RIZLA SUZUKI DIGS DEEP TO SCORE ANOTHER PAIR OF PODIUMS
15 August 2004 - Rizla-Suzuki

RIZLA SUZUKI riders John Reynolds and Yukio Kagayama used all of their skill and experience to record a podium finish each at today''s 10th round of the Think! British Superbike Championship at Croft in North Yorkshire.

In the first event, Yuki led from pole position until the last lap and then missed a gear, his only mistake in the 30-minute long race, letting Honda''s Michael Rutter to nip through and steal the win. JR, battling the bumpy surface on his Rizla Suzuki GSX-R1000, gritted his teeth to finish fifth.

Race two saw Yuki dicing for the lead only to highside out of contention on the third lap, luckily without serious injury. JR switched to a different set-up on his Rizla Suzuki and was able to run with the leaders, setting a new lap record in the process at 1:21.245s. He eventually finished 3rd just behind winner Rutter.

JR''s podium was Rizla Suzuki''s 20th consecutive rostrum in 2004, cementing Suzuki''s position as the leading manufacturer. JR''s Championship lead is now 50-points over Rutter with a maximum of 150 points still up for grabs in the final three rounds.

A huge crowd of well over 25,000 fans flocked to Croft, back in the BSB calendar after a long absence, to watch the action-packed racing. It is the 11th and next round of the Championship at Cadwell Park on Bank Holiday Monday, August 30th, which traditionally sees crowds of 35,000 and upwards, where the Rizla Suzukis will next be out on track.

John Reynolds:
''We struggled with set-up right from the start of the weekend and it took us until the second race for me to be comfortable on my Rizla Suzuki. In truth I am relieved to be leaving here with two solid results and points in the bag.

''In race two I might have been able to challenge a bit harder for the win, my GSX-R1000 was handling perfectly. I raced hard with Scott Smart and Michael Rutter but could easily have crashed out and I didn''t want that to happen. It''s been hard work this weekend and I am now looking forward to Cadwell Park in a fortnight''s time and a circuit which we know well and have good set-up data for the Rizla Suzuki. I will be doing my best to get back to winning ways there!''

Yukio Kagayama:
''In race two I have no idea why I crash, the throttle was closed and I was easy riding only but the tyre broke away and next was big highside. I land heavily and now I am very sore, but nothing is broken and this is main good news.

''Today maybe we not reach our full potentials. I think all weekend we have fast setting and maybe it is possible to win. In race one I lead for all laps apart from the last, when I miss a gear and present Michael Rutter with easy win. Thank you to my Rizla Suzuki team staff for supplying such a fast bike this weekend, I try 100 per cent as always but luck leaves us. Today was possible double win but this is racing story!''

Paul Denning, team manager:
''Yuki was fastest all weekend and we had hoped for better results. In race one a tiny mistake gifted Michael the win and in race two he suffered a highside while going for the lead early on. He had the pace and deserved better results than those but some days the luck just doesn''t run with you.

''JR''s day was different in the fact he struggled to find a competitive set-up all weekend and to be fair only really had the bike handling the way he wanted for the second race. He was a day behind everybody else in terms of set-up and that cost him in the races. Still, he dug very deep to score more points and while he retains his lead in the Championship, we are very aware that to win the title we need to win more races - and that''s what we plan to do starting at Cadwell Park.''

Race One Result: 1: Michael Rutter (Honda) 30:10.136, 2: YUKIO KAGAYAMA (RIZLA SUZUKI) +0.836, 3: Scott Smart (Kawasaki) +2.610, 4: Ryuichi Kiyonari (Honda) +3.963, 5: JOHN REYNOLDS (RIZLA SUZUKI) +7.203, 6: James Haydon (Yamaha) +18.373, 7: Sean Emmett (Ducati) +21.033, 8: Dean Thomas (Ducati) +21.831, 9: Tommy Hill (Yamaha) +25.395, 10: John McGuinness (Kawasaki) +35.911.

Race Two Result: 1: Rutter 30:08.942, 2: Smart +1.991, 3: JOHN REYNOLDS (RIZLA SUZUKI) +2.912, 4: Kiyonari +11.722, 5: Haydon +16.491, 6: Gary Mason (Yamaha) +24.979, 7: McGuinness +26.204, 8: Craig Coxhell (Honda) +27.566, 9: James Ellison (Yamaha) +37.061, 10: Steve Plater (Yamaha) +37.183.

Championship Positions: 1: JOHN REYNOLDS (RIZLA SUZUKI) 362, 2: Rutter 312, 3: Smart 276, 4: YUKIO KAGAYAMA (RIZLA SUZUKI) 249, 5: Emmett 240, 6: Kiyonari 150, 7: Thomas 132, 8: Haydon 132, 9: Hill 105, 10: Mason 95.

www.rizla-suzuki.co.uk

More News
  For August 2004
  From Rizla-Suzuki
  For Racing General
  Biker247.com Home Page