RAMPANT REYNOLDS NEARLY DOUBLES CHAMPIONSHIP LEAD
18 July 2004 - Rizla-Suzuki

RIZLA SUZUKI star John Reynolds scored a win and second place in today''s ninth round of the Think! British Superbike Championship to nearly double his Championship lead and take the coveted Mallory Park `Race of the Year'' prize.

In the first race Yuki and JR battled their way through a gaggle of fast riders to get to the front. Once at the head of the field they broke away from the chasing pack and JR took the lead with six laps to go, only just holding off Yuki on the last lap through the hairpin. The plucky Japanese ace had the consolation of setting a new lap record of 51:741s.

Race two was interrupted with a red flag and two safety car appearances, but JR held his nerve to finish second on aggregate time behind Kawasaki''s Scott Smart. Yuki switched to his spare Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000 just before the green light in a bid to improve his race pace. He was holding sixth and going for an overtake to fifth when he ran off the tarmac at the super-fast Gerards bend. He rejoined to finish 15th.

JR''s first and second place finishes made him the clear winner of the acclaimed `Race of the Year'' trophy - awarded to the Superbike rider with most points at the end of the meeting. His finishes nearly doubled his Championship lead from 38 to 73-points and maintain Rizla Suzuki''s string of podium finishes in every race so far this year. Suzuki is also streaking ahead in the manufacturers Championship with its GSX-R1000 production-based Superbike.

There is now a mid-summer mini-break for the BSB competitors before the 10th round of the Championship at Croft on August 15th. The North Yorkshire venue is new to BSB for 2004 and Rizla Suzuki will be visiting for a test session on August 5th.

John Reynolds:
''Race one was a fantastic fight with Yuki for the top honours while race two ended up being interrupted and tested my concentration to the full. I was glad to finish to be honest, I don''t like my rhythm being interrupted and really had to fight towards the end to keep second place.

''Winning the `Race of the Year'' trophy is a real bonus for me, this is a prize that has decades of history and heritage behind it. Thanks to my team for providing me with a brilliant GSX-R1000 this weekend and to my fans from Nottingham for making the trip and cheering me on.''

Yukio Kagayama:
''I am disappointed with second race result. First race was good fun riding with John-san at the front and he manage to outbrake me at the hairpin on final lap to win. I was hoping for similar race with me winning in race two but this was not possible. After red flag I had to switch to spare bike and feeling is not so good, then near end I run off circuit while trying to overtake and end 15th.

''Now I go to airport and fly to Japan to take part in Suzuka 8-hour endurance race for Suzuki company. This is maximum important race and I will use my frustration to motivate best to win.''

Paul Denning, team manager:
''We suspected the tight and twisty nature of Mallory Park would not suit JR''s smooth flowing riding style or the enormous horsepower of our Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000. JR then went on to qualify on the front row, win a race, finish second in the next, win the `Race of the Year'' and virtually double his Championship points advantage to prove that theory very wrong indeed.

''Yuki did a bike swap for the second race and that didn''t pay off - he rode well and deserved a better result than 15th - but a small mistake at the end cost him dear. The team will rally round and give him its full support for the next round at Croft.

''There is still a long way to go in the Championship race and both JR and Yuki know there are a lot of points still to be won. We''ll be staying focussed in the month away from the racing and will be going to round 10 stronger and more determined than ever before to win races.''

Race One Result: 1: JOHN REYNOLDS (RIZLA SUZUKI) 26:15.170, 2: YUKIO KAGAYAMA (RIZLA SUZUKI) +0.133, 3: Scott Smart (Kawasaki) +3.417, 4: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +3.498, 5: James Haydon (Yamaha) +5.247, 6: Michael Rutter (Honda) +5.948, 7: Sean Emmett (Ducati) +12.573, 8: Dean Thomas (Ducati) +14.241, 9: John McGuinness (Kawasaki) +20.052.

Race Two Result: 1: Smart 27:40.337, 2: JOHN REYNOLDS (RIZLA SUZUKI) +1.932, 3: Kiyonari +2.608, 4: Haydon +3.109, 5: Emmett +8.231, 6: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +9.042, 7: Gary Mason (Yamaha) +10.775, 8: Thomas +11.501, 9: McGuinness +11.563, 10: Steve Plater (Yamaha) +11.624, 15: YUKIO KAGAYAMA (RIZLA SUZUKI) +21.851.

Championship Standings: 1: JOHN REYNOLDS (RIZLA SUZUKI) 335, 2: Rutter 262, 3: Smart 240, 4: YUKIO KAGAYAMA (RIZLA SUZUKI) 229, 5: Emmett 226, 6: Thomas 124, 7: Kiyonari 124, 8: Haydon 111, 9: Hill 98, 10: Mason 85.

www.rizla-suzuki.co.uk

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