CADWELL SHOWDOWN FOR SERIES LEADERS
28 August 2005 - HM Plant

The signs are that tomorrow’s two Bennetts British Superbike races at Cadwell Park will be just as dramatic and exciting as last weekend’s events at Silverstone.

The championship-leading HM Plant Honda Racing riders – Michael Rutter and Ryuichi Kiyonari – will line up in seventh and 11th places respectively, with third-placed Gregorio Lavilla putting them under increasing pressure from the front row of the grid.

It was an action-packed final qualifying session for Rutter and Kiyonari. The 32-year-old Midlander suffered a minor crash at Charlie’s corner with 15 minutes remaining. However, he was able to remount the factory Fireblade and return to the pits to make some minor adjustments before continuing his quest for a front row starting position.

Kiyonari was also in a hurry at the end of the session. The 22-year-old winner of this year’s prestigious Suzuka 8-hour endurance race in Japan had been concentrating so much on enhancing his race set-up for the 2.18-mile Lincolnshire circuit that he ran out of time to try-out his final qualifying tyre.

With the HM Plant Honda Racing team-mates qualifying in their lowest positions of the year to date, they have given themselves an additional challenge in their quest to defend their first and second places in the overall points table. However, the distinctive black and orange CBR1000RR Fireblades have been lapping consistently inside the lap record, which may well be a pointer towards their potential finishing positions tomorrow.

Michael Rutter: “There has been a lot said about me winning the championship this year after leading it for so long. There’s obviously some pressure on me to perform, but after my points lead was slashed at Silverstone weekend, I’ve gone home and thought a lot about how to approach this event.

“I’m going to go for it on the HM Plant Honda this weekend at Cadwell Park. I managed to win the first race here last year, but I’m hoping for more luck than I had in race two, when the weather intervened at the wrong time. I’ve been struggling a bit with my arm today, but I don’t think it’ll cause me too much trouble in the races.”

Ryuichi Kiyonari: “I was very much looking forward to this weekend at Cadwell Park. I live in Louth and of course it is the local event for HM Plant Honda Racing. However, so far this has been a difficult weekend for me. I’m trying hard to find the best set-up for the CBR1000RR Fireblade and we seem to making some progress as the times show. I hope that I will be as competitive tomorrow as I was last season.”

Qualifying: 1. L. Haslam (Ducati) 1:27.280; 2. T. Hill (Yamaha) 1:27.640; 3. G. Lavilla (Ducati) 1:27.655; 4. K. Harris (Honda-Racing.co.uk) 1:28.043; 5. G. Richards (Kawasaki) 1:28.089; 6. J. Rea (Red Bull Honda) 1:28.273; 7. M. Rutter (HM Plant Honda Racing) 1:28.278; 8. J. Haydon (Suzuki) 1:28.445; 9. D. Thomas (Kawasaki) 1:28.558; 10. J. Buckingham (Suzuki) 1:28.573; 11. R. Kiyonari (HM Plant Honda Racing) 1:28.665

www.hmplantlimited.co.uk

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