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Laverty: "Coming strong at the end of the race was so nice"

Saturday, 9 June 2018 15:45 GMT

    • Positive Saturday for Laverty as he faces a front row start in race two

    After a tough start to the season for Eugene Laverty (Milwaukee Aprilia), he was able to cross the line in race one with a smile on his face following a strong top six finish around Automotodrom Brno. Surprised by his pace on the Italian bike, he was able to put up a strong fight throughout the re-started battle out on track.

    Working around the slippery track conditions, the Irish rider got a good start from the second row but was caught up following a hard line taken by Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha Official WorldSBK team) into the first corner. Regrouping and coming back strong, Laverty was again surprised by the speed of his RSV4 RF and crossed the line in sixth, equaling his best result of the season so far.

    Happy with how his race one panned out, Laverty explains: “It was much better than yesterday, we surprised ourselves in qualifying with how fast we were able to go, and in the race aswell. We got held up a little bit at the start, but coming strong at the end of the race like that was so nice, usually I’m the rider going backwards but today it was the opposite so it was great.”

    Commenting on the conditions of the 5.4km Czech circuit, it wasn’t a massive problem for Laverty, as he encounters the issue at other tracks around the world: “The track is slippery, but it was nice to see the other guys sliding around, as its usually just me, so it’s good to be in the right ballpark.”

    Preparing for a front row start on Sunday, the 32 year old is looking forward to having a clear run into the first corner and is hoping to bring the fight to the rest: “It’s great to start on the front row, I was on the second row today and it was great to start there, but van der Mark pretty much t-boned me so that cost me a few positions. This time it’ll be nice starting from third, and with the new regulations it’s good to have a chance to get into the first corner and keep my position.”

    Follow Laverty’s pace on Sunday as he will hope to take the battle to the leaders and make the most of the front row start, all with the WorldSBK VideoPass.