By Dan Moakes
October 1 2005

The second Oulton Park race had been won by 20cm, with Ryuichi Kiyonari’s double taking him into a one point lead over Gregorio Lavilla. Michael Rutter’s disappointing day had left him out of the picture, setting up a straight fight between the two overseas riders.

The penultimate round of the 2005 Bennetts British Superbike Championship was taking place on the Donington Park Grand Prix circuit, with its mix of fast, flowing turns through rolling gradient, and then the flat blasts into heavy braking for tight corners. The 2004 races had been dominated by HM Plant Honda rider Kiyonari and, to get a step nearer to taking the title, he would be looking for more of the same.

Qualifying saw the four top men in the points table take up positions on the front row, with Airwaves Ducati riders Lavilla and Leon Haslam first and second, and HM Plant men Rutter and Kiyonari next. Gregorio’s lap, which came close to Steve Hislop’s Superbike record, boded well for his chances. The second row of the grid was another two team affair, with Hawk Kawasaki riders Glen Richards (fifth) and Dean Thomas (eighth) split by the Rizla Suzukis of James Haydon and John Reynolds.

Karl Harris led row three for Honda UK, from Dennis Hobbs in his comeback ride - with tenth his best start to date. Gary Mason and Scott Smart were followed by leading privateer Marty Nutt, then Tommy Hill, Steve Plater and Julien da Costa - the Frenchman filling in for Jon Kirkham.

Race one was led away by Haslam, with Lavilla, Rutter and Richards in tow. Kiyonari was only sixth through the first curves, but moved inside Thomas at the left-right Fogarty Esses at the end of the back straight. Reynolds was behind this pair, but team-mate Haydon had crashed off on the outside between McLeans and Coppice corners.

The Airwaves riders had changed positions before the first lap ended, with Lavilla getting the move done at the right-handed Melbourne hairpin. The next, left-handed Goddards loop, onto the start-finish straight, saw ‘Kiyo’ pass Richards, whilst Thomas ran wide and let Reynolds through.

Kiyonari didn’t have any trouble from Rutter, and was soon chasing down Lavilla and Haslam. By the time he got past Leon at Goddards, Gregorio was out on his own in front. Ryuichi closed down the Spaniard’s lead, and was looking to challenge. However, on the penultimate lap the Honda went a bit wide at Coppice, the double apex right onto the back straight, and he lost two seconds on Lavilla.

That was enough, and Lavilla duly took his fifth victory. Haslam was some distance back on Kiyonari in third. The race for fourth had been won by Richards, after an inside move on Rutter at the right-handed Old Hairpin turn, at the lowest point on the course. Reynolds had also passed the Honda by the finish, whilst Thomas had faded to lose out to Smart and Hill. The other points went to Mason, Plater, Ben Wilson, Sean Emmett, da Costa and James Buckingham - who also won the privateer Cup trophy in the process. Harris’ race had ended in the pits.

Rain threatened in between the two Superbike races and, in fact, had come and gone by the time they were ready to go out again. Support races had dried the racing line, but the rest of the surface remained damp. At one point, between the Craner Curves and the Old Hairpin, a little water was still draining down the hill - across the braking point, as a few riders would later discover to their cost.

Race two started better for the HM Plant Honda pair, with Kiyonari leading away, and soon building a small gap over Rutter and the rest. Haslam, Richards and Lavilla followed on, then Thomas, and a gaggle comprising Reynolds, Harris, Haydon, Hill, Plater and Hobbs. The Old Hairpin hazard was the scene of crashes for both Plater and Reynolds first time through.

With championship hopeful Kiyonari leading his team-mate, he perhaps didn’t expect Rutter to go through into the lead at the Esses, but a more troubling moment for him followed on the Melbourne loop. Here, Haslam went for the pass on the inside, forcing the Honda man onto the damp tarmac. This also allowed Lavilla and Richards through, and Kiyo was suddenly fifth. Sixth man Thomas soon moved clear of the pursuing field, but would not stay in touch with those ahead.

Lavilla’s bid for the double came fairly early, and involved passing GSE team-mate Haslam at Melbourne when the younger man ran wide. His move on Rutter was at Redgate, the first right-hander at the top of the drop down hill, and as Michael drifted wide Leon also went past. Before long the Spaniard was pulling away, and meanwhile Rutter was relegated further by Richards at Melbourne. Emmett was another victim at Old Hairpin, while Kieran Clarke was apparently thrown off his Honda going in a straight line into Melbourne - with the machine then driving onwards to the tyre barrier.

The late stages were filled with similar drama. Kawasaki privateer Michael Pensavalle joined the other crashed riders via the wet patch at Old Hairpin and, while the marshals were still at work, Richards’ Hawk Kawasaki arrived in a spectacular cartwheel. Luckily the nearest marshal scrambled out of its path, but it was a close thing. Glen’s trajectory had been rather more calm, but the tricky surface had cost him a podium finish.

Lavilla took his sixth victory by a four second margin, with Haslam second for a team one-two, and Kiyonari ahead of Rutter by the flag. Haydon had come through on Thomas for fifth, with Mason, Smart, Harris, Michael Laverty, Jonathan Rea, Dean Ellison, Wilson, Nutt and Luke Quigley surviving for the remaining points.

The day belonged to Gregorio Lavilla and Airwaves Ducati, with the 31-year-old Spaniard moving back into the points lead. Ryuichi Kiyonari had limited the damage by coming second and third, but the margin now stands at 13. Lavilla only has to finish just behind his rival at Brands Hatch to become the second overseas winner of the British Superbike crown.

Michael Rutter’s recent misery may well have been compounded by a six and fourth, especially as he now knows that, once again, he is not destined to be the champion. In contrast, a relatively modest seventh and eighth for Scott Smart still marked his best results since joining Vivaldi Racing - and a double finish scored him more than all the faster men to have crashed in one or other race.

Standings after twenty races: Lavilla 416; Kiyonari 403; Rutter 353; Haslam 305; Richards 231; Harris 195; Thomas 176; Mason 156; Reynolds 139; M Laverty 119; Hill 116; Haydon 110; Emmett and Smart 93; Plater 87.

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