Kiyonari forced to sit out Assen

Buildbase BMW rider Ryuichi Kiyonari will sit out this weekend’s Dutch round of the MCE British Superbike Championship at Assen, after sustaining an injury while flat tracking earlier this week.

While the team are remaining cagey about the injury sustained by the triple BSB champion, paddock speculation is that the Japanese rider has further aggravated the shoulder he broke earlier in the season at Oulton Park.

And team boss Steve Hicken, who admitted during the week that he was keen to have Kiyonari remain with him for the following season, said that he’s hoping to have his third rider back for the next round at Silverstone in two weeks time.

“It’s a shame Kiyo won’t be with us this weekend, he rode exceptionally well here last year and he too made real progress at Oulton. However, it’s not worth him riding and risking further injury so we have decided it is best for him to stay at home and recover before coming back for the final two rounds.”