Laverty secures first 1098 superstock podium

John Laverty put the Buildbase Ducati 1098 on the podium for the first time this year in the Superstock race when he finished a fighting third at Snetterton last weekend.

Racing the all-new 1098s at British circuits for the first time was never going to be a walk in the park and the official test at Snetterton earlier in the year proved vital for setting the bike up quickly and getting on the pace early.

Laverty qualified fifth and just two seconds covered the first 28 riders in the most competitive qualifying of the season in the class.

While Yamaha pair Glen Richards and Hudson Kennaugh were pulling away up front Laverty was involved in a thrilling scrap with another Yamaha ridden by Lee Jackson in the final the eight breath-taking laps batling it out for third.

The Ducati wasn’t slow but didn’t quite have the top speed of the Jackson’s R1 and it took a cool Laverty to fend off Jackson’s repeated efforts to get by at the end of the back straight to claim the final podium spot.