BSB: Chris Burns Silverstone summary

BURNS: IT SHOULD'VE BEEN THE DOUBLE

IT may be two days since the Mirror.co.uk BSB-Evo Championship packed up and left Silverstone, but Chris Burns is still lamenting what could've been after he was taken out in the second race -- just hours after taking his second win of the season for the Splitlath Motorsport Aprilia squad.

The Newcastle rider won Sunday's opening race by an impressive 10 seconds ahead of his team-mate Hudson Kennaugh, after demonstrating a master class of wet weather racing at the Northants circuit.

After rain began to fall just minutes after the race got underway, forcing race chiefs to call a halt, Burns had the bit between his teeth as the bikes took to the grid for the restart. From fourth on the grid, he made a lightning getaway and was up to second within two laps. From there he chased down leader Gary Johnson who eventually made a mistake and ran off the track, allowing Burns to capitalise further and take the chequered flag in dominant form, while also setting the quickest Evo lap.

After celebrating his second win of a season dogged by injury, the former MotoGP rider was keen to make it two in a row as the bikes lined up for the afternoon's second race, held in even wetter conditions. Starting from 13th, his best grid position of the year, he got another quick start, making up a handful of places by the time the field reached Copse.

But then disaster struck, as Loris Baz crashed and his Motorpoint Yamaha slid across the track, taking out Burns' Aprilia RSV4. Rushing to pick up his stricken machine, a devastated Burns was forced to admit defeat when he realised the bike had suffered damage.

"That should've been the double, it was my chance to make up for a tough year and I am still absolutely gutted," he said. "I was capable of doing so well in that race, I was feeling so confident after getting the win earlier and I know for a fact I would've been well within the main top 10 there.

"It was my best grid position of the year but of course, it was 13th, unlucky for some and most definitely me! I got away so quickly and passed Tommy Hill and a fair few others. Next thing I know Baz's bike comes charging across the track and skittled me. There was nothing that could be done.

"I've gone home and thought about all the what ifs and if only's. If I'd started on the inside of the grid I wouldn't have been there, if I hadn't got such a great start I'd not have been up there, but you can't keep thinking like that. It happens, when a bike goes down it will always go to the outside of the track, and guess who just happened to be there.

"Obviously I'm still as thrilled as I was about getting my second win in Race One, and now I know I have to just put it behind me and think about Oulton. Of course, I have to pray it rains again, and if it does the rest of them need to watch out...I've got unfinished business there now."

The final round of the Mirror.co.uk BSB-Evo Championship will take place at Oulton Park in Cheshire over the weekend October 8-10, 2010.

-source: chris burns