Mainwaring stands in for injured Andrews
Added on Thursday, April 15th, 2010 by Carole Nash Editor
Mainwaring stands in for injured Andrews
Howie Mainwaring has been drafted in to replace injured MSS Colchester Kawasaki rider Simon Andrews as the squad look to reward his impressive Superstock display at Brands Hatch.
Mainwairing’s second place came in a Superstock grid packed with quality, as he pushed up through the field twice after avoiding a fallen rider, despite starting thirteenth on the grid. The twenty-two year old gets his chance to shine after Andrews suffered a foot and heel injury while deputising for Kawasaki rider Chris Vermeulen at last weekend’s Valencia World Superbike round. Also counting in Howie’s favour is his claim that Thruxton is his favourite circuit, so Superbike and Superstock riding will count as extra practice for each discipline.
“I was on a high after Brands and although I feel sorry for Simon,” said Mainwaring. “This is a great opportunity for me. The team have told me there’s no pressure but obviously you want to put on a good show. Thruxton really is my favourite track so where better to get this chance?!”
Whilst Andrews recovers, his usual team-mate Gary Mason will be looking to put a frustrating Round 1 at Brands Hatch behind him after electrical gremlins ruined his weekend.
Gary added, “I can’t believe just how bad Brands was but you’ve got to put it into perspective, I’m not injured and we learnt loads. We need and will come back stronger at Thruxton, I know it.”
Team boss Nick Morgan added, “There is no getting away from the fact that this wasn’t the start we were looking for, however, Howie is in the right place at the right time after his amazing performance at Brands Hatch. There definitely is no pressure on him and we’d rather he learnt and was steady than the alternative! Gary is raring to go too and hopefully we can have an incident free weekend.”
