Action Begins for NW200 Ducati
 The
wait is finally over! The British Superbike season starts
this weekend, 4th - 6th April at Brands Hatch GP Circuit,
Kent. The NW200 Ducati team are eager to get the ball rolling
with riders Michael Rutter and John Laverty. Rutter will be
contesting the fiercely competitive British Superbike Championship
under the North West 200 banner and his team-mate John Laverty
will be running in the tough British Superbike Cup Championship
in the Buildbase NW200 livery.
The NW200 team have been working all hours during the winter
to ensure that the team is fully prepared for the challenge
that lies ahead. Running the Ducati F08 1098R's, the team
has been hampered with their testing plans when the production
of the new Superbike was delayed forcing the team to collect
the new bikes en route to the Spanish tests at Almeria and
Guadix. There was a further set back for all teams at the
official MSVR test Snetterton two weeks ago when the extreme
weather conditions halted proceedings. But with a brief testing
session for Rutter at Mallory Park the NW200 team have now
found a good base setting and are very much looking forward
to racing at Brands.
John Laverty was originally due to compete in the National
Superstock Championship on board Ducati's new flagship 1098R
production Superbike, but after lengthy consultation with
the MCRCB, MSVR and the Team's sponsor's it has been decided
to switch Laverty to the Superbike Cup. So with both Rutter
and Laverty on the main Superbike grid for 2008, the team
and all of its supporters are in for some fantastic racing
this year.
Despite the lack of testing Michael Rutter commented: "I'm
really looking forward to the 08 season. I managed to get
a few laps around Mallory last week and this has definitely
helped but we still have a bit of work to do and we need to
be out on track with similar Superbike riders to see how we
compare and to gauge how competitive the new bikes are. I'm
really pleased to be back on a Ducati and looking forward
to running under the North West 200 banner. The North West
is a great week of Irish road racing (in May) and I would
encourage anyone to go along and I guarantee they will have
a great time. To be able to promote the event by racing in
BSB is a tough job, but somebody's got to do it!"
New Superbike Cup rider John Laverty said: "I've not
been able to test much and the decision as to which Championship
I would be competing in was up in the air until the last minute.
Riding in the Superbike Cup is a prospect I'm extremely looking
forward to and a new challenge which I am certainly eager
the tackle. My bike is a bit different to Michael's, mainly
on the electronics and data logging side but he's an experienced
rider to learn from and has been in this game for years. I
will be learning my way round at the start and getting used
to the bike and the best field of riders in Britain, but hope
it won't be long before I can mix it with the top boys. I
just want to be consistent and get the best results I can."
Team Manager Ken Foley is excited about this year's new challenge
saying: "This year is a new venture for us all, but the
entire team is focused and ready for the big challenge that
lies ahead. We have been on the back foot with the lack of
testing, but hopefully the weather will be kind to us at Brands
Hatch and both Michael and John will be able to start the
season on a really positive note. It's been a busy six months
in the off season for us and as we head into managing our
first British Superbike Team we are all eager to ensure it
works. We have got two very capable, yet different riders
and some fantastic backing behind us from Alistair Kennedy
(North West 200) and Stephen Thompstone (Buildbase) and we
are hoping for some great results throughout the season."
Alistair Kennedy, Commercial Director of the Kennedy Group
commented "The creation of the NW200 Ducati Team with
JHP and Ducati is a unique and innovative way of raising the
profile of the Kennedy Group International North West 200
within the BSB audience and beyond and in turn promote Northern
Ireland to a much broader audience. It is an ambitious venture
but one which we are confident will bring a new dynamic to
what is already a fantastic event in a fabulous country."
Steve Thompstone, Director of Buildbase added "We supported
Andy Tinsley in 2003, when he claimed the British Superstock
title and we were aiming for John Laverty to repeat this in
2008. However, due to rule changes affecting the Ducati 1098R,
we will now be contesting the Superbike Cup with John. We
are now very much looking forward to an enjoyable and successful
season's racing in 2008."
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