It was a mixed weekend for the NW200 Ducati team at the rescheduled Brands Hatch round. In completely contrasting weather conditions from the cancelled race in April the two riders Michael Rutter and John Laverty secured varying results in the two 20-lap Bennetts British Superbike races. Rutter on the Ducati F08 was unfortunate to crash out of race one but secured a solid fifth place in race two, team-mate John Laverty on the Ducati 1098 R took a third and a confident win in the two Daily Star Cup races in glorious sunshine at the Kent circuit.
With the qualifying positions already decided at the original round Rutter lined up on the grid in seventh place and John Laverty first in the Daily Star Cup (14th overall). Two 30-minute sessions yesterday did not give the riders the ideal time they required to get the two bikes set up properly for the races.
Rutter crashed out of race one on lap 13 whilst battling for seventh place with James Ellison. A strong start by Rutter was short lived when he was blocked into the first corner, Paddock Hill Bend, pushing him back to 11th after the opening lap. Fighting hard Rutter looked good and was consistently running fast times but lost the front going into Surtees, cutting his race short.
In the second race Rutter gained and awesome start and was fourth into the first corner. A charging Shakey Byrne and Leon Camier managed to find away past the North West 200 rider by the end of the fifth lap but the West Midlands based rider dug deep and fought his way back through to fifth. Tom Sykes blew an engine on lap 19 and the race was red-flagged and a race result was declared. The 36-year-old, who is preparing for the North West 200 this forthcoming week, is still sitting in fourth place in the overall Championship.
Michael Rutter commented "I'd been struggling a bit with the front end during free practice yesterday, due to the short sessions we had, it was hard to find the problem and try and rectify them fully. I was pushing hard in the first race as I could see the leaders getting away. After getting blocked into the first corner I think I was riding a little harder than normal and just tucked the front end going into Surtees. The second race was much better and I got a great start and was eager to finish and keep a good position in the Championship. I could see the leading pack making a gap but I wanted to secure a solid result for the team, I'm a bit disappointed but I still got some good points in the second race and have a good position in the Championship. I leave for the North West tomorrow so it's a busy few weeks, the North West is one event in the year that I really look forward to and this year would be a great year for me to get some good results there with the team's association with the event."
John Laverty on the Buildbase Ducati further extended his lead in the Daily Star Cup Championship today by 39-points from his nearest rival Martin Jessopp. Laverty took two solid podium finishes including the race win in the second race. After crashing during the second practice session yesterday Laverty missed out on valuable track time as he currently only has bike to compete on. Laverty was locked in a tight scrap for second in the cup in race one with Martin Jessopp who is riding the ex Stobart Honda, only 0.8 separated the pair as they crossed the line with Jessopp making a pass on Laverty on the final lap.
Race two was a different matter for the Ulsterman, feeling happier on the bike he rode a strong and confident race and was dicing in a battle of 11 riders for ninth place overall. Fending off the challenges from Aaron Zanotti and Luke Quigley he took his fourth win from six races and 13th overall in the main Bennetts British Superbike Championship.
Speaking with John Laverty he said "I was really annoyed with myself after the first race as I just couldn't get comfortable on the bike. I'm still running the Metzeler front tyres and they are really difficult to ride on. Plus with me still being on a stock bike I don't have the same specifications on my bike as the other cup riders, I have different forks and also a smaller radiator, which in the boiling hot conditions today my bike was getting too hot and causing me to lose power. I struggled in race one but I'm much happier about my second race result and once again I've pulled an extra advantage in the overall Cup Championship. I'm looking forward to Donington in a few weeks time as it's a track I like a lot and hopefully I'll be able to get some good results there too."
