Rutter scores electrifying third SES TT Zero win
Wednesday 05 June 2013
TT
MotoCzysz rider Michael Rutter gave team boss Michael Czysz the best possible 'get well soon' message by scoring a win over arch rivals Mugen today (Wednesday).
The West Midlands rider has made the class his own since making his TT Zero debut back in 2011 for the Portland, Oregon outfit.
Riding the latest iteration of the company's E1pc digital superbike Michael trailed John McGuinness at Glen Helen by over nine seconds.
By Ballaugh, however, he'd halved that deficit and although McGuinness still led at the Bungalow Rutter turned on the taps and squeaked an astonishing third win by just 1.672 seconds.
Rutter's overall lap average speed was 109.675 mph, over five miles an hour up on his 2012 lap record. McGuinness on the Mugen Shinden Ni was also over the 109mph mark at 109.527.
Third place went to the winner of the first ever zero emissions TT race, Rob Barber. Barber, riding the Ohio State University team's machine, lapped the Mountain COurse at a very respectable 90.403mph.
Rutter's American teammate Mark Miller looked set for a solid top-three finish but was forced to retire after damaging his gearbox at Ballaugh.
Ian Lougher, riding in his final meeting, took the reigns of the Komatti-Mirai entry from Yoshinari Matsushita who lost his life in a practice accident at Ballacrye. Lougher, a good friend of Matsushita's, finished with a lap of 81.515mph.