HANNspree Ten Kate Honda rider Ryuichi Kiyonari was one of the surprises in the second Superbike race at Monza today as he magnificently pushed his Honda to the top of the field and claimed his first ever World Superbike podium, despite the fact he had never raced the famous Italian track before.
His maiden World Superbike podium was the reward for a strong race in which he worked hard to catch up with the front runners. Starting from 8th place on the grid, Kiyonari was determined to make his way forward and close the gap with the front runners. The last laps of the race saw Kiyonari closely following Haga and Neukirchner swapping the lead. He managed to overhaul the fighting dogs and grab the lead, but lost it in the final turn and finished his best race this season in third place with only 0.05 from victory.
Carlos Checa, who also made his first appearance on the Monza track, had a tough time throughout the first qualifying sessions, but made up for his loss in Superpole qualifying when he grabbed a front row start. After an imperfect start in race two, he struggled to make his way forward though the field, but a close encounter with Corser saw him dropping down slowly before he lost control of the rear and send his bike down the gravel halfway through the race.
With both Bayliss and Checa ending today’s second race with a DNF, Checa remains second overall in the Championship.
Ronald ten Kate, Team Manager;”It has been a weekend to forget for most of us, which casts a small shadow over the Kiyonari’s first podium. It was good to see him adapting so well to the new track and fight for a top finish.”
“I am looking forward to bringing the bikes to the Miller track for the next rounds in the US and Germany. These tracks will be new to all riders, both Kiyonari and Checa now have a slight disadvantage on tracks were they have no previous experience.”
Ryuichi Kiyonari, 3rd, + 0.05s;“I am very happy with my results, but looking back at the race, I think I missed some chances. I made some mistakes and it stopped me from taking my first win.”
“I still struggled with my start in both races, but in race two my pace was good and a lot more consistent then the first one and I was able to catch up with the top group.”
“I was very excited to find myself riding up front. When I overtook Neukirchner and saw Haga in front of me, I thought, will it be possible to overtake him, When I did, I made a mistake and ran wide in the exit of the last corner. Haga tried to keep the inside and I went outside and had to close the gas.”
“I want to thank my mechanics and my sponsors and hope that I can win the next race for them.”
Carlos Checa, DNF;“Its hasn’t been quite the weekend we had wished for. After stuggling with the set-up in the practices, I was confident after qualifying well in Superpole. We found the right pace and everything was looking good for the race today.”
“I had a big problem at the start today and couldn’t place myself in a good position coming into turn one.”
“When you are at the end of the fast group many things can happen, as we have seen today. When Corser hit me in the back, I dropped some positions and pushed hard to recover, but he must have hit something as I lost the feeling with the rear of the bike and crashed.”
“I’m looking forward to the next round in the US and hope we can make up for today’s loss.”
Results race 2:1. HAGA
2. NEUKIRCHNER 0.009
3. KIYONARI 0.051 4. NIETO 4.489
5. FABRIZIO 10.272
