Rutter and Jessopp get factory Ducatis for BSB

When team owner Phil Jessopp reveals his Rider Ducati team plans at the MCN Carole Nash London Motorcycle Show tomorrow (Thursday, February 3) it’s going to be more than a new title sponsorship deal with Rapid Solicitors and Bathams Brewery, he’ll be unleashing on BSB.

It’s going to be two more factory bikes gracing the BSB grid with Michael Rutter and Martin Jessopp on a pair of 1198Rs that are virtually the same as the WSB Althea Ducatis!

Jessopp said: “I think Ducati (Corse, Italy) saw what we achieved last year in BSB and are now really behind us with technical support. Ducati UK are also really helping us with and we’ve a good flow of technical information coming our way this year.”

What’s going to really transform the team’s bikes are 2011 electronics and Jessopp said: “We have the full fly-by-wire throttle system. It means we can break the track up into 16 sectors and dial in the engine braking and traction control strategies to suit each specific sector. We’ve also now got launch control which we never previously had.”

Rutter added: “It’s looking good. We’ve no idea how the electronics will work on BSB tracks because we’ve never tried them but it’s got to help.

“We were losing out to the four-cylinder bikes coming off all the slow corners last year. I know that sounds the opposite of what you’d expect but the v-twin just has too much torque for BSB tracks.”

The Bridgwater-based team will prepare two extra Ducati 1198s for Michael Rutter to race at this year’s TT. He will also race at the North West 200 and Macau GP alongside Martin Jessopp.

“For those events they will have a superbike and superstocker each. At the TT, Rutter will have both superbikes at his disposal and a superstocker.

Full story in MCN today (Wednesday, February 2).