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First top ten finish for Rea

Author: Red Bull Honda Press Release
Posted on: Tuesday, May 03 2005



Having qualified in 16th on the grid, the 18-year-old had a great first race, fighting his way up to 11th place in the first few laps and moving into the top ten on lap ten, in front of several factory riders. In the final stages of the race, the Red Bull Honda rider made a mistake, allowing Scott Smart and Steve Plater through. He eventually finished in 12th place – a remarkable result in his debut Superbike season.



Rea made a good start to race two and managed to get up into the top ten by mid-race distance. As rain started to fall on some parts of the circuit, the Red Bull Honda rider remained confident and moved up to eighth place. He was determined to post his best result of the season so far. He did so by finishing the second race in ninth position and picking up seven points towards his championship tally.



Jonathan Rea: “I really enjoyed both of today’s races even though the weather conditions were unpredictable. I found it much more physically demanding than the previous rounds, but also more rewarding. We have taken further steps forward with the set-up of the CBR1000RR Fireblade and I’m looking forward to Mondello Park in two weeks time to continue my progress in the Superbike class.”



Superbike race one result: 1. M. Rutter (HM Plant Honda Racing) 29:43.001; 2. G. Lavilla (Ducati) +3.797; 3. K. Harris (Honda-Racing.co.uk) + 5.171; 4. L. Haslam (Ducati) +5.290; 5. G. Richards (Kawasaki) +6.426; 6. D. Thomas (Kawasaki) +7.293; 7. G. Mason (Honda) +16.935; 8. J. Haydon (Suzuki) +21.606; 9. S. Smart (Suzuki) +21.729; 10. K. Clarke (Honda) +22.430; 12. J. Rea (Red Bull Honda) +27.208


Fastest lap: 1:37.967 – M. Rutter (lap 7)



Superbike race two result: 1. L.Haslam (Ducati) 32.41.250; 2.M.Rutter (HM Plant Honda Racing) + 1.031; 3.K.Harris (Honda-Racing.co.uk) + 3.594; 4.J.Haydon (Suzuki) + 3.761; 5.J Da Costa (Kawasaki) + 23.928; 6.G.Richards (Kawasaki) + 27.035; 7.S.Plater (Kawasaki) + 33.294; 8.K.Clarke (Honda) + 33.616; 9.J.Rea (Red Bull Honda) + 33.814; 10.M.Laverty (Honda) + 47.750



Fastest lap: D.Thomas (Kawasaki) 1.45.906 (Lap 18)


Championship points after 4 rounds: 1.Rutter – 164; 2.Lavilla – 108; 3.Richards – 104; 4.Kiyonari – 100; 5.Haslam – 100; 6.Harris – 80; 7.Emmett – 70; 8.Thomas – 65; 9.Smart – 43; 10.Mason – 39; 13. Rea – 22





Further points for Supersport Laverty



With round four of the British Supersport Championship being declared a wet race, the riders faced a drying track, warm ambient temperature and the subsequently tough tyre choice that these conditions presented.



Having qualified on the second row of the grid in seventh position, Red Bull Honda’s Eugene Laverty struggled for traction as the riders who chose a full wet weather set-up found the most grip – and disappeared into the distance. From mid-pack, the CBR600RR rider rode as smoothly as he could, yet as fast as the conditions would allow.



By half race distance the sun was out and a dry line was appearing on parts of the 2.692-mile Cheshire circuit. However, by the time his set-up started working effectively, there were not enough laps remaining to really make an impression and Laverty finished the race in 13th place, adding another three points to his championship challenge.



Eugene Laverty: “Tyre choice was always going to be a gamble today. I was convinced it was going to dry up quicker than it did and took a chance by choosing wet weather tyres combined with a dry set-up. However, it was my first wet Supersport race, so I was just concentrating on staying on the bike. It’s good to finish the race and claim a few points and I’ll be looking forward to my home round of the championship at Mondello Park in a fortnight’s time.”



Supersport result: 1. T. Sykes (Suzuki) 29:46.937; 2. C. Crutchlow (Honda) +8.384; 3. P. Young (Honda) + 30.986; 4. C. Jones (Honda) +37.313; 5. K. Murphy (Honda) +39.101; 6. L. Quigley (Honda) +50.747; 7. P. Shoesmith (Yamaha) +51.239; 8. P. Seward (Kawasaki) +1:09.770; 9. L. Longden (Honda) +1:09.870; 10. S. Neate (Honda) +1:20.997; 12. E. Laverty (Red Bull Honda) +1:23.760


Fastest lap: 1:47.526 – J. Robinson (lap 15)



Championship points after 4 rounds: 1.Camier – 63; 2. Jones – 58; 3.Sykes – 52; 4.Vincent – 51; 5.Easton – 49; 6.Crutchlow – 42; 7.Young – 33; 8.Murphy – 30; 9.Riba – 27; 10.Robinson – 27; 12. Laverty – 19





Rostrum for rookie Jones


Chris Jones completed his first race of the season at Oulton Park today and collected a podium finish in the process. The Red Bull Honda rider approached the fourth round of the British 125GP Championship with just one aim in mind – to complete race distance.



Jones moved into eighth place on lap one from fifth position on the grid at the 2.692-mile Cheshire circuit. The 14-year-old continued to hang back in the early stages of the 14-lap race and bided his time. When the opportunity arose, the talented teen passed his rivals safely and swiftly and by lap ten was into third place and heading for his first rostrum finish.



The Red Bull Honda rider then proceeded to ride consistently and watch his pit board to bring the Honda RS125 home safely. He finally passed the chequered flag in third position



Chris Jones: “I’m really happy to have finished the race and to be on the podium is a fantastic bonus. I think it has boosted my confidence and restored my faith in my own ability. I now feel much more relaxed heading to round five of the championship.”


Race result: 1. C.Elkin (Honda) 27.02.292; 2.D.Linfoot (Honda) + 2.230; 3.C.Jones (Honda) + 9.078; 4.A.Beech (Honda) + 11.417; 5.R.Guiver (Honda) + 15.076; 6.T.Grant (Honda) + 23.405; 7.A.Walker (Aprilia) + 29.253; 8.B.Clark (Honda) + 41.748; 9.J.Westmoreland (Honda) + 44.458; 10.T.Hayward (Honda) + 47.327



Fastest Lap: C.Elkin (Honda) 1.52.574 (Lap 12)


Championship points after 4 rounds: 1.C.Elkin – 88; 2.R.Guiver – 55; 3.D.Linfoot – 49; 4.K.Coghlan – 45; 5.A.Beech – 41; 6.B.Clark – 37; 7.J.Webb – 28; 8.M.Wilcox – 24; 9.T.Grant – 19; 10.J.Morris – 17; 13. Jones – 16


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