Michael Rutter put Ducati back in contention for the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship title again this season but the Ridersmotorcycles.com Ducati rider had a difficult end to the year at Oulton Park.

In the first race Rutter looked set to challenge for the podium but whilst in contention with the leading trio the Ducati ground to halt and he was forced to retire. In the second race Rutter was determined to make amends and fought through to fourth after the disappointment of the first race.

Rutter said:

"At the weekend we got the bike set up different to the earlier Oulton Park round in May. We made a rear suspension change so the grip remained better for longer when the tyre got older. It was radically different to the set-up we ran last time but that's no surprise since we've moved on a lot since May with the bike. The wiring grounded out on the carbon back plate carrying the computer that controls all the electronics on the bike in the first race. I was trying to catch Michael Laverty and settling down nicely when the bike missed a beat before it shut down completely."

Rutter bounced back to finish fourth in Sunday's first race and looked set for an even stronger result in the final race of the season, passing Stuart Easton at Island Bend with an outstanding move and was up to third place when his Ducati suddenly slowed, ruling him out of contention in the final race of the season.


Rutter added:

"I was gutted to end the season like that. I'd had a good run in the second race but things were looking much better for the final one. I was right with the leaders and the bike felt really strong but the electronics went wrong again and I had to pull off the track for safety. It's been a great season for the RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati team; we've won races and been title contenders in the Showdown. Okay, things didn't quite pan out for us at the weekend, but I think we've shown everyone that this is a team to be reckoned with and next year we'll be back even stronger."