Reynolds 'ready to hang himself'.
Rizla Suzuki's John Re🐲ynolds almost doubled his Championship lead in the British Superbikes at Mondello Park... but was 'ready to hang himsꦿelf' after a race one mistake.
The Rizla 👍Suzuki rider had a 1.5 second lead going into the final lap and - by his own admission - simply relaxed too much, being caught at the last corner and pipped by just two-thousandths of a second on the run to the chequered💜 flag by Kawasaki's Scott Smart.
Rizla Suzuki's John Reynolds almost doubled his Championship lead in the British Superbikes at Mondello Park... but was 'ready to hang himself' aft�🍃�er a race one mistake.
The Rizla Suzuki rider had a 1.5 second lead going into the final lap and - by his own admission - simply relaxed too much, being caught at the last corꦇner and pipped by just two-thousandths of a second on the run to the chequered flag by Kawasaki's Scott Smart.
"I started the day focussed only on winning and we haꦚd the bike and set-up to achieve that," said Reynolds at Mondello. "My own mistake in the first race, when I misjudged my pace and allowed Scott Smart to catch and overtake me, was unforgivable.
"When I got back to the garage, I was read🐻y for hanging myself, and deservedly so, I shouldn't have allowed him to catc𝓀h and pass me on the last lap," he sighed.
In the second race JR set a new lap record of 1min 40.731secs and was clearly the fastest man on track, but due to a slipping clutch during the last four laps, he was forced to settle for second, leaving Honda's💎 Michael Rutter to take the win.
However, a crash by Rut♏ter in race one meant that Reynolds, who started the round withꦡ an 18-point advantage in the series, leaves with a 33-point lead.
"The second race was very fast," sta🌃ted JR. "I was right at the front and in with a chance of winning until my clutch started slipping and I lost drive.
"I am b🔜itterly disappointed not to have won a race today, but I am looki𝕴ng at the bigger picture and I have nearly doubled my Championship lead over Michael, which is a good day's work. If we can do that every weekend, I'll take it!" he concluded.
Despite the positive championship outcome, Rizla Suzuki team manager 🤪Paul D♚enning wasn't a happy man...
"By our own high Rizla Suzuki standards, this has been a disappointing day for both rid🔯ers," he declared. "JR made a mistake that cost him the win in the first race and a valuable 𝐆extra five points in the Championship.
"In race two he had the pace to win but it didn't work out for us. However, we have still notched up sensible results and because M꧙ichael crashed in the first race, we have extended JR's Champio𝐆nship lead by 15-points."
