Rizla scores double at Snetterton

The Rizla Suzuki team has dominated the third round of the British Superbike championship with Yukio Kagayama and John Reynolds taking a win each at a scorching hot Snetterton circuit.

The first race saw the two GSX-R1000 riding team-mates battle it out for first place with Kagayama snatching it on the line, winning the race by just 0.414 seconds. Third placed rider Michael Rutter wasn’t far behind finishing just 0.6 seconds down on Reynolds.

Sean Emmett took fourth place followed by Scott Smart, Dean Thomas, Ryuichi Kionari and Tommy Hill.

Hill’s Virgin Yamaha team-mates Gary Mason and Steve Plater both failed to finish the race, while James Haydon finished 10th on his temporary ride for the ETI Ducati squad.

Race two saw the turn of Reynolds to take the chequered flag after a close battle with Rutter’s Honda Fireblade, with Reynolds crossing the line just 0.5 seconds ahead. The pair managed to pull a significant lead on the rest of the pack during the 24 lap race with third placed man Emmett finishing nine seconds down and Kagayama taking fourth a further three seconds down on Emmett.

Dean Thomas took fifth place followed by Scott Smart and Glen Richards. Steve Plater finished in eighth despite suffering a painful back after crashing his Yamaha R1 at 160mph during practice on Friday.

Race 1: 1 Kagayama, 2 Reynolds, 3 Rutter, 4 Emmett, 5 Smart, 6 Thomas, 7 Kiyonari, 8 Hill, 9 Richards, 10 Haydon, 11 Ellison, 12 Hobbs, 13 Corke, 14 Buckingham, 15 Martin, 16 Scott, 17 Ashley, 18 Jones

DNF: Plater, Coxhell, Compton, Clarke, Hitchcox, Medd, Mason, Kirkham.

Race 2: 1 Reynolds, 2 Rutter, 3 Emmett, 4 Kagayama, 5 Thomas, 6 Smart, 7 Richards, 8 Plater, 9 Kiyonari, 10 Hill, 11 Mason, 12 Ellison, 13 Coxhell, 14 Haydon, 15 Clarke, 16 Hobbs, 17 Buckingham, 18 Corke, 19 Martin, 20 Scott.

DNF: Ashley, Jones, Medd, Compton.