Relentless by TAS Suzuki rider Michael Laverty can now stake a claim as a genuine BSB title contender after a pivotal weekend at Croft - not only for the Toomebridge rider, but also for his Northern Ireland-based British Superbike team.

Laverty took a near perfect 45 point hall from the North Yorkshire venue in the opening two races of the Title Fighters' Shootout, with second place in race one and a memorable victory in race two. It was the 28-year-old's second top step of the season and undoubtedly one of the most important in his career. He now occupies second place in the title race, just 16 points behind Tommy Hill with five races remaining.

In race one Laverty took the holeshot and fended off Hill for the first three laps and such was the pace, both Suzuki riders pulled away from the pursuing pack, putting 10 seconds into eventual third placed man Stuart Easton. Laverty hounded and harried Hill in the closing stages only losing out on the victory by 0.155s.

Laverty's confident start in race two afforded him the chance to break away from his rivals in the opening laps, but in a mirror image of race one, both he and Hill came together to dispute the top step in a nail biting finale. Laverty's superior set-up and race-craft shone through when it mattered, taking the lead on the penultimate lap before defending his lines to take a well-deserved victory on his GSX-R1000 Relentless by TAS Suzuki.

Team mate Alastair Seeley didn't have quite the weekend he expected at Croft with a first race DNF after being collected by another rider at the hairpin. Then in race two the BSB rookie battled bravely for points, eventually finishing 15th. He remains in sixth place in the Title Fighters' Shootout on 506 points.

Michael Laverty:

"It's been an excellent weekend for us. We have been strong in every session and continually worked on our set-up. Race one wasn't perfect as I struggled a little bit in the middle sector but I still brought the fight to Tommy at the end of the race. For race two we made a few small tweaks to the set up and it made all the difference. I took charge of the race and felt really comfortable out front. It was a good battle with Tommy over the last couple of laps, but I was determined to come out on top this time around. It's now game-on for the Championship with two rounds remaining but I am well up for the fight. A big thanks has to go to the team this weekend; they worked hard in the garage to give me what I needed to win."

Alastair Seeley:

"I had a good start in race one and was making progress until Gary Mason took me out at the Hairpin, and with a broken clutch lever I couldn't re-start which I wasn't too happy about. In race two I wasn't feeling that comfortable with a number of small little problems hampering my progress, but that's racing. Croft basically proved more difficult than I imagined but my head's not down and I'm looking forward to Silverstone and Oulton."

Philip Neill - Team Manager:

"There's only one word to describe that performance from Michael: Awesome. We came into this season as underdogs and some people even wrote us off before the season got underway. We have a lot of experience in racing and combining that with a hard-working team and two equally-talented and hard-working riders, it is finally paying off.

"I've said all along that Michael Laverty has the potential to be the best rider in British Championship racing and today we got more than a glimpse of that. What is more pleasing was seeing him combine all his qualities today: speed, resilience, a professional attitude and a calm head when it mattered most.

"He got a lot of hard moves thrown at him by Tommy, but he fought back and proved that his Relentless by TAS Suzuki with the K-tech suspension was a better package today. It may seem strange but we are a little disappointed not to have won both races at Croft today.

"Michael has taken a bit of criticism for his reserved style at times this year, but as he said himself when interviewed - the time to bring the 'A Game' to the grid is in the final seven races and he's silenced a few critics today.

"Alastair didn't find his comfort zone at this circuit but I don't want him dropping his head. His job this season, as a series Rookie, was to make the top six and that box has been well and truly ticked already. He is capable of much more and we will move forward with optimism for our number 34.

"It's an important time of the year for us as a team, so I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors and hope today's results go a small way in repaying their faith in us. Thanks obviously to Suzuki, Relentless, Beacon and all our other loyal sponsors.

BSB Race 1 Results:

1. Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki)
2.Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) +0.155s
3.Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) +10.177s
4.Simon Andrews (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +13.512s
5.Dan Linfoot (Motorpoint Yamaha) +14.742s
6.Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +15.407s
7.Loris Baz (Motorpoint Yamaha) +21.044s
8.John Laverty (Buildbase Kawasaki) +25.983s
9.Chris Walker (Sorrymate.com SMT Honda) +26.304s
10.Gary Mason (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +26.670s


BSB Race 2 Results:

1.Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS)
2.Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) +0.202s
3.Stuart Easton (Swan Honda) +8.534s
4.Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) +9.590s
5.Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) +9.833s
6.James Ellison (Swan Honda) +10.138s
7.Tommy Bridewell (Quay Garage Honda) +10.730s
8.Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) +11.619s
9.Dan Linfoot (Motorpoint Yamaha) +12.412s
10.Simon Andrews (MSS Colchester Kawasaki) +16.489s

BSB Championship Standings:

1.Tommy Hill (Worx Crescent Suzuki) 570
2.Michael Laverty (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 554
3.Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda) 543
4.Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda) 542
5.Michael Rutter (Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati) 521
6.Alastair Seeley (Relentless Suzuki by TAS) 506