Rizla Suzuki’s Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne took a well-deserved fourth place in race two, after crashing out of the opener, at today’s 12th round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Silverstone. In the first race he collided with Honda’s Michael Laverty while trying to pass him at the chicane, crashing out unhurt. In race two he enjoyed a battle with Honda’s Jonathan Rea before executing a dramatic pass on the last lap at the same place he crashed earlier, taking fourth and a huge cheer from the crowd. James Haydon retired from the opening race the team’s first technical DNF this season and went on to finish ninth in the second race on his comeback from a three-month absence due to injury. Honda’s Ryuichi Kiyonari won both races. Rizla Suzuki will be in action again at the 13th and final round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch in Kent on Sunday October 1st. Double points will be awarded after the cancellation of the Mondello Park round in May – and with the final Championship positions still to be decided, it promises to be a thrilling weekend. Shane Byrne: “I enjoyed race two. On the last lap I gave it my all and as we approached the chicane I thought about my crash earlier in the day. I quickly forgot about that and put the GSX-R up the inside and took fourth. “I am not happy with fourth place but after trying so hard I am pleased with the result. I did my fastest lap of the race at the end, which shows we have a strong set-up for race distance. If I can get away with the leaders early on then I know can be challenging for race wins.” James Haydon: “In the first race I was forced to retire and missed out on a probable top eight finish which was disappointing. In the second race I was beaten up early on by Simon Andrews and dropped back to 12th to regroup. Then as the race went on I found my confidence and started reducing my lap times. I ended up ninth, which I am happy with given my recent lack of racing due to injury. “I am happier and more confident in my bike and will go to Brands Hatch in a fortnight’s time with a view to challenging much further up the results sheet.” Robert Wicks – Team Manager: “It has been a day of contrasting fortunes for both riders. A mistake by Shakey in the first race meant he crashed out, but he dug in and showed his fighting spirit to come back and take a good fourth in the second race. “James is well and truly back with the team. It was disappointing he didn’t finish the first race but then he rode really well in the second race to take ninth. Given the level of competition in this Championship and his long lay-off for injury, it was a fantastic effort. “Rizla Suzuki goes to the final round in optimistic mood and looking for podium results. Brands Hatch in Kent is Shakey’s home circuit so he will benefit from local support, while it is also one of James’s favourites and the scene of his pole position and podium finish the last time he visited. We can’t wait to get there.” Race One Result: 1: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 28:48.614, 2: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +11.416, 3: Karl Harris (Honda) +12.184, 4: Jonathan Rea (Honda) +13.990, 5: Michael Rutter (Honda) +18.184, 6: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +28.185, 7: Ben Wilson (Suzuki) +30.342, 8: Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) +31.885, 9: Glen Richards (Honda) +33.456, 10: Peter Hickman (Kawasaki) +54.065. Race Two Result: 1: Kiyonari 28:47.618, 2: Lavilla +5.202, 3: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +8.027, 4: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) +9.945, 5: Rea +10.354, 6: Harris +15.541, 7: Rutter +18.240, 8: Thomas +30.051, 9: James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) 30.393, 10: Wilson +30.661. Championship Positions (after 12 of 13 rounds): 1: Lavilla 377, 2: Kiyonari 376, 3: Haslam 368, 4: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) 224, 5: Harris 218, 6: Rea 216, 7: Hill 161, 8: Rutter 158, 9: Michael Laverty (Honda) 157, 10: Richards 115. 16: James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) 43. More, from a press release issued by Stobart Motorsport: RUTTER BOUNCES BACK AT SUNNY SILVERSTONE Stobart Motorsport rider Michael Rutter took advantage of the gloriously sunny conditions by posting his second best result of the season at the penultimate round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Silverstone today. Riding the VK and Vent Axia sponsored Honda Fireblade Rutter qualified on row two of the grid and in the opening twenty lap race ran with the leading bunch in the early stages. With renewed confidence Rutter hung on to take a deserved fifth place at the flag just behind the factory Honda of Jonathan Rea. In race two, Rutter again got a good start and made the most of a titanic battle to end up seventh after twenty hectic laps and in doing so scored more valuable championship points as he looks to round the season out in style. “That was a better weekend. The first race went well but I should have got dug in a bit more. I had some massive vibration from the rear in the second race but overall everything was a lot better.” Meanwhile it wasn’t such a successful weekend for team mate Michael Laverty who was returning to the track which saw him sustain serious injuries last year. The young Ulsterman suffered a high speed crash during qualifying but despite a swollen elbow was hoping to continue the team’s good form. However in the opening race a clash with Shakey Byrne saw him punted off at the Woodcote chicane before bouncing back in race two to finish eleventh to end a weekend of frustration. “I’m a bit disappointed. I started the weekend so well with practice but I had a big crash and hurt my arm. In the first race I only got four laps in when I got knocked off by Shakey Byrne. I struggled in the second race with my arm hurting, so I just hung on until the end and I was in quite a bit of pain. Things were going pretty good this weekend so I’m looking forward to Brands Hatch and hope for some pretty decent results.” Team boss Paul Bird left Silverstone a little happier than recent rounds having seen an improvement from his riders. “Whilst we didn’t get the results that we might have been hoping for, the performances were encouraging and where Michael (Rutter) was running in the races is where we would expect to be. We had a bit of a team meeting during the week to address some of the problems and I’m glad that everybody has responded positively and we now look forward to the final round of the season in a couple of weeks time with renewed confidence and optimism.” The final round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship takes place at Brands Hatch in two weeks time on 30th September/1st October. More, from a press release issued by Bridewell Brothers Racing: OLLIE AND TOM IN THE POINTS AT SILVERSTONE BUT MORE BAD LUCK STRIKES THE VIVALDI RIDERS”¦ Racing brothers Tommy and Ollie Bridewell experienced mixed fortunes at a warm and sunny Silverstone when the penultimate round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship visited the Northamptonshire circuit this weekend. From Etchilhampton near Devizes in Wilshire, 18 year old Tommy fresh from a top six placing in last weekend’s Suzuki GSXR European Cup at Lausitzring in Germany racked up more points in his bid to climb the British Supersport Championship table with a battling 13th place while elder brother Ollie, 20, suffered varying fortunes in both 20 lap encounters in the Bennetts British Superbike Championship. Riding the 600cc Vivaldi Suzuki, Tommy qualified on row four of the grid but in the 18 lap race, he was soon embroiled in a battle for the lower leaderboard points and gradually made his way through the quality field. Riding with maturity way beyond his years, Tommy eventually had to settle for 13th place and with it, he secured his eighth points scoring ride in the series as he consolidated his 18th place in the standings. “I’m reasonably pleased with that result as I simply couldn’t ride the bike any harder. I decided that it was better to settle for some safe points rather than risk a crash which could have jeopardised our chances going into the double header race at Brands. I aim to round of the season with a decent result there and I’m looking forward to it” said Tommy. Meanwhile, elder brother Ollie was hoping to get back to form after just one points scoring ride in the last three races aboard the 1000cc Vivaldi Suzuki and in the opening race, he responded by posting his third best result of the season with a battling 11th place. But just as it looked as if Ollie was gaining in confidence, his chances in race two all but disappeared when his bike struck a problem on the warm up lap meaning he had to start the race from pit lane on his spare bike before eventually ending up in 21st place. “Race one was fine and 11th place was a reasonable result as I really like the Silverstone track and the bike was working very well for me but I’m very disappointed that my number one bike developed a problem and after that, it was a fruitless task to try to gain some points. But that’s been the story of my season and hopefully, we can finish in style at Brands Hatch in two weeks time” said Ollie who dropped out of the top twenty in the championship as a result. The final round sees the brothers Bridewell in action at Brands Hatch over the weekend of September 30th and October 1st and with double points up for grabs in both championships, the pair still have high hopes of improving their championship placings.