Laverty's hopes go up in smoke at Brands Hatch

Michael Laverty in action during Sunday's British Superbike Championship round at Brands Hatch. Picture: Bonnie Lane.

The Northern Ireland rider, who finished sixth in race one on the S1000RR, slowed dramatically on lap nine at the Indy circuit, bringing out the safety car.

Meanwhile, Michael’s brother Eugene finished in the points again at the Italian round of the MotoGP World Championship at Mugello yesterday.

Laverty crossed the line in 13th place on the Aspar Ducati after qualifying in 18th position on the grid, maintaining his run of six consecutive points-scoring results this season on the Desmosedici GP14.2.

The 29-year-old, tenth in the world championship standings with 36 points, was satisfied with his result yesterday after crashing unscathed during free practice on Friday.

“After such a difficult weekend we salvaged three important points, and that’s the important thing because we struggled to find the correct direction after the crash on Friday,” Laverty said.

“I was getting faster and faster in the race; on the final laps I overtook [Stefan] Bradl and the bike started to feel really good. That’s good information ahead of the next race.

“Now we really understand this bike better and better. The fact that it was easier for us at the end gives us a good direction to take things,” he added.

“I’m happy to have salvaged points here, but I expect to be stronger in Barcelona.”