Moto Rapido Racing

Moto Rapido Ducati came away with an eighth place in the penultimate round of the Metzeler National Superstock 1000 Championship at Silverstone last weekend with rider Scott Smart having to battle through the field.

Smart qualified in 14th place after trying to find a gearing setup in free practice ended with a good compromise but a lack of space on the track in final qualifying saw the Maidstone rider in traffic for the whole session.

In the race, Smart got tangled up with a pack of slower riders and had to watch the front-runners disappear. When he got some clear track Smart put in consistent laps and was the fastest man on the track at the end of the race, which he finished in eighth place.

“We struggled to find a gearing setup which worked for the whole track, so I spent most of free practice and qualifying trying to work out a really good compromise as Silverstone has some very quick corners and some very slow ones,” said Smart.

“Qualifying didn’t go according to plan as I just didn’t get a clear lap in the whole session. My ideal lap, which is calculated by the organisers, would have put me seventh on the grid had I been able to find some space.

“In the race, I got off the line pretty well and we geared the bike quite tall for the first corner but I made a mess of the upshift and loads of people came past. I didn’t make as much headway as I should have to get back past and by the time I got some clear track and put in some fast, consistent lap times the leaders have gone. We have already been to Oulton Park once this year, so we should just have to fine-tune the bike for the final round.”

Team boss Steve Moore added: “The bike was faultless all weekend and the dramatic end to the race at Croft looked at lot more spectacular than it was. Qualifying didn’t go to plan as, usually, Scott can go out at the end of qualifying and put in a few fast laps to get a good time.

“But on Saturday, there were more than 40 bikes trying to do the same thing and he got caught in a group of ten so had to settle for 14th place. He rode well when he got some space and was the fastest man on the track for four laps towards the end but no-one would have been able to get from 14th to first in this class.

“We’ve got some good settings for Oulton and Scott qualified on the front row earlier in the year, so we are definitely looking for a podium at the last race of the year in a fortnight’s time.”

Moto Rapido Ducati’s Scott Smart grabbed second place in today’s Metzeler National Superstock 1000 race at Croft this afternoon after a difficult weekend which saw technical problems rule him out of most of practice and qualifying.

The team suffered big problems through the whole weekend with the 1198S breaking an oil cooler in first qualifying practice, leaving Smart with only 20 laps to get the bike dialed in for the 15-lap race.

As the lights went out, Smart got a good start and went into the first turn in fourth, making up one spot from his fifth place on the grid. Following the Padgett’s Honda pairing of Steve Brogan and John McGuinness, and 2009 Champion Alastair Seeley, Smart kept a watching brief lapping at the same pace as the leaders bur couldn’t find a place to get through.

On the final lap, Smart was right with the leading four going into the last corner when Brogan tried a move to pass Seeley and forced both of them wide, allowing McGuinness and Smart through.

Smart tried to dive inside McGuinness for the lead but the 15-time TT winner shut the door on the exit and Smart had nowhere to go. On the run to the line, a main bearing let go and the bike kicked sideways. The former 500GP rider had to whip the throttle in to avoid a nasty crash but still managed to cross the line second after Seeley took evasive action.

“After the oil cooler had a puncture in qualifying and spreading oil all over the track, I wasn’t very hopeful as we only did about 17 laps in the second session,” said Smart. “I managed to get fifth on the grid and needed a good start and got away with Seeley and the Padgett’s boys.

“I had the pace to live with them until half distance and then they went into the 1’23s for a couple of laps. For some reason, none of them could keep that pace up and they came back to me and on the last lap I knew I could get past McGuinness but we were obviously both waiting for the last-corner melee.

“After Brogan and Seeley tangled, I thought I might nip under McGuinness but he shut the door and when I throttled on for the line, something let go and my bike went sideways. I had the clutch covered and saved it but it was a case of choosing between jumping into the wall or Alastair’s front wheel.”

Moto Rapido team manager Steve Moore added: “We had a hard weekend with the oil cooler damage on one bike eliminating most of free practice and qualifying. Scott rode a great race and did well to hang onto the bike when it blew in the race.”

The team are also pleased to announce that Objektum Venues will remain as a major sponsor for the remainder of the 2009 season.
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Objektum Venues, will become the team guest title sponsor for the next event at Brands Hatch GP on 9th August.

Objektum Venues, specialist training venue provider, have been supporters of Moto Rapido Racing all year and as Brands Hatch is their local circuit a deal was reached for them to join other major sponsors Solent Scientific, Key 2 Group and Ducati UK.

Scott’s bikes, truck and hospitality will be sporting the Objektum venues logo in for the Brands Hatch weekend.

“After some bad luck at Knockhill we have been testing in the break and are now very confident to put Scott back at the front of the Brands Hatch grid. Our sponsors have been superb and the extra support from Objektum was a real boost for the whole team.” Steve Moore – Team Principal

“We were extremely impressed with the progress and the level of professionalism shown by the Moto Rapido Ducati team so far this season” says Derek Russell, CEO of Objektum Venues, “and we were inspired to increase the level of support. We are looking forward to being at the Brands Hatch British Superbike round with our own team for what will be an exciting race.”

Who are Objektum Venues?...

Objektum Venues is an event planning company specialising in training events. Founded by event managers and trainers with over 10 years experience in organising training, Objektum Venues organises and manages training facilities for training providers and professional businesses for their courses, workshops and seminars. This includes sourcing, booking and managing venues, IT hire and configuration, arranging travel and accommodation for the delegates and lecturer and supporting with any course administration. Objektum Venues offers a complete service from preparation to post event follow up; taking the hassle out of organising the course and giving the client more time to focus on their core activities. They not only save their clients money but also make sure that everybody has a better training experience.