The Isilon MSS Discovery Kawasaki team had a mixed bag of results at Lincolnshire’s Cadwell Park circuit today. In the Superbike class Michael Rutter took two points finishes, while young replacement rider James Webb crashed out of the MAXXIS British Supersport race. In the Bennetts British Superbike class, 34-year-old Rutter battled a fuelling problem and a brief off-track excursion but managed to take respectable 11th and 10th place finishes.
18-year-old team-mate Webb – who replaces injured Scot Stuart Easton for the rest of the year – crashed his Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R at Charlies while trying to overtake Joe Dickinson on lap six. Luckily the rider from Tunbridge Wells was not hurt in the crash. The team are now hoping to test before the season reconvenes at Donington Park’s GP circuit on September 23rd.
Michael Rutter, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R (11th and 10th)
“Not what we really wanted from today at all. We still had this persistent fuelling problem on the number one bike in the first race, but then we had a clutch issue with the bike just before the second race, so we had to use the spare machine. The No.2 bike felt OK, but I was pushed onto the grass by Scott Smart in the race so had to make some time up. We’ve got to remain positive with the last two rounds of the season coming up. We know we can get some good results before the end of the year and we will all be trying hard to make that happen.”
James Webb, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R (DNF)
“I’m gutted! Especially after the way qualifying went! After the start I was in a good position and was looking at making some moves on the guys ahead. I could see Joe Dickinson ahead and the three riders in front were pulling a bit of a gap. I guess I just rushed past going into Charlies and down I went. I’m disappointed but I’ve still got two more rounds to show the team what I can do and they’re both my favourite circuits, so that’s good. I need to move on from this and prepare for Donington as opportunities like this don’t come up often.”
Jack Valentine, Race Team Manager
“We’ve had another difficult weekend overall. We’re very pleased with what James has done but disappointed that he slipped off: but he’s a racer and he felt he was being held up and could see others pulling away. We all get a little impatient when we’re 18! It’s a little bit of inexperience coming in there, but he’s learned from his experience and can build upon that in the last two rounds. With Michael and the Superbike we still have this persistent engine management issue where there’s a flat-spot and then a surge of power. We also had some chassis issues, which we managed to make some in-roads into. We now need to plan what to do between now and Donington Park and hopefully get some testing done so we can get some good results in at the last two rounds.”
Nick Morgan, Team owner
“We have to look on the bright side, we have got two points finishes from Michael once more while James has shown some real spirit as well as a large helping of promise for the final two rounds. We now need to knuckle-down and get the best from our Kawasaki Ninja machines for the final two rounds of the year. We know we’re capable of getting some good results, so now’s the time to do it.”
Bennetts British Superbike Championship - Race One
1. Leon Haslam
2. Ryuichi Kiyonari
3. Tom Sykes
4. Shane Byrne
5. Cal Crutchlow
11. Michael Rutter, ISILON MSS Discovery Kawasaki
Bennetts British Superbike Championship: Race Two
1. Jonathan Rea
2. Ryuichi Kiyonari
3. Gregorio Lavilla
4. Cal Crutchlow
5. Tom Sykes
10. Michael Rutter, ISILON MSS Discovery Kawasaki
MAXXIS British Supersport Championship Race
1. Michael Laverty
2. Billy McConnell
3. Tom Grant
4. John McGuinness
DNF. James Webb, ISILON MSS Discovery Kawasaki
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