SUPERSPORT PODIUM FOR LOWRY AT OULTON
 Ian
Lowry jumped onto his first Supersport podium of the season
at the Oulton Park British Superbike round with third place
while team-mate Michael Laverty continued to score solidly
in the Superbike class with seventh and fourth places.
Laverty now sits sixth in the British Superbike championship
table, also holding the position of leading Suzuki, while
Lowry is fifth place in the Supersport class after his opening
podium of 2008.
Michael Laverty:
"It was frustrating to be so close this weekend and
I know if we can sort the small issue we have been having
with tyres, then I'll be right there with them. The Relentless
Suzuki GSX-R1000 is as good as any bike out there, and with
the updates we've made to the chassis and the electronics
in the past couple of weeks, I'm confident that podiums will
come.
"Oulton is not one of my favourite circuits but in the
first race the mistake was all mine. I just ran onto the grass,
over the gravel, then bounced my wheels off the barriers the
same way Plater does at Macau! Seriously though, it was more
luck that judgement but I fought my way back from 26th to
seventh place and I was doing the same lap times as Haslam
in second place. In the second race we had that small tyre
problem, but our time will come, sooner or later."
Ian Lowry:
"I'm happy to be back on the podium and I can take positives
from that. I got caught up a little behind Chris Martin, which
let Kennaugh and Richards away at the front. I pushed hard
for a few laps and gapped Martin but it was too late to close
in on the boys at the front. I just settled for a no heroics
finish and took my podium. It's points in the bag and I'm
now looking forward to Brands Hatch next weekend."
Philip Neill - Team Principal:
"That was a very tough weekend with the up and down
conditions, but to bring both riders home with not a scratch
on the bikes is just what we needed. Michael has continued
to meet all our expectations and could easily have scored
his first podium this weekend. He is gearing up for a solid
championship position and his podium will come. He has been
consistent in all conditions and is ticking all the boxes
for us at Relentless Suzuki.
"The Relentless Suzuki GSX-R1000 Superbike is running
almost perfectly thanks to our team. Big thanks must also
go to the outside assistance we receive from K-Tech and Motec
Europe who have improved the suspension and electronics on
our bike. We are now the top Suzuki in the championship and
that is very satisfying.
"Ian will possibly be a little disappointed with his
performance after such a dominant qualifying on the K8 GSX-R600
Suzuki, but it was a solid result. He possibly showed too
much respect for the conditions getting caught behind Chris
Martin. What he did show at the end of the race was maturity,
settling for a safe third when he knew that Richards and Kennaugh
were gone at the front. Its points on the board and that's
vital.
"In closing, and on behalf of everyone at Relentless
Suzuki, I'd like to pass on my heartfelt sympathy to Martin
Finnegan's family circle and friends. Martin will be a big
loss to international road racing, both in the paddock and
on the track."
Supersport Results: 1 Glen Richards (Triumph),
2 Hudson Kennaugh (Yamaha), 3 Ian Lowry (Relentless Suzuki).
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