Paul Bird Motorsport Team's Gregorio Lavilla (Photo: Graeme Brown) » More Photos

TOP TEN FOR LAVILLA AT MONZA DESPITE HANDICAP

Vent Axia VK Honda rider Gregorio Lavilla overcame a couple of problems to post a pair of points scoring results in round five of the World Superbike Championship held at Monza in Italy yesterday.

The Paul Bird Motorsport rider squeezed into Superpole in sixteenth position and was hoping for a pair of solid points scoring finishes at the historic Italian circuit.

In the opening race, the 36 year old Spaniard had clawed his way up to eighth and was looking set for a good result when the machine started to run out of fuel on the final lap and he had to eventually coast in to an eleventh place finish at the end of the first 18 lap race.

Lavilla, the 2005 British Superbike Champion, was hoping to make amends in the second race but whilst circulating on the warm up lap the machine developed a problem with a crank sensor which caused him to change to his spare machine and as a result start from pit lane at the back of the grid.

Despite the handicap Greg fought his way through from 25th on lap one to finish in an amazing 10th at the flag and in doing so increased his World Superbike points tally and now lies in tenth place in the Championship. Lavilla is now the only rider to score in all ten races of the series so far also.

Gregorio Lavilla: "I lost two positions in race one because the bike was running out of fuel. I was ninth and trying to pass Checa at the time. Our bike didn't start on the grid before race two and I had to run to get my second bike and start from pit lane on a new tire. The bike didn't feel as good as my number one bike but I pushed hard and I knew that some riders would not finish. Even if I scored a single point, that was something but at the end of the day I got tenth, which was pretty good, I suppose. It is going to be a new experience to go to America but the boys now have time to work on the bike in the workshop."

Paul Bird (team owner): "It's been unfortunate that a couple of minor problems have denied us even more points and the team is very disappointed for Greg. In the first race we knew it would be touch and go with the fuel and we didn't quite make it and then in the second race a minor electrical problem saw Greg have to use the spare bike. I am delighted with the way that Greg is riding and for any rider to start at the back of a World Superbike grid and finish tenth is a fantastic achievement."

The team now heads to America for the sixth round of the championship at the new SBK venue of Miller Motorsports Park in Utah, on June 1.