Oulton Park was the venue for Rutter’s fifteenth pole position in four seasons, a spectacularly fast but also narrow and undulating circuit, which tests both rider and machine, and gives the fans plenty of excitement. Once again he was joined on the front row by the Hawk Kawasaki pair, this time with Dean Thomas second and Glen Richards fourth. They were split by the Airwaves Ducati twin of Leon Haslam.

Row two had three more Hondas, with the UK team’s Karl Harris fifth, and the two Stobart/MonsterMob bikes of Gary Mason (sixth) and Michael Laverty (eighth). Jeremy McWilliams was missing this round to recover from an earlier injury. The same was true of Rizla Suzuki’s John Reynolds, and seventh place went to his replacement, with James Haydon filling in after stepping down from the Airwaves team.

Gregorio Lavilla led row three, on the bike that would once have been Haydon’s, with Scott Smart (Rizla Suzuki), Kieran Clarke (Hydrex Honda), James Buckingham (Quay Suzuki), Sean Emmett (Virgin Yamaha), Steve Plater (Sendo Kawasaki), John Laverty (Vitrans Honda) and Jonathan Rea (Red Bull Honda) following on.

There was drama just before the start of race one for Haslam, as he had to dive into the pits at the last minute to switch to his second bike. In his haste, he managed to drop the machine he had just arrived on, but got onto the other one quickly enough to join the field from the pit exit. Meanwhile, the green machines of Richards and Thomas had got away in front, with Lavilla leaping to third, from Mason and Rutter, with the rest already falling away.

In the early stages the race for victory evolved into a five-way affair, as Rutter moved up and Mason began to lose touch. Rutter passed Harris for fourth, whilst Lavilla was looking for the slightest chance of a gap to pass the Kawasakis. He made an attempt on Thomas at Cascades, the left-hander coming downhill from turn one, but sent himself wide and gave places to both Thomas and Rutter.

Rutter’s qualifying pace showed as he moved past both Thomas and Richards and started to pull away, moving into another unassailable lead. With Harris passing Thomas next, the interest focussed on the four man struggle for second. Lavilla passed Richards at the penultimate Druids right-hander, with Harris on the attack behind the Kawasaki. But the Spaniard soon found himself back to fourth, when Richards overtook at the final right of Lodge, and Harris followed through over the start-finish line, which flows from the left curving climb of Deer Leap.

Harris was looking for his best BSB result to date, and took second from Richards, whilst Lavilla had regrouped and was on another charge. The Ducati rider got by Richards through the fast left curve of Island bend, on the run from Cascades to the banked Shell Oils hairpin, then muscled past Harris at the Hizzy chicane, at the bottom of a downhill stretch. Meanwhile the impressive Haslam had come through the field to join the group, and now took fifth from Thomas.

© Raceline Photography

As team-mate Lavilla eased clear of the group, Haslam’s progress was the story of the latter stages, and he passed Richards through Island, then looked for a way past Harris. Leon’s Ducati clipped the Honda at the chicane, but Karl held the Honda on track, staying ahead for his first podium result in the series. Rutter took his third straight victory, with Lavilla, Harris, Haslam, Richards, Thomas and Mason coming in next.

Haydon’s Suzuki début saw him finish eighth, even though he reported a couple of off-track moments, and this meant he was a place ahead of team-mate Smart. The other points results went to Clarke, Plater, Rea, Michael then John Laverty, and Ben Wilson, whilst lead Yamaha man Emmett had retired.

Conditions for race two were very different, with rain falling onto an already wet track as they lined up. Naturally it was declared a wet race, and slick tyres were out of the question. The pace was correspondingly pedestrian, at least to begin with, as Rutter led away, slightly ahead of Richards and Harris, then Haydon, Haslam, Lavilla and the rest.

This time the Hawk Kawasaki riders had more of a struggle, and Harris was first to strike against Richards. He made his move at Old Hall, the first turn and a right-hander that drops downhill. Richards was soon caught by Haydon and Haslam, with James powering by over the line, and Leon immediately following at Old Hall. Meanwhile, Rutter, a renowned top wet weather racer, was making good his escape, with Harris also getting away from the rest.

Mason’s promising weekend ended with a front end crash but, as the riders settled in and the rain stopped falling, the leading men found themselves in a close race once again. Haslam had passed Haydon at Lodge, and he soon joined Harris in harrying Rutter. Karl took the lead at Lodge, with Leon passing Michael at Old Hall.

The first two now threatened to get away from Rutter and, with the track starting to dry out, Haslam accelerated into the lead down the hill towards Hizzy’s. Harris lost his chance to threaten again with a subsequent mistake at the top chicane, that saw him run onto the grass and rejoin fourth. Leon’s eight-second lead had all but gone by the last lap, as Rutter closed again, and the challenge came at Hizzy’s.

© Raceline Photography

Rutter went for it at the left-handed part of the right-left-right, but Haslam wasn’t going to be intimidated and took his usual exit line. The pair touched and Michael had to put a foot down to keep upright as he rode out. The lost ground was not too great, but Rutter was now just far enough back to have no chance to try again. Leon took the win for Airwaves Ducati, his second in BSB competition.

Rutter was second, with Harris just getting the better of Haydon for third. In an unexpected but impressive fifth was the MSS Kawasaki of 23-year-old Frenchman Julien da Costa, for his first points finish, ahead of Richards, Plater, Clarke, Rea, Michael Laverty, Emmett, Jon Kirkham, Tristan Palmer, Wilson and Thomas. Sixteenth man Lavilla finished outside the points for the first time all year, barring his race one Mallory crash.

Leon Haslam had won in the wet at Brands Hatch in 2004, when riding as a Pirelli-shod wildcard, and now he added his first victory as a full-time BSB runner. But a win and a second place for Michael Rutter meant he kept up his great run of results for HM Plant Honda, and moved further clear in the points table. Ryuichi Kiyonari’s Mallory Park accident had proved even more costly when it ruled him out here, and the four time winner now slipped into the group currently contesting second overall. Meanwhile, substitute James Haydon had recorded the best Suzuki result so far this season, and will be looking to move up the leader board and secure a regular ride.

Standings after eight races: Rutter 164; Lavilla 108; Richards 104; Kiyonari and Haslam 100; Harris 80; Emmett 70; Thomas 65; Smart 43; Mason 39; M Laverty 28; Plater 23; Rea 22; Haydon 21; Clarke 20.

To buy the photographs shown above, visit Raceline Photography

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