RUTTER MAINTAINS CHAMPIONSHIP CHALLENGE
04 July 2004 - Honda Racing

HM Plant Honda Racing’s Michael Rutter maintained his challenge for the 2004 Think British Superbike Championship by taking fourth position in the second leg at Knockhill.

The 31-year-old Leicestershire rider joined eventual race winner James Haydon, Sean Emmett and John Reynolds in a four-way battle for the lead.

Heavy rain made tyre selection easy for the delayed second race – the entire field was on wet tyres. Rutter made a good start from the front row and was soon up to third place. The pace at the front of the field was being set by Haydon – who led from start to finish – with Emmett and Reynolds denying Rutter a podium finish at the end of an exciting 25-lap race over the 1.3-mile Fife circuit.

Rutter now trails championship leader John Reynolds by 38 points with five of the 13 rounds remaining. His HM Plant Honda Racing team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari finished in 14th place after being lapped in the closing stages. The 21-year-old Japanese rider collected two points for his efforts to move up to seventh position overall in his debut British Superbike Championship season.

Michael Rutter: “That was much better than the first race, although the conditions played their part again in the final outcome. The middle part of the race was the best for my set-up and I even thought that I might be able to take the win at that stage. However, as a dry line appeared towards the end I was unable to maintain my challenge for a podium finish. I couldn’t believe how hot the pace was in front of me, but I dug in and kept the power down on the HM Plant Honda Racing Fireblade.”

Ryuichi Kiyonari: “That was a hard race for me to finish on my first visit to Knockhill. I didn’t make a good start and overtaking was difficult in the conditions, but I still managed to get into the points. Overall, I am happier than I was after the last round at Brands Hatch and I hope to continue to show improvement over the remainder of the championship.”

Race two result: 1. J. Haydon (Yamaha) 23:42.685; 2. S. Emmett (Ducati) +0.420; 3. J. Reynolds (Suzuki) +1.186; 4. M. Rutter (HM Plant Honda Racing) +2.521; 5. Y. Kagayama (Suzuki) +11.780; 6. S. Smart (Kawasaki) +11.959; 7. J. McGuinness (Kawasaki) +30.058; 8. C. Coxhell (Honda) +32.956; 9. D. Thomas (Ducati) +34.927; 10. J. Ellison (Yamaha) +39.958; 14. R. Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda Racing) +1 lap

Points after round eight: 1. Reynolds – 290; 2. Rutter – 252; 3. Kagayama – 208; 4. Emmett – 206; 5. Smart – 199; 6. Thomas – 108; 7. Kiyonari – 95; 8. Hill – 88; 9. Haydon – 87; 10. Richards – 78

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