British Superbike, Round 8, Knockhill

Race Results
Honda's Ryuichi Kiyonari and Rizla Suzuki’s Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne split the wins at a sun-drenched Knockhill circuit in Scotland at the eighth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship.

Shakey led the opening race and enjoyed a three-way scrap for the win; eventually finishing second just behind Kiyonari.

In the second race the Rizla Suzuki rider led from start to finish. He performed a wheelie the length of the straight in celebration as he received the loudest cheer of the weekend from the huge crowd.

The last time Rizla Suzuki won a race was at Oulton Park in September 2004 when John Reynolds was on his way to claiming the British Superbike title.

Byrne was the lone Rizla Suzuki racer at Knockhill as his team mate James Haydon missed the event while he continues to recuperate from the foot and shoulder injuries he sustained in a crash at Snetterton in Norfolk four weeks ago.

Rizla Suzuki will replace James with a stand in rider at the ninth round of the British Superbike Championship at Oulton Park in Cheshire next weekend.

Shane Byrne:  “Everybody has been telling me how much Rizla Suzuki needed a win and I knew how important it was for the team.  What people didn’t realize is just how much I needed to win as well; it has been a long time since I topped the podium and led a race from start to finish."

“A massive thank you to my team for all the support - they made the difference today. In the first race I was always in contention but had to be content with second.  My crew made some inspired changes to the bike in between the races and in the second race I managed to break away for the win."

“It’s been a mega day for Rizla Suzuki, for me and for the Scottish fans. To win the Steve Hislop Memorial for the fastest lap is a real bonus as well.  I couldn’t be much happier and can’t wait to get to Oulton Park to see if I can do it all again. I don’t normally drink but I’ll be having a few this evening to celebrate!”

2006 British Superbike - Round 8 - Knockhill

Race 1 Results:

1: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 24:34.062

2: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) +0.591

3: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +1.461

4: Jonathan Rea (Honda) +2.361

5: Michael Laverty (Honda) +15.458

6: Craig Coxhell (Kawasaki) +19.204

7: Karl Harris (Honda) +19.657

8: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +20.093

9: Glen Richards (Honda) +20.185

10: Scott Smart (Suzuki) +20.246.

Race Two Results:

1: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) 24:28.093

2: Rea +3.154

3: Haslam +3.454,

4: Hill +16.542

5: Laverty +16.783

6: Harris +19.155

7: Smart +19.243

8: Richards +20.265

9: Coxhell +21.543

10: Michael Rutter (Honda) +27.247.

Championship Standings (after eight of 13 rounds):

1: Lavilla 244

2: Haslam 233

3: Kiyonari 224

4: Shane Byrne 150

5=: Harris 129, Rea 129

7: Laverty 118

8: Hill 108

9: Rutter 99

10: Smart 74

11: James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) 36

Honda's Jonathan Rea took a surprise pole with a micro 0.038 second lead over Shane Byrne at the double header eighth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Knockhill in Scotland.

The Rizla Suzuki ace was in provisional pole position for a handful of seconds before Rea crossed the line to deny him pole position by the 0.038 seconds.

Shakey is the sole Rizla Suzuki racer participating at the 1.27-mile Fife circuit near Edinburgh while his team mate James Haydon continues his recovery from a broken foot and injured shoulder sustained at Snetterton in Norfolk four weeks ago.

Bright sunshine and warm temperatures kept track conditions perfect for bike racing and the top 14 riders were separated by just one second.

Shane Byrne: “I was trying hard and it paid off; now I am only one place away from where I want to be and happy with my starting position.  On my last run there was a yellow flag being waved for a few laps and I had to hold back otherwise I may have been able to go a bit faster.  Either way this gives me a decent starting position and my intentions are to win both races tomorrow.”

2006 British Superbike Championship Round 8 - Qualifying Times

1: Jonathan Rea (Honda) 48.317

2: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) +0.038

3: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +0.093

4: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +0.247

5: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +0.407

6: Michael Laverty (Honda) +0.438

7: Michael Rutter (Honda) +0.468

8: Karl Harris (Honda) +0.571

9: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +0.667

10: Glen Richards (Honda) +0.728

Preview - Rizla Suzuki
Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne will be the sole Rizla Suzuki rider racing at the eighth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Knockhill in Scotland this weekend.

James Haydon is ruled out through injury and after the unprecedented events at Croft circuit last week the team has taken the decision to run with just one rider at Knockhill.

The team attended an official MCRCB test session last week at Croft circuit in North Yorkshire where thieves stole two race bikes from a locked garage overnight.  Fortunately the bikes were recovered within 48 hours from farmland adjacent to the circuit. Police investigations are ongoing and the team has called for a significant upgrade in the level of security at race meetings and tests.

Team Manager Robert Wicks said: “After the rather bizarre events last week at Croft, there’s been an enormous amount of work to get through just to prepare two race bikes in time for Knockhill.  It’s going to be peculiar having just the one rider out there but under the circumstances this is the right move for the weekend.

“Rizla, Suzuki GB and all our other partners have been very supportive of the situation and everyone is delighted that we have been able to recover the bikes.  We will definitely be fielding two riders at Oulton Park on July 23 and will be making an announcement on the second rider early next week.”

Looking forward to this weekend, Byrne said: “The weather forecast is good for this weekend which is a bonus when you visit Knockhill.  It’s one of the most frantic and exciting circuits we visit and the crowd is well up for the racing.  I hope I can give them something to cheer about.

“Being the only Rizla Suzuki racer on the track doesn’t bother me at all. I have the whole team backing me and that will give me the best chance possible.  We’ve just come off a successful test at Croft and I think I have a good chance to do well this weekend.”

Hawk Kawasaki
After the one-month summer break, Hawk Kawasaki are preparing for round eight of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship this weekend, 14th - 16th July at Scotland’s premier racing circuit, Knockhill.

With a depleted rider line-up, Hawk Kawasaki will be fielding only Craig Coxhell (23) and Peter Hickman (19) at the short 1.3-mile, tight and twisty Scottish circuit.  Dean Thomas is still recovering from the high-speed crash involving Suzuki rider James Haydon at Snetterton. Thomas who is on the road to recovery will miss this round at Knockhill and next weeks race at Oulton Park, with the hope of returning at round ten, Croft circuit in North Yorkshire.

Hawk Kawasaki have continued to extend their commitment to pure road racing, after the fantastic performance by Carl Rennie at the Isle of Man TT. Ian "Hutchy" Hutchinson had a fantastic debut outing on the ZX10R at Olivers Mount, Scarborough last weekend.  Gaining a second position in the first Superbike leg plus an incredible win in the second Superbike leg and Supersport Class.  A minor crash in the second Supersport race put him out of contention for another win. He went on to win the main event of the day, the Cock of the North trophy, the first time Hutchy has won this in his four years of competing at the event.

Team Manager of Hawk Kawasaki was delighted with the results commenting "It was a brilliant couple of days racing for Hawk Kawasaki taking their first national victories this season.  I would like to thank Ian for his professionalism, he did a fantastic job.  We are now preparing for the newly resurfaced Knockhill and I'm hoping that Craig and Pete will be able to put on a good performance up there and get some good results for the team."

Practice Times: 1: Jonathan Rea (Honda) 48.709, 2: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +0.065, 3: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +0.086, 4: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +0.187, 5: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) +0.391, 6: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +0.491, 7: Karl Harris (Honda) +0.561, 8: Michael Rutter (Honda) +0.636, 9: Glen Richards (Honda) +0.747, 10: Michael Laverty (Honda) +0.884