With Airwaves Ducati having threatened to withdraw from this weekends round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at
Donington Park, fellow Ducati squad NW200 Ducati has confirmed that it will attend the fourth meeting of the 2008 campaign.
The GSE-run Airwaves team has threatened to pull out of the event citing safety concerns after the MCRCB announced that the minimum weight of the twin-cylinder Ducati 1098R was to be raised to 175kg as opposed to the minimum of 165kg for four-cylinder machines.
The NW200 team, which runs a similar bike for Michael Rutter, endorsed the statement issued by GSE into the timing of the decision and has admitted that no decision will be taken until Sunday lunchtime at the earliest as to whether or not Rutter will take part in the Bank Holiday Monday races – with the team having no supporting data as to how the bike will perform in race set-up with the extra weight onboard.
With that in mind, the weekend will be used as test by the team although Cup rider John Laverty will race with his bike being unaffected by the weight change.
"After much consultation between ourselves, JHP Racing, MSV and Buildbase, the NW200 team have today decided to attend Donington this weekend," NW200's Alistair Kennedy said. "The main reason for this decision is the fact that late yesterday MSV confirmed to John Hackett that John Laverty's Buildbase NW200 Ducati 1098R Superbike Cup entry remains unaffected by the new weight ruling for Superbikes.
"Therefore it is in the best interests of the team, sponsors and race fans that we turn up and race as normal with John in the Superbike Cup."
