It was a strong weekend for the Riders Racing Ducati Team this weekend at the third round of the Maxxis British Supersport Championship at Silverstone Circuit, 27th – 29th April. Martin Jessopp brought the Ducati 749 home in a strong eighth place after a disastrous start saw him fall back to 16th position after the first lap. The 21-year-old from Yeovil ran consistently good times throughout the weekend at the 2.21 mile track and looked comfortable on the Ducati. A strong second qualifying session saw the youngster end up on the front row, for the second time this season.
However, disaster struck as the lights changed and unable to keep the front end down he was swallowed up by the rest of the pack and was 16th into the first corner. Landing on the tank heavily he was winded for the first three quarters of the lap. Once he regained his breath he managed to get his head down but within half a lap the safety car came out when Jamie Robinson crashed at the chicane.
The car was out for three laps and so put a stop to Jessopp working his way back through the field and making up some places. With only 14 laps remaining he got his head down and started plucking off the riders one by one, the last being his ex team-mate Stuart Easton on the last lap into the chicane.
Commenting Martin said “Things had been going well all weekend and once again I was on the front row. I got a really bad start and this pushed me backwards through the pack, with the safety car being out this stopped me from passing for three laps and with the pace I was doing that was vital as I knew I could have ended up in the top five. Hopefully I will get a better start at Oulton and I will be aiming to get on the podium and boost my position in the overall Championship. It was a tough race having to work from near the back but I proved I could pass people and work my way through the field. Hopefully my luck will change for the better at the next rounds.”
The next British Supersport Race is at Oulton Park.
British Supersport Result – Silverstone: 1, Hobbs - Honda
2, Lowry - Suzuki
3, Laverty - Suzuki
4, Hutchinson - Honda
5, Grant - Yamaha
6, McGuinness - Honda
7, McConnell - Yamaha
8, Jessopp - Riders Racing Ducati
9, Easton - Kawasaki
10, Cooper - Yamaha
Related Linkswww.jessopp.co.uk
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