Virgin Yamaha poised to attack.

Together with the three riders in the British Superbike championship and a whole field of rookie R6 cup riders, the Virgin team have yet again got their work cut out. The Brands GP is a favourite among riders and spectators alike, and this weekend is expected to be the most popular yet as the sunshine threatens to kick off the British summer in earnest.

Local rider Tommy Hill, who graduated to the Superbike team after winning the R6 cup last season, will be looking to build on his impressive form this weekend as he competes at his favourite circuit.

"I really enjoy racing at Brands, it's my home track and for some reason I always do well here and I'm looking forward to this weekend." Commented Hill. "Back in April I had a ninth and tenth place finish on the Indy track. Since then, I've learnt so much on the Yamaha R1 and I can't wait to put it into practice on the longer circuit. I'm hoping that I'll have the home advantage and close the gap on Kiyonari. It will be hard work as he's sixteen points in front of me but I'll do my utmost in the absence of Glen (Richards) who is seven points ahead of me."

Gary Mason, one of Hills fellow team riders, narrowly missed out on a rostrum finish last year, when, the then Honda-riding, Steve Plater beat him to the chequered flag in the final moments of the race.

"The R1 is performing brilliantly at the moment. I was really frustrated when I was forced to retire at Thruxton with the punctured radiator so I will be looking to put things right and score a couple of strong results at Brands." Said Mason. "I narrowly missed out on the rostrum last year and if I could rectify that this weekend that would be fantastic."

Meanwhile substitute rider James Haydon is upbeat about his final appearance for the Lincolnshire-based team after a recent test day at Mallory Park.

"This weekend should be good. We tested at Mallory last week and I accomplished so much. I know I've got a really good set-up on the bike now and my confidence is high." Claimed Haydon. "I feel like I contributed to the further development of the bike and hopefully Steve will benefit from it on his return, and I would like to think that Rob would now consider me for more testing and development work as the season progresses."

Steve Plater, who Haydon Haydon is standing in for whilst his broken wrist heals, is all set for a return at the next round of BSB. "The cast is off and the bone is fixing well," Said Plater. "I'm really looking forward to getting back on track in two weeks time."

Also out this weekend is the R6 Cup. A single make championship whereby all the riders are on the same standard Yamaha R6 prepared by the Virgin Team to ensure no tampering or tuning takes place. This creates a great launching platform for up and coming riders wanting to impress the big teams.

The second placed Richard Wren is looking for a solid weekend to see him at the top of the championship following his inaugural R6 Cup victory at Thruxton two weeks ago. Wren hopes that his experience of racing on the Grand Prix circuit in the MRO 600 class will stand him in good stead.

"It was brilliant to win at Thruxton," said Wren. "When I got there I was 18 points behind Adam (Jenkinson) and I knew that I really couldn't wait any longer to get my title bid on track, so when I won it was fantastic. I'm only three points behind him now and I really want to top the leaderboard after Brands."

Despite his challenger, current series leader Jenkinson remains optimistic and is keen to keep his title chances on track. The Mancunian racer has won fifty per cent of the races so far, one of which was on the Brands Indy circuit in April. Jenkinson will be looking for a front row start and another strong result after a disappointing finish two weeks ago which, as a result, saw his 18 point lead diminish to three.

"I defiantly need a front row start this weekend." Commented Jenkinson. "I'm not too bothered by pole, I'm generally a strong starter so I will be concentrating on getting the hole-shot into Paddock Hill bend. I was annoyed with the result at Thruxton, at one point I caught up with the front bunch but I really struggled with grip and I was slipping everywhere. Coming seventh was like coming last, it was a very costly weekend. Richard is very strong at the moment, and with it being his home track I know I will have my work cut out. Last time here I passed him and pulled ahead so hopefully I will manage to do the same again."

Another rostrum hopeful is Warrington's Gareth Glynn who finished in second at Thruxton after qualifying on pole. The 22-year-old racer, buoyed by his podium finish, is upbeat about the coming weekend and knows that he is more than capable of making it two podium finishes in a row.

"I was steadily building up to Brands." Said Glynn. "This is my first year on a four-stroke and I knew it would take a few meetings getting used to the bike. Now I'm just focussing on finishing on the podium and gradually moving up through the rankings."