RUTTER’S FIREBLADE ON THE FRONT ROW
19 June 2004 - Honda Racing

HM Plant Honda Racing’s Michael Rutter has qualified in fourth position for the seventh round of the Think British Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch. The 31-year-old Leicestershire star is now the only rider to have qualified on the front row of the grid at every round of the championship to date.

Rutter’s best time of 1:26.722 on the factory CBR1000RR Fireblade was fractionally inside the existing lap record and only half-a-second behind the last gasp pole position time set by Yukio Kagayama in this afternoon’s second official qualifying session. With Sean Emmett and Gary Mason making up the remainder of the front row, Rutter’s main challenger for the championship John Reynolds was relegated to row two.

British Superbike rookie Ryuichi Kiyonari qualified in 19th position after recording his fastest time of 1:28.456 on his HM Plant Honda Racing Fireblade in this morning’s first session. The 21-year-old Japanese rider is making his first appearance at the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit and will start from the fifth row of the grid for Sunday’s two 20-lap races.

Michael Rutter: “We’ve been working hard on the set-up for tomorrow’s race rather than trying to break any records. I’m confident that the HM Plant Honda will be on the pace over race distance thanks to the help of the team and Michelin tyres. I think we’re going to see some close racing over the GP circuit tomorrow – just like the last round at Thruxton – and my aim is obviously to be in the mix for the podium positions on the last lap. I’m hoping that I can make good use of my front row starting position to get away with the leaders and pull back some points on John Reynolds tomorrow.”

Ryuichi Kiyonari: “This is a difficult event for me. I have had similar problems to the last event at Thruxton. While I have raced here earlier in the season on the Indy circuit, the Grand Prix track is a completely new experience. It is a technical track with uphill and downhill sections, and some blind corners. I am working very hard to learn the circuit and find a set-up for my HM Plant Honda Racing Fireblade at the same time. Tomorrow I will ride as hard as I can to score some points and maintain my seventh position in the championship.”

Qualifying times: 1. Y. Kagayama (Suzuki) 1:26.177; 2. S. Emmett (Ducati) 1:26.230; 3. G. Mason (Yamaha) 1:26.653; 4. M. Rutter (HM Plant Honda Racing) 1:26.722; 5. T. Hill (Yamaha) 1:26.767; 6. J. Reynolds (Suzuki) 1:26.818; 7. D. Thomas (Ducati) 1:26.872; 8. J. Haydon (Yamaha) 1:27.152; 9. J. McGuinness (Kawasaki) 1:27.460; 10. N. Haga (Ducati) 1:27.552; 19. R. Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda Racing) 1:28.456

www.honda-racing.co.uk

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