Michael Laverty consolidated his BSB Championship position at Cadwell Park yesterday with a brace of top ten results [8th & 9th]. The Toomebridge rider maintains ninth place in the series, only two points behind Simon Andrew with six races remaining.
Ian Lowry showed true grit and determination at Cadwell Park, coming from a lowly qualifying position [16th] to eventually finish eighth on the tight and twisty Lincolnshire circuit in the Supersport class. Having crashed heavily during free practice at over 120mph, it was a brave effort from the battered and bruised 21-year-old.
Aussie Cameron Donald joined Lowry in the sick bay at Cadwell with a stomach bug, but Cameron didn’t let it deter him, eventually finishing in 11th place. This was Cameron’s last race in the British Superstock Championship for 2008, as he returns to Melbourne on Monday.
Michael Laverty [Superbike]“I struggled with my set up this weekend and was very frustrated with the results. In saying that, we did set a goal of top ten at the start of the year but I know we are much better than that. Cadwell is a difficult circuit to find the perfect set-up at, although I do think I under-achieved this weekend, so I’m now looking forward to riding the GSX–R1000 Superbike at Croft in two weeks time.”
Ian Lowry [Supersport]“That’s not where I want to be at any circuit, but after crashing heavily on Friday I did struggled on the bike with a few bumps and bruises. Starting from 16th on the grid left me a big task and I probably used the best of my tyre in the early stages. All I can say is, ‘roll on Croft.’”
Cameron Donald [Superstock]“I’m disappointed to have ended my season in such a way – I actually wish I was racing at Croft now to make amends! At the start of the year people told me to aim for top ten finishes in the Superstock Championship, but after a podium early on I set my goals pretty high. It’s another circuit under my belt and a bit more knowledge gained for 2009.”
Philip Neill – Team Principal
“It was a tough weekend all round for us. Michael struggled to find the perfect set-up on his GSX–R1000, but his results were reasonable and we can still make progress in the championship before the end of the season, which is positive. The team worked very hard and tried numerous settings but it just wasn’t to be our meeting.
It was a shame that Ian’s weekend had to start with such a heavy crash and there’s no doubting the fact that it restricted him on the bike. The tight nature of the track was always going to stop him getting a top result from 16th on the grid, so he sensibly brought it home in eighth. I’m sure he will come out strong at Croft.
Cameron was unlucky to have picked up a bug and that cost him time in the early sessions; then with his race reduced in laps and the pace car out for almost half of it, he didn’t have much of a chance to improve. We’ve had a very enjoyable season with Cameron and everyone in the team will be sorry to see him leave next week, although he will be back with us in 2009.”
