FINAL TITLE FIGHT FOR LAVERTY
16 September 2004 - Honda Racing

Eugene Laverty is facing a final battle for the British 125GP Championship title this weekend at Donington Park.

The see-saw 13-race series saw the Ulster teenager gain an early lead in the championship standings after the second event at Brands Hatch. He led the points table until round eight at Knockhill when main rival Christian Elkin stole the advantage. However, Laverty seized the initiative again at the last round at Oulton Park.

The Cheshire circuit witnessed a high drama, all-action race, which proved that anything can happen in motorcycle racing. Despite Elkin entering round 12 with a 16-point advantage over Laverty, he crashed out on lap seven and was unable to add to his points total.

With Red Bull Rookies Honda’s Laverty battling for a podium position, the crash blew the race and championship wide open. After claiming second place at Oulton, Laverty enters the final leg of the series with a four-point advantage over his rival.

However, to claim the title, he must aim for a race win aboard the Red Bull Rookies Honda RS125. Even if Laverty finished second behind Elkin, that result would relegate the Red Bull Rookies Honda rider to the runner-up position in the championship by just one point.

The Toomebridge rider raced at the Leicestershire circuit earlier this year, when he entered the British 125 Grand Prix as a wild card. However, Elkin also raced at the event and finished ahead of Laverty. The 18-year-old Ulsterman is now determined to even the score this weekend.

Laverty will be relying on team-mate Steven Neate to help his chances of securing victory. Neate was just behind Laverty for the majority of the race at Oulton Park and played a major part in helping him to take 20 invaluable points towards his championship challenge. The 17-year-old Barton-le-Clay rider took a hard-earned fourth position and is now looking towards a higher position in the top ten overall.

Eugene Laverty (2nd = 203 points): “I know that the last event is going to be tough because I have to think about the race as well as the championship. It would be fantastic to win the series in my first year with Red Bull Rookies Honda. That would be the perfect way to thank the team for helping me to progress as a rider, but I’m not going to make any prediction at this stage. All I can do is try to qualify on the front row and then focus on winning the race.”

Steven Neate (11th = 70 points): “I’m looking forward to helping Eugene to try and win the title at Donington Park. We’ve been team-mates and friends for the past two years, so I’m really pleased for him – he’s had a great season for Red Bull Rookies Honda. Obviously, I would also like to do well myself and it would be good to finish the year with a podium, but we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”

www.honda-racing.co.uk

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