By Carly Rathmell
May 10 2004

Two top six finishes for the Sendo Ducati Dienza Performance squad at the weekend was a highly encouraging result for the team. At the super fast circuit of Snetterton it was always going to come down to power and how fast the Ducati was compared to the other makes of machinery.

picture by Chris Martin @ www.brakingzone.com

Dean Thomas had a great weekend and came away lying in a very healthy seventh place in the championship standings. Fantastic weather finally arrived at Snetterton, and Dean was strong all through the weekend’s practice and qualifying sessions.

He ended up with his first front row start of the year, and qualified for the races in second position, behind polesitter and Honda rider Michael Rutter. Snetterton is renowned for being one of the fastest race circuits in the UK, and it was down to Dean to ensure of a good start and stay with the leaders.

He gained a great start in race one, managed to slip underneath Rutter, and settled down in third place. Dean struggled with top end speed down the long fast straights, and eventual race winner Yukio Kagayama got in his slipstream and passed him down the back straight.

Fighting hard, Dean still had them in his sights and was keen to retain a good position at the front of the pack. Michael Rutter and Scott Smart fought their way past Dean on laps twelve and thirteen, respectively. Dean was down on power compared to everyone else, but all the other Ducatis seemed to be in the same boat. Fighting to the end, Dean secured a very comfortable sixth place.

An engine change for race two and another good start saw Dean being able to stick with the front runners. The new engine gave Dean that extra horsepower that he wanted. Thomas managed to catch Steve Plater and pass him on the Revett Straight. Kawasaki rider Scott Smart was super fast but ran off the track, which allowed Dean to gain another place. He was hot on the heels of race one winner Kagayama, but there weren’t enough laps in the race to allow Dean to pass him. Another great finish in fifth place meant Dean and the team were very happy.

Speaking with Team Manager Enzo Di Clemente, he said, “We always knew we were going to be struggling with speed this weekend. It’s such a fast track and the new Hondas and Suzukis are extremely fast. We’re really happy with the results and look forward to Oulton Park next Monday. We made a few positive changes to the bike throughout the weekend and we are progressing at every meeting.”

Dean was content, saying, “The bike has worked really well all weekend. We made the right choice in swapping the engine between the races. I’m very happy with two top six finishes, and I know that a podium result isn’t far away. Snetterton is super fast and I’m glad we only have to go there once a year! After my huge crash at Brands Hatch I just wanted to ensure that I got two race finishes and some vital points in the bag. Roll on Oulton!”

The next round is Bank Holiday Monday, 3rd May.