Michael Rutter rode the RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati to a brilliant second place in the second race of the day at Oulton Park on Sunday and now sits sixth in the championship after three rounds.
Rutter had qualified third, but retired from the first race with what he thought was an engine problem. But in the second race he used all his experience to master the wet but drying track conditions to bring the RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati home in second place.
Rutter said: “My tyre had lost grip towards the end of the race and I was just doing everything I could to nurse it home but still retain second place.
“The bike and the RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati team worked really well this weekend and I’m delighted to be on the podium for them.”
Rutter’s first race didn’t go quite so well. He overshot the chicane early in the race then pitted with what he thought was an engine problem.
“We’re not sure whether anything is wrong or not,” he said. “The engine was making strange noises but when we checked the data everything seemed okay.
Rutter’s team-mate Martin Jessopp bounced back from a 90mph crash in practice to chalk up 11th and 12th in the two races and is now ninth in the championship standings with 42 points.
Jessopp said: “We’ve had a few issues this weekend. I crashed when I got into the corner a little bit hotter than before and folded the front end. Then we had a gear selection problem. I kept getting neutrals, which was unnerving.
“We got some solid finishes in the end but I never really felt like I got into a rhythm on race day and maybe I was being to harsh on the brakes in the dry first race and upsetting the chassis.”
Team owner Phil Jessopp added: “In all it’s been a pretty good weekend for the RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati team. Michael’s experience showed as he finished a very strong second in race two in the most difficult of conditions and he’s now only six points of fourth in the championship.
“Martin’s weekend was trying with the crash and then the gearbox problem. His 12th place in the wet was a hard-earned result. He wasn’t quite sure how hard to push in the rain.
“We could have done without the technical issues but we’re still looking to get both our riders into the top six of the championship come the ninth round so they can go through to the final three-round title Showdown.”
