Leon Haslam maintained his outside hopes of winning the Bennetts British Superbike crown with a penultimate round double victory at his local Donington Park circuit on a day of problems for the leading duo of Ryuichi Kiyonari and Jonathan Rea.
Riding the Airwaves Ducati, Haslam was running fourth on an opening lap led by Chris Walker from Rea and the impressive Tom Sykes, but that was soon to change as the Derbyshire rider picked off places to be duelling for the lead with Rea.
Haslam grabbed the initiative just into the second half of the race but then was fortunate to hold on at the Melbourne Hairpin as Rea closed in, clipping his front wheel: “It was hectic and he was a bit too hot going in and he did well not to collect me, so well done to him, as I know what it is like going in there.”
Rea dropped back to fifth, Haslam was third as Kiyonari led from Sykes but the Japanese rider was shortly afterwards down and out as he was sent tumbling, the innocent victim of Cal Crutchlow’s tumble at Goddards.
Haslam regained the initiative to win from the young Stobart Vent Axia Motorsport Honda rider and there was more of the same to come in the second 20 lap race at the Leicestershire grand prix circuit.
Rizla Suzuki rider Walker again made the early running with Sykes pressurising him and moving ahead on the fourth lap while behind them there was the gathering force of Kiyonari, determined to salvage something to celebrate on his 25th birthday.
The HM Plant Honda rider moved from fifth to third, exchanging places with his team-mate Rea, and soon he was running second to the fast maturing Sykes, almost inevitably moving ahead on the eleventh lap before holding on amid a really scary moment.
Powering through Redgate, his Honda snaked out of line. Kiyonari was out of the saddle, but hung on, taking to the grass, dropping back to third while Haslam roared onto take the victory from Sykes.
“I felt good all of the way through and although I’ve done a lot of laps and races here, this has been a bit of bogey circuit for me, but now I’ve taken my first double here,” reflected Haslam. “I’ve enjoyed the races – I’m over the moon.”
Haslam goes into the Brands Hatch finale on 14 October with 363 points, while Kiyonari leads Rea, seventh in the second race, 404-367 with 50 points at stake.
Tristan Palmer is in the driving seat to win the British Superbike Cup having completed a daily double aboard the THR Honda, finishing ahead of Tom Tunstall (Hardinge Ice Valley Honda) and James Buckingham on the Quay Garage Honda in each of the races.
Second best to Robbie Stewart in the penultimate round of the British 125GP was just champion for Luke Jones, the Herefordshire rider who celebrated his 19th birthday with the first major title of his career.
Michael Laverty sealed the Maxxis British Supersport title in an incident packed race, red-flagged after ten laps while Racesafe marshals dealt with oil sprayed as John Robb’s Honda blew as he charged into the Old Hairpin. The Ulsterman was ahead then, and he won the re-started action, over eight laps, ahead of his Relentless Suzuki by TAS team-mate Ian Lowry.
Hudson Kennaugh, with a winning double in the Metzeler Racetec National Superstock Championship closed with 39 points of series leader Glen Richards ahead of the final showdown, again over two races, at Brands Hatch. Flying Scot Norman Brunton, twice fourth in races won by Alex Camier, took the Superstock Cup title.
Pauli Pekkanen clinched the KTM 990 Super Duke Battle title as he finished third, adrift of Richard Cooper and Kelvin Reilly.
Results – round 12, Bennetts British Superbike Championship
Race One
- L Haslam - Airwaves Ducati - 30:37.871
- T Sykes - Stobart Honda - 30:39.287
- S Byrne - Stobart Honda - 30:39.497
- G Lavilla - Airwaves Ducati - 30:47.085
- J Rea - HM Plant Honda - 30:49.905
- C Walker - Rizla Suzuki - 30:53.386
Fastest lap: R Kiyonari HM Plant Honda 1:30.899, av.sp. 99.01mph (record)
Race Two
- L Haslam - Airwaves Ducati - 30:35.829
- T Sykes - Stobart Honda - 30:35.885
- R Kiyonari - HM Plant Honda - 30:39.245
- C Walker - Rizla Suzuki - 30:42.961
- G Lavilla - Airwaves Ducati - 30:48.128
- S Byrne - Stobart Honda - 30:52.396
Fastest lap: R Kiyonari - HM Plant Honda - 1:30.943, av.sp. 98.96mph
Championship Points
- R Kiyonari - 404
- J Rea - 367
- L Haslam - 363
- G Lavilla - 318
- S Byrne - 283
- T Sykes - 270
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