The final day of the 2018 Bennetts British Superbike Championship was a tough one for James Ellison, as he suffered from a double DNF at Brands Hatch.
After securing a positive eighth place finish in Saturday’s race, Ellison started Sunday’s opening race from 12th on the grid. The Cumbrian made a great start, moving up into eighth by the end of the first lap.
Ellison continued to show impressive pace and, after moving up into sixth, was catching the leading group as the race entered its final few laps. Disaster struck though as Ellison crashed out of the race whilst pushing hard to pass Christian Iddon.
Looking back on that race, Ellison commented:
“It’s been a tough end to the weekend, I had great pace in the first race on Sunday, I caught the leading group and I was having to override the bike in places which just caught me out and I crashed.”
His impressive pace in the first race of the day meant that Ellison began the final race of the year from second on the grid. A poor start in the wet conditions saw him drop down to 15th before the end of the first lap.
The Anvil Hire TAG Racing team had worked around the clock to repair his Yamaha prior to the race, however four laps in he was forced to retire due to a problem with his bike.
A disappointed Ellison explained the issue:
“The lads worked around the clock to get the bike repaired, but when I started the race something just didn’t feel right and I didn’t want to risk anything for myself and the team. It has been such a frustrating year for me and the team, but we didn’t stop working hard to fix the issues.
“I wanted to round out the year with a podium, but it just wasn’t meant to be. I want to thank everyone at Anvil Hire TAG Racing, they’ve worked so hard and I can’t thank them enough.”
Ellison’s plans for 2019 are currently not known. Despite rumours of the 38-year-old moving to America on a full-time basis earlier on in the season, he is now expected to return to the championship in 2019.
The Anvil Hire TAG Racing Team will announce their plans for the 2019 campaign within the coming weeks.
