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FOURTH VICTORY FOR RUTTER His team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari crossed the line in fourth after relegating Rutter’s main adversary for the championship, John Reynolds, into fifth place.
Thirty-one year-old Rutter got away from the front row of the grid in sixth place but immediately set about picking off his opponents at the 2.127-mile North Yorkshire circuit. He seized the opportunity to move into fifth place when James Haydon made a mistake on lap three.
By lap nine, Rutter was battling for a podium spot with championship leader Reynolds. Two laps later, the Leicestershire-based rider passed his biggest rival at Tower Bend to put himself in the top three. At the start of lap 12, Japanese rider Kiyonari followed his team-mate’s lead to pass Reynolds but lost fourth place as quickly as he had gained it.
A top three battle ensued between Yukio Kagayama, Scott Smart and Rutter, while Kiyonari continued to hunt down Reynolds and fend off his attempt to catch the other HM Plant Honda Racing Fireblade. By lap 16, Rutter had closed in on second-placed Smart and made a decisive move.
After passing Smart, Rutter demonstrated his determination to seize the top spot from Kagayama on lap 17 by posting the fastest lap of the race with a time of 1:21.487. Twenty-one-year-old Kiyonari had held the previous best lap recorded on lap five.
A mistake by Kagayama on the final lap opened up the best opportunity for Rutter to claim the win. As the race leader missed a gear on the exit from Tower Bend, Rutter passed him to make it to the chequered flag first – 0.836 seconds ahead of his Japanese rival.
Michael Rutter: “I’d like to thank HM Plant Honda Racing and Michelin for providing me with a race-winning package. We had to work hard during practice but it paid off. I had to make up some ground after the start, but the longer the race went on, the stronger the CBR1000RR Fireblade became. I knew that I had Kagayama under pressure in the closing stages and I’m delighted to be back on the podium.”
Ryuichi Kiyonari: “That was a good race for me and HM Plant Honda Racing. The CBR1000RR Fireblade is very fast here at Croft and that helped me to run with the leading group throughout the race. I am happy that I was able to pass Reynolds and help Michael’s challenge for the championship. I hope to carry this form into the second leg, particularly after examining the data with my crew after between races.”
Race one result: 1. M. Rutter (HM Plant Honda Racing) 30:10.136; 2. Y. Kagayama (Suzuki) +0.836; 3. S. Smart (Kawasaki) +2.610; 4. R. Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda Racing) +3.963; 5. J. Reynolds (Suzuki) +7.203; 6. J. Haydon (Yamaha) +18.373; 7. Sean Emmett (Ducati) +21.033; 8. D. Thomas (Ducati) +21.831; 9. T. Hill (Yamaha) +25.395; 10. John McGuinness (Kawasaki) +35.911
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