Leon Haslam held on under severe pressure from Bennetts British Superbike Championship leader Michael Rutter to snatch the victory in the second race of the fourth round at Oulton Park.

The two riders bashed fairings heavily on a dramatic final lap of a rain affected race which had made tyre choice a real lottery – Haslam had taken the lead at half distance as Karl Harris ran wide at the chicane, with Rutter relegated to third place in the move.

But then tyre wear, as the full wets chosen by most of the riders began to over-heat, proved problematic.

“I was in trouble- my tyres were shredding,” said Haslam. “I knew that Michael was right behind me but when he pushed inside me at the chicane I was not going to give up that easily.”

The Airwaves Ducati rider managed to stay on the power to take his seasonal first victory, ending Honda’s seven race unbeaten run: “I wanted that victory – it is fantastic for me and the team.”

Rutter, who put his feet down to keep his bike upright settled for second place. “I could have left it to the final corner, but that left me with only once chance to take him, so I had to go for it – fair play to him.

“Halfway through the race I was in trouble with my tyres but then they started working again and that gave me the confidence to go for it,” the HM Plant Honda rider explained.

Harris hit back to take third place, just ahead of James Haydon who was completing a solid day’s work as he deputised for the injured defending champion John Reynolds aboard the Rizla Suzuki.

Earlier, Rutter had taken his third victory, by some four seconds, ahead of Gregorio Lavilla, despite making a tardy start that dropped him from pole to sixth on the opening lap.

He had the power and the determination to charge through the pack, but adrift of him Haslam was battling brilliantly. He had started from the pit-lane after the brake lever on his Ducati snapped in a warm-up lap tangle with Harris.

Haslam came through to take fourth place, just adrift of Harris, with the Hawk Kawasaki duo of Glen Richards and Dean Thomas just adrift.

The day though belonged to Rutter: “I’m delighted, a first and a second, and a big lead in the points.” He leads Lavilla, who finished the second race back in a distant sixteenth, by 56 points in the title stakes.

James Buckingham heads the British Superbike Cup – the Quay Garage Suzuki rider won the opener, ahead of Steve Brogan and Marty Nutt, but had to settle for third next time out as Malcolm Ashley tasted the winner’s champagne for the first time, ahead of Nutt.

HM Plant Honda Report

A superb victory and a hard fought second place at Oulton Park today helped HM Plant Honda Racing’s Michael Rutter increase his lead in the 2005 Bennetts British Superbike Championship.

With the absence of his team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari due to injury, the sole representative of the HM Plant Honda Racing team moved into sixth place from pole position and set about picking off his rivals. The 31-year-old passed Gary Mason on lap three, Karl Harris on lap four and Gregorio Lavilla on lap five. With just Dean Thomas and Glen Richards in front of him, it took the current championship leader only one more lap to hit the front, from where he opened up a commanding lead.

A rain shower before the second Superbike race played havoc with everyone’s plans, making tyre choice a lottery for all competitors. Rutter got the holeshot into turn one on his Michelin-shod CBR1000RR Fireblade. However, as the sun came out, he began to struggle in the drying conditions and by half-race distance was passed by Karl Harris and Leon Haslam. The championship leader moved back into second position when Harris made a mistake at Foulston Chicane. He then rode as hard as he could to challenge Haslam for the lead again but, despite a last lap passing attempt at the chicane, Rutter was forced to settle for second place.

Michael Rutter: “In Kiyonari’s absence, it was important for me to maintain HM Plant Honda Racing’s advantage in this year’s series. The bike has been absolutely fantastic here today, which made my task easier. The team is working so hard at the moment and it’s great to see the rewards. I’m trying to get as many points as I can over my injured team-mate, because he’ll be the one to look out for when he returns.”

Harris Continues Good Form

Rizla Suzuki Report

Rizla Suzuki racer James Haydon finished fourth in the second race at Oulton Park after an inspired effort to get onto the podium in treacherous wet conditions.

Haydon, deputising at Oulton Park for the injured British Superbike Champion John Reynolds, was never lower than fourth in the race and enjoyed a titanic struggle for the podium with Honda's Karl Harris and Michael Rutter. He finished just one-tenth off the rostrum as Ducati's Leon Haslam took the win.

In the first race Haydon got off to strong start and was third into the first corner. He clashed with another rider, damaging his brake lever and forcing him to run off the track. He finished the first lap in 20th and fought his way back to eighth by the end, carving his way through the pack on his Rizla Suzuki. Rutter won the race.

Rizla Suzuki ace Scott Smart started slowly in the first race but battled back to 9th, setting his own personal fastest laps right at the end of the event. In the second race Scott struggled with his wet weather rear tyre as the track dried - he retired on lap 16.

Rizla Suzuki now travels to Mondello Park in Ireland for the fifth round of the British Superbike Championship on Sunday May 15th. Haydon will replace JR at this round as the British Champion continues his recovery from a broken right leg.

James Haydon: "That was fantastic, thank you so much to Rizla Suzuki for letting me ride here today, I really enjoyed myself. The wet but drying second race was tricky, but my Rizla Suzuki was giving me so much feedback that I was hanging the back out in Kevin Schwantz style and grinning under my visor. I tried hard and almost had a podium.

"In the first race I had a bit of contact in the first corner with a couple of other riders and that broke a part of my brake lever. I only found out at the chicane when I went for the lever and it wasn't there! I ran on, kept it upright and fought back to eighth. I am sure I could have ran with the leaders. The Rizla Suzuki is a great bike - my thanks to JR for letting me race it as he is healing."

Scott Smart: "I am disappointed with my results today. In race two I retired when I realised that I wasn't going to score points and was struggling with my tyre choice.

"Race one was hard, but I found something in myself as that race wore on and did my own fastest laps right at the end. If the second race had been dry, then I was well up for a battle and had a strong Rizla Suzuki that was capable of a result. The luck was against us but that will change."

Robert Wicks, Team Manager: "It is great to see Rizla Suzuki racing at the front again, this is where we belong as a team. Well done to James for such dedication, commitment and professionalism this weekend. He deserved a podium finish and narrowly missed out, but that gives him something to aim for at the next round at Mondello. James is doing a fantastic job standing in for JR, who we hope will be back racing fit for round six at Croft in June.

"Scott was ill this weekend and struggling physically. Saying that, he showed real pace towards the end of the first race and set the third fastest lap right on his last lap, which is an incredible effort. He is starting to show the form and speed we all know he has and at Mondello Park we will be looking for a reversal of his fortunes and for him to be fighting up at the front."

Dean Thomas Report

"What a strange weekend I just knew that there would be dilemmas here at Oulton as things never go without problems here and they never have. Glen and I got a fantastic start in the first race and we were first and second into the first corner and managed to hold off the hounding pack for a number of laps. I was struggling with a few problems throughout the whole race and it was nothing in particular but enough to drop me back off the pace. I ended up 6th, which is ok, but not as good as I would have liked it to be. We definitely still have a few changes to make on the bike and continue to move in the right direction I know the team are capable of it and we are certainly making progress.

"The second race could be described as a disaster, however, I did manage to gain 15th place and one vital point in the Championship. I did set the fastest lap of the race but only on the last lap, we just made a wrong decision when it came to tyres. It had been raining and was declared a wet race but I choose to go with a cut slick in the rear. I knew it was a bad choice when I was sat on the grid and looking round and everyone was on full wets, my heart sank but I knew I had to get out there and get on with it. I felt like I was still sat on the grid and the whole pack came passed me as the lights changed, what a nightmare! The track dried out but certainly not as fast as I was hoping, given a few more laps I certainly could have made up some ground but it wasn't to be.

"Mondello is next but we have a weekend off in between so hopefully everything will be sorted by then."

Brendan Roberts Report

Brendan Roberts, the 20 year old Australian set his eyes on another podium at Round 4 of the British Superbike Championship, held at Oulton Park on bank holiday Monday. With inclement weather the Aussies shone in the Virgin Mobile R6 Cup taking all three steps of the rostrum.

As the lights went out it was Roberts who stormed to the front from the forth position on the grid with another perfect start as fellow Australian Billy McConnell chased him close behind. Lap two saw Roberts a little tentative on the power as the track was semi-wet and McConnell capitalised to take the lead.

The heavens opened on lap five and it was Dave Anthony making his move up the field to be right on the heels of the leading pack, with Roberts moved back to forth it looked as if the podium was slipping out of his grasp, but on lap six he went deep under brakes as he flew by Jimmy Rose and Jon Boy Lee in the soaking conditions.

Roberts then set his sights to catching McConnell, but time ran out as the red flag came out on lap eight. McConnell was assured of his maiden victory, but Anthony and Roberts didn’t know what lap it was counted back to as Anthony passed Roberts on the final corner. It was later confirmed that Roberts was second due to Anthony passing under a yellow, moving Roberts to third in the series.

Paul Young Report

Jubilant Paul Young stepped onto the podium twice, at Mondays’ British Superbike Championship event, held at Oulton Park, Cheshire. This is the first time a rider has taken two podiums, in two different classes, in one round, since Young dominated the Superstock Championship in 2001.

Inspired by their recent Superstock victory at Mallory Park, for the second week running, the Hinckley-based motorcycle team, Paul Young Racing, won in the British Superstock Championship race. Young continued with third position in the British Supersport Championship race.

Aboard a Yamaha R1, Young led the Superstock race, from his front row qualifying position, to the chequered flag. Championship leader, Lee Jackson, struggled to tail Young. The gap grew to a massive eight seconds. Young collected valuable points to secure an overall second place in the Superstock Championship.

The Supersport race began in treacherous wet conditions. Qualifying sixth, Young made an epic dash for the front. He led the race from the first corner, aboard Team Q-Motosports’ Honda CBR600RR. Sliding wide onto the painted curbs, Young shocked spectators and lost places. He slipped back to sixth after locking up the front wheel into Lodge corner. The experienced rider put his head down and clawed back up to third, despite his ‘full wet race tyres’ being destroyed by a rapidly drying track. Young now stands 7th overall in the Supersport Championship.

Young’s team-mate, Superstock Cup rider Peter Ward, who qualified pole at Mallory, was again awarded a front row position, a 2nd place, on the grid. But, bad luck struck twice for the 21 year old. At Mallory the race was cancelled. At Oulton Peter high-sided dramatically, launching himself six feet into the air! Both rider and machine are recovering well, both bruised!

Dave Johnson Report

Xpress Racing rider Dave Johnson took his first podium of the year at the fourth round of the British Superstock Championships at Oulton Park. The 21-year-old Australian now living in Hinckley took a confidence inspiring third place at the technical Cheshire based circuit.

Qualifying in sixth place the friendly youngster was keen to improve on his grid position and that he did in a fierce battle with a number of riders. Johnson was looking extremely content on his Suzuki and was pushing it hard all the way. Johnson is improving at every race meeting and is now making his way nicely up the Championship standings.

Producing smooth and consistent lap times Johnson was eager to take his first podium of the 2005 season. Gaining a great start from the second row Johnson got his head down and meant business and was soon carving his way through the field and was progressing forward at a rapid rate of knots.

Speaking to an overjoyed Johnson he said 'It's fantastic to be back on the podium and it's given me the boost I need. The bike works great and I feel more confident each time I go out on it. I can't complain at all with third place I'm over the moon and hope that I can remain on the podium or thereabouts for the remaining meetings. I've managed to climb a few more places up the points table so I just want to remain consistent now for the rest of the season.'

Team Manager Nigel Broomhall was elated with the result saying 'I had a good feeling about this weekend when I got here on Friday and thankfully I was right. We had no major issues at all this weekend, which was a blessing, and everything fell into place and the whole team worked perfectly together. Dave is growing in confidence at every round and I believe we can continue to move forward up the grid. Mondello will be an interesting one for us as we have never been there before. However, if we can get a good set up quickly, there is no reason why we should not gain some healthy results.'

David Anthony Report

After a steady start to the season, Reading-based 21-year-old, David Anthony recorded his best Virgin Mobile Cup result to date in difficult conditions at the scenic Oulton Park circuit earlier today.

The rain came down as the riders lined up on the grid, and the scene was set for a true battle of the brave as the leading pack headed out into unchartered territory, feeling for grip as they went.

David enjoys riding in what others might consider less-than-perfect conditions, and within a few laps it became apparent that the likeable Aussie looked odds-on to be the man most likely to take the fight to the frontrunners and challenge for the lead.

For a fair few laps David scrapped with former series leader, Ian Lowry as they swapped positions at just about every corner. As the rain lashed down harder, David used his wet riding skills to the absolute limit, catching up with – not to mention bashing fairings with – and passing James Rose, who eventually crashed trying to maintain the red hot pace of the leading pack.

And David wasn’t the only Aussie showing the ‘Poms’ the way round. At the head of the pack, the Antipodean pairing of Billy McConnell and Brendan Roberts lead the way, blissfully unaware that David was gaining on them and looking to certain to make a move in the closing laps as the conditions worsened.

And he certainly didn’t disappoint, as he squeezed past Roberts on the eighth lap, and set about chasing McConnell down for the lead.

Unfortunately, due to a crash further down the field, the race was declared a result after eight laps of the scheduled twelve had been completed, leaving David second on the road, but put back to third after the officials decided that he had passed under a yellow flag.

David was philosophical about the official’s decision, and happy enough with the result:

“Yeah, that’s much better. I’m racing at the right end of the field now and within a second of the winner. I always enjoy riding in the wet, and today was just awesome. Sure I’m disappointed about the decision over the yellow flags, but I didn’t see it, so I guess it’s my fault. Actually, it’s not the yellow flag I’m gutted about; it’s the red one that’s the choker! I really reckon I could have won that race, especially once it started to rain a bit harder. I’m getting to grips with the R6 now, and I’ve got to say a big thanks to Stuart Tromans from Astro Van Centre and to Smarts Plumbing for funding a practice bike so that I can compete on a level footing with the other guys.”

The next round will be held at the Croft Circuit near Darlington on the 3rd – 5th of June.

Notes on other Aussies

Another huge week for the Aussies racing in Britain.  Unfortunately this time around we didn't have Aussies on the podium in the premier Superbike class but Glen Richards did score 5th and 6th places across the two races and Dean Thomas a 6th.  In 1,000cc Superstock Paul Young took victory and David Johnson joined him on the podium after taking a brilliant 3rd place.  Youngy also scored a podium in the Supersport class. In the Virgin Yamaha R6 Cup it was a great Aussie 1-2-3 with Billy McConnell taking his turn at the top of the podium this week while also joining the pair was David Anthony.  Matt Kuhne unfortunately failed to finish the 125 GP event.