VALE of Evesham biker Mike Tustin was left frustrated after the final round of the Ducati TriOptions Cup in Assen in the Netherlands.
It was back to earth for Tustin and TeamMTR following the highs of their previous meeting at Silverstone as, beset by clutch problems, he missed out on any points.
Having limited budget at this late stage of the season, the team had been unable to test the bike after the clutch problem in the second race at Silverstone. Ultimately, this cost Tustin another points-scoring weekend.
The issue meant Tustin could only manage three laps in practice and then he could only get five laps in qualifying.
It meant the Vale rider started 23rd on the grid but the team worked throughout the night to pinpoint the problem.
Saturday’s race was hit with heavy downpours, so a wet set-up was a guess, but Tustin got away well and moved up some places to finally get some laps in and finish the race in 21st.
With dry conditions on Sunday, TeamMTR were quietly confident of a points-scoring finish. A good start once again moved Tustin well within the points and up to 13th. Just over half race distance, he was well within the points.
However, a gearbox problem reappeared and forced an excursion into the gravel on the penultimate lap, prompting the team’s first mechanical failure of the season, so they ended a frustrating weekend with no points.
On a much more positive note, Tustin finished 13th in the overall standings out of a registered 56 in the championship and he was the first rookie.
TeamMTR would like to thank every sponsor for their huge support and backing this season – the debut year at British Championship level. The team feels it has been a success and the positive attitude, hard work and commitment from everyone involved showed that hard work does pay off with the podium finish at Silverstone.
The wheels are already in motion for next year and the team feel, with a year’s experience under their belt, regular top ten finishes should be a minimum throughout the whole of 2018.
