By Zoe Burn
May 3 2006

Krystal Racing Space Air’s Howie Mainwaring powered to an impressive third place in an action-packed fourth round of the Metzeler Racetec National Superstock Championship at Oulton Park. In just his second race since joining the family-run outfit last month, Mainwaring bounced back from a tricky weekend to grab the last spot on the podium, narrowly missing out on second after being pipped on the last lap by Ian Hutchinson.

The 20-year-old from nearby Frodsham had lined up in ninth spot after struggling in practice and qualifying, and was quickly up into seventh spot at the green light. An incident involving three bikes further down the grid on lap one saw the safety car deployed, and following the restart three laps later, Howie was soon back on the pace and began making his way through the field.

In a race which saw more than a dozen riders crash in the early laps, Howie kept his head and was running third by lap five. Here he was to stay until the final lap, when leader John Laverty lost the front end and crashed out at Lodge. Despite holding second place for most of the lap, Hutchinson made the move just yards before the final corner, and the local rider was forced to settle for third. The race was won by Brendan Roberts.

“It was a very tough race to be honest, and I am just pleased to have finished third,” he said. “Obviously it’s not as good as a win, but a podium is a podium, and it was good to be up there, especially after such a difficult weekend.

“I found the race quite hard. I was at the head of a big group of close riders for a fair bit of it, and there was so much going on, with people crashing out everywhere. It wasn’t an easy one. On the last lap when I was running second, I knew Ian was right behind me and his Suzuki just had a little bit more power down the straight.

“In the end I had to think to myself, ‘you’re part of the championship now, think about the points,’ and I just settled for third. There was no way I was going to get tangled with anyone and throw points away, and I’m happy to have been back on the podium again.”

But it was a difficult weekend for both team-mate Jay Fernandez and Krystal Racing Space Air’s “lodger”, Michael Pensavalle. After a tough weekend struggling to get to grips with his machine, Fernandez was unable to qualify for the race. Meanwhile Pensavalle, riding the Krystal Racing Ital Yamaha, had qualified in 16th position, but mechanical problems forced him to retire just a few laps into the race.

Team manager Tony Astle described it as a weekend of mixed fortunes for Krystal Racing Space Air. “Howie did a good job out there today, and I think we’re all pretty pleased with the result. It’s only his second round with us, and to put it on the box after such a difficult race is a job well done. Obviously we were all a bit down after Jay didn’t qualify, and Howie had a lot of pressure this weekend. I think everyone has done the best they could, and we go home looking forward to Mondello in a couple of weeks.”

Howie now lies in twelfth place in the championship, on 19 points.