Aug 03, 2008 - Ryuichi Kiyonari (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) took his first and second World Superbike race wins today after two thrilling contests, the first with championship leader Troy Bayliss (Ducati Xerox) and Max Biaggi (Sterilgrada Ducati), then the second with his countryman Noriyuki Haga (Yamaha Italia).
In race 1, the top three were covered by only 0.180 seconds. Bayliss led for most of the race with Kiyonari right behind but the Honda man passed the points leader on lap 22 and held on for the win. Second place went to Bayliss and third to Max Biaggi, who was the fastest rider on the track in the final stages after making up more than 3 seconds on the leaders in eight laps. At the flag Kiyonari, Bayliss and Biaggi were separated by two-tenths. Two Suzukis were next up, with Yukio Kagayama fourth and Fonsi Nieto fifth, while Max Neukirchner finished seventh after being passed by Carlos Checa (Hannspree Ten Kate Honda) towards the end. It was a disappointing race for the factory Yamaha team, with Troy Corser only managing eighth and Noriyuki Haga crashing out while fighting for the top positions. British wild-card Tom Sykes (Rizla Suzuki) was also running well but had to retire with a holed radiator while in third. It was a disappointing race for Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) in twelfth, while Ruben Xaus (Sterilgarda Go Eleven Ducati) was weakened by flu and failed to take the start.
The second race also had a Japanese flavour about it as Kiyonari powered ahead to win from Haga after a race-long battle. The final podium slot went to Troy Corser (Yamaha Italia), who ran a steady race but was unable to challenge the top pair, while Neukirchner scored a good result in fourth. The German finished ahead of his team-mate Nieto, who passed Michel Fabrizio (Ducati Xerox) on the last lap, while Sykes this time managed to hold off Checa for seventh. Bayliss was out of luck after changing to a different compound for race 2 and could only finish eleventh, one place ahead of Biaggi, who dropped down to 28th position in the early stages after an off-track excursion.
Race 1 Highlights
Race 2 Highlights
Ryuichi Kiyonari - Hanspree Ten Kate Honda - 1st/1st I'm so happy, I cannot really believe it. We have been near the top of the leader board in all the sessions this weekend so we knew that we had a good race set up. The team worked hard to give me a great bike for both races and finally we have a win - no, two wins! - to celebrate. It wasn't easy. I found it difficult to pass and I made a couple of mistakes. In race one, I was very nervous for the last few laps but in race two I was able to keep a good pace right to the end.
Noriyuki Haga - Yamaha Italia - DNF/2nd I am happy to take a second place in race two because in the first race my rear tyre choice was not so good, and I was disappointed with that. In the second race I just changed the rear tyre and I had a good feeling with that one. I had a good battle with Kiyo but he was faster than me in some places, then I would catch him up. Congratulations to Kiyo and also my team, because they made a good job to allow me to finish second.
Troy Corser - Yamaha Italia - 8th/3rd Race two was better than the first race, we made some changes to the tyre choice and the bike and they worked well. I just could not run the pace of the guys at the front because they just pulled away. I had a bit of a battle with Bayliss and it took a bit of time for me to get past him, but I am content with third. I'm out there trying to win races but podiums will have to do for now.
Fonsi Nieto - Alstare Suzuki - 5th/5th In terms of points, today has been one of our best race days recently and I'm happy about that. I had some tyre problems in race one and that prevented me from pushing harder. We are using some new front forks and they are better for braking and entering the turns, but we need more time to evaluate them and understand how we can get better grip. I was more aggressive in race two and pushed harder, but I lost contact with the leaders after about five laps and then it was difficult to get back into contact. All in all though, I'm happier this weekend.
Max Neukirchner - Alstare Suzuki - 7th/4th Race one wasn't so good because I guess we used a tyre that was too soft and it was spinning a lot and not giving good grip. I kept going as best I could and tried to score as many points as possible. The second race was much better. We used a harder tyre and I was happy to take fourth place and maintain second place in the championship. We were unable to try anything in this morning's warm-up because of the wet conditions and this is the kind of track where you need to put in a lot of laps to get a good set-up. Once again, my team worked very well this weekend and I want to thank them for that.
Yukio Kagayama - Alstare Suzuki - 4th/25th I am very disappointed with how today worked out because I really felt that I could make two very good results. I had problems entering the turns in race one and the bike was chattering a bit at the rear end. It was bad in some corners and not so bad in others but I adjusted my riding style and tried to work my way round the problem. I lost some positions, but my lap times were pretty consistent and I was pleased to get fourth. In race two, I got hit by Tom Sykes on lap one going into Druids. His bike caught my brake lever and that locked up the front end and I was forced to go straight into the gravel - where I crashed! It took a few moments to get the bike upright again and then I got back on it and rejoined the race. I was last by a very long way, but I decided to keep going and finish the race even though I had no chance of any points. I did this because I have many fans in Britain and I did not want to disappoint them.
Carlos Checa - Hanspree Ten Kate Honda - 6th/8th I cannot say that I am happy with the results but I have to be satisfied after the problems we have had this weekend. Of course, Brands Hatch was a new circuit for me to learn and we found it difficult to find a good setting for the bike. I had a problem with the left-hander going onto the back of the circuit and this is a corner you must get right to carry speed for the rest of the lap.
Max Biaggi - Sterligrada Ducati - 3rd/12th I'm really satisfied with my result in race-1 which allowed me to finish on the podium for the third time in a row. The team have done an excellent work and I've tried to give my best; unfortunately in race-2 I did not take the corner in the right way and I ended on the run-off area, compromising my race. When I started again I was the last but one but anyway I powered to a good recovery which has ended in twelfth position.
Ruben Xaus - Sterilgrada Ducati - Ret Unfortunately I'm feeling very low. Riding the bike would have been an high risk. I'm not able now to take a Superbike to the limit. I hope to make up for the lost race in the next championship round at Donington after the holidays.
Kenan Sofuoglu - Hanspree Ten Kate Honda - 13th/17th Of course, I am disappointed - especially because I couldn't move forward from the results in Brno. We made a change after the first race and my pace was definitely better. But after a good start, I got blocked in at the first corner and then found it hard to pass Laconi and Walker. However, I am looking forward to a little holiday before coming back stronger at Donington.
Regis Laconi - Kawasaki PSG-1 - 24th/16th I'm really sorry about the crash in race one as it happened just three laps from the end. I was entering the last curve when I had some problem with the gear and found a false neutral. It’s a pity because I was pushing really hard and gaining positions, even if my wrist was really hurting. I was in the 15th place when I crashed. In race two I tried few times to overtake other riders but when I saw that the riders in front of me were tightening their lines I just had to slow down in order to avoid another crash.
Makoto Tamada - Kawasaki PSG-1 - 18th/18th This has been a very difficult weekend for the whole team from the beginning and it has been impossible to obtain good results. The positive thing is that I felt more confident today with the ZX-10R compared to these last few days so I tried to push as hard as I could without taking too many risks. I wanted to finish the races.
