2006 British Superbike Motorcycle Racing

September 17, 2006 - Ryuichi Kiyonari took the double on his Honda, with Gregorio Lavilla taking both second place finishes at the 12th round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Silverstone.

Rizla Suzuki’s Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne took a well-deserved fourth place in race two, after crashing out during the first race when he collided with Honda’s Michael Laverty at the chicane.  Both riders were unhurt.

In race two Byrne 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.

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.”

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.

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