Virgin Media Yamaha - Team Background
2007 proved to be a ground-breaking season for Rob Mac Racing as the team expanded into the fiercely competitive British Supersport Championship for the first time. Running under Virgin Media Yamaha, at the helm were previous Virgin Mobile Cup winners Billy McConnell and Tom Grant, bringing with them a rare mix of experience and youthful energy.
Demands of the modern British Superbike Championship led Rob Mac to launch the British Supersport team in 2007, with a ride for the following season as a golden carrot for the Virgin Media Cup Champion. A prize that BJ Toal was worthy of claiming as his for 2008.
Over the previous four seasons, Rob Mac had worked tirelessly with Yamaha UK in the development and progression of young riders within motorcycle sport. The new Supersport team highlighted these endeavours, and with the two most recent champions spearheading the new team, it provided Rob with the opportunity to showcase the talent produced by the Cup’s continued success.
The season started brightly with both Billy and Tom taking front row grid positions for the opening round at Brands Hatch. Billy would take the team’s first step onto the podium a few short days later with third place at the fast Thruxton circuit. However, it would not be until Round 10 at Croft in North Yorkshire that the team’s season-long hard work would pay off with Billy taking the first race win for Virgin Media Yamaha with a brilliant move on the penultimate lap to claim victory by the narrowest of margins.
A strong last quarter of the season saw Billy record four podiums on the bounce, including his second win of the season with a dominating performance at Brands Hatch Indy circuit over the final weekend of the season.
Perhaps the highlight of the debut foray into Supersport for Rob Mac, was the double podium enjoyed at the team’s home round at Cadwell Park over the August Bank Holiday. Billy claimed his fifth pole position of the season and converted it into second in the race with Tom Grant just behind in third to claim his second podium after a valiant third at the rain-affected Knockhill round.
By the close of play, Billy was the man in form in the Championship riding with the kind of form that could have won him the title had it not been for a few mishaps early on. His blistering pace and determination on the 600cc Yamaha YZF-R6 gave him no fewer than five pole positions, two race victories and five podiums to finish fourth in the title race. Meanwhile, Tom Grant earned his stripes as rookie of the year, finishing in seventh in the championship in his first year of senior British Championship level racing, posting two podiums along the way.
With valuable experience gained in 2007, the coming season looks set to be full of promise. BJ Toal starts the next chapter in his fledgling career as he takes to the track onboard the Virgin Media Yamaha YZF-R6. Despite the gulf in machinery specs from last season's Cup R6, BJ has impressed in testing and looks set to cause a few upsets this year. Team-mate Nick Medd makes his comeback to the British racing scene after a two-year absence. The 28-year old is eager to take on the mighty challenge of competing for the Virgin Media Yamaha Supersport team. With a number of test sessions under his belt, Nick is looking forward to the prospect of re-igniting his racing career under the expert guidance of Rob McElnea.
Rob McElnea, Team Principal: "The Supersport team flew the Virgin Media flag for us in 2007 and kept the whole team smiling. It was great for Billy to see the season out on the top step of the podium, it gave the team a good send off for the season and put us on a high as went into winter testing. We achieved a great deal with our Supersport bikes last year and worked really hard to produce a proven race-winning machine.
With BJ we have the final chapter in the history of the Virgin Media Cup. The Cup has been responsible for fast-tracking so many of our new stars and hopefully BJ will be the next. The new 2008 Yamaha R6 has been incredible in testing and BJ, for a complete young rookie at 20 yrs old has really got to grips with the 600cc missile! I know he wants to emulate the success the previous winners have achieved and I am sure he will have a fantastic season. Nick has a wealth of experience to bring to our Supersport team and will be a great help to BJ throughout the year, Nick has had his share of bad luck and missed last season through injury, he has a tough task in front of him catching up with the rest of the pack but has tested well and has set himself goals to be at through the year in his comeback season."