The previous round had seen the pairs of HM Plant Honda and Airwaves Ducati riders quickest - with Hawk Kawasaki’s Glen Richards also in the mix - and this time the roles of the two challengers’ team-mates would surely be even more key. Lavilla had been supported well by Leon Haslam at Donington Park, while Michael Rutter’s results had represented that slight dip in form which had taken him out of the title equation over the season’s latter half.

Unfortunately for HRC, the season finale at the Brands Hatch Grand Prix circuit did not start as promisingly as had their season opening at the same venue’s Indy track. The HM FireBlades both qualified on the third row, while GSE’s Haslam and Lavilla appeared together on the front row of the grid, with the leading Honda of the UK team’s Karl Harris.

Pole position, though, went to James Haydon for the first time in his BSB career. It was the first such for Suzuki this year, and was some compensation for a troubled Rizla team. 2004 champion John Reynolds had crashed on the Friday, and was hospitalised with a number of injuries. He later announced his retirement after a long and distinguished career at home and abroad (see separate story). Suzuki privateer James Buckingham was given the chance to ride the bike through the remainder of the meeting.

The line up saw Haydon lead Haslam, Harris and Lavilla, with the Hawk bikes of Dean Thomas and Richards heading up row two. Gary Mason was an encouraging seventh for Stobart Honda, this time back up to strength with both Jeremy McWilliams and Michael Laverty returning to action. The leading Yamaha was piloted by eighth man Tommy Hill, ahead of Kiyonari, Rutter, Sean Emmett and McWilliams.

Race one saw Haslam and Lavilla lead away, then Thomas, Haydon, Rutter, Richards, Hill and Kiyonari. Richards was quickly by Rutter for fifth, whilst Harris was in the wars almost immediately, crashing out and hurting his foot. As the two Airwaves riders started to stretch away from the rest, Richards was also an early casualty, crashing the ZX-10R at Stirlings, the left-hander onto the back straight.

As the two Ducatis led, Thomas and Haydon disputed third. Blue led green when James overtook at Hawthorn Bend, braking uphill into the right-hander. By now Kiyonari and Rutter were next in line. With no immediate threat looming behind, Haslam was able to take a wide line at the Graham Hill Bend left-hander on the infield, so that Lavilla could take over and look for the win he needed. Buckingham was the latest crasher not long afterwards.

With Lavilla and Haslam soon secure in the lead, the interest centred on the four racing behind them. Haydon suffered a huge wobble at one point, but held onto third from Thomas and ‘Kiyo’, with Rutter in touch. The Japanese rider’s quest to get forward took him past the Kawasaki at Surtees, where the left-hander takes them up and onto the main back section straight towards Pilgrim’s Drop and Hawthorn.

Haydon was his next target, and he made a move crossing the start-finish line and taking to the inside. James was late on the brakes for Paddock Hill Bend, the diving right, and Kiyo ran wide as a result, losing out to Thomas again. He once again regained the initiative at Surtees and chased after Haydon. However, with Lavilla and Haslam taking the one-two, Ryuichi was just beaten home by James, and with Dean also right there. Rutter was sixth, with Mason, Steve Plater, McWilliams, Jonathan Rea, Laverty and Scott Smart next. Hill had been the fourth man to crash.

In race two, Lavilla only had to score a single point for the title, or for Kiyonari to be beaten. With this in mind, he was more than happy for Haslam to go after the win this time. Harris was not starting, and the getaway had Leon leading from Haydon, Lavilla, Thomas, Richards and Rutter, with the two Kawasakis changing places in the initial scramble. Lavilla gave Ducati the top two placings again as he passed Haydon on the inside at Paddock, and the Suzuki rider’s luck was right out when the rear came round on him exiting the right-hand Druids hairpin, taking him out.

Again the 999 F04 Ducatis looked a class above, but we had a six-man race for the next placings. Thomas and Richards led Kiyonari, Rutter, Plater and Mason, and Steve Plater took the Hydrex Honda into sixth at Clearways, the entry to the final banked right-hander. Behind came Hill, Rea, Laverty, Ben Wilson and Danny Beaumont. Kiyonari was not yet ready to give up, and overtook Richards at Hawthorn. Plater followed him at Paddock.

Kiyo got by Thomas at Hawthorn, to lead the second group, but did not seem to have the pace to break away, or take the pack up to the Ducati pair. As he led Thomas, Plater and Richards clear of Mason and Rutter, it was Plater looking the most threatening. He duly took fourth at Paddock, and a repeat at Clearways gave him Kiyo’s third.

Haslam duly took the victory, from a closely shadowing Lavilla, who earned the championship title - not bad for a stand-in rider. Plater was third after his best ride of the season, with Kiyonari/Thomas right there, and Richards/Mason in touch. Rutter - already needing a ride for 2006 - made it a baffling ten consecutive races off the podium, in eighth, ahead of Hill, Rea, Laverty, Wilson, Beaumont, Buckingham, Emmett and Smart.

Gregorio Lavilla, number one on the Ducati © Raceline Photography

In the end the margin between Gregorio Lavilla and Ryuichi Kiyonari was a convinving 32 points, with the Spaniard on seven wins to his rival’s twelve. The might of HRC and Michelin had been beaten for the second year, despite evidence that they had the faster package. The GSE Racing team had triumphed despite a year of inactivity, and with a rider who had no knowledge of many of the circuits, and who had been unemployed as the season commenced.

The final weekend had belonged to GSE and their Airwaves Ducatis, and with both former race winners James Haydon and Steve Plater going as well as they had all year. For John Reynolds, a difficult title defence year had ended in a bad way, as had his exceptional career, but the health of the British Superbike series was proved as robust as ever it had been.

Final standings, after twenty-six races:
1 Gregorio Lavilla, Ducati • 461
2 Ryuichi Kiyonari, Honda • 429
3 Michael Rutter, Honda • 371
4 Leon Haslam, Ducati • 350
5 Glen Richards, Kawasaki • 241
6 Dean Thomas, Kawasaki • 198
7 Karl Harris, Honda • 195
8 Gary Mason, Honda • 174
9 John Reynolds, Suzuki • 139
10 Michael Laverty, Honda • 129
11 James Haydon, Suzuki/Yamaha • 126
12 Tommy Hill, Yamaha • 123

A review of the season will follow in due course.

To buy the photographs shown above, visit Raceline Photography

Bookmark or share this story with:

• Digg
• Delicious
• Facebook
• Reddit
• Stumbleupon

SPORTNETWORK SPECIALS

• Think you know your sport? Click here to try the Sportnetwork Prize Quizzes