John Reynolds, with a win and a seventh place in the rain at Brands Hatch,

tightened his lead in the THINK! British Superbike Championship as his

title rival Michael Rutter was slowed by machine problems in each of the

races in the seventh round.

It was a remarkable performance by the Rizla Suzuki rider who had broken

his left collarbone two weeks earlier in a high speed crash during the

Thruxton round, but, the twice former champion and current series leader

opted to race through the pain barrier in a damage limitation exercise.

Amazingly, he fought through to be leading by one thirds distance in each

of the two 20 lap races, going on to win the first by some six seconds from

MonsterMob Ducati rider Sean Emmett.

"I didn't expect to do that - I had thought that if I could finish within

five places of Michael then I would still be in with a chance," said

Reynolds, who learned that Rutter had finished fifth in the opening race.

Reynolds was again on the charge in the second race, opening up a sizeable

lead before he slowed in the closing stages, pointing the finger at a slow

puncture to the rear tyre of his bike which dropped him to seventh place.

Rutter, experiencing electrical problems finished back in fourteenth, and

now he trails Reynolds 261-232.

The second race was won by Renegade Ducati rider Leon Haslam, who finished

some five seconds ahead of Sean Emmett, with Yukio Kagayama in third place.

Karl Harris, with his fourth victory of the campaign, aboard the HM Plant

Honda, continued the defence of his British Supersport title in style,

extending to 20 points his advantage over Michael Laverty who had to settle

for seventh place.

Christian Elkin moved jointly into the lead with Eugene Laverty, ninth in

the British 125cc Championship race, as he took his second victory of the

season by less than a second from Michael Wilcox, who defending his title

is eight points down on the leading duo.

The meeting was abandoned after a multiple crash on the opening lap of the

National Superstock Championship left seven riders injured, two of them

seriously - they were treated at the scene, and in the circuit medical

centre, before being transferred to local hospitals, both by helicopter and

road ambulances.

Ends