Strong Result for NW200 Ducati
The NW200 Ducati team gained some positive results at the
ultra fast Snetterton Circuit today, 15th June, in round five
of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship. Riders Michael
Rutter riding the Ducati F08 Ducati gained a ninth place in
the opening 21-lap race and a strong fourth place in the second,
wet 15-lap race. Team-mate John Laverty on the 1098 R Buildbase
NW200 Ducati got two consistent second places in the Daily
Star Cup races.
Rutter struggled slightly in the first Superbike race with
power issues at the extremely fast 1.9-mile circuit; he had
to settle for ninth position after battling hard with James
Ellison. The second race saw the weather conditions deteriorate
rapidly as the Norfolk track was hit with thunder, lightning
and heavy rain. A previous accident prior to the Superbike
race at the Russell chicane, saw a large amount of oil fall
on the track, the wet conditions meant that the Race Directors
had to ensure the track was safe before sending the Superbikes
out. This forced the race to be delayed and cut short to 15-laps
and not 21-laps as originally planned.
Rutter gained a good start and was fortunate to avoid a collision
with Karl Harris when he crashed at the Esses. Falling back
to sixth at one point Rutter got his head down in the closing
stages of the race and made smooth passes on Michael Laverty
and Leon Haslam taking fourth place at the chequered flag,
he now only lies one point behind James Ellison for fifth
in the Championship.
Speaking with Rutter he said "I struggled a bit throughout
the weekend with the Ducati and we have to try and solve the
problem and be back on the pace at Mallory. I managed to qualify
on the second row but knew that I would have my work cut out
during the races. Snetterton is such a fast circuit and I
had to work hard to stay with the front runners. The bad weather
for the second race seemed to work in my favour as it slowed
the pace down slightly. I was a bit careful out there for
the first few laps, as there was a lot of standing water but
I pushed harder mid way through the race and got back past
Michael and Leon. I'm pleased with the second race result
and looking forward to Mallory with it being my home circuit."
John Laverty further extended his lead in the Daily Star Cup
Championship to 93-points from his nearest rival Martin Jessopp.
Laverty rode two solid places and gained two second places
in the Cup and two sixteenth places in the overall Superbike
races. Laverty who has been dominating the Daily Star Cup
has had his work cut out since former Superbike racer Gary
Mason returned to the Championship, Mason has previously finished
overall in the top ten in the Superbike class and therefore
is providing Laverty with some fierce competition.
Laverty commented "I'm pleased with my two second place
finishes as I'm still riding on the stock Ducati so I'm having
to work very hard to stay with the Superbike boys. I'm enjoying
the challenge but it sometimes proves difficult as I want
to try and get better results in the overall series. The team
once again worked really hard for me and I'm glad I was able
to get two podiums for them! Gary (Mason) is pushing me hard
and hopefully we can have a better battle at Mallory in a
couple of weeks time. I still have a good lead in the Championship
and want to keep working on extending that lead."
Race One Result
1 Camier Ducati
2 Byrne Ducati
3 Sykes Suzuki
9th Rutter North West 200 Ducati
16th J Laverty Buildbase NW200 Ducati
Race One Cup Result
1 Mason Honda
2 J Laverty Buildbase NW200 Ducati
3 Morris Ducati
Race Two Result
1 Byrne Ducati
2 Camier Ducati
3 Crutchlow Honda
4th Rutter North West 200 Ducati
16th J Laverty Buildbase NW200 Ducati
Race Two Cup Results
1 Mason Honda
2 J Laverty Buildbase NW200 Ducati
3 Tunstall Honda
Championship Standings
Byrne 235
Camier 152
Crutchlow 151
Haslam 118
Ellison 103
Rutter 102
Cup Standings
J Laverty 191
Jessopp 98
Tunstall 97
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