Rain stops play at Silverstone

The second World Superbike race at Silverstone was cancelled due to concerns of safety after a day of heavy rain.

The riders had made their way to the grid for the start of race two at about 3.30pm but a decision was made to delay for half an hour to see if the conditions changed.

But following a sweep of the circuit and attempts of brushing by the marshals to try and remove some of the surface water, it was decided it was still too dangerous for the races to continue.

A statement issued by the race directors said: “The Race Direction have met and considered the weather conditions and the surface and have taken comments from riders following the first sighting lap.

“A detailed aviation weather forecast for the next few hours has been obtained and the prognosis is that the weather will deteriorate.

“Accordingly the Race Direction have met and confirmed that Superbike Race two of the Silverstone round is cancelled.

“they have thanked the Clerk of the course and his team and the venue managament for their efforts to manage the situation.”

Riders have been crashing out all day with no let up in the rain causing appalling conditions for racing.

The final race of the day, the Superstock 600, was also cancelled.