2008 Hannspree World SuperBike Championship Round 10, Brands Hatch, U.K, August 3rd Race Report

  RYUICHI KIYONARI TAKES THE DOUBLE AT BRANDS HATCH  

In front of 97,000 fans, two times British Superbike Champion Ryuichi Kiyonari won both races at round ten of the Hannspree World Superbike Championship at Brands Hatch in Kent. The Hannspree Ten Kate Honda rider beat Xerox Ducati's Troy Bayliss and Sterilgarda Ducati's Max Biaggi in race one and in the second race he finished ahead of the two Yamaha Motor Italia riders of Nori Haga and Troy Corser. Despite Kiyonari's wins the weekend was overshadowed by the huge crash in the World Supersport race which eventually led to the death of Britain's Craig Jones who rode for the Parkalger Honda Racing Team.

Race One. After a short delay due to rain race one was declared a dry race as pole sitter Xerox Ducati's Troy Bayliss got his lightning fast start as he lead the chasing pack into turn one with the Yamaha Motor Italia duo of Nori Haga and Troy Corser hot on his heels. Lap after lap Nori Haga was able to match the pace of Troy Bayliss but he pushed it to hard entering Surtees corner where he lost the front end and crashed out where he was able to rejoin the race in last. As the race went on Troy Bayliss had Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's Ryuichi Kiyonari for company where the Japanese star was able to keep the pace that Bayliss was setting and with two laps remaining the Honda rider made his move and passed Troy Bayliss and to take his first World Superbike win of his career ahead of Bayliss with Sterilgarda Go-Eleven Ducati's Max Biaggi taking third ahead of the Alstare Suzuki's of Yukio Kagayama and Fonsi Nieto. Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's Carlos Checa was sixth ahead of Alstare Suzuki's Max Neukirchner, eighth was Yamaha Motor Italia's Troy Corser, ninth Guandalini Racing Ducati's Jakub Smrz and in tenth was Hannspree Althea Honda's Roberto Rolfo.

Race Two. After taking victory in race one Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's Ryuichi Kiyonari held off a tough challenge throughout the 25-lap race from Yamaha Motor Italia's Nori Haga who crashed out of race one, but this time Nori Haga would have to settle for second as Ryuichi Kiyonari scored his first double win in World Superbikes by winning race two. Also making up for a poor performance in race one was Haga's team-mate Troy Corser who made it onto the podium in third. First of the Alstare Suzuki's Home in fourth was Max Neukirchner ahead of his team-mate Fonsi Nieto, sixth was Xerox Ducati's Michel Fabrizio, seventh Rizla Suzuki's wild card Tom Sykes, eighth Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's Carlos Checa, ninth Guandalini Racing Ducati's Jakub Smrz, tenth RG Team Ducati's Lorenzo Lanzi. Xerox Ducati's Troy Bayliss started well up at the front but slipped back to finish eleventh do to tyre problems, also scoring points in his first race of the year was Vent-Axia VK Honda's Chris Walker who finished both races in 15th.

WORLD SUPERSPORTS. Hannspree Ten Kate Honda's Johnny Rea aggregate race victory over Parkalger Honda's Craig Jones and Johnny's team-mate Andrew Pitt but the race was overshadowed by the horrific crash that saw Craig Jones highside his machine entering Clarke Curve where he was hit by Andrew Pitt Honda at over 100mph. The race was stopped straight away as Craig Jones was airlifted to the Royal London Hospital but later died from head injuries sustained in the accident in the early hours of the following morning.