team and the riders.”

Next race is at Monza in Italy the 9th of May.

More news at robbinharms.dk

LATEST NEWS | 12.4.2010 | English update
TROUBLED WEEKEND FOR THE HARMS
BENJAN RACING TEAM

The third race weekend in the World SuperSport Championship took place at the Valencia race track in Spain. The race didn’t go as expected due to many different technical problems, but the team have gained a lot of experience. Sunday morning the problems seemed to be solved and everybody was looking forward to a great race with Robbin Harms starting from a 10th position and Bastien Chesaux from a 17th position.

Robbin made an excellent start and was already in 6th position going into turn 1. Unfortunately, due to a technical problem he wasn’t able to push hard and lost some places during the race. Finishing in 9th, Robbin felt he could have done a lot better if there hadn’t been a problem with the bike.

Bastien also felt good about the start and was aiming for his second top 15 finish. But in the start he was held up by a crash in front of him and he lost some important time. He then pushed very hard to close the gap in front of him but due to electronically problems, a crash was not to be avoided.

Robbin Harms, 9th position:
“I’m not happy about the race but I kept my head cool and finished the race inside the points despite the troubles I had with handling the bike. I would like to thank the team for the good effort and the progress we made.”

Bastien Chesaux, DNF:
“I was happy to ride at Valencia, the spirit and the track is amazing. Sure I’m disappointed about the crash but that’s racing. I’m now looking forward to Assen which is a track I like and with the same spirit and a stable bike we will hopefully be in top 12.”

Jan Breedveld, chief mechanic:
“We have learned a lot this weekend and the team have worked hard to solve all the technical problems. Now we will look forward and concentrate on the next race.”

Next race will be in Assen the 25th of April.

More news at robbinharms.dk