News

Laverty "enjoyed fantastic end to Race 2" with fightback to seventh!

Sunday, 13 October 2019 20:32 GMT

The former WorldSBK Championship runner-up put in one of his grittiest rides of the year to come from 16th to 7th in the Motul Argentinean Round

It has been a year of ups and downs for Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven), Whilst a challenging weekend during the Motul Argentinean Round also gave Laverty plenty of work. However, the Irishman put in an inspired performance to come from 16th on the grid to seventh in Race 2, his best result in the 2019 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship since his sixth-place finishes at MotorLand Aragon, back at the start of April.
 
Laverty’s season has been somewhat injury-hit, after braking both of his wrists in a scary highside accident at Imola in May. Since then, the road to recovery was long but signs of Laverty’s Aragon pace returned in Race 1 at Magny-Cours, when took his first top ten since coming back with 9th. The 33-year-old put in a strong performance to end up being one of the fastest riders on the track in Argentina, rising to seventh place and the third-best Ducati.
 
Reviewing one of his strongest rides of the season, Laverty said: “We enjoyed a fantastic end to Race 2! Languishing down in 17th position on Lap 1, I never imagined that I would cross the finish line in 7th. Thank you to Team Goeleven for all their hard work and we have rediscovered the correct setting to allow me to attack. We are optimistic of a strong finale in Qatar!”
 
The Team Goeleven rider made the most of Race 2, bursting through from 16th and even passing two riders in one go at Turn 1 in the closing stages; both Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) falling victim to the Irishman’s scintillating late-race pace.
 
Whilst the top ten in the Championship may be a bridge too far for Laverty in 2019, the next rider above him in the standings is Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK Team), in 15th. Laverty replaces the German rider at the factory BMW set-up in 2020 and has a ten-point gap to close down at Losail.
 
Watch more action from the final round of the WorldSBK season in 2019 with the WorldSBK VideoPass!