Mixed day for Michael Rutter at the TT
Michael Rutter had a mixed day at the Isle of Man TT Races on Wednesday as he took a fine tenth place in the four-lap Supersport race before being forced to retire in the Lightweight race later in the day.
The Bridgnorth rider's day started with the second four-lap Supersport race where he was keen to make amends after Monday’s first lap retirement. And he did exactly that with a fine ride on the Bathams/SMT Racing Kawasaki ZX-6R for one of his best ever rides in the Supersport class.
Fourteenth at the end of the opening lap as he got re-familiarised with the bike, he got quicker and quicker as the race wore on and at half race distance he was on the edge of the top ten. He saved the best until last and with a final lap of 125.600mph, comfortably his quickest ever lap on a 600cc machine, he took the chequered flag in tenth place for yet another top ten finish at the TT.
Later in the evening, Michael was back in action Ryan Farquhar's SGS International/KMR Kawasaki for the Lightweight race and it started well as he slotted into third at Glen Helen on the opening lap, just 0.4s adrift of race leader Ivan Lintin. At Ramsey hairpin, he still lay in third but, sadly, on the first run over the Mountain, the engine stopped and he was forced to retire at Brandywell.
Michael Rutter:
“It took me one or two laps to get going in the Supersport race having missed all of Monday’s race but Robin Croft’s little Kawasaki was flying and I couldn’t have been happier with how it performed. There was a bit of mist around the Kirk Michael area but other than that conditions were really good and to lap at 125.6mph is really pleasing. I’m over the moon with another top ten finish and it was a really enjoyable ride. Things were looking good in the Lightweight race and I was more than hopeful of a podium. The bike had been really strong in practice but going over the Mountain, the engine stopped so it's a huge shame for everyone involved.”
Michael’s final race of the week is Friday’s six lap Senior race where he’ll be back on board the Bathams/SMT Racing BMW S1000RR.
Pictures by Double Red