The title chase resumed at the Silverstone International circuit, where a run through from Becketts to Abbey bypasses the far part of the full GP track. A complete field of competitors turned up, with Virgin Yamaha’s Sean Emmett back from his lingering infection, and John McGuinness re-joining the series with Vitrans Honda. Additionally, WSBK runner Ben Bostrom was entered as a wildcard on the Renegade Koji Honda.

Qualifying saw the four top points scorers secure places on the front row, the HM Plant Hondas heading the Airwaves Ducati pair. This meant a third pole position of the year for Kiyonari, with Rutter second. Gregorio Lavilla and Leon Haslam were next, with the Spanish race winner making his first front row start in P3.

The second row was split between Kawasaki and Suzuki riders, with Rizla’s GSX-Rs sixth and eighth, for John Reynolds and James Haydon, behind Hawk’s Dean Thomas. Former Rizla (and Hawk) man Scott Smart split the blue bikes, seventh on the Vivaldi Kawasaki. The variety continued on row three, where Michael Laverty and Gary Mason (both Stobart Honda) were split by Glen Richards (Hawk Kawasaki) and followed by Tommy Hill (Virgin Yamaha). Emmett, McGuinness, Karl Harris and Jonathan Rea were next.

Race one saw Kiyonari lead away, with Haslam, Rutter, Thomas, Lavilla, Reynolds, Laverty and Richards behind. Rutter quickly moved up a slot, then got alongside Kiyo in the fast run to the tight right-hand Abbey hairpin. On the inside, Michael made the pass for the lead at the apex. In the following fast downhill right of Bridge, Lavilla took fourth from Thomas. The following left of Priory saw Haslam take Kiyonari in a good move on the inside. The first lap also saw the demise of Smart and Emmett, who crashed together.

The front row men were making it their own race, as Rutter, Haslam, Kiyonari and Lavilla moved away from Thomas and the rest. However, it was a short lived affair, due to a three-way incident involving the Hondas of Harris, Laverty and Bostrom which brought out the red flag as Laverty lay on the track. None of them was seriously injured, but the youngster would not restart.

The 19-lap restarted race saw Haslam first away, but with Rutter and Richards quickly moving ahead of the Ducati. Kiyonari, Thomas and Haydon were next in line, whereas Richard Wren’s outing ended in a first corner crash. This time it was Haslam to make a pass at Abbey, getting past Richards, whilst Thomas took Kiyonari for fourth. The order had Rutter leading Haslam, Richards, Thomas, Kiyonari, Haydon, Lavilla and Reynolds.

‘Kiyo’ re-passed Thomas on the inside for the left-handed first part of the tight Woodcote chicane, before the home straight, but the Honda folded under him at the apex. Ryuichi got the bike going again as quickly as he could, but a whole stream of riders had gone past in the meantime. This might well have taken some pressure off his championship rivals, but they were involved in their own battles at the front.

Lavilla had passed Thomas to tag on behind Rutter, Haslam and Richards, and then got the last of these in a move at Abbey. Meanwhile, team-mate Haslam had held the lead briefly at Priory, but with the late braking sending him wide as Rutter slipped through again. The first three began to eke a margin over the two green machine ZX-10s, with the pursuing Haydon and Reynolds already out of touch. By this time Kiyonari had already flown back into the points positions.

Haslam had another go at Rutter inside at Abbey, but ended up well wide as Lavilla nipped through right on the Honda’s tail. Gregorio was now placed to take advantage of a Rutter mistake, also at Abbey, when the Ducati rider took a tight line through and powered ahead on the way out. By now, Richards and Thomas had dropped away, into the clutches of the advancing Reynolds.

With the laps running out, Rutter looked set to stretch his points lead by sitting between the two Airwaves Ducati riders. But finishing the penultimate lap, Michael unexpectedly lost the front at the chicane, much as Kiyo had done earlier. Again he got going, but again not before several rivals went through. All this left Lavilla with a clear margin over Haslam as they took a team one-two, and a fourth win for the Spaniard.

Reynolds had bested the Kawasakis, as had Honda UK’s Harris, so that ‘JR’ inherited a podium finish. Suzuki team-mate Haydon had faded, so that Richards and Thomas were followed home by Mason. A late tussle for ninth, and eighth at the flag, had seen Hill just ahead as Haydon came under attack from Kiyonari. The Honda made the first place at turn one, Copse, and ultimately got by Hill for eight points. Rutter secured just one, behind Steve Plater, Rea, Dennis Hobbs and Tristan Palmer.

Race two began without Smart or Laverty, moving riders up for an all Hawk-Rizla row two, and again there was an early stoppage. Kiyonari and Rutter got away up front, but three first corner fallers included Wren once again, and the red flag flew. The second attempt went better for the two Ducatis, as Haslam and Lavilla followed Kiyonari, with Rutter now fourth from Thomas, Reynolds, Haydon and Richards.

Rutter threatened for third on the outside at Abbey, but before long the first three were pulling away from him. Kiyo was not going to be caught up fighting in the group on this occasion, and by the time Lavilla found a way past Haslam, going into the chicane, he faced a 1.6s lead for the Japanese rider. Haslam was not done, though, and again he sent himself wide in his move at Abbey, letting Lavilla resume in P2. Behind Rutter and Thomas, Reynolds had already gone out when he lost the front at Priory.

The first three remained close for a while but, with a small Kiyo error, Lavilla closed the slight gap that had opened. Haslam started to drop back, later claiming he’d missed a couple of gear shifts, and would end up six seconds away in a solitary third. Meanwhile, a racy Lavilla pushed Kiyonari as the laps ran out, but a concerted final lap effort for the Honda man gave him the win by 1.5s.

Haslam and Rutter were third and fourth, with Richards making his way through for another fifth. Thomas and Mason passed Haydon to be next, with Harris, Hill, Rea, James Buckingham, Hobbs, Palmer and Kieran Clarke also getting on the leader board.

With the two HM Plant Honda riders both falling in race one, Ducati’s Gregorio Lavilla and Leon Haslam had the best of the meeting. In the Spaniard’s case, 45 points brought him right onto the tail of Ryuichi Kiyonari, who had a least salvaged 33, and taken a tenth win. The man really kicking himself must have been Michael Rutter, having lost 19 points from his lead, and having come so close to making it a 46-point margin. He now leads by just 26.

Standings after eighteen races: Rutter 316; Kiyonari 290; Lavilla 286; Haslam 208; Richards 182; Harris 145; Thomas 129; Mason 116; M Laverty 113; Reynolds 84; Emmett 79; Smart 76; Haydon 70; Plater 69.

To buy the photograph shown above, visit Raceline Photography

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