After looking like Shane Byrne's closest challenger in the first race at
Thruxton, Cal Crutchlow managed to put one over the Ducati rider in race two, taking a clear victory on the HM Plant Honda.
An early race red flag after a huge crash involving Karl Harris and Tom Sykes led to a shorter race distance for the restarted race.
Harris was a non starter and Sykes was forced to use his spare machine after his number one bike was too heavily damaged to continue.
Sykes pinned the throttle off the line to lead into the first corner, obviously suffering no ill effects from his two tumbles over the weekend. The Suzuki was able to head the field for a lap until Crutchlow went sailing by on the back straight to take a lead he was never to lose.
Behind Sykes there was a gaggle forming, heading it up was Micheal Rutter in inspired form on the NW200 Ducati.
He was making good his promise to be more aggressive right from the start after in his words being a little rusty with running at the front for a few years!
It was soon apparent Sykes was holding up those behind him in second. The Suzuki was sliding all over the place and Sykes was rear wheel sliding his GSXR like the old 500 two stroke riders used to in places.
With the Honda getting away up front Rutter, Byrne and Haslam were keen to get past. Rutter was the first to try and have a go, and succeeded briefly as he and Skyes swapped paint, but then out the back of the circuit Rutter made a superb move to elevate himself into second.
Byrne didn't waste much time making his awy past Sykes either, whilst further back his team-mate Leon Camier was having a much better race in fifth.
Then, all change, as Haslam was out with an electrical problem, cruel luck for the former 125 British Champion and a terrible way to start his season.
The other HM Plant Honda was flying though, Crutchlow had taken full advantage of Byrne and Rutter being held up and stretched his advantage to nearly three seconds.
