Solid Point Scoring Positions for NW200 Ducati Riders
It was a good weekend for the NW200 Ducati Team at round
nine of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Cadwell
Park. Michael Rutter on the North West 200 Ducati gained a
solid sixth and fifth place respectively at the ultra technical
Lincolnshire circuit. His team-mate John Laverty kept his
lead in the Daily Star Cup, and is now sitting 111 points
clear of his nearest rival Martin Jessopp in the Championship
standings. An injured Laverty gained a second place and a
win in the two Cup races.
Rutter secured a strong sixth place during the new Formula
1 style qualifying session on Sunday and lined up on the second
row on the newly formatted 3-3-3 grid. Rutter on the F08 Ducati
gained a good start in the first 18-lap race and was sitting
in fourth place for the opening ten laps. Struggling to find
a good rhythm through the tricky mountain section he was losing
time and was passed by Airwaves Ducati riders Shane Byrne
and Leon Camier.
The second race was cut short to 15-laps and another positive
start saw Rutter sitting in a comfortable fifth place at the
end of the first lap. Cal Crutchlow crashed out at Hall Bends
on lap three promoting Rutter to fourth position. Leon Camier
made a strong pass on Rutter into the first corner on lap
six, which left him riding in a lonely fifth place for the
remaining nine laps. With the absence of James Ellison from
the races, due to injury, Rutter has now moved up to sixth
in the overall Championship standings.
Commenting he said "I'm pleased with the way today went
as Cadwell is not one of my favourite tracks and I'm glad
to be moving on from here and going away with two good points
scoring positions. It's a tricky circuit to master and I was
struggling on the Mountain section and losing a lot of time
on other riders around there. I've moved up a place in the
Championship so hopefully I'll be able to continue to improve
at the remaining three rounds of the year."
The still suffering John Laverty on the Buildbase NW200 Ducati
1098R battled through the pain barrier to secure a second
and first respectively in the Daily Star Cup Championship
races. After missing Knockhill, where he crashed heavily breaking
two ribs and damaging ligaments in his knee and neck, the
youngster worked hard to gain the results he did and in the
process he gained a 14th and 15th place respectively in the
Superbike Championship.
Commenting he said "I'm feeling very second hand after
riding in those two races today and it's totally taken it
out of me. I knew I had to ride to try and keep the points
advantage in the Cup series and I wanted to just do the best
I could. I dug deep and worked hard to keep on going and even
though I'm sore I'm really happy with the way things went
today despite my injuries. I'd like to thank all the Buildbase
team for working so hard over the weekend to help me and once
again the CJ Physios in the medical centre."
Race 1 Result
1 Haslam Honda
2 Sykes Suzuki
3 Byrne Ducati
6 Rutter North West 200 Ducati
Race 1 Cup Result
1 Mason Honda
2 Laverty Buildbase Ducati
3 Burns MV Agusta
Race 2 Result
1 Haslam Honda
2 Sykes Suzuki
3 Byrne Ducati
4 Camier Ducati
5 Rutter North West 200 Ducati
Race 2 Cup Result
1 J Laverty Buildbase Ducati
2 Burns MV Agusta
3 Jessopp Honda
Championship Points
Byrne 364
Sykes 254
Haslam 249
6th Rutter 195
Cup Championship Points
Laverty 351
Jessopp 240
Burns 212
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