Rutter agrees one-race deal with SMT Honda

Michael Rutter has finally agreed a one-race deal to ride the SMT Honda at Mallory Park this weekend.

Rutter initially said he wasn’t too keen on taking another short-term ride in BSB but told MCN last night: “It’s better to be out there on the race track than sitting around at home wishing I was there.

“Robin Croft (SMT team owner) is incredibly enthusiastic and has gone out of his way to find a backer to get me on board. I think he’s got a businessman local to him who is interested in helping out, but for the time being this is just a one-race deal. We’ll take it from there.”

Rutter is now looking forward to the weekend but admits, it’s another tall order, expecting to jump on an unfamiliar bike and race at the front of the pack where he belongs.

He said: “It’s not like I haven’t done it before this year (riding an unfamiliar bike). But it’s going to be hard work. I’ve always said that if you can get a bike to work around Mallory, it will work pretty well at any BSB circuit. Mallory has a bit of everything. Okay, Gerrards isn’t the long sweeping corner it once was but it’s still a challenging course for bike set-up.

“I’ve no idea what to expect from the Honda though. It’s well kitted – and the team has close links with the Hydrex Honda crew – but as far as basic set-up goes we’ll have to see. I’m just going there with an open mind.”