Carl Edwards finished second to Tony Stewart in 2011 in the Sprint Cup Championship.  Edwards tied Stewart for the title but lost the tiebreaker which was most wins.  Edwards had a great season in 2011 but it wasn’t quite enough to win the title.  Can he be the first driver in 10 years to win the title after finishing second the previous season?

The NASCAR betting odds are going to have Edwards as one of the favorites to win the Sprint Cup Championship this season. Edwards could be a good choice to win the title in 2012 but there is no question that he will have to overcome recent NASCAR history.  The last driver to finish second and then win the title the next season was Tony Stewart who finished second to Jeff Gordon in 2001 and then won the championship in 2002.

Edwards doesn’t need to improve very much.  He only lost the title in 2011 because of the NASCAR tiebreaker.  Edwards has already thought of many instances where his team could have gotten more points. “There were a lot of places where I could have gotten one point. Of course. But you can’t go back and change that,” Edwards said. “And truly, we did try. It wasn’t like we had an off day down the stretch where we said, ‘Wow. We really screwed that up.’ We were on it.”

Edwards is a smart guy and he knows all about the recent history of second place finishers the following season.  It happened to Denny Hamlin this past year as he had a very poor 2011 season after finishing second to Jimmie Johnson in 2010. Edwards does have experience in this situation though as in 2008 he had a great year with nine wins and then flopped in 2009 as he didn’t win a single race. “We’re going to go out and do the best that we can — and I swear to you right here: if we don’t run well next season, it won’t be because we got messed up in the head over not winning.” Edwards said, “We’re truly going out there and focusing on what’s important. That’s not just because of me. I’ve got truly good people around me who will keep reminding me.”

CPC training is available in the classroom and on the web. CPC training is essential for preparing a worker for earning top money in the field of coding; a great deal more than an uncertified employee. With courses in anatomy, terminology and physiology a student of CPC training programs can secure a job in a wide span of medical fields. CPC graduates study many health related subjects and are trained to work in hospitals, medical billing offices, medical legal departments, clinics and any other place where medical coding is important to a business.

With a great deal of merchandise to ship across land trucking is in high demand. The use of trucks to move food stuffs and machinery makes truck driving a big commodity. People take to the road for many reasons; for a change, some for extra income and others for adventure. In some cases simulators assist in giving an initial feel for the road. HGV training prices help students to train with an intense program, no matter what the financial circumstance. When searching for an opportunity to change the way you make a living HGV training prices are helpful with supporting extensive drivers training.

Driver training teaches students to practice driving with actual equipment used on the open road. Training is complete, embellishing the student with skills needed to obtain proper licensing for truck driving employment. Trucks are driven in some of the most hostile environments when it comes to weather and road conditions. The work is tedious and many times lonely; not to mention bad or just pain mean drivers. But with study these future professional drivers are equipped to handle most situations. Truck driving is challenging and it can be exceptionally educational. Cross country drivers visit places they might never see without trucking. Both of these careers open bold opportunities.

There are many areas in the UK where you can get employed as a driving instructor. Leeds and Bradford are some of these areas. This will however require that you attain relevant education, skills and get licensed. This is important in a way that you need to be distinguished from the many driving instructors leeds in the market. Being a driving instructor in Leeds guarantees you a well paying job.

This is based on the fact that with the many emerging driving schools Leeds, you will not fail to get a good job. It has to be noted if you are a renowned driving instructor, you will be offered jobs from most of the schools in Leeds. This is because customers tend to go for schools that have established themselves with the best drivers in the market.

Being a driving instructor in Leeds will see you earn a lot of money. This is because the government has ensured that they get well paid. At the same time, you are entitled to many allowances that are meant to make your life easy and comfy. The salary scale of driving instructors is based on their experience and the kind of driving schools they are in.

It is however important to determine the minimum amount of money you are supposed to earn as an instructor prior to taking up the job. All in all, driving instructors Leeds take home large sums of money basing on their job and schools. It is therefore worth considering driving instructor as a career and job that will help you make ends meet and fend for your loved ones without any hassle.

The much anticipated film ‘I-Superbiker’ is soon to make its big-screen debut, and it truly is a must-see movie for all bike fans.

The film charts the fortunes of four title contenders; Tommy Hill, Gary Mason, James Ellison and Josh Brookes, following them through the highs and lows of the thrilling 2010 season British Superbike Championship.

Showing for ONE NIGHT ONLY on 14th March 2011, now is the time to book your tickets for this fantastic film.

Check out the listings on the ‘I-Superbiker’ website to see if the film is showing in a cinema near you.

‘I Superbiker’ will premiere at the Leicester Square Odeon in London on 10th March. We’ll be running a competition here on the Mirror’s BSB section next week for the chance to win VIP tickets to this exclusive event, so check back soon.

In the meantime, check out the promo video below…

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With the start of the 2011 British Superbike series just weeks away, TWO big announcements from one of the most recognizable and popular teams in the paddock.

Crescent Racing, headed by enigmatic team manager Jack Valentine, has confirmed the electronics giants Samsung as 2011 title sponsors, while also announcing reigning British Superstock Champion Jon Kirkham as teammate to John Hopkins in the team’s two-rider assault on the 2011 championship.

The new-look Samsung Crescent Racing Team will make its debut at the Cartagena circuit in Spain on March 3, with new signing Jon Kirkham and ex-MotoGP star John Hopkins getting their first taste of the GSX-R1000 machines that they will contest the 2011 BSB championship on.

Jack Valentine commented, “Naturally we are thoroughly delighted to welcome both Samsung and Jon on-board for the 2011 season. In such a tough climate it is extremely pleasing to work with a new partner from outside of the bike industry and with Jon we have a second rider with real pedigree. While it’s been a tough winter period, I genuinely believe we’ve never been in such a strong position at the start of a season and can’t wait to get both riders out on track for testing.”

With the support of Samsung, the team also aims to build on its already well-established brand by competing at the Silverstone World SBK round later in the year, where both riders will race alongside the regular World Championship contenders.

Crescent’s commercial director, Martyn James added, ” A partnership with a global brand like Samsung raises both our own and the championship’s profile, which will undoubtedly open the door to a wider audience. We look forward to using Samsung’s creative technology to assist us both on and off the track this season.”

Responsible for bringing Samsung, Crescent Racing and Jon Kirkham together – and also an instrumental part in the team’s marketing and media focus in 2011 – is Rockabox Media.

James Booth from Rockabox explained, “Motorcycling is an inspirational leisure pastime enjoyed by millions; in the form of British Superbikes it turns into the most exciting spectator sport in the world. With our proven approach to the media, we will bring this to life for thousands of fans with unique behind the scenes footage throughout the season”.

The opening round of the 2011 British Superbike Championship will take place at Brands Hatch on 22nd – 25th April. For more information on the series and to book ticket, visit the official British Superbike website.

Video highlights from the enthralling 2010 season can be seen here: BSB – behind the scenes in 2010.

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Josh Brookes made his debut with the Relentless Suzuki team at Cartagena today and the Australian title contender admits after a couple of sessions he was feeling more at home on the GSX-R1000.

Brookes recently completed laps at Phillip Island, but today was the first time that he worked with the new team.

He was joined by Alastair Seeley who lines up in the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Championship and Guy Martin who will represent the team in the Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship.

Brookes said: “In a nutshell, I am happy with day one. To start with I was feeling a bit like a passenger; mechanically the Relentless Suzuki was doing everything it was supposed to, but we just needed some adjustments as I didn’t feel comfortable.

“But we moved the foot rests and the handlebars, then the pegs again and the seat position and with everything we changed the more comfortable I felt and I was getting more confident with every lap.

“I am quite happy with the end result of the first day and tomorrow we can get back out and push on again.”

Seeley said: “It was good to be back on the bike and the new 600 feels awesome and felt good from the word go.

“We literally made a few changes to make the bike suit me then tomorrow we have some things to crack on with, but it’s all good in the garage.”

Images: Tim Keeton.

You can now book your advance tickets for the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship season opener on Easter weekend (22-25 April) at Brands Hatch by visiting www.brandshatch.co.uk or by calling 0843 453 9000.

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John Hopkins made his first appearance with the Samsung Crescent Racing team at the Spanish test today at Cartagena.

Hopkins arrived in the UK last week and following on from the announcement of the team’s new title sponsor Samsung yesterday.

They hit the track for the first time today as Hopper got settled in to the new team and adjusted to the new bike ahead of cranking it up tomorrow as they begin testing new parts.

Hopkins said: “It has been a really good day for me and the guys; we had good weather as the rain held off and I got some good laps in.

“I was just getting the feel for the new bike and the positioning; we didn’t change anything mechanically today, I just wanted to get the feel having not ridden anything other than a motocross bike since the end of last year.

“I did want to stick my leg out a few times on the first laps and get a bit of a slide on but I soon got that out of my system!

“In the second session it was all coming together and I felt much better and more comfortable on the bike. I did have one moment when I out braked myself into turn one and just ran on into the gravel so hopefully that’s that out of the way for a while now!

“Tomorrow I am looking forward to getting back out and we can really start to work on some bits with the bike and try some different parts.

“We don’t want to try and fix problems that aren’t there so we have a bit of a plan for the morning and we are going to try a new swingarm and do some work with the front forks but it has been a great day, the guys are all great and I can’t wait for more tomorrow.”

Image: Tim Keeton.

You can now book your advance tickets for the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship season opener on Easter weekend (22-25 April) at Brands Hatch by visiting www.brandshatch.co.uk or by calling 0843 453 9000.

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Swan Yamaha’s Michael Laverty set the pace on the second day of testing at Cartagena as the team moved to the Spanish track for their opening day on circuit, whilst Tommy Hill was just a few tenths off his team-mate.

Laverty quickly adapted to the new track and admitted he was surprised just how fast they could get dialled in as Hill edged towards Laverty in the final session of the day.

Laverty said: “I am really happy with our fist day here; some of the guys were out yesterday getting some track time, so to be fast is the best possible start.

“I went straight out and on my third or fourth lap and I was already into the 1m:35s and then we came in with some slight changes and then I had a clear lap and did a 1m:34s dead.

“We have only been getting the chassis dialled into this circuit after Calafat and made a few slight tweaks to the anti-wheelie and suspension and we have achieved what we need to today so it is a happy Swan Yamaha garage tonight.”

John Hopkins and the Samsung Crescent Racing team continued to improve their pace on circuit as they continued to make very little changes as Hopper racked up some more mileage and is feeling confident of further improvement tomorrow.

Josh Brookes also ran in the 1m:35s lap times as he began to feel more comfortable on the Relentless Suzuki, whilst Jon Kirkham believes he just have to find some more corner exit speed tomorrow to slash his lap time on the penultimate day at the circuit.

Unofficial overall test times from Cartagena – Day 2:

1. Michael Laverty (Swan Yamaha) 1m:34.0s
2. Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) low 1m:34s
3. John Hopkins (Samsung Crescent Racing) 1m:35.1s
4. Josh Brookes (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 1m:35.7s
5. Jon Kirkham (Samsung Crescent Racing) low 1m:36s

Source: Participating teams unofficial times

Image: Tim Keeton.

You can now book your advance tickets for the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship season opener on Easter weekend (22-25 April) at Brands Hatch by visiting www.brandshatch.co.uk or by calling 0843 453 9000.

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Swan Yamaha’s Tommy Hill was able to make further improvements on track during the final hectic hour-long session at Cartagena today, producing the fastest lap of the Spanish test so far as HM Plant Honda’s Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne also dipped into the 1m:33s barrier.

The earlier sessions in the day had been shortened but with an hour on track this afternoon Hill had been working through several minor changes to the Swan Yamaha, which paid off as he set the fastest lap of the afternoon.

Hill said: “I am really happy with the times we ran today as we have to keep reminding ourselves that it is a new bike and we are still learning with every lap. We haven’t got previous data of the circuit to compare to so we are just working through everything we can in the time we have here.

“There has been some good rivalry in the garage with myself and Michael as we have been running very similar times throughout so we have some good banter and then work together to move forward in a real team effort.

“We are learning all the time but I am conscious not to change my style too much here as it might not translate when we get home to the UK tracks. We are all feeling positive and look forward to the final day tomorrow.”

Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne came close to Hill’s time despite the HM Plant Honda team admitting they have lots of work still to get through and believe there is more to come from both riders.

Defending champion Ryuichi Kiyonari was also back on track today, but was working through some issues and is confident that these can be resolved.

The Samsung Crescent Racing pairing of John Hopkins and Jon Kirkham both improved today as the team-mates have clearly settled in with their new team and will now head to Guadix for a further three days of testing next week.

Hopkins came close to breaking the 1m:33s barrier in the closing stages of the session and believes he had more in reserve and Kirkham admits he is now feeling more at home on the Superbike and was able to move into the 1m:35s lap times.

Michael Laverty on the second Swan Yamaha had spent the afternoon session focused on changes to the chassis and working with the rear link and fork settings so didn’t match his reported time from yesterday. However, Laverty is looking forward to the final day on track tomorrow and hopes that the focus from today will show further improvement.

Josh Brookes was also able to improve on his time from yesterday as the Relentless Suzuki team went back to their original base settings in the opening session before a change to the gearing, with tomorrow’s focus to find more confidence in the front.

Michael Rutter took an early bath in the final session as he lost the front and crashed at turn 6.

Unofficial overall test times from Cartagena – Day 3:

1. Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) 1m:33.5s

2. Shane Byrne (HM Plant Honda) 1m:33.59s

3. John Hopkins (Samsung Crescent Racing) 1m:34.0s

4. Michael Laverty (Swan Yamaha) 1m:34.1s

5. Josh Brookes (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 1m:35.0s

6. Jon Kirkham (Samsung Crescent Racing) 1m:35.8s

7. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 1m:36.0s

Source: Participating teams unofficial times

You can now book your advance tickets for the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship season opener on Easter weekend (22-25 April) at Brands Hatch by visiting www.brandshatch.co.uk or by calling 0843 453 9000.

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On the final day of testing at Cartagena Tommy Hill and the Swan Yamaha team pushed on in the final sessions of the afternoon to set the fastest time of the test with a 1m:32.914s lap time which put him ahead of team-mate Michael Laverty.

In the penultimate session, the final one on track for Swan Yamaha, Hill put in a new tyre towards the end and fired in a lap time faster than anyone else so far to edge ahead of team-mate Laverty who closed in.


Hill said: “What a good day. I have been doing some race simulations today with some longer stints on track and was comfortably running in the 33s region so I was happy with that.

“I wanted to see if we could go faster so in our final session we put in a new tyre and did the 32s which is awesome way for us to end the test. It showed we can do consistent runs but when we need to we can put in a fast lap when it counts.

“We have made some real improvements over the last few days and there is still more to come when we get back to the work shop and strip the bikes down. We can then have a look through the data and then plan for our next tests in the UK.

“I have to thank the whole of the team for all of their efforts over the last week as we have really achieved what we needed to here in Spain.”

Josh Brookes spent the afternoon session switching between three bikes as he continued to get to grips with the Relentless Suzuki as he slashed some time of his personal best lap of the test so far.

Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne had an off track moment when he ran into the gravel on the HM Plant Honda early in the session, but in true gritty style was back out on the track and gunning for further improvement as the team prepare to complete the final day.

Ryuichi Kiyonari also improved his pace in the penultimate session after working through a series of changes.

Unofficial overall test times from Cartagena – Day 4/Final day:
1. Tommy Hill (Swan Yamaha) 1m:32.914s
2. Michael Laverty (Swan Yamaha) 1m:33.1s
3. Josh Brookes (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 1m:34.2s
4. Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne (HM Plant Honda) low 1m:34s
5. Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 1m:35.6s

Source: Participating teams unofficial times

You can now book your advance tickets for the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship season opener on Easter weekend (22-25 April) at Brands Hatch by visiting www.brandshatch.co.uk or by calling 0843 453 9000.

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