Admitting he is finding it tricky to adjust to the Honda bike, Haslam has led three of the last six races but hasn’t turned any of those into that elusive win. If he wants to succeed at
Oulton Park though, he will do well to avoid Sykes’ Suzuki this time.
Indeed, Haslam was disqualified last time out at Oulton Park after knocking down Sykes whilst battling over fourth place. Nonetheless, while that accident typified Sykes’ start to the year, the Rizla Suzuki rider has certainly started coming good in recent rounds, most notably his pole position at
Mallory Park. Although victory still eludes him, he is hoping for a good result ahead of his high-profile World Superbike bow two weeks later at
Brands Hatch.
Victory won’t necessarily come from this quintet though. Indeed, Michael Rutter caused a stir with his first win in three years at Mallory Park after a stunning ride in slippery conditions. Although a similar performance may require equally treacherous weather, the North West Ducati rider proved he can never be discounted.
If the form last time out at Oulton Park is anything to go by, James Ellison on the Hydrex Animal Bike Honda will be someone to look out for, as well as Michael Laverty, who wasn’t rewarded for his mighty performance at Mallory Park on the Relentless Suzuki.
Karl Harris continues his steady march back up the order, the Yamaha rider scoring his best result of the season at Mallory Park. Although fifth is not where Harris would ideally like to be, he continues to show decent pace nonetheless.
Elsewhere, Simon Andrews is chasing a strong result before he joins Sykes in making his World Superbike debut at Brands Hatch, while MSS Discovery Kawasaki welcome back James Haydon for the second race in a row as a replacement for the still injured Stuart Easton.
