British Superbike, Round 5 - Mondello Park

Race Cancelled:  The fifth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Mondello Park was abandoned today after torrential rain flooded the 2.176-mile long circuit in the Republic of Ireland.

Rizla Suzuki racers Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne and James Haydon took to the track for the 15-minute long morning warm-up session and along with a number of other leading riders suffered low speed crashes in the treacherously wet conditions. Both riders were unhurt.

The rain continued relentlessly through the morning and early afternoon with several inches of standing water gathering at various points on the circuit along with streaming water across elevation changes. After a series of track inspections and consultation with the teams and riders, Championship organizers were left with no real alternative but to abandon the meeting due to flooding on the track.

The Superbike races will not be rescheduled and the Championship will now be decided over points scored in 12, not 13 rounds as originally planned. The sixth round of the series takes place at Mallory Park in Leicestershire on Sunday, June 4th.

Shakey Byrne:  “On the grounds of safety it was the right decision to cancel the racing as the track was seriously flooded. For the fans that made the trip to watch us racing it is a real shame and my heart goes out to them. I’m gutted for them more than anything else.”

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Qualifying:  Honda’s Ryuichi Kiyonari took pole position for tomorrow's double header fifth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Mondello Park in the Republic of Ireland. Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne put in a storming late qualifying lap to secure second place on the grid.

Riding with confidence after scoring two podium finishes at the last round at Oulton Park, Byrne secured his best starting place of the season so far with a dramatic and blisteringly fast final lap of the day.

Team mate James Haydon struggled through practice to find a comfortable set-up on his GSX-R1000 at the bumpy and twisty track but found extra pace in the qualifying session and will start from the head of the third row in ninth place.

Superbike racing starts at 13:40 on Sunday, May 21st at the 2.176-mile long County Kildare circuit.

Shakey Byrne: “My final qualifying lap was not so bad. All I can remember of the lap was coming down the finish straight and seeing my mechanics on the wall urging me on. I thought it had better be a good lap and it was. I was right on the limit, that’s for sure. Well done to my team for giving me a great bike to ride. It’s nice to be on the front row and that gives me the best chance for a decent start in tomorrow’s races. The target is the podium or better.”

British Superbike, Round - Mondello Park - Qualifying Times

1: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 1:38.076

2: Shane Byrne 9Rizla Suzuki) +0.296

3: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +0.406

4: Michael Rutter (Honda) +0.738

5: Jonathan Rea (Honda) +0.786

6: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +0.846

7: Karl Harris (Honda) +1.141

8: Michael Laverty (Honda) +1.714

9: James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) +1.762

10: Glen Richards (Honda) +1.907.

Rizla Suzuki goes to the fifth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Mondello Park in the Republic of Ireland this weekend ready to tackle the highly technical twists and turns that make the circuit the slowest the series visits.

The average lap speed at Mondello Park is less than 80mph thanks to the technical and bumpy nature of the track, placing huge demands on the handling set-up of the Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000s of Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne and James Haydon.

The team approaches Mondello Park in good spirits after achieving its best results of the season at the previous round at Oulton Park and a solid full day test session at Croft last week.

Superbike racing starts at 13:40 on Sunday, May 21st at Mondello Park in County Kildare.

Shakey Byrne: “I have said many times I want to be winning races and after getting so close with a second place at the previous round I want more than anything to top the podium this weekend at Mondello Park.

“I love the Irish; they are a great crowd and know their bike racing. They also party hard and that sits well with me; I hope to have a couple of good results and reasons to be joining them on Sunday night after the racing!”

James Haydon: “I had an epic race at Mondello Park last year on my Rizla Suzuki and really enjoyed myself. It is a track that rewards good handling and aggressive commitment to corners and that suits me down to the ground.

“After the last round we tested at Croft and spent time working on the high and low-speed cornering on the GSX-R1000. We are in a strong position right now and with a little bit of the luck of the Irish I feel I can challenge for the podium at Mondello Park.”

Hawk Kawasaki riders Dean Thomas (33), Craig Coxhell (23) and Peter Hickman (19) are travelling the Irish Sea to get to the next venue of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship. Round five of the series is staged at the Southern Ireland based circuit of Mondello Park on the 21st May.

The Team are feeling confident as they head to the 2.2-mile circuit. A successful test at Mallory Park a couple of weeks ago, saw them make some alterations to the ZX-10R in a hope to improve on their results from previous rounds in the Championship. Australian Thomas sustained injuries after a collision with Suzuki rider James Haydon at Oulton Park and is hoping to be fully fit for the Irish Round.

Thomas said "My ribs are still giving me a bit of grief, I'm hoping the adrenaline will numb the pain during the weekend. I had a terrible weekend at Mondello last year and I'm looking at not repeating that this weekend. I like the circuit and not sure why I struggled so much there last season but fingers crossed I will gain two good results this year."

Coalville based rider Craig Coxhell has now fully recovered from his broken collarbone and damaged shoulder and is eager for some positive results. "It knocked my confidence a bit after crashing at Donington and I've been trying to ensure that I've not tipped off in the previous two rounds and cause further injury. I am feeling much better in myself for this weekend, I have been training hard in the gym to get back to full fitness again. We have done some testing on the bike since Oulton, and have made some slight adjustments which should help me this weekend in Ireland."

Rookie rider Peter Hickman is also looking forward to the weekend in Ireland saying "I've only ridden the circuit once before but keen to ride it on a Superbike. It's extremely bumpy so I will be using the practice sessions to learn the circuit and how the Superbike handles on it. The team have been working hard to get my bikes sorted for this weekend and maybe I will be blessed with the luck of the Irish and gain my first Championship points."

The race at Mondello Park will be shown on ITV1 on Sunday 21st May from 15:00 - 16:30 and on Sky Sports 20:30 - 00:00