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RED BULL HONDA RETURNS AT DONINGTON
After missing the last round of the 2005 British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park, Red Bull Honda is returning to the series at Donington Park this weekend. Jonathan Rea and his British Supersport team-mate Eugene Laverty were withdrawn from the Cheshire event as a mark of respect for their late Red Bull Honda team-mate Chris Jones.
Rea resumes his debut season in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship after a string of impressive performances on the Red Bull Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade. The 18-year-old Ballyclare protégé is currently 17th place overall in the points table, following three top ten finishes in the world’s leading domestic Superbike series.
Last season, Rea’s promising British Supersport season was brought to a premature end by injury. That meant that the former Red Bull Rookie was unable to compete at the last round of the series at Donington Park. However, the talented young Ulsterman has tested the CBR1000RR Fireblade at the Leicestershire circuit and is ready to resume his already successful campaign this weekend.
Jonathan Rea: “I’m hoping that the luck of the Irish will help to bring me back into the points at Donington Park. I wasn’t able to finish either race last time out at Cadwell Park, mainly due to mistakes made by other riders that took me out of the action. While I didn’t get to ride at Donington last season, I’m hoping that my more experienced Honda Racing team-mates will be able to give me some helpful pointers.”
Laverty seeks elusive Supersport podium Despite missing the 11th round of the British Supersport Championship, Eugene Laverty goes to the penultimate leg of the series at Donington Park in a positive frame of mind. At the start of the season, the young Ulsterman topped the timesheets at the official MCRCB test at the 2.5-mile Leicestershire circuit, so he is hoping for his first podium finish this weekend.
At the tenth round of the series at Cadwell Park, 19-year-old Laverty once again proved the capabilities of the Red Bull Honda CBR600RR, with another capable performance. Despite qualifying on the third row of the grid, the talented teenager finished in sixth place – his fourth top six finish to date.
Since his graduation from the British 125GP Championship to the mid-range class this year, Laverty has been determined to prove his worth. Throughout the first 11 rounds of the Supersport series, he has increased in confidence, which has been reflected in his positive race results.
The Toomebridge-based rider has also made significant progress with the development of the Red Bull Honda, and is getting to grips with the set-up of the new Dunlop profile tyres. After a three-week absence from the British Supersport series, Laverty is keen to improve on his current ninth place in the overall standings.
Eugene Laverty: “I like Donington Park, but I think it will be tough this weekend. The competition in the Supersport class is so close and everyone wants to end the season on a high note. Although it will be my first time back out on the track since Cadwell Park, I’m not worried about my performance. I was the quickest Supersport rider in testing there earlier this year, so I don’t think that there is any real reason why I can’t be up at the front of the field.”
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