Shane Byrne & Ryuichi Kiyonari go down in Brands opener
Howie Mainwaring takes maiden win from Josh Waters
Howie Mainwaring celebrated both his and the Quattro Plant Kawasaki team’s first victory in a dramatic opener to the triple-header final round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship in the damp conditions at Brands Hatch.
Byrne and Kiyonari chasing a record-breaking fourth title ended the opening day on the same points as they started with after both crashed out of contention, meaning the title will be decided at the Kent circuit tomorrow (Sunday).
Kiyonari high-sided off his Buildbase BMW on his second lap in the morning free practice, fracturing his left collar-bone. The Japanese rider opted to sit out the Saturday race, but he is bidding to keep his championship hopes alive by lining up in the final two races of the season on Sunday.
Kiyonari will go into the two races twelve points down on Byrne who had started his Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki from the front row of the grid, alongside first time pole-starter James Ellison on the Lloyds British GBmoto Kawasaki.
Byrne was running in second place to Quattro Plant Kawasaki’s Dan Linfoot as the race continued but on the seventh lap disaster struck for the local hero as he crashed out unhurt at Clarke Curve.
Byrne said: “I thought I’ll just sit here, watch the gap behind me and sat in second but you know you come into Clearways, and we had a similar situation in the wet qualifying in August when loads of us fell down, nothing any different and then the next thing you’re on your rear. I was sliding through the gravel actually thinking how did that just happen?! I’ve done nothing different why?”
Byrne could only watch as Mainwaring, amid a frantic finish held off the fierce challenge of Tyco Suzuki’s Josh Waters. The pair were side-by-side as they ran through Clearways on the final lap but Mainwaring won the dash to the line by just 0.047s.
Mainwaring said: “It has been a long time coming – we have had a few issues during the season but here everything fell into place and came together.”
Jon Kirkham riding the Halsall Biker Gear Kawasaki scored his first podium of the season in third with Linfoot back in fourth.
Tommy Bridewell moved into third place in the title stakes, by a single point, at the expense of his Milwaukee Yamaha team-mate Josh Brookes. Bridewell finished fifth with Stuart Easton and Ellison pushing Brookes back into eighth. James Westmoreland and Chris Walker completed the top ten.
Bridewell and Brookes will start from the third row of the grid for tomorrow’s second race in seventh and ninth respectively.
Brookes said: “I found today really frustrating, just again two seconds before we’re going to go out, it starts raining and we didn’t have time to change the bike. Last time we tried to change the bike in the pit garage we didn’t make it out of pit lane so it meant that I had to ride the bike on the dry setup link which is I think too stiff for the wet conditions.
“I rode around the best I could and did everything I could to try and gain a position, save a position, and that was just the race, how it turned out. That was all I could do. I think we’re in with a really good chance of a podium, and certainly challenging for the win, but we’ve got to wait and see what it looks like out of the window when we wake up in the morning.”
Bridewell said: “The conditions were very hard but all credit to the Milwaukee Yamaha team as we did the best we could in the situation. It was difficult but I rode the best I could and the bike felt good until later on and then we had a problem with the tyre so I was happy to finish fifth and we have moved up to third in the standings.”
Ryuichi Kiyonari has vowed to not give up on his hopes of a record-breaking fourth MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship title at Brands Hatch and after sitting out the Saturday race is determined to return to the track in warm up.
Kiyonari crashed out of free practice three, leaving him with an undisplaced fracture of the left collarbone. The Buildbase BMW rider however has been resting in the hotel following treatment and is determined to test his fitness in the morning during warm up.
Kiyonari said: “I still can’t believe what has happened. The crash happened so fast and I wasn’t pushing too hard, but the data said that I had more acceleration than the lap before. I just think ‘why now’ and I am disappointed for today because we have worked hard to fight for the title, but I am not giving up yet because I can’t, I have to try. I watched live timing today and now I am going to go to bed early and get up early and then visit the medical centre in the morning and try in warm up.”
