Ryuichi Kiyonari was another one of the Title Fighters to get caught out at the opening round of the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship Showdown at Assen, crashing out of Q3 which saw him drop to the second row in Datatag Extreme Qualifying.

Kiyonari had topped the timesheets this morning in the dry and again in Q1. He had posted the second fastest time in Q3 and on a faster lap, but he low-sided out of contention and ended his session in the gravel. The triple title-winner though is not prepared to let it faze him as he bids to close the points deficit to Shane 'Shakey' Byrne in the overall standings.

Kiyonari said:

"Qualifying was difficult today, but it was the same for everybody. In the dry it was a lot better and we have a good pace. I was feeling happy and then it started to rain and that made it more difficult. I did my lap because I wasn't sure if my one before would be fast enough because when it is like these conditions it can change very quickly. Then I had a crash and I was very disappointed because I just lost the front and it happened so fast. I think tomorrow is ok and I will have a long sleep so I am ready!"



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