Once again, luck was in short supply for the Penrith-based PBM MotoGP Team as both Michael Laverty and Damian Cudlin left round 16 of the MotoGP World Championship at Phillip Island without scoring points, but this time it was a bizarre set of circumstances which denied them.

Both Ulsterman Laverty aboard the CRT-specification Aprilia ART and Australian Cudlin riding the PBM-chassised Aprilia were affected by a ruling by race control regarding tyre durability due to safety concerns meaning for the first time in MotoGP history, compulsory bike changes were required at the Tissot Australian Grand Prix.

With a new race distance of 19 laps declared instead of 27, all riders were required to change bikes during a specific window in the race which added a little confusion to the drama.

Laverty, from Toome in County Antrim, on the Rapid Solicitors and Minxflix.com-sponsored Aprilia ART for the third meeting, was continuing his progress aboard the machine and inside the top 20 for most of Free Practice eventually qualifying in 18th place. Meanwhile German-based Cudlin continued his development work aboard the unique Rapid Solicitors and Minxflix.com-sponsored PBM machine and qualified in 23rd place.

Knowing they would have to pit to change bikes, both Laverty and Cudlin were still hopeful of a good result and Laverty slotted into 20th place in the opening laps with Cudlin three places behind. With the pit stops unfolding, the former British Supersport champion was elevated to 13th place but after his mandatory stop, dropped back down the order before eventually setting for 18th place at the flag.

Cudlin, at his home GP, was one of a number of riders penalised because of the pit stop confusion and after pitting for a second time, was black flagged due to an alleged infringement but continued on and was rewarded with a top twenty place to record his best result for the Penrith-based team.

Laverty remains in 24th overall in the MotoGP World Championship standings in his debut season. In the Claiming Rules Teams (CRT) class, Laverty is in tenth whereas PBM occupy eighth in the Constructors Championship and 12th in the Teams Championship in their debut season with their brand new British-built machine.


Michael Laverty:

"The weekend was going well for us until they announced the mandatory pit stop. The race itself was strange for me as I made a good start then got pushed off the circuit at Turn Four and went right to the back of the pack. I was making progress and would have got back to the group in front but making a pit stop at 10 laps to change machine put paid to my chances of scoring points today. Under normal race conditions we had a good race pace this weekend but unfortunately the tyre didn't last 27 laps for some riders and safety has to be the deciding factor."

Damian Cudlin:

"I must admit it's been a tough weekend from start to finish for me, but the extra confusion in the race made things even harder. The first stop went basically to plan but soon after I encountered a braking issue with the spare bike which forced me into the pits for a second time. After I returned to the track I was black flagged, but as there were only two laps to run I continued on anyway. Thankfully I did because the ruling was overturned and I was classified as a finisher. It's disappointing to finish at the back, but hopefully the Motegi circuit will suit us better and we can challenge for a better result."

Phil Borley, Technical Director:

"It has been a difficult weekend where we have encountered a number of issues and have not been able to show our real potential. Our problems have mainly been with the brakes and not the tyres, so the change of bike mid race has hurt us more than our competitors. In the race Michael had made a good start, but ended up last on the first lap due to an aggressive pass by another rider. He was able to pass a few riders but again we could not see his real potential during the race. Damian has struggled a lot this weekend with the strong winds on the PBM bike so we need to understand the reasons. We had made some progress with the settings during the sessions, but never enough to give him the confidence to ride at the limit. We hope the weather will be kinder in Motegi and we can challenge for better positions."



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