Rutter races through the pain barrier (From Halesowen News)

Rutter races through the pain barrier

5:30pm Thursday 30th August 2012 in Local Sport

MICHAEL Rutter might have been put through the wars in round eight of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship but insisted it was all worth it.

The 40-year-old headed to Cadwell Park with nothing but pride to play for, with his hopes of making the top-six and the Showdown having long diminished.

But that didn’t stop him from enjoying himself, as finishes of 11th and 10th marked just the second time this season he has come away with a double-points haul — the last coming way back in May at Snetterton.

There are just four rounds to go but all eyes will be on the top-six in the final three as they battle it out for the title.

However, Rutter is keen to end the season on a high and believes he is heading in the right direction.

He said: “I feel good after the weekend but I had two crashes in qualifying which were disappointing.

“They knocked me around and hurt my arm a bit and that makes racing quite unpleasant.

“I had my arm pumped up in that second race, something which has never happened before and I think I’ve done something to my shoulder.

“But we’ve improved so that’s the main thing, I was able to get some real pace from the bike so I’m delighted.”

Next up for Rutter is a trip to Donington Park in two weeks time, and he admits he is wishing for a clean bill of health after he saw his hopes at Cadwell Park ruined by his ailing body.

He added: “I think we’ve learnt a bit more this weekend which is always a bonus, we can see a couple of new things about the bike and they will help our preparations for the end of the season.

“Without the injury I’d probably be saying this was a great weekend but it put a dampener on things, especially considering it probably affected my pace.”

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