HM Plant Honda Report

HM Plant Honda Racing’s Michael Rutter smashed the lap record at Mondello Park by almost a full second during this morning’s qualifying session for round five of the 2005 Bennetts British Superbike Championship. The 32-year-old recorded a best time of 1:39.724 aboard the HRC-prepared CBR1000RR Fireblade.

However, it was not enough for the Leicestershire rider to claim pole position, with Red Bull Honda rider Jonathan Rea claiming the leading spot at his local track. Further frustration followed for Rutter when he slid off the factory machine in the day’s second session.

He was forced to use his spare HM Plant Honda with limited time remaining until the chequered flag. A last lap mistake by the Midlander followed, relegating him to fifth position and a second row start for tomorrow’s two 18-lap races at the 2.176-mile track.

His HM Plant Honda Racing team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari has made a return to the series following a crash at round three at Mallory Park. The 22-year-old Japanese star proved that he is already back on the pace by securing a front row starting position on his first visit to the Irish circuit.

Michael Rutter: “I’m a bit disappointed at not being on the front row because I know how important the start is here at Mondello Park. However, I made a mistake and there’s nothing I can do about it. I’ve been putting in some really good lap times with my race set-up over the weekend so far, so I’m fairly confident that I can still get a good result.”

Ryuichi Kiyonari: “It has taken me a long time to learn this track – a little longer than I had hoped. However, towards the end of the second qualifying session it seemed to click into place a little bit more. I am looking forward to getting more practice in tomorrow’s warm-up and then we’ll see what happens in the races.”

Rizla Suzuki Report

Rizla Suzuki racers Scott Smart and James Haydon both cut their lap times by more than a second during today's qualification sessions for the fifth round of the British Superbike Championship at Mondello Park in Ireland.

Final qualification was held in bright sunshine and high winds as both riders improved the set-ups of their GSX-R1000s at the bumpy 2.18-mile Mondello Park circuit. Smart eventually finished 12th and within touching distance of the front-runners, while Haydon was close behind in 15th.

Scott Smart: "I am comfortable on my Rizla Suzuki and it is working well over the bumps and through the tight corners at Mondello Park. As the sessions progressed I was getting faster and faster and I think on race rubber we have a competitive package.

"The end of the third row isn't the ideal place to start, but if I can make a good getaway and can get up with the leading pack, I'm sure I'll be able to race with them."

James Haydon :"I am bitterly disappointed with qualification. It is not where either the team or me expect to be. We tried a major change to the front suspension this morning that didn't work. We reverted to an earlier setting for second qualifying and went faster. I think with a bit more time on track we could have reduced our lap times even further.

"We are still working on the handling of the bike and will test a change to the geometry of my Rizla Suzuki in morning warm up that we think will help. After that, it's all about getting a good start and seeing what we can achieve from there."

Niall Mackenzie - Team Performance Co-ordinator: "Watching Scott on track today was really encouraging. He is now riding faster than at any other time this season and looks very composed and smooth compared to his competitors. His race pace is fast and if he can get away with the front group, there's no doubt he has the ability to run with them.

"James is working hard and made progress during qualification. He is looking for more confidence in the front end of his GSX-R and his crew has a good idea how to achieve that. If he can find it, expect him to carve through the pack in the races and get some strong results."

Karl Harris

Dean Thomas

"I've ended up 10th which I'm not overly happy with but it's tomorrow that counts so I have to make sure that I get a good start and run with the front runner. The team are making a few slight changes tomorrow and I'm hoping that will push me further up the field and enable me to run consistent lap times. I seem to be struggling with a couple of things, the bike handles great in some places and not so great in others and I'm suffering with chatter problems around the circuit which we need to rectify. The track is so bumpy and this has been the test for me to adapting to the Kawasaki and trying to get it right, tomorrow is the main thing so I have to make sure that I get my head down and get on with it."