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.
Michael Rutter
"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.
John Laverty
"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
1. Byrne 364
2. Sykes 254
3. Haslam 249
6th Rutter 195
Cup Championship Points
1. Laverty 351
2. Jessopp 240
3. Burns 212
2008 Races
Round 10 - 12th - 14th September - Croft, North Yorkshire
Round 11 - 26th - 28th September, Silverstone, Northants
Round 12 - 10th - 12th October - Brands Hatch Indy, Kent
Related Link:
www.nw200ducati.com
Images by Andrew Harbron (Londonbikers)
