It was another strong win for Craig Fitzpatrick in the Fuchs-Silkolene British Supersport Cup race at the rescheduled Brands Hatch event; he also gained a fantastic sixth place in the overall race. Fitzpatrick on the BLDS Couriers Yamaha extended his lead in the Cup Championship by 15 points from his nearest rival Andy Weymouth.
Having already qualified back in April on the front row in fourth position, Fitzpatrick was looking forward to racing at one of his favourite circuits and securing a strong result in the Cup and also in the main Championship.
The 30-year-old from Alfreton, Derbyshire was consistently running in the top four through both free practice sessions and was aiming at his first podium in the main race. In the dramatic race Fitzpatrick got his head down and was fighting hard for a solid result in the 18 lap scrap. He gained a good start and was into first place by the first corner, an incident behind him at Paddock Hill Bend and Druids forced the safety car out on track whilst the marshal’s cleared the debris.
By lap three the race was up and running again and Fitzpatrick had slipped back to sixth position. Battling hard he was locked in some tight battles with Chris Martin and John McGuinness, once again on lap 11 the safety car was sent out after two crashes needed to be cleared from the circuit. Fitzpatrick was unable to match the power of the factory riders and slipped back down the pack. However he was eager for a good result and fended off the challenges from Ian Hutchinson and Marty Nutt, he was involved in a dice to the flag beating the duo by 0.4 for sixth place.
Commenting he said “I’m a little disappointed with my result as I was really hoping to be able to fight for a podium at Brands in the main Championship. I know I’m strong round there and I wanted to prove that. I struggled both times when the safety car went back into the pits to match the power of the other bikes in front of me and tried to stay with them but it was hard. I can’t complain too much as I won the Cup race again and sixth is a good result for a Cup competitor. I’m looking forward to Donington in a few weeks time and it would be good to keep getting consistent top ten finishes in the main race.”
Words by Carly RathmellRelated Link:www.craigfitzpatrick.com
