Assocjazzjoni Sport Muturi-Karozzi (ASMK) rider Shawn Buttigieg did not win the FIM-Europe Super Street Bike Cup in Germany last weekend but he did enough to leave his mark on the NitrOlympX series when clocking the fastest time in his category.

Buttigieg, who rode the Kalanc Team Suzuki Hayabusa 1300cc, finished third behind Briton Bradley O’Connor and Mogens Lund, of Denmark.

The Kalanc Racing Team were also involved in the car dragster series in Hockenheim as race organisers said 70,000 spectators attended the two days of competition.

In his first heat, Buttigieg registered a time of 7.493 seconds and 306.17 kph but in his next run he clocked an impressive 7.213 with top speeds reaching 318.93 kph on the quarter-mile drag strip.

Buttigieg’s progress, however, was halted in the semi-finals when a minor technical hitch prevented him from reaching the title run, only managing 8.027 seconds.

In the final, O’Connor won the challenge with Lund but both riders failed to eclipse Buttigieg’s scorching time of 7.213 seconds.

O’Connor won the final in 7.409 seconds and Lund had to settle for the runner-up position after clocking 7.578 seconds.

Buttigieg is currently second in the overall standings with 141 points, only one point behind lead O’Connor.

Luke Farrugia, another ASMK-licensed rider in the FIM-Europe championship, is 12th on 62 points.

The fourth round from the series will be held at Santa Pod, England, between September 4 and 7.