Round two of the Quattro British Supersport Championship took place this weekend at Donington Park. Luke Stapleford and the Scars Racing Ducati team had another positive weekend with a second and fantastic second race win. Luke once again looked strong throughout the weekend during practice and managed to qualify the V2 Ducati on the front row in second place, two rows forward from Oulton Park!
He dropped down to fourth on the second lap but made an awesome pass into the Esses for the lead. He looked comfortable at the front but Ben Currie was on a mission for a win. Luke was leading up to the penultimate corner when Ben made an impressive move round the outside, it was a drag to the line with Currie taking the win by 0.04.
For the second race Luke started from 3rd on the grid for the second race. He got a good start but dropped to third after the opening lap. He soon got back to the front and got his head down. Once again, he was locked in a battle with Jack Kennedy, who was following him every inch.
Jack made a move on lap 14 for the lead which gave Luke the chance to follow to see where he might be slower. Luke made a pass into the Esses on the penultimate lap and really had to ride a hard final lap to take a fantastic win by 0.2.
Luke Stapleford – “I thought we would have had more pace this weekend so the two races were pretty tough and I really had to dig deep and push hard. The lads have worked so hard this weekend to get things changed and up to speed and I’m very grateful for all their work. If that is a bad weekend with a 2nd and win then I’m happy. It didn’t come easy and I left the door open a bit in race one and wasn’t prepared to do that in the main race so I made sure I was covering my lines. We’ve extended our lead in the Championship now and that is what it’s all about, the bigger picture and we will keep making progress as we move forwards. Also, a big Happy Birthday to the boss, Dale – that was for you! Have a good one on the Isle of Man guys.”
Leigh Finlay – Team Co-Owner – “It was another fantastic weekend for the team and another win under our belt. Luke is really riding well and looks very happy and comfortable on the Ducati. He is great to work with and positive feedback which helps us move in the right direction.”
Dale McElveen, Team Co-Owner – “Despite the team not being 100% happy with the pace this weekend that was a fantastic result. If that is a bad weekend I will take it. The team have worked very hard throughout the weekend and Luke rode two incredible races. The next stop for us will be the IOM TT with Michael Dunlop in the Supersport class on the Ducati V2.”
