LAVERTY FOURTH AT BRANDS HATCH BSB
Michael Laverty continued his impressive Superbike form on
the Relentless Suzuki GSX-R1000 at Brands Hatch at the weekend
with a fourth-placed finish in race two.
In race one, after a superb start, he forced his way through
to third before crashing out at Druids when hot on the heels
of Tom Sykes in second place.
Ian Lowry had a tough weekend but battled bravely in today's
Supersport race with a shoulder injury. Unfortunately he just
lost out on a points-scoring finish after being forced to
start his race from pit lane due to a front brake problem
on the warm-up lap.
Michael Laverty:
"I made a great start in the opening race but I suppose
I just pushed too hard and lost the front while shadowing
Tom Sykes. In race two I proved I could run at the front with
the likes of Shakey and Rutter, but again we suffered with
the tyre spinning on the rim. Fourth place is a positive result
for the team and the bike is working really well but I am
a bit frustrated. As a team, we are probably surprising a
few people but the Relentless Suzuki is proving to be a good
package, and if we can iron out that small tyre problem I
know I'm capable of getting on the podium. I have no doubt
we will get more competitive as the season progresses."
Ian Lowry:
"That was not a good day at all. I had a problem with
my brake adjuster on the out lap that left me with virtually
no front brake, so I had to start the race from pit lane on
my number two bike. I just couldn't get onto that middle group
for some points and with my shoulder injury and riding my
number two bike, I lost a bit of confidence. It's really a
weekend to forget, but hopefully the bad luck will be shared
about, and we can start again from the next round at Donington
Park in two weeks time.
Philip Neill - Team Principal:
"It has been an indifferent weekend for the team, but
again we can take a lot of positives from our races on the
GSX-R1000 Relentless Suzuki. Progression is what we are looking
for and we shouldn't forget it's our 'learning year' in BSB.
Our target has been set for top-10 results, but again Michael
has delivered a great performance in fourth place in race
two. His lap times in both races were worthy of a top five
placing, but I'm not going to criticise him for crashing in
race one as he was giving 100%. He has beaten some top riders
out there today and he's continuing to set his fastest ever
lap times on the Relentless Suzuki Superbike - long may that
continue.
"On the Supersport side it is clear that Ian had a few
problems this weekend and his high-side in practice, where
he suffered a shoulder injury, certainly hampered his progress
in the race. He was also unfortunate to have a brake adjuster
problem, which forced him to start the race from pit lane
on his number two machine. From there the odds were stacked
against him, but I'm sure it will only be a matter of time
before he regains the form that made him a championship contender
in 2007."
|
