Ryuichi Kiyonari and Gregorio Lavilla took the victories in the eighth round of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship but the real hero at Snetterton was Michael Rutter who defied a broken collar-bone to race on and increase his lead in the title stakes.

The HM Plant Honda rider had crashed heavily, and spectacularly at Russells during qualifying taking a severe battering, having been thrown high over the top of his bike, but it was not until after the two races at the Norfolk circuit that he disclosed the extent of his injuries.

I broke one collarbone and think that the other has been pushed out a bit, explained Rutter, who had raced on taking fifth and third placings. Its been a hard weekend I had a bit of crash that left me sore and beat up and then in the first race had a problem with the quick shift gear change.

It is not easy to ride this circuit without that working I was disappointed not to finish on the podium in the first race, and but did my best. In the second I was backing into the corners a bit too much, riding a bit too rigid, maybe trying too hard, but I cant complain, said Rutter who increased his lead over Kiyonari to 45 points.

The Japanese rider, who had taken the first race by eight seconds from Leon Haslam aboard the Airwaves Ducati, crashed out of the second race, in which the determined Lavilla overcame both Rutter and Michael Laverty, riding the Stobart Honda, to take his third victory of the season and avenge his first race crash.

The heroics of Rutter overshadowed another battling performance as reigning champion John Reynolds continued his recovery from the broken leg sustained in a pre-season testing crash.

The Rizla Suzuki rider took a determined third place in the opener, just ahead of his team-mate James Haydon. That was like a victory it repays the team for standing by me. At Knockhill I felt it was coming back, each race I'm getting closer, so I am really delighted with this. Next time out he took fourth.

Steve Plater, on his debut with the Hydrex Honda team, enjoyed seventh and fifth placings and Ben Wilson gave the Vivaldi Kawasaki team their best ever result in the championship with a sixth place in the second race.

Chris Martin, despite starting from the back of the grid, took the British Superbike Cup honours in the first race, ahead of James Buckingham and Steve Brogan, while in the second race Danny Beaumont took the victory, ahead of Brogan, Marty Nutt and Martin.

HM Plant Honda

Michael Rutter extended his advantage at the top of the 2005 Bennetts British Superbike Championship points table after finishing fifth and third respectively in the latest two races at Snetterton in Norfolk. His nearest championship challenger and HM Plant Honda Racing team-mate Ryuichi Kiyonari won the first race but crashed out of the second while contesting the leading positions.

Picking up from where he left off at Knockhill, Kiyonari took his third consecutive start-to-finish victory on the factory Fireblade in race one. Fast starts and amazing consistency are the trademarks of HM Plant Honda Racing’s Japanese star. After breaking the lap record on laps four and 15, Kiyonari showed a clean pair of Michelins to his nearest challenger Leon Haslam to take his ninth win of the 2005 season.

Rutter meanwhile was fourth at the end of the first lap, before fellow Honda rider Michael Laverty’s retirement elevated him into the last podium position. The 32-year-old Midlander lost his race-long battle against John Reynolds and James Haydon in the closing stages to take a hard-earned fifth place at the chequered flag.

However, it was a role reversal for HM Plant Honda Racing in an action-packed second Superbike leg. Rutter secured the holeshot, and after a brief exchange of places with Laverty, pulled out an early lead.

It was Kiyonari’s turn to take fourth position at the end of lap one before mounting an almost immediate challenge for the podium positions. He took Leon Haslam for third on lap five, but then crashed out unhurt on the next lap while in hot pursuit of the CBR1000RR Fireblades of Rutter and Laverty.

Rutter came under increasing pressure from a hard-charging Gregorio Lavilla who had taken up the pursuing mantle from Laverty. The HM Plant Honda Racing star was relegated to third on lap 18, but managed to hold off defending champion John Reynolds in the sprint to the chequered flag.

The points difference between the British Superbike Championship’s two leading contenders was increased by two points after Rutter’s consistent performances at Snetterton. With a break in the calendar before the next round at Silverstone on 21 August, Kiyonari is returning to Japan to compete in the prestigious Suzuka 8-hour race on his HRC-prepared CBR1000RR Fireblade, while Rutter is taking a well-earned break.

Michael Rutter: “It’s been a hard weekend! I had the misfortune to crash during qualifying yesterday and that knocked me about a bit. The first race was really frustrating because all I wanted to do was finish on the podium.

“I made a determined start to race two, but wasn’t able to hold my advantage over full distance. So, third was a pleasing result under the circumstances and I’m happy to be taking a 45-point lead with HM Plant Honda Racing into the summer break until we resume at Silverstone.”

Ryuichi Kiyonari: “It is important for me to get a good start to every race and set the pace from the front. The HM Plant Honda Racing CBR1000RR Fireblade and Michelin tyres have allowed me to do this.

“I felt under pressure from Haslam in the early laps of the first race, but the excellent set-up enabled me to pull away and maintain good lap times. A slower start to race two left me with more work to do and I pushed too hard. It was my fault and I’m sorry for the team.”

Dean Thomas

"It's not been a great day for me today I got an 11th and 9th in the two Superbike races and things just didn't seem to go to plan. I got a good start in both races and tried to get my head down and push myself forward. I had a few problems in the first race with rear end chatter problems and as the race developed it seemed to get worse. I got locked in a scrap with a handful of the riders and we were tussling for positions lap after lap. Mason managed to reel me in over the last few laps and pushed me back to 11th on the Final lap.

"I was eighth into the first corner in the second race and all I wanted to get was a decent result at the end of it as I was giving it my all. Both Kiyonari and Harris crashed out early on which allowed me to gain a few places. I was tied up in a freight train battle between five riders, all of which are super fast down the back straights. It was difficult to stay with them but I was trying to make use of their slip stream as much as possible.

"I am riding as hard as I can and somehow we need to make the next step forward. Ideally we need to get some testing in before the next round at Silverstone in five weeks time, all the other teams have been making big steps forward and we need to stay on par with them and push things in the right direction. I'm not happy with my results today and we really have to make sure things are better by the next round."

Rizla Suzuki

John Reynolds scored Rizla Suzuki's first podium finish of the 2005 season when he finished third in the opening race at the eighth round of the British Superbike Championship at Snetterton in Norfolk.

The reigning British Champion spent the first race battling with his Rizla Suzuki team mate James Haydon for the podium, eventually coming out on top by a tiny margin with Haydon close behind in an impressive fourth - marking the team's best result of the season to date.

In race two, he was challenging Haydon early in the race for fifth when he made a mistake and ran wide on the entry to the Revett straight. He lost a fraction of time on the leaders, and, despite matching their lap times for the next 20-laps, was never able to close the small gap to compete for the victory. Haydon was in third when he fell unhurt at the Esses on lap seven.

Honda's Ryuichi Kiyonari won the opening race and Ducati's Gregorio Lavilla the second.

Rizla Suzuki's next outing is at Castle Combe in the annual Grand National races on July 30th - 31st. Rizla Suzuki will be represented in the two Superbike races by James Haydon and Joey Dunlop's nephew William Dunlop.

John Reynolds: "What a fantastic feeling to be back on the podium, especially when I was celebrating my 200th race start today. The opening race was hard, the pace was fast, and I had a great battle with James for that podium - that was fun and I really enjoyed it.

"The second race was frustrating as I made a small mistake trying to overtake James early on and that caused me to lose touch with the leaders. Fourth is okay but now I have tasted the podium that's where I want to be for the rest of the season. I'm back racing again and there's plenty more to come from me and my Rizla Suzuki."

James Haydon: "Well done to 'JR' in race one. It was a fantastic battle for third and in the end he edged me off the podium. Race two was going great and I was in with a shout for the victory when I came off and that is bitterly disappointing.

"My Rizla Suzuki is very close to winning races and it's only a tiny percentage away. We know what we need to do to make the bike just right for me and will be working on that before I race again at Castle Combe in three weeks time."

Robert Wicks - Team Manager: "Rizla Suzuki is back racing at the front of the pack for podium places and today has seen our best results of the season by far.

"Well done to 'JR' for getting a podium and fourth place as he continues his comeback to form. He won the 'Sky Sports Rider of the Day' award and got the loudest cheer of the day when he stepped onto the podium. There is plenty more to come from him as he continues to improve during the second half of the season.

"James crashed on Friday and was riding with an injured shoulder for the rest of the weekend. Despite that, he put on a brilliant performance in race one to finish fourth and was in contention for the podium in race two when he crashed out. He has a few niggling issues with the front end feeling on his Rizla Suzuki and we will be working hard during the next couple of weeks to fix those for him.

"Thanks to all of the Rizla Suzuki fans for sticking with us through thick and thin and to the team technicians for working so hard - today's podium is dedicated to you all!"

Karl Harris

Karl Harris collected further points towards his championship tally at Snetterton today after securing sixth position in race one of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship. The Honda-Racing.co.uk rider faced a tough battle for the hard-fought place after qualifying in tenth – his lowest starting position of the season.

Harris spent many laps dicing with fellow Honda rider Steve Plater before sealing the advantage in the duel of the two CBR1000RR Fireblades. Indeed, the Honda Superbike continued to prove its dominance in the series with a further three podium finishes at the 1.952-mile Norfolk circuit.

However, the 25-year-old suffered a setback later in the day when he was forced to retire from race two on lap six due to problems with the rear tyre of the Dunlop/BLD-backed machine. Having just recovered from two broken ribs, the Sheffield star decided to play it safe as he felt unable to complete race distance and make it to the chequered flag.

Karl Harris: “Unfortunately, I was unable to finish race two, but I’m pleased that I picked up some points in the first race. I have had a bit of bad luck over the last few rounds, so the break in the calendar has maybe come at a good time. I’m hoping to return to the series much stronger at Silverstone and get back to dicing for a place on the podium.”

Michael Laverty

Stobart Honda rider Michael Laverty followed up a superb third place at Knockhill with a scintillating second place at round eight of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship held at a hot and sunny Snetterton in Norfolk today.

Following on a career best front row starting position, the 23 year old from Toomebridge endured disappointment in race one when he was forced to retire when circulating with the leaders following a rear wheel bearing failure but bounced back in the best possible fashion in race two and even led the race in the early stages.

Battling with race winners so far this season – Michael Rutter, Ryuichi Kiyonari and Gregorio Lavilla, Laverty proved more than a match for them and ended up in a superb second place after twenty five tortuous laps.

“I was disappointed in the first race but made amends in the second one and I just pushed the whole race. I had a bit of a problem with the clutch and made a mistake but managed to catch it back, then Lavilla joined us and passed me and then I got caught up with some backmarkers and I just couldn’t get close enough to make a pass. We’ve made another step forward and hopefully I will get it on the top of the rostrum before long” said a delighted Laverty.

Meanwhile Gary Mason could not quite emulate Laverty’s success but recorded two eighth positions on the second of the VK, The Mob and Vent Axia backed Stobart Honda machines.

The 25 year old from Lichfield commented: “I just got boxed in and I had a few stability problems with the bike. I could push really hard half way through the race but I couldn’t catch back up with the others. I got caught up in the battle for fifth place in the first race but then I ran out of laps and places to pass. The bike feels good and it’s just frustrating where I have ended up because I want to be higher.”

Team owner Paul Bird was once again delighted with his young protégé’s performances: “A good day, but it could have been a brilliant day. It was a fantastic performance again from Michael and a shame in the first race as he could have had two rostrums. He had a problem with the rear wheel centre breaking up which caused him to stop in the first race. The main thing is that we are leaving Snetterton with both bikes and riders intact.”

The series now endures a five week break before the next round at Silverstone on 20th and 21st August whereby Laverty and the team will be looking for more success.

Bridewell Brothers

Brothers Tommy and Ollie Bridewell, from Etchilhampton near Devizes in Wilshire, came away with mixed emotions following on from round eight of the Bennetts British Superbike Championship meeting held at a sweltering Snetterton in Norfolk this weekend.

Riding the Vivaldi Kawasaki, 19 year old Ollie claimed not only his first front row start of the season but followed that up with a brilliant second place in the Metzeler Racetec National Superstock Championship to score his first rostrum placing of the season and indeed the first podium for the ambitious Vivaldi Racing Team.

The teenager made the most of his starting position to challenge leader and ex GP rider Adrian Coates (Suzuki) early in the race before settling for second with a mature ride way beyond his years and was delighted with his best result for nearly a year:

“I’m over the moon” said Ollie afterwards. “I think that now I can run up there at the front, there’s no reason why I can’t be challenging for race wins now and that is what I’ll be aiming for from now on. We now go into a five week break and I can recharge my batteries so I’m fully prepared for the next race at Silverstone” concluded Ollie who as a result of his achievement gets the use of team boss Tony Gee’s Ferrari for a day!

Meanwhile younger brother Tommy was hoping to emulate his success of two weeks previous when he took victory aboard the Wayside Racing Yamaha in the Virgin Mobile Cup at Knockhill in Scotland but despite setting pole position, he crashed out during the race not once but twice!

In a first corner incident, the 16 year old was taken out by another rider but he gamely picked himself up from the 80mph smash and remounted as he to tried to score some all important points.

Tommy was clawing his way back into contention when on lap ten he went down on the same corner, the legacy of his former crash.

“I must have warped a disc in the first crash as I had to keep pumping the brakes but on that lap I just couldn’t get enough speed scrubbed off and down I went again. I’m gutted as the accident wasn’t my fault but I’ll bounce back and hope to win next time out” said Tommy.

Wayside Racing team owners Marcus and Liz Bridewell were delighted with their sons’ performances: “It was unlucky for Tom but that’s racing and Ollie had to dig deep for his result. He’ll have some fun in the gaffer’s Ferrari I’m sure!” said Marcus. Liz meanwhile commented: “I’m just so proud of both lads after today. Tommy showed such determination to get back in the race and he has to take some credit for that and as for Ollie, he’s worked so hard for his success, they both deserve a pat on the back after today.”

Tommy will next be in action in two weeks time when the Virgin Mobile Cup riders enjoy two races as non-championship supports to the British Moto GP at Donington Park before returning to domestic duty with Ollie at Silverstone on August 21st for round nine of the British series.

Northpoint Honda

Despite still suffering from a badly damaged arm 19-year-old Northpoint Honda Racing rider Cal Crutchlow scored his second podium of the season at the Norfolk based circuit of Snetterton. In soaring temperatures Crutchlow mad some inspiring manoeuvres on his fellow rivals to take a well-earned podium place. However, team-mate Craig Jones did not have the same luck as he crashed out of the lead of the race on lap 15 of 19.

After an early red flag the race was declared a full restart after a crash at the Chicane left debris on the track. Jones got an awesome start and was dominating at the front, dicing with Ducati rider Stuart Easton. Qualifying in 2nd position on the grid, Jones was feeling confident as he headed into Sunday's race and was looking smooth throughout the weekend. Crutchlow had been suffering all weekend with severe arm pump due to the lack of use of his bicep muscle, his lower forearm was having to work twice as hard and only managing to qualify in 10th position on the grid, the youngster from Coventry certainly made amends.

A number of Northpoint Honda Sponsors and invited guests were present over the weekend and were wooed by the two Honda riders during the race. Jones' spectacular riding style was certainly apparent and his fraught and thoughtful overtaking manoeuvres encouraged the guests even more. The disappointment was apparent on their faces when they saw the young rider from Peterborough crash out but were soon back on their feet willing Crutchlow to his podium place.

Even though Jones did not finish, he still remains second in the overall Championship standings. An eventful weekend saw two of his main rivals Tom Sykes and Stuart Easton also crashing out and both sustaining broken wrists. Crutchlow is now in 6th in the Championship but is quickly catching 4th and 5th position.

A disappointed Jones said 'This is a huge let down for me and something I certainly could have done without. I've lost my lead in the Championship but the fight certainly isn't over yet and we still have a long way in the season to go. This is my first DNF of the year and now I must ensure that I remain in the points and score consistently at the remaining rounds. The track was certainly pretty slippery today and it was just one of those racing incidents. Thankfully I wasn't injured and I'd like to wish Tom and Stuart a speedy recovery and see them back racing soon.'

Crutchlow on the other hand was extremely pleased saying 'I never thought after qualifying in 10th place that I would end up on the podium. I certainly left myself with a lot of work to do. I've been struggling all weekend with my arm and didn't know what I would be like in the race. I am having an operation on Wednesday to relieve the arm pump situation as we now have a five week gap which should leave me with enough time to recover. I'm made up with the podium place and hope I'll get some more before the season ends.'

Paul Young

Paul Young extended his lead in the Metzeler Racetec National Superstock championship yesterday, despite recording a fifth place finish at the Snetterton race circuit in Norfolk.

The Australian declared his weekend’s work at round eight of the championship as: ‘kinda good, kinda bad’ as despite a comparatively ‘lowly’ fifth place after his string of wins this season, he still managed to pull out a further six points over Lee Jackson, his second place challenger in the overall standings.

Youngy explained: "Yeah, I guess I’m sort of happy! To be fifth in the race but extend your lead by six points is not too bad a weekend as far as bad weekends go!" He added: "We approached the event as usual. I’ve not been to Snett for two years as I was out with a broken arm last year. We guessed at the gearing again and it pretty much worked, then I did as many laps in practice as I could. In qualifying it was all very close with something like a second covering the top 17 riders!"

Coming off of fifth on the grid, Paul found his clutch grab, before making a few positions up into the second turn. Youngy said: "Then me and the Yamaha just had our doors blown off down Revett Straight by some of the quick bikes. To add insult to injury I then went into neutral going into Russell’s Chicane! I managed to pull it all back into shape, but then the leaders got a big gap on me. From there on in I spent the race trying to chase down the leaders. I finally got in touch with the group battling for seventh and picked a couple of them off and ended up in fifth. Unfortunately the rest of them, including the battle for third and fourth and Adrian Coates who won the race had cleared off. To be honest after my disastrous first lap it was a decent bit of damage limitation."

Now with a six-week break before the British Superbike circus heads to Silverstone, Youngy is up for the challenge of the Northamptonshire circuit. "To be honest I’m looking forward to going anywhere other than a place that’s just a drag strip connected by two corners!"

Dave Johnson

It was a mixed weekend for 22-year-old Hinckley based rider Dave Johnson riding for Xpress Racing at the extremely hot Snetterton Circuit. Johnson only managed to qualify his Drayton Croft/Xpress Racing Suzuki GSX-R1000 K5 in 14th place but despite that he rode an impressive and smooth race to bag a sixth place.

Johnson made an impressive start and was soon locked in a six-way battle for third place with the positions changing on each lap. The hot weather conditions made the track abrasion pretty slippery and with Snetterton being one of the fastest circuits in the country it made it hard to stay with the faster, lighter riders.

Qualifying was frantic with just over a second separating the top 16 riders on the grid. It was essential that Johnson made a good start and worked his way through the pack, which is just what he did. Race leader Adrian Coates had already made a break by the time Johnson had caught up the freight train for third position but he got his head down and worked his way through the pack.

Commenting Johnson said 'I knew it would be fairly difficult at this circuit as it's so fast and I knew everything would be really close. I didn't have the best qualifying session and left myself with a fair bit of work to do in the race but as soon as the lights changed I just got my head down and I was on a mission. I didn't want to crash again and the pace was pretty hot, I was locked in a tight battle with a whole host of riders and thankfully managed to get myself up to sixth which I'm happy with. We've got a fairly big break now until the next round at Silverstone so it will give me time to refresh and hopefully I'll be back on the podium there.'

Team Principle Nigel Broomhall added 'This has been a tough weekend for David. Struggling to find that extra couple of tenths during qualifying. However, it was incredibly close at the front of the grid and with David getting a good start we collected some well deserved Championship Points. Silverstone is a good circuit for David, so we are looking forward very much to the next round and to put David back on the podium.'