2006 British Superbike Motorcycle Racing

Ryuichi Kiyonari scored the double today at the seventh round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Snetterton in Norfolk.

Rizla Suzuki’s James Haydon is in hospital undergoing medical examination after a high speed crash during today’s second race, bad luck for the team that saw Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne with a high-speed crash on Friday which left him unconscious and unable to take part in the racing.  Suzuki privateer Superbike racer Jon Kirkham stood in for him at short notice.

In the opening race, Haydon, riding with an injured left shoulder sustained at Mallory Park two weeks previously, brought his Rizla Suzuki home in a fighting eighth place while Jon crashed out unhurt at the fast Coram Corner mid-race.

Kirkham finished ninth in a shortened restarted second race while Haydon collided with Kawasaki’s Dean Thomas and crashed heavily.  At press time, Haydon was being transferred to Norwich and Norfolk hospital for further examination.

Byrne attended the races today to support the team.  He is still stiff and sore after the crash during first practice on Friday that knocked him out and caused him to miss the races but he should be fully fit for the next round of the Championship. 

There is now a four week gap in the British Superbike racing calendar with the next round being held at Knockhill in Scotland on July 17th, but Rizla Suzuki will test at Croft early in July.

Jon Kirkham:  “In the first race I had passed a couple of riders and was ninth when I lost the front going into Coram.  It was completely unexpected and another rider crashed immediately after me, so it may have been something on the track.

“In the second race restart I thought my bike had jumped out of gear on the start line and looked down to my dash.  I was in gear but by the time I looked up the race had started and everyone else was moving.  I struggled to find my rhythm after that and to end up ninth is okay.  It’s my best result of the season but was assisted by a lot of riders falling.

“Thank you to Rizla Suzuki for this opportunity to race on its GSX-R1000.  I’ve really enjoyed working with the team, learnt a great deal and the bike is extremely fast so it’s been a good experience for me.”

Robert Wicks - Team Manager:  “This has been one of Rizla Suzuki’s toughest weekends.  Shakey’s crash on Friday was unfortunate as he was knocked out and therefore excluded from the races on medical grounds.  However, he was also very lucky to come through a 187mph crash with no more damage than a couple of bruises and mild concussion.

“James rode all weekend with a painful left shoulder injury and showed great courage to qualify seventh and then take eighth in race one.  In race two he crashed heavily at the Esses and was transferred to hospital for further examination.  The doctors will be examining him thoroughly, particularly his left shoulder and left ankle for injury.  Our thoughts are also with Dean Thomas who was admitted to hospital following the crash.

“The Rizla Suzuki racers have been through the mill this weekend at a round where we expected to be competing for top honors.  The team will be giving every support possible to both riders as they recover from their injuries.

“Thanks to Jon Kirkham for standing in for Shakey at short notice this weekend and doing a professional job. The team is pleased he managed to score his best result of the season to date and will be following his progress for the rest of the year with interest.

“I’d like to thank the loyal Rizla Suzuki fans who attended the racing this weekend for their support.  It’s during tough times like these that the support of the fans really counts.”

2006 British Superbike - Snetterton - Race One Results

1: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) 24:13.531

2: Leon Haslam (Ducati) +0.298

3: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +5.629

4: Jonathan Rea (Honda) +9.584

5: Michael Laverty (Honda) +10.074

6: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +12.036

7: Michael Rutter (Honda) +12.230

8: James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) +18.694

9: Billy McConnell (Yamaha) +21.233

10: Ben Wilson (Suzuki) +22.477

Race Two Results

1: Kiyonari 9:10.957

2: Haslam +0.402

3: Hill +3.850

4: Laverty +4.071

5: Craig Coxhell (Kawasaki) +5.961

6: Chris Martin (Honda) +9.053

7: Scott Smart (Suzuki) +9.150

8: Glen Richards (Honda) +9.383

9: Jon Kirkham (Rizla Suzuki) +9.631

10: Peter Hickman (Kawasaki) +10.210.

Championship Positions (after seven of 13 rounds)

1: Lavilla 239

2: Haslam 201

3: Kiyonari 199

4: Karl Harris (Honda) 110

5: Shane Byrne (Rizla Suzuki) 105

6: Rea

7: Laverty 96

8: Rutter 90

9: Hill 87

10: Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) 64

16: James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) 36

Qualifying
Suzuki - Ducati’s Leon Haslam took pole position at the 1.95-mile long Norfolk circuit today.

James Haydon rode through the pain barrier to take seventh place and a second row start for tomorrow’s double header seventh round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Snetterton, with his stand-in Rizla Suzuki team mate Jon Kirkham taking an impressive 12th on the third row.

Still suffering from a shoulder injury sustained in a crash two weeks ago at Mallory Park, Haydon showed immense courage to push himself and his Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000 to within 1/10th-of-a-second of a front row grid position.

Kirkham, standing in for the injured Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne - who is not permitted to race after a heavy crash yesterday - proved his talent by adapting quickly to the Rizla Suzuki and ended up on the third row. 

James Haydon:  “My Rizla Suzuki is feeling good and it is very fast along the straights. We have tried a few minor modifications and tyres that have slowly improved the bike and I have also got used to riding and compensating for my weak left shoulder.

“Tomorrow I will have an injection of pain killers before each race and hope that will help me. If I can get away with the front runners I know the bike has the pace to stay with them and towards the end of the race hopefully I can challenge for good results.”

Jon Kirkham:  “I struggled to get up to speed in the qualifying session. I could really have done with reducing my times quickly and then concentrating on qualifying but I am still learning about the bike and couldn’t push any faster any earlier.

“On my final qualifying lap I had to overtake several slower riders but it was still good enough for 12th. It would have been nice to have completed the lap unhindered to see where I could have finished. I want to get away with the top 10 riders tomorrow and have a dice with them. The more I ride the bike the more familiar it is and the faster I am riding, so I am looking forward to the races.”

2006 British Superbike - Snetterton Qualifying Positions

1: Leon Haslam (Ducati) 1:04.500

2: Gregorio Lavilla (Ducati) +0.429

3: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +0.520

4: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +0.806

5: Karl Harris (Honda) +0.898

6: Michael Rutter (Honda) +0.943

7: James Haydon (Rizla Suzuki) +0.950

8: Jonathan Rea (Honda) +0.961

9: Simon Andrews (Yamaha) +1.177

10: Dean Thomas (Kawasaki) +1.180

12: Jon Kirkham (Rizla Suzuki) +1.284

Preview
Rizla Suzuki is hoping to make the most of the top speed advantage of its GSX-R1000s at this weekend’s seventh round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship at Snetterton in Norfolk, an ex- airfield circuit boasting a kilometer- long straight that sees the bikes touch 200mph.

The Rizla Suzuki race bikes of Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne and James Haydon have consistently been amongst the fastest through the speed traps at all the previous rounds of the Championship.

Shakey secured a fourth and fifth place at the previous round at Mallory Park while James was forced to miss the action following a shoulder injury sustained during the Friday practice session. He has been undergoing intense physiotherapy to be ready for Snetterton.

Superbike racing starts at 13:15 on Sunday, June 18th at the popular 1.95-mile long Snetterton circuit.

Shakey Byrne: “My Rizla Suzuki is a missile and at just about every track we have visited it’s been the fastest bike out there.  That is encouraging for Snetterton as the circuit is basically two long straights linked by some quick and not so quick corners.  I think we have the bike and experience to be competing for the podium at Snetterton. In truth I think we can compete for better results than just podiums…”

James Haydon:  “The Revett Straight at Snetterton has to be ridden to be believed.  You come on to it at around 60mph and get up to 190-200mph before braking as hard as you possibly can for the Esses and scrubbing 120mph off to make the turn.  It’s exciting and last year I just missed a podium finish.  My shoulder is on the mend and I hope to be competitive this weekend.”

Supersport
18-year-old sensation Pete Spalding will be heading to Snetterton Circuit, Norfolk this weekend 16th – 18th June.  The Bournemouth based rider who has achieved five race wins from the five Supersport Cup races so far this season will be looking for race victory number six.

Spalding who achieved a best overall position of eighth place at Donington Park is certainly proving to be an exceptional talent, having only been racing a road bike since 2003.  With a brief spell in the Aprillia Superteen Series in 03, moving into the MRO 400 Series in 04 gaining fifth position in the overall Championship, he then moved into the British Supersport Cup series in 2005.

A number of positive results last season and a run of impressive wins this season has seen Spalding come on leaps and bounds during 06.  With the help and support of new sponsor Centurion, he is certainly on a mission to dominate the British Supersport Cup Championship.

The young rider is feeling confident as he heads to Snetterton this weekend commenting "Things have been fantastic for me so far this season and I hope that I can continue the way I have been riding and end up on the podium again.  Snetterton is a super fast circuit and also fairly technical but one I am looking forward to getting there and trying to get a good result for myself and the team.  Everyone has worked so hard so far this year and it has very much been a team effort to achieve the results that we have so far. I'd like to thank everyone that has stood by me and supported me this season, and hope that I will continue to build a fan base and also attract potential sponsors for the future."

The Supersport Race will be shown on Sky Sports 1 on Sunday 18th June at 22:30 - 02:00 and repeated again on Sky Sports 1 on Monday 19th June at 16:00 - 19:30.