Ryuichi Kiyonari reckons he can hit double top as he begins his bid for the Bennetts British Superbike crown this coming Sunday at Brands Hatch.

The 23 year old, who is aiming to be the first Japanese to win the country’s premier crown, ran consistently quickly as he completed his pre-season test programme in the bitter cold of Snetterton.

“I am very happy with my work here – we have not made an changes to the bike, and I have put in many laps,” said the HM Plant Honda Fireblade rider who won both races in the corresponding round last year.

“It has been very cold, but if the weather is the same at Brands Hatch, then for me, this weekend will for me have all been worth it.”

Kiyonari’s best lap of the 1.9520 mile Norfolk circuit came in a best time of 1m 05.928s, an average speed of 106.58mph, but it was only 0.038s faster than that recorded by his team-mate Karl Harris, the former triple British Supersport Champion, who was fortunate to escape injury in a high speed crash at Russells.

James Haydon, with a late charge, moved his Rizla Suzuki into third place on the two-day leaderboard – his best lap came in a time of 1m 06.174s, edging out Jonathan Rea, the Red Bull Honda rider, who, like Ipone Kawasaki’s Sean Emmett, took a tumble at the Esses. Both escaped injury.

Shane Byrne, the former champion, who is returning to domestic action after two years in World MotoGP, overcame the frustrations of machine problems on Saturday, with a series of fast lap during Sunday, the best of which came in 1m 06.934s.

Tommy Hill was the fastest of the three Virgin Mobile Yamaha riders, lapping in 1m 07.005s while Dean Thomas repaid the hard work of the Hawk Kawasaki team, who earlier in the week had raced against time to build his all new bike – the Australian had a best lap of 1m 07.233s.

Officials at Snetterton paid tribute to the 4000 spectators who brave the conditions for a taste of the Superbike action, at the same time being able to meet their heroes in the paddock and pit-lane walk.

Suzuki Report

Rizla Suzuki's James Haydon finished the official MCRCB two-day test at Snetterton in good spirits and pleased with the performance of his 2006 GSX-R1000 Superbike.

Close to freezing weather at the Norfolk track kept the riders on their toes during the test but didn’t stop James from recording nearly 150-laps over the weekend. He built his speed gradually, finishing with the fastest time in the final session and third overall.

Rizla Suzuki rider Shane ‘Shakey’ Byrne also enjoyed a successful outing and took third in the final session which was good enough for fifth overall. Honda’s Ryuichi Kiyonari was quickest.

Rizla Suzuki continues its test programme at Donington Park in Derbyshire on Tuesday, March 21st, before rolling up to Brands Hatch Indy circuit in Kent for the opening round of the British Superbike Championship on Sunday, March 26th.

James:
“It has been a really encouraging test. The Rizla Suzuki feels good and has improved, as have I over the course of the weekend.

“I feel happy and settled on the bike and we have a strong base setting that allows us to run with the rest of the field. I’m looking forward to Tuesday as we have a few items we want to try at Donington before going to the opening round. Thanks to the Rizla Suzuki team for all its support this weekend.”

Shakey:
“This has been a positive test and it’s been great to get a lot more miles under our belts. We didn’t change the bike much but rather concentrated on finding a good base setting and riding.

“I managed a similar lap time to James on race tyres and am looking forward to Donington to make more progress.”

Robert Wicks, Team Manager:
“This has been a vital test for us and we have come through it with encouraging results. We have been able to benchmark against some of our main rivals and it is good to know we are on the pace.

“James impressed the whole team with his methodical approach to his testing and gave us all a lift when he topped the final timesheet of the weekend. Shane has been consistent and fast and is fitting in with the team really well.”