Press Release:
Shane Byrne arrives at Knockhill this weekend for the fifth round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship aiming to add to the three race victories he has scored so far to maintain his slight edge over closest rival John Hopkins at the top of the standings as the fight for the title heads north of the border.� However with six different race winners from eight races so far this season it will not be an easy task for the former double champion.
The HM Plant Honda rider is determined to consolidate his position in the top six and also score the all important podium credits which come into play in the final seven race ?Showdown? in his efforts to take the British crown for a third time.
Byrne goes into these races with bitter-sweet memories of the Fife circuit; he has previously taken four victories there, including a winning double in 2003 as he took the title for the first time. However the last time he rode there in 2008 he ended his weekend with a high-speed crash, although he recovered to regain the crown by the end of the year.
Byrne shrugs that memory aside:
?I quite like the track and they are always good, fun races although in saying that last time I raced there back in 2008 I had a big crash. We only go north of the border once so I want to put on a good show for the fans up there and I am sure we will. Last year both HM Plant Hondas were on the podium so looking at that it should be another good track for us. It would certainly be good to get another win or two and I am sure the team will have everything ready to go so we can get out there for the races and try and keep the momentum going.?
Hopkins goes into these races just 15 points adrift of Byrne and is feeling confident that he can close in on his rival after familiarising himself with the circuit during a recent test and feels he can add to his podium tally for the Samsung Crescent Suzuki team this weekend.
Hopkins said:
“We had a test at Knockhill recently and we achieved what we needed to in terms of me learning the track in the dry. It is a fun small track and it has a lot packed in with the fast and slow sections and I have had fun learning it. I am feeling really confident and I want to achieve another good set of results and score some more of those podium credits.”
The Swan Yamaha duo of Tommy Hill and Michael Laverty are also focused on the top six and are currently fourth and fifth respectively but know that they cannot give an inch if they want to remain there as Tyco Honda?s Peter Hickman completes the current top six. The Lincolnshire rider has proved he has the pace to be a title contender on the championship-winning Fireblade of last year and is ready to build on the second place he scored in the previous round.
That is piling the pressure on to the three time champion Ryuichi Kiyonari who is defending the number one place; he has to begin his fight-back here to have any chance of being in contention for a place in the Showdown. The HM Plant Honda rider has scored only seven points in the previous four races and that has dropped him into seventh place in the standings, but he is still only five points adrift of Hill in fourth.
Kiyonari said:
?The last two rounds have been disappointing for me and I haven?t had the results that we need for the championship. I need to come back and be fighting here with Shakey and the other riders so we can be back in the top six which is so important.?
Michael Rutter who took the victory in last year?s rain spoiled event is only three points down on Kiyonari and the Rapid Solicitors-Bathams Ducati rider believes that he can move inside the top six, a view that is also shared by Jon Kirkham aboard the second Samsung Crescent Suzuki.
The rider who could upset all of those plans is Alex Lowes who continues to deputise for the injured Stuart Easton aboard the MSS Colchester Kawasaki.� He underlined his ability by taking the both his and the team?s first pole position at Thruxton and is focussed on a strong points haul.
In the Mirror.co.uk BSB-EVO class the WFR Honda team have signed Californian Jake Zemke to complete their three-pronged attack on the title. The double American Formula Extreme champion was also third in the American Superbike Championship last season and lines up alongside Glen Richards and Graeme Gowland from this weekend. However the team face tough opposition as Buildbase BMW?s Barry Burrell aims to pick up where he left off when he took his first double win last time out at Thruxton.
For more information please visit www.britishsuperbike.com
ends
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