The NW200 Ducati team was unable to race this weekend at the opening round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch, due to extreme snow falls throughout the day (Sunday 6th April) which put a stop to all proceedings. The decision was made by the Championship organisers MSVR that the race would be canceled and re-run on May 10th and 11th using the qualifying positions from April 5th, putting North West 200 rider Michael Rutter in eighth on the grid and his team-mate John Laverty on the Buildbase NW200 Ducati in 17th position.
The weather conditions at Brands Hatch were cold but dry throughout Friday practice and up until the last five minutes of Saturday qualifying, when they were hit with heavy rain. The two NW200 riders were riding consistently well throughout the weekend and were eager to get the races underway.
Rutter competing in the British Superbike series commented;
"Once again we've been hit by the British weather but the organisers have definitely made the safest decision for all the teams and riders. We made some big progress this weekend with the bike and I was happy with the way things were going. We are back here in May for the race and we will be leaving straight from Brands Hatch to go to the North West 200, which starts on Tuesday 13th May. It's a bit tight for time but it will be ok."
British Superbike Cup contender John Laverty said;
"I'm really gutted not to have been able to race today but all in all I'm really happy with the way things have gone this weekend. I was consistently one of front runners in the Superbike Cup so I'm hoping for a good season on the Ducati 1098R. My team got so many things sorted and ironed out this weekend and made the 1098 feel really good for me and much easier to ride, I'm grateful to them for all their help. I just hope that the weather brightens up for Thruxton in a couple of weeks so that we can get some racing done and I can give my team two good results!"
Team Manager Ken Foley commented;
"The entire NW200 team has worked exceedingly hard this weekend and throughout the winter period to get ready for the start of the season. The weather conditions certainly weren't ideal racing conditions but it was in the safety and best interest of the riders that the meeting had to be cancelled. It's disappointing for everyone involved and for all the hundreds of loyal fans that showed up to give their support, hopefully the weather will be kind to us at Thruxton and we can get the race season underway. We've now found a good race set up on both the Ducati's and are looking forward to getting back on the track in a couple of weeks time."
Qualifying Positions to be carried forward to May 11th at Brands Hatch.
Brands Hatch Qualifying:
1. Shane Byrne - Ducati
2. Cal Crutchlow - Honda
3. Karl Harris - Yamaha
4. Leon Haslam - Honda
5. Tom Sykes - Suzuki
6. Leon Camier - Ducati
7. Simon Andrews - Yamaha
8. Michael Rutter - North West 200 Ducati
17. John Laverty - Buildbase NW200 Ducati
Related Link:
www.nw200ducati.co.uk
Photos by Londonbikers.com
Text by Carly Rathmell
