Local hero Rutter wins at Mallory Park
Michael Rutter aboard his North West 200 Ducati took a dominant race win in tricky conditions at Mallory Park at the sixth round of the British Superbike Championship today.
Rutter who is known for his wet weather riding skills, put in a solid performance to beat Championship leader Shane Byrne on the Airwaves Ducati, by 4.405secs in the wet but dry second race. He had to shrug off a heavy fall in race one plus gamble on tyres due to the unpredictable weather conditions - rain fell just ahead of the race but a stiff breeze had the track drying out rapidly as the battle progressed.
The final step on the podium was taken by another local rider, Cal Crutchlow, on the HM Plant Honda. Crutchlow had a successful outing at the Friendly Circuit picking up a third place finish in the first big race of the day.
Race one was an awesome battle in the dry which saw Byrne lead both the HM Plant Honda’s over the line. Leon Haslam picked up second place, his only podium finish of the weekend. Pole sitter, Tom Sykes aboard his Rizla Suzuki picked up two solid fourth place finishes.
John Ward, General Manager of Mallory Park said: “I’m happy that today went off well. We did have some difficult weather conditions but that just added to the excitement. Every race that hit the track was thrilling and I hope everyone enjoyed the event as much as I did. Seeing two local riders standing on the podium made it even more special. The Superbikes always pull in a big crowd and today was no exception; the traffic flowed well out of the circuit proving our traffic management is working well also.”
The next event staged as the 1.41 mile Leicestershire track will be the Buildbase Mallory Trophy Championship Motorcycle Races on Sunday 6th July. To purchase tickets visit www.mallorypark.co.uk or call 01455 842931.
Mallory Park is situated in the heart of the midlands in Leicestershire just off the A47 between Leicester and Hinckley and easily accessible from the M1, M69 or M6. For further directions, please visit www.mallorypark.co.uk.