KIYONARI AIMING FOR WINNING TREBLE TO TAKE SERIES LEAD MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship ROUND SEVEN SNETTERTON 16/17/18 JULY KIYONARI AIMING FOR WINNING TREBLE TO TAKE SERIES LEAD Ryuichi Kiyonari returns from a hectic dash back home to Japan to head into the triple header seventh round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Snetterton, the Norfolk circuit where in past years he has achieved some of his best results. Riding the HM Plant Honda, Kiyonari, holds the record at the circuit which is the fastest on the calendar, and in each of his two British title winning seasons, 2006 and 2007, he recorded a winning double now, fresh from his two days of testing ahead of the Suzuka Eight Hours race, Kiyonari, is aiming to go one better by recording his first ever winning treble. The abandonment of the second race of the previous round at Knockhill earlier in the month sees that race being held on the Saturday afternoon at Snetterton, ahead of the two races on Sunday and that presents Kiyonari with the opportunity of striding clear in the points tables. Kiyonari is currently third in the overall standings which are led by his team-mate Josh Brookes, by four points from Suzuki rider Tommy Hill, but, the Japanese rider is keen to take over the top spot, en route to ensuring that he is in the leading six riders in the series after the ninth round at Cadwell Park that will qualifying for the championship “show-down” finale. The new title deciding system, introduced this season, is designed to ensure that the issue is kept open until the final round, but it puts pressure on the riders to ensure that they are running in the top six at the cut off point, leaving little room for error. Kiyonari is enjoying his best run of form of the season, with three victories in his last five races at the moment and is ready for the expected in-team challenges coming in from Brookes, the winner of two races amid a consistent campaign. The Australian however had a fortunate escape when he high-sided off during a test session at Darley Moor last week, taking a bruising, but Brookes shrugs that and the lingering pain aside as he returns to the main business of scoring strong points at a circuit where last year he was a podium finisher in both of the races. Hill, eager to return to his early season dominant form, will pose problems to both Kiyonari and Brookes, while the Swan Hondo duo of Stuart Easton and James Ellison have to re-group and come out fighting to put their respective title bids back on track. Easton has struggled since taking his only victory of the season so far at Oulton Park, suffering a couple of tumbles, but he is positive going into this round at a circuit where he too has had good results in the past. He is currently eighth in the standings and realises the importance of winning rides, or, strong points finishes, and that is not lost on his team-mate James Ellison who continues his comeback from the broken thigh he sustained in practice ahead of the second round at Thruxton. Ellison, who had started his season with a third place and a victory, goes into these races 60 points down on sixth placed rider in the series, and his goal is to rack up points to be in that position by the deadline day as he puts it: “it is not unrealistic but very difficult to achieve.” Ellison is stronger and ready for the challenge but, he has to see off the threats posed by the Laverty brothers, Michael riding Suzuki and John aboard a Kawasaki, together with the experienced Ducati riding Michael Rutter. Honda riders look ahead to the Snetterton seventh round: Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda): “Snetterton has been a good track for me when I raced there before. It has good memories I had several wins there so. That always makes me feel confident before the event I want to win again there this weekend. We have made a step up at each round and we are getting faster at every event as we are fixing the small issues we have found, so I am happy and ready for the three races this weekend. I think also there is still more to come from me and I always want to be faster, so maybe I can find that little extra especially as there are three races.” Josh Brookes (HM Plant Honda): “I’m still a bit sore after the tumble at Darley Moor but there is no doubt that I will be racing – on the day of the crash I had a check at hospital and then went back to the circuit and rode the bike so that is alright. My hand is 100% now, my back is sore but nothing to worry about but my foot is giving me a bit of pain but I know that I can ride through that. Snetterton was one of my better rounds last year with a double podium now I just have to keep on going for the wins. It is good to be leading the championship for myself and the team and now I am concentrating on being first for them. Kiyo will be strong as he has at the last two rounds, but then so are all the others, with everyone a potential threat. I will be riding at my best and intend to do a better job than the rest.” Stuart Easton (Swan Honda): “These are important races for me, three here, and then coming up three at Brands Hatch and then two at Cadwell Park they are all good circuits for me. Snetterton should suit our bike as it is fast and has two long straights and I have had good results there in the past. I need to get results in the bag and am going there to try and win, rather than thinking about being in the top six championship placings. I had good pace at Knockhill and Cadwell Park in qualifying I’ve been fast but had bad luck and had crashes. It is time to wipe the slate clean and try to win, that way being in the top six in the championship will look after itself. That does put pressure on, but, that is always there from myself as I go out always to do my best.” James Ellison (Swan Honda): “I’m feeling pretty good and getting stronger all of the time and I think these races will be easier for me as Snetterton is not such a physical circuit to ride. That said I felt good at Knockhill and was putting in some good long runs, but this should be better. I was disappointed by the result at Knockhill the problem was tyre pressure being too high and there was no grip, but now we have to concentrate on Snetterton and get back to winning races to get into the shoot-out for the title. To do that I have to be on the podium it is not unrealistic but very difficult to achieve, but that is what I am out there to do.” More, from a press release issued by British Superbike Championship organizers: BROOKES HAS THE EDGE AS TITLE SCRAP INTENSIFIES MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship ROUND SEVEN SNETTERTON 16/17/18 July Josh Brookes took the lead in the chase for the MCE Insurance British Superbike crown in the previous round but heading into the triple race seventh round at Snetterton the popular Aussie rider knows that he will be under severe pressure from Tommy Hill who is eager to make up lost ground. There are just four points between them as they power into the high-speed Norfolk circuit with its renowned slip-streaming battles on the long Revett Straight and these races, the first on Saturday afternoon held over from the weather ravaged Knockhill round, come at a crucial stage of the season with all of the riders focussed on rich points hauls to ensure they are in the top six after the August Bank Holiday Monday Cadwell Park round to enter the championship deciding “show-down” finale. That should ensure fierce competition throughout this coming weekend with HM Plant Honda rider Brookes, now recovered from the bruising he took in a tumble during testing the previous week at Darley Moor, determined to chalk up better results than his pair of third placings in the corresponding round of last year. Brookes is gunning for glory but Hill is keen to return to the early season dominance that put him clear in the points standings as in the first six races he took two victories and four other podium finishes before a change of fortune has seen the Worx Crescent Suzuki rider take only three points hauls, one a second place in the last five outings. That is something that Hill is keen to rectify starting here, but, he is well aware that nothing comes easy, and apart from the obvious threat of Brookes, he will have to contend with two times former winner of the British crown Ryuichi Kiyonari. He returns from a hectic trip back to Japan to test for Honda ahead of the Suzuka Eight Hours races and is determined to build on the recent run of form that has taken him to three victories and a second place, with them, third place in the title stakes. Kiyonari enjoys riding Snetterton, holding the lap record that was set in his winning double of 2006, results that he replicated the following year, and the HM Plant Honda is focussed on another action replay as he battles to hold at bay the close challenges posed by both Michael Laverty and Michael Rutter in the overall standings. Laverty, riding Relentless Suzuki, has been a top six finisher in the previous eight races, including a victory at Oulton Park while Rutter, the most experienced rider in the pack is enjoying the RidersMotorcycles.com Ducati recording consistent results, pepped by a victory last time out in the damp of Scotland, a result that made him the sixth rider so far this season to taste the BSB victor’s champagne. Just adrift of them, John Laverty, riding the Buildbase Ducati, currently occupies the all important sixth place in the points, but, he will need to ride hard to maintain that under threat from Alastair Seeley, aboard the second Relentless Suzuki, and the Flying Scot Stuart Easton, the Swan Honda rider, who is needs strong results to get his title challenge back on track. Easton’s team-mate James Ellison will be striving to rekindle the form that earned him an opening round victory before the crash in practice for the Thruxton round left him with a broken thigh this will be Cumbrian’s third round since being passed fit to ride. He will be under pressure from MSS Colchester Kawasaki duo Simon Andrews and Gary Mason while Motorpoint Yamaha riders Dan Linfoot and Andrew Pitt are keen to impress. South African Hudson Kennaugh, riding the MAR Kawasaki, expects to increase his lead in the chase for the Mirror.co.uk BSB-EVO crown but Steve Brogan, aboard the Jentin BMW, has other ideas as he bids for victories to get back ahead, though both need to check the challenge of in form Aussie Dave Johnson aboard the Two Brothers Kawasaki. For the record Superbike lap record: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 1m 04.688s, 108.63mph (2006) Superbikes on track Friday 16 July 10.10-10.55 and 14.40-15.35 free practice Saturday 17 July 09.35-10.20 free practice 12.20-13.16 Swan Combi Roll for Pole 15.15 Race one 20 laps Sunday 18 July 09.15-09.30 warm up practice 12.30 Race two 22 laps 16.30 Race three 22 laps Superbikes on television British Eurosport 2 Saturday 17 July 15.05-16.00 live raceday Sunday 18 July 12.25-13.45 and 15.45-18.00 live raceday 22.15-23.45 highlights (full tv listings www.britishsuperbike.com) Flashback Sunday 21 June 2009 Race one 18 laps 1 L Camier, Yamaha 2 S Easton, Honda 3 J Brookes, Honda Race two 1 L Camier, Yamaha 2 J Ellison, Yamaha 3 J Brookes, Honda