Stobart Motorsport rider Michael Laverty missed out on his first rostrum of the season by less than a quarter of a second at the action packed round seven of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Snetterton in Norfolk today. Riding the VK and Vent Axia backed 1000cc Honda Fireblade, Laverty suffered a number of problems throughout the weekend but after finishing fifth in the opening race today he was well placed in race two when out came the red flags due to an accident. But it was in the eight lap re-run that Laverty really shone and he ran in third position for most of the race and it looked as if his first podium of the season would be forthcoming but then on the very last lap Tommy Hill managed to squeeze past on his Yamaha and in the sprint to the flag Laverty couldn’t quite get the better of his rival and had to settle for fourth position. “It’s been a nightmare weekend so I was pleased with fifth in the first race but I was lacking the speed to challenge any higher. In the last race I found myself in third place but made a mistake on the last lap and Tommy Hill got under me. I’m gutted as I thought I’d got it in the bag and it would have been so nice to be on the podium” said Laverty. For team mate Michael Rutter it was a weekend to forget when after qualifying in sixth position he finished seventh in race one and despite a good start in race two, sadly it all ended with two laps to go due to a problem with the machine. “I was disappointed with seventh in the first race. We changed a few things and went backwards and it was lucky that the second race was stopped as I had the wrong tyre. Then Lavilla crashed out and I ended up about fifteenth taking avoiding action and then I had to pull in with what we think was an electrical problem” said Rutter. Team boss Paul Bird commented “We’ve had another weekend of mixed fortunes and Michael just missing out on the podium sums up our season to date. It was good to see him running towards the front once again and let’s hope he can build on that next time out”. The next round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship takes place at Knockhill, Fife in four weeks’ time (15th/16th July). Picture attached: Michael Laverty aboard the Stobart Honda at Snetterton today. Superbike Race One Result 1, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 24m13.531s, 2, Leon Haslam (Ducati) +0.298s, 3, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +5.629s, 4, Jonathan Rea (Honda) +9.584s, 5, Michael Laverty (Stobart Honda) +10.074s, 6, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +12.036s, 7, Michael Rutter (Stobart Honda) +12.230s, 8, James Haydon (Suzuki) +18.694s, 9, Billy McConnell (Yamaha) +21.233s, 10, Ben Wilson (Suzuki) +22.477s. Superbike Race Two Result 1, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 9m10.957s, 2, Leon Haslam (Ducati) +0.402s, 3, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +3.850s, 4, Michael Laverty (Stobart Honda) +4.071s, 5, Craig Coxhell (Kawasaki) +5.961s, 6, Chris Martin (Honda) +9.053s, 7, Scott Smart (Suzuki) +9.150s, 8, Glen Richards (Honda) +9.383s, 9, Jon Kirkham (Suzuki) +9.631s, 10, Peter Hickman (Kawasaki) +10.210s. Bennetts British Superbike Championship Standings (after round 7) 1, Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) 239pts 2, Leon Haslam (Ducati) 201pts 3, Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 199pts 4, Karl Harris (Honda) 110pts 5, Shane Byrne (Suzuki) 105pts 6, Jonathan Rea (Honda) 96pts = Michael Laverty (Stobart Honda) 96pts 8, Michael Rutter (Stobart Honda) 90pts 9, Tommy Hill (Yamaha) 87pts 10, Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) 64pts 2006 Bennetts British Superbike Race Dates R1: 2426 March, Brands Hatch, Kent (Indy) www.motorsportvision.co.uk R2: 79 April, Donington Park, Leics www.donington-park.co.uk R3: 1417 April, Thruxton, Hants www.barc.net R4: 29 April1 May, Oulton Park, Cheshire www.motorsportvision.co.uk R5: 1921 May, Mondello Park, Co Kildare www.mondellopark.ie R6: 24 June, Mallory Park, Leics www.mallorypark.co.uk R7: 16-18 June, Snetterton, Norfolk www.motorsportvision.co.uk R8: 1416 July, Knockhill, Fife www.knockhill.co.uk R9: 21-23 July, Oulton Park, Cheshire www.motorsportvision.co.uk R10: 11-13 August, Croft, N Yorks www.croftcircuit.co.uk R11: 26-28 August, Cadwell Park, Lincs www.motorsportvision.co.uk R12: 15-17 September, Silverstone, Northants www.silverstone-circuit.co.uk R13: 29 September 1 October, Brands Hatch, Kent (GP) www.motorsportvision.co.uk