KIYONARI UNDER PRESSURE TO JOIN BYRNE IN “TITLE-FIGHTERS” SHOOT-OUT Ryuichi Kiyonari goes into the Holiday Monday ninth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship at Cadwell Park needing strong results to maintain, or better, his current sixth place in the points standings to ensure that he goes through to the “Title-Fighters” sequence that decides the outcome of the crown. The reigning champion has struggled in an inconsistent campaign in which his HM Plant Honda team-mate Shane Byrne has been a dominant force, winning four times already, to comfortably lead the standings. Already Byrne is through to the “Showdown for the Title” as are his nearest rivals, Suzuki riding John Hopkins and Yamaha’s Tommy Hill. Their strength means that only three places remain, with eight riders, among them Kiyonari who is bidding for a fourth British crown, scrapping for vital points and places in this triple race ninth round at the picturesque Lincolnshire circuit. The title deciding system which was introduced last year, to ensure the outcome of country’s premier crown goes to the final round is such that the opening 19 races of the season, run across nine rounds, form the “Main Season.” From that part, the top six riders in the overall standings after this Cadwell Park round become the “Title-Fighters” and only they can win the crown. After this round, each of those six riders will have their current points scores deleted, and each will be given 500 points. To this will be added the “podium credits” that have been accrued to that point, at the rate of three for a race win, two for a second and one for a third. Byrne, while qualified to go through and battle for a third British crown, cannot relax in this round, needing to score top three finishes to gain any advantage possible in terms of the bonus podium credit scores. Kiyonari on the other hand has to go all out for victories to keep ahead of the pack of riders closing him down in the standings. Cadwell Park might be the home circuit for the HM Plant Honda team, which is based in the nearby market town of Louth, but it has not proved to be a particularly happy hunting ground for Kiyonari. He has raced there a dozen times, but, has only once enjoyed standing on the top step of the podium once. That success came in the opening race of the May meeting of last year, but was followed by a none finish due to machine problems. Plus in the August meeting, Kiyonari bagged a pair of thirds. Kiyonari is sixth in the standings, adrift of both Josh Brookes and Michael Laverty, but only five points up on his former Honda team-mate Michael Rutter who is now riding Ducati and enjoying a strong run of form. Others in the hunt for a place among the top six are Gary Mason, Jon Kirkham, Peter Hickman, riding the Tyco Honda, and former four times runner-up Chris Walker. Those riders not making the cut compete for the rest of the season for the consolation Superbike Cup. The stakes are high and Kiyonari, together with Byrne, had to two days hard working test sessions at the circuit last week to dial into the demands of the track with its famous “Mountain” section. Kiyonari concentrated on working on electronics and bike set-up while Byrne checked out various chassis settings, amid a busy first day though rain curtailed the second. In the BSB-EVO class Aussie Glen Richards should take another step towards securing the title although he will face tough challenges in the races from his WFR Honda team-mate Graeme Gowland who has won four of the previous five races. Quotes from Honda riders ahead of the races. Shane Byrne (HM Plant Honda): “It’s a tricky one – I’m not a fan of the championship format, but I am already qualified to go through. It is the home round of my HM Plant Honda team so I will be doing the best job I can. That means I will be pushing for three wins, though as with every weekend there will be strong contenders to overcome. I will fight all of the way for the race wins. We tested there last week and that gave us the chance to change some settings and some rear shocks. We got through a lot of things and that has given us a direction to start with when we arrive on Saturday morning.” Ryuichi Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda): “We tested again at Cadwell Park ahead of the races as we needed to make more improvements for this weekend from me and the bike. This is the home round for me and the team’s home round and I know I need to push here for the championship. I have the number one plate and I should be at the front fighting with the other riders. For sure we will be doing everything this weekend to get back on the podium again for myself and the team. I want to be winning and I have to try and do that here. The most important thing for me is to be inside the top six for the Showdown.”