BSB - Rutter 5th in 2010 series
Michael Rutter finished a fighting fourth in the second of three races at Oulton Park on Sunday in the final round of the 2010 British Superbike championship and claimed fifth place in the final standings on the RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati.Rutter qualified seventh on the grid and said: “This weekend we’ve got the bike set up different to the last Oulton round in May. We’ve made a rear suspension change so the grip remains good for longer when the tyre gets older. It’s radically different to the set-up we ran here last time but that’s no surprise since we’ve moved on a lot since May with this bike.In the first race, held on Saturday afternoon, Rutter looked strong on a circuit he loves and was battling with Michael Laverty for fourth place – well in contention with the leading trio - when the Ducati ground to halt.Rutter said: “The wiring grounded out on the carbon back plate carrying the computer than controls all the electronics on the bike. I was trying to catch Michael and settling down nicely when the bike missed a beat before it shut down completely.”Rutter bounced back to finish fourth in Sunday’s first race and looked set for an even stronger result in the final race of the season, passing Stuart Easton at Island Bend with an outstanding move and was up to third place when his Ducati suddenly slowed.“I’m gutted,” said Rutter. “I’d had a good run in the second race but things were looking much better in the final one. I was right with the leaders and the bike felt really strong but the electronics went wrong again and I had to pull off the track for safety’s sake.“But it’s been a great season for the RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati team. We’ve won races and been title contenders in the Showdown. Okay, things didn’t quite pan out for us today, but I think we’ve shown everyone that this is a team to be reckoned with and next year we’ll be back even stronger.”Team owner Phil Jessopp echoed Rutter’s sentiments and said: “I’m gutted for Michael and the team after that last race. The pit lane speed limiter came on and we think it’s an electronics glitch that’s related to the problem we had in Saturday’s race.“But I didn’t want to be too despondent about it. We’ve had a brilliant season. A lot of people didn’t think we’d have the kind of run we’ve had this year. The team has worked well and Michael’s ridden the best I’ve seen in years to win races for us and become a title contender.“We’re aiming to be back next year, with updated bikes, but like every other team in the paddock, everything hinges on getting the right financial package in place first.”