The Bennetts British Superbike Championship finale took place at Brands Hatch, wrapping up a title-winning campaign for Buildbase Suzuki. Richard Cooper – running the number one plate on the front of his GSX-R1000 after sealing the 2019 National Superstock 1000 title at Oulton Park in September – capped-off his season with another podium. The twice-Superstock Champion qualified on pole after topping the earlier free practice sessions, but half a second at the chequered flag prevented him from finishing the year with a win. He crossed the line in second place. It was another top-three finish for the Nottinghamshire rider who has only been off the podium one weekend all season.
Richard Cooper:
“I wanted to end the year with a win but it was so cold, and I didn’t want to end it with a mistake either. Through the slower lefts I was just losing a bit and we didn’t need to put it all on the line today. We’ve shown that when we need to do it we can, with the number of poles, wins, and podiums. If it wasn’t for Thruxton we’d have had a podium at every round, and that’s how you put championships together. It’s been one of my best seasons ever; everything we set out to achieve we have: the Superstock title, the North West 200, and we’ve still got the Sunflower Trophy next weekend. It’s been a lot of fun, the team has been great and it’s been so rewarding this year, which is why we go racing. Huge thanks to the team for making it happen.”
