EUGENE LAVERTY admits he is “unhappy” with how his maiden season in the factory Aprilia team in the World Superbike Championship has panned out.
Laverty, who joined the team alongside Max Biaggi after Yamaha’s decision to withdraw from the season, is determined to round out the season on a high, starting this weekend at the Nurburgring in Germany.
“I have one aim before the season is out and that is to win some races aboard the Aprilia,” he said.
“I’ve had a woeful season and I’m really not happy with how things have turned out. However, I’ve learned valuable lessons which will make me much stronger next year.
“There are still six races remaining so I still have a chance to salvage my season.”
Laverty expects his former team-mate at Yamaha, Marco Melandri, to prove a tough nut to crack in the battle for the world crown on the works BMW.
Melandri took over the lead of the championship from nearest rival Biaggi at the last round of the series and appears to have the momentum at a crucial stage of the season.
“It’s looking like we could be in for an exciting end to the season with Marco, Max and Tom [Sykes] all in with a shout of the title,” added Laverty on his official blog.
“Marco is riding really well so it’d be hard to bet against him.”
Laverty, from Toomebridge, is still fuming after he was robbed of a podium finish at Silverstone.
“I really enjoyed riding in the rain at Silverstone in race two as I had a very good feeling for the RSV4 in the wet conditions.
“Jakub Smrz and Loris Baz made mistakes, ended up in the gravel trap and then made their way onto the podium. There was a rule change over the winter allowing riders no longer in the race to be classified in the case of a red flag.
“I warned the organisers that this was a bad idea at the start of the season but rules are rules so I had no problem with Loris Baz finishing on the podium.
“However, the organisers made an error and placed Jakub Smrz in third even though he’d crashed two laps before. That sort of thing should not happen in world championship racing.”