Worx Crescent Suzuki have confirmed that Michael Rutter will be riding for the team at the sixth round of the British Superbike Championship at Knockhill on July 5th. Knockhill will be Rutter's third ride for the team as stand-in rider while Sylvain Guintoli recovers from the injuries he sustained at Donington Park in May.
At Thruxton (the fourth round), Rutter – drafted into the team just two days before the event – qualified the GSX-R1000 on the front row of the grid, then went on to claim two fifth place finishes.
Last weekend, at Snetterton, Rutter was again on the pace in practice, finishing second fastest. However a sudden downpour of rain in qualifying saw Rutter relegated to the fourth row of the grid. In the first race Rutter pushed his way through to finish seventh and was again quickly up into the top-ten in the second race when technical issues forced a DNF.
Jack Valentine, team manager: “We said before Snetterton that Michael's performance there would determine whether he'd stay with the team.
“Fact was Michael really impressed us with his lap times. When everything was working well he was very fast – second fastest in practice and then again second fastest in Sunday warm-up. He showed he could produce the times necessary to make podium finishes. My feeling is that, because of the technical issues we encountered, Michael didn't get a fair crack of the whip and – supported by the times he did – he deserves another go.”
Michael Rutter: “I'm delighted to be back with the team for another round. I'm enjoying working with them and as I've said before, the Suzuki is a great bike. Hopefully this time we can secure the podium finishes we've been looking for.
“I always look forward to Knockhill, it's a great circuit to ride. I had a good outing here last season, getting on the podium. My feeling is the Suzuki is such a good all-round package that it'll work well here, as it has at every circuit. So I'm really looking forward to getting back on the front row and from there mixing it up the lads at the front.”
