REA AND LAVERTY IN SEARCH OF ROSTRUM FINISHES AT MALLORY
 Red Bull Honda riders Jonathan Rea and Eugene Laverty head to Mallory Park
circuit this weekend (3/4 May) for round six of the Bennetts British Superbike
Championship and the British Supersport Championship
respectively.
Currently, 19-year-old Jonathan Rea lies in sixth place in
the ultra-competitive British Superbike Championship and is raring to claim his
first-ever BSB podium. So far this season, Rea has scored two fourth place
finishes and has consistently demonstrated, with inspiring race performances,
that his first rostrum finish is clearly within his grasp. The Louth-based rider
has, time and again, mixed it with the front runners in the fierce Championship
and is determined to continue in the same vein at the 1.41-mile Leicestershire
track.
While Rea concentrates on a top three finish, fellow Red Bull
rider Eugene Laverty will be focussed on retaining his British Supersport
Championship lead as he lines up on the grid aboard his Dunlop-shod CBR600RR
race machine.
Presently, Laverty has a slim one-point advantage over Cal
Crutchlow. The Ulsterman has stamped his authority on the series with two
consecutive race victories and a 100 per cent rostrum finish rate, but the
19-year-old has been under pressure all the way to the top and Laverty knows
that there will be little, if no, let-up this weekend.
Both riders are keen to get
back on track after the last rounds of their championships were cancelled due to
torrential rain at Mondello Park. The series’ organiser, MCRCB Events, has now
decided that the cancelled races in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship
will not be re-arranged, however the points at stake in the aborted fifth round
will now be transferred to the final meeting at Brands Hatch on Sunday 1
October. This means that in each of the two races at the Kent circuit, double
points will be awarded. It has also been decided that the British Supersport
Championship race will be moved to Brands Hatch, giving the competitors a
double-header, with two races at the final round.
Jonathan
Rea: “It was a shame not to be able to race at Mondello Park and now it
seems quite a while ago that we were in the thick of it, so I guess everyone is
looking forward to this weekend. We tested at Mallory at the beginning of May
and it went well for us so, hopefully, this weekend I will be tasting some of
that champagne.”
Eugene Laverty: “The pressure is
certainly on and as they say; ‘it’s tough at the top’, but I’m confident of a
good weekend. When we were here at the beginning of May I was the quickest so we
know that the CBR600RR is strong around here and hopefully that hasn’t
changed.”
Havier Beltran: “Both the guys are doing really
well at the moment and we just have to keep concentrated. Jonathan’s first
rostrum isn’t far away and we are looking forward to that. He has shown that he
is more than competitive while Eugene has proven that he is a consistent podium
finisher and race winner. It is good to be where we are at this stage of the
proceedings; there is a good feeling in the camp and we are looking to keep it
that way.”
Qualifying for the Bennetts British Superbike Championship
takes place on Saturday 3 June at 14.50 with race one at 12.30 and race two at
15.15 on Sunday 4 June. Qualfiying for the British Supersport Championship takes
place on Saturday 3 June at 09.30 and 14.00 with racing on Sunday 4 June at
13.20. The ITV broadcast window is 14.30 – 16.00 on Sunday 4 June.
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