Donington BSB: Kiyo from Byrne in epic first race

The MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship ‘War for Four’ titles continued to rage between Ryuichi Kiyonari and Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne in an epic opening race at Donington Park as the pair scrapped for the victory at the Leicestershire circuit.

Byrne had initially taken the lead from Kiyonari on the opening lap with Stuart Easton and Peter Hickman tucked in behind as pole-sitter John Hopkins dropped to sixth off the start. As the scrap began the returning Mitchell Carr and Christophe Ponsson crashed out at Goddards, causing a Safety Car intervention as the Nissan GT-R was deployed.

The pack bunched up and on the restart Byrne continued to hold the advantage from Kiyonari and Easton, but a few laps later Tyco Suzuki’s Hopkins crashed out of contention at the Melbourne Hairpin as he tried to climb back up the order.

At the front Kiyonari was shadowing Byrne’s every move and on the twelfth lap he made his first attack by passing his rival on the brakes into the Foggy Esses. Meanwhile Josh Brookes had moved ahead of Easton to hold third and his Milwaukee Yamaha team-mate Tommy Bridewell was also pushing his way up the order to fifth. Bridewell made a move on Easton at the Old Hairpin and that then put him within striking distance of his Australian team-mate.

Kiyonari was trying to break Byrne’s grasp at the front of the pack but the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki rider was focused on regaining the advantage, which he did two laps later with a move at the Old Hairpin. There was little separating the pair and Kiyonari wasn’t going to settle for second without a fight, he made a move back to claim the position at the front a lap later at the Foggy Esses.

Byrne was hunting his opportunity to regain the lead and on the penultimate lap he made a repeat move at the Old Hairpin, but an aggressive Kiyonari wasn’t giving an inch and he forced the Buildbase BMW back ahead at Schwantz.

The win went down to the wire and Kiyonari held the position with Byrne pushing to get ahead. As the pair approached Goddards for the final time Byrne looked to make a move, but ran wide and had to settle for second on the drag to the line.

Kiyonari said: “I am very tired now after that race! Especially the last five laps because we were giving more than one hundred percent to keep pushing hard, but still Shakey was able to pass me. I followed him for ten or eleven laps and I thought if I passed him I could do better lap times but when I did the lap times were slow and it was no good! He passed me again and then the lap times were consistent but I really enjoyed that race. I am very happy because we had a bit fight for the win and I want to try and keep this position in the next race – it will be very difficult but I will do my best.” 

Bridewell had pushed ahead of Brookes to claim the final Podium Points in third place with the second Milwaukee Yamaha rider holding fourth ahead of Easton and Josh Waters on the lone Tyco Suzuki.  RAF Reserves Honda celebrated another top ten finish in seventh with Dan Linfoot confirming his position in the Showdown with an eighth place. Patric Muff and James Westmoreland completed the top ten whilst Chris Walker ended eleventh to complete the Showdown six ahead of Assen.