Ryuichi Kiyonari elevated himself to second in the MCE Insurance British Superbike Championship standings and closed the points deficit to Shane 'Shakey' Byrne to just twelve points, but the Buildbase BMW contender was defeated by his main rival in the second race by just 0.152s.

Kiyonari had set the pace in the second contest and was coming under increasing pressure from the Rapid Solicitors Kawasaki rider. Kiyonari was forced to defend his position hard and knew that an attack was imminent from Byrne. A decisive move on the final lap saw the championship leader move ahead. Kiyonari though knows that the team's hard work paid off this weekend as they have closed Byrne's advantage in the standings with just two rounds remaining at Silverstone and Brands Hatch.

Kiyonari said:

"In race two I tried so hard for the win, so I am disappointed we didn't beat Shakey. There was a lot of pressure especially in the beginning and I was too slow at the start of the race compared to the pace we had in free practice. Then at the end of the race my lap times were getting better and better. The last five laps I thought I will try a bit more and push even hard and then maybe we can have a win, but Shakey tried to pass me and I thought, 'oh no he is coming', so I tried harder and I made a mistake on the last lap. Shakey passed me in the last chicane and there was nothing I could do. I want to win again at Silverstone now!"



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