Ryuichi Kiyonari breaks collarbone at Brands Hatch

The 2014 MCE British Superbike championship took a major plot twist this morning after Ryuichi Kiyonari crashed out of the free practice three session at Brands Hatch, breaking his collarbone and potentially eliminating himself from the title fight.

With heavy overnight rain meaning the track remained damp despite glorious sunshine and warm temperatures during the early morning session, Kiyonari was caught out at Graham Hill corner on only his second lap.

The triple champion landed heavily on the shoulder he broke training half way though last season, leaving his with an undisplaced fracture.

With Byrne already holding a twelve point lead in the title chase, Kiyonari had a mountain to climb, but any chance of taking the title now seems to have slipped from his grasp ahead of the first of the weekend’s triple header races this afternoon.

However, Kiyonari is currently undergoing physio and pain relief, and with the break being relatively clean, there remains a chance that the Japanese rider can in fact compete in qualifying and this evening’s race.