Michael Rutter continued his great BSB form with third and fourth places on the RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati at Cadwell Park on Sunday in the fourth round of the MCE British Superbike Championship.

He’s now sitting fourth in the championship on 88 points, 56 points behind series leader Tommy Hill.

Rutter qualified third and finished third in the first race, after battling with race winner Ryuichi Kiyonari early in the race but was then passed by Michael Laverty in the closing stages.

Rutter said: “I rode the best I could. I knew I didn’t have the pace of Kiyo and then I got arm pump. I’ve never had it before but we did the morning warm-up with a heavy throttle setting and I think that set it off.”

Rutter battled with Laverty again in race two but when the Suzuki rider missed the chicane it upset the Ducati rider’s rhythm and Tommy Hill sneaked by for the final podium spot.

“I was just trying to go inside Laverty when he went off and Tommy got by.  But I’m happy with the weekend. Third and fourth, and going home in one piece. Can’t be bad,” said Rutter.

RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati team-mate Martin Jessopp finished eighth and ninth – hampered by excessive traction control in race one and an appalling launch in race two.  He’s ninth in the championship.

Jessopp said: “In the first race I got a good start but we had some traction control issues and that held me back. Then in the second one I got a terrible start. It was frustrating because I felt I had the pace of the front runners but I  had to make some harsh moves to get through the pack and by then it was too late to close the gap to the leaders.”