Luke Power shows front running pace at The Ridge

Aussie teenager Luke Power bounced back from a high-speed crash whilst in contention for another MotoAmerica Supersport podium at The Ridge Motorsports Park on Saturday, to secure a fifth-place finish on Sunday.

Luke, fresh from a maiden podium at Road America earlier in the month once again learned the 2.47mile circuit quickly in the opening session of the weekend before a small technical issue limited his running ahead of Race 1. Nevertheless the #68 put his 3D Motorsports Suzuki on the third row of the grid.

A rapid start soon saw him in contention for the podium in the opening laps on Saturday, before a small mistake saw him crash at speed, thankfully without injury.

A late night for the team, who rebuilt the bike for Sunday, were rewarded with a spirited ride to P5, a result that consolidates Luke’s position in the championship ahead of the next round of the series which takes place at the iconic Laguna Seca circuit in a fortnight.

Luke Power:
“It was a pretty disappointing Saturday, and I don’t really know what to say. We had an electronics issue which meant I couldn’t complete the full session in Q2. We made a change for the race, and I made a good start and felt really good and had good pace. I made a mistake downshifting and it bit me. The bike was a mess, and I was pretty banged up and I wasn’t sure I’d be on the grid on Sunday. Race 2 was pretty good considering what happened on Saturday. The team did a great job, working until 2am to give me a bike after I sent it into the trees, so I can’t thank them enough. I struggled a lot as the race progressed. My tyre dropped which affected my lap times in the final part of the race, but I was fortunate to be able to take advantage of a mistake ahead of me and was able to take another Top 5. It was damage limitation, and it could have been a lot worse. I am already looking forward to Laguna Seca, a track that I have always wanted to ride, and I hope to be able to put on a good show for the fans.”