The HM Plant Honda team return to Snetterton in Norfolk for the sixth round of the British Superbike Championship on the recently redeveloped ‘300’ configuration this weekend. Shane 'Shakey' Byrne still leads the title standings with Ryuichi Kiyonari now back inside the top six ahead following the previous round at Knockhill.

Last season the team took a brace of victories and over the winter the track has been extended to include a new infield section which will bring a new challenge to the team. Shakey and Kiyo have a strong past track record there; Shakey won on his last visit in 2008 and Kiyo has secured six wins including the double in 2006 and 2007.

The HM Plant Honda Superstock team will not be present this weekend as Jason O’Halloran continues his recovery from a heavy crash at Knockhill. Following the crash on the opening lap of the race he had an operation to remove his spleen and the Australian still remains in hospital in Dunfermline where he is making a steady recovery. It is expected that Jason will have an operation this Wednesday to pin the broken bone in his leg just above the ankle.


Shakey said:

"Snetterton has always been a cool track; the old layout was pretty straight forward so the changes are definitely for the better. I am looking forward to it that's for sure. To win for the first time at the new track would mean quite a lot to me; I want to win every race but to do it on the new layout for myself and HM Plant Honda would certainly be something to celebrate. I know I need to keep pushing for those podiums as the credits are going to be vital for the Showdown; we have more than the others at the moment but there certainly isn't room to get complacent. When we were at Snetterton for the pre-season test we had a lot of work to do on the new electronics package, but we were still able to run good times. I think with the extra improvements we have made since then and the experiences we have had so far we should be up there. The HM Plant Honda Fireblade has been fast all season and there is no reason why we shouldn't come out fighting again at Snetterton this weekend.

Kiyo said:

“I liked Snetterton before but now I think it will be more of a challenge and more exciting for the fans. I think we will all start the same so it is difficult to know who will be fastest, which is good for the fans but not so good for me as I want to win! At Knockhill I was feeling more comfortable and could push again and I was happier than I had been after Croft and Thruxton. We have won before at Snetterton on the old circuit and I want to win again for sure, especially for the first win. The HM Plant Honda Fireblade has been fast there in the past so we need to push hard and do everything we can to win.”

Team manager Havier Beltran concluded:

“In the past Snetterton has been a strong track for the HM Plant Honda team; last year we celebrated three wins so of course we would like to have a repeat performance of that. The situation is obviously slightly different this season with the new track layout, but we know we had a good pace at the pre-season test at the track and Shakey is confident after his recent run of podium finishes. Kiyo made some big improvements at Knockhill and this has been a good track for him in the past so we hope it will be again. I also want to say how pleased I am that Jason has been making steady progress with his recovery since his crash at Knockhill. He is still in hospital in Edinburgh but we are hoping that he will be able to leave soon and everyone at HM Plant Honda wants to again wish him a speedy return to fitness.”