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Coleraine's Marty Nutt wrapped up his 2011 British Supersport Championship season at the weekend with three strong points-scoring finishes at Brands Hatch. Having his second outing of the year on the Padgetts Honda, Marty battled hard throughout the weekend to ensure his year ended in positive fashion and the 14-point haul enabled him to finish in 17th overall in the Championship table.
 
After a shakedown test on Friday on the shorter Indy circuit, Marty took a good 11th in Saturday's solitary qualifying session around the 2.4-mile GP circuit but a spill at Graham Hill Bend interrupted the session somewhat. Although uninjured, it was enough to affect Marty's confidence slightly going into the opening race on Saturday afternoon, which was an additional race after the second race at Oulton in July was cancelled. 14th on the grid for this particular outing, Marty moved up to 13th on the first lap and although he slipped back briefly to 14th, he was back up to 12th by lap 4. This became 11th on lap 6 when David Jones crashed his Kawasaki and this was where Marty finished in what proved to be a relatively lonely and uneventful race.
 
Sunday saw Marty line up in 11th for the first race, which was held in really difficult conditions after heavy overnight rain left the Kent circuit extremely damp. A narrow, dry line had appeared but you only needed to drift a few inches wide to find yourself in trouble. Marty kept his head in the early stages and stayed out of trouble to slot into 10th place by the end of the fourth lap. Part of a five-rider group dicing for 9th place, Marty found himself shuffled back to 11th by lap 7 as Luke Stapleford and Josh Day overhauled him but when Sam Warren crashed out on lap 10, he was back inside the top ten and 10th was here where he finished at the end of the 12 laps.
 
A slightly slow personal best lap meant that Marty had to start the final race in 17th, his worst starting position of the weekend, but an excellent first lap saw him move up to 12th and part of a big group battling for 9th. Positions changed frequently but by mid-race distance, Marty began to lose the tow to the group in front and fall into the clutches of Sam Warren. The Yamaha man pushed Marty back to 13th and although he tried to fight back, he ran out of time and had to settle for the position and the three points.

Speaking afterwards, Marty said: "It's been a strange old weekend and although it's good to get some solid finishes, I'm a bit frustrated that they couldn't have been better. The crash in practice knocked my confidence a bit but I made good starts to all of the races and it was only in the final third of each of them that I lost the tow and dropped back a bit. The Honda's not the quickest bike out there but it does everything else brilliantly and I've really enjoyed riding it so a big thanks to Clive Padgett and his team for all their help at the last two meetings - it's just me that's not got us higher up the order! It's been a bit of an up and down year to be fair with some good, strong results offset by some disappointing races but we'll work hard over the winter and come back in some shape or form in 2012 determined to do better."

Coleraine's Marty Nutt was cruelly denied a top ten finish at the latest round of the British Supersport Championship at Silverstone at the weekend when he crashed out of ninth place on the final lap of Sunday's feature race. Riding the Padgetts Motorcycles Honda for the first time, Nutt took 12th in Saturday's first race and worked his way brilliant into the top ten on Sunday when he lost the front end with the chequered flag almost in sight, a cruel end to what had been a strong weekend.
 
Problems with his usual Suzuki meant that Marty came into the meeting having agreed to ride the Padgetts Honda and a solid qualifying performance saw Marty take 16th on the grid with a time of 2m13.619s. A good start in Saturday's 9-lap 'Sprint' race enabled him to slot into 15th at the end of the opening lap and this became 14th on the third lap when fellow Honda rider Gary Johnson slid off. A lap later Marty was up to 13th as he overhauled the Triumph of Josh Day and, lapping half a second quicker than the group of riders in front of him, Marty gradually began to catch the group battling for the lower end of the top ten. With moves on successive laps on Jimmy Hill and Luke Stapelford, he was up to 11th with one lap remaining but although Ben Wilson crashed out on the final lap, briefly promoting him up to 10th, problems with the gearbox meant that Day and Stapelford were able to fight back and so Marty had to settle for 12th at the chequered flag.
 
His pace in the opening race had been very strong though and so Marty lined up in the advanced position of 12th and the third row for Sunday's feature 12-lap race. A slightly sluggish start saw him slip back to 15th at the end of the first lap and here he remained for the next four laps as he found himself part of a six-rider group battling for tenth. On lap 5 he moved past Johnson to take 14th and a lap later this was 13th as he also overtook David Jones. Lapping considerably quicker than the riders in front of him, the demise of Sam Warren and Wilson meant that he was dicing for 8th with just two laps to go and he duly moved up into 9th on the penultimate lap when he overtook AJ Venter and John Simpson. However, just as it looked like he'd secured another top ten finish, he lost the front with less than half a lap to go and although he almost saved it, he crashed out, not at all the outcome his race deserved.
 
Speaking later, Marty said; "I'm gutted the way the weekend finished as it's not at all the way we deserved it to end. It took me a bit of time to get used to the bike but it was a lot more consistent than I thought and the brakes were very strong whilst I could also carry some really good corner speed. I had a small tip-off in qualifying when I lost the front on the bumps but I ended up with a half-decent starting position for the first race and it was all going well up until the last lap. I'd just worked my way up inside the top 10 only for the bike to start jumping out of gear and dropping those couple of places on the first lap took the shine off what was otherwise a really good race."
 
"A good lap time put me a row further forward for Sunday's race and we opted to run the hard rear tyre and it really came into its own in the latter half of the race. I didn't make the greatest of starts but chipped away and gradually moved forward and with the tyre working really well, I looked all set to take a good ninth place. However, about three corners from home, the bike bobbled  and although I held it the first time it went, it did it again almost immediately and it was enough to dislodge my hand off the handlebar and down I went. Ninth would have been a strong result so it was frustrating for it to end so close to home and not at all what I felt I deserved. I learnt a lot though this weekend and it was a good comparison exercise between the Honda and Suzuki so I'm sure I'll be able to put it all to good use next time out."
 
The final round of the 2011 British Supersport Championship takes place at Brands Hatch, October 7-9.

Castlerock's Marty Nutt endured a frustrating weekend at Donington Park where he was competing in the latest round of the British Supersport 600cc Championship and all he had to show for his efforts was a solitary 14th place position. The Suzuki rider had looked on course for two good results but mechanical problems intervened and his results subsequently suffered.
 
A solid performance in practice saw Marty qualify in 18th place for the first race although his pace was more refelective of a top 15 position, a mistake on a flying lap seeing him lose time in the final sector after running into the gravel at the Melbourne Loop. Subsequently, he lined up on the fifth row of the grid for Saturday's 10-lap 'Sprint race' but he was into the points as soon as lap 4 when he overhauled John Simpson for 15th. A lap later he leapt up the order to 12th and although he was pushed back to 13th on lap 7, when Sam Warren retired a lap later, he was back up to 12th and challenging David Paton for 11th. However, any hopes of finishing in that position were dashed when an electrical problem in the closing stages saw him limp home in 14th place.
 
With the 15th fastest lap of the race, Marty started Sunday's feature 14-lap race on the fourth row of the grid and whilst he didn't make the greatest of starts, he was soon running in the top 15 and inside the points. Part of a three-man group dicing for 12th, Marty was lying in 14th place when the red flag came out on the 11th lap due to rain falling on parts of the circuit. The race was subsequently restarted over 7 laps but it was only three laps old when Marty was forced to retire, the bike having gone onto three cylinders.
 
Speaking afterwards, a disappointed Marty commented: "After the weekend at Cadwell, everything was looking up and I had high hopes for the weekend especially with Donington being a nice, flowing circuit that suits my style. Sadly though, things haven't gone right for us and it's proved to be a frustrating weekend. My own mistake cost me a better qualifying position but the first race was going well and I was looking good for 11th place until the bike started misfiring on the penultimate lap and I was powerless to stop riders from overtaking me. My pace felt good when I was riding on my own but when I was battling with other riders, I was being held up through the corners and it was compromising my race and it was the same again on Sunday. I was battling hard but not able to do the lap times I wanted although it all came to an end when the bike went off on one cylinder and the engine went flat. It was a disapppointing end to the weekend so we'll head back to the workshop and look to put things right for Silverstone next time out."

The penultimate round of the British Supersport 600cc Championship takes place at Silverstone on September 23-25.

Castlerock's Marty Nutt enjoyed a profitable two races at Cadwell Park over the Bank Holiday weekend where he was competing in round 9 of the British Supersport Championship. The nutttravel.com/Dawn/K&G rider scored points in both of his outings and ended the weekend with one of his best rides of the season, 9th, after fighting his way strongly through the field.
 
Having qualified in 13th place for Sunday's 'Sprint' race, a strong start saw Marty end the first lap in 14th place and here he remained for the next two laps as he battled it out with Pauli Pekkanen and Paul Young for 12th. However, on lap 4, he made a mistake exiting Chris Curve and the subsequent excursion onto the grass dropped him back down the order to 21st. Despite the considerable time lost, Marty dug deep and put in, arguably, one of his best rides of the season as he fought his way back through the pack. By lap 7, he was up to 19th and this soon became 17th as he overhauled both David Paton and Shaun Winfield. On the tenth lap he moved back into the points in 15th and he took the chequered flag two laps later in 14th, just half a second adrift of 12th. This then became 13th as Anthony Rogers was excluded from the results following a post-race inspection.
 
Starting Monday's longer 14-lap race from 15th on the grid, a good start saw Marty move up to 14th and for the next few laps he was embroiled in a fine battle for 11th place, positions constantly changing between himself, Luke Stapelford, Josh Day, Paul Young, Shaun Winfield and Rogers. Slowly but surely, Marty got the better of them all and by lap 8 he was up to 12th and only 0.7s adrift of 10th. Just a lap later, this was the position he held as he overhauled Stapelford and third place rider Sam Warren crashed out and when he overtook Young on lap 11, he moved up into a strong 9th place. He promptly opened up a gap over the riders behind him and was rewarded for another excellent ride with 9th and 7 more Championship points.
 
Speaking at the end of the weekend, a happy Marty said: "We got the bike working a lot better in time for Sunday's race and Ian from the Motorpoint team was a terrific help and it was only my mistake that cost us a potential top ten finish. We had a different map in the bike and it was flying but I got a bit eager on the gas through Chris Curve and I had to take to the grass to stay on board. It dropped me way back although I got my head down and clawed my way back into the points although it was a bit frustrating as the riders I was initially battling with finished in 10th."
 
"I made a good start on Monday although I was a wee bit slow getting by Anthony Rogers but once I did I found a good rhythm and started to make good progress forward. The bike's so much better now and I was able to make all of my passes at a good time and make them stick so it was nice to be battling for a top ten result again. My fastest lap of the weekend came late on in the 2nd race and I feel we've turned the corner now with the bike so I'm really happy with the end result and if we can hit the ground running next time out, I'm confident we'll have more top ten finishes."

There's now a two-week break for Marty with the next round taking place at Donington Park on September 9-11.

Marty Nutt and the Nutt travel.com/Dawn/T&G team endured a long and tough weekend at Brands Hatch but their hard work was finally rewarded at the latest round of the British Supersport Championship with a solid top ten finish. After taking 21st in Saturday's race, the Coleraine rider bounced back strongly to take tenth in Sunday's feature race, a huge lift for all concerned.

 After suffering with a broken clutch after just 5 laps of Saturday's free practice session, Marty fought back from the lack of track time to post the 17th fastest time in qualifying for a fifth row start in Saturday's 'Sprint' race. The safety car was immediately deployed after a three-rider crash at Paddock Hill and Marty crossed the line at the end of the first lap in 20th place, a position he was ultimately unable to improve upon. Indeed, he was shuffled back to a disappointing 21st place at the chequered flag as he again struggled with speed off the corners. The result also meant he was further back on the grid for Sunday's longer race.

 The initial race start was red flagged due to an incident so it was restarted over 14 laps only to be stopped again when the Triumph pairing of Dan Cooper and Luke Mossey crashed out. The race was started for a third time and at the end of the first lap Marty had advanced forward significantly to 15th place and this soon became 14th a lap later. Jimmy Hill crashed out on lap 5 promoting Marty further and when he overtook John Simpson he was up to 12th with half of the race still to run. Indeed, lapping quicker than he had done all weekend, Marty was rewarded at the chequered flag with a strong 10th place to put a smile on the faces of all of the team.

 Speaking later, a relieved Marty commented; "I'll take that! After the weekend we've had, I'd have been happy with a point so to finish in the top ten is a major boost to all of us as we've got a distinct lack of grunt off the corners and it's really hurting us at all of the circuits at the moment. I was on the edge of the top 15 throughout practice and qualifying but that was when I was lapping on my own - as soon as I get into a race situation, we're being punished. We tried a few different things for Saturday's race but they didn't help at all whilst I was also suffering from a lack of rear grip. I don't know if the rain shower earlier had caused it but I was struggling in so many areas."

 "I changed the gearing drastically for Sunday's race and stretched the rev limit out although that was putting a bit of extra stress on the engine. There were a few crashes out there which obviously helped us but I also managed to overtake a few people too so it was nice to round the weekend off with a good, enjoyable race. I knew it would take us a few rounds to get up to speed what with it being a new bike and all that but we don't seem to be making the headway I'd hoped for and it's frustrating as I'm giving it absolutely everything every time I go out. We are making improvements though and there's a 3-week gap now until the next round so we'll keep our heads down, keep working hard and look for some strong results at Cadwell."

Marty will be back in action at Cadwell Park with the Lincolnshire venue hosting Round 9 on August 27-29.

Marty Nutt endured a difficult weekend at Oulton Park where he was competing in round 7 of the British Supersport Championship with the Coleraine rider failing to add to his points tally. Poor weather meant only one of the two races were held over the course of the two days and Marty could only finish in 17th place on the nutttravel.com/Dawn/T&G Suzuki in Saturday's race.
 
A solid start to the weekend though saw Marty place 16th in the opening free practice session and although he slipped back to 20th in the second session later on Friday afternoon, he regrouped for Saturday's solitary qualifying session to place 14th on the grid. It had been wet for qualifying but by the time of the sprint race in the afternoon, conditions were good once more. However, a poor start saw Marty drop back from his 14th place starting position and it got worse at the first corner when he was pushed out wide onto the rumble strips. Subsequently, he completed the first lap down in 21st place and although he worked his way up to 17th at the end of the 10 laps, he was outside of the points and also back down in 19th for Sunday's race.
 
Having been encouraged by a strong showing in Sunday morning warm-up though, Marty was looking for a better showing in the feature race but torrential rain hit the Cheshire venue from early afternoon onwards and after numerous delays, organisers made the only decision available to them and abandoned the meeting just after 5pm, meaning an additional Supersport race will now be run at a later round.
Speaking later, Marty said:  "It's fair to say that, one way or another, it's been a disappointing weekend. Saturday's effort certainly wasn't what we're about so I was praying for some rain on Sunday and it was all looking good in morning warm-up. I posted the seventh fastest time and my ideal lap would have placed me fourth so I felt really confident for the race. I felt very comfortable with the bike in the wet and was hopeful of a good result but it wasn't to be and the rain just kept coming and coming so I think it was the right call to abandon the meeting. There was lots of standing water around the circuit whilst there was also a coating of oil in places so it would have been very dodgy out there. We'll head back home now and make a few changes back in the workshop. It's my favourite circuit next - the Brands Hatch GP track so hopefully we'll come back stronger there."
 
Round 8 of the Championship takes place at Brands Hatch on August 5-7.

Marty Nutt wasn't able to enjoy himself in the hot sun of Snetterton at the weekend with the Castlerock rider failing to score a point at the latest round of the 2011 British Supersport Championship. After a promising qualifying performance, the Nutttravel.com/Dawn/T&G rider was hopeful of continuing his recent good form but he could only manage a solitary 18th place from the two races, a spill in the second race ending his chances of a top ten position.
 
The weekend started well and, with the new Snetterton '300' circuit in use, times dropped in each and every practice session and Marty steadily improved, taking 15th in the first free practice session and 11th in the second, his best time being 1m54.772s. For the solitary qualifying session, he went quicker still although his time of 1m54.568s meant he lined up in 13th place on the grid for Saturday's 10-lap race.
 
A sluggish start to the race saw Marty slip back from 13th to 18th at the end of the first lap and here he remained until lap 3 when he moved up to 17th. For the next few laps, Marty found himself embroiled in a battle with Jesse Trayler and Max Hunt for the final Championship point and although he overhauled Hunt on lap 6, he was unable to climb any higher. Indeed, an overtaking attempt at the end of the back straight saw him forced onto the grass and he dropped back to 18th at the chequered flag.

However, with the 12th fastest lap of the race, he was able to start from slightly higher up the grid for Sunday's longer 15-lap race although another sluggish start saw him complete the first lap back in 16th. He soon began to advance forward though and by the third lap he was up inside the points in 13th and part of a four-man group battling for 11th. No sooner had he begun to start planning his attack though, he clipped the kerb on the way into the final corner and he crashed out, fortunately without injury.
 
Speaking afterwards, Marty said: "I made a really bad start in Saturday's race and had a bad first few corners as well so that left me mired in the pack and it was struggle to get by people, I just couldn't get close enough to make a safe pass. In the end I made a mistake at the end of the back straight when I tried to go round the outside of Jesse Trayler. It worked for me a lot last year but he ran wide and it left me no place to go other than the grass so to finish 18th and outside the points was disappointing especially after the good run we've had recently."
 
"The good thing this year though is that we get two bites of the cherry so we made a few changes to the bike overnight, the main ones of which were fitting a softer back spring and also softening the front and that made the bike so much better through the faster turns. Again, I didn't make a great start but I was happy with how I soon began to move forward and the bike felt so much more comfortable that I felt confident of reaching the top ten. However, as soon as I clipped the kerb I was down and there was no way of saving it. It was completely my fault but the punishment didn't fit the crime and it's very frustrating as I really like the circuit and it's brought an end to my run of good results. My mechanic Andy had worked really hard over the three days and I didn't repay him as I would have liked but I was riding well in Sunday's race and we again made progress with the bike so there are plenty of positives to take. We'll just put it behind us and look forward to getting back into the points next time out."
 
Round 7 of the British Supersport Championship takes place at Oulton Park, Cheshire on July 15-17.

Marty Nutt enjoyed his best weekend of racing so far this season when he took two top eight finishes at the latest round of the 2011 British Supersport Championship. Competing at Knockhill in Scotland, the Castlerock rider took 8th place on his Nuttravel.com/Dawn/T&G Suzuki in each of the two races to claim 16 well deserved points and move himself closer to the top ten in the overall standings.
 
With wet conditions throughout the weekend, Marty was strong throughout free practice and a solid qualifying session saw him line up in 12th and on the third row of the grid for Saturday's 18-lap race. Keeping out of trouble, Marty completed the first lap in 14th place but by lap 3 he was up to 12th, having overhauled Christian Iddon and Pauli Pekkanen, and was closing in on the top ten. He then overtook Billy McConnell and David Paton on laps 4 and 6 respectively to climb up to 10th and this soon became 9th when Jesse Trayler, who was half a second ahead of him, fell on lap 11. Comfortably ahead of McConnell, it looked like Marty would finish in 9th but he was promoted up the order when 8th placed Lee Johnston also crashed out and here he finished for another excellent 8 Championship points.
 
With the 9th fastest lap of the race, Marty started from the advanced position of 9th for Sunday's 20-lap dry race and although he lost places off the line, a determined first few corners saw him soon back up to ninth, a position that became 8th a lap later as he overtook TT winner Gary Johnson at the hairpin. For the next few laps, Marty battled for 7th place with Luke Mossey, eventually getting the better of him at half race distance and there was just 1.5s separating the five riders battling for 4th to 8th places. In the closing stages, Marty lost a bit of pace due to arm pump and was re-taken by Mossey but with Johnston crashing out on the final lap he was able to claim his second 8th place finish of the weekend. The results mean that Marty has now moved up to 14th place in the Championship table and well within reach of the top ten.
 
Speaking after the second race, a pleased Marty said: "I'm very happy with how the weekend's gone and we've been on the pace throughout. Since Thruxton, we've made a few changes to the bike, developing the engine some more and using some different electronics and it's definitely been a step forward. Andy, my mechanic, made a good call on the chassis set-up this weekend too and the combination of it all allowed us make a significant step in the right direction. Obviously, conditions were pretty terrible for the first two days but we had a good pace and, more importantly, stayed upright so we were in a good frame of mind going into the two races. The bike was a match for anything else out there in both the wet and dry and the only issue I had was in the second half of the second race when I started to get really bad arm pump. My arms were solid and I was having to take it really steady in the first and last corners so I couldn't  do much when Mossey came by, I just had to let him go. I've picked up a good haul of points from the two races and the aim at the beginning of the season was to finish consistently inside the top ten so we're a lot closer to achieveing that now and can go to the next round feeling confident for more of the same."

The next round of the British Supersport Championship will be held at Snetterton, Norfolk on July 1-3.

Castlerock's Marty Nutt enjoyed his best weekend of racing so far this season with two top-twelve finishes at the latest round of the 2011 British Supersport Championship. Competing at Thruxton in Hampshire, Marty took 12th in Sunday's dry race but excelled in Monday's wet race and was rewarded with an excellent 6th place, his best ever position in a British Championship race.

 
A solid first day saw Marty take 10th and 15th in the two free practice sessions and, happy with the performance and handling of the bike, he was able to push on in Sunday's solitary qualifying session. Indeed, he was able to take almost 1.5s off his lap times and a lap of 1m18.068s was good enough for a fine 11th spot and third row start for Sunday's 12-lap race. Equally encouraging, he was also only one second off the pole position time. A slightly sluggish start in the race saw Marty slip back to 15th on the opening lap but he slowly began to move forward and by lap 7 he was up to 13th. Enjoying a good battle with Luke Stapelford and Allan Jon Venter, Marty was able to overhaul both of them by the chequered flag and take 12th and 4 more Championship points.
 
Subsequently, Marty lined up in 14th position for Monday's longer 18-lap race although this was subsequently cut to 15 laps due to wet weather. A solid start saw him up to 13th at the end of lap one and a lap later he was up to 12th, a position he maintained until lap 7 when Dean Hipwell dropped out of the race. Edging ever closer to the top ten, Marty was again proving his wet weather capabilities and by lap 8 he was up to 9th and on course for his best position of the year. Second placed Jack Kennedy then crashed out as did Steve Plater and Christian Iddon and the race was red flagged with four laps still remaining which meant Marty was promoted up to 6th for his best ever besult in the Supersport Championship. The 14 points gained from the two races has catapulted him up to 14th place in the Championship table.
 
Marty now has a three-week break with the next round taking place at Knockhill, June 17-19.

Marty Nutt endured a mixed weekend of racing at the latest round of the British Supersport Championship with 14th place in race 1 at Croft being offset by a retirement in race 2. The nutttravel.com/Dawn/T&G Racing rider had been hoping to take another haul of points at one of his favourite venues but after taking a solid finish in the opening race on Saturday, brake fade put paid to his hopes in Sunday's feature race and he had little option other than to retire.

With the opening free practice session being held in the wet, Marty's first flying laps came in the second session where he placed 15th, a position he maintained in Saturday's solitary qualifying session although he did improve upon his time by over a second with a new personal best of 1m23.889s. That meant he lined up on the fourth row for the opening 'sprint' race, held over 14 laps, and although a sluggish start saw him drop back to 18th on lap 1, he steadily improved both position and lap time over the course of the race and he was rewarded at the chequered flag with a good 14th place finish and more Championship points.
 
Starting from 16th place on the grid for race 2, Marty was looking to build upon Saturday's result but he was soon up against it having been pushed wide at the first corner, which dropped him back to 18th. He responded almost immediately and moved up to 16th a lap later as he found himself part of a 6-rider dice for 13th but he soon ran into brake trouble and when the lever started to come back to the bar, it was simply too dangerous to continue and he pulled in to retire at the end of the eighth lap.

Speaking afterwards, Marty said; "Croft's one of my favourite circuits so I was really hoping for two good results here but it's turned into an average weekend. I was pleased to have picked up two more points in Saturday's race and really enjoyed myself although it was a little bit frustrating as I was losing out on acceleration coming onto the start and finish straight. I could make up time all round the rest of the track but as soon as we exited the hairpin the other boys would just ride away from me."
 
"I was looking to build upon that in the second race but when I was in the big group battling for 13th, I soon got into a wee bit of bother with the front brake; if you're on your own, you can ride around the problem but when you're in a group, you're having to use the brake more often as you're reacting to what those around you are doing so, after a few near misses, pulling in was the sensible option. It's a shame as it brought my run of points scoring finishes to an end but we've got a two-week break before the next round and we're getting some new parts for the bike so that will, hopefully, give us some more speed and elevate us nearer to the front."

Casterock's Marty Nutt racked up more championship points over the Bank Holiday weekend when he took 12th and 15th at Round 2 of the British Supersport Championship. Riding the Nutt travel.com/Dawn/T&G Suzuki, Nutt rode hard all weekend and his determined efforts were rewarded with 5 more Championship points from the two races at Oulton Park.
 
The Cheshire circuit was blessed with perfect conditions all weekend and Saturday’s free practice sessions saw him record the 20th and 19th fastest times but he was able to improve by over a second on Sunday and a lap of 1m40.621s initially moved him up to 7th. However, just as he was looking to move forward further still, he slid off at the Britten’s chicane in the final few minutes of the session and slipped back to 17th place to lead off the fifth row of the grid.
 
With the bike repaired, a strong start to Sunday's 'sprint' race saw Marty move up to 15th at the end of the first lap and here he remained until lap 4 when he was promoted to 14th due to the retirement of Christian Iddon. Lapping consistently quicker than what he had done in practice, Marty was able to close up to the group in front of him and by lap 8 he had moved up to 12th, a position he maintained until the chequered flag for 4 more championship points.
 
With the 13th fastest lap of the race, Marty was able to start a row further forward for Monday's longer 16-lap race and a great getaway meant he completed the first lap in 12th place. Two laps later, he'd been pushed back to 15th as he found himself involved in a frenetic 9 rider scrap for 10th to 18th place. Positions were changing hands regularly and although, at one time, he was pushed back to 17th, Marty dug deep and with some determined riding he was able to move back up to 15th at the chequered flag to move on to 8 points for the season and 16th overall in the table.
 
Speaking afterwards, Marty said: "They were two very hard races this weekend and although I knew the first two rounds would be tough due to the lack of time with the new bike, I can't help but feel a bit frustrated as I know I could be a lot higher up the results sheet. We're lacking a bit of grunt out of the corners and that's making it difficult to get close enough to those in front of me along the straights and try and pass on the brakes. I was having to defend my lines throughout the race and there were a couple of times today where I had to tip in right in front of someone and it was all getting a bit close for comfort!"
 
"On the plus side, I've scored points in both races and have learnt a lot more with the bike so we have a good direction to go in. We'll have a few more bits and pieces for the bike in time for the next round and that will, hopefully, give us the extra speed we're looking for. I shouldn't be too downhearted as I've scored points in 3 out of the 4 races so far and the next two tracks are two of my favourites, so we'll use the gap between now and Croft to work on the bike and look to get into the top ten at those two races."

Marty now has a two week break before his next race with round 3 of the British Supersport Championship taking place at Croft on May 13-15.

Castlerock's Marty Nutt got his 2011 British Supersport Championship campaign underway in solid fashion over the Easter weekend when he finished in 13th place at the opening round at Brands Hatch. Competing on an all-new GSXR600 Suzuki for the first time, Marty  continually improved as the weekend on and was rewarded with 3 points in the second of the two races.
 
Having his very first outing of the year, the weekend started on a positive foot for Marty as he posted the ninth fastest time in the first free practice session but it went better still in Saturday's second session as a time of 47.420s made him the 6th fastest rider going into the solitary qualifying session later in the day. However, problems with grip meant it was taking Marty longer than he would have liked to put in a quick time and just as everything was up to temperature, the red flag came out due to oil having been deposited on the circuit. Consequently, Marty was slightly disappointed to line up in 19th place for Sunday's 'Sprint' race where he utimately finished in 17th, just outside the points.
 
However, with the 11th fastest lap of the race, that meant he was able to start from the advanced position of 11th on the grid for Monday's longer 26-lap race where conditions were again perfect with blue skies and warm sunshine again bathing the Kent venue. A slightly sluggish start saw Marty slip back to 15th but he was well in the hunt and never outside the points for the entire race distance and, by the mid-race point, he was up to 14th and just on the back of a four-man dice for 11th. There was little to choose between any of the riders although there was equally little opportunity to pass but, on lap 20, Paul Young retired from 9th and this promoted Marty to 13th where he stayed for the remainder of the race to pick up 3 hard earned points.
 
Speaking afterwards, a satisfied Marty said; "Having not raced the bike before this weekend, the main objective was simply to try and pick up a few points to get the season up and running so I'm pleased to have achieved just that. We're still awaiting a number of parts to arrive for the bike but there's enough there to give me plenty of confidence for the rest of the season as what we have is already a good package; we just need that little bit extra to put us on an equal footing with the other guys and firmly establish ourselves in the top ten."
 
"In Monday's race, the tyre went off in the last third and I was just hanging on for a finish at the end but to have two solid, mistake-free races and to be in the points on a new bike and with zero testing, unlike all the other riders, is very pleasing. I've been able to build up my confidence with each and every outing and I still have a way to go before I'll be running at maximum pace and finding the limits of the bike but we've made good progress this weekend and am confident I'll be in the top ten sooner rather than later."

Marty's next meeting comes next weekend with the second round of the British Supersport Championship taking place at Oulton Park, Cheshire, April 30-2 May.