Motorbikes: Rutter is rocking rivals

Majestic Michael shows he's a big title threat

Saturday, May 03, 2008

"It's been a wonderful start to the British championship", said Rutter.

"I would have settled for a couple of places in the first five because you have to allow a new team to settle.

"But everything is working unbelievably well.

"The team and I get along famously and the Ducati is obviously the sort of bike which will go places at the right time.

"Now I'm looking forward to Oulton Park on Bank Holiday Monday before we move on to Brands Hatch for the postponed round which should have been held in April but was cancelled because of the snow.

"After that I move on to the North West 200 on the Monday - the day after the race at Brands and also the eve of the first practice session at Portstewart.

"It's going to be hectic but then I'm used to that.

"What delights me more than anything else is the fact that I feel I'm riding as well as ever and you know if you have some poor results in this sphere of competition you can soon go down the drain.

"As far as I'm concerned the bike is certainly up to the mark and the only question I have is - am I good enough?"

Well there is no doubt that Rutter is the man for the North West and it would be appropriate if he were to win the race on the bike which has been named after the meeting.

"This North West 200 Ducati has caught the imagination of people in England," said Rutter.

"They see it as something novel - a bike named after a race meeting. I suppose it's the first time it has ever happened.

"It's like naming the Ducati after the Isle of Man TT and then racing in the same event.

" It's double publicity if you want to put it that way and there's no doubt the North West 200 have scored so far because of my early efforts."

But what if things go the wrong way, I argued.

You could go in to the North West 200 on a bike which has no chance of being up there among the leaders.

Well that's the chance you have to take and Rutter is no fool.

I can't see him being associated with a bike which has a limited amount of ability.

In other words he doesn't ride scrap and it looks as if he has backed a winner with this new machine.

There will be a tremendous amount of attention on Rutter and his new bike at Oulton Park which has always been one of his favourite circuits.

"It has come at the right time as far as I'm concerned," he said.

"It would be nice to improve on those placings which I had at Thruxton and who knows by the time it comes to Brands Hatch I may be in a position to say this could be my year at the North West 200.

"I've always liked the race and it would be appropriate as far as I'm concerned to get another win there and add to the 11 I have scored so far.

"But let's not get carried away. It is difficult to win anywhere and although I fancy my chances I'm not going to make any predictions until the end of practice week - and even then you'll have to twist my arm!"

Oulton park of course sees another top-class rider in action as far as the North West 200 is concerned.

Australian Cameron Donald is lying third in the British Superstock championship and if you were to ask Donald what he'd be looking for at this time of the year he would say: "A North West and TT double."

Philip Neill manager of the TAS team told me: "Cameron is really geared up for the North West and that's why he didn't compete at Cookstown and Tandragee. We reckon he will do us proud at the North West and certainly I would put him among the leading contenders."

Donald could surprise even more people by another good show at Oulton Park and we have from here Marshall Neill who was fourth at Thruxton and Alastair Seeley who was seventh. Seeley, you may remember finished second last year at the North West 200 in this class and he too will be hoping for great things at Oulton Park.

Then we have John Laverty who leads the British Superbike cup after two races at Thruxton. Laverty has a Superstock bike which will be ridden by Rutter - his team mate - at the North West 200. John doesn't ride on road races and will be confining his activities to the British championship.

At the head of the Superbike series we have Shakey Byrne and Cal Crutchlow, these are the two riders who are squeezing Rutter in to third place but we'll be looking for Michael Laverty who had a fifth spot at Thruxton and as he is a member of the TAS team he too will have a lot of ammunition to spray around the place.

It looks like an exciting round on May Day and at the end of it all we may be talking yet again about that man Rutter.