 Rutter is making the most of team-mate Kiyonari's absence |
Michael Rutter extended his lead in the British Superbike Championship with a win and a second place at Oulton Park. Rutter followed his two wins at Mallory Park by finishing clear of Gregorio Lavilla and Karl Harris in race one.
Leon Haslam made up for his fourth in race one by holding off Rutter in a dramatic race two, with Harris third.
The absence of Rutter's HM Plant Honda team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari allowed him to extend his championship advantage to 56 points, with Lavilla now second.
Rutter was untroubled as he eased clear of Airwaves Ducati rival Lavilla to win race one by 3.797 seconds.
But Honda's seven-race clean sweep of wins this season came to an end in a rain-affected race two.
 | CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS 1 Michael Rutter (Honda)
164 points 2 Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 108 3 Glen Richards (Kawasaki) 104 4 Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda), Leon Haslam (Ducati) 100 |
Haslam and Rutter came together on the final lap, and Rutter was forced to put his feet down to keep his bike upright. "I was in trouble - my tyres were shredding," said Airwaves Ducati rider Haslam, whose bike suffered from tyre wear as the full wets chosen by most of the riders began to overheat.
"I knew that Michael was right behind me but when he pushed inside me at the chicane I was not going to give up that easily."
Rutter said: "I could have left it to the final corner, but that left me with only one chance to take him, so I had to go for it. Fair play to him.
"Halfway through the race I was in trouble with my tyres but then they started working again and that gave me the confidence to go for it."
Race one result:
1 Michael Rutter (Honda) 29mins 43.001secs
2 Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) at 3.797secs
3 Karl Harris (Honda) at 5.171
4 Leon Haslam (Ducati) at 5.290
5 Glen Richards (Kawasaki) at 6.426
6 Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) at 7.294
7 Gary Mason (Honda) at 16.935
8 James Haydon (Suzuki) at 21.606
9 Scott Smart (Suzuki) at 21.729
10 Kieran Clarke (Honda) at 22.430
11 Steve Plater (Kawasaki) at 27.111
12 Jonathan Rea (Honda) at 27.208
13 Michael Laverty (Honda) at 27.366
14 John Laverty (Honda) at 28.655
15 Ben Wilson (Kawasaki) at 30.881
Race two result:
1 Leon Haslam (Ducati) 32mins 41.250secs
2 Michael Rutter (Honda) at 1.031secs
3 Karl Harris (Honda) at 3.594
4 James Haydon (Suzuki) at 3.761
5 Julien Da Costa (Kawasaki) at 23.928
6 Glen Richards (Kawasaki) at 27.035
7 Steve Plater (Kawasaki) at 33.294
8 Kieran Clarke (Honda) at 33.616
9 Jonathan Rea (Honda) at 33.814
10 Michael Laverty (Honda) at 47.750
11 Sean Emmett (Yamaha) at 51.325
12 Jon Kirkham (Kawasaki) at 1min 00.348secs
13 Tristan Palmer (Kawasaki) at 1:08.134
14 Ben Wilson (Kawasaki) at 1:08.928
15 Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) at 1:16.224
MMIX
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