British Superbike 2003 - Round 1

Michael Rutter got his 2003 British Superbike campaign off to a flying start at the opening round of the Halls backed series at Silverstone this afternoon, backing up a solid fourth place in race one with a resounding win in the second outing of the day.

Rutter, who started today's 22 lap Superbike races from pole position, led the first race during the opening laps, before being forced to settle for fourth at the chequered flag after encountering problems with the gear change and brakes on his Ducati 998FO2 machine.

Determined to make amends in the second race, Rutter quickly despatched Steve Hislop before closing onto the rear wheel of early race leader, Shane Byrne. After following his former team-mate for a few laps, Rutter made his move at the end of lap eight, when he squeezed underneath Byrne at the entry to the final chicane. Once in front, the 29-year-old Midland managed to pull out a gap, eventually crossing the line with a one second advantage over his former team-mate.

"I thought the first race was going to be hard, and I wasn't wrong," said Rutter. "We've not had as much pre-season testing as the other teams, and that definitely showed in the first outing; I was struggling to change gear and the adjuster on the front brake seized up after a few laps. I did try to stay with Glen and Yukio when they came past me, but after a couple of scares I decided to play it safe and collect the points for fourth place.

"We changed the gearing and went a bit softer on the front forks for the second race and the bike was literally transformed. The change in gearing caught me out on the first lap, allowing Hizzy to come past me on start finish straight, but it didn't take me long to repay the compliment before closing onto the back of Shakey and then sticking in a pass going into the new chicane. I knew he'd come straight back at me, but I heard a massive bang right next to me as he missed a gear on the exit and I knew that was all the help I needed to make a break. It's not been the easiest of weekends, but it's always good to come away from the first round with a win. Roll on Snetterton!"

While Rutter celebrated his race win, Sean Emmett was left bitterly disappointed after a run of bad luck saw him fail to finish either of today's two Superbike races. A crash on the opening lap of race one, as the 32-year-old Surrey rider battled his way through the field, was followed by another DNF in race two, after smoke was seen pouring from Emmett's machine and he was black flagged by race officials.

"It's been a disappointing weekend, but that's the way it goes sometimes," said Emmett. "It's especially frustrating when you have problems at the start of the season, but we need to put this weekend behind us now and concentrate on getting things right for the next round at Snetterton. We're obviously going to be playing catch up now, but this is a long championship and I'm confident it won't be long before we're back in contention for the title."

Superbike race one: (22 laps): 1. S. Byrne (Ducati) 32:28.749; 2. Y. Kagayama (Suzuki) +1.341; 3. G. Richards (Kawasaki) +4.922; 4. M. Rutter (Ducati) +12.434; 5. G. Mason (Yamaha) 24.095; 6. S. Smart (Kawasaki) +35.208; 7. D. Ellison (Ducati) +37.224; 8. S. Hislop (Yamaha) +38.481; 9. L. Jackson (Kawasaki) +41.068; 10. D. Thomas (Yamaha) +46.415; S. Plater (Honda Racing) DNF - Fastest lap: Kagayama 1:27.573 (lap 4)

Race two result (22 laps): 1. M. Rutter (Ducati) 32:21.299; 2. S. Byrne (Ducati) +1.165; 3. G. Richards (Kawasaki) +14.952; 4. Y. Kagayama (Suzuki) +19.505; 5. S. Hislop (Yamaha) +20.031; 6. J. Crawford (Ducati) +35.801; 7. S. Smart (Kawasaki) +37.732; 8. G. Mason (Yamaha) +38.911; 9. D. Thomas (Yamaha) +41.119; 10. S. Plater (Honda Racing) +51.533 - Lap record: Rutter 1:27.435 (lap 4)

Riders’ points (after round two): 1. Byrne 45; 2. Rutter 38; 3. Kagayama 33; 4. Richards 32; 5. Mason 19; 6. Smart 19; 7. Hislop 19; 8. Thomas 13; 9. Jackson 12; 10. Crawford 10; 13. Plater 6

In the first British Supersport Championship race of 2003, Honda Racing’s Karl Harris proved his maturity and outstanding ability on the new CBR600RR by winning his debut race for the team, despite hard-fought challenges from second-placed John Crockford (also on a Honda) and Stuart Easton.

Having qualified on pole position at the Northamptonshire circuit, Harris made a good start to the 20-lap race and slotted in behind current champion Stuart Easton and put the pressure on him immediately. Having won the British Supersport Championship in 2001, Harris was determined to make an instant impression with the CBR600RR in today’s season opener.

The 23-year-old Sheffield-based rider then took the lead on lap three and fought off several determined challenges from Michael Laverty riding last year’s Ten Kate Honda machine. Harris dictated the pace at the front until Laverty squeezed through on lap six, only for Harris to power back into the lead two turns later. The next challenge to Harris’s lead came from John Crockford, who forced his way to the front after posting what was the fastest lap of the race so far, on lap seven.

Harris responded by out-braking Crockford into Abbey Hairpin and retaking the lead on lap 11. He then tried to put some distance between himself and Crockford, who was coming under increasing pressure from ex-GP rider Leon Haslam and Stuart Easton. Over the next few laps, the top four riders increased the gap over the rest of the field and Honda Racing’s Harris came across backmarkers as early as the fourteenth lap. He skilfully took the opportunity to gain a few yards and break the tow he was giving the chasing pack.

Quickest in qualifying and free practice, a dominant Harris actually claimed the race victory on lap 16 when the red flag came out due to oil on the circuit. This gave the former European Superstock Champion his first victory for Honda Racing and maximum championship points from the first round.

Karl Harris: “I got off to a good start and after that I just kept my head down and worked as hard as I could throughout the race. I was surprised at the pace of the others in places, but the power and handling of my new Honda Racing machine gave me the decisive advantage.

“When I wasn’t able to make a break at the start, I decided to bide my time and then make a move towards the end. Luckily, my strategy worked and I’m glad I took the lead when I did with the red flag bringing the race to a premature end.

“The new CBR600RR is an awesome package and it feels great to give it a debut victory at Silverstone. It’s a dream ride and I would like to thank Honda Racing for giving me the opportunity to shine in the British Supersport Championship. This is a fabulous series and the signs are that Honda Racing and the CBR600RR are only going to get even better.”

British Supersport Championship - Race result (15 laps): 1. K. Harris (Honda Racing) 22:54.507; 2. J. Crockford (Honda) +0.288; 3. S. Easton (Ducati) +0.681; 4. L. Haslam (Ducati) +1.504; 5. A. Coates (Honda) +3.452; 6. T. Sykes (Yamaha) +6.118; 7. S. Andrews (Yamaha) +7.316; 8. M. Laverty (Honda) 11.061; 9. C. Jones (Triumph) +13.968; 10. K. Murphy (Kawasaki) +14.666 - Fastest lap: Haslam 1:30.820 (lap 4)

Points (after round one): 1. Harris 25; 2. Crockford 20; 3. Easton 16; 4. Haslam 13; 5. Coates 11; 6. Sykes 10; 7. Andrews 9; 8. Laverty 8; 9. Jones 7; 10. Murphy 6