Lichfield rider Gary Mason made the most of the wet weather to claim a top five finish in the British Superbikes championship at Oulton Park.
Driving rain saw a number of racers struggle to find form, but the MSS Colchester Kawasaki man relished the conditions and picked his way through the field after a disappointing qualifying session.
Lining up on the fourth row, Mason got an excellent start and made up nine places in the first lap as he quickly mastered the tricky conditions.
Despite coming under intense pressure from Michael Laverty and the intervention of a safety car, the city man held his nerve and not only set the fourth fastest lap of the race, but also finished in fifth place overall.
Mason said:
“Qualifying could have gone better, I thought I was on for a front row but things didn’t work out as I had some issues with the qualifying tyres. But in the race I got my head down and after a great start I was brave into turn one and made up a load of places.
“The bike was working well in the wet and I was trying to get a podium but it was just so slippy out there it was unreal. Fifth was a good result and now I’m only one point off seventh position in the championship, which is fantastic as the Showdown is in my sights.”
However, the weather did play its part as the second race was cancelled, meaning it will now be run as part of a triple header at the Cadwell Park round on August 27-29.
Team owner Nick Morgan added:
“Gary rode a sterling race, very, very good. He got a mega start from 14th on the grid, looked in control and rode fantastically. He keeps improving as a rider and I can’t fault his performances this year.”
