Michael Rutter heads the chase for the Bennetts British Superbike crown going into the double race fourth round at Oulton Park on Bank Holiday Monday, 2 May, and the HM Plant Honda rider is eager for more of the victor's champagne.
He enjoyed that for the first time last Sunday as he powered to a winning Mallory Park double, moving ahead of his team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari who was ruled out the action as he took a bruising in a heavy tumble early on in the opening race.
The exciting Japanese rider, unbeaten prior to that, faces a race against time to be back in action at the Cheshire circuit, and, following a scan, it is still unknown whether he will be cleared to ride.
Sendo Kawasaki's Steve Plater on the other hand also needed a scan before he could be cleared to race following a nasty knock to the head at
Mallory Park. Luckily Plater got the nod to proceed and will be out to put past misfortunes to rest on the extremely good handling ZX-10.
Rutter, the runner-up last year, is keen to build on his success, and is eager for Kiyonari to be back on track; "I would rather have been winning with him out there and am keen for more success - there is a long way to go
in the championship and my focus is all about winning races.
There's no doubt that the bike is going well at the moment and the input from both HRC and Michelin has been invaluable - we're seeing the fruits of our labour now," smiled Rutter who holds a 19 points advantage over his
team-mate.
"I aim to be riding at
Oulton Park, and I was happy for Michael that he took the victories - I feel OK except for a bit of a sore head and neck and will be out there if I am fit to ride," said Kiyonari who has bitter-sweet
memories of the circuit from his first visits last year.
Between them the two Honda riders have won all six races so far, but the opposition is closing in on them. Gregorio Lavilla, whose presence in the Airwaves Ducati team for the remainder of the season has been confirmed, is
riding superbly and poses a real threat, although he has not ridden the circuit before.
He is looking to build on his third place in the overall rankings, earned by five top three finishes, but will be hard pressed by his team-mate Leon Haslam, who is putting some top performances together.
